text:
Savvy shoppers wait in anticipation, while Australian retailers are gearing up for the onslaught. Amazon’s arrival is imminent.
Drawing on a history of more than 50,000 analytics-focused client engagements, IBM today debuted 20 new behaviour-based predictive analytics solutions tailored to address 12 industries and use cases within those industries.
The news came as Salesforce also revealed Salesforce Wave for Big Data, a new tool designed to help business users make sense of their information stores using the vendor’s Analytics Cloud.
"We have seen companies trying to take advantage of new big data and analytics technologies for a while now to apply them to various different business use cases," said Marc Andrews, vice-president, Industry Analytics Solutions, IBM. "They continue to struggle with how to get started. There's a lack of skilled resources. They have to spend a lot of time customising and maintaining the solutions they build out."
That's where IBM comes in, he said. Big Blue is using the real-world data gained from its client engagements to create predictive analytics solutions that clients can use out of the box, with prebuilt dash boards and interactive applications. Clients can just inject the data and start leveraging the existing interfaces, he says, though they do have the ability to tweak or modify the solutions as needed.
"We're getting down to a level of specificity to these individual use cases and business questions that I don't think anyone has really gotten to before in delivering these types of solutions," he added.
For instance, one of the new solutions for oil and gas companies is aimed at helping them manage submersible pumps, with analytics to predict outages before they occur and optimise production. For automotive there is a solution for welding robots and another for painting robots. Other solutions will help telcos analyse how customers are using their phones, how long their calls are, what time of day they're most likely to place calls and which mobile towers they're using.
Other industries and solutions covered include the following:
- Retail. These solutions are designed to help retailers understand the potential overall revenue impact of individual products and lines to make smarter decisions about what products to carry and how best to promote them.
- Banking. The goal of these solutions is to help banks use customer spending patterns to predict financial and life events and deliver more relevant offers.
- Wealth management. The solutions for wealth management firms are designed to help them understand behaviours associated with higher profit clients to determine who they should target and how to drive increased activity.
- Media & Entertainment. These solutions aim to help media and entertainment companies better understand their audience and viewing behaviours to deliver advertisers higher value micro-segment targeting capabilities.
Andrews said the new solutions include pre-built predictive analytic modelling patterns and interfaces for focused industry use cases, along with data preparation capabilities to manage unique data and streamline collection and prep of data.
The majority of the new offerings are already available or will be within the next two to three weeks (with the remainder rolling out by the end of August, Andrews said. He noted that they have been built with out-of-the-box integration with IBM ExperienceOne, Big Blue's integrated portfolio of cloud-based and on-premises offerings intended to help clients deliver more valuable customer engagements by bringing together marketing, sales and service practices.
In addition, IBM Maximo Asset Management has been pre-integrated to provide enhanced capabilities around work management, job plans, work order tracking, service requests and reporting.
Salesforce creates new big data Wave
This week, Salesforce also unveiled Salesforce Wave for Big Data, a new tool designed to help business users make sense of their information stores using the Salesforce Analytics Cloud.
The Analytics Cloud is based on the company's Wave platform, which was launched last October. The overriding goal is to make data more accessible to business users at all levels of the organisation, Salesforce has said.
Earlier this year, Salesforce updated the offering with new mobile capabilities.
Now, with Salesforce Wave for Big Data, Salesforce has forged new ties between Analytics Cloud and key "data lake" enablers Google, Cloudera, Hortonworks and New Relic, giving business users access to a wider spectrum of big data.
Tapping the new integration with Google, for instance, a marketing manager could use Salesforce Wave for Big Data to analyse the correlations between customer profiles in Salesforce and actual customer engagement data from the Google Cloud Platform, such as purchases, clickstream and mobile app usage. Equipped with that information, the manager could better optimise marketing expenditures and boost customer acquisition, Salesforce said.
With the Hortonworks integration, on the other hand, a retail bank associate could explore volumes of operational, transactional and balance data stored in Hadoop to better understand local economic trends and provide new services.
"We see our partners as the big data lake," said Keith Bigelow, Salesforce's senior vice-president and general manager for Analytics Cloud, in a press briefing on Wednesday. "We're pulling in only relevant information, applicable to a particular product or use case, for example -- either a small vertical sliver or an aggregate across a swath of customers."
Key data-preparation providers Trifacta and Informatica have also joined the Analytics Cloud ecosystem, Salesforce said, with an eye toward making big data more usable.
Salesforce says more than 80 partners have joined the Analytics Cloud ecosystem, which is now generally available in English; additional language support is forthcoming, it says. The Analytics Cloud mobile app is available on Apple iOS for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with additional device support in the works.


text:
After a full year of having Kicking Horse Mountain Resort included in their mandate, Tourism Golden has some impressive growth to report.
“Our overall increase in revenue has gone up by 44 per cent, and our increase in tax revenue alone has gone up 48 per cent,” said Joanne Sweeting, manager of Tourism Golden, during a presentation to Town Council.
Tax revenue for the organization comes from a two per cent tax levied on all accommodation in the area.
“We know that this increase comes from increased visitation, which is a very positive thing.”
The incorporation of KHMR accounts for a portion of that increase, but Sweeting says they projected a 25 per cent increase from the resort, so a significant portion of the increase came from increased visitation.
Tourism Golden, whose mandate is to promote Golden as a tourist destination, among other things, has put out several print publications including their travel planner with an additional four pages on weddings (78,000 copies printed), and a new hiking map (2,000 copies were printed for a two-year period, but they have already gone through more than half and are expecting they will need to print more).
One of the big changes they made this year was the hiring of a media relations firm, which has resulted in 10.5 impressions from unpaid editorials. That is on top of the paid advertising they did, which included 33 print publications and more online advertising resulting in 3 million impressions.
In the next fiscal year Tourism Golden will be expanding on the past year’s successes, as well as working on some new projects.
In 2014 they will be refreshing the Golden brand.
“Our brand has been really successful and it’s even being copied, but it’s getting a bit old and we want to stay ahead of the curve,” said Sweeting.
They are also planning to continue with some consumer research, build on their PR media, and are currently working on creating a Golden Mountain Festival for May long weekend, which they are hoping will become an annual event.

domain: news


text:
Hisense mobile has enjoyed a successful year with its internationally acclaimed launch of the high-end H50 model. The launch made waves across the globe as business divisions from the US remarked on SA’s delivery and entertaining execution of the model’s features.
So what’s next on the agenda for Hisense Mobile SA? Introducing the E50 and its #BeTheChange campaign.
Hisense believes the issue of sustainability issue is a critical one, and every human being needs to take action.
Change can be difficult, and Hisense hopes to inspire South Africans to make small, manageable changes where they can. A quote from Anne-Marie Bonneau will drive the ethos of the #BeTheChange campaign, “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”.
All companies, private or public, need to reduce their carbon emissions; it’s no longer a case of if and when, but how and where.
So Hisense will be hosting three sets of micro-campaigns within the #BeTheChange umbrella, which aims to balance some of the CO2 emissions it produces as a company and as consumers.
Listen out on Youth Day and Mandela Day for two of the mini campaigns and follow Hisense on Instagram for the third leg of the campaign and the CO2 neutral journey.
Hisense is dedicating its resources to research and developing techniques about conscious CO2 neutral consumer behaviour. The focus is on educating itself as a company as well as its customers and sharing easy-to-implement ideas on sustainable living.
According to the Science Direct article, the information and communication industry represented 1% of the carbon footprint in 2007, and is on its way to exceeding 14% by 2040. Smartphones naturally have their role to play in creating these carbon emissions.
Hisense will look into some of the material related to the ICT global emissions footprint, for example, how old phones are disposed of in SA. Based on the findings, customers are encouraged to recycle their old, unused or broken smartphones instead of discarding them, or consider donating their old phones. Doing these simple actions will have a considerable impact on your carbon footprint.
The campaign aims to offset some of the carbon emissions created by smart devices. We plan to plant trees on Mandela Day, develop CO2 reducing tactics and competitions for Youth Day, and more.
This year Hisense Mobile has been doing things a little differently, leading by example and taking small steps to #BeTheChange we need to make in the world.
This article was paid for by Hisense.


text:
A federal safety agency is recommending that all new motorcycles built for road use in the U.S. have anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control as standard equipment.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and the University of Sussex, England, have discovered that the process of copying DNA generates a brake signal that stalls cell division. This molecular brake ensures that the ...
Iconic US motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson is recalling nearly 175,000 bikes in the United States due to fears the brakes could fail, a government regulator announced Wednesday.
Nissan plans to make automatic emergency braking standard on seven of 18 U.S. models for the 2018 model year, putting the safety feature on most of its top sellers.
Death doesn't visit our roads equally. Moped or motorbike riders have a 12 times higher chance of dying per kilometre travelled than car drivers, according to researchers.
What if the brakes go out in a driverless car? Does it mow down a crowd of pedestrians or swerve into a concrete wall and sacrifice its passenger?
Once the world's top producer of asbestos, Canada said Thursday it will ban the heat-resistant fibrous mineral that is woven into building and other materials but which has been found to cause cancer.
Carnegie Mellon College of Engineering researchers have concluded that the public could derive economic and social benefits today if safety-oriented, partially automated vehicle technologies were deployed in all cars. The ...
After hearing good things about the latest in crash-prevention technologies, you decided to add automatic emergency braking to your new car.
Automatic braking will be standard in most cars and light trucks within six years and on heavier SUVs and pickup trucks within eight years under an agreement that transportation officials and automakers announced on Thursday.


text:
BEIJING, CHINA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper today launched the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC)’s new 2012 tourism marketing campaign, which will promote tourism in Canada by showcasing the many wonders and unique experiences our country has to offer. The Prime Minister launched the campaign at the official opening of the CTC’s newly outfitted marketing centre in Beijing.
“The tourism industry creates jobs and economic growth in every region of our country,” said Prime Minister Harper. “Thanks to the landmark Approved Destination Status (ADS) agreement reached with the Chinese government in 2009, there has been a huge increase in the number of Chinese visitors enjoying the pristine beauty and vibrant cities that Canada has to offer. The new tourism commission office and marketing campaign being announced today are further signs that this industry, which generates such goodwill between our two great countries, is flourishing.”
Designed to promote Canada as an all-season destination of choice, the CTC’s 2012 tourism campaign focuses on a collection of travel experiences –the Signature Experience Collection – that will be used to showcase Canada’s many tourist attractions to the world, including the centennial celebration of the Calgary Stampede, which will be a focal point of the CTC’s efforts in China this year.
Since Canada was granted ADS by China in 2009, it has welcomed approximately 25 percent more Chinese visitors, including an estimated 232,000 travellers in the first 11 months of 2011. The introduction of two new Canadian visas in 2011 – the Long-Term Multiple-Entry Visa and the Parents and Grandparents Super Visa – are also contributing to an increase in the number of international visitors to Canada by making the visa application process easier and more efficient. By increasing people to people connections, Canada is strengthening its economic cooperation with China.
Tourism is an important source of revenue for Canada, contributing nearly $15 billion to the economy in 2010.
This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca
Canadian Tourism Commission Marketing Campaign in China
Tourism is an increasingly important industry in Canada and a key driver of economic activity in every region of the country. In support of Canada’s efforts to increase tourism, on February 8, 2012, Prime Minister Stephen Harper officially launched the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC)’s new 2012 tourism marketing campaign in Beijing, China. This campaign will promote tourism in Canada by showcasing the many wonders and unique experiences our country has to offer. The Prime Minister launched the campaign at the official opening of the CTC’s newly outfitted marketing centre in Beijing.
The Canadian Tourism Commission in China
The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) established an office in China in 2005, recognizing that the country was a growing source of outbound tourism for the world. Since then, the CTC has built strong relationships with Chinese tour operators, media and Chinese government tourism authorities.
The CTC is bringing together an assortment of unique travel experiences called the Signature Experiences Collection, which will promote Canada as an all-season destination of choice, with its many tourist attractions. A centrepiece of this Collection for 2012 is the centennial celebration of the Calgary Stampede, which will be a key piece of the CTC’s international marketing campaign.
In addition to the CTC’s marketing efforts, Canada’s tourism industry has also benefited from securing Approved Destination Status from the Chinese Government, and the introduction in 2011 of two new Canadian visas which make it easier for international visitors to come to Canada.
Approved Destination Status (ADS)
In December 2009, the Chinese Government granted Approved Destination Status to Canada, allowing Chinese travel agents to advertise and organize group tours to Canada and to encourage more people from China to visit Canada.
Since being granted ADS, Canada has welcomed approximately 25 percent more Chinese visitors. The most recently released data suggest that Canada received nearly 232,000 travellers from China in the first 11 months of 2011.
10-year Multiple-Entry Visa and Parents and Grandparents Super Visa
Canada also recently introduced two visas that help make it easier for Chinese nationals and other international visitors to visit and stay in Canada. The Long-Term Multiple-Entry Visa, which came into effect in July 2011, and the Parents and Grandparents Super Visa, which came into effect in December 2011, aim to make applying for the visa easier and more efficient, strengthening cultural ties and bolstering Canada’s tourism sector.
The Long-Term Multiple-Entry Visa extends the maximum validity period from five years to 10 years (minus one month), or as long as the individual’s passport remains valid. This means that holders can come and go as they please from Canada over the 10-year validity period of the visa. This type of visa, which permits visitors to stay in Canada for up to six months at a time, is recommended for frequent visitors, such as business travellers or those with family in Canada.
The Parents and Grandparents Super Visa is also valid for up to 10 years and allows qualifying parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for up to 24 months at a time without the need to renew their status. With this new visa, eligible parents and grandparents pay fewer fees and have greater certainty that they will be able to enjoy the company of their families in Canada for a longer period of time.


text:
The Jakarta Post
West Sumatra's new container terminal Teluk Bayur Port, on the western coast of Sumatra, was officially opened on Monday by West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno. The governor was accompanied by Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Dahlan Iskan.
The terminal, managed by state-run port administrator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II (IPC), will be the first container terminal in West Sumatra since the Dutch colonial administration built Teluk Bayur Port in 1888.
Teluk Bayur Port general manager Dalsaf Usman said the terminal, measuring 46,886 square meters, cost Rp 675 billion (US$69.52 million) and could accommodate more than 4,000 containers, adding that the port was equipped with 12 docks measuring 1,623 meters in length and a depth of -10 mean low water springs (MLWS).
The terminal is also equipped with giant loading and unloading equipment, three jetty cranes, three Rubber-tired Gantry (ETG) cranes and side loaders.
'The port can accommodate three container ships at once and the new equipment will increase loading and unloading from only five containers per hour to 18 containers per hour,' said Dalsaf.
The merchant ship traffic in Teluk Bayur has been increasing since 2008, when the number of containers was still 48,503 20-foot equivalent unit (TEUs), by 2012 the number had risen to 61,808 TEUs. Dalsaf estimated that Teluk Bayur Port would be able to serve more than 68,000 TEUs this year.
Many shipping companies had complained that their ships had to queue for up to 18 days before docking at the port prompting businesspeople to shift to terrestrial transportation.
IPC managing director RJ Lino said Teluk Bayur had the potential to be a catalyst for the economy.
'Port efficiency could accelerate the nation's economic growth, which is why IPC's wishes to further develop port infrastructure across the archipelago. IPC will gradually develop ports outside Java for the sake of achieving a balanced economy,' added Lino.
Governor Irwan expressed optimism that the modern facilities at Teluk Bayur would also have a positive impact on economic growth in the province as well as in neighboring provinces
'Teluk Bayur Port's renovation works began at the end of 2011 and there was a profit of Rp 36 billion in 2012. This year I'm sure we could reach an income target of Rp 150 billion. I'm convinced that the break-even point could be reached in the next four or five years,' he said.
'The Teluk Bayur modernization project will further push the economy in West Sumatra. Resources from the province, such as coal, cement, gold, iron ore, palm oil, rubber and cacao need a port for shipment and production is sure to increase thanks to the modernization of Teluk Bayur,' the governor said.
Dahlan said he was positive the port renovation would facilitate entrepreneurs and boost the economy in West Sumatra and that Teluk Bayur would once again play a central role in the area's economic growth.
'I'm convinced that many ships will dock at the port given the reduction in waiting time,' the minister.
Your premium period will expire in 0 day(s)close x


text:
The price of national forest and grassland visitor maps will increase by several dollars on Jan. 1, U.S. Forest Service, officials of the Mare Island-based agency announced.
Plastic visitor maps that are now $10 and the paper ones that are now $9, will both be going up to $14.
All maps are available for purchase online from the Forest Service at the National Forest Map Store, http://www.nationalforestmapstore.com/.
Select maps are sold locally at Forest Service forest or district offices and at many Forest Service visitor centers, officials said.
The procedures for purchasing maps in bulk will also change on Jan. 1, when the Forest Service will offer volume discounts to any entities wishing to purchase in bulk, including Interpretive Associations, they said. Volume discount pricing will be made available only through the National Forest Map Store or (406) 329-3024. Local Forest Service units will no longer provide volume sales discounts, they said.
Most printed maps are also available digitally through Avenza Map Store for $4.99 per side (http://www.avenza.com/pdf-maps/store). This is the current price and no increase is planned.
In addition, the Forest Service will continue to sell maps through the U.S. Geological Survey store (https://nationalmap.gov), which offers its own set of discounts for volume purchases, officials said.
The U.S. Forest Service is dedicated to researching, producing and distributing informative, accurate maps that can help improve the experience on America’s national forests and grasslands, they said. Additional online resources that may help users enjoy the great outdoors:
• Interactive Visitor Map to help you find great places to go and explore.
• Know Before You Go for tips that can help you enjoy the outdoors and be safe.


text:
People around Michael Dell's $24.4 billion buyout deal are discussing options to help push the offer across the finish line, including increasing pressure on Dell Inc.'s founder to contribute more of his own capital.
Michael Dell's investment in the deal would include $750 million. Silver Lake Partners would provide up to $1.4 billion in cash equity financing.
The buyout vote is scheduled for July 18 when shareholders will vote on their boss' proposed deal.
Click the links below for the latest Dell news:
- Dell's dilemma: bringing overseas cash back without tax hit
- Icahn plans to wrap up Dell financing today
- Icahn: Michael Dell to gain 50% return on buyout
- Dell committee criticizes Icahn buyout offer in 40-page report
- Jeffries lines up $5.2 billion for Icahn's Dell bid
Manages the website, news emails and social media sites.


text:
Modicare Limited witnesses exponential growth in Rajasthan, 20% growth in sales and 50% in consultant base
Jaipur, November 23rd, 2023: Modicare Limited, one of India’s leading Direct Selling companies, reported 20% sales growth in Rajasthan over the last year, driven by the powerful vision and commitment of ‘Azadi for All’ of its Founder and Managing Director, Mr Samir K Modi. Rajasthan continues to hold the second position in the North region and is among the top 5 states nationwide. Strengthening its footprint in the state, the brand has expanded to over 1000 distribution centers, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to deliver ‘Ghar Ghar Azadi’
Mr. Samir K Modi, Founder and Managing Director, Modicare Limited said, “We started on our journey of giving Azadi to all Indians 27 years ago. Our mission is to empower every Indian and make their dreams come true. As a group we have been building India for over 90 years, since 1933 when my grandfather, Padma Bhushan Rai Bahadur Gujarmal Modi established Modinagar.
Modicare has always been at the forefront of India’s Direct Selling revolution, and it is our commitment to go consistently beyond the conventional that has led us to establish industry benchmarks. Rajasthan is one of our success stories, and it is the commitment and dedication of our 4 lakh consultants that has helped Modicare to grow by 20% in the state.
We have a world class product portfolio of over 375+ products that include everyday use products like soaps, toothpastes, shampoos, detergent powders, rice, oils, ghee, masalas to specialised wellness, skincare and colour products. All our products are backed by 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. It is my constant endeavour to launch more and more new products that can be used by every household everyday, from dawn to dusk.
To ensure the success of our consultants and hold their hand we have a strong one on its kind training system – Success Principles by Modicare (SPBM) that focusses on training and empowering our consultants through business and product trainings, recognition events and more.
Keeping pace with the fast-changing digital environment, we are constantly innovating to give more tools for the Azadi of our consultants. We have recently launched an industry first, path breaking app, ‘Road to Freedom’, that guides and motivates our new consultants in their journey with Modicare. We have also launched ‘My Modicare Shop’ that enables Modicare consultants to create their own microsite on Modicare’s website and engage directly with customers.”


text:
(CN) — A federal judge on Wednesday awarded a former Walmart pharmacist with $27 million in total damages, agreeing that the retail giant routinely denied her work breaks and overtime pay.
The case was originally filed by former Walmart pharmacist Afrouz Nikmanesh in Orange County Superior Court in 2015, but was later moved to the Central District of California.
Nikmanesh said Walmart told her to obtain her immunization certification, which would allow her to provide on-site immunizations to pharmacy patients, but refused to compensate her for the time she spent studying and preparing for the exam. She also claimed that getting the certification increased her workload several times over, but said Walmart refused to provide additional staffing to meet the increased demand.
“In most surveys, pharmacists rank as the 2nd most trusted professionals in America. However, can you really trust an overworked pharmacist that is deprived the opportunity to take a break to recharge before attending to patients’ needs, multiple doctor’s offices, and insurance companies, all while trying to stay within compliance of pharmacy laws and regulations?” asked Nikmanesh in a piece she published in 2015 about the case.
The ruling includes $40,000 for economic losses; $100,000 for non-economic losses; $60,000 for future non-economic losses; and $27.3 million in punitive damages.
In the original complaint, Nikmanesh claimed she was denied overtime wages along with meal and rest breaks, forced to perform work off the clock studying for and taking the immunization certification exam and given inaccurate wage statements that didn’t account for the hours she actually spent working


text:
Locals join national craze for PlayStation 3
Published: Friday, November 17, 2006 at 12:13 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, November 17, 2006 at 12:25 p.m.
HOUMA -- Scores of local residents lined up outside area electronics retailers, some spending the night there, in attempts to be among those able to buy the much-anticipated PlayStation 3 game console when it went on sale in the United States today.
With demand far outstripping supply, similar scenes occurred around the nation. Some buyers planned to immediately resell the units for three or more times the price they expected to pay.
PlayStation 3 is the latest gaming and entertainment system by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. It is promoted as having the power of a supercomputer, including high-definition video and the fastest speed available.
The devices cost from $530 to $840, depending on the productís capacity, which can be up to 60 gigabytes of computer hard drive. Nationally, 400,000 PS3ís went on sale today, but only a few will trickle down to local stores. It debuted in Japan last week.
Josh Fullerton, 19, a Nicholls State University student, was second in line this morning and bought one of eight PS3s available at the Circuit City electronics store in Houma.
"It looks really awesome. I would love to keep it," he said. However, he hopes the more-than-30-hour wait outside in the cold will pay off in a tripling of the money he paid.
Fullerton said he plans to auction the console on eBay.com during the next seven days. His ultimate goal is to buy a car, for which he has already been saving money.
Jeremy Cuevas, 26, was first in line in the Thibodaux Wal-Mart. He arrived at the electronics department at 9:45 p.m. Wednesday night, set up his chair and got comfortable.
"Weíve been waiting for this for like 31/2 years. You have to understand the features it has," he said.
A DVD player, MP3 player and 60 gigabytes of computer memory are just a few of the extras packed onto the machine, he said. "Itís probably the most-powerful item in electronics right now."
A Wal-Mart employee said she could not release any information about the storeís sale of the video-game system, but those in line had all the information they needed -- 10 systems were to be sold for $539 starting at midnight.
In Mathews, seven people had lined up by 8 a.m. Thursday to purchase the four PlayStation 3s in stock there, and in Galliano, 15 people waited to snap up the 12 systems for sale, Wal-Mart employees said.
Despite the wind and colder temperatures outside, the Best Buy and Circuit City stores in Houma had a crowd of people camping in front since Wednesday waiting for the 8 a.m. -- special hours -- opening to get the gadget. The stores typically open at 10 a.m.
The store gave out numbered tickets at 7 a.m. on a first-come-first-served basis, said Lakisha McClendon of the local Best Buy on Martin Luther King Boulevard, adding that phones have also been ringing off the hook inquiring about the PS3.
McClendon said she didnít know how many will be available at Best Buy, but only eight machines were expected at Circuit City according to a sign posted at the store.
A group of youngsters already had plans for each one of machines.
"I am actually selling it, probably on e-Bay," the popular shopping Internet site, said Amber Vizena, 19, who along with seven friends set up a tent and some lawn chairs since midnight Wednesday at the storeís entrance.
With limited cash in their pocket, college students are finding selling products that are in high-demand can be quiet profitable. Vizena, who is a nursing student at Nicholls State University, said she will be buying the console for about $600 and hopefully get $1,400 for her investment.
"As fast as you can get home and put it online, Iíll be there," she said, adding that last year she and some friends also camped out when the Xbox 360 game system was released.
Nicholas Naquin, 23, another local resident, said he took the day off work to join other gamers weathering the day. He said he has been a video-game aficionado since the Atari years.
A fast camaraderie had formed down the line in Thibodaux -- if someone had to go to the bathroom or grab a snack, the others would hold their place. "It wonít get broken," said 20-year-old Nathan Naquin of Labadieville.
Those in line were careful to give back to the business that allowed them to set up camp. "Anything we get, we buy from Wal-Mart," Cuevas said, pointing to the wrappers and drink containers at his feet.
When asked why wait overnight inside a discount store for the machine, many in line just shrugged and smiled. "Itís just the passion of having it," Naquin said, adding that if he didnít buy a PlayStation this morning, there was a chance the system wouldnít be available anywhere other than online until March.
"Iíll be among the first one or two million people to have it," he said.
Others werenít so lucky -- Germaine Williams of Belle Rose said he arrived at the store Tuesday morning, then again Wednesday, but employees told him it was too early to form a line. When he returned Thursday morning, all 10 spots were full.
"Really, I got screwed," the 35-year-old said with a good-natured laugh.
The tail end of the line was occupied by young entrepreneurs Candice Delgado and Courtney Dumas. The young women from Baton Rouge were not there out of love for video games, rather, they were out to make a profit.
"Weíre not here for the system, weíre here for the money," Delgado, 21, said. The women are planning to sell their PlayStation 3 for $1,500 online, provided their spot in line didnít sell for the same amount first. Theyíll split the profits, they said.
Delgado and Dumas arrived at 6:45 a.m. Thursday, when they bought the No. 10 spot in line for $200 from their friend Joe Arabie of Thibodaux. Arabie had purchased the rights to the position for $250 a short time earlier, giving him two spots in line -- no. 10 and no. 7, he said. He was planning on buying two PlayStations until Delgado and Dumas showed up.
Arabie spent the night in the store after his arrival late Wednesday, at one point waking from his slumber on a bean bag to find his law professor (whose class he skipped Thursday) staring down at him. The woman was buying a CD when she discovered him, Arabie said.
The 22-year-old plans to sell his PlayStation 3 for $2,500 online -- perhaps a fair price when compared to the $3,600 going rate on the Internet as of 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
Although most others in line were planning on simply playing video games on their new systems, they expressed unanimous approval for those who opted to buy PlayStations in order to resell them.
"Itís an investment; itís smart if you can get your hands on it, even it you donít like video games," said Billy Ohmar, 20, of Labadieville. "Itís smart to be out here, you can make money."
In Houma, Naquin said he, too, is considering selling the machine, but the long hours waiting outside the store might just change his mind.
"I am debating. I want to sell it, but when I have it in my hands, itíll be like, ŽI donít know if want to,í " he said.
But for others, selling it is not an option.
"Iíve been waiting for a long time for this, since my freshman year," said Trevor Duplantis, 16, a student at Ellender Memorial High School who was also camping out for more than 24 hours at Circuit City. "I canít give it up. I am keeping it."
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
Comments are currently unavailable on this article


text:
Design is at the forefront of the two new flagship smartphones Samsung unveiled this Sunday in Barcelona, ahead of the official kick-off of the Mobile World Congress. The new devices are the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, set to reach stores on April 10 and challenge Apple's highly successful iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Some first-hand reviewers, like CNET, are saying the S6 might look too much like the iPhone 6.
"These are the most advanced smartphones in the world, with capabilities no other can match," Samsung's co-CEO JK Shin announced, right after he showed the two new phones.
Galaxy S6 is, in the company's words, "sleek, slim, and elegant." As for the Galaxy S6 Edge is a riskier bet when it comes to design: it features two dual-edge screens.
Both come with Samsung's own processor, the Exynos 7 Octa, and include a feature that had been rumoured, Samsung Pay. It's a mobile payment system that is very similar to Apple Pay, which was launched September of last year and is only available in the U.S. Samsung's take will be launched both in the U.S. and Korea, beginning this summer.
The technical details of the two phones are impressive: quad-HD Super AMOLED display with 1440 x 2560 resolution, 64-bit processor, 3GB RAM, storage capability of 32GB, 64GB or 128GB, LTE wireless connectivity up to 300 Mbps, 16-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera with wide-angle selfie function. The S6 weighs 138g and the S6 Edge a bit less, 132g.
The biggest difference in design is both the curved edges and the metal and glass materials.
Samsung's love for plastic has been the subject of criticism in the past, especially for high-end, expensive smartphones. But now, the company has replaced polycarbonate with metal. Last year, when Galaxy S5 was announced, Samsung's product designer Dong Hun Kim justified the use of plastic with the heaviness and coldness of metal; something has changed in the past year, and it was probably the fact that Samsung sales stalled.
The cameras are also being touted as major enhancements, and Samsung compared their quality to rival iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, to Apple's loss. As for Samsung Pay, it's probably the biggest challenge yet to Apple Pay, and it has a differentiator: it works even if the merchants only support magnetic stripes. #Smartphone


text:
Asus recently revealed that it will be working with Tencent for the upcoming Asus ROG Phone 2. Now, the company has confirmed that the gaming handset will feature a 120Hz display. Asus disclosed this information via Weibo in partnership with Chinese fighting game “Under the One Man.” Asus ROG has also promised that more future games will also be optimized for the 120Hz standard. Also Read - Asus ROG Phone successor to launch in Q3 2019 in partnership with Tencent: ReportAlso Read - Asus ROG Strix SCAR II GL504 Review: The good turns better along with RTX power
Moreover, the Asus ROG Phone 2 will be the third smartphone to comes with a whopping 120Hz display. The other two were the Razer Phone and Razer Phone 2. Additionally, the forthcoming ROG phone 2 will also offer exclusive gaming software optimization from Tencent Games for a better experience. Also Read - Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GX First Impressions: Raw power never looked this refined
Besides, the ROG Phone 2 is expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 SoC under the hood. It will reportedly be paired with 12GB RAM option. As is the case with gaming phones, this device might too pack a refined cooling mechanism. Furthermore, Gizchina reported that the handset should offer a notorious design with its sharp lines and LED accents colors.
Watch: Android Q First Look
Moreover, similar to its predecessor, the Asus ROG Phone 2 might also offer a bunch of accessories to improve the gaming experience. If rumors and leaks are to be believed, the gaming device will be released in July. Besides, the ROG Phone that was launched last year, was praised for its design and top-notch hardware. Customers can buy this gaming device for Rs 69,999.
In addition, it is currently available for purchase via Flipkart. As for the specifications, the ROG Phone was launched with a 6-inch without any notch. The panel operates at Full HD+ resolution. Asus has fitted an AMOLED panel with 90Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and support for HDR gaming. The device does not come with a microSD card slot for additional storage space.
The company has also added three ultrasonic pressure sensitive zones on the top and bottom sides. The reason behind this is to give gamers more controls in an effort to mimic a gaming controller. Furthermore, the device comes with a dual 12-megapixel camera sensor on the back with dual pixel Phase Detection Auto Focus.


text:
Only some ten days has passed since my last update on Joomla 1.6. Then, the latest news was that Joomla 1.6 beta 1 would be released around now.
Today, however - the Joomla Production Team released news that they would soon announce the release of Joomla 1.6 Alpha 2. Apparently, the ACL (Access Control List) functionality is what makes the project take more time than previously expected.
From the announcement:
Currently, we are hard at work getting version 1.6 ready. To that end, we are meeting weekly to sort out tasks and keep things moving. You can read the notes from these meetings on the Google Group called Joomla! Production Working Group Leadership.
Later in the post, they mention the next version of Joomla 1.6:
Oh, and one last thing. Look for an official announcement about the upcoming version 1.6 alpha2 release soon.
You can read the notes from the meeting held by the Joomla! Production Working Group Leadership on September 19th here.
I guess the next announcement will come after next Saturday, as the group has their meetings every Saturday. It might come earlier, however. Stay tuned for updated information on Joomla 1.6!


text:
Based on the commerce company of the Vietnamese Embassy in China, the Common Division of Customs of China has not too long ago introduced the approval of 5 Vietnamese enterprises producing recent chili to be registered to conduct export actions to the Chinese language market from March 3, 2022.
Based on the discover of Chinese language authorities, Vietnamese recent chili merchandise exported to China should meet the nation’s phytosanitary necessities. All shipments of recent chili have to be quarantined by Vietnamese useful companies or authorised institutions, with related technical parameters, clearly famous within the phytosanitary certificates.
Business Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy in China, Nong Duc Lai, mentioned that these are the primary 5 Vietnamese enterprises licensed to export once more to China, after a interval of short-term hiatus. The demand of a rustic with 1.4 billion folks for agricultural merchandise and meals may be very massive, so Vietnamese companies have to rigorously examine to fulfill the growing necessities of the Chinese language market, thus selling export by official channels, guaranteeing secure consumption for Vietnamese agricultural business.
Counsellor Nong Duc Lai additionally mentioned that as of March 4, 2022, a complete of 1,808 codes of agricultural and meals merchandise had been granted by Chinese language authorities to Vietnamese enterprises, for official export to China.
Within the context of China’s tightening quarantine actions for the import and export of products, particularly at border gates to forestall the COVID-19 pandemic, the grant of official export codes, is taken into account an inevitable path to utilise the Chinese language consumption market.


text:
What does original Viper designer Tom Gale think of the new SRT? [w/poll]
The good people at Motor Trend met up with Tom Gale at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to discuss the new SRT Viper. As you may recall, Gale was one of the designers instrumental in penning the exterior of the first generation bruiser.
How does he feel about the successor to the throne he helped build? Gale says he likes how the new Viper pays homage to its RT/10 and GTS Coupe forebearers. This is despite the fact that Gale had no input on the final design of the new model, though he says he “thinks the world of Ralph [Gilles].”
Gale went on to give the new Viper a quick design analysis, praising it for retaining the near-vertical A-pillar of its predecessor while pushing the aesthetics forward with more modern touches. You can head on over to the Motor Trend site to read the interesting interview, but before you do, be sure to vote in our Viper poll below.
What does original Viper designer Tom Gale think of the new SRT? [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.


text:
Samsung and Live Nation have announced plans to livestream a Coldplay gig in virtual reality. Fans of vanilla pop-earnestness will be able to enjoy the UK band's A Head Full of Dreams tour in immersive 360-degree VR when the act head to Chicago on 17 August.
The stream is exclusive to Samsung's Oculus-powered VR devices, which means you'll need a Gear VR headset and a compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphone to "experience the band's electrifying performance from a totally new and immersive perspective" from the comfort of your home.
"From the pyrotechnics, to the laser lights and the phenomenal setlist, Gear VR users in more than 50 countries will be able to experience the magic of Coldplay's performance at no additional cost," said Samsung in a press release.
For those unable to view the performance live, the stream will be available for a "limited time" after the concert ends.
"Through our industry-leading VR hardware and platform ecosystem, we are thrilled to offer Samsung Gear VR owners access to premium, immersive live entertainment and experiences in full 360," said Samsung America's vice president for content and services Michael Schmier.
"By partnering with Live Nation and Coldplay, music fans across the globe with Gear VR can tune in to the live concert, experiencing the energy of the show like never before."
Having to stomach watching Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin hop around or awkwardly swing a light bulb about in an inescapable, 360-degree virtual landscape may not be everyone's cup of tea, of course, but the announcement bodes well for those hoping to see other live acts broadcast in VR in the near future.
"Live Nation is a trailblazer when it comes to producing live virtual reality concerts," said Live Nation exec Kevin Chernett. "We not only give fans the best in-seat experience, but we're also committed to working with the best technologies to provide every music fan an extraordinary concert experience, regardless of where they are."
Coldplay's concert at Chicago's Soldier Field will begin streaming in VR on 17 August at 9:30pm EST. If you're in the UK that's 2:30am on 18 August, so you might want to get some kip instead.


text:
You may remember that MySpace was sold off to a company called Specific Media over a year ago, as it paid just $35 million for the once mighty social networking service. Since then, we have heard promises of a major MySpace revamp for months but with no real action from the new owners.
Now, it appears that the MySpace revival is finally close to bearing fruit. The site posted up a new video today that shows off its upcoming user interface design. As previously promised, the new MySpace will have a lot of emphasis on music, with users getting the ability to share songs and playlists with others.
What's surprising is that the new MySpace looks like it will have a pretty robust networking UI, with some image albums that resemble that of Pinterest. It will also show users what's "trending" on the Internet at any one moment and looks like it will give them access to check out live events in their neck of the woods. People can also sign up to use MySpace with either their Twitter or Facebook accounts.
Yes, the video does have a lot of Justin Timberlake. The pop singer owns a part of Specific Media, and thus a part of MySpace. You can bet he will try to use his own popularity to get people to sign up for the new MySpace. However, Specific Media is still not giving a precise relaunch date for the service.


text:
Manipulate food prices to fight obesity: panel
An expert panel commissioned by the Heart and Stroke Foundation is urging governments to slap a tax on sugared soft drinks, subsidize the poor to eat fruit and vegetables and give farmers incentives to grow more fresh produce, in a novel new take on Canada’s obesity epidemic.
The price of food has a proven impact on weight, and economic sticks and carrots should be invoked to combat the growing weight crisis, the panel concludes in a 79-page report.
The group’s fiscal-policy approach to the obesity issue is bound to generate controversy. Its lead author insists, however, that the soda-tax and other proposals do not represent nanny-state intervention into diet and behaviour.
[Editor's Note: We at Sierra Club Prairie see this as just another way to drive prices up on highly used and addictive products rather than what should be taking place: regulation of the food industry in their practices of adding unhealthy substances to foods.]


text:
(7:53 p.m. EDT) — The biggest cruise ship in the world is getting another sister.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has revealed plans to build a fifth Oasis-class ship, less than a week after Royal Caribbean’s 5,479-passenger Harmony of the Seas set sail on its inaugural cruise. The ship is scheduled for delivery 2021.
Additionally, the company said it would double Celebrity Cruises’ new Edge Class with two ships slated for 2021 and 2022. The first two ships, which are scheduled to debut 2018 and 2020, represent a new class that touts “small-ship itineraries with large-ship amenities.” Edge-class ships will be smaller than the line’s Solstice Class but larger than the Millennial Class.
Both line’s presidents shared their thoughts on the expansion, in a statement.
Speaking to Harmony of the Seas’ recent delivery, Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley said the warm reception of the vessel “is evidence that growing this class of ship will continue to drive exceptional performance for the brand.”
Celebrity Cruises President Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said there had been “a tremendous amount of interest around the new standard of style Edge-class will introduce.”
Royal Caribbean expects a fourth Oasis-class ship to launch spring 2018. Like Harmony of the Seas, it will carry 5,479 passengers (slightly more than Oasis and Allure) and feature a mix of Oasis-class and Quantum-class features.
All three new ships will undergo construction at Saint-Nazaire’s STX shipyard, where Royal Caribbean’s fourth Oasis-class ship and Celebrity’s two Edge-class ships are being built. Deployment, ship names and more details of what passengers can expect onboard have not yet been released.
The company also has a fourth Quantum-class ship on the horizon, expected to launch April 2019.
See a full list of new ships on order from now through 2020.
–By Gina Kramer, Associate Editor


text:
Former Lululemon CEO and company founder Chip Wilson has struck a new deal with those currently running his stretchy pants empire: he's cutting his shares in half and selling them to Advent, a private equity company. In exchange, Wilson has promised not to fight the board over the direction they're taking the company in – for now, at least.
Lululemon announced Thursday that Advent will take 50% of Wilson's stock, which amounts to 13.85% of company shares, worth a total of $845 million. They'll also now have two members on the company board. Additionally:
Under the support agreement, the parties will engage an independent expert to evaluate and make recommendations regarding the lululemon Board's committees, policies and procedures over the course of 90 days following the completion of Advent's stock purchase. With this agreement,
Mr. Wilson, lululemon and Advent have affirmed their commitment to ensuring best practice corporate governance.
As the Financial Post notes, as a member of the board, Wilson "has been voicing his displeasure with the company's current direction." Whether he wants to let go or not, as the rest of the Lululemon board likely hoped it would, the announcement of Advent's new involvement in the company bumped their stock up, perhaps because Wilson is now less likely to publicly put his foot in his mouth.
Wilson's family, at least, is focused on new endeavors: Just this week, his son and his wife/Lululemon co-founder opened a new clothing store in Vancouver that sells clothes made of "qemir." Qemir is, according to the Huffington Post, "an interesting luxury fabric blend...which is made up of 81 per cent viscose, nine per cent cashmere, and 10 per cent elastane."
Image via Elvert Barnes/Flickr


text:
Despite weaker sales in the UK and Europe, Nike has announced a 19% increase in third-quarter profits on the back of strong sales in its core US market. The Group stated profits rose to $325m (£186m) during the period. Robust sales of footwear and clothing offset stagnant demand in Europe and Japan, Nike said. Total sales increased 9% to $3.6bn, compared to $3.3bn a year ago, although margins narrowed as rising fuel costs hit home.
“The strength of our product pipeline, brand portfolio and global reach is enabling us to balance continued challenges in markets such as Western Europe and Japan with strong momentum in other key markets and regions,” said chief executive Mark Parker, as was reported by the BBC. Nike has faced increased competition in light of a merger between Adidas-Salomon and Reebok International. Nike is currently in the middle of a dispute with Adidas. It filed a patent infringement suit against the company earlier this year claiming that a number of its rival’s trainers copied its technology.
Click Here: jean paul gaultier perfume
The US giant said the Adidas shoes in question infringed its “Shox cushioning” patents and has demanded damages from its German competitor.
22 March 2006


text:
Vehicle deformation for Gran Turismo
Polyphony game maker Kazunori Yamauchi has promised us full vehicle deformation in Gran Turismo "very, very soon".
"We really, really want to put damage onto our vehicles," he revealed, speaking to Gamer.tv. "We've had a lot of discussions with the manufacturers and, although at the beginning they hated the idea of deformation, now they're slowly coming around to it.
"We've still got a few to convince, but we will. Expect deformation in the very near future: very, very soon," he assured.
The Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be released in Europe tonight, although the full GT5 release is more than a year away at present estimates.
Yamauchi is enthused by the potential of the PSN Prologue release as it allows his team to test features and gather feedback.
"Obviously, we wanted to do a next-gen Gran Turismo. When the PS3 appeared, we realised that we needed a lot of time to develop properly on this hardware, so we gave ourselves four years to come up with a complete programme," Yamauchi explains.
"As a result, you're not going to get Gran Turismo all in one go, but gradually, adding online elements and features as we go. The good thing is that it'll have a long, long lifespan."
More GT5 as we get it.
- Microsoft doubles down for April's Games With Gold
- Every wondered what it would be like in James Bond and Joanna Dark met? Cara Ellison and Irene Koh have answered that question
- Dirty Bomb beta is back online
- Obsidian's saviour Pillars Of Eternity launches today, Watch it streamed live here later today
- Infinite Crisis launches fully today on Steam
- Here's what the new Hunters and the Behemoth for Evolve look like in action
- Blood and Burning and Celts Culture DLC Packs arrive for Total War: Attila
- F1 2015 coming to PC, PS4 and Xbox One this summer, first screenshots released
- Ubisoft introduces Alex Parizeau, the new head of Ubisoft Toronto


text:
As the year is closing out and stocks hitting new highs, we have 2 exciting reports that are ready for you!
These “UNDERVALUED” companies are trending upward, in the hottest market sectors, and deserve your immediate attention.
One company is a smart Bio-Pharma that’s expected to eclipse $30 million in annual revenues, as they roll out their newly approved drug. Plus, they’re working on opening new and much richer market applications.
The other one is an Aerospace incubator that’s looking to make its mark in the exciting “VTOL” space with the sharpest coolest “Air Taxi” designs you’ll ever see.
Both reports contain valuable timely information, which could make my readers thousands in profits and help you to continue to enjoy unprecedented gains in today’s market.
If you’re interested in making money in the market, you’ll want to read about these companies first, by signing up today.
Join Now for Free!
MAKE SURE YOU CONTINUE GETTING OUR
STOCK MARKET UPDATES
It won't cost you anything!
…and we promise they’re an easy read that’s worth your time.
Our reports focus on companies that are expecting significant news events, which we believe will become catalysts for vertical growth and market appreciation.
Our editorials focus on disruptive technologies that are poised to become leaders in their respective industries in the small to mid-cap market spaces.


text:
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Have we finally reached the point where we automatically assume that every new retail disaster has been caused by a private equity firm? Yes, I believe we have. When the New York Post published a report on Tuesday contending that New York’s Fairway Market grocery chain was going to liquidate — a claim denied by the company, which subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday — I began exploring whether private equity was indeed responsible for its problems.
The year was 2007. Fairway, a treasured New York institution that was founded in 1933, had grown from one store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side to four stores, three in New York City and one on Long Island. The stores were supermarket size, but they didn’t much resemble a Safeway or a Kroger. They were eclectic, with 50 brands of olive oil, dozens of varieties of olives, cheese, smoked salmon, imported beer and who knows what else. It was quintessential New York. On a per-square-foot basis, the four Fairways were among the highest grossing grocery stores in the country.
Howie Glickberg, the grandson of the founder, was one of three partners who owned Fairway Market. The other two were ready to cash out, and others in management who held small equity stakes were looking for a payday. Glickman needed to find a source of liquidity. Unfortunately for him, he found Sterling Investment Partners, a private equity firm based in Westport, Connecticut, that focuses on mid-market companies.
“I was looking to expand the business,” Glickberg told me when I caught up with him on Wednesday afternoon. In the ensuing buyout, Sterling put $150 million into the company in return for an 80% ownership stake. The majority of that was debt. Needless to say, the debt landed on Fairway’s books, not Sterling’s. Three Sterling partners, including co-founder Charles Santoro, joined the board. None of them had any grocery experience.
Sterling had enormous ambitions for the company. Glickberg had envisioned expanding slowly, a store at a time. Santoro talked about turning Fairway into a national chain with hundreds of stores that would compete with Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Santoro did not respond to an email request for an interview.
By 2012, Fairway was up to 12 stores, including some in suburban New Jersey, where the company’s urban cachet didn’t necessarily translate. Most of this expansion was fueled by yet more debt. Not surprisingly, the expansion eviscerated the company’s profits while adding millions more in debt to its balance sheet. By 2012, its debt burden had grown to more than $200 million, and it was losing more than $10 million a year.
Badly in need of cash, Sterling turned to the public markets. In April 2013, Fairway Group Holdings Corp., as the company was now called, went public at $13 a share, raising $177 million. Its prospectus said that the money would go toward “new store growth and other general corporate purposes.” But that wasn’t quite accurate; the prospectus showed that more than $80 million went to pay “dividends” to preferred shareholders — i.e. Sterling Investment Partners. An additional $7.3 million went to management.
Around the same time as the IPO, Glickberg was pushed aside and a new chief executive officer was brought in, an accountant who had been an executive at Grand Union, a grocery chain that failed in 2013. Glickberg did stay on the board, however, where he was the only person with either grocery or retail experience.
By 2014, Fairway was up to 15 stores. Its directors — a number of them Sterling executives — were paying themselves absurd amounts of money: $12.1 million in 2013, according to the company’s 2014 proxy. Santoro alone took down $5.4 million that year — at a company with a market cap below $170 million.
And that wasn’t the only problem with how Fairway was being run. Hannah Howard, Fairway’s former director of communications, would later describe what it looked like from the inside:
[T]he place was kind of a mess: It took months to get paid, with leadership claiming paychecks had been lost on the truck to Red Hook. As expansion scaled, finding talented, knowledgeable staff became more difficult, so quality at new locations began to suffer. It became increasingly apparent that Fairway’s corporate leaders were good at running two or three stores, but they didn’t make the right preparations to run a dozen. “There were not processes or systems in place that were scalable,” says one erstwhile executive. “The leadership was completely incompetent.”
Meanwhile, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s were expanding methodically. When Amazon Inc. bought Whole Foods, it meant that Fairway had a competitor with limitless cash. Fairway’s vaunted revenue-per-square-foot numbers dropped by a third. Cash flow was consistently negative. The stores looking increasingly shabby because the company couldn’t afford to keep them up. By 2016, saddled with $267 million in debt, Fairway filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It hadn’t turned a quarterly profit the entire time it was a public company.
Here perhaps is the strangest part of the story: Although Fairway managed to reduce its debt by $140 million through the bankruptcy process, it didn’t use bankruptcy to close stores or break any of its expensive leases ($6 million alone for the flagship store on the Upper West Side). It didn’t try to go back to what it was, a small chain of groceries that were part of New York’s central nervous system. Meanwhile, Sterling Investment Partners, having milked Fairway for nine years, walked away. Another private equity firm, the Blackstone Group Inc., took over. Glickberg retired.
By August 2018, Blackstone had exited and the company had been bought by two other private equity firms: Brigade Capital Management LP and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. In November, they hired a new CEO, a turnaround specialist named Abel Porter, who actually did have grocery experience. He was the company’s fourth CEO in six years.
“We’re not burning cash, we’re accumulating cash,” Porter told Bloomberg News at the time. He added that there was “no risk of running out of capital” despite a debt level that exceeded $300 million. In that same article, however, a credit analyst for Moody’s Investment Service, Mickey Chadha, predicted that Fairway would need to be restructured again within 18 months. More money was going out the door than was coming in.
Chadha’s prediction was off, but not by much. It’s been 14 months since that article ran, and Fairway is once again in deep trouble. When I asked him how he saw it coming, he laughed. “That’s my job,” he said. “You could see it when you looked at their liquidity. They just weren’t generating enough cash. No free cash flow, and lots of debt. It was highly predictable.”
A few months ago, Chadha updated his analysis of Fairway’s bonds. He said that, as of June, the company’s remaining cash was down to $10 million and he predicted that it would continue to dwindle through 2020. “The company,” he concluded, “has limited alternative sources of liquidity as virtually all tangible and intangible assets are pledged to the credit facilities.”
As part of its bankruptcy plan, Fairway agreed to sell five stores and a distribution facility to Village Supermarket Inc. for $70 million. Village Supermarket is another grocery chain owned by a family, the Sumas family of New Jersey. It seems to have done what Sterling Investment Partners could not: expand sensibly. The company now has 30 stores. If a handful of Fairway stores end up being run by the Sumas family, it will have saved an institution that private equity nearly destroyed.
“I’m upset about what happened,” Glickberg told me. “They made a lot of bad decisions. They brought in people who knew nothing about the business and nothing about New York. My grandfather started the company, so it was more than a business to me.”
I guess one moral of this story is that if you run a family company, don’t sell it to a private equity firm unless you don’t care what happens afterward. But mainly, it reaffirms what we are all coming to realize: private equity firms like Sterling Investment Partners aren’t on the side of the companies they buy. Not really. They’re out for themselves.
To contact the author of this story: Joe Nocera at email@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Niemi at firstname.lastname@example.org
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Joe Nocera is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering business. He has written business columns for Esquire, GQ and the New York Times, and is the former editorial director of Fortune. His latest project is the Bloomberg-Wondery podcast "The Shrink Next Door."
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.


text:
TNL Launches New Toyota Corolla at Abuja Auto Show
It was all glamour at the Abuja auto fair, as Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL) unveiled the new Corolla.
The Abuja Motor Fair, an annual event, was organised by BKG Exhibitions and it attracted representatives of major auto companies in Nigeria. It was a fine opportunity for TNL to launch the new Corolla sedan into the Nigerian market.
The new Corolla is a typical Toyota that has been improved upon continuously over decades, said the Marketing Manager, TNL, Mr. Bayo Olawoyin, while presenting its features.
He said the new Corolla is powered by a 1.8 litre, 16 valves, four cylinder engine with maximum output, of 138/6400 (kw/rpm) and maximum torque of 173/4000 (Nm/rpm). It is available in petrol engine with
electronic fuel injection while the drivetrain is front wheel drive with front Macpherson struct and rear beam col. The transmission is CVT while the power steering is electronic.
The new Corolla is an executive sedan with array of safety features and conveniences, like never before. Its high ground clearance of 130mm, makes it the best in its segment.
It has seven air bags, anti-lock brake system (ABS/EBD), high mount stop lamp, vehicle stability control, anti theft system, driver and passenger seat belt warning, rear and front packing sensors, sonary all these give you a rest of mind in the Corolla nd they are standard in the new Corolla.
It comes with leather seats, seven-inch multi info display bluetooth, seven speakers, eco and sport driving mode, auto dual mode air conditioning system, wireless door lock, keyless entry and push button.
The unveiling of the new Corolla was done by Dr. Nau Omisanya, the Director of Industrial Infrastructure Development Department of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, who represented the Director General, Aliyu Jelani.
He stated that Toyota is a reputable brand in Nigeria and across the globe and the successive Corolla models have been a leading model in the market. “Corolla is a well known model and the new model looks outstanding with its unique feature and touch buttons.”
He said the new Toyota Corolla is an improvement on its predecessor both in design and comfort amenities and I am highly impressed that Toyota Nigeria will be assembling it at its plant in Lagos.


text:
Losing a loved-one is heartbreaking enough, whether they were a relative, a lover, partner, best friend or pet. Scattering their ashes is too much of a final closure, they may have spent many years with you on this earth and you may feel you never wish to ever forget them.
What better more fitting way could you remember them forever than with a real memorial diamond made from the last remnants of their existence – diamonds are forever they say.
Turning ashes into diamonds was invented by LifeGem diamonds in 1999 and brought to the public in 2002. Since then, creating diamonds from ashes has become an accepted practice worldwide and considered by many to be the most prestigious way of memorializing a loved one to date.
Eva Wu has kept her son's room unchanged ever since he died in January of 2011. Cornald passed away from a rare form of cancer, known as PEComa, at age 17. Divorced and single, Wu recalled his optimism even in his final days.
To keep him close in death as he was in life, Wu had his ashes made into a diamond. "I feel peace. I feel he's near me. And it's 100% him. Nothing else but him," said Wu, who keeps the diamond on a cross necklace. "And I can recall his smiling face, and I can recall his gentle character."
That peace is thanks to the Hong Kong company Algordanza. Algordanza sends 200 grams of cremated remains to its laboratory in Switzerland. The carbon from those ashes is then filtered out to more than 99% purity and refined into silky, black graphite. A machine then applies volcano-like pressure and temperature: Nine hours later, a synthetic diamond -- which has a bluish rather than clear tint, owing to boron found naturally in the body -- is born.A quarter-carat diamond retails for about $3000. A two-carat diamond, the biggest that Algordanza makes, costs about $37,000.
This price range makes remembrance diamonds competitive with the cost of Hong Kong burials, which range from $2,000 to more than $200,000 depending on the choice of coffin, according to the city's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
Father of the head director of Algordanza died a few weeks ago due to complications from liver cancer. His remains will be made into a diamond and split among his four children who live around the world.
Wu admits a remembrance diamond may not be the way everyone may want to commemorate their loved ones. But aside from the love held for the departed, a diamond can last nearly as long, she adds.


text:
Prospects for a rapid economic recovery fuel inflation fears
Will inflation strike once the pandemic is over? The question has been asked since the early days of Covid-19, when western countries first went into lockdown and policymakers started to unleash huge stimulus measures to protect businesses and households. Progress in vaccination programmes and the prospect of a rapid economic recovery have merely made the question louder and more urgent.
Joe Biden’s victory in America’s presidential election last November paved the way for a $1.9 trillion rescue package for the United States. Still awaiting approval from Congress, it will add to unprecedented levels of economic support worldwide that have caused some economists to sound the alarm on inflation.
In the first two months of the pandemic, governments injected $10 trillion into the global economy, three


text:
Following the February 2008 announcement to switch its entire retail cane sugars range to Fairtrade, Tate & Lyle is delighted to congratulate farmers’ groups in Fiji and Guyana on their certification which means they can join the company’s launch partners in Belize in supplying Fairtrade sugar to the company. Tate & Lyle has already increased the amount of Fairtrade sugar sold in the UK tenfold compared to 2007, and this announcement increases the number of farmers globally who can benefit from Fairtrade premiums when they work with Tate & Lyle from 6,000 to more than 10,000.
The deal is potentially worth $2.2 million annually in Fairtrade premiums on top of the contract sugar price for the 4,000 Fijian farmers of the Labasa Cane Producers Association (LCPA) and $240,000 for their 400 counterparts in Guyana.
Based on previous experience in Belize, Tate & Lyle believes that its combined investment of $2.4 million in Fairtrade premiums marks a significant opportunity for the two new groups to make steps forwards. Since announcing its first Fairtrade partnership with the 6,000 small-scale growers in the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers’ Association, the switch has created a return of £2 million in Fairtrade premiums each year. The farmers there have used the premiums to increase production levels, introduce more environmentally friendly farming techniques and improve the chances of raising the funds they earn each year even further.
President, Tate & Lyle Sugars, Ian Bacon believes that it makes good business sense for Tate & Lyle to invest in the sustainability of its supply chains: “We are delighted that the Labasa cane farmers in Fiji have achieved Fairtrade certification. It is a challenging system, but has brought many benefits to cane farmers in Belize, and we look forward to the cane farmers in Fiji and Guyana also reaping the rewards of Fairtrade.”
Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation, adds: “Tate and Lyle have done a fantastic job in bringing onboard new Fairtrade farmers. They have worked really hard in supporting these farmers to become organised and to get Fairtrade certification. I congratulate Tate & Lyle on their continued commitment to take Fairtrade to the next level.”
Labasa Cane Producers Association’s project coordinator, Mohammed Habib, says: “Now that we have Fairtrade certification, cane producers and the wider community can benefit from additional Fairtrade premiums in improving their livelihoods.”
Guyana spokesman Walter Persaud agrees: “We are proud to announce that we have achieved Fairtrade certification and will ensure that the farmers, their dependents and the communities in which we live take this opportunity to improve the lives of as many of us as possible.”
Tate & Lyle


text:
The first products with Wi-Fi 6 have been rolling out over the course of 2020 after the new specification was introduced in 2019. But back in April, the FCC announced that the next version, Wi-Fi 6E could go forward, after the commission voted to make 1,200 megahertz of spectrum available for unlicensed use, which Wi-Fi 6E will use. Also, the “Wi-Fi 6E” Certified designation will roll out beginning in 2021, the Wi-Fi Alliance said at the time.
This week came the news that the first Wi-Fi 6E product has received “equipment authorization” by the FCC.
According to Wi-Fi Now, the product is Broadcom’s BCM4389 client (smartphone) chipset. And you can expect to see the technology used in Apple and Samsung smartphones sooner rather than later.
“Broadcom has consistently been first (or close to first) with 6 GHz Wi-Fi announcements and product releases since the drive towards 6 GHz Wi-Fi began a couple of years ago,” Wi-Fi Now said. “And since Broadcom supplies Wi-Fi technology to device giants Apple and Samsung, the path towards releasing Wi-Fi 6E-capable Samsung Galaxy devices and Apple iPhones has now been cleared.”
“This module may only be marketed and sold to an OEM system integrator that has an agreement with the grantee and has been provided detailed instructions on installation conditions to ensure that the correct firmware is installed,” the FCC authorization says. “Host systems must be intended for indoor use only, outdoor applications are NOT allowed.”
This is, per Wi-Fi Now, the first Wi-Fi 6E device in the world to receive equipment authorization approval from the FCC.
The world’s first Wi-Fi 6E device, per Wi-Fi Now, was a format card developed by Intel, called the WiFi—6E AX210, that debuted quietly in November, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is expected to be the first smartphone to feature Wi-Fi 6E capability. And the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000, a gaming router, is the first Wi-Fi 6E-capable router, and is set for release later this month.
So what can consumers expect from Wi-Fi 6E?
“These new rules will usher in Wi-Fi 6, the next generation of Wi-Fi, and play a major role in the growth of the Internet of Things,” the FCC said following the approval of the spectrum, in its April 23 press release. “Wi-Fi 6 will be over two-and-a-half times faster than the current standard and will offer better performance for American consumers. Opening the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use will also increase the amount of spectrum available for Wi-Fi by nearly a factor of five and help improve rural connectivity.”
Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.


text:
Google backs modular smartphones with the launch of Project Ara
Concept for 'swappable' smartphones found popularity with Phonebloks but is now being backed by Motorola
The concept of modular smartphones has been riding high following the launch of the Phonebloks campaign, but now the idea has the big backer it needs: Motorola.
The Google-owned company has announced plans to consult with Phonebloks inventor Dave Hakkens to develop a “free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones” under the name Project Ara.
Modular smartphones allow users to replace individual components in their mobiles, swapping out a camera or processor if the part breaks or becomes out-of-date. This approach to electronics both minimises waste and allows consumers more choice, but so far the idea has only been a concept.
Dutch designer Hakkens popularised modular phones with his Phonebloks campaign (see below for the video) but admits that the idea's success “totally depends if companies think there is a market for it.” This latest news from Motorola suggests that they do.
The phone company will be working Hakkens to develop their “ common vision”, with Motorola handling the “deep technical work” while Hakkens develops and empowers the community. Specially-selected “research scouts” will have the opportunity to test early hardware prototypes and offer feedback to Motorla.
“We want to do for hardware what the Android platform has done for software: create a vibrant third-party developer ecosystem, lower the barriers to entry, increase the pace of innovation, and substantially compress development timelines,” say Motorola.
Concept art depicting a Project Ara smartphone
The design concept consists of an endoskeleton (an ‘endo’) and separate modules, with the endo providing the structural frame to hold all the modules in place: “A module can be anything, from a new application processor to a new display or keyboard, an extra battery, a pulse oximeter--or something not yet thought of!”
Hakkens pitched his Phonebloks concept as simply an idea in need of support but with Motorola’s backing (and Google’s ambition) it seems modular smartphones might become a reality. The phone company are anticipating an alpha release of the Module Developer’s Kit (MDK) “sometime this winter.”
Motorola would aim to create an Android-like 'open' community, with different developers contributing hardware
Life & Style blogs
No, a porn star wasn't tricked into performing a sex act on her brother
What do the emojis on Snapchat mean?
A nap a day could save your life
Have sex with your iPad thanks to the new sex toy no-one asked for
The antidote to Tinder? Majority of dating app users want relationship, rather than hook-ups, study finds
Climate change: 2015 will be the hottest year on record 'by a mile', experts say
'Women only' train carriages: Jeremy Corbyn unveils radical move to tackle public harassment
Black holes are a passage to another universe, says Stephen Hawking
Iain Duncan Smith 'should resign over disability benefit death figures', says Jeremy Corbyn
Stock up on canned food for stock market crash, warns former Gordon Brown adviser
Tony Blair attacks Jeremy Corbyn's 'Alice In Wonderland' politics
- 1 Caitlyn Jenner car crash: Driver who died in collision sued by surviving passengers for $18.5m
- 2 Pictures show young Palestinian girl biting Israeli soldier trying to detain boy during West Bank protests
- 3 Watch the Supermoon live: How to see the brightest Moon of the year tonight
- 4 Hulk Hogan wants to be Donald Trump's running mate in the US Presidential election
- 5 Blood Moon and Supermoon: September to bring brightest – and dimmest – full Moon of the year on same night
iJobs Gadgets & Tech
£40000 - £55000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: This is an exciting opportunity...
£20000 - £40000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: This IT provider for the educat...
£20000 - £25000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: This leader in the e-cigarette ...
£32000 - £40000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: With extensive experience and a...


text:
New England Gas Prices Dip a Little More
Prices at the pumps around northern New England have fallen a little more in the last week.
According to the latest survey from GasBuddy.com, the average gasoline price in Maine fell to $2.39 per gallon, a drop of 3 cents. In Presque Isle Monday afternoon, most pumps were showing a price of $2.41 a gallon.
In New Hampshire, prices went down 2 cents, to $2.37 a gallon. Vermont saw its average price per gallon drop in the last week by 5.1 cents to an average price of $2.50 a gallon.
The national price of gas fell by 6.2 cents a gallon over the past week to an average of $2.41, dropping 4.4 cents from a month ago and just under 2 cents a gallon cheaper than it was a year ago.


text:
According to an article appearing on Reuters Africa site, Tanzania’s mobile phone subscribers grew by an estimated 22% to 25.6 million in the last year. The development is said to have been helped by the low tariff introduced in the country.
Tanzania’s Communications Minister, Makame Mbarawa, said that phone tariffs were halved in Tanzania over the past 10 years due to increased competition.
“There are now eight licensed mobile phone subscribers, with seven in service. Besides increasing consumer choice, the increase in the number of service providers has led to a 50 percent fall in mobile tariffs,” the minister said in a statement.
The Mobile Termination charges to 7.16 U.S. cents in January this year from 7.83 U.S. cents in 2008. The MTRs are set to fall further from January 2013.
Currently the mobile phone penetration in Tanzania stand at around 47 percent while the number of internet users rose to 6 million by May 2012 from 5.3 million in December 2011.
Vodacom Tanzania is the market leader with a 43% market, Bharti Airtel at 28 %, Millicom’s subsidiary Tigo Tanzania 22% and Zantel 6 %.
Other smaller players are state-run telecoms firm TTCL, Sasatel and Benson, which have tiny market share.


text:
APD IDs teen killed in officer-involved shooting
Owner reunites with dog lost five years ago
A dog stolen in Illinois was located in Greenville, South Carolina, thanks to the dog's microchip.
Tap here to view the video on your mobile device.
Facebook has figured out mobile. The social networking giant said Wednesday that mobile ads accounted for 59 percent of its advertising revenue in the first three months of the year, up from 30 percent a year prior.


text:
USA: Diedrich Coffee, Inc. Announces the Opening of Six New Retail Units
Diedrich Coffee, Inc. (Nasdaq: DDRX), the nation's second largest coffeehouse operator, franchiser and roaster in the specialty coffee market, today announced that two new franchise Diedrich Coffee brand coffeehouses and a company owned unit have opened. Gloria Jean's Coffee, a division of Diedrich Coffee also opened two Malaysian franchise units and one Australian franchise unit in June.Millenium Coffee Company, a Los Angeles based franchise area developer opened its new West Hollywood coffeehouse in early July. A grand opening celebration is slated for July 29th. Another Diedrich Coffee franchise area developer, New England Coffeehouses, LLC opened its first Diedrich Coffee brand coffeehouse in Avon, Connecticut last week. Diedrich Coffee also opened a new company-owned, Orange County coffeehouse in Aliso Viejo. A grand opening celebration for that location is scheduled for July 22nd."Management continues to focus on Diedrich Coffee's strategic objectives," stated Tim Ryan, President and CEO of Diedrich Coffee Inc. "We are growing Diedrich Coffee brand coffeehouses into a national chain while repositioning Gloria Jean's Coffee, our second brand, and striving to improve that chain's performance," Ryan added.


text:
December 6, 2013 7:43:53 pm
In a landmark attempt to take forward the stalled Doha Round of global trade talks,the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Friday evening issued a revised draft of the Bali package that would address India’s concerns on food security and take through the trade facilitation agreement.
The draft has proposed an interim solution with a peace clause of four years during which a permanent mechanism will have to be finalised.
Significantly,it would not preclude developing countries from rolling out their own food security programmes as it will include only existing programmes — key concerns for India that is implementing the Food Security Act.
“The permanent solution on food security and public stockholding must be acceptable to all members and put in place by the Eleventh Ministerial,” it said.
Best of Express Premium
“A great day for India,I am more than happy…. India has clinched World Trade Organization deal for the farmers and poor of the world,” Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said after the final round of negotiations.
However,developing nations will be bound to notify the World Trade Organization’s Committee on Agriculture if they are in danger of capping the 10 per cent subsidy limit. It also prohibits any market distorting activities and will be monitored closely by the WTO.
Fulfilling the major concerns of the US and the EU,the draft text has also called to put in place the Trade Faciliation pact over the next two years for which a preparatory committee would be set up. The pact will put in binding rules to ensure easier movement of goods,adding $ 1 trillion to the global GDP according to a study.
“It is aimed as a full package that will take care of all three agendas of agriculture,trade facilitation and development,” said a source connected with the developments.
The draft now has to be approved by trade ministers of all 159 countries who were called for an informal meeting by World Trade Organization director general Roberto Azevedo at 8 pm (local time) on Friday after nearly 36 hours of hectic negotiations.
Sharma said,”It’s a path-breaking decision…This is the first major decision or agreement that has been reached ever since the WTO was established.
“The previous agreement based on the Uruguay round was inherently imbalanced and flawed. The balance was against the developing countries and that is why support was mobilised and it became an imperative to launch a new round of negotiations,which is the Doha Development Agenda.”
Due to the meeting,the closing session of the ministerial summit is likely to be extended. The World Trade Organization chief is likely to make a formal statement late Friday night.
If the package is approved,it will be the first global trade deal in over 12 years and will help restore credibility to the World Trade Organization.
📣 Join our Telegram channel (The Indian Express) for the latest news and updates
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.


text:
The expense of vaping ought to be reduced for smokers in developing countries as an urgent “human rights issue”, researchers have told a pro-tobacco conference in London.
Addressing a 300-strong audience of tobacco and vaping industry representatives, Helen Redmond, a professional in substance use at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, said folks poor countries should not be priced out of nicotine-based products which could enable them to to quit smoking.
Redmond compared the medicinal qualities of nicotine with cannabis and stressed “the want to get vaping for the poorest, who want it most”.
“It’s a human rights issue – as a harm reduction device, prices need to come down,” she said. “Nicotine is not a dirty drug, it can help with depression and anxiety.”
Academics on the 2018 global tobacco and nicotine forum called for further research in to the possible medical benefits of nicotine as well as a focus on the development of innovative nicotine-based products which will provide a “smoke-free society” and lower the dangerous effects of cigarettes.
Viscount Matt Ridley, an author and member of your home of Lords, joined the chorus of experts promoting vaping as a type of harm reduction, arguing that subjecting best e cig vapor to the same workplace restrictions as smoking could be thought of as an infringement of your individual’s human rights.
“We should treat vaping in the same manner that people treat usage of mobile phones,” said Ridley. “The the easy way get people to give up [smoking] is to innovate with technology”.
Ridleytold the conference that, despite the industry’s continued give attention to promoting nicotine-based products as a form of harm reduction, public opinion was moving away from vaping because of media “scare stories”. He compared the industry’s plight, particularly in the US, for that faced by “bootleggers and baptists during prohibition”.
Clive Bates, director of advocacy group Counterfactual, described the views of anti-tobacco campaigners as “hostile and focused”, accusing them of getting rival commercial interests using a goal of “annihilating” the industry. Warning of the damage due to “those using a vested desire for causing alarm”, he explained that although critics laboured to generate evidence to “maintain the narrative of harm”, technological advances meant the transition to vape-type products was likely to become mandatory instead of voluntary.
You can find 1.1 billion smokers worldwide and 6 million die every year being a direct reaction to smoking. Another 890,000 people annually die prematurely because of second-hand smoke, according to the World Health Organization.
One particular cigarette contains greater than 200 carcinogenic chemicals, along with the addictive stimulant nicotine. Scientists and academics have so far neglected to reach agreement on advantages and disadvantages of long term nicotine use.
In a plenary session, clinical psychologist Karl Fagerström called for research into the positive benefits associated with nicotine, that he believes can assist people struggling with Alzheimer’s and depression. Also, he advised wgferg the industry should move from combustible to nicotine-based products.
“No the first is thinking about establishing what some great benefits of smoking nicotine are,” Fagerström said.
Martin Jarvis, professor of health psychology at University College London, saidthe US was moving towards prohibition-type enforcement, with all the Food and Drug Administration eager to reduce the degree of nicotine in cigarettes.
“Society doesn’t understand nicotine,” said Jarvis, “because they think it is particularly bad.”
But Jarvis said “describing nicotine for being addictive is justified”, adding that “80% of smokers wished they never started”.


text:
The OnePlus 5 the next flagship the Android world is keenly anticipating. The handset has leaked a few times online and was also teased by the company’s own CEO a few days ago.
In recent months, we’ve seen several rumors outlining the phone’s specs, although some have presented conflicted information. The latest leak coming out of Kumamoto Technology reveals a few new tidbits.
For example, the report says the OnePlus 5 will pack a 3,600 mAh battery (the OnePlus 3T features a 3,400 mAh one) which will apparently bring about 25% improvement in terms of charging time.
While most industry insiders agree the OnePlus 5 will come packing a Snapdragon 835, a consensus is yet to be established while RAM capacity is concerned. We previously heard the phone might come equipped with 8GB of RAM, but the current report says the OnePlus 5 will feature 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internals storage.
However, the possibility of an 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage version has not yet been ruled out by Kumamoto Technology, which also mentions a fingerprint scanner is also in the cards.
No mention whether the OnePlus 5 will have an improved QHD display, microSD card slot, dual cameras or whether the device will retain the 3.5mm audio jack or not.


text:
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill introduced by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is a piece of legislation proposed by the UK government in December 2020. The bill aims to introduce new measures to regulate the behavior of tech companies and promote competition in digital markets, as well as to protect consumers’ interests.
The announcement of the bill came as the CMA decided to prohibit a $69bn merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. Major gaming competitor Sony objected to the merger, saying Microsoft could harm the Call of Duty franchise.
But the deal was later halted by the CMA, which said the prohibition of the merger would be an effective and proportionate remedy to address the substantial lessening of competition (SLC) in the market for cloud gaming services in the UK and its resulting adverse effects.
“We’ve prevented Microsoft from purchasing Activision over concerns the deal would damage competition in the Cloud Gaming market, leading to less innovation and choice for UK gamers,” the CMA said.
The CMA identified the following as harmful to competition:
- The fact that people value being on the same network as each other makes digital markets prone to ‘winner-takes-most’ tipping points where one or 2 platforms come to dominate.
- The data gathered by large players gives them a powerful advantage over competitors – including in other related markets – meaning that market power can quickly spill over from one market to the next.
- The unprecedented scale, scope and development speed of digital markets means that, when competition problems do arise, harms can spread quickly across the economy and become locked in.
Microsoft president Brad Smith voiced his view the move was bad for Britain, saying the message the CMA sent “will discourage innovation and investment in the UK.”
“The new regime proposed in the bill bears many of the hallmarks of the FCA supervisory regime for financial institutions.”Eversheds Sutherland
The bill is currently going through the parliamentary process, and it is expected to be subject to amendments and changes before it becomes law.
“This is a step-change in the UK regulatory landscape which provides for a proactive and interventionist regulatory regime – similar to the regulation of financial institutions and utilities – for some of the major Big Tech companies,” law firm Eversheds Sutherland said in an analysis, calling this a ‘watershed moment’, adding “the new regime proposed in the bill bears many of the hallmarks of the FCA supervisory regime for financial institutions.”
The main provisions of the bill include:
- Creating a new regulatory framework for “digital markets” with significant market power, to prevent abuse of their dominance and to promote competition.
- Giving the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) new powers to enforce the new regulations and to fine companies that violate them.
- Introducing new rules to improve the transparency of online advertising and prevent the use of personal data without consent.
- Strengthening consumer protections, including new powers for the CMA to take action against misleading or harmful online content.


text:
Electronic Arts' full control of the Star Wars gaming universe began in 2013, and at that time, EA confirmed that three of its major studios would be pumping out games based on the series' past and future. Now, thanks to a Wednesday announcement, we can add another major developer to that list: Respawn Entertainment, the ex-Infinity Ward studio that is currently best known for the Titanfall shooter series.
Though the news didn't include a release window, game title, or gameplay footage, it did confirm the reason why Respawn has been hiring a slew of programmers and animators for a new "third-person action-adventure" series for nearly two years—meaning, a project other than a new Titanfall sequel. Around the same time in 2014, Respawn hired game director Stig Asmussen, who made a name for himself directing God of War 3.
What should we expect, then? Boba Fett with chain swords? Titanfall-styled battles with super-soldiers who operate
bipedal AT-ATs AT-STs? Neither Asmussen, EA, nor Respawn are saying much at this point, beyond describing the game to come as "a whole new adventure to the galaxy" and repeating the call that Respawn is still hiring for the project. Still, with nearly two years under the "small" team's belt, we'd be shocked not to at least see teaser footage at this year's E3, if not more details on another title: the long-teased adventure game helmed by former Uncharted chief Amy Hennig.