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Marketing Case by Nike Company
• Can the Sports Equipment Industry Leader Nike Disrupt Baseball Gloves and Hockey Sticks in the $40B Market?
Sitting at his desk buried under a pile of brown baseball gloves, John Schult of Nike rummaged through the leather mound and nimbly extracted something indefinite. It looked like a miniature rubber excavator scoop with a mesh glove attached to the back. Schult waved the scoop from side to side and held it out to a group of Nike's senior managers, who eyed the suspicious object warily. He explained that the rubber scoop was a prototype for a baseball glove that the company planned to bring to market in early 1999.
An experimental prototype: he hastened to add, fully aware that no professional baseball player, no matter the value of his Nike endorsement deal, would ever wear something that looked more like an alien's garment. "The final model will look completely different. That's what our people are diligently working on right now as we speak."
Just imagine: Nike, the industry leader in athletic shoes and apparel whose swoosh logo is as recognizable as the SOS sign, is bursting into the athletic equipment market. Nike's experts have delved into the minutiae of baseball gloves and bats, hockey sticks and soccer balls, snowboards and golf balls. They're trying to incorporate aerospace and defense technology into the manufacturing process, using materials from those industries. The driving idea is not just to make and sell equipment but to develop something unseen before, and use Nike's marketing machine to force it into the market and convince the world of its technological superiority. According to Andrew Mooney, who heads Nike's equipment division, the next few years will see the highest growth rates in the company's equipment sector. At the same time, he promises,
" we won't grasp at everything we could improve."
The plan is audacious, but well within the capabilities of a company that has convinced people to pay hundreds of dollars for a pair of flashy sneakers that tally $9.2 billion in annual sales. The difficulty of the task is acknowledged by Mooney, a company veteran in marketing.
"If someone had told me three years ago that I would be marketing hockey and baseball equipment, snowboards and roller blades, and stuff like that, all at once, I would have said it was pure madness," he says. Or at the very least, unprecedented daring.
The athletic equipment market, though somewhat diverse, boasts tremendous capacity. Its annual sales volume is about $40 billion, exceeding that of athletic footwear ($20 billion) and apparel ($38 billion). In addition, Nike has to catch up to its main rivals in footwear and apparel. Italy's Fila Holdings SpA has its own roller blade brand. Reebok International Ltd makes soccer balls and exercise equipment. Last fall, Germany's Adidas AG spent $1.3 billion to acquire Salomon SA, the French sporting goods maker, and now controls 22% of the ski equipment and golf accessory markets. On top of that, large equipment companies like Rawlings Sporting Goods and Wilson Sporting Goods, a division of Finland's Amer Group Ltd, have no intention of relinquishing market share without a fight. "Our customers demand top quality goods, not Michael Jordan," says John Rangel, vice president of K2 Inc, which makes winter sports and roller blade equipment. He and many others believe Nike will probably be unable to maintain a foothold in the sporting goods market, where profitability levels are by no means excessive. "Gloves aren't sneakers when it comes to sales," notes Sebastian Dicasoli, director of marketing for the manufacturing association.
While retail markups on sneakers and athletic shoes can exceed 50% over cost, baseball glove markups hover around 30%. Moreover, some of Nike's early sporting forays were literally disastrous. At a July meeting in Chicago, Nike organized roller blading demonstrations by some roller bladers outside the meeting venue. The festivities were marred as the skates began falling apart one after another. According to Mooney, "it was a quick and good lesson for us." He attributes all such failures to growing
"This division is still in its infancy. Twenty-five years ago there were complaints about our shoe quality, and five years ago about our clothing quality. Listen to what they'll say about our equipment five years from now."
Despite these ambitious plans, Nike's investment in equipment development to date has been fairly modest compared to that of its rivals. For example, management plans to spend no more than $500,000 developing a new baseball glove. At the same time, according to Mooney, with this glove Nike plans to "catch" $200 million annually. "When it comes to conservative goods, a baseball glove has always been made of brown leather. Ours will be completely different," he says.
Nike's specialists began studying the glove 18 months ago. They started their research by surveying 200 lower league and college players about deficiencies in the traditional baseball glove (according to Schult, major league players have played baseball for too long to notice such things). Currently, Nike's task seems to have taken shape. "Most guys tell us their gloves are fine," says Robert Bail, a Nike product developer. According to industry experts, Nike could hardly have picked a more difficult task than improving the baseball glove. Any innovations in baseball equipment, other than perhaps the aluminum bat, are doomed to failure, as was the case with Rowlings, which offered baseball gloves with inflatable air bladders for fielders in the early 1990s. The expectation was that this glove, equipped with a miniature pump, would replicate the success of Reebok's Pump sneakers. But according to Chuck Malloy, Rowlings' manager, the endeavor was a total failure, because baseball players are generally averse to any "gimmicks." The game of baseball itself is extremely conservative.
"That's why they still play with white balls," notes Dicasoli, director of marketing for the manufacturing division. And baseball gloves, their smell, texture, the way generations of children have nurtured them, applying treatments and bending them into shape – this is perhaps the most traditional element of the game.
In the search for fresh ideas, Nike brought in some outside experts to help develop a new glove. According to Schult, along with the desire to offer something new, the company respects baseball traditions. At this stage, the prototype glove developed by Nike's experts is proudly referred to as a "hand terminal." However, they did manage to identify one potential deficiency in the traditional leather glove. According to Bail, "players spend a lot of time breaking in their glove because leather is a fairly rigid material. Therefore, we decided: since our glove isn't made of leather, the break-in time will be minimal. It's also more flexible and lighter than a traditional glove." Nike's prototype weighs less than 300 grams, whereas a traditional leather glove tips the scales at nearly a kilogram. Instead of laces, it uses plastic buttons and wire loops. The rubber scoop sits on the hand like a well-worn leather glove. Schult says they still haven't decided whether to use natural leather for the inner lining of the glove. He says the new glove currently smells like glue rather than leather.
In addition to the glove, Nike has developed an aluminum baseball bat with excellent performance characteristics to be launched next fall. While most aluminum bats are made from aerospace scrap, Nike collaborated with France's Pechiney SA, a metals and alloys specialist, on its new bat. This company developed an alloy that facilitates greater ball swerve on impact, which significantly increases flight distance. Mooney contends that Nike's new bats will outperform competitors' models.
Nike's ambitious plans to conquer the baseball equipment market worry Rawlings, the industry leader with a 110-year history. Under its previous owner, Figgie International, Rawlings was so confident that it did not even consider changing anything in its football gear when competitors offered lightweight urethane shoulder pads for football in the mid-1980s. "The competitors simply raced past us back then, leaving us behind," says Randy Black, Rawlings' vice president of marketing. Now Rawlings claims it will not allow anything similar to happen with its baseball gear. The company is already taking swings at Nike, calling its new bats iron bludgeons, and offering its own high-performance aluminum bats. The company is also promoting its series of "individual" gloves – next season some New York Yankees players will take the field in Rawlings' new pinstriped gloves. Rawlings has signed baseball star Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners. Next year he will play in a custom lightweight Rawlings glove (in addition to payment for wearing the new glove, Griffey will receive royalties for each glove sold in that model). This contract is also a jab at the competitor, because Ken Griffey Jr. advertises Nike shoes and apparel. Next year Rawlings also plans to diversify its product range. The company intends to offer baseballs with a built-in microchip that calculates flight time from the pitcher's throw until the ball is caught by the catcher. The ball's surface display will show the player flight speed calculated using throw time and distance.
"Innovation and tradition are not mutually exclusive to some extent," acknowledges Black. "And you know what? The swoosh looks like a sneer, suggesting that if you get too big for your boots, Nike will crush you."
Source: Bill Richards, "Just Doing It: Nike Plans to Swoosh into Sports Equipment But It's a Tough Game," Wall Street Journal, January 6, 1998, p. A1, A10. Reprinted with permission from the Wall Street Journal, O 1998 by Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Copyright protected worldwide.


