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Indian social media platform ShareChat said on Wednesday that it has appointed renowned advertising leader Ajit Varghese as its Chief Commercial Officer.
In his new role at ShareChat, Varghese will be pivotal in expanding and strengthening the platform’s revenue efforts, and building a robust monetisation approach with strategic content partnership.
He will also spearhead its marketing functions, to be inclined towards brand elevation, aligned with business centricity.
Prior to joining ShareChat, Varghese was the Global President at Wavemaker, a WPP-group global media network.
“Brand marketing and monetisation is going to be the core focus of ShareChat and we will direct our efforts towards elevating the brand positioning through strategic communications approach,” Farid Ahsan, COO and Cofounder, ShareChat, said in a statement.
“Ajit, with his leadership capabilities and expert knowledge of the media, marketing and advertising domain, will play a critical role in further building brand awareness, deepening relationships with our business stakeholders and driving ShareChat toward the next phase of growth.”
Varghese brings to the new role over 25 years of experience in leading large-scale business transformations and building diverse and successful businesses around media, creative, digital, data, content, sports, and performance.
This announcement comes amid Sharechat witnessing growth in new users, higher user engagement on the platform and an increased interest among B2C (business-to-customer) brands, the company said.
ShareChat last month said it has more than 160 million users while its short-video platform ‘Moj’ has more than 80 million monthly active users.
“I believe ShareChat in the next few years will evolve as the default partner to every brand, homegrown and global, who intends to engage with the internet-first population,” Varghese said on his appointment.
“As the digital advertising landscape awaits the inclusion of over 400 million new internet users, mostly inclined towards native languages, ShareChat will stay at the forefront of unveiling a new digital era.”


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Two weeks after nearly 3,000 McDonald’s pulled salads from Fresh Express in connection with cyclospora parasite infections, the salad company recalled deli wraps and salads for retail containing chopped romaine.
Food waste in the United States is an issue of growing concern and awareness. New projects are underway to divert food scraps from landfills and give them a "second act" by serving as animal feed. The recent
DID YOU KNOW ... that it takes TWO TO THREE TIMES MORE CALORIES from plant-based alternatives to get the same amount of protein as you get in a 3-oz. serving of lean beef? What's more, the protein in beef is "complete,"

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Hemp History Week at Karyn’s
I’m so excited to announce that Karyn’s will be participating this year for Hemp History Week June 4th-10th. In honor of Hemp History Week, Karyn’s Fresh Corner will be preparing a special hemp seed salad that will be available at our all-you-can-eat or by-the-pound salad bar. Karyn’s Fresh Corner, the longest-standing raw foods restaurant in the country and located at 1901 N. Halsted, in Lincoln Park, will also have a raw hemp ice cream special. We will also be passing out Hemp History Week stickers to children who visit Karyn’s Fresh Corner.
In addition to hemp foods at Karyn’s Fresh Corner, we will be raising awareness to Hemp History Week by hosting a FREE movie night at Karyn’s! We will be showing the film Hemp Hemp Hooray! This documentary visits hemp fields and factories around the world and explores hundreds of eco-friendly hemp goods made from the most versatile plant, cannabis hemp. There will be a discussion following the film.
This is what Karyn’s is offering but check out other Hemp History events in your state here!
A little bit about Hemp History Week from their website www.hemphistoryweek.com
What is Hemp History Week?
Now in its third year, Hemp History Week is the largest national grassroots marketing and public education effort to renew strong support for hemp farming in the U.S. and raise awareness about the benefits of hemp products. The 3rd Annual campaign includes grassroots events across the country, nationwide retail promotions, a day of action, and a national restaurant program
Through Hemp History Week 2012, we will:
Celebrate America’s rich history with the crop before it was outlawed and educate the public about the barriers to hemp farming in the United States. Advocate for a federal policy change while sending a strong, positive message to President Barack Obama and Congress to end the ban on hemp farming and let farmers grow the versatile and profitable crop. Engage consumers by showcasing the range of hemp products available and the nutritional as well as environmental benefits that they provide.


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London: To extend consciousness round Web3.0, main cryptocurrency agency Binance on Thursday stated it has partnered with Khaby Lame, a TikTok sensation with document 142.8 million followers.
Lame, how joins Binance as its international model ambassador, launched his TikTok channel and shared his first comedian video in March 2020, He has dethroned Charli D’Amelio, who had 142.3 million, to be the most-followed TikToker.
The corporate stated that Khaby will use his signature fashion to deal with among the misperceptions round Web3.0 on this multi-year partnership.
“I’ve been interested by Web3.0 for a while, and jumped on the probability to accomplice with a frontrunner like Binance as a result of it aligns completely with what I normally do: make advanced stuff simple and enjoyable for everybody,” Lame stated in a press release.
Lame got here into the limelight for his spin on “life hack” movies, navigating overly sophisticated situations with out saying a phrase whereas doing his conventional “Khaby transfer.”
He additionally has greater than 78 million followers on Instagram.
“Khaby has turn into a cultural icon and one of the crucial entertaining creators globally. We love his attraction and humorousness, and assume it’ll convey relevance and relatability as we scale Web3 adoption,” stated James Rothwell, Binance International Vice President of Advertising and marketing.


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Just because the pundits say that certain forms of retail are on their way to the grave doesn’t mean that merchants in those markets are going to go quietly into that good night. Such resilience puts many over-the-hill brands in a difficult position, though. Unable to go it alone and continually besieged by ambitious rivals and fickle customers alike, the search for saving graces often takes retailers far outside their commercial comfort zones.
But if the name of the game isn’t just survival but sustained profitability, then this week’s Retail Bedfellows Tracker proves that there’s no aisle too wide for desperate retailers to eventually reach across.
Barnes & Noble Wants That Unpublished Script
As regrettable as it may be to the enlightened few out there, there’s no denying that book culture is on the wane. It’s been decades since movies and TV came to dominate the cultural conversation, and the ever-present rush toward revenue off digital video content has pushed everyone from Netflix to Amazon to produce their own original content.
This all seems a sign of the times that traditional booksellers, like Barnes & Noble, should ship up or shape out. Instead, it looks like B&N is willing to get more creative with the products it does offer to its increasingly visual audience.
Publishers Weekly reported that Barnes & Noble has finalized an agreement with publishing house Adaptive Studios that will see unpublished screenplays converted into book-length texts and other forms of multimedia. Founded in 2013, Adaptive has carved out a space for itself in the growing self-publishing market, and with the new agreement, it’ll push 16 adult, young adult and graphic novels to B&N by the end of 2016.
While it might seem like a radical departure from B&N’s brick-and-mortar mission, Chief Merchandising Officer Mary Amicucci explained that the brand’s From Page to Screen promotion that highlights novels later adapted into movies “has been one of our highest-selling promotions for readers of all ages since we launched it a few years ago.”
“We anticipate that customers will love experiencing Adaptive Studios’ reimagined stories from screenplays and scripts in adult and teen books, children’s picture books, graphic novels and more,” Amicucci said in a statement.
Xiaomi Makes Friends In India
Xiaomi may not be a household name in the smartphone business as far as American consumers are concerned, but it’s a different story outside the U.S. of A. In China, the world’s largest smartphone market to begin with, Xiaomi boasts a 15.9 percent share — good enough for more than Apple and Huawei. In the global economy, though, being the market leader in a single country — even if it is the most populous in the world — just isn’t enough.
To that end, Xiaomi has signed onto a deal with Just Buy Live and InnoComm, two direct-to-retail distribution firms, that could see its smartphones for sale in more than 5,000 brick-and-mortar locations across India, Gadgets 360 reported. That’s no small feat, especially considering India’s status as the place to be for global retailers looking to offset domestic sales declines. To that end, Xiaomi Head of India Manu Kumar Jain believes matching with two similarly eCommerce-minded distributors will help Xiaomi expand reach and control costs at the same time.
“We are primarily an eCommerce company, and we have brought our learning from the online model to our offline model,” Jain said. “We have chosen Just Buy Live and Innocomm because of their unique models that distribute directly to retailers. I believe that this strategic alliance will strengthen Mi India’s presence across India. As we expand to more than 5,000 offline outlets, it allows more people to experience our products and purchase them easily.”
A Smarter Fast-Food Fountain Drink
In the fast food and quick service restaurant industry, the current flavor of the month seems to be branded snack items that might’ve come right off the set of an unaired episode of “Fear Factor.” For all the Doritos tacos and Cheetos fries, though, there are data-driven interventions, like the one from beverage analytics startup Weissbeerger, that might do more than any brand mashup ever could.
Weissbeerger and Lancer, manufacturer of beverage dispensing systems used by QSRs across the globe, announced a partnership that will see the former’s analytics suite integrated into its fountain drink configurations. Already, the dual system is in place and up and running at Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s locations, and with the backing of beverage giant Coca-Cola, COO Illan Sobel thinks that Weissbeerger can take its data-driven drinking mission to the more than half a million fountain setups in the U.S.
“This agreement propels technological disruption for the beverage industry unlike anything that’s been done before,” Sobel said in a statement. “With our technology installed in Lancer machines, we are able to offer fountain beverage manufacturers and customers unparalleled insights and analytical data that will revolutionize the way they operate across every element of the fountain value chain.”
Let this be a warning to diners who like to abuse free refill policies.


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Newton, Iowa-based distributor Newton Manufacturing (UPIC: NEWTON) has announced that Jay Donlin, executive vice president of sales and marketing, has chosen to pursue a career outside of the promotional products industry. His last day at the company will be December 14.
“We very much appreciate Jay’s dedicated efforts over the past 3½ years,” says Mancil Laidig, Newton Manufacturing’s president. “He has made a valuable contribution to the company and we wish him well as he pursues a new career with his family’s business in Minnesota.”
Donlin, a 20-year veteran of the promotional products industry, has worked as a multi-line representative, supplier and distributor. During his career, he also served as president of the Promotional Products Association of Chicago and president of the Recognition Council, a strategic industry group of the Incentive Marketing Association.
Donlin is leaving to take over a pump manufacturing business started by his uncle that has applications in pest control, lawn care, pressure sprayers and washers. “Having an opportunity to have a stake in a company that’s been in my family—I’m truly blessed,” Donlin told PPB Newslink. “I’ll leave behind lots of Donlins in the industry, though: my brother, Tom, is at Ad Images; Steve operates our multi-line rep company that our dad started in 1977 and my sister, Cheryl Dixon, is at Crystal D.
“Working with Newton Manufacturing has been a great experience and I am grateful for the opportunity,” he adds. “Leaving behind great friendships with employees, representatives and industry associates makes this decision a difficult one. I have been truly blessed to a part of this fine industry.”


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The MKBHD Smartphone Awards pick the best phones of 2022Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
Every year, popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee (better known as MKBHD) runs his own Smartphone Awards, where he selects the best smartphones in various categories. While last year’s iPhone was awarded in three different categories, Apple’s smartphone lost the spotlight to its rivals in this year’s awards.
Just like last year, MKBHD has defined multiple smartphone award categories. They are:
- The ultimate big phone
- The ultimate small phone
- Best camera system
- The best battery
- The Design Award
- Value Award
- Bust of the year
- MVP (Phone of the Year)
Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of Android smartphones vying for the awards, while Apple currently sells just eight different iPhone models — and only five of those were released this year. Of course, although the awards are based on MKBHD’s own criteria, he took into account both the technical aspects and his personal experience with each device competing for the awards.
But how does the iPhone compare to all other Android smartphones?
The ultimate big phone
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is certainly a big phone with its 6.7-inch screen. However, MKBHD chose Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra as the best large phone of 2022. According to the YouTuber, the S22 Ultra benefits from a massive 6.8-inch stylus screen combined with large-screen-optimized software, a 5,000mAh battery, and four the camera lens on the back of the phone.
MKBHD also praised ASUS ROG Phone 6, which is considered a gaming smartphone, in the same category because it has “amazing, massive front-facing stereo speakers” and a headphone jack. The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 also got an honorable mention for being the same thickness as a regular phone when folded.
The ultimate small phone
Last year, Apple won the Best Small Phone category with the iPhone 13 mini. After all, there aren’t many small phones left on the market, and the iPhone 13 mini was essentially an iPhone 13 with premium hardware in a 5.4-inch screen body. But this year, Apple killed the iPhone mini and replaced it with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
So the winner of the Best Small Phone 2022 category was ASUS Zenfone 9. It’s certainly not as small as the iPhone 13 mini, as it has a 5.9-inch screen, but it’s still significantly smaller than most smartphones today. With flagship specs, a “surprisingly great camera”, a headphone jack and good battery life, MKBHD says the Zenfone 9 is “easily the best phone at this size”.
The Oppo Find N2, which is a foldable phone, received an honorable mention in this category for looking extremely compact when folded.
Best camera system
Choosing the best smartphone camera can be extremely subjective, especially since there are different criteria for photos and videos, and everyone has their own preferences when it comes to color and sharpness levels. A few days ago, MKBHD has shared the results of its blind smartphone camera testin which Google’s Pixel 6A takes first place, while the Pixel 7 Pro comes in second.
But what about MKBHD’s preferences? While praising the photos taken with the Pixel 7 and Vivo X90 Pro+, iPhone 14 Pro Max won this year for best camera system.
The YouTuber says the iPhone has a more solid camera experience, which includes how fast it is to open the Camera app and take a photo, consistency between all lenses, and how good the device is at capturing video compared to all Android smartphones.
The best battery
The winner of the Best Battery 2022 category is ASUS ROG Phone 6. Since it is considered to be a smartphone for gamers, ASUS has placed a 6000 mAh battery inside the phone. At the same time, it supports fast charging up to 65W, which allows users to charge the battery from 0% to 100% in less than an hour.
Last year’s iPhone 13 Pro Max won the best battery award, and many other reviews also praised last year’s iPhone’s battery life despite the addition of a 120Hz display. However, the iPhone 14 Pro Max failed to offer the same battery experience as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, as Apple kept the same size battery and added an Always-on Display.
Interestingly, Marquez praised the battery life of the iPhone 14 Plus, which beats the iPhone 14 Pro Max because it has a regular 60Hz display without the Always-on feature. As a result, the iPhone 14 Plus consumes less power than the Pro model.
The Design Award
The design category is also quite subjective and even MKBHD agrees with that. And the smartphone that won The Design Award in 2022 is Nothing Phone. Viewed from the side, the Nothing Phone resembles one of the latest iPhones. However, the Nothing Phone has a transparent back full of LEDs that can be used for multiple things like notifications and a flash while you’re shooting.
“Definitely skirts the line between gimmick and feature. […] I find it very good. I think it’s cool that you can see the battery level while charging. […] Little things like that. You don’t see a lot of phones trying new things.”
The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 received an honorable mention in the design category as a foldable phone that looks much more solid than other foldable phones.
Last year Google’s Pixel 6 won the Value Award, and this year the award went to the Pixel 7. MKBHD claims the Pixel 7 is the best in its $599 price range and even beats some more expensive flagships with its specs. “It’s so good that you did [Pixel] 7 Pro seems like not such a good deal,” he added.
The ASUS Zenfone 9 once again received an honorable mention, this time in the Value Award category for offering a “truly unique combination” that includes a 120Hz display for $699.
Bust of the year
The bust of 2021 was Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2, which has two separate screens and was launched at a price of $1,500. This year, however, MKBHD chose OnePlus 10T as Bust of the Year for having a “fairly large delta between expectations and capabilities versus actual results”.
MVP (Phone of the Year)
Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra was the winner of the Phone of the Year category for 2021. But what about this year? The 2022 winner is Google’s Pixel 7. Just like we mentioned earlier, MKBHD says the Pixel 7 is a great value with its good cameras, display and battery, plus a “leading software experience” while costing much less than other premium smartphones.
With similar arguments, the ASUS Zenfone 9 also won an honorable mention as Phone of the Year. In third place they chose MKBHD Galaxy S22 Ultra for this category, which he describes as “boring” and “expensive”, but at the same time one of the best phones one can get in 2022.
Wrap it up
Out of three categories in 2021, the iPhone has already been awarded in only one of the categories in 2022. Still, MKBHD indicated that it prefers the iPhone’s camera because of its exceptional video capture quality.
When it comes to pictures, MKBHD already said in their videos that the iPhone 14 Pro camera exaggerates post-processing effects like HDR, making some photos look very unrealistic – and I personally agree with that.
What do you think of the results? Would you have a different list than MKBHD for the best phones of 2022? Let us know in the comments section below.
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#MKBHD #Smartphone #Awards #pick #phones


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With live concerts on hold for the foreseeable future, concert-goers are experiencing a democratization of live music events through the emergence of livestream concerts.
Why it matters: “Over the past 15 years, the concert business has been the primary financial engine of the music industry,” writes Variety, where “concerts and merchandise, along with sponsorships and synch opportunities, became the primary revenue streams to enable [artists] to make livelihood and living.” However, the increasing preference of artists and concert promoters to hold concerts in geographically disbursed, large venues have too often limited their live audience to a small slice of the population: affluent, urban dwellers.
The Washington Post noted that virtual entertainment events have “[opened] doors to people who might have otherwise not been able to attend, whether because of geography or mobility or finances.” Global megastars and local musicians alike have struggled to remain connected to their fans and earn income while the pandemic ensures that touring remains at a standstill and venues remain closed.
Through the emergence of ticket virtual concert platforms like StageIt, “organizers and artists have witnessed the power of opening up events to a larger audience online and have realized that fans may still crave these opportunities when the world resumes.”
By the numbers:
- Based on early data from the global concert industry trade publication Pollstar, the 2020 concert industry – inclusive of revenues generated by artists, merchandise, food and restaurants, transportation, lodging, venues, production, marketing, and a host of other related services – was projected to be worth $12.2 billion, up nearly 11% over 2019.
- Pollster’s Top 100 Worldwide concerts grossed $5.6 billion in 2019, representing a 1% increase of 2018, which was record-breaking in its own right, with Pink’s “Beautiful Trauma” tour as the top grossing tour with $215 million and an average ticket price of $118 per seat according to Pollstar.
- Keep in mind that these are annual snapshots of concert sales. The over 2 ½ year “Divide” tour by Ed Sheeran grossed a mind-blowing $776 million.
- In the 5-year period, from 2015 to 2019, gross sales for the Top 100 Worldwide grew by 41%, from $3.8 billion to $5.6 billion, driven by a 22% increase in the average attendance per show and a 23% increase in average ticket prices, from $78 to $96 per ticket. Lady Gaga topped the range at an average ticket price of over $288 per ticket at her Las Vegas “Enigma” and “Jazz & Piano” residencies.
A changing industry landscape: Live Nation, parent company to well-known brands like Ticketmaster and Roc Nation, has dominated the worldwide concert industry since its heavily contested formation in 2010 and has been hit hard by the pandemic’s impact on the loss of tour revenues. Not to be outdone or left behind, Live Nation has acquired a majority stake in Veeps, which offers a premium ticketed virtual concert experience that will undoubtedly change the live music landscape.
Among the unique features that platforms like Veeps and StageIt offer are live chat and exclusive artist merchandising, and allow for social marketing and VIP customer engagement opportunities. Veeps hosted over 1,000 ticketed livestream concerts in 2020, provided commission-free to artists.
Billboard magazine now maintains a regularly refreshed list of virtual concerts that include headliners like Justin Bieber, Dave Matthews, and Diplo. If you are a true “Belieber,” as Justin Bieber’s fans are known, you will have tuned into his New Year’s Eve concert via Moment House for a flat $25 fee (free to T-Mobile customers), all from the safety and comfort of your home.
The democratization of live music has not only been a boom for concert goers and struggling artists. Rhett Miller, lead singer of alt-country band the Old 97s, commented that “It’s hard to imagine going back to 200 shows a year on the road, which is what I’ve done for my whole adult life.” Miller has instead been able to continue to entertain, hosting over 160 livestream concerts since the start of the pandemic, while still spending more time at home with his children.
StageIt CEO, Stephen White, is currently in talks with venues to add livestreaming capabilities to their currently shuttered clubs and concert halls, adding to the live music vertical, creating an ability to offer unlimited seating capacity when live concerts once again resume.
The bottom line: There will always be demand for live concerts, but artists and the live concert industry have embraced livestream concerts as another medium to reach more concert-goers that may have been previously excluded from the live concert experience.


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Friday, June 12, 2015
Golf Car Garage
Not long ago, we posted a photo of the new golf car sales center and gas station in Lake Sumter Landing. This golf car garage is part of the complex. Golf cars, just like regular cars, will need repairs and servicing at times.
Now you can buy a golf car, gas it up and get it fixed all in the same place.


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It will be eight months on 27 November 2020, the day after Thanksgiving in America, since the CARES Act was passed*.
[* Interestingly, the CARES Act was introduced in the House of Representatives on 24 January 2019, but it had a completely different name and purpose. Sometimes things are introduced as "shells" -- vessels for later use. Maybe it was tough to find a a rhyme for this in the "I'm Just a Bill" song.]
The Act -- the largest economic package in U.S. history -- provided financial relief to consumers and businesses affected by Covid-19 and the various shut-downs. For many, the stimulus checks ($1200 per individual, generally) and the robust, but time-limited unemployment benefits were the only lifelines they had.
Collection agencies reported an increase in collections after the stimulus checks were sent. (They also reported an increase in consumer complaints, stemming largely from credit reporting practices.) But as that stimulus money dried up in households' accounts, so did that initial rush of collected revenue.
There has been talk since at least mid-August of a second stimulus payment, but, as of yet, there has been no movement.
As Clark Hill points out in a blog post today, "Talks on another relief package continue to be at a standstill, and it remains to be seen whether a negotiated package between Republicans and Democrats can come to fruition during the lame duck session, especially as the price tag for the package continues to be a main sticking point."
The price tag is certainly a factor, as well as the lame-duckness of the Congress. Also, talks of an effective vaccine for Covid-19 may cool, if only a little, some of the urgency around economic relief. Clark Hill also writes, "In a notable shift, [President-Elect Joe Biden]'s transition team is signaling that a smaller package, less than the roughly $2 trillion relief package Democratic Congressional leaders have previously called for, should be considered given the need for relief to combat the continuing economic fallout from the pandemic and with certain relief measures set to expire at year's end."
A second stimulus package could certainly perk up year-end collections, or, if not in time for that, at least a Q1 boost. And if the vaccine talk turns out to be action, we could see businesses safely opening back up with an increased need for employees and, possibly, even office space.
We've been through quite a year together. Any talk about the future -- even if it's just "tomorrow" -- needs to be heavily caveated since everything is exactly where we didn't leave it. As we start to gather our things and bid goodbye to 2020 (because we're polite guests), we can only hope that consumers and industry start to see economic wins.


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Images & Screenshots
Conglomerate 451 is a futuristic RPG that plugs gamers into an evolution of the classic first-person dungeon crawler genre, datamoshed together with a cyberpunk twist.
Conglomerate 451 News
Feb 24, 2020 - Conglomerate 451 is officially out of Early Access and the full game is available now on Steam, GOG, and other digital platforms.
May 16, 2019 - Set in a city overrun with corrupt corporations, assemble a squad of cloned agents in a bid to restore order to sector 451 when the first-person dungeon crawler hacks its way to Steam Early Access on May 23.
Mar 25, 2019 - Players are tasked with taking down the corrupt corporations that threaten sector 451 of Conglomerate city, establish and manage a crack team of cloned agents, altering their DNA and outfitting them with the latest in high-end cyberlimbs, implants and weaponry to best carve out an edge in this city-wide struggle. The futuristic RPG, Conglomerate 451, is coming soon to Steam Early Access.


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Submitted by CooperCompanies
In 2021, CooperVision pioneered the world’s first plastic neutral contact lenses by funding Plastic Bank’s collection, processing and reuse of general ocean-bound plastic waste that is equal to the weight of the plastic contained in designated products in North America and Europe. As the program continues to grow throughout Latin America and select Asian countries, the company expects to prevent the equivalent of nearly 90 million plastic bottles from reaching Earth’s oceans in 2022.
Along the way, eye care professionals and contact lens wearers can view the program’s collective impact with the CooperVision Impact Dashboard, which provides updates on how much plastic waste has been collected in collaboration with Plastic Bank.
The Impact Dashboard displays how much ocean-bound plastic has been recovered to date. It also includes an interactive map of the communities impacted to date.
“Plastic neutrality is about making a meaningful, measurable difference in partnership with eye care professionals and wearers. With our Impact Dashboard, everyone can see how these contributions quickly add up.” said Simon Seshadri, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, CooperVision.
Beyond the positive impact on the environment, CooperVision’s plastic neutrality initiative enables Plastic Bank collectors in nearly 200 coastal communities to clean up their towns and villages while earning credits for necessities such as groceries, cooking fuel, school tuition, and health insurance.
CooperVision is dedicated to reducing its environmental footprint, and its efforts extend beyond plastic neutrality. The company has a strong track record of sustainable manufacturing and operations focused on areas in which it can make the greatest impact. CooperVision has developed best-in-class manufacturing processes resulting in award-winning conservation efforts in Puerto Rico and prestigious sustainability certifications in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Spain, and the U.K.
CooperCompanies ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE (NYSE: COO). Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to developing a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical is committed to advancing the health of women, babies and families with its diversified portfolio of products and services focusing on medical devices and fertility & genomics. Headquartered in San Ramon, CA, Cooper has a workforce of more than 12,000 with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
More from CooperCompanies


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1. Little wonder, then, that Christie’s, the dominant player in the auction market for modern and contemporary art, is re-marketing its old master paintings as “classic art.” It will be offering old masters and other historical pieces next year at its Rockefeller Center sales in April, rather than January. The week will feature a themed sale that includes 20th-century works. And its “classic art” format will debut in London in July, Christie’s said on Friday.
2. But industry watchers say that view misses an area where China goes toe-to-toe with Western rivals in innovation: extra features that make the Chinese version more interactive and more interesting to use.
3. Aoki-san is a pleasure to work withon storyboard. With Aoki-san on the team it feels like a sure thing. The visionof these animations will be perfect.
4. There are two concerns about taking a so-called survival job. It could distract you from your job search, and potential employers may have trouble envisioning you in your previous professional role.
5. In 2007, Apple released the first iPhone: a full touchscreen phone, complete with its own virtual keypad. To many, Apple had done something new, something never seen before. They had made the first touchscreen phone. But this was incorrect: Apple did not make the first touchscreen phone, nor was the touchscreen a new invention.
6. The first is the establishment of the Aero Engine Corp. of China (AECC) last year, which consolidates Chinese aero-engine know-how and capabilities, indicating that the indigenous development of aircraft engines is now a strategic priority for China. This focus is even more striking when one realizes that China now has access to rhenium, a rare metal that helps create strong superalloys necessary for the manufacture of high-pressure jet engine turbine blades. Since the 2010 discovery in the Shaanxi province of reserves, which account for 7% of the world’s total, considerable effort has been made to exploit and process this metal. Moreover, a major technological milestone was recently achieved that opens the door for mass production of single-crystal turbine blades, a key component of modern jet engines. It is thus no surprise that one of the cornerstones of the newly established joint Sino-Russian widebody aircraft program is the development of a dedicated, state-of-the-art engine.
In the past 12 months, more than 20 provinces have introduced policies to encourage students to start their own companies by allowing them to quit studying but keep their student status for two to eight years. However, many industry insiders insist that students complete their studies and work a few years first.


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iPad Air 2: Release date, pricing & specs confirmed
Apple confirmed the release date, specs and pricing for iPad Air 2 at its launch event. Here’s everything you need to know
The iPad Air 2 made made its grand debut, with Apple confirming the 6.1mm gold tablet's existence at its 16 October launch event.
The tablet will sell for $499 (16GB), $599 (64GB) or $699 (128GB), with an additional $130 for each with cellular included.
Pre-orders begin today, with the devices due to ship by the end of next week.
As rumours suggested, the device has an improved Retina display, Touch ID sensor on the home button, an anti-reflective coating and second generation 64-bit A8X chip.
The iPad Air 2 sports an 8MP iSight camera in addition to a new front-facing FaceTime HD camera.
Popular photo and video editing apps, Pixelmator and Replay, were demonstrated at the event in order to demonstrate the increased capabilities of the new iPad Air 2.
It is the thinnest tablet Apple has ever released: 18 per cent thinner than the iPad Air and around half the size of the original iPad.
It emerged after the conference that the iPad Air 2 will come with a software-based 'soft' sim card, meaning users will be able to sign up to their chosen mobile provider straight from their tablet, eliminating the need for the individual cards provided by respective operators.
At the time of writing, EE were the only provider confirmed for the iPad Air 2's built-in sim card in the UK, with Sprint, T-mobile and AT&T participating in the US.
"The Apple sim gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of short-term plans from selected carriers in the US and UK right there on your iPad," Apple says of the new technology.
uSwitch telecoms expert Ernest Doku said the new features included on the iPad Air 2 could be enough to convince users to dump their older devices: "According to Apple, making the number one selling tablet better means making it thinner than a pencil, and gold, apparently. Let's hope it doesn't bend.
"The addition of Touch ID, more exciting colourways, an improved camera and a snappier processor all worked for the iPhone 5S, so could be enough to convince iPad owners to turn their current one into a hand-me-down."
Reports on falling tablet sales have surfaced recently, throwing the prospective success of a new iPad into doubt.
"It seems Apple's enthusiasm hasn't been knocked by waning iPad sales over the past six months - or 'speed bump' as Tim Cook puts it." Doku continues.
"One problem Apple faces is that, without a finite network contract to concentrate their minds, tablet owners need more persuading to upgrade than phone users.
"Only giant leaps forward will provide the wow factor needed to drive new sales in an increasingly saturated market."
Ahead of the event, Apple may have prematurely confirmed that the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3 will be unveiled, following the publication of screenshots from an iOS 8 user guide featuring the devices.
Following the event, Apple stock was down 1.3% to $96.26, as the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 failed to reinvigorate interest in the tablet market.
iPad Air 2: The story so far...
The firm sent out invites to the event, which featured the phrase "it's been way too long" as its tagline at the end of September.
This development will hardly come as a surprise to some, given that Apple traditionally showcases the latest additions to its tablet range in October, in order to capitalise on the potential for Christmas holiday sales.
As well as a new iPad, the event is also widely expected to be used by Apple to showcase its new Retina Display iMac, and mark the official release of its OS X Yosemite desktop operating system.
Below is a list of everything we knew about the iPad Air 2 in the run up to the event. Feel free to double-check it against what was actually announced to see how much of the rumour and speculation surrounding the device came true.
Rumours that a larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro could be released at some point in 2015 have also been circulating for a while (via Techie News), with speculated stats including a A8X chip for enhanced performance and graphics that are in line with what the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus currently offer.
KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a source with plenty of credibility accrued from accurate past predictions and leaks, previously suggested that the iPad Air 2 could be set for a September launch this time around.
According to the source, the iPad Air 2 will have "anti-reflective coating for the cover lens, full lamination for the touch panel, a gold-coloured metal casing, an A8 processor, Touch ID/fingerprint recognition and an 8-megapixel rear camera."
The 9.7-inch tablet is rumoured to be getting a 2GB RAM boost, with the Touch ID home button first featured on the iPhone 5s and split-screen capability. Other reports also have it slimmed down when compared to the previous generation iPad Air.
The current iPad Air ships with only 1GB RAM, which is much lower than that on various Android devices, so the 2GB RAM boost will help Apple to keep up with the mounting competition.
It also makes sense when considering the increased demands on the hardware brought about by different iOS 8 features, such as split-screen functionality.
It has been heavily suggested the new iPad will feature a daylight-friendly, anti-reflective display, making it easier to read from in natural light.
Release date availability
Meanwhile, Ming-Chi Kuo (via Mac Rumours) has also now claimed in a report that supply of the iPad Air 2 is likely to be limited, saying: "Of the new products, we think the market will be more interested in iPad Air 2, as the poor yield rate of anti-reflective coating cover lens has delayed mass production, we estimate 2014 shipments of iPad Air 2 of 7-9mn units, lower than the 12mn units of the then-new iPad Air shipments in 2013.
"We thus expect iPad Air 2 to contribute less to the supply chain than iPad did last year. We also don't expect the event to boost supply chain shares much."
Back in 2013, Business Insider posted alleged images of the new iPad Air, complete with its rumoured metal gold casing.
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European logistics for industrial companies of Tatarstan
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce hosted an event entitled “European Logistics for Industrial Enterprises in the Republic of Tatarstan” in the city of Kazan on April 16, at the invitation of the Republic of Tatarstan.
In addition to representatives of major and medium-sized local corporations, the event was also attended by delegates from social institutions of the Republic Tatarstan. DB Schenker Rail Region East also accepted the invitation from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and provided visitors with in-depth information about the comprehensive range of services and transportation concepts offered by Europe’s leading rail freight operator.
In his address, Hans-Georg Werner, CEO Region East DB Schenker Rail, emphasized his hopes that the visit of his delegation would encourage an increasing number of industrial enterprises in the region to make use of the services of DB Schenker Rail for their transportation requirements in future. After all, said Werner, DB Schenker accounted for an impressive market share of around 24% of the total freight transports in Europe, and its European network provided numerous options for handling freight transport on rail routes between the EU and Russia. Apart from Werner, the event was also attended by various other members of DB Schenker Rail, including Jan Elfenhorst, CSO - Managing Director Sales & Logistics at BTT, Jörg Siedenbiedel, Head of the Deutsche Bahn General Agency for the CIS, as well as representatives of DB Schenker Rail Polska, DB Schenker Rail Russia (Railion Russija Services) and DB Schenker Logistics (AO Schenker).
In their presentations, the DB Schenker Rail representatives outlined new transportation services on routes between the EU and Russia. Focal points included solutions for specific industry sectors for oil, gas and chemicals corporations, as well as companies in the automotive, mechanical engineering and energy sectors of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Ekaterina Mukhina, Head of Sales at DB Schenker Logistics (AO Schenker) in Russia, pointed out that DB Schenker Logistics had branches at many locations throughout Russia and referred to its longstanding business relations with the country. In 1992, for example, the certificate of incorporation had been signed by none other than Vladimir Putin, then Head of the Committee for Foreign Economic Relations in St. Petersburg, and meanwhile President of Russia.
Despite the present difficult political and economic situation, DB Schenker Rail confirmed its intention of continuing to do business in the Russian transportation market and expanding its portfolio. “We believe it is very important to show the Tatar business enterprises who we are and inform them of the competitive transportation solutions we can offer on routes between the EU and Russia. The Republic of Tatarstan has a large number of high-powered corporations in the oil, chemicals and automotive industry sectors. DB Schenker Rail is willing to design and provide integrated sectoral solutions in consultation with these customers,” said Werner.
The participants all agreed that events such as this were important for facilitating cooperation in forthcoming projects. A representative of the joint venture of Daimler AG and KAMAZ in Tatarstan, for instance, pointed out that the services offered by DB Schenker were highly attractive for future transportation solutions for this joint venture between Europe and Russia.


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The major cryptographic currencies may be far from their current levels in December, but legal developments and infrastructure developments continue to progress.
In a report we published in January, TenX's founding partner, Julian Hosp, reported that Bitcoin will fall to $ 5,000 in 2018, but still expects to hit $ 60,000.
Hosp, who recently spoke to CNBC at the RISE technology conference in Hong Kong, is still behind the price estimate of $ 60,000 Bitcoin:
"In December, the whole price of bitcoin has reached the level predicted by Hosp. I predicted that we would see 5 thousand dollars and 60 thousand dollars in 2018 while the highest level of time was 20 thousand dollars. So we arrived almost 5,000 dollars. Let's see if we can reach $ 60,000.
Bitcoin, the biggest crypto currency, has fallen to its lowest level (about $ 5,700) at the end of last month at the end of last month, although it has not fallen to $ 5,000.
Since then, the leading crypto money has recovered some of its recent losses and now stands at about $ 6,400.
Hosp also acknowledges that in 2018 a big positive event must occur for Bitcoin to reach $ 60,000. . Hosp, he said it might be a Bitcoin ETF announcement or a country disclosure.
Hosp also added that Bitcoin should be above $ 10 thousand in August to reach its $ 60,000 target:
Hosp also added that if such an event does not come to fruition this year, the digital money will reach 60,000 dolars,
→ LITECOIN FOUNDATION, THE PERCENTAGE OF A GERMAN BANK IN THE WORLD ALDI  'ALDI


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Decline in the ruble leads to Apple raising prices on apps in Russian App Store
George Clooney defends ‘dumb comedy’ and Sony – says the media should, too; The New York Times updates iPhone app, fixes bugs and makes pictures bigger in articles
The decline in the value of the Russian ruble, now priced at around 59.65 to the dollar, has led to Apple informing developers and book publishers holding accounts with the company that they have raised the price prices inside the Russian App Store.
“We’ve increased the price for apps and In-App Purchases on the Russian App Store to account for changes in foreign exchange rates,” Apple wrote to developers this morning. “We’ve also updated the pricing matrix, which is now available in the app’s Pricing section in My Apps on iTunes Connect.”
Earlier this week Apple stopped sales at its Russian online store due to the decline in the ruble.
In the last two days of trading, though, the ruble has appeared to stabilize somewhat, after taking a massive hit earlier in the week. If the currency continues to maintain its level one can expect Apple to reopen its online store to sales some time next week (it is the holiday season, after all).
Actor George Clooney, in an interview with Deadline, accused the studios and the press of failing to stand up to North Korea and hackers as theaters cancelled showing of the new film The Interview.
“This was a dumb comedy that was about to come out,” Clooney said. “With the First Amendment, you’re never protecting Jefferson; it’s usually protecting some guy who’s burning a flag or doing something stupid. This is a silly comedy, but the truth is, what it now says about us is a whole lot. We have a responsibility to stand up against this.”
Clooney is upset that those who work in Hollywood would not sign a petition he wrote that defends Sony. “This is not just an attack on Sony. It involves every studio, every network, every business and every individual in this country. That is why we fully support Sony’s decision not to submit to these hackers’ demands,” the petition states.
Clooney also blames the media for publishing the contents of the hacked emails. “They were just enjoying all the salacious shit instead of saying, ‘Wait a minute, is this really North Korea? And if it is, are we really going to bow to that?’ You could point fingers at Sony pulling the film, but they didn’t have any theaters, they all pulled out.”
Developers were requested by Apple to submit their new and updated apps for review by the 18th, meaning that if you are working on an app you now can sit back and enjoy the holidays because it is too late to get anything through the App Review team at this point.
Among those apps that were updated and have been released, the NYT’s iPhone Newsstand app has received a minor update. Called NYTimes – Breaking National & World News, the app is the paper’s main news app along with NYT Now, which offers a lower price point at $7.99 per month.
What’s New in Version 4.6.2
• We made the pictures bigger in articles.
• We fixed a bug that might have caused you to lose your place after leaving the app.
• We fixed the jittery scrolling on sections.


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Domestic Consumption Remains A Growth Driver for Chinese Economy; China General Chamber of Commerce In Upbeat
|S. Rina |||Jan 21, 2017 01:55 AM EST|
(Photo : LintaoZhang/GettyImages) China is making a shift from manufacturing based economy towards consumption based economy.
China is making a shift from manufacturing based economy towards consumption based economy. The country made impressive achievements in 2016 as domestic consumption emerged to be the primary growth driver for the economy last year.
According to a recently released report, the retail sales of consumer goods is expected to grow 10.2 percent in 2017. The figure during the year is likely to be at $5.4 trillion. The report stated that this will amount to more than 70 percent contribution to the economic growth rate in China.
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The report, released by the China General Chamber of Commerce, also added that online sale is expected to record slower growth rate. However, consumer services are expected to grow steadily during the year.
Hitherto, China has relied on manufacturing and exports to grow its economy. However, these bases are unsustainable in long run. Investment is also believed to have peaked in China. The country is now replacing these growth drivers with consumption.
The authorities are expected to keep it up as investment based growth has led to several issues. These issues range from environmental concerns to industrial overcapacity, threatening the foundations of the economy. It is also looking to reduce corporate debt.
China is also looking to stabilize its currency while growing it at the same time. For this purpose, Chinese authorities are reported to have settled for a slightly slow growth rate of 6.5 percent for 2017.
Consumption is steadily increasing its contribution to the Chinese economy. In 2014, it accounted for 51 percent of the gross domestic product. This rate of contribution increased to 66.4 percent in 2015.
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82 percent of touchscreens are contaminated with bacteria, which is why consumers need to use WHOOSH! Screen Shine to combat illness.
TORONTO — Flu season is rapidly approaching, and staying healthy doesn’t end with washing our hands anymore. This year, school children are susceptible to a particularly dangerous respiratory threat – Enterovirus – that already has 130 confirmed cases, according to Eyewitness News. Coupled with flu season, we need to make sure that we’re taking every precaution to be safe. Decrease your risk for illness this year with WHOOSH! Screen Shine, an advanced non-toxic, streak-free screen cleaning solution that keeps mobile and tablet device screens clean and shining like new.
Leveraging the latest advancements in formula development, WHOOSH! Screen Shine was specifically developed to be a safe yet powerful cleaning solution that eliminates fingerprints, smudges, dirt, grime and makeup from any electronic device screen — leaving a clear, streak-free finish that makes the screen shine like new.
WHOOSH! Screen Shine is made with biodegradable surfactants and its proprietary formula provides a nano-thin invisible coating that also provides resistance to fingerprints and dirt buildup. Plus, WHOOSH! Screen Shine is safe and non-toxic. There’s no harmful residue left behind or transferred on to your fingers to worry about.
Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine at the University of London indicates that 82 percent of mobile phones have some form of bacterial contamination, making it more important than ever to keep the screens of our most frequently used devices clean. That’s the idea behind “Good Tech Hygiene,” a new movement introduced by WHOOSH!, maker of WHOOSH! Screen Shine, the most advanced non-toxic, streak-free screen cleaning solution that keeps screens shining like new and resistant to fingerprints and smudges. It’s also the only screen cleaner that is guaranteed* to be safe for every device screen.
So how dirty are our mobile devices? In a Wall Street Journal article published last year, Dr. Jeffrey Cain, President of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said, “People are just as likely to get sick from their phones as from handles of the bathroom.” The article also states that even some cleaners marketed specifically for mobile devices can damage the screen coating, which isn’t an issue with WHOOSH! Screen Shine.
According to CBC Canada, researchers at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton measured the types of organic material left behind on phones. Manager of infection control Anne Bialachowski found that anything from fecal matter to E.Coli to pathogens were present on mobile device screens.
Additionally, in a video demonstration published last year, Mashable cites that around 25,107 bacteria are present per square inch on cellphone screens. Meanwhile, a pet food dish holds only 2,110 bacteria per square inch, and a checkout touchscreen at a grocery store only holds 4,500 bacteria per square inch.
“Most people don’t think about how dirty their device screens get, and they also may not realize how easy it is to keep them clean with a powerful product like WHOOSH! Screen Shine,” WHOOSH! CEO Jason Greenspan said today. “We developed WHOOSH! to show people see how much cleaner and clearer their screens can be, and now it looks like the days of perpetually dirty screens are numbered. And because it creates a nano-thin protective layer that resists fingerprints and improves the screen’s smoothness, WHOOSH! Screen Shine actually makes the phone look and feel better than when you first took it out of the box.”
WHOOSH! Screen Shine Duo+ (one 3.4 fluid ounces and one .3 fluid ounces) is available at Apple.com and in Apple stores throughout North America for a suggested retail price of $19.95. WHOOSH! Screen Shine is also available at www.whooshscreenshine.com in two other sizes: Pocket (.3 fluid ounces) for $4.99 and On-the-Go (1 fluid ounce) for $9.99. All sizes come with a 6”x6” W! micro-fiber cloth. WHOOSH is also available for the commercial, industrial, and education markets.
WHOOSH! does not contain alcohol, acids, ammonia, chlorine, solvents, petroleum distillates, phosphates, or VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds). It’s odorless, streak free, haze-free & anti-static. WHOOSH! Screen Shine is also certified by the Sharp STAR Program to be the screen cleaner of choice for Sharp AQUOS BOARD Interactive Display Systems.
Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, WHOOSH!® is defining the next generation of clean by leveraging the latest advancements in nano and biology based technologies to create powerful, non-toxic and safe specialty-purpose cleaning products that simply outperform other traditional and natural cleaning products.
* “SAFE FOR YOUR SCREEN” GUARANTEE. The WHOOSH!® screen cleaner product is guaranteed to not harm any screen of an electronic device that uses a screen of a type and nature that was commercially available on or before January 1, 2014 (including and limited to Apple Retina® displays, TFT, Glass, LCD, Plasma, LCD, OLED, UltraHD, CRT, Eink, and Ultra HD screens), so long as used properly. If you feel the WHOOSH!® screen cleaner product, when used properly and according to the instructions provided with the product or on our website www.whooshscreenshine.com, has harmed the screen of your electronic device, WHOOSH! will either repair or replace the device. Please see the complete Safe For Your Screen Guarantee at WHOOSHSCREENSHINE.COM.
Contact: Liza McIntosh (212) 481-3456 ext. 11 or [email protected]
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Here we go again. Speaking with Gamezone in a recent interview Miswalker’s Takuya Matsumoto discussed The Last Story developer’s future projects, which might include the possibility of more action-RPGs for Nintendo’s next home console.
The development team and Sakaguchi-san are looking forward to making more, especially for the Wii U because it has another [screen] right in front of you that will add another level of strategic elements into the action-RPG,” said The Last Story‘s lead designer. “So we are really looking forward to it, but we haven’t really planned anything.
In addition to publishing The Last Story, Nintendo and Mistwalker have worked together in the past, joining forces to release Japan-only SRPG ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat for the DS back in 2007. Perhaps they could work together again. At their E3 2012 Analyst Q & A Session Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said there was a “high possibility that Nintendo will be a partner with [third parties] in an unprecedented manner” with companies that could find unique uses for the Wii U Game Pad.
Such collaborations are already in the works, including Platinum Games’ Project P-100. Maybe Nintendo would be willing to work with Mistwalker again if they came up with an interesting gimmick. I suppose the bigger question is — would we want them to? Considering Nintendo of America’s reluctance to bring past collaborations stateside, I wonder if it’d work out better if they partnered with Marvelous AQL, Aksys or Atlus from the get-go.
Mistwalker would like to develop Wii U action-RPGS [Siliconera]


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There is a growing trend in cheese consumption in the United States; it is twice the amount it was 25 years ago and there is no end in sight.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “The average U.S. cheese consumption nearly tripled between 1970 and 2003, from 11 pounds per person to 31 pounds.”
So what is causing this love-of-cheese trend? According to the USDA, “The rising cheese consumption has been aided by ready availability of a wider variety of cheeses, more away-from-home eating, and greater popularity of ethnic cuisines that employ cheese as a major ingredient.”
click here for the full article: http://highlandstoday.com/list/highlands-agri-leader-news/artisan-cheese-gets-popular-as-cheese-consumption-grows-20141119/


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It will be two years this September that then-CEO Steve Ballmer announced the mammoth deal to acquire Nokia's (NOK -0.56%) struggling device unit, which immediately put Microsoft (MSFT 1.08%) in the deep end of the mobile manufacturing pool. The $9.4 billion acquisition for Nokia was applauded by some, and bemoaned by more than a few Microsoft fans, including a couple of its biggest internal players.
After Ballmer announced the agreement to acquire virtually all of Nokia's device manufacturing assets, a report came out that named both Microsoft founder Bill Gates and soon-to-be-CEO Satya Nadella as two execs who opposed the deal. Nadella, as per the report, later changed his stance, but the writing was on the wall. Now, fast forward to Nadella's recent management shake-up, and some investors and pundits may have concerns surrounding the changes. Don't.
Thanks for the memories
The biggest of the four names listed on Nadella's email to employees was longtime Microsoft employee / then CEO Of Nokia / then once-again employee Stephen Elop. If that sounds a little convoluted, it's because it is. Elop came back to Microsoft upon the closing of the deal for Nokia a little over a year ago and headed up its new devices unit.
Dynamics CRM head Kirill Tatarinov is gone, and Microsoft's head of advanced research Eric Rudder is "ready to try something new" after more than 25 years. Finally Mark Penn, who had a say in several of Microsoft's marketing, data analytics, and strategic direction initiatives, will use his talents to open a private equity fund this September. But the most telling of the moves is Elop, for a couple reasons.
I'll take it from here
The last major senior management shake-up at Microsoft was a couple of years ago and was initiated by Ballmer. His reorganization involved doing away with several product divisions and folding the remains of the old units into larger, "flatter" groups to allow for improved communications among formerly disparate factions.
Now, fast-forward to Nadella's recent exec changes, particularly the ouster of Elop, whose former unit has been integrated into a new group called Windows and Devices Group (WDG), which includes Xbox, smartphones, and Surface tablets, among others, along with the Windows division. This change stands out because it undoes at least part of Ballmer's reorg from two years past and puts even more of Nadella's stamp on the "new" Microsoft.
More importantly, Microsoft's recent exec changes better align it with the first pillar of Nadella's "mobile-first, cloud-first" initiative. Nadella's mobile strategy has always been more than simply building Lumia smartphones or selling more Xbox units: though some may still look at quarterly sales and believe Microsoft is dropping the mobile ball. But there's more to it than that.
Mobile-first: more than devices
If there was any doubt about Nadella's vision for mobile, even after (finally) announcing Microsoft's wildly successful Office solution is now compatible with Apple's (AAPL 0.32%) iOS, those should have been dispelled with the introduction of its Windows for iOS and Google's (GOOG 0.41%) (GOOGL 0.58%) dominant Android OS. The pending Windows 10 OS is said to provide an even better integration experience for users, regardless of device .
Similar to Google's strategy behind its free Android OS, getting Windows into as many devices as possible -- regardless of manufacturer -- accomplishes several things. One, you can bet Microsoft's Bing will be the default search engine, and as we saw with last quarter's 21% jump in search ad revenues, Bing is quickly becoming more than an afterthought.
Also, the more devices running Windows should help maintain, at worst, the growing number of consumer Microsoft Office 365 users -- a figure that increased a whopping 35% last quarter sequentially. Best case is that integrating Windows into as many devices as possible actually ramps up Office 365 usage and boosts other app sales like Dynamics CRM.
Nadella's new WDG division headed up by Terry Myerson speaks to more than Elop's departure; it better aligns Microsoft with its plans for a more holistic approach to mobile. And that should have investors smiling.


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Alexander McQueen Pay Homage To London In New Short
With the brand now showing both its men’s and womenswear collections in Paris, one might not be blamed for forgetting that Alexander McQueen is, in fact, a British brand, born and raised in the streets of London. Director Masha Vasyukova has created a lovely short to celebrate the launch of the new Spring 2018 collection, and this here city. Staring models Willow Barrett, Benjamin Lessore and Chris Diena, the trio are dressed to the nines in what we know McQueen does best, AKA tailored jackets, a white shirt and leathers. Bringing a quintessential British brand back to where it started is always a lovely gesture, especially for those of us who call London home. I’m pretty sure I’ve been sick from a hangover on at least one of those streets featured, but don’t think about that – think about the lovely clothes. Because they really are lovely, aren’t they?


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Verizon Wireless offers free in-store workshops in Evansville that allow consumers to ask questions about wireless devices, data, pricing plans and the next evolution of its network known as 4G LTE.
The summer workshops will also highlight Verizon's new Share Everything plans that are a first for the wireless industry and much in demand by consumers. The new plans provide choice, flexibility and innovation, especially for households and small businesses using multiple devices.
In Evansville, workshops are offered at the Verizon store located at 2001 N. Green River Road, for these dates and times:
Apple iPhone 4S
9 a.m. – 10 a.m., Thursday, July 12
Android: Getting Started
9 a.m. – 10 a.m., Saturday, July 14
Find a nearby workshop with expert advice by registering online. Seating is limited.


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The world’s oldest toy retailer, Hamleys has launched its first exclusive retail store in Italy with franchisee Giochi Preziosi SPA (GP), a prominent player in Italy’s toy manufacturing and distribution industry, Reliance Retail Ventures said in a release.
Under the terms of the franchise agreement, GP has exclusive rights to operate Hamleys stores throughout Italy, with a second outlet planned in Rome, which will be the flagship store.
The first store is located in central Milan, at the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, a bustling thoroughfare next to the historic cathedrals of Piazza del Duomo and Piazza San Babila.
Hamleys, founded in 1760 by William Hamley, was acquired by Reliance Brands in 2019. It has a footprint of 191 stores across 15 countries. Its main store, at London’s Regent Street, continues to be one of the most visited destinations in the UK.
Hamleys is also expanding — both into newer markets, most recently the Balkans, with its first store in Albania and Kosovo, and in existing territories like India and West Asia with a store in Qatar.
“The new store launch is timed perfectly with a refreshed store design concept,” said Sumeet Yadav, CEO, Hamleys Global.


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TORONTO — Burger King plans to offer its plant-based Impossible Whopper at a national level later in the year after a successful test run in the St. Louis market.
“We’ve been encouraged by the test market feedback so far and plan to expand to a few more select test markets around the country this summer as we prepare for a national launch later this year,” said José E. Cil, CEO of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI), in an April 29 earnings call.
Toronto-based RBI, the parent company of Burger King, partnered with Impossible Foods, which is based in Redwood City, California, and uses soy protein to manufacture the Impossible Burger. The Impossible Whopper features a flame-grilled Impossible Burger patty topped with sliced tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles and white onions.
“We generated more than 6 billion media impressions, and we’re seeing a solid sales opportunity for the business,” Cil said. “We think it’s very much in line with our brand position. Burger King is all about delivering flame-grilling excellence to our guests, and this product fits that right in the sweet spot, and we think there’s incremental growth to our core business here, and we’re not seeing guests swap the original Whopper for the Impossible Whopper. We’re seeing that it’s attracting new guests.”
Comparable sales growth for Burger King was 2.2 percent in the first quarter ended March 31. System-wide sales were $5,289 million, up 2.7 percent from $5,149 million. A spicy nuggets introduction was effective, Cil said, and the Big King XL performed well, but a grilled chicken sandwich did not perform to company expectations.
Nearly half of the Burger King restaurants in the United States now offer delivery.
“Our BK mobile app usage continues to grow with more than 8 million downloads and approximately 3 million monthly active users,” Cil said.
Companywide, RBI’s net income attributable to common shareholders in the quarter was $135 million, or $0.53 per share on the common stock, down 9 percent from $148 million, or $0.60 per share, in the previous year’s first quarter. Total revenues of $1,266 million were up 1 percent from $1,254 million,
Matthew Dunnigan, chief financial officer for RBI, attributed a decline in income to a higher effective tax rate of about 19 percent, versus 0 percent last year.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, another restaurant chain owned by Restaurant Brands International, is expanding in delivery as well.
“Technology at Popeyes remains the key focus for us, and we’re really excited about the opportunity both near term and long term,” Cil said. “On delivery, we’ve grown the number of participating restaurants to nearly 1,300 locations within the US, up from almost none at the beginning of last year.
“Our data (continue) to show that delivery is driving incremental tickets by making our great products more accessible to a wider range of guests, and we see that orders through this channel tend to have a significantly higher average check. We believe there’s still an immense runway to grow delivery, both in restaurants that already offer it and by expanding the number of restaurants participating.”
Comparable sales growth for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen was 0.6 percent in the first quarter. System-wide sales rose 6 percent to $955 million from $903 million.
Comparable sales for Tim Horton’s were down 0.6 percent in the first quarter. System-wide sales of $1,547 million were down 3.8 percent from $1,608 million. Severe weather across Canada in the first quarter was about a 1 percent drag on comparable sales, Cil said, adding a weak “Roll Up The Rim” campaign was about a 0.5 percent drag.
“We still believe the 33-year-old ‘Roll Up The Rim’ program is a valuable and iconic platform for Tims,” he said. “It has very high awareness. However, it’s become clear to us that it needs a modern and fresh approach to engage our guests in a stronger way going forward. The Tims team is working on new plans to drive a successful reboot of the program next year, including seamless digital integration.”


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Hong Kong holidaymakers dread return more than other Asians, and keep trips short so the work doesn’t pile up, survey finds
Survey of leisure habits finds nearly two-thirds of Hongkongers didn’t use all their leave in 2017, and one in eight feel guilty when they do use all theirs
Hongkongers are more likely than others travellers in Asia to dread returning from a holiday, and many don’t use all the leave days due to them, a global survey has found.
Some 2,001 Hongkongers were questioned for the survey, commissioned by British Airways and conducted in 11 countries and regions between December 20 and January 4. It found that 37 per cent of Hongkongers surveyed were stressed at the thought of going back to work after a holiday – more than in any other place in Asia surveyed.
Additionally, 63 per cent of Hongkongers said they still had unused holidays at the end of last year.
“The main reasons include that they were too busy at work to take time off, are saving them up for a holiday or were not able to take their holiday at certain times of the year.
“Guilt also comes into play, as 12 per cent said they feel guilty for using up all of their holiday allowance,” the airline says.
On average, Hongkongers surveyed took three overseas holidays in 2017, with more than half going away for between five and nine days at a time, which was in line with the survey’s global average.
“A two-week-long holiday seems like an indulgence for people living in a city regarded as one of the hardest-working places in the world, but close to 60 per cent of the respondents from Hong Kong said they had managed to take a two-week holiday in 2017, and 42 per cent of the lucky ones said their last holidays were a two-week long holiday,” the airline says.
“When asked about the reasons for not taking a two – week holiday in 2017, the less fortunate ones said they just couldn’t get the time off work and they were too worried about the workload piling up upon returning to work.”
Asked about holiday plans for 2018, 65 per cent of those surveyed said they would opt for city breaks and beach holidays in Europe, while 53 per cent were looking forward to Asian cultural breaks.


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Fire Emblem Heroes is getting a new set of heroes that all stem from a certain installment in the franchise. Meanwhile, the game's popularity contest has finally gotten its winner.
New Heroes Join The Fray
According to Siliconera, the game's official Japanese Twitter account announced six new heroes for the strategy mobile game. There will be a new Summoning focus wherein players can get heroes originating from The Blazing Blade. In line with this, the new heroes comprise of Ninian, Priscilla, Jaffar, Rebecca, Karel and Lucius.
Along with the updated characters, the game will also be getting some new timed and Paralogue quests. Fans can use this opportunity to farm for orbs to use in summoning the new heroes.
Fire Emblem Heroes Popularity Contest Winner Revealed
On a different note, Polygon reports that the game recently held a Voting Gauntlet event wherein fans could vote their favorite hero out of six characters from the series. However, it is worth noting that players did not just simply vote but also compete in a three-one-three battle with others around the world in honor of their chosen hero. The weeklong campaign has finally reached an end with the results yielding Awakening's Lucina taking the crown.
The said character seemingly had the largest fanbase along with some skillful players, as they were able to carry the princess to victory. Those who stood by Lucina will be getting a large number of Hero Feathers as a reward. Fans can use the said item to increase the stats of their characters, which will prove a big asset for future Voting Gauntlets.
Similarly, Nintendo will be giving away five free orbs in line with a Twitter campaign in celebration of Lucina's victory. If the company's announcement manages to reach 50,000 retweets, players will get their free orbs by March 14. Those who want to play Fire Emblem Heroes can download the game for free on the iOS App Store or Google Play.


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ProtonMail, the Geneva-based encrypted email service that had been taken offline since Tuesday 3 November by what the company described as an "extremely powerful DDoS attack", is now back online as of...
Social media app monitors the universal clipboard and can use it to pinpoint location
EXIF format enables people to store interchange information in digital photography image files using JPEG compression
But existing users will need to change the settings for themselves
Hackers are targeting Australian organisations across a broad range of sectors, according to Prime Minister Morrison
After a series of delays and warnings from cyber security and privacy experts, the government is abandoning its centralised approach to Covid-19 data collection


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A new report involving PlayStation's beloved Sly Cooper franchise has detailed when a new installment in the series for PS5 may be unveiled. Over the course of the past year, a number of different rumors have started to emerge stating that PlayStation is working on a fifth game in the Sly Cooper series at this point in time. And while we still have yet to receive actual confirmation from those at Sony that this will be transpiring, it now looks like we have an idea of when this new game could be announced.
According to Twitter account @accngt, which has been a reliable source of information in the past, PlayStation will potentially be revealing a new Sly Cooper game for PS5 in the back half of 2022. This reveal is said to line up with the 20th anniversary of the series, which will specifically be coming about in September. The first installment in the franchise, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, launched on September 23, 2002, for PlayStation 2. Whether or not a new game for PS5 will also be announced in September remains to be seen, but this move on Sony's part would make a fair bit of sense.
According to a source, for Sly, they are aiming for a reveal for the second half of 2022. Which makes sense since later this year is Sly's 20th anniversary. https://t.co/TsO3nf8Ofx— AccountNGT (@accngt) March 6, 2022
For now, one of the biggest questions surrounding the return of Sly Cooper involves the way in which the series would come back. The most recent entry in the franchise, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, was released on PlayStation 3 (and PS Vita) back in 2013 and continued the storyline seen in the original trilogy. Whether or not PlayStation would like to continue the story after Thieves in Time with a new game on PS5 or if it would instead opt to reboot the series as a whole is something that a number of fans have wondered about in recent months. Given how Thieves in Time ended on a major cliffhanger, though, it seems to make more sense for a new installment to pick up after the events of the last game.
Do you think that we're bound to actually see PlayStation revive Sly Cooper in the future? Or are you not putting any stock into these rumors to keep yourself from getting your hopes up? Let me know either down in the comments or send me a message on Twitter at @MooreMan12.


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Face mask-wearing has become ingrained into normal societal behaviors, but when can everyone give up the mask?
In a recent update from the nation's leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, face mask-wearing will still be around for quite some time. In his most recent update, Dr. Fauci said that face mask-wearing will continue "well into the third or fourth quarter of 2021", and that is even if a "really good vaccine" is developed.
The infectious disease expert goes on to say that the approach to returning back to normal life will be a slow one, and that public-health measures that have been implemented into society (face mask use, social distancing) we feel like they are beginning to fade out sometime closer to the end of 2021, at least. For more information on this story, check out the above video.
- > NEXT STORY: Sony: PlayStation 5 launch consoles completely sold out out in Japan
- < PREVIOUS STORY: Sea of Thieves: 4K 60FPS on Xbox Series X, 1080p on Xbox Series S


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Dive into a world full of sounds. Be taught to create and observe ephemeral paths of sound and light
Writer Mixtvision has simply introduced that it will likely be launching Onde, its sound-surfing platformer for iOS in 2022. The game is also scheduled to launch for Computer in 2021. Nintendo Change in 2022 as properly.


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I just heard from the good folks at Yelp that they’ll integrate OpenTable reservations on Phone, iPad and Android apps. The free app update is already live in iTunes and Android Market.
This extends each company’s logical tie-ins (already present on the desktop) to mobile. It can be argued that the integration makes more sense in mobile, where portability and location awareness translate to higher levels of immediacy and commercial intent.
“When we looked at the data to see how consumers are using our mobile apps it became clear that they are super engaged,” they told me in an email. “So adding in more functionality to our app was an easy decision.”
We’ve heard the same from OpentTable consumer marketing director Scott Jampol. Its numbers have surely grown but last we checked, it sat 3 million diners ($150m GMV) via mobile. Mobile users also convert at higher levels and with greater immediacy (table now vs. this weekend).
Yelp likewise has its fair share of interesting mobile data that point to higher levels of user engagement. We reference these figures often, and they were recently cited by CEO Jeremy Stoppelman at our ILM:10 show. Today, a fresh batch of data join the announcement.
— 3.2 million unique visitors used a Yelp mobile app
— One in three searches on Yelp.com came from a Yelp mobile app
— Every other second a consumer generated directions to a local business
— Every other second a consumer called a business from the Yelp business
— A photo was uploaded every 30 seconds from a Yelp mobile app
One of the amazing things about the 3.2 million figure is that Yelp’s total monthly uniques are about 45 million. That’s about 7 percent mobile usage, however mobile represents almost a third of overall Yelp searches. To the points made above, it shows how mobile users are more engaged.
They’re also more likely to call, click, or visit a business, representing good monetization events if and when Yelp eventually flips that switch. The company has understandably been quiet about this, but I believe we’ll see it happen this year.


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From December 4th 2006 until January 1st, 2007, Mansion Poker is offering a special promotion in order to drive traffic to its site. Every day, from now until the New Year, Mansion Poker is adding money to one of its daily tournaments. The least amount of money added will be $5000, and the most amount of money added will be $30,000, which will be added to the $300 buy-in event taking place on January 1st.
Mansion Poker has been aggressive from the outset, as well as creative, in finding ways to drive traffic to its site. They are making strides in the industry, and this most recent promotion will only help get more customers, as people love it when they receive extra value from a site. $250,000 added is a considerable investment, but I am sure that this move will pay off for Mansion, as it is already getting quite a bit of press around the online poker world.
Filed Under: Poker Room News


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Larry Ellison, Oracle's chairman and chief executive, said that the company's Business Online applications outsourcing scheme is likely to be spun off as a separate company, in his keynote speech at Internet World today.
Oracle will also manage the application hosting servers itself rather than outsource the business and will host third party packages, he added. While he said he expected ?thousands of ISVs? to take up the offer, he refused to disclose names.
But,?We?re not becoming an Internet Service Provider?, Ellison stressed, explaining that customers would need to obtain Internet access from another company because Oracle would only provide the server on which the applications were run.
The first Oracle packages to be offered under the new scheme will be sales forecasting and order entry and the service will start later this month.
But at least one competitor pointed out that Oracle?s approach was less than original.
Peter Wolcott, the newly appointed president of Pandesic, said: ?Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". Pandesic, which is a joint venture between SAP and Intel, has been hosting e-commerce applications based on SAP's R/3 application suite for several months.
Allen died from complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Stanford researchers made the discovery via data from Greenland
Created via a thin, flexible, and transparent hierarchical nanocomposite film
Rolls Royce will use AI powered by Intel's Xeon Gold processors and SSDs for memory


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Long known for spicy chicken wings, Buffalo is now earning a reputation for a broader menu, thanks to an independent restaurant community that has gained serious traction in recent years. Getting a taste of the area’s eateries has joined gawking at Niagara Falls as a must-do item on visitors’ itineraries; locals, thrilled by all the new options, are getting into the act too.
Buffalo News food critic Andrew Galarneau sat down with four UB alumni who are local restaurant owners for the dish on how our city’s restaurant scene has grown and where it’s headed.
Andrew Galarneau: When did the Buffalo restaurant scene start to evolve, and why?
Jim Guarino: For many years, Buffalo had very standardized restaurants. There was an owner, there was a chef, there was supporting staff. Chef-owned, chef-driven restaurants began to emerge around 2005, which is when we opened Shango. Instead of conforming to the rules or budget of owners, chefs had more freedom to create their own menus, bring in the products they wanted, hire the staff they wanted. At the same time, the Food Network was starting to crank, and that created greater expectations from guests. For years they were OK with getting the same canned slop on a plate. But as they watched all this cool new food programming, their expectations changed.
Chris Dorsaneo: When we were getting started in 2010, there was already a buzz going. Christa Glennie Seychew [a local food writer and entrepreneur] launched the Foodie-to-Farm tours in 2008 and started the Nickel City Chef culinary competition a year later. The Buffalo scene was starting to get interested in where our food was coming from. And Buffalo itself was changing—people were starting to invest in the city again.
Dan Hagen: Not just business investments. There were houses on the West Side vacant for years that people started buying and renovating. People who had moved out of the city 15 years ago were moving back in, because it’s a thing again. That brings more people into the city who are going out in the city. That turns into restaurants.
AG: Do you think we compare pretty well to other cities at this point?
CD: I think we are well on our way. We have a lot of farm-to-table places now, places that are thinking more “terroir.” Considering our size, I think we compare well to our closest competitors.
JG: There are also a lot of new ethnic choices that didn’t exist five years ago.
AG: Is there anything that makes us stand out?
Marc Adler: I’ve had customers who aren’t from here tell me Buffalo dining is all about the neighborhoods. Whether it’s Hertel or Allentown or Elmwood or Larkinville, we have these neighborhoods that people find and say, “This is really cool. I can go to a few places here.”
JG: At Oshun, we get a lot of business travelers, because it’s convenient to the hotels. The vast majority of them are sort of amazed at Buffalo. I was talking to a banker who travels something like 200 days a year. He said, “I have to be honest, I was not looking forward to coming to Buffalo for the week. Then I came, I ate five great meals, walked around downtown. This is really happening here.”
MA: One recent customer said to me, “In the city, you don’t find the chains. You get locally owned establishments.” That doesn’t happen everywhere.
CD: I don’t think we’re ever going to break that stigma of wings and weck. That’s OK. But when people do come here, it’s the experiences they’re having at all these places that sets us apart. We do a better job than a lot of places I’ve traveled to. We give better customer service, we’re friendlier, and that supersedes the one food or restaurant we might be known for.
AG: What do you think we’re still missing or could use more of?
CD: I’ve got an old one: a better distribution chain to simplify the process of getting produce from farms to restaurants.
DH: We could all say that ride-sharing is needed.
JG: The development of more neighborhood restaurants. You’re starting to see Black Rock make this resurgence. Some of the other older areas could use something like that.
DH: And yet I’m a firm believer in the bars that have been there for 50 years. I would hate to see those replaced by restaurants. I would like to see a little bit of both. Brick Bar and The Pink have been here for 30-plus years, and I’m this 25-seat restaurant immediately across the street that is the polar opposite. The Dapper Goose in Black Rock, a gorgeous little new place with a great menu, is immediately across from Casey’s, which has been there forever.
AG: Not to rain on the parade, but do you ever wonder how long this growth can last? Like maybe there’s a restaurant bubble?
CD: I think there is, and it’s country-wide. I was just visiting Hawaii and it’s the same thing: a ton of restaurants opening, and they’re struggling to find trained employees.
DH: I think the same forces that created this restaurant buzz, which Jim mentioned earlier and which are a good thing—the Food Network and everything—has a flip side. More places are trying to do more because people are expecting more. It becomes a hamster wheel, and with the media, the pressure is constant.
CD: We were talking about the difference more educated customers are making, but operators have to be more educated too. The bubble is going to affect people stuck in the stone age of restaurants who can’t adapt.
AG: And even then, you can do everything right, get all the right stuff in your coolers and all the right people working for you, and then it snows.
DH: Actually, when you run a restaurant in a residential neighborhood, snow nights can turn out pretty well. Those people eating at the bar? They’re not going to go to Wegmans in a snowstorm, and we’re there for them.
Marc Adler (MA ’83, MBA ’82, BA ’79) helped bring poutine (that’s gravy-and-cheese-drenched french fries, for the uninitiated) over the border from Canada to Allentown—specifically, to Allen Street Poutine Company— and upped its game with a variety of inventive toppings. A second location, Hertel Avenue Poutine & Cream, brought something sweet into the mix.
Chris Dorsaneo (BS ’03) co-founded Lloyd Taco, the progenitor of Buffalo’s food-truck boom, in 2010. Now with four trucks, a catering operation, two brick-and-mortar locations (one on Hertel Avenue and another opening this summer in Williamsville) and a soft-serve ice cream annex, Lloyd has become a Buffalo mainstay for fun yet wholesome street-style eats.
Jim Guarino (BA ’93) worked at his family’s Coffee Bean Café in University Heights before transforming it into Shango Bistro and Wine Bar in 2005, a neighborhood hotspot featuring upscale New Orleans-style fare. His downtown seafood house, Oshun, opened in 2014. [Ed. note: At press time, we learned that Guarino closed Oshun to focus on Shango.]
Dan Hagen (BS ’14), a longtime Buffalo bartender, opened Billy Club with a partner in 2016. The small but savvy Allentown eatery (whose name recalls the building’s history as an illegal speakeasy during Prohibition) specializes in creative takes on traditional bar food, custom craft cocktails and a surprising selection of canned microbrews.


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Do the styling updates and a new petrol motor make the A3 more desirable?
The new Triumph Street Triple 765 RS embodies the motorcycling sweet spot of power and ability
Do the new design changes and feature updates help the City regain leadership of the C-segment sedans in India?
The new E-Class takes luxury to a whole new level
New long-stroke engine headlines the BS-IV compliant new 2017 Bajaj Pulsar 150
Bajaj Auto repositions the 2017 edition of the 135LS to take on the Hero Glamour and Honda Shine
The A4 finally gets a diesel engine and we see what’s what
Refreshed looks, a new and more powerful diesel engine as well as added features are the primary changes to the Grand i10
The C 43 AMG costs close to half of a full-on C 63 AMG, but this is far from half the car!
The flashy new Fortuner is a better off-roader than a road car


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Using Chemicals to Eliminate Bed Bugs May Harm More People Than Bugs
Online PR News – 22-September-2010 – – 1-800-GO-VAPOR.com, one of the most recognized names in the steam cleaning industry with customers in every state in the nation and seven foreign countries, announced today that the all-new Reliable EnviroMate TANDEM EV1 steam cleaner instantly kills bed bugs and vacuums up their remains and the eggs they leave behind in one easy step.
“The new TANDEM EV1 is the first steam cleaner in the EnviroMate series equipped with a built-in super-efficient vacuum,” says V.K. Dunlop of 1-800-GO-VAPOR.com.
Because of a newly developed resistance to chemical pesticides, bed bugs are crawling all over the country and people in crisis are taking desperate measures. The critters are infesting homes and public places on a scale unseen in 50 years—from hotels and movie theaters to department stores and office buildings. Because bed bugs aren’t drawn to filth like cockroaches and other insects, they don’t discriminate. The tiny vampires are interested in one thing only—human blood—and even the most sterile environments have become infested.
“The tiny blood-suckers can’t swim or fly but they can thumb a ride anywhere by clinging to your clothing,” says Dunlop. “People everywhere are freaking out.”
Much of the nation is turning to dangerous chemical pesticides. But chemicals that can kill bed bug infestations are mostly ineffective, as bed bugs are building up immunity to chemicals. Some people that use insecticides anyway end up treated in hospitals.
Another problem is that chemicals can’t reach bed bugs in every nook and cranny where they hide. A highly toxic chemical called propoxur does work better than most, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned propoxur for home use in 2007 because the pesticide can damage the central nervous system of children.
“Fortunately there’s a safe, fast, economical remedy that does not involve using toxic chemicals that may put you in the hospital,” says Dunlop. “It’s called a vapor steam cleaner.”
While vapor steam cleaners are traditionally used to clean and sanitize surfaces without chemicals, professionals and consumers alike are discovering that these marvels of technology also instantly eliminate bed bugs from where they hide including in mattress seams, sheets, clothing, picture frames, furniture and structural areas like baseboards.
"Two months ago we were getting a couple of bed bug calls a week, now it's a couple of calls an hour,” says Dunlop. “The thing that people are starting to realize is that they don’t have to douse their homes in chemicals to eliminate bed bugs.”
The Reliable EnviroMate TANDEM EV1 steam cleaners uses heated vapor steam instead of chemicals to instantly kill bed bugs and the eggs they leave behind. And because vapor particles are so small, the TANDEM can reach cracks and crevices chemicals cannot.
With a vapor steam cleaner like the TANDEM EV1 bed bugs have nowhere to hide and are a thing of the past. And because the TANDEM kills bed bugs right away, it can be more economical than chemical alternatives that take several treatments.
Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, 1-800-GO-VAPOR.com is moving fast to educate consumers and businesses that finally, there's a feasible, environmentally friendly alternative to chemicals. The company markets Reliable, Vapamore and Ladybug steam cleaners worldwide. 1-800-GO-VAPOR’s top-seller, the Ladybug Tekno 2350 steam cleaner, qualifies as a disinfection device for the EPA and is scientifically proven to wipe out superbugs like MRSA and VRE in five seconds. For more information, call 1-800-468-2767. 1-800-GO-VAPOR.com is a proud member of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition, a nationwide effort to protect families from toxic chemicals. To stay safe and avoid toxic chemicals, keep abreast of the latest news with 1-800-GO-VAPOR.com’s Twitter account, @1800GOVAPOR.


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China Blockchain Service Network (BSN) Launches NFT Infrastructure Platform
China’s state-backed Blockchain Services Network (BSN) announced last week that it plans to launch an infrastructure platform for NFTs.
Blockchain Based Service Network (BSN), China’s state-approved blockchain infrastructure project, announced today that it has launched a platform for non-exchangeable tokens (NFT).
BSN Launches NFT Platform
In a press release by BSN today, he said the BSN-Distributed Digital Certificate (BSN-DDC) network is a framework for creating NFTs that comply with Chinese regulations.
However, authorities in China reportedly do not recommend the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain, which is widely used in the NFT ecosystem. Therefore, BSN plans to launch 10 Open Permission Blockchains on BSN-DDC instead of the Ethereum blockchain.
These networks are localized versions of their unauthorized counterparts that impose restrictions on who can participate in network administration and use fiat currency for payment.
It has been reported that 5 of these 10 chains are Ethereum-based Wuhan Chain, Cosmos-based Wenchang Chain powered by IRISnet, Corda-based Zunyi Chain, EOS-based Zhongyi Chain and FISCO BCOS-based Tai’an Chain.
In addition, the platform partners were also disclosed: state-owned museum and auction house Rong Bao Zhai Auctions, state-sponsored Hainan International Cultural and Artistic Center, blockchain part of EY, the consulting firm that received the first license for an NFT market in China, video technology provider Sumavison, electronic invoice provider Baiwang, and Digital Art Fair Asia, an NFT-focused company from Hong Kong.
Launch to be held in March
Finally, it was reported that the roadmap and management structure, as well as the 26 founding partners, will be announced at a launch ceremony to be held in Nanjing in March.
BSN-DDC is based on the Blockchain Services Network, a platform where developers can build and deploy decentralized applications at a low cost.