text:
Public relations agency Undertow Media will open an office in Auckland in August as the agency looks to further expansion.
Existing Undertow clients keen to ramp up their NZ media presence include Kathmandu, Tupperware, Intrepid Travel and Ocean Spray.
The new office's first client win is fashion brand Witchery.
Founder Jane Martino said with a strong presence in Victoria it was a “natural progression” to start expanding.
“We have multiple clients operating heavily in the New Zealand market so it was a perfect next step – and we won’t be stopping there,” Martino said.
Leading the NZ office is Greer Bland (pictured), Undertow's former general manager of the consumer division. Bland is replaced by Shelley Hammond.
The move into NZ has also resulted in the promotion of chief executive Jess Nunns to the new group CEO role with a remit of extending Undertow’s footprint.
“Expanding into new markets is a key objective for us in the next three years and this is not limited to traditional public relations,” Nunns said.
“The next logical step is to grow into the digital space, possibly by partnering with a digital specialist to complement our current offer.”
Undertow Media’s Auckland office will open on August 1.
Please login with linkedin to comment
Women in Print has re-launched itself this week to take on the year, and future ahead. A refreshed brand, website, calendar and team are leading the way with Women in Print also announcing a new partnership with The Real Media Collective. A new look, new management and new focus – Community, Knowledge, Network and Support […]
The global Out of Home (OOH) industry has today launched a campaign #OurSecondChance. The campaign asks simple questions about how we can make the most of the positive opportunities that have arisen out of the pandemic. Broadcast on OOH signs around the globe #OurSecondChance is collaboration between World Out of Home Organisation (WOO) and the […]
With the COVID-19 crisis affecting all crowd-based activities, youth mental-health charity batyr has devised the first-ever Run for the Herd Virtual Festival partnering with media business UM to bring the virtual event to life. With the City2Surf event in Sydney, normally a big fund-raising opportunity for batyr, postponed this year, batyr has created a virtual event and with the support of UM are encouraging […]
Following QMS’ acquisition of TLA Worldwide (Aust) last year, QMS Sport has today announced it will transition to the TLA brand and formally become a business unit of TLA. ‘Media Tech’ is officially the new name for what was formally known as QMS Sport, and will operate alongside TLA’s existing business units that span the […]


text:
Fast-food chain Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) reported a 7% increase in revenues for the third quarter of 2022. However, the company’s net profit declined during the period.
Third-quarter net profit decreased to $100.5 million or $2.79 per share from $120.4 million or $3.24 per share in the comparable period of last year. Meanwhile, net revenues moved up 7% annually to $1.07 billion. International comparable-store sales declined 1.8% year-over-year, while U.S same-store rose 2%.
Earnings missed analysts’ estimates, while the top line exceeded expectations. The board of directors declared a $1.10 per share quarterly dividend for shareholders of record as of December 15, 2022, to be paid on December 30, 2022
Check this space to read management/analysts’ comments on Domino’s Q3 2022 earnings
Domino’s shares made strong gains on Thursday morning soon after the earnings announcement, after closing the last session lower.
Looking for more insights on the earnings results? Click here to access the full transcripts of the latest earnings conference calls!
The holiday season has started and it is the time for cheer but this year inflation is proving to be a major spoilsport for the festivities. As customers struggle to
Shares of Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) were down over 1% on Wednesday, a day after the company reported earnings results for the third quarter of 2022. Revenue and earnings
Target Corporation (TGT): A look at how the retail giant is shaping up against an inflationary backdrop
Shares of Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) were up over 1% on Wednesday. The stock has dropped 30% year-to-date and 35% over the past 12 months. Last week the company reported

domain: news


text:
|A customer browses goods on an online shop. - VNS Photo Đoàn Tùng|
HCM CITY/ HÀ NỘI – Mobile electronic commerce or m-commerce is soon set to take off in Việt Nam thanks to the increasing number of mobile phones and rapid internet development, experts have predicted.
According to a report by Google Việt Nam, mobile devices have driven a major shift in consumer behavior.
It said a Vietnamese on average picks up and looks at their mobile phone 150 times a day, or more than 10 times an hour.
Furthermore, more people under 35 now use smartphones than computers.
This has a tremendous impact on m-commerce since users are seeking specific information and content, the company said.
On the sidelines of a conference on m-commerce held in HCM City on Wednesday, Nitin Gajria, Việt Nam country manager for Google, told Việt Nam News that he is really optimistic about m-commerce in the country.
“What I am really encouraged by is that the infrastructure is already in place so that it can grow very quickly. Third-generation (3G) coverage is nationwide and phones are getting cheaper.
“Data is already relatively cheap compared to the rest of the markets in the region. So all of these are great conditions for internet penetration to grow quite dramatically very quickly. And that gives me great encouragement for everything that has to do with the internet, including m-commerce.”
According to MasterCard’s latest mobile shopping survey, more than 51 per cent of Vietnamese participating in the survey made purchases using their smartphones last year, up from 45.2 per cent in 2014.
The survey is based on interviews that took place between October and December last year with 8,500 participants aged 18-64 across 14 markets in Asia Pacific, including 500 respondents from Việt Nam.
The markets include Thailand, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Việt Nam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, India and the Philippines.
Clothes and fashion accessories, gifts and toys and mobile apps are the most mobile shopping purchases in the country.
The survey also revealed that India topped the region in growth rates, with the number of people shopping on smartphones rising by 29.3 per cent from two years ago, followed by Singapore (17.1 per cent) and Việt Nam (16.8 per cent).
Lê Xuân Long, marketing director of online marketplace Lazada Việt Nam, said, “Every day more and more customers use the internet through mobile phones.”
Technologies are developing and so websites browsed on mobile phones will match mobile applications, he added.
“For Lazada, 60 per cent of trading value is through mobile phones. The figure is set to increase to 80 per cent by 2020.”
Are you ready?
For many companies, m-commerce is a new concept though Vietnamese consumers have indulged in it for long, using their phones every day to access shopping sites, watching advertising videos on YouTube and Facebook and buying products and services.
Demand has shot up but companies do not seem ready with many remaining focused on the desktop.
Only a few companies are developing mobile applications.
Lazada said it has developed an App 2.0 version to meet the increasing demand through mobile devices.
Long said the money required to develop the application was not small and thought that was the reason why many companies are reluctant to invest in m-commerce.
But he was optimistic that with pioneers like Lazada coming to the market, others would follow suit and the market would boom.
Gajria told Vietnamese companies: “Keep an eye out for what their users want. I think, one, is obviously to look out around the world for best practices, look to reapply best practices from around the world. But don’t just blindly reapply best practices; customise it for your users in Việt Nam.
“Just picking up what western markets are doing may not work in our markets, in developing markets.
“So it is important to understand what your users want. And deliver a great, fantastic experience.” - VNS


text:
Telestream has launched the Gameshow application for online gamecasting.
Gamecasters are using platforms like Twitch to create more than ten million shows each month, leading to 100 million viewers watching six billion minutes of gaming action every month, according to the Twitch gamecasting platform.
At the same time, eSports are ramping up, as Turner's recent announcement that it would air gaming on prime time TV, and this year's $18 million Dota 2 purse indicate.
Gameshow lets game broadcasters set up and produce streams, with graphic templates, dynamic editing, live switching, green screen technology and built-in interactive widgets. Users can move, resize and rotate elements on screen, and gamecasters can display data such as such as chat, followers or donations. The app also allows the use a camera and green screen to put gamecasters inside the game. Show setups can be reused to convey a consistent personality and brand.
Unique to Gameshow is support for Twitch widgets, which automatically pull in data (such as number of subscribers, donations, followers and chat) and display it on the stream in a custom-designed box.
"The Twitch broadcasting community has evolved the live video experience in terms of how they leverage tools and features to create engaging content for viewers," said Marcus Graham, director of programming, Twitch. "With the launch of Gameshow, it gives them a new way to really amp up their production quality which is a key component in their quest to grow their audiences."


text:
The Learning and Skills Councils in the North-east are encouraging local businesses to take on more apprentices, with the help of local creative agency Different.
The LSC is targeting a campaign at 8,000 HR managers and senior decision makers in four of the North-east's business sectors - retail, IT, hospitality and business services.
The direct mail campaign is aiming to attract 800 new businesses to the apprenticeship programme from Teesside up to the Borders, by promoting the direct benefits to the business in recruiting and training young people in their workforce.
It is hoped that the initiative will contribute to the targets set for the LSC and its training providers in the North-east by encouraging local businesses to consider closing their sector skills gap, through the training of young people.
The campaign conveys the benefits to businesses of recruiting able and motivated under-25s on an apprenticeship programme where they usually combine a day release to college with on-the-job training. It will use testimonials from local companies already benefiting from the scheme to encourage others to take part both to develop their workforce and improve their bottom line.
Chris Roberts, regional director of the Learning and Skills Council, said: "The benefits to businesses of taking on an apprentice can be immense, as they are motivated young people who are taking their training seriously and often stay with the firm longer than traditional recruitment methods.
"This direct mail campaign is to encourage more business sectors to consider apprenticeships. Apprentices can work in shops, offices, hotels, and restaurants - almost anywhere - due to the bespoke training programme developed with the business and student. It is clear from the testimonies of current employers who are involved in the programme that young people very quickly become an asset to the company.
"Also its does not need to be for new recruits, as apprenticeships can be a great way of boosting the skills of your existing younger workforce, and can give them the additional training to progress quickly within the business, helping businesses retain staff longer."
Advertising agency Different is based in Newcastle.


text:
The Jakarta Post
Paladia Petty Sukarsaatmadja holds face shield frames that were made using the Edner3 3D printer. (Paladia Petty Sukarsaatmadja/File)
It was late March when the United States government declared a national emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic, causing numerous companies to implement work-from-home policies.
Indonesia-born Paladia Petty Sukarsaatmadja, 38, is among the employees who has to work from her home in New Jersey, which ranks second for the most COVID-19 cases among all US states after New York.
As of Thursday, New Jersey had a total of 131,890 cases with 8,549 fatalities, according to The Guardian.
Since the policy was introduced, Petty and her Mexico-born husband have followed news about a shortage of protective gear (APD) for medical personnel.
“Our neighbor, who happens to be a nurse in a hospital in New Jersey, confirmed the news and told us that anything that people can give to help them would be very useful,” Petty told The Jakarta Post via email. “We’re moved to help them as they’re the front-liners against COVID-19.”
During their research, the couple discovered information about protective gear designs from organizations worldwide; designs that have been approved by the National Institute of Health, including one for face shields made using a 3D printer.
Using a design from Swedish manufacturer 3DVerkstan, they began to produce face shield frames utilizing their 3D printer at home.
A face shield design by 3dVerkstan. (3dverkstan.se/File)
“We’ve had the printer for one year and we usually use it to print kids’ toys and to further learn about its technology as my husband and I have engineering backgrounds,” said Petty, who works as a quality assurance engineer at the Panasonic Corporation of North America. “At first we were only able to make around eight frames a day, but after optimizing our printer’s settings, we’re [now] able to make around 20 frames daily.”
The process of producing face shields consists of two phases: first, printing out the frames or visors and, second, attaching a transparent plastic sheet to the frames. Each frame is made of a polylactic acid (PLA) plastic filament, while the plastic sheet is made of acrylic.
After creating the frames, Petty then sends them to volunteers who attach the plastic sheets to the frames.
When asked about the challenges they faced, Petty said that their 3D printer would sometimes not work properly, so they often had to order new spare parts, which meant halting the production process.
“Moreover, as each volunteer is unable to meet directly due to social distancing, all of the logistical processes have to be done online and it requires intensive communication and teamwork,” Petty said, adding that she felt grateful for their colleagues, friends and neighbors who had helped them throughout the process.
They have produced at least 470 face shields and donated them to hospitals, first aid units, police stations and nursing homes in New Jersey.
Their face shield production is currently ongoing and they hope to donate the products to hospitals and first responders, such as ambulance and first aid personnel and police officers.
Meet Petty, an engineer @PanasonicUSA. She’s created over 400 face shields for local hospitals in NJ to help keep medical professionals safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. #NationalVolunteerWeek #PanasonicCares pic.twitter.com/So3fcdjicI— Panasonic Foundation (@PanasonicFDN) April 24, 2020
Having lived in New Jersey for around 10 years, Petty said it was quite a challenge to juggle her work with helping her 8-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter with their homework.
They practice social distancing by staying at home and they wash their hands regularly and disinfect each package that arrives at their door as almost all of their primary needs are purchased online from retailer Instacart.
“We also need to monitor the app to get a delivery slot as it has been difficult to get. Rolled tissue paper, hand sanitizer and disinfectant products are hard to find online and at physical stores,” said Petty, who graduated from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in West Java.
Entering their eighth week of physical distancing, the couple have implemented a schedule and to-do list for their children to set their napping, play and lunch times. “On the weekends, we hold ‘home theater’ entertainment where they have to help their parents clean the house to get an ‘entrance ticket’ to the theater."
Petty began her career at Panasonic Corp of North America in 2019. She became interested in the electronics industry company while studying and working in Japan for six years. (kes)
Your premium period will expire in 0 day(s)close x


text:
The federal government, eager to boost the flagging economy, will start distributing special stimulus payments Monday—four days earlier than expected.
"Beginning Monday, the effects of the stimulus will begin to reach households,"said Friday. "This money is going to help Americans offset the high prices we're seeing at the gas pump and at the grocery store."
The department announced the early arrival of the payments Thursday after saying last month that it would begin sending out the money on May 2.
As of next week, 800,000 tax filers daily will begin to have their checks directly deposited Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. No checks will be distributed Thursday, and 5 million payments will be made Friday.
The payments will go out ahead of schedule because of a new computer program that updates records daily—faster than an older program that updates weekly, according to Andrew DeSouza, a Treasury spokesman.
Overall, the Treasury will distribute more than $110 billion to 130 million taxpayers by July and hopes to get the first $50 billion out by the end of May, DeSouza said.
The checks are the centerpiece of an economic stimulus program signed into law by President Bush in February. The aim is to boost consumer spending and help mitigate problems caused by the slowing economy.
Checks are being distributed to people who file 2007 tax returns. Those who opt for direct deposit with thewill start getting payments before those who use the mail.
The program calls for rebates of up to $600 for single filers making less than $75,000. Couples making less than $150,000 would receive rebates of up to $1,200. In addition, parents would receive $300 rebates per child. Filers who do not owe income taxes but have at least $3,000 in income would get a $300 payment.
Payments to taxpayers slated to get paper checks will start to go out May 9—one week earlier than originally planned.
The order in which tax filers will receive their payments will be based on the last two digits of theirUnder the government's economic stimulus plan, 130 million people will receive .tax rebate checks for $300 and up, starting Monday. What do you plan to do with your check? How do you think the stimulus plan will affect the economy?
There is fear that many, many Americans will pay down personal debt (which will not act as an immediate stimulus to the economy). And that's what we're doing. We still have over $45,000 in Home Equity Line of Credit debt hanging out there. My wife and I are starting a business and have been using excess cash to fund that. Therefore, we haven't had as much cash to pay down the debt. When our $1,800 arrives, I'm paying down debt.


text:
TEST your general knowledge, get rid of unwanted Christmas gifts and support St Luke's Hospice with a quiz night at Sheffield's Porter Brook Pub.
The fundraising event for Sheffield's only hospice is being organised by recruitment company Steel Baker.
Instead of an entry charge, players are being asked to bring along their unwanted Christmas gifts which will be donated to St Luke's for sale through its chain of eight shops across the city.
The quiz will be held at the Ecclesall Road pub at 6.30pm on Tuesday January 25.
There will be questions on current affairs, general knowledge and sport, with prizes including football tickets, beauty treatments and meals in local restaurants.
There will be a 20 per cent discount on food and drink purchased during the evening and there will also be a business card raffle with further prizes.
Spaces are limited so call 0114 2096285 or email: email@example.com to book.
What do you think? Add your comment below.
Join the Star reader panel
Main news index
South Yorkshire's environmental news
More business news
More Rotherham news
More Doncaster news
More Barnsley news


text:
As any regular reader of Consumerist knows, PayPal is a company that’s not exactly known for admitting its many failings. But not only has it opted to release the Regretsy.com funds it had frozen because that site had used a “Donate” PayPal button without being a non-profit charity, it has also confessed that it should not have put that money on lock-down in the first place.
Regresty.com owner Helen finally spoke to a sensible PayPal rep, who admitted, “The information you were given about using the donation button was definitely incorrect, and at the end of the day, it was an error in judgment on the agent’s part.”
The problem, it appears, arose when Regretsy’s Secret Santa campaign, which accepts $2 donations from readers and then uses that money to buy gifts for children in need, was so successful that it triggered some sort of “look at me” alarm in PayPal’s underwater laboratory.
“The normal protocol would have been for the agent to tell you that once you reach a certain threshold, your account is triggered for a review,” the PayPal pal told Helen. “And when the agent looked at your account and made a subjective decision, he made a very, very incorrect one.”
Helen says that PayPal has indeed unfrozen both the Regretsy account and her personal account, which was frozen earlier this week.
“It’s a nice gesture, but I’ve already refunded thousands of dollars in donations, so they’ve basically just given me access to money that wasn’t in issue to begin with,” she writes. “They have also offered me the opportunity of doing unlimited business without fees through the end of the year. It’s really the only way I’d use them at this point, since they won’t be getting anything from me.”
The biggest issue here — and the reason we’ve been covering the story — is that once again PayPal’s policies are vague and byzantine, and apparently malleable to the whim of a single employee.
And as Helen points out, while PayPal may try to foist this screw-up on the shoulders of one rogue staffer, more than one person at the company told her she was mistaken:
I also got that information in two separate emails from Paypal. And that means that Paypal’s donation policies are so poorly worded and vague that even the people who work there don’t understand them.
That’s not just bad for me, it’s bad for anyone who uses Paypal. Because as long as policies are this ambiguous, people will come up against this kind of crap and see their assets frozen. How many of them are going to be able to ratchet up the public shaming that was handed out in the last 24 hours?
And I think we all know that Paypal’s apologies and reversals were motivated by the intense scrutiny they’ve been subjected to. If I were Sally’s Soap Shack, I would be waiting out that six month hold right now and wondering how to make Ramen noodles taste like Christmas ham.
Sooner or later you’ll pay, pal [Regretsy.com]


text:
Banking isn't what it used to be. The advent of technological innovation in the banking industry has transformed the Indian banking consumer's life like never before. Today, consumers use smartphones and social media platforms to money transfers — a far cry from when you had to stand in a queue for everything.
In the midst of this innovation, there's one bank that stands out for relying on technology to do something remarkable for its customers.
The Organization: It's no secret that Hinduja-owned IndusInd Bank is one of the fastest growing mid-sized banks in India. There's concrete reason for that. The bank underwent a complete transformation in 2008 when Romesh Sobti took over as its managing director. Today, the bank has a market capitalization of Rs 28,331 crore — a huge leap from Rs 1,337 crore six years ago. It already offers its customers a number of facilities to make their banking experience easier. It has over 573 branches and 1,055 ATMs spread across 392 locations in the country, as well as initiatives such as 365-days banking, choice money ATM facilities, cash-on-mobile, and quick redeem service. Despite that, every year, IndusInd Bank leverages one technology or another to create richer customer experience.
This year, the bank is betting on a video lab, which was launched in June. The video lab puts some of the banks call centers on steroids, by allowing customers to interact with the bank over video."Customers do not have the time to visit branches. The video branch is an effort to give the power back to its customers, and offer a new service under our theme of Responsive Innovation', says Sanjay Jaiswal, CIO, IndusInd Bank.
The Solution: Customers who want to interact with the bank using video have to download the video app, called Video Branch — available on Google Play store as well as Apple App Store on their smart devices — or from the website on their laptops or desktops.
All authorized bank customers receive a one-time password (OTP) to authenticate the download of the app. The bank allows only registered numbers to download the video branch app on their smart devices or laptops. Photographs are matched to ensure a second-level of authentication, and finally, all transactions occur in encrypted mode and every interaction is recorded for audit and future reference.
Once a customer is authenticated, their call is routed to a video branch executive based on the language preference they select (there's an option of seven languages).Then customers can avail of IndusInd's many phone banking services via video chat with a contact center executive. The video branch allows customers to connect with a branch manager or a relationship manager for a one-to-one meeting. The video app also allows customers and agents to share their desktops and laptops to ensure transparency. If, for example, a customer is not sure an agent has understood her request, she can request for a screen share, so that she can view the agent's screen and vice versa."We utilized the best agents from our voice contact centers; they understand basic processes, systems, as well as all our banking products. We provided them with etiquette and behavioral training, how to conduct video chats," says Sumant Kathpalia, head-Consumer Banking, IndusInd Bank.
Sign up for CIO Asia eNewsletters.


text:
WalMart Rohnert Park Superstore Challenged
Battle Against Sprawl
Costs Outweigh Benefits
By Martin J. Bennett
Rohnert Park is now the epicenter for the battle against sprawl and big box development in the North Bay.
In April, the Rohnert Park Planning Commission unanimously denied the proposal by Wal-Mart to enlarge its existing discount store into a 167,000 square- foot supercenter. Wal-Mart appealed the decision to the city council and in July the council, after more than five hours of public comment, voted to approve the project. Council member Jake Mackenzie was the lone dissenting vote.
A broad coalition of labor, environmental, and community organizations from across the county organized a grassroots campaign against the supercenter. This year-long effort included canvassing most households in the city, tabling at local supermarkets, and phone banking city residents. Hundreds of opponents packed both the planning and city council meetings, and the coalition delivered more than 4000 signatures to the city council from residents opposed to the project. Following the city council vote, Sonoma County Conservation Action and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit challenging the approval of the EIR and the project.
The coalition is continuing to make the case to the community that the costs of the project far outweigh the benefits.
Impacts are Regional
The economic and environmental impacts of the proposed supercenter are regional and extend beyond the City of Rohnert Park. The controversy raises fundamental questions about future growth and the necessity for proactive city and regional planning to promote equitable and sustainable development.
Development in Sonoma County is inevitable. According to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the population of Sonoma County will increase by twenty-three percent over the next twenty years. In 2008, voters approved a landmark initiative to meet this challenge, creating the two-county SMART train that will run on tracks adjacent to Highway 101 from Cloverdale to Larkspur. The build-out of the train system provides the opportunity for city-centered ‘transit-oriented development’ (TOD) around the fourteen SMART train stations--development that could accommodate ninety percent of the projected population growth.
Transit-oriented development is densely-built, mixed-use development within one-half mile of transit stations, accessible by bicycle and foot, and with a variety of retail, office, and small businesses. Through land-use planning and public funding, municipalities can promote development near transit stations that includes good jobs paying family-supporting wages, affordable housing for all income groups, open space, and walkable neighborhoods. The proposed Wal-Mart supercenter located a quarter of a mile from the site of the planned Rohnert Park SMART train station is a direct threat to such careful and appropriate planning.
Opponents of the Wal-Mart supercenter believe it undermines compact and equitable development in Rohnert Park, and violates the city’s general plan, which mandates access by residents to neighbourhood supermarkets. The project undercuts transit-oriented development’s efforts to reduce low-wage work, support local business, tackle global warming, and lay the foundation for a robust regional economy.
Nearly one third of the workforce in Sonoma County are currently ‘working poor’ and do not earn a self-sufficiency, or ‘living wage.’ According to the Insight Center for Community and Economic Development in 2008, two parents working full-time to support two children in Sonoma County must each earn $14.90 an hour or $62,940 a year to pay for food, housing, medical care, child care, and transportation.
Sonoma State University economist Robert Eyler reports that the supercenter will contribute to job quality decline and increase the problem of working poverty. According to his analysis, the county will lose 105-211 jobs--mostly good jobs that pay hourly wages for full-time workers ranging from $17.67 per hour at Pacific Market, a local independent grocer, to $23.36 at Raley’s and Safeway. The Wal-Mart supercenter will employ 450 workers, and, according to the company, the typical full-time worker at Wal-Mart earns $12.10 an hour.
With regard to global warming, the supercenter will have adverse effects on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. In order to comply with AB 32, a 2006 state legislative measure, all nine cities and the county have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions twenty-five percent by 2015. However, the Eyler report notes that Pacific Market will close if the supercenter is built, and its 8,000 customers will drive an extra 28,400 miles each week to shop for groceries.
Further, Stacy Mitchell, author of Big Box Swindle, reports that vehicle miles driven per customer will increase because a supercenter draws shoppers from a greater distance than a discount store. Indeed, since Wal-Mart’s rapid expansion in the late 1970s, miles traveled per household to shop has skyrocketed by three hundred percent, while total household driving increased by seventy- five percent.
Local vs. National Suppliers
As for local business, there are sixty local suppliers that provide produce and merchandise to Pacific Market, and more than seventy supply Oliver’s, the largest grocery in nearby Cotati. Wal-Mart suppliers, on the other hand, are nearly 100 percent national and global irms (and that means increased truck traffic into the county).
The ‘Go Local’ movement has demonstrated that patronizing local businesses ensures that more dollars remain in the community. Studies by Civic Economics demonstrate that locally-owned firms produce two to three times more economic activity within the local economy than national chains --including locally-retained profits, wages paid to local residents, purchases from local suppliers, and contributions to local nonprofits.
The Wal-Mart supercenter will undermine transit-oriented and equitable development in the North Bay. To accommodate population growth and to promote sustainable development, all cities along the 101 corridor in Marin and Sonoma counties must prioritize the creation of good jobs and affordable housing near SMART train stations.
A favorable outcome of the lawsuit could force the City of Rohnert Park to revisit the decision to approve the Wal-Mart expansion. Two planning commissioners who voted against the Wal-Mart expansion, John Borba and Amy Ahanotu, werecandidates for the city council this fall. The battle to halt the supercenter is far from over.
Martin J. Bennett teaches American history at Santa Rosa Junior College, serves as Co-Chair of the Living Wage Coalition of Sonoma County and is on the board of Sonoma County Conservation Action. For more information about the Wal-Mart superstore campaign go to: http://www.livingwagesonoma.org.


text:
The warning was prompted by the cancellation of a lucrative agrochemicals contract by one of the firm's major customers, the US chemical giant DuPont.
David Wilbraham, Hickson's chief executive, said demand for agrochemicals had already been weakened by adverse conditions for farmers worldwide.
Sales in Hickson's organic chemicals division, for which the US group is the main customer, were worth pounds 29.5m in the first half of this year and pounds 84m for the same period in 1998. Yesterday's announcement fuelled speculation that Hickson would become a takeover target.
Hickson reported pre-tax profits of pounds 3.4m for the six months to 30 June, down from pounds 5.6m for the same period last year.Reuse content


text:
“It’s something that we see very often in our office,” Dr. Risha Kopel of Arbor Green Family Medicine clinic in Dallas, TX said.
Heart disease is a big deal and shouldn’t be taken lightly but chest pain can be caused by a lot of things besides the heart.
Anxiety, panic attacks and even too much coffee can make your heart feel weird–even painful.
Click PLAY to watch Googlechondriac: Chest Pain
“Caffeine for example, very common,” Dr. Kopel said. “People take too much caffeine, stay up late for a work project or schoolwork and drink too much caffeine the next day and they can certainly cause palpitations. Certain cold medicines, cough medicines can certainly cause palpitations or chest discomfort.”


text:
Internet and E-commerce
Watch breaking news videos and read news updates about Internet and E-commerce on Crain's Chicago Business
Groupon takeaways: COO changes jobs, cash burns, stock falls
Buckle up, because Groupon's going to be a bumpy ride for a while. Here's why.
Wall Street batters Groupon for dialed-down profit forecast
Shares dropped 15 percent in after-hours trading on weaker-than-expected quarterly sales and a lower profit forecast for the year.
Takeaways from Trunk Club's sale
News that online haberdashery Trunk Club will be acquired by Nordstrom offers a couple of interesting lessons. For one, the startup's decision confirms that a good idea isn't necessarily a sustainable business model.
Nordstrom announces it will buy Trunk Club
Men's clothing service Trunk Club will run independently, remain based in Chicago and be managed by its current leaders, Nordstrom said.
The Netflix of the cash transfer business?
Rahier Rahman wants to change the world — a few hundred dollars at a time — by making it cheaper for the working poor to send cash back home. And he's doing it with little more than a dozen people, most of them working out of a small office in River North.
Fashion startups Trunk Club, BucketFeet make brick-and-mortar moves
Two popular Chicago-based retail startups, Trunk Club and BucketFeet, announced moves to grow their store presence.
Will Nordstrom take Trunk Club to the checkout lane?
A report that Trunk Club, the men's personal shopping service based in River North, might be acquired by Nordstrom Inc. shows how quickly the startup has grown.
A health insurance shopping site for Round 2 of Obamacare
PlanMatcher's Christian Wells thought he had the perfect tool for the rollout of Obamacare: a website enabling health insurance shoppers to compare policies based on their own health conditions. He hadn't counted on the program's stutter-step start, however.
The bikini top from Chicago that went viral
Andersonville residents Michelle Lytle and Robyn Graves have watched their attention-grabbing design "win" the Internet.
Walgreen hopes new Google tool will speed your in-store search
Navigating store shelves for the toothpaste or that one last item on the grocery list can add to the little frustrations of a shopping experience. Walgreen is betting "augmented reality" will help.
Digital sports network aims 'to be nation's water cooler'
Housed on the Harpo Studios campus, digital network 120 Sports, backed by pro leagues, kicks off live programming from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. each day.
How much is that dish soap per ounce? Soon you can see online
Walgreen, Costco, CVS, FreshDirect and Wal-Mart agreed to list unit prices on their websites and apps in the coming months, New York's attorney general said today.
SIM Partners lands $8 million in venture funding
Marketing-software maker SIM Partners will double its staff and move to the Loop from Evanston, as River Cities and Jump Capital invest $8 million in a bet on local digital advertising.
Review Trackers pulls in $2 million from Wisconsin investors
Chicago startup Review Trackers, which helps companies make sense of online reviews, gets high marks from investors. And social media startup Earshot lands $1.7 million from Silicon Valley VCs.
Here is an adorable photo of Andrew Mason's baby
Andrew Mason's singer-songwriter wife says her husband is prone to singing Harry Nilsson and the Pixies to the baby.


text:
Subscribe and receive the latest updates on trends, data, events and more.
Join 57,000+ members of the natural products community.
October 13, 2016
The weight loss pill category has seen declining growth over the last few years, but meal replacements have held steady for a decade. This may be indicative of safety wariness in the weight loss pill category but a continued desire for weight loss products in a nation where more than 1 in 3 people are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Mass market and MLMs see the fattest revenue in the category with 83 percent of combined market share.
You May Also Like
Signs of life emerge across the natural products investment landscapeApril 17, 2024
USDA’s new organic enforcement rules trigger surge in certificationsApril 16, 2024
Sports-specific products continue to fuel consumers' everyday lifestyleApril 16, 2024
Nearly all U.S. households purchase meat, but most look for salesApril 16, 2024


text: Most market participants have spent the past year worrying whether or not the financial world would end and where we are in the recession. As investor thinking has been consumed by the macro events, little thought has been spent on disruptive shifts in technology, the primary reason is that concept themes rarely pay off during bear markets.As markets improve, investors will begin to shift focus to other areas: one is the next phase of the digital media revolution, which is currently under way. This revolution is based on the simple fact that technology is disposable and the next phase will be about consumers managing and protecting their content, both personal and purchased, as a part of everyday life. Today, the winners vs. losers from the first generation of the Internet age are clearly delineated by those who are still in existence and those who are not. In a world so driven by technology, we must remember that one of the best and worst aspects of technology is obsolescence. Companies that continue to innovate always have the next product cycle; those that do not fall by the wayside. Simply, think about how many computers and handhelds you and your family have gone through over the past decade, both in the office and at home. Broadband Internet access is mainstream, and the wide majority of laptops sold at conventional retailers like Best Buy ( BBY) are less than $1,000, with many less than $500. Essentially, computers are becoming as commoditized as TVs and may already be there. The significant difference is that the TV is a delivery platform for content someone else owns. Computers are a delivery and storage platform for content that others own as well as content you own.


text:
Explore Apps & Software
Latest about apps software
How to use Google Health Connect
By Andrew Myrick published
Sync all of your health and fitness data, securely.
Google's Bard AI chatbot now open to the public
By Shruti Shekar published
Google's Bard AI chatbot is now available to the public. The software will be used to help "people boost their productivity, accelerate their ideas, and to fuel their curiosity."
ChatGPT is everywhere these days, but do we really need it?
By Nicholas Sutrich published
ChatGPT can do some amazing things, but is it smart to become so reliant on tech automation?
TikTok refreshes its community guidelines as CEO prepares to testify before Congress
By Jay Bonggolto published
TikTok has announced new updates to its community guidelines, with a focus on how it treats AI-generated content and hate speech policies.
Samsung Wallet vs. Google Wallet
By Michael L Hicks last updated
While this choice will often come down to what smartphone you use, both Samsung Wallet and Google Wallet offer virtual payments and other features that may make transactions a lot easier.
YouTube Premium: Everything you need to know
By Joe Maring last updated
YouTube Premium is essentially ad-free YouTube, right? Yes, but there are other benefits to using it.
How to create recurring to-dos in Google Tasks
By Christine Persaud published
Keep on top of your personal and professional calendars and to-do lists with Google Tasks and the recurring to-dos feature that's really easy to use.
WhatsApp for Android: Everything you need to know!
By Namerah Saud Fatmi last updated
WhatsApp is one of the most popular and powerful messaging apps on the planet. Here's everything you need to know about it!
Pixel Superfans receive an invitation to test Bard, Google's answer to ChatGPT
By Nickolas Diaz published
Google begins emailing a randomly selected group of Pixel Superfans an invitation to test its Bard conversational AI.
Instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Thank you for signing up to Android Central. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.


text:
The cost of long-stay parking is about to rise in Reading.
Long-stay tariffs are set to increase at eight of the town's car parks, in a bid to raise an extra £200,000 per year.
However some short-stay fees are set to be reduced as part of the changes, which were approved by Reading Borough Council earlier this month.
The council took control of eight car parks from NCP in October 2018 .
It hopes to generate the extra income from the changes, which were approved by its Traffic Management Sub-Committee on Thursday, June 13.
The tariff changes show a trend of price increases to longer stays and for season tickets, with decreases to shorter stays.
Councillor Tony Page said: “We are clearly looking to target an off-peak, shopping market.
“We are certainly maintaining our policies to deter commuter parking and encourage more sustainable alternatives such as public transport, cycling and walking.”
NCP had proposed a series of controversial changes to tariffs in June 2018, which were all scrapped when the council took over the car parks.
Users of the Hills Meadow, Cattle Market, Queens Road, Broad Street Mall and Civic B car parks will see some reduced costs for shorter stays and increased costs for stays of up to 24 hours.
Kings Meadow Car Park prices will also rise for longer stays but do not fall for shorter ones.
The only change at Recreation Road Car Park is that customers will now be able to park for ‘up to 12 hours’ for £3, having previously only been able to get a ticket for up to four hours.
Are the price changes reasonable?
0+ VOTES SO FAR
Season ticket prices will increase at Queens Road, Broad Street and Cattle Market, with a decrease in the prices at Civic B.
Broad Street season ticket passes will rise most significantly, with 12-month tickets increasing from £1,360 to £1,600.
The Broad Street Mall Early Bird Offer will also see an increase from £6 to £7 and drivers will have to arrive between 6am and 8am leave before 11.59pm.
New car park Station West will have tariffs from £1-£8 and season ticket prices of £1,700.
The changes are set to be introduced in August or September this year.
Councillor Liz Terry said: “ We didn’t declare a climate emergency for nothing .
“We all have to take our personal responsibility about how we choose to travel.
“I don’t think this is about doing down the centre or not helping shopping or retail.
“There is a national issue here. This isn’t just about car parking.”
The car parks which were returned to council control are:
- Broad Street Mall
- Queens Road
- Cattle Market
- Dunstall Close
- Recreation Road
- King’s Meadow
- Chester Street
- Civic B
See all the changes here .


text:
Everyone remembers Sonic the Hedgehog, the legendary game’s mascot. Well, now he will be spinning his way into smartphone later during this week. SEGA has recently announced a partnership with OpenFeint, which is currently the largest mobile social network in the world, in order to provide social gaming for their newest title called Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing. It will be available for iOS.
By using OpenFeint, the players of Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing will have the opportunity to add friends on the platform’s 85m player gaming network and even get access to incredible online features such as achievements and leaderboards. Players will have the opportunity to brag about their achievements and high scores through integrated Twitter and Facebook support. SEGA also used OpenFeint’s developer announcements, which is a tool that helps developers send their players actionable and direct messages.
The CEO of OpenFeint, Jason Citron stated that approximately 20 years ago, Sonic the Hedgehog changed gaming and now the company is proud to help SEGA bring Sonic’s fun and excitement to a brand new generation of players that will play on the go against one another.
Sega’s Vice President of Digital Business, Haruki Satomi stated that cross-platform mobile social gaming is one of SEGA’s major goals and the organisation is looking to continue entertaining as well as inspiring their consumers even if they are on the go. He added that OpenFeint offers an incredible platform on which developers can launch their games on, it does not matter if it is through access to their massive player community or the use of amazing cross-promotional tools and features such as developer announcements.
Currently, the industry standard for social gaming is OpenFeint, as it powers titles from major international game developers and publishers.


text:
This week, during Alibaba’s Singles Day, livestreaming is expected to play a huge role in China’s biggest shopping event. But in the U.S., livestream shopping has yet to become mainstream.
According to Coresight Research, livestream shopping generated an estimated $63 billion in sales in China in 2019, compared to less than $1 billion in the U.S. During Singles Day this year, 400 company executives and 300 celebrities will host livestream shopping sessions during the event, according to Alibaba. In China, the leader in livestream shopping is Alibaba, which alongside JD.com and Pinduodo accounted for 80.3% of e-commerce sales in the country last year.
Now, a number of big tech companies and startups are trying to replicate China’s livestreaming success in the U.S. Amazon, for example, has launched a livestream on its home page a few years ago. As more users turn to Instagram, YouTube and TikTok to discover new products, these companies are also adding new features to allow customers to buy products from videos more easily. Additionally, there’s also a crop of startups including Foot Locker-backed Ntwrk, Popshop Live and CommentSold trying to create new livestream shopping platforms for startups and small businesses to use. But all of these companies face the same challenges: they not only have to build the technology to allow brands to livestream successfully, they also have to attract a large enough audience to convince the brands that it’s worth it.
Amie Song, a senior specialist at Gartner who sits on the research firm’s Asia Pacific advisory team, attributed the success of livestream shopping in China to “a multi-year effort” on behalf of Alibaba’s Tmall platform. She said that one thing Tmall has done particularly well is made livestreaming as visible as possible on the platform, by including buttons on the Tmall homepage, on brand pages, and even on product pages to watch a replay of a livestream featuring that particular item. Additionally, she said Tmall has also done a better job in recent years of giving top influencers (more commonly known as Key Opinion Leaders, or KOLs in China) more data about how their videos are performing, as well as more tools to help them film better videos, like building professional studios for them.
“The whole ecosystem is quite key for this type of commerce to truly take off,” Song said.
No clear winner yet in the U.S.
While QVC has been the dominant shopping network in the U.S., it hasn’t really invested in livestream shopping. The network did launch a mobile app last year, though app mostly allows users to livestream videos developed for TV.
Amazon has been the most obvious choice to eventually become a leader in livestream shopping, given that it’s the closest equivalent to Alibaba in the U.S. Amazon launched, then cancelled, a fashion-focused livestream show called Style Code Live in 2016. It launched its most recent attempt at livestreaming, called Amazon Live in 2019, in which brands can pay to have their products featured on the livestream. While Amazon Live got top billing on Amazon’s home page during Prime Day last year, Song said that she thinks Amazon Live is too hard for users to find. It’s not usually featured on the home page of Amazon’s app or website. Amazon has not disclosed in the past how much revenue Amazon Live has brought in.
Additionally, since Amazon doesn’t have a social media component, the company doesn’t have a large group of influencers it can turn to to promote Amazon Live to their followers. The company has taken steps to rectify this recently, recruiting mircro-influencers to host livestreams.
Unlike Amazon, social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram are the go-to sites for influencers who could introduce livestreaming to large swaths of users. But first, they have to make it easier for users to buy products on their apps and websites. Instagram sought to do this by introducing Instagram Checkout last year, through which users can buy products without leaving the Instagram app. By adding a new dedicated shopping tab, and announcing it will roll out new customizable online storefronts for brands and retailers, Instagram has also tried to make shopping more visible. Meanwhile, YouTube has added more shoppable ad formats, and tested adding more product recommendation features below videos.
Neither platform, however, has gone so far as adding shoppable links to videos that allow users to buy without leaving their respective platforms, or creating a dedicated hub for livestream shopping videos. Both features would be key to getting users to think of YouTube or Instagram as the go-to place for livestream shopping. Additionally, it remains to be seen just how much the newest potential challenger to these platforms, TikTok invests in social commerce. Particularly if Walmart takes a stake in a new TikTok-owning entity, as was previously announced, though the status of that deal is unclear.
Meanwhile, there’s been a new crop of startups in the past year or two that have sought to create their own livestreaming platforms, sensing that brands and retailers are clamoring for another place online to showcase their products to customers. There’s Ntwrk, an app that raised $10 million from investors including Foot Locker last year, as well as Popshop Live, which announced earlier this summer that it had raised a $3 million round of funding.
The biggest challenges these startups face, however is that they both have to build a new platform, as well as a new audience. Unlike Amazon, YouTube and Instagram, they don’t have tens of millions of existing users. Ntwrk’s trajectory presents one potential path forward for these types of apps. The app has tried to build its audience base by hosting limited edition-drops featuring products from well-known brands like Adidas, Guess and Vans, or featuring product collaborations from popular influencers like Rooster Teeth.
Once they build out better livestream shopping capabilities, the other challenge that all of these platforms are going to have to contend with is to convince shoppers that turning into livestream product promotions is worth their time. To that end, Song said that one trend she is noticing more in China is that brands and KOLs are starting to experiment with different types of livestream shows. Historically, they’ve stuck to a QVC-like format during which a celebrity or livestreamer will talk for a pre-determined amount of time about a product, and answer questions about it in real-time.
Now, she said she’s seeing more brands KOLs like Austin Li, known as the “King of Lipstick” in China, host more gameshow-type livestreams, in which viewers answer questions in hopes of getting a discount or receiving free product.
Turner Novak, a general partner at early-stage venture capital firm Gelt, said that in order for livestream shopping to take off in the U.S., the format needs to be more engaging.
“Especially for generations that are a lot older, you are competing against TV” he said. “[Livestream shopping] has to be good, it has to be better than Netflix.”


text:
Search Results for 'Condensing boiler'
4 results found.
OFTEC which represents the domestic oil heating industry has issued advice to householders on how to keep warm, save money, stay safe, and avoid home heating disasters over the festive period.
Simple waste cutting measures, such as swapping to energy saving light bulbs and fitting draught excluders, could save householders a pretty penny this winter.
As the credit crunch hits home, many people will be concerned about the spiralling cost of living. Rising food and fuel prices are all denting our pockets and householders everywhere are feeling the pinch.


text:
The new drone technologies, such as intelligent guidance, and a significant drop in prices have enabled the drones to enter the commercial world.
So far, we have witnessed dozens of applications, but the one that interests us is drone use in the retail industry. Ever since the idea of deliveries by drones was dropped on us in 2013, we’ve been waiting for the great news to arrive.
Meanwhile, the drones have been put to hundreds of tests by a number of companies, including Amazon. Sadly, deliveries by drones are still not a reality. So, how long do we have to wait for autonomous fliers to bring our orders to our doorsteps?
Let’s try to answer the question that’s on most modern consumers’ minds.
Jeff Bezos’s 2013 Vision
For those of you not familiar with the name, Jeff Bezos is the CEO of Amazon. Back in 2013, he was interviewed on the popular show “60 Minutes”. The most interesting part of the interview for online shoppers was when Jeff was asked about deliveries by drones.
When asked when he expected Amazon to start using drones to make delivers, Bezos responded that he is confident that Amazon will start using drones by 2018. His educated guess was that Amazon would be able to deliver goods within a 10-mile radius of a warehouse by drone. In addition, he stated that the items to be delivered by drones should not exceed five pounds in weight.
Anyhow, it’s 2019 and Amazon, and all other retailers in the e-commerce industry seem to be far away from greenlighting deliveries by drones.
From the perspective of retailers, delivering goods via drones is just another delivery method. Apart from the customer experience, companies also have to assess the ROI of using drones for delivery. One of the most prominent Drone Analysts today, Colin Snow says that ROI is too low for companies to introduce the drone delivery method.
He states that drones require uniformity of payload, and this is a huge challenge because products come in all shapes, sizes, and weights. This creates operation costs that prevent retailers from investing in deliveries powered by drones.
The regulatory framework is the next in the line of challenges retailers have to overcome to fly goods to their respected customers. The two main regulatory frameworks in power here are the Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) regulation and FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program.
Unfortunately, it’s illegal to fly drones:
- Over people
- At night
- Beyond the operator’s visual line of site
But this only applies to retailers operating in the US. At the moment, China seems to be the most drone-friendly, at least in the regulatory department. And it is most likely that Chinese customers are going to be the first ones to benefit from this technology.
There are very specific technical challenges that drone manufacturers have to overcome to make the drones ready for this particular use case. The major one is the battery life.
With the current battery life, it would be very hard to manage operational drones and those that have to be recharged. And using better batteries will most likely increase the cost of drones, which brings us one step back.
On top of that, there is also the package uniformity issue. Experts say that retailers would have to install a uniform payload delivery station to make the process seamless.
Nevertheless, there are many retailers already interested in introducing a delivery method powered by drones. In the past year, we have seen several very successful deliveries by drones projects in commercial and medical drone delivery.
Zipline is the leader in medial drone delivery. The company is currently operating in Africa, and its success was followed by a $12 million investment from Ghana. Zipline is focused on a medical drone delivery program. Their drones are capable of transporting medical supplies and blood to remote and hard-to-access areas.
According to Zipline, their drone is the fastest delivery drone capable of flying at speeds up to 75 mph and cover a total of 99 miles. The drone is durable and able to operate at high altitudes and in heavy rain and wind. It can carry loads that weigh about 4 pounds.
One of the pioneers in the commercial drone delivery is Flytrex. In 2017, Flytrex successfully launched a drone delivery in Iceland. The following year Flytrex announced its plans to make food deliveries at Kings Walk Golf Course in North Dakota. The company successfully implemented the program later the same year.
One of the Chinese companies also made a breakthrough in 2018. SF Express is the second-largest courier in the country. Their plan to offer deliveries by drones to clients got a green light from China’s Civil Aviation Authority.
Unfortunately, even with the official permit SF Express still hasn’t started making drone deliveries, which raises a lot of entirely new questions.
Project Wing announced the Helsinki drone delivery program for spring 2019. Their drones are capable of delivering goods that weigh up to 3.3 pounds within a 6.2-mile radius of warehouses. The company chose Finland to kickstart their project because Finland is drone-friendly in terms of laws and regulations.
AirBus’s drone delivery projects is also a very interesting one. The company announced in June 2018 that it plans on using drones to make shore-to-ship deliveries. The test runs began in February 2019 in Singapore.
Amazon Prime Air
Amazon has perhaps the fanciest name for a drone delivery program – Prime Air. The Prime Air is currently in the development stage, and it’s being tested in the Amazon centers in the US, UK, Austria, France, and Israel. Unfortunately, we still don’t have the exact date when this will come to life.
As you can see, there are a lot of pieces moving on the board when it comes to deliveries by drones. There are still some challenges to overcome, but it’s safe to assume that we will be able to have our products delivered to our homes by drones in 2020.


text:
Asda is trialling a Challenge-25 scheme at 10 stores in Scotland and has called on its off-trade rivals to follow suit.
The supermarket giant already operates a Challenge-21 policy throughout its estate but its new move, expected to be rolled out on a national scale, could radically alter the character of the off-trade's approach to responsible retailing.
Asda decided to introduce the new scheme after a survey revealed that 23% of people believed a group of 16-year- olds to be aged over 21.
"A mistake in guessing someone's age could mean a hefty fine and a criminal record," retail director Andy Clarke told Off Licence News.
"Challenge-21 helped make asking for ID in our stores less taboo, but our research highlights the need to go one step further to protect colleagues.
"It's only when we act as a united industry that we can really make a difference to the impact of underage drinking.
"We are confident that all our customers lucky enough to look under 25 will understand this campaign's importance, just as they did when we launched Challenge-21.
"What we want to see, is a culture in the UK where ID isn't an issue. It's just responsible retailing."


text:
OGOship has closed a significant seed-round from Finnish Maki.vc to fasten their growth in the e-commerce market. OGOship has been growing steadily (with 46% YoY Revenue) in Finland and during 2019 made the leap into the Swedish market, as well as opened their warehouse in Venlo, The Netherlands.
OGOship’s network has now 6 warehouses across Northern Europe and the new round will strengthen their capability to scale it towards a globally recognized brand.
"We want to always ship from the closest possible location. Less time used, less costs and for sure less CO2. It’s a win-win-win for all."
– Timo Toivonen, CEO and Founder, OGOship
“It is in our DNA to create the best options for our merchants to reach their target market. Some prefer a centralized warehouse but we see the shift going towards the local warehouses with local benefits. With all the current macro changes like new customs fees for China parcels, Brexit and other similar walls coming up it is important to be able to ship locally. Consumers receive the goods as they would order from a nearby shop, and the merchant has huge savings in time, money and CO2. All these are showing to become more and more important.” Timo continues.
With Maki.vc onboard OGOship can access knowhow & resources regarding scaling towards a globally recognized fulfillment brand. With OGOship e-commerces can have the benefit of a global network without losing the control of their stock to the hands of an industry giant.
Funds are also used to provide better data for merchants about their orders and how to optimize locations, stock volumes and SKU-management.
Paavo Räisänen from Maki.vc
"OGOship team has extensive experience from serving online retailers and they have found a business model that benefits all stakeholders: warehouse owners, online retailers, and most importantly, the end customers who want their deliveries quickly and with minimum CO2 impact. The need for OGOship’s solution is currently more pressing than ever: many traditional retailers are forced to move to online and existing online retailers have to scale up their operations quickly."
OGOship was founded 2011 but pivoted into the current model during the past two years by opening new warehouses in addition to their own. OGOship offers the full life-cycle management for outsourced logistics, from order pick&pack processes to warehousing and returns.
RePack, Delivery Hero (Foodora)


text:
Stop your security camera from being hacked: change its default password
If you don’t want to be spied on by your own surveillance camera, you’d better change its default password. Otherwise it’s easy for a hacker to connect to it, view the video stream and even post images online. Dozens of homes and businesses in Belgium have already fallen victim to this intrusive hacking: pictures from their own surveillance cameras have been posted online, live, by a Russian website. Which is a golden opportunity for some ill-intentioned people – and a considerable intrusion into our privacy and private lives.
200 000 cameras vulnerable
According to a researcher from the security company Bitdefender, more than 200 000 IP cameras and smart doorbells are vulnerable to hacking, because they are protected by user names and passwords left on their default settings. Very often, combinations such as “user – user” or “guest – guest” are used.
Forewarned is forearmed...
Every device connected to your home network is a potential access point for hackers. Secure your camera, router and other connected peripherals by changing their default passwords for something much stronger – and updating them as and when it becomes necessary.


text:
Amazon has selected Ohio as a major Midwest hub for its cloud computing operations, a decision the governor hailed Friday as a victory for the high-tech future of a state whose legacy was built on heavy manufacturing.
Carl's Jr. and Hardee's ads starring nearly naked women have become a part of American culture, according to Andy Puzder, CEO of the chains' parent company.
A weak U.S. economy pulled down consumer sentiment in May.
The U.S. economy shrank at a 0.7 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, depressed by a severe winter and a widening trade deficit.
Trading of Humana shares halted briefly Friday afternoon as speculation grew that one of the nation's biggest health insurers might be up for sale.
The nation's gasoline supply likely will have more ethanol in coming years - but not as much as was required by federal law.
Americans signed contracts to buy homes in April at the fastest pace in nearly nine years, evidence that steady job growth is strengthening the real estate market.
On Friday, the government will likely estimate that the economy shrank in the January-March quarter for a second straight year, depressed by brutal weather, a reeling energy sector and an export slump. Yet few will see any cause for panic.
Renters are on the rise in America's biggest cities, but many tenants are scrambling to keep up with growing rent bills and shrinking vacancies, according to a study released Thursday.


text:
- Aug 13, 2011
Aptera refunding deposits
There was good news and bad news out of the Aptera camp last month. The good: The company raised another $2.25 million. The bad: Reservations are now no longer being accepted. We just got word that the bad news is stacking up: Aptera is refunding deposits for the ultra-aerodynamic, three-wheeled electric vehicle (or planned hybrid version). In an email to supporters, Aptera says it is returning every deposit made thus far, according to Green Car Reports. The email reads, in part:
Apparently, anyone who put in a deposit will now be added to a "newly created VIP database" and that, "As our production date approaches, we will use the database to direct you to your local retailer so you can be among the first to own an Aptera vehicle." The Aptera website doesn't have any of this news update, but it does still say "Reserve yours today!" without a working link. So...
Our path to production has been longer than anticipated, which has complicated our reservation administration to the point that we have decided to return your deposit. ... [Our credit-card processing system] is designed for transactions to be completed in a six-month window. Since most of Aptera's deposits have been in reserve for more than six months, maintenance of the account has become problematic for our credit card processor and administratively cumbersome for Aptera.


text:
Cambridge – Xaar printheads have again been selected by industrial 3D printing manufacturer dp polar GmbH to power the latest addition to their range, the AMpolarÂ® i1, which will be unveiled at this year’s Formnext show in Frankfurt, November 16-19.
The new compact AMpolarÂ® i1 will be on display in Hall 12.1, Booth E39 and visitors will be able to see how dp polar’s patented additive manufacturing process uses Xaar 1003 printheads to project volume parts and deliver 3D printing to a truly industrial scale.
dp polar designs, develops and delivers industrial 3D printing systems and solutions for the automotive, aerospace, mechanical engineering and consumer industries, and has worked with Xaar in the use of its printheads for several years.
The AMpolarÂ® i1 leverages dp polar’s patented and highly productive single-pass printing process, enabling build volumes of up to 240 liters on its innovative continuously rotating printing platform, with a of construction of just under one square meter (10.3 sq. ft.). Layers between 4 and 25 Âµm can be deposited, reaching resolutions up to 720 x 720 x 5000 dpi.
This combination of scalability, productivity and agility achieves a result that would normally have required several conventional 3D machines and a significantly greater capital investment.
The AMpolarÂ® i1 uses the Xaar 1003, part of Xaar’s extensive printhead portfolio, which is proving invaluable in the industrialization of 3D printing. The combination of speed, reliability and the ability to spray a variety of fluids at increasingly high viscosities allows fluids up to 100 centipoise (cP) to be sprayed in a single pass. Xaar’s ultra high viscosity technology is key to realizing this capability, opening access to an exciting range of new applications.
Florian Loebermann, managing director of dp polar said; “The AMpolarÂ® i1 offers all of the production benefits of the AMpolarÂ® i2, but at a scale and in a format that makes it easy to take the first steps to explore what is possible in mass production 3D printing.” .
âXaar’s printheads have proven invaluable in unlocking the full potential of our systems, and the opening of the Xaar team to support our innovations is helping to establish 3D printing and mass additive manufacturing as a reality. convenient in volume production of parts for many industries. ”
Addition of Gareth Neal, Customer Applications Manager of Xaar, Advanced Applications, Technologies & Fluids; âThe innovative and agile AMpolarÂ® i1 firmly establishes the use of resin blasting as a truly practical and commercially viable manufacturing process.
âWith Xaar’s line of printheads, including our unique ultra-high viscosity technology delivering the speed, flexibility and reliability required, functional inkjet applications have never been more accessible, affordable or productive. . ”
Formnext visitors are invited to visit the dp polar stand in Hall 12.1, E39.


text:
Businesses and neighbours have praised a government proposal to make landlords rent out empty shops. Part of the Government's Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill would give local councils the ability to force landlords to rent out unoccupied shops.
According to the Government, new compulsory rental auctions would ensure that landlords auction shops which have been vacant for more than a year to prospective tenants. An announcement on the Bill highlighted the hope it would stop high street shops staying empty for years, "blighting the high street and wasting opportunities for new jobs".
Mehmet Balanur, 46, a cashier at 24 Express in Mansfield Road, Nottingham, said he hoped any future scheme would help the road capture its 'vibrancy' after shop closures. "There are a few shops down here that are empty and look tired. It used to be very vibrant 10 or 15 years ago, with more shops and restaurants." Mr Balanur.
"The thing with shops being gone is that it makes a place look tired. It would be a good idea to make them have to be rented out.
"With the streets more full there would be more people coming down here. The street has changed a lot, hopefully it goes through and helps small businesses start out."
Chris McGrath, 36, who works at VIP Barbers on Mansfield Road, said: "This is supposed to be our Golden Mile, but like a lot of shopping streets everywhere it's going a bit rubbish.
"It's ridiculous the lack of choice with shops you have now. There are lots of places up here that would make lovely little shops if they were cleaned up, but there is no one in them.
"Shops need to do well for an area to do well. It is one of the three ways into Nottingham, it needs to make a good first impression, and if this helps then it's a good idea."
Locals thought 'something had to be done' about what they saw as the decline of bricks and mortar shopping. Robert King, 67, who lives in Sherwood, said: "It is terrible really. At the moment I don't see how independent shops can survive.
"Something really needs to be done to fill up empty shops and set up more businesses. I feel they should force landlords to improve properties and let them out at reasonable prices.
"Mansfield Road is one of the first impressions of the city - the Sherwood part is really good but this bit closer to the city centre is not great."
Kevan Jackson, 63, from Sherwood, added: "I used to work in tourism and it is a shame that what some tourists would see first are empty shops.
"There used to be a lot more variety down here as well. Now, like in other places, it is barbers or takeaways.
"It is such a shame. If there could be some way to make landlords rent shops out at lower prices that could help."
The British Retail Consortium calculated one in seven shopfronts across Britain was empty in 2021. East Midlands Chamber director of policy and external affairs Chris Hobson said: “While we expect the future city and town centre to feature a diverse mix of spaces for ‘living, working and playing’, a vibrant high street remains vital to attracting visitors.
“Vacant units serve zero purpose to anyone so finding new ways of filling them should be a priority when it comes to reimagining our centres.
“Handing powers to local decision-makers, and working with businesses and community groups, would be a step in the right direction as they are best placed to understand the needs of their high streets and will have connections with various stakeholders to identify the right tenants.
“It also gives further tools to tackle the challenge of out-of-town landlords, who may have little incentive to support town and city centres.
“We’ve seen great examples of entrepreneurial ingenuity elsewhere in the East Midlands, including offering discounts or free space to local arts groups, charities and start-ups to fill units – keeping vacancy rates to a minimum, giving small organisations a great opportunity and generally creating more vibrancy.”
Nottingham City Council said it was cautious over the scheme, and commented the 'devil was in the detail'. A City Council spokesperson said: “We would give any measure that seeks to address some of the issues on our high streets a cautious welcome. The devil will be in the detail on how this power would work in reality and what resources are involved – but in principle it appears to be a creative idea that could help intervene on long-term empty shops.”
The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill is currently at the second reading stage in the House of Commons. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “By empowering local communities to rent out shops which have been sat empty for a year or longer, we will end the scourge of boarded up shops that have blighted some of our great towns across the country for far too long.
“These measures will breathe new life into high streets, transforming once-bustling communities into vibrant places to live and work once again and restoring local pride as we level up across the country.”


text:
The FINANCIAL -- “IKCO plans to sell 2 500 cars in Georgia. GIG, our official representative centre in the country, has already sold 100 cars,” Hassan Bananej, Iran Khodro Industrial Group (IKCO), International Relations Expert, told The FINANCIAL during the November 27 opening of the Iranian National Expo arranged by ExpoGeorgia and supported by the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).
In a contract with the private sector of a company in Georgia, Iran Khodro will export 2 500 CNG-petrol Samands to this country within a year.
In a ceremony held on Friday 2 November, Samand - Iran's National Car, hit the Georgian market.
In the presence of the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Georgia and IKCO deputy president, 100 Samands entered the taxi fleet of Tbilisi.
“GCCI is committed to supporting Georgian-Iranian trade relations,” claimed Jemal Inaishvili, the President of GCCI.
Mojtaba Damirchi, the Iranian Ambassador in Tbilisi emphasized the increased presence of Iranian companies in the economical field of Georgia.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Georgia in 1992, both countries have developed regular bilateral and multilateral political dialogue. The export of IKCO products to Georgia is a major step for the introduction of Iran’s economic capabilities and provides the field for export of other technical and engineering services of our country,” stated Mr Damirchi the Ambassador.
IKCO has a contract for the delivering of 2 500 CNG-petrol Samands with the taxi fleet of Tbilisi. The price of IKCO cars ranges from USD 10 000 to USD 20 000.
“We’d be happy if the Georgian police force becomes interested in our cars. The IKCO taxi cars exported to Georgia are of the best quality. CNG-petrol Samands are highly welcomed by Georgian cab drivers,” stated Bananej.
Alireza Tari sent a letter to the company’s president and wrote, “All 84 CNG-petrol Samands are without any default and the new Georgian owners are completely satisfied with them.”
Due to its sturdy frame, Samand in Ukraine was chosen as best car on snow and ice after Mercedes-Benz and BMW brands.
According to company officials, the production of passenger cars in IKCO as the largest carmaker in the Middle East had 10% growth within 10 months since 2007 in comparison with the same period of last year.
“The company could in total produce 455 284 passenger cars from January to October and present them to domestic and overseas markets. In a predicted strategic plan, the company's products sales will reach USD 20 billion by 2015,” said Dr.Manouchehr Manteghi, IKCO President and CEO.
Due to the company’s November 18 report, Russian media announced, “From now on, the reputable Russian car models including the Lada and Volga will be assembled with spare parts built in Iranian plants.”
On the basis of the report, the Russian federation automotive industry plan to produce better and more competitive cars in the world market through using spare parts made in Iran.
In regard to the latest reports, the officials of Avto Vaz Co. the biggest carmaker in Russia after months of negotiation with industrial companies of different countries have come to the conclusion that spare parts and equipment of the Iranian automotive industry are in accordance with world standards and have a more suitable price in comparison with other competitors.
Dealerships with IKCO sales and after sales services exist in the following countries: Turkey, Egypt, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Venezuela, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Tajikistan, Sudan, Kuwait, and Uzbekistan.
“RSEM is a well-known company in Iran for producing safe road equipment. I hope that the high quality Iranian production will be of great interest for Georgia,” claimed Hamid Reza Samani, RSEM Marketing and Sales Manager.
Iranian food producers were also optimistic about the Georgian market. “Pegah is the leader dairy producer in Iran. We have 16 factories in our country where all these products are made. So far Pegah is not in business contact with local supermarkets but we have promising expectations following the expo. We plan to import 40 types of products in Georgia,” Mehdi Nouri, Pegah Sales Expert told The FINANCIAL.


text:
2020 is remaining a rough yr for everybody. The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown has taken us to extremes that handful of could have imagined. Luckily, we have had online video online games to distract us.
And 2020 is staying a great 12 months for this world. Even with the ups and downs, two new consoles, PS5 and Xbox Sequence X they are even now planned to launch at the stop of the yr, in opposition to all odds. And in the Nintendo planet, a particular sport starring animals has become a social phenomenon like couple other folks.
Twitter has posted a new blog publish searching at movie activity and eSports traits for the initially 50 % of 2020. 1,000 million twits have been issued throughout these to start with months, which signifies a new document for the social network. The star themes? Animal Crossing New Horizons and the presentation of PS5.
In this graph it is viewed in a incredibly visual way the big spike that came with the launch of Animal Crossing on Switch. Or possibly the spike is owing to the commencing of confinement and expending all the time indoors? Difficult to know, simply because both equally functions took place nearly at the exact same time, in the middle of March … which likely also aided the achievements of the sport: it was a best escape route.
The other star theme was the presentation of PS5 in June, doubly delayed: initial because of to the logistical problems of the coronavirus (even though that Sony in no way verified, it is possible that it would have been offered in advance of), and then thanks to the racial protests in the United States immediately after the murder of George Floyd.
Hold in intellect that this yr there has been no E3, so the video clip video game situations have been spaced in the course of the year, particularly in summer. Even though the PS5 occasion was the star, it was followed Niconico Web Chokaigi 2020, Xbox Game titles Showcase, PAX East 2020 and Ubisoft Ahead.
Here you have other data of fascination, such as that Animal Crossing (with mentions to the account @animalcrossing) was the most talked about game of the 12 months, that FaZE Clan was the most talked about eSports group, and Japan was the state that tweeted the most about online video online games (Spain was ninth).
About the occasions, Spider-Guy Miles Morales it was the most talked about recreation at the PS5 function Much Cry 6 was the most talked about of the Ubisoft function Halo Infinite it was in the case of the Xbox Games Showcase and SKATE It was the most talked about EA (did any one question it?).
This report was revealed in Hobby Consolas by Javier Escribano.


text:
Dec 7, 2012 Melting ice means a Russian gas company can now send tankers to Japan through the Arctic Ocean, instead of the Suez Canal.
Dec 4, 2012 The strike at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles rumbles on, bringing losses to some and opportunities to others.
Dec 4, 2012 Every year roughly $180 billion worth of freight makes its way up and down the Mississippi River. An epic shortage of water on the nation's major inland waterways is expected to put upward pressure on everything from food items, to electricity.
Nov 30, 2012 The Mississippi River hovers at record lows as a result of the drought in the Midwest. It could soon mean big problems for the shipping industry on the river.
Nov 30, 2012 Online retailers and shippers say that despite high unemployment, they have unfilled temporary positions.
Dec 6, 2012 Already the strike has idled thousands of trucks and trains that take containers from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to factories and distribution centers.
Nov 30, 2012 Unionized clerical workers who staff the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have entered the fourth day of their strike. If the dispute continues, the ripple effects could soon be felt across the country.
Oct 26, 2012 Peanut farmers in the South are reaping a bumper crop. That’s bringing down wholesale prices and likely will benefit consumers, at some point.
Oct 11, 2012 After this summer's drought, nobody expected good news from this morning's USDA crop report.
Oct 4, 2012 Recent rain in Missouri has helped drought-stricken farmers. Cattle rancher Ken Lenox says the grass is practically jumping out of the ground. Despite the promise of new feed, hay prices remain high, and ranchers are closely guarding what they have.


text:
21-08-2017 by redazione
Thirteen major hotel companies will open in Kenya over the next five years.
According to an "Outlook Hotel" report, published by the PwC consulting agency, by 2021 the country, and most of all Nairobi, will have 2400 new rooms.
Sheraton, Ramada, Hilton, Best Western, Marriott and Movenpick are among the elite international brands that have already laid the groundwork for opening hotels in Kenya over the next few years
The growing demand for accommodation by the market, made up mostly of international tourists, as well as by a large number of Kenyan citizens and the community of East Africa, has encouraged hotel hospitality giants to move in that direction.
In this sense, a series of incentives introduced by the government, such as the elimination of V.A.T., have played an important role in the PwC report. On national park entry fees, the removal of taxes for children under 14 and the reduction in landing fees for charter flights, with relative airport charter flight charter benefits.
After the decline in customers reported from 2011 to 2015, hotels have resumed in these two years to record increases. Just as room prices have slightly increased.
Lazizi Premier opened its doors in May, the first big hotel in the Capital Airport, and will soon be followed by the completion of the Four Points, the Sheraton chain and the Hilton Garden Inn.
Open in Nairobi the first hotel in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
This is the Lazizi Hotel, owned by an Indian company and managed by the Sarovar chain.
The hotel has 144 rooms and is ready to accommodate, in addition to...
Two renowned hotels, a bar-restaurant and at least twenty rooms.
This is the account of the fire that broke out on Friday evening on the beach of Bamburi, a tourist resort just outside Mombasa.
Indiana Hotel and its restaurant, The...
The snow which has attacked these days Istanbul has made it difficult to return to dozens of compatriots who were to finish their holiday in Malindi and Watamu these days.
by Freddie del Curatolo
Good, indeed very good news for the road network and tourism in Malindi and Watamu.
Before the starting of the high season all the accommodations will be probed and tested, the rooms and small structures sold on Air BnB on Booking.com and on other online platforms, to ensure acceptable performance with national laws on hotelkeeping,...


text:
updated 08:15 am EST, Wed December 3, 2008
HTC Buys One and Co
HTC today revealed that it will buy American design house One & Company for an undisclosed amount. The move makes permanent a collaboration that started with the Touch Diamond and should see One & Company become HTC's regular designer for its smartphones in the future. Most of HTC's newest Touch series phones already draw on the US firm's influence, including the MAX 4G and Touch HD.
The buyout reflects the elevated success HTC has had with its most recent phones. The Taiwan-area phone maker has recently had to improve its shipment estimates for the Touch Diamond as well as the G1 after early sales proved better than expected.
HTC is also increasingly dependent on appealing to more design-conscious home users than its previous core of corporate users and is facing competition from similar moves by Apple and RIM, both of whom are focusing on slimmer and more aesthetically pleasing devices rather than just strict functionality.


text:
ALBANY — The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) reminded New York’s meat processors that critical funding is available to the industry through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA is offering $1 billion in grant and loan funding to these businesses to support the expansion of existing facilities or establish new ones, with the goal of increasing capacity and addressing the nationwide shortage of affordable meat available to consumers. AGM is also launching a $5 million meat processing expansion grant program later this year. The grant program was sponsored by New York Senate Agriculture Chair Michelle Hinchey and Assembly Agriculture Chair Donna Lupardo and will build on programs ESD makes available to support agribusinesses.
Commissioner Ball said, “The COVID-19 pandemic had an immediate impact on agriculture, affecting all points of the food supply chain. While many areas have recovered, our meat processing facilities have continued to struggle with capacity and this has had a ripple effect, resulting in shortages in the grocery store. There is a real need here in New York for an increase in production in meat processing, but for that to happen, we need to provide support in a variety of ways. I hope our processors take advantage of the incredible amount of funding being provided through the USDA and that they look out for New York’s program, which will be launching soon.”
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight, said, “Agribusiness is a key New York State industry, and we encourage our meat processors to take advantage of the USDA federal funding that’s available to further grow and strengthen their businesses. We look forward to supporting the state Department of Agriculture and Markets new $5 million grant program for processors that will build on ESD’s existing programs to support small agribusinesses, as we continue to help this vital sector stay rooted in success.”
Senator Michelle Hinchey, Chair, Senate Agriculture Committee, said, “Over the last two years, I’ve talked to meat farmers from across New York State whose primary business challenge is the lack of processing opportunities, and I vowed to help. In addition to the historic $1 billion federal investment to strengthen our local supply chains, we fought for and secured New York’s first-ever statewide grant program for meat processing. The impacts of this industry-bolstering funding will be felt across our communities, not only creating business opportunities for our ag processors but lowering families’ weekly grocery costs. I encourage all of New York’s meat processors to take advantage of this unprecedented level of support.”
Assemblymember Donna Lupardo, Chair, Assembly Agriculture Committee, said, “The COVID pandemic brought to light serious vulnerabilities in the food supply chain, especially regarding meat processing. The grants being made available by the USDA, and from our recently enacted state budget, will support increased capacity for New York’s meat processors. I strongly urge them to take advantage of this significant funding opportunity, to help stabilize the industry while providing a high quality, locally sourced option for consumers.”
The USDA has four grant opportunities open currently, and an additional four funding programs will be launched in the coming weeks. All grant opportunities are listed here. Currently available programs include:
- Meat and Poultry Processing Technical Assistance ($25 million)
The Meat and Poultry Processing Technical Assistance (MPPTA) program ensures that participants in USDA’s Meat and Poultry Supply Chain initiatives have access to a full range of technical assistance to support their project development and success. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is investing up to $25 million to establish a nationwide MPPTA network of support in four key areas: federal grant application management, business development and financial planning, meat and poultry processing technical and operation support, and supply chain development.
- Meat and Poultry Processing Workforce Development Program ($24 million)
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has made available $20 million for Agricultural Workforce Training available to qualified community colleges to support meat and poultry processing workforce development programs. The deadline to apply is September 22, 2022. NIFA also announced $4 million meat and poultry processing workforce development grants. The deadline to apply is August 29, 2022.
- Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program
The Food Supply Chain (FSC) Guaranteed Loan program uses $100 million in American Rescue Plan funding to make approximately $1.4 billion in guaranteed loans. Applications for these guaranteed loans – up to $40 million – will be accepted until all program funds are expended. Apply Here
- Reduce Overtime and Holiday Inspection Costs for Small and Very Small Processing ($100 million)
The Reduce Overtime and Holiday Inspection Costs for Small and Very Small Processing program provides $100 million to help small and very small processing plants. How to Apply.
These programs are in addition to five programs that the USDA has already announced. Four additional funding programs are expected to launch soon. This funding will support early-stage projects ($225 million), improve access to capital ($75 million), finance start-up or expansion projects ($125 million), and promote innovation through research and development to expand existing processing capacity ($25 million).
New York State $5 Million Meat Processing Program Funding
In addition to the USDA funding, AGM will also be launching its own $5 million meat processing program to assist with the expansion or modernization of meat processing facilities in New York and to encourage custom slaughterhouses to work on improving their facilities to receive a USDA federal grant of inspection. The funding is being provided through the NYS Budget and was sponsored by New York Senate Agriculture Chair Michelle Hinchey and Assembly Agriculture Chair Donna Lupardo.
Additional State Assistance from Empire State Development (ESD)
The $5 Million Meat Processing Program will build on existing programs administered by ESD that are targeted toward assisting agribusinesses. To learn more about these funding opportunities to assist with the expansion or modernization of meat and/or poultry processing facilities or build a new meat or poultry processing facility in New York State, visit https://esd.ny.gov/industries/agribusiness or contact Allison Argust at Allison.Argust@esd.ny.gov
–New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets


text:
Mumbai: HSBC Investments has entered into a business arrangement with state-owned Corporation Bank which will distribute the entire range of HSBC Mutual Funds products.
These products will be distributed through select branches of Corporation Bank across the country, a press release issued here today stated.
Headquartered in Mumbai, HSBC Investments (India) is a part of HSBC Investments worldwide, which is the core investment solutions business of the HSBC group.
“Given Corporation Bank’s strong customer-centric approach and extensive branch network, we are confident that their customers will find value in our products in order to satisfy their investment needs,” HSBC Investments India CEO Sanjay Prakash said.
For Corporation Bank, it will be one more step in the direction of providing value-added and innovative products and services to its customers, the bank’s general manager T M Lakshmikanthan said.
HSBC Mutual fund, launched in November 2002, held client assets of over Rs16,867.47-crore spread across 31 schemes as of September end.


text:
Google has a massive user base in India, but, until recently, there's been a dearth of Google products that support Indian languages. At this year's Google for India event, the company announced that it is taking strides to correct that.
The company, noting that the number of Indian language users on the web is expected to reach 500 million in the next two years, revealed a slew of products that are already or will soon be receiving support for new languages.
- Google Assistant: Now supports Marathi, with seven more Indian languages coming soon.
- Google Search: Now shows dictionary definitions in English and Hindi, as well as turning up news from sources in both languages. A tipster has shown us this applies to Google's lightweight Go search app, too. The images above show how users can switch between English and Hindi tabs.
- Google Feed: Now available in English and Hindi, and is also set to support Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, and Tamil in the coming weeks.
- Google Maps: Will get voice guidance in both English and Hindi.
The Mountain View-based company also says it's working to bring more Indian language content online with a new project called Navlekhā (derived from Sanskrit for "a new way to write"). According to Google, the amount of online content in Indian languages is only 1 percent of what's available in English. Its solution to this issue is to provide print publications with an AI tool that renders Indian language PDFs into editable text, among other incentives to go digital.
Additionally, the most commonly spoken Indian languages will be supported by Google Go's new feature for listening to webpages, as well, including Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Marathi, and Tamil. Google promises its read-out service will be capable of reading billions of webpages in a smooth, natural sounding voice, even on 2G.
Beyond language support, there's also new third-party app integration, including Google Assistant support for carrier app Airtel and Google Maps' partnership with RedBus, India's largest inter-city bus ticketing service. Plus, Google fully rebranded Tez, its mobile payments platform in India, to Google Pay.
While it may seem like a surprisingly large number of announcements, these changes only make sense and, in many cases, likely feel overdue to those who live in India. The South Asian country is among Google's largest markets, so it's only appropriate that it serves Indians in their own languages, and focuses on providing relevant content to those users.
- XDA Developers