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Even if you happen to be the biggest fan of Insomniac's Fuse, formerly called Overstrike and coming to consoles next year, you may have missed one little detail in the brand new video released by Insomniac and EA yesterday. Izzy Sinclair, the hacking and healing main character, has a brand new look...
Posted on Jan 26th 2015 11:00AM
Posted on Jan 26th 2015 10:00AM
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By Christian Zibreg on Oct 13, 2016
Google stopped using Adobe Flash for YouTube’s desktop video player back in January 2016, replacing it with an HTML5 counterpart that doesn’t require any special browser plug-in to function.
Last evening saw the release of Chrome 54 for Mac, Windows and Linux which continues on Google’s mission to ditch Flash in favor of HTML5: the new version replaces old Flash-based YouTube embeds on websites with HTML5. Read More
By Anthony Bouchard on Sep 6, 2016
Contact groups can be useful, but as your list of contacts changes over time, you may outgrow the need for some you already have, or develop a need to make more. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how you can delete a contact group from iCloud.com.
Spring-cleaning your contact group list helps reduce clutter in the Contacts app and makes it easier to find the contacts you want right when you need them. Read More
By iDB Deals on Jun 9, 2015
Take charge of your career, learn new skills or expand your current knowledge with the comprehensive Mobile First Developer Bundle. Bought separately, these courses would cost thousands, but we’re able to bring them to you at a massive discount. As for price? There isn’t one – you can pay what you want with iDownloadBlog. Read More
By Cody Lee on Jun 3, 2014
During the OS X Yosemite portion of its WWDC keynote yesterday, Apple announced a handful of improvements for Safari. Among them was HTML5 video support for Netflix, which according to Apple, will add an extra two hours of video watching on a single battery charge.
Netflix confirmed the news today, saying that its engineers have been “working closely with Apple” to allow Safari to use the Premium Video Extensions. This enables browsers play streaming videos without the need for overweight plug-in programs like Microsoft’s Silverlight… Read More
By Cody Lee on Feb 19, 2014
I don’t know about you, but when I hear stories about app developers becoming near-overnight millionaires, it makes me want to get into the business. Unfortunately, I know very little about programming, and even less about programming for iOS.
That can be changed, though, by taking some educational courses on the subject. And wouldn’t you know it, our friends over at deal site Stack Social are running one of their infamous ‘name your own price’ promos on a set of 8 online coding courses… Read More
By Ed Sutherland on Feb 4, 2013
A convergence of mobile trends is setting the stage for a day when more than half of the applications will support both HTML5 and native iOS/Android environments. That’s the word from research giant Gartner, who predicts companies must support multiple platforms as well as native features, such as mapping, cameras and location-based services. Additionally, the researcher forecasts brand-name smartphone makers could be pushed out of the low-cost market as countries such as China and India produce home-grown alternatives priced as low as $50… Read More
By Cody Lee on Oct 16, 2012
It’s been a busy year for Apple acquisitions. The company has picked up Chomp, an app discovery startup, AuthenTec, who makes NFC chips and smart sensors, and there was even talk of it buying The Fancy.
Well it looks like we might be able to add another one to that list. Reports are coming in tonight that Apple has acquired Particle, a San Francisco-based creative consulting firm that specializes in HTML5 web apps… Read More
By Christian Zibreg on Oct 2, 2012
The New York Times today announced a new web app to read news, optimized for Apple’s iPad and written using common HTML5 web technologies. The paper cautiously deems the app “an experiment” of sorts, though it looks and feels superb. The web-based software reminds us a lot of the Fortune 500+ and Financial Times web apps.
There’s no denying these have effectively set the stage for what a decent web-based magazine / newspaper experience should be like. NYT’s web app requires a subscription to NYTimes.com with tablet access and is available free of charge to home delivery subscribers who link their account for digital access… Read More
By Jeff Benjamin on Jul 20, 2012
Developers are doing some downright amazing things with HTML5 as a late, and Sun is just the latest example of the ongoing trend.
First noted by 9to5 Mac, Sun is an HTML5 based web app for weather forecasts. It can handle up to 4 different cities at once, including a city based on your current location.
For fans of Clear — the popular task app for the iPhone, you’ll feel immediately at home with Sun, because it too relies on simple gestures for navigation.
Needless to say, I came away mighty impressed with Sun. I’ve always said that one way to tell a good web app is if you can’t tell it’s a web app. With Sun, you’d be hard pressed to do so… Read More
By Cody Lee on Mar 9, 2012
Late last year, a new application surfaced in the App Store called iTether. The software allowed you to share your iPhone’s 3G data connection with your Mac or PC using a USB cable.
But the app wasn’t even around for 48 hours before Apple pulled the plug on it. The company likely got pressured into removing it by carriers who didn’t like subscribers getting unlimited data tethering for free.
But today, iTether makes its triumphant return… Read More
By Cody Lee on Feb 25, 2012
Apple’s handset has been seemingly unstoppable as of late. The company sold more than 37 million iPhones last quarter, making it the top smartphone manufacturer in the world over the three month period.
But what is it about the iPhone that makes it so popular? What sets it apart from the competition? Is it the sleek hardware? Is it the polished operating system? Sure. These are both big factors. But a lot of folks will tell you that it’s all about the apps… Read More
By Cody Lee on Feb 22, 2012
Realmac Software’s Clear to do application has gotten an enormous amount of media attention over the past few weeks. One publication said that Clear’s innovative, gesture-based UI “had the potential to change how we use our devices.”
But if you haven’t had the chance to try the app out, then it may be hard for you to see what all of the fuss is about. Luckily, developer Evan You has created an HTML5 replica of the Clear application so folks can give it a free test drive… Read More
By Alex Heath on Jan 13, 2012
Popular music service Grooveshark has made its way back to the iPhone, thanks to the company’s new HTML web app. Grooveshark fans will be happy to hear that you can now access the free service on iOS devices without the jailbreak app.
Apple originally pulled Grooveshark from the App Store because of its questionably-illegal nature, and then app then showed up in Cydia for jailbreakers. Grooveshark has now abandoned Flash for a mobile-friendly HTML5 web app that all iOS users can enjoy. Read More
By Oliver Haslam on Oct 11, 2011
Facebook’s infamous Project Spartan, the company’s HTML5 app store, went live yesterday as part of the update to the Facebook mobile web site, iPhone app and new iPad app. As part of that silent release – no fanfare, no CEO on a stage, no sweaty Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook gaming giant “wooga” launched the new platform’s first game, Magic Land Island.
While the game itself is mildly interesting, it’s the technology aspect that is worth noting, and wooga’s CTO, Philipp Moeser, seems particularly excited about the possibilities afforded by mobile HTML5 applications… Read More
By Cody Lee on Aug 8, 2011
Ever since Apple released the $99 Apple TV 2 with AirPlay compatibility last year, fans have been holding vigilant for an App Store on the set-top box. Applications would mean games on a larger screen, and AirPlay would mean iDevices could join in on the fun.
But after nearly 12 months of waiting, Cupertino has yet to make an announcement regarding 3rd-party application support. Just as jailbreaking paved the way for the iPhone, it’s also slowly unlocking the Apple TV’s potential… Read More
By Oliver Haslam on Aug 8, 2011
Google’s Chrome web-based app store received a new entry this week, and believe it or not, it does have a link to the world of iOS.
The newly released appMobi is a web app designed to help developers to code HTML 5 web apps, but it also packs a sucker punch that we didn’t see coming. If after writing your HTML 5 app, you decide you’d like to submit it as a native iOS app to Apple’s App Store, then appMobi will let you do that, too… Read More
By Cody Lee on Aug 3, 2011
Folks who prefer browsing Twitter.com with the iPad instead of using a native Twitter client will be happy to hear that the social networking giant is updating the site to be more compatible with Apple’s tablet.
Up until now, navigating Twitter’s website from the iPad was unpleasant. You had the choice to view the site in desktop mode, or an upscaled mobile view — neither one is very tablet-friendly. But that’s all going to change during the next 7 days… Read More
By Cody Lee on Jul 6, 2011
Facebook went live with the media this morning from their Palo Alto headquarters to make good on Mark Zuckerberg’s promise last week that his company would be making some “awesome” announcements. Though Skype-integrated video chat looks cool, iDB feels that the best has yet to come.
Remember that little Facebook endeavor we told you about a few weeks ago code-named Project Spartan? The HTML5-coded platform is nearing completion and could be available to the masses as early as the end of the month… Read More
By Guest Author on Jun 28, 2011
Google unveiled a new tool for developers today called Swiffy — a simple converter that takes .SWF Flash files and transforms them into iPhone-friendly HTML5 code. It’s the latest experimental application to hit Google Labs, and while it works best with simple Flash animations, its results are rather impressive.
Anyone can use Swiffy by simply visiting swiffy.googlelabs.com. There you can upload an SWF file and quickly convert it into HTML5… Read More
By Guest Author on Mar 8, 2011
One of the major features iOS lacks is Adobe Flash support. While Apple had decided to take a completely different path using HTML5, Flash still (for now), dominates internet content.
But that isn’t keeping Adobe away. Late last night, Adobe announced a new prototype software for iOS devices, codenamed, “Wallaby”. “Wallaby” is a new Flash-to-HTML5 conversion tool which doesn’t do much yet. Wallaby currently only converts typical banner ads to HTML5, noted Adobe… Read More


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The holiday shopping season is on. Thousands of shoppers will fill NRG Center this weekend for the 42nd annual Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market.
The market kicked off earlier this week with the annual Wells Fargo Preview Party with more than 5,000 guests. They dined on savory food from buffet stations, enjoyed live music by the David Caceres Band, and sipped on cocktails, including this year’s signature drink, “The Don,” named after Don Gullquist, long-time lover and supporter of the market.


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Microsoft is set to wrap up October with a splash, unveiling teasers, gameplay snippets, and exciting additions to the Game Pass. Let’s take a closer look at what awaits gamers in the Xbox Partner Preview.
Overview of Xbox Partner Preview
Just ten days after the blockbuster announcement of acquiring Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has confirmed the debut of Xbox Partner Preview. This digital-only event focuses primarily on major third-party releases and indie gems. While new game announcements shouldn’t be expected, the titles Microsoft is showcasing, like Alan Wake 2, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and Ark: Survival Ascended, are enough to stir excitement.
Event Details and Where to Watch
The event is scheduled for 25th October at 19:00 (Spanish time) or 11:00 (Mexico City time). Designed to be a brief yet packed session, the 20-minute presentation will feature game trailers and live gameplay. Some of these games will be previewed for the first time, while others, such as Remedy’s Survival Horror, will mark their imminent release, perfectly timed for the Halloween season. You can catch all the action on Xbox’s official YouTube channel or directly via Twitch.
We’re excited to announce our next broadcast event: Xbox Partner Preview! See what’s coming soon from our third-party partners on Wednesday, October 25 at 10am PT (1pm ET / 6pm BST). https://t.co/kZ9SdQU6hM
— Xbox Wire (@XboxWire) October 23, 2023
Game Pass Surprises and Indies
It’s a given that all showcased games will be available on Xbox consoles and PCs. Microsoft’s wild card? Several games will be rolled out to the Game Pass. Recent additions include Cities: Skylines 2 and soon-to-launch Jusant. The burning question is, will we get a sneak peek of the Hollow Knight sequel? It’s expected to feature on the Xbox service upon release. So, it’s not entirely out of the question.
What’s Off the Table?
Microsoft has been clear: no unannounced games will be featured. The spotlight remains on third-party titles, sidelining Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda, and even the newly-acquired Activision Blizzard. Insights into post-acquisition plans with Activision Blizzard or details about their games joining Game Pass (not expected until at least 2024) won’t be part of the event. This includes the new Call of Duty set to release next month.
More to Look Forward To
Beyond the afore-mentioned titles by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Remedy Entertainment, and Studio Wildcard, attendees will be treated to previews of Dungeons of Hinterberg. A slew of indie games will also make their mark. And rest assured, we’ll be right here, aggregating all the big reveals for you.
Closing Thoughts and Future Expectations
Microsoft’s aim to conclude 2023 on a high is evident. With ten game launches since the year began and more in the pipeline like the new Killer Instinct version, Microsoft’s gaming future looks radiant. However, third-party collaborations remain pivotal in Microsoft’s journey to gaming leadership. Exciting times lie ahead for Xbox and PC gamers, and more so for the loyal Game Pass subscribers, who’ve been relishing the platform’s relentless pace. And that’s just the way we like it.
New Event: New Gaming Experiences!
For those eagerly awaiting the event, it promises a blend of thrilling reveals and gameplay insights. While the event is limited to third-party unveilings, the Xbox Partner Preview is bound to cement Microsoft’s commitment to delivering quality gaming experiences. Stay tuned!


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Vodafone Portugal and SPI International have announced the launch of FunBox 4K UHD channel on TV Net Voz, a leading IPTV platform in Portugal.
FilmBox HD channel is now offered by blizoo, the biggest cable TV operator in Bulgaria - announced SPI International confirming its commitment to increasing the awareness of the FilmBox brand in the country.
SPI/FilmBox are increasing presence in the Baltics with a launch of FilmBox brand channels on SIA Lattelecom and SIA Livas in Latvia.
FilmBox and UPC Romania have announced a new campaign to promote sales of the FilmBox Package throughout the months of May, June and July. While the campaign is being conducted primarily by the UPC door-to-door sales force, the promotional offer will also be available in UPC Shops, Call Center and online on www.upc.ro.
SPI International announces that the first preview of its soon to be launched 4K FunBox UHD channel will be shown on the free-to-air satellite demo platform operated by Eutelsat at its HOT BIRD position.


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Those who bought the last-generation 2011 Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV may be suffering buyer’s remorse as the automaker has announced no price changes for the 2012 model in ML350 and ML350 BlueTec forms.
Read This Article
As media and press from around the world fly back home, the Geneva Auto Show has just opened to the public.
Bugatti, maker of the world's fastest production vehicle, has just released the "Meo Costantini" Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse.
Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler would like to expand its partnership with Tesla Motors.


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The cannabis industry, as quickly as it’s progressing, is still in its infancy. One reason states are hesitant to jump on board the legalization train is because they’re waiting to see how states like Colorado and Washington set up their programs, regulate them, and implement them safely and effectively. Colorado has paved the way for the past 15 months, and so far there’s been little to criticize — the state has seen a drop in crime, arrests, and unemployment, it’s constantly adapting its medical and recreational cannabis regulations to ensure safe, well-functioning programs, and its recreational cannabis program has already generated over $15 million for schools. Now the Centennial State is implementing a “Good to Know” campaign designed to educate both marijuana consumers and retailers on best practices for navigating through the legal market safely and successfully.
Touting the tagline “Be educated. Be responsible.”, Good to Know has guidelines for both consumers and cannabis businesses. On the user side, the program has the following reminders in a catchy rhyming format:
For retailers, Good to Know offers to send cannabis businesses a free Retailer Kit that includes the following useful resources:
The video is under six minutes long and follows a question-answer format where common questions about marijuana basics are addressed. Watch it below:
A tip of the hat to Good to Know Colorado — the state keeps going above and beyond in making sure its cannabis programs are legal, safe, accessible, and comfortable for all types of consumers. Other states take note: programs like Good to Know highlight education and safe access, two crucial components to implementing a successful cannabis program that the rest of the country should emulate as legalization continues to spread.


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Sohar: Guaranteeing peak performance on the roads, Mercedes-Benz Oman has launched its second ‘Service Week’ for 2017.
This edition of the popular series will run from September 24 - 28 and offers customers at the Mercedes-Benz Service Centre in Sohar a safety inspection free of charge. The complimentary inspections promote road safety and ensure customers’ vehicles are in the best condition possible.
“For over 135 years, our brand has been a pioneer in automotive safety and the well-being of our customers and their passengers remains our highest priority. We are proud to continue this tradition by offering our customers a safety inspection completely free of charge, as part of our ongoing commitment to safety and excellence in aftersales. I am delighted to present this next edition of our Service Week series at our Service Center in Sohar, cementing our promise that ‘Safety has a Home’ at Mercedes-Benz,” explained Lawrence Good, CEO - Mercedes-Benz Oman.
He added: “While Mercedes-Benz vehicles are engineered for safety, sometimes in our busy lives we forget about the importance of regular automotive maintenance. Service Week allows our customers to conveniently check the condition of their vehicles completely free of charge, before embarking on any long drives or holidays as we enter a busier time of the year on Oman’s roads.”
The comprehensive safety inspections are carried out by skilled and experienced Mercedes-Benz technicians in the state-of-the-art facility at the Service Center in Sohar. This service includes an inspection of the exterior of the vehicle for damage combined with the underside to detect any corrosion or leakage. The condition of wiper blades and exterior lights are assessed, as are fluid levels (engine oil, coolant, braking system and windscreen washer system). Also under scrutiny will be the tyres and wheels including tyre pressure and adjustment and the braking system.
Due to the popularity of the Service Week, customers are advised to book their appointment in advance to avoid disappointment.


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In celebration of Halloween, EA has released a spooky new update for The Sims Mobile.
This “spooktacular” update contains plenty of exciting new Halloween-themed furniture, decorations, and costumes. It also preps the game for the Halloween Haunt event, which will officially begin Tuesday, October 23. Until then, you can get ready for scary season with the new Countdown to Halloween quest (available until October 23).
The “What’s New” portion of The Sims Mobile listing on Google Play teases:
- Get ready for scary season with a Countdown to Halloween quest, available until 10/23
- Have a screamin’ good time collecting candy corn during the Halloween Haunt from 10/23 – 11/2, with a holiday quest and activities
- Use your candy corn to get ghoulishly-themed furniture and decorations, plus boo-tiful costumes like the Undead Bride and Groom!
Additionally, EA has listed some key bug fixes contained in the update:
- Fixed an issue with venues periodically re-locking for some players
- Fixed an issue with Helping Hand purchases not always completing correctly
- Fixed an issue with the language toggle not saving preference after switching to English
- Sims should no longer want to hang out in the bathroom quite as frequently (seriously, what are they doing in there)
Upon installing the new update, there isn’t too much to notice immediately. However, if you check out your heirloom collection, you’ll notice a new relationship story called “A Spirited Friendship” which can be unlocked by obtaining the rare Ghostly Figure family heirloom.
Let us know if you discover anything spooky or fun in the latest Halloween update for The Sims Mobile.


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- Uber announced it will offer users access to a shared network of mopeds in Paris as part of a partnership with Cityscoot. The mopeds will be offered as a mobility option on the Uber app along with JUMP bikes, scooters and shared rides.
- Cityscoot mopeds are all electric and come with a skirt to cover the rider’s legs, a pouch for phone storage, a helmet, hairnets and a reflective vest. The vehicles are capped at 45 km/hour, or just over 25 mph.
- It’s the first moped offering from Uber; the company said in a statement it will focus first on this partnership and "consider next steps as it progresses."
As Uber has expanded from a ride-sharing company to a full suite of micromobility options, mopeds fill a certain niche. According to a blog post, Uber envisions that users can ride scooters for "very short" trips of less than 2 km (1.2 miles) and bikes for trips around 3 km (1.8 miles), with mopeds being the best option for "mid-distance" trips of around 4 km (2.5 miles). Paris is also one of the cities where Uber has integrated public transit into its app.
It fits with Uber's recent trend of partnerships to offer more multimodal options; Uber signaled in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it sees its future in being an all-around mobility company, not one reliant on drivers.
An Uber spokesperson said that Paris was a "natural place to start with mopeds" because the city has become a hub for new mobility options. Mopeds are already widely in use in Paris and can navigate the city’s complicated streets. "Add to that a shared electric fleet which means fewer vehicles taking up parking space and more environmentally friendly, and you have a spot-on service," the spokesperson said.
Although it’s unclear if Uber will expand the offerings, other companies have tried to bring shared moped fleets to U.S. cities. Revel, for example, has put 1,000 vehicles in Brooklyn and Queens and recently expanded to Washington, DC. Spain-based Muving also launched its own moped vehicles in a pilot with Atlanta last year.
Operators have pitched mopeds as a bridge between smaller vehicles like scooters and bikes and cars, offering a new way to take medium-length trips without adding to urban congestion and pollution. Still, with safety concerns and the need for riders to get comfortable with the vehicles, mopeds may still face an uphill climb in some cities.


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LIVERMORE, CA – A man thought he would successfully rob a store arming himself with a hammer. Unfortunately for him, it was a gun store.
Around 2:30 PM this past Sunday, a man entered East Bay Firearms in Livermore, CA wearing a mask, a hooded sweatshirt and gloves. The owner of the store noticed that he was acting suspiciously after he entered the store.
Armed with a hammer, the suspect attempted to steal a handgun. That’s when the store owner shot the suspect twice in self-defense. When the police and paramedics arrives, they administered critical aid but the man was pronounced dead on the scene.
What was this guy thinking? I guess he had never heard the saying, “Don’t bring a hammer to a gun fight!”


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Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, reported a surprise profit of 92 million dollars in the second quarter, as its US sales are booming.
Total net sales for the company rose 23.2 percent to 25.36 billion dollars, which sent its shares soaring 10 percent higher.
Worldwide Sales in North America rose 28.3 percent to 15.01 billion dollars. Amazon has piled on revenue growth since it started up but only recently began making profits. Instead, the 20-year old Seattle-based company has reinvested profits in order to expand.
Amazon has made a strong growth forecast expected between 14-25 percent for the Christmas sales period.


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10 Irish women who owned 2016
It's Ruth Negga's world and we're all just living it. This Ethiopian-Irish actress had the most successful year of her career to date and if that much-hyped Best Actress Oscar nod comes in early 2017, it's only going to get better.
The Limerick native (35) is earning rave reviews for her performance as Mildred Loving in Loving and she earned a Golden Globe nomination for her troubles. Oh, and she appeared on the January cover of US Vogue - one of only a handful of Irish women to have ever done so.
With a best-selling lifestyle book, the launch of her denim range POCO by Pippa and the successful expansion of her lifestyle empire, Pippa had her busiest year yet. Not to mention she gave birth to her second child Louis in May.
The mother-of-two has come a long way from her days posing with inflatable mobile phones at Stephen's Green in the early days of her modelling career. Pippa has the midas touch and we can't wait to see what 2017 holds.
Say what you want about Vogue Williams, but she was a powerhouse on Irish screens this year. Her latest series Vogue Williams: On The Edge earned rave reviews and she confirmed in December she would be appearing in Channel 4's The Jump in January.
And thanks to a short-lived romance with Laurence Fox, she is finally shaking her tag as 'Brian McFadden's ex' and being recognised for her own talents.
This Irish designer's unique pieces have long been a cult favourite among celebrities here and abroad, but she got mainstream recognition when her collection was picked up in Dunnes Stores.
Joining Paul Costelloe, Paul Galvin and Lennon Courtney among its roster of homegrown designers, the collection marked an important, not to mention lucrative, shift in her career.
"It is such an important part of Irish society; the brand is going through a major transformation currently, embracing newness and innovation so it is perfect timing for me as a designer to be welcomed into the company and to be given the autonomy to bring the quintessential Joanne Hynes look and DNA to the store and to the customer."
Lisa Hannigan is no stranger to the rigours of gigging, but 2016 marked a turning point in her career. She announced her US tour dates for February and will be joining Bon Ivor on stage at Forbidden Fruit next summer after finally cracking the UK this year.
We're prepared for an international invasion next year.
Tara Anderson (nee O'Farrell)
This model/makeup artist/influencer is one of the hardest working women around. Earlier this year, she announced she was entirely booked out for weddings until 2018 and has successfully toured the country as part of Pippa O'Connor's Fashion Factories as well as soft-launching her own workshop.
Her down-to-earth nature makes her a favourite among her 80,000 Instagram followers, all of whom are still consuming pictures from her August wedding with gusto. Tara exchanged vows with long-term Daniel in one of the celebrity weddings of the year.
After another successful year at the helm of TV3's Midday, Crowley ended her year with the news she was taking on a new show, with a new format - simply titled Elaine - which would appear at 3pm.
Not only did she survive the UTV Ireland/TV3 merger, she thrived. Details of the new programme are under wraps, but it's no secret we're fans of tv presenter's quick wit and we're excited for January.
Meagher's Pharmacy entrepreneur has been one of Ireland's most successful businesswomen since purchasing her first store in 2001. With the launch of its website and a Image Businesswoman of the Year award nod, it's been a year of wins for the Tyrone native.
Ann Marie Corbett
Cork's Ann Marie Corbett made every '90s girl's dreams a reality when she launched her successful tech-enabled dressing room, aptly titled Ann Marie's Dressing Room, earlier this year.
On visiting the site, users can choose their skin tone, hair style and colour, and can upload a picture of their own face or use the model provided.
At the moment, the site is still in its early stages, and the options for skin tone are quite limited, as well as offering just one option for the mannequin’s body, but Ann Marie says they may look into the possibility of allowing users to enter their height, weight and bra sizes in future.
Cher Horowitz would be well jel.
Wallis is still revelling in the success of her album Home and riding high after sold-out gigs at Vicar Street in Dublin and the Roisin Dubh in Galway. Next year, she's touring Europe with her fifth album. Not too shabby at all.


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Tycoon Sir Philip Green tried to lift the high street gloom yesterday despite a 40 per cent slump in profits at his Bhs department stores.
The chain's operating profits tumbled from £50million to £30m in the year to the end of March but Sir Philip claimed slick businesses could still flourish.
Bhs sales fell 1.4 per cent to £860m, although they were three per cent down without the benefit of new stores.
The figures come just a week after Marks & Spencer revealed a six per cent slump in sales, prompting forecasts of the worst Christmas on the high street for 30 years.
But Sir Philip said the gloomy forecasts were being overdone.
"There hasn't been a bank catastrophe that's cost the man or woman in the street money and people have still got jobs," he said.
"Yes it's tough out there. Yes it's very, very competitive but it's not a disaster. There's still business to be done if you're smart." He admitted business had worsened during the recent mayhem on financial markets but he said that owed much to "erratic" weather.
"Winter's been summer and summer's been winter, but we had our best weekend for six months, as we actually had some autumn weather in autumn."
While M&S is cutting spending on its stores, Bhs has invested £50m this year. It has given a further 14 stores a makeover in recent months, taking the total to 33.
And Sir Philip says the investment is paying off with sales at those stores up nine per on the rest of the chain.
He bought Bhs for £220m in 2000. Two years later the business made £100m, the biggest profit in the store's 80-year history.
Sir Philip caused controversy by paying himself and his wife a £1.2bn dividend in 2005 from his Topshop and Dorothy Perkins fashion group Arcadia. But he has not taken a dividend from Bhs for five years.
40% The slump in profits at Bhs


text: The phrase, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!” is one Brady National Bank officials hope its patrons take to heart. With the increase of fraudulent check and money order scams occurring on a weekly basis, not only in Brady, but across the country, BNB is asking its customers to pay close attention to mail notifications claiming they’ve won prize money or have award winnings awaiting confirmation. “We are getting more and more of these fraudulent checks’some of which have been cashed,” said BNB representative Julie Rodriguez. “The customer is the one who looses because they have to pay those funds back once the transaction has been confirmed as fraudulent.” Most all of the fraudulent checks presented to Brady National range from $2,000-$5,000, because, according to Mrs. Rodriguez, the bank reserves the right to put a hold on any check larger than the $5,000 amount until it is determined legitimate. “These companies know that and are taking advantage of it,” she said. “The hard part is trying to convince the customer that these checks aren’t any good.” Not only are checks trying to be cashed, but also money orders and cashier’s checks. Two of the confirmed businesses whose fraudulent checks were cashed were Orchid Financial and Pan- American Trust, Inc. In a “final award winning notification” sent to a Brady resident by one of the phony businesses, the letter stated that all participants were selected through a computerized ballot system drawn from Readers Digest, Publisher’s Clearing House, Online Sweepstakes and Internet games. The notification promised a sizable prize earnings once authorization and processing fees were paid. To offset these so-called expenses, the company sends a phony check (which often times is cashed by banking institutions because they can’t instantly be deemed as fraudulent) and asks that a portion or percentage of that initial payment be sent to them to offset the processing fees. Once these company receives their requested fees, it’s too late for the trusting consumer who cashes the check and is left holding the bag’or in many cases a bank note required to pay back the money owed to the lending institution. “We’re asking everyone to just use common sense,” said Mrs. Rodriguez. “If you’re not entitled to any money, question these types of letters. When a customer cashes checks like these they are also liable for committing fraud. “We encourage our customers not to give them any information or money. If they’re asking for money then that should be a red flag. “If they present us a check with a letter attached, we can tell right away if it is a fraud. If there isn’t a letter, it can be tough because the check could be legitimate.” According to Mrs. Rodriguez, verifying these types of fraudulent checks can take anywhere from 10-30 days, and despite a number of other scams that targeted the elderly population, this particular scam is not limited to their age bracket and younger people are often victims, as well. The safe practice to follow when handling any type of prize winning notice is to have it confirmed before trying to collect any cash. More than likely, if a company is asking for any type of financial assistance to process a transaction before you can claim your prize, it is probably fraud. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!”‘ are words to live by this day and age.


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Veterans Day, a national holiday honoring those who have served their country in the armed forces, will be observed for the 103rd time on Friday across the United States.
The holiday will cause many businesses, schools, and federal buildings to be closed down all across the United States. The following is a rundown of what will be open and what will be closed on November 11:
The United States Postal Service will be closed tomorrow; however, if you have something that you absolutely have to ship, you can still do so through FedEx or UPS. Both businesses keep their retail sites open so that they can continue to receive and deliver packages for their respective consumers.
Banks and Credit Unions
The vast majority of banks and credit unions situated throughout the United States are scheduled to close their doors; however, there may be a few exceptions for branches that are housed within supermarkets. Calling ahead to check on things might be your best bet.
Even while mobile banking apps and drive-up ATMs will continue to function normally, it is possible that the processing time for transactions as a whole will be lengthier owing to the holiday.
Schools and Workplaces
Despite the fact that many schools and other institutions will be closed in observance of Veterans Day, it is still a good idea to check your child’s school calendar twice or get in touch with the administration immediately.
On Friday, the federal courts and all government agencies that are nonessential will be closed.
Retail Stores and Restaurants
It is anticipated that the vast majority of retail stores, restaurants, supermarkets, and shopping malls will be open on Veterans Day; however, certain places may decide to change their hours of operation, and other smaller businesses may choose to close their doors in observance of the holiday.
Not only will a number of large-scale retail and restaurant businesses be open for business, but they will also provide veterans and active service members with special pricing and discounts.
On November 11, not only will parks across the country be open, but certain National Parks will also be providing free admission to visitors.


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GVL expands with new position to oversee product development strategyGVL expands with new position to oversee product development strategy
As VP of Product, Keller will collaborate with GVL team members to develop and oversee the company’s product strategy and prioritization.
February 27, 2019
GVL, a leading provider of technology solutions to veterinarians and animal health professionals, has announced the addition of its new executive leadership team member, vice president of Product Matt Keller.
As vice president of Product, Keller will collaborate with GVL team members to develop and oversee the company’s product strategy and prioritization, as well as communicate and ensure successful implementation of GVL’s product vision.
“I’m excited to help craft GVL’s product strategy and explore additional ways to further leverage the company’s commitment to animal health and safety solutions,” says Keller. “My goal is to ensure that GVL has a world class product team that deeply understands the needs of our customers and collaborates on innovative solutions to improve their lives.”
With previous leadership roles in product management and software engineering, Keller brings 20 years of experience in UX, customer discovery and product vision and strategy. Most recently, Keller served as director of Product Management at Workiva, a business finance software company.
“As we continue to expand on our animal health and movement software solutions at GVL, our customer involvement and collaboration is incredibly important in that process,” says GVL chief executive officer Cliff Smith. “We are thrilled to have Matt Keller drive that strategy and bring his exceptional passion for building software applications and experience in product development to GVL.”
Keller is also involved in local technology organizations, organizing the Ames, Iowa, chapter of the “Podcast Brunch Club” and co-founder of the Des Moines/Ames Product Tank, a meetup for product people.
Source: GVL, which is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.
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Amazon is taking on Best Buy in the home installation and service market where Geek Squad has dominated by quietly rolling out its own service unit.
Recode, citing multiple sources and job postings, reported news that during the last few months the eCommerce giant has been hiring a gaggle of gadget experts who will offer free consultations for Alexa, its voice-activated virtual assistant and will also install products for a fee inside consumers’ homes. The services, which Recode reports are currently available in seven markets, are aimed at helping customers put together a smart home in which everything from the heating to the lighting is controlled via a mobile app or increasingly a voice command. The price for an installation of an Alexa-enabled smart thermostat is $99, and multi-device installations that take longer than an hour could cost more, reported Recode. Customers in the cities that offer the service can arrange the installation during checkout, making it easier to book the services.
Amazon for sometime has offered customers access to in-home installations through third parties, but with smart home devices picking up in demand, it’s logical that Amazon would want to own that segment of the market. After all it is very apt at entering a market and dominating it. Recode also pointed to job listings by the company for field technicians in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Houston, Dallas, Las Vegas and Hoboken, N.J. Amazon’s move to amass a team of technicians will save consumers money over the long run, but it is a major blow to Best Buy, which has been struggling like most other brick-and-mortar retailers to compete with the eCommerce giant. Best Buy’s Geek Squad offers similar services to what Amazon now has and is placing a greater emphasis on smart home gadgets given the expected growth of that market.


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Jan 26, 2011
© 2017, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
by Michael Gougis
(This original, copyrighted material may not be copied, cut and pasted, published or otherwise reproduced in any way in any medium, which means, don’t post this on another website or BBS. If you want somebody else to see this, send, share or tweet a link or post a link to this page.)
Former Willow Springs Motorcycle Club racer and motorcycle dealership manager Jeffrey Whitmer was convicted in January on charges involving dozens of fraudulent purchases of motorcycles, which were resold in the Middle East, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said.
Whitmer was convicted in January of 40 counts of grand theft vehicle and fraud stemming from a three-month string of transactions worth approximately $500,000, Deputy District Attorney Alexander Karkanen said.
Whitmer, 40, of Rancho Cucamonga, was being held without bail in the Men's Central Jail, awaiting a February 14 sentencing date, Karkanen said.
Whitmer, who was serving as manager at Temple City Power Sports in Southern California in 2009, participated in a series of approximately 40 fraudulent vehicle purchases, Karkanen said. The exact number of fraudulent purchases is not known, since other illegal transactions may have gone undetected, Karkanen added.
Karkanen, who prosecutes cases on behalf of the county's Taskforce for Regional Auto-theft Prevention (TRAP), said the fraudulent purchases were made in collaboration with Mordechai Mor, who now is a fugitive.
Karkanen said that Mor would file false applications for credit for new vehicle purchases Hondas, Polaris ATVs and even an Aprilia through the dealership, and Whitmer would approve the applications. Or, Mor would use a false name and false credit card to purchase a vehicle, and Whitmer would unplug the credit card reader (the device a card is "swiped" through) for the transaction, Karkanen said. On the receipt for each of these purchases, the words "off-line transaction" appears in small print at the bottom, he added.
After the fraudulent purchase was completed, Whitmer would provide internal dealership documents to Mor to allow the vehicles to be shipped overseas, where they were sold, Karkanen said. At that point, Mor would split the money from the sales with Whitmer, Karkanen said Whitmer told police.
The transactions took place between August and December 2009, Karkanen said. In November, 40 percent of the dealership's vehicle sales were to Mor, he added.
"It was pretty nasty," Karkanen said. "He told the police he was splitting the money with Mordechai. When the price you are paying for the motorcycle is zero, the profit margin when you sell it is very high."
The fraudulent transactions came to light when several of the affected parties began to complain, Karkanen said. American Honda's vehicle credit arm started to object, as did Bank of America. Each claimed fraud within the dealership, Karkanen said.
In addition, vehicles sold to Mor began appearing overseas, in Tel Aviv and in Abu Dhabi, upsetting the dealers there Temple City was not supposed to sell vehicles to overseas customers, Karkanen said.
After a jury trial, Whitmer was convicted on January 10th on all 40 counts, Karkanen said. Whitmer faces a maximum sentence of 17 years and 8 months when he is sentenced.
Police attempted to arrest Mor, but when they went to his house, they found the home deserted. On that day, Karkanen said, Mor purchased tickets for a flight from Los Angeles to New York, and from there to Tel Aviv. He is considered a fugitive, and there is a $250,000 warrant for his arrest.
Whitmer has worked at other motorcycle dealerships in Southern California, most recently at Pasadena Yamaha.
Whitmer was last licensed as a racer with WSMC in 2007.


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Golf retailer American Golf has taken over the operation of Barnehurst Golf Course in Kent and is set to re-open the Bexleyheath-based venue in the next few months.
Barnehurst closed in 2020, with previous operator Mytime Active ending its lease at the end of March 2021 after operating the site since 2009. It blamed financial pressures around Covid closures as the reason behind the lease termination.
American Golf, which owns 95 retail stores across the UK and runs driving ranges at Rossendale, Hemingford Abbots and Wythall, has submitted plans to enhance the venue with the addition of a new sports lounge, a refurbished driving range, and retail space with custom-fitting services.
American Golf CEO Gary Favell said: “We are looking forward to being part of the Barnehurst community and to welcoming past and new members to the club when we open our doors in Spring. The acquisition of Barnehurst Golf Club supports our wider vision to make golf accessible and fun for everyone. We want to break down the barriers to entry and to inspire as many people as possible to try golf for the first time. We are looking forward to announcing details around membership in the coming weeks.”
Bexley Councillor Peter Craske, cabinet member for Places, said: “Having such an established name running the course is exactly what is needed to help it develop and grow into a key golfing venue. The new operators are already brimming with ideas for the site and I’m looking forward to seeing them start work.”


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DriveNow, the joint venture of the BMW Group and Sixt SE, has surpassed the one-million customers mark in the U.K., according to a report by FleetNews.
To commemorate the event, DriveNow is giving away 10 million free minutes to its customers in all U.K. markets, including London, says the report. Each member will receive 10 minutes of drive time to use from Oct. 10-17.
"One million customers is a great milestone for us and we’d like to celebrate it together with our users,” James Taylor, managing director of DriveNow UK, told FleetNews. “Since DriveNow’s launch in 2011, carsharing has grown massively in importance and has become a common mobility option in many large cities.”
DriveNow’s BMW and MINI models are used up to 23 times per day by customers in all of its cities, according to the report.
Click here for the full FleetNews report.
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Tipping the Scale: How Promotional Products Compete in a New Era of Advertising
Jun 14, 2017
Check out these great stats on the effectiveness of promotional products. Did you know that 83% of consumers are more likely to do business with a brand after receiving a promo product? This PPAI study shows that nine in 10 consumers recall the branding on promotional products they have received—and it’s 67 percent higher than broadcast advertising and 78 percent higher than online, print and mobile advertising.


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Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), which serves the North American meetings and incentive marketplace, presented Rosen Shingle Creek with its “Chairman’s Award” as the “ALHI Hotel of the Year.”
“Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando is especially deserving of this special recognition and award,” said David Gabri, CEO of ALHI. “It is an outstanding convention hotel complex with an extraordinary leadership team and staff, led by their owner Harris Rosen, and executive team of Dan and Leslie. They work so well with our valued clients and our ALHI Global Sales team in serving the meetings and incentive marketplace. We are proud to recognize Rosen Shingle Creek with this distinguished honor.”
The award is presented annually to the ALHI member hotel or resort that best displays exemplary leadership and commitment to performance in the preceding year while epitomizing exceptional property-level teamwork and cohesion with ALHI’s Global Sales Organization (GSO) team in serving the meetings industry. The award was announced at ALHI’s prestigious Industry Advisory Council conference, which was recently held at the “new” Hotel del Coronado in Coronado (San Diego), Calif.
“We have an amazing partnership with ALHI, and this recognition is something we are extremely proud of as it is earned by the entire team of associates at Rosen Shingle Creek with very passionate leadership,” stated Leslie Menichini, vice pPresident, sales and marketing, Rosen Hotels & Resorts.


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Paypal online sex chat
Instructors: All Tiger Martial Arts Instructors are qualified and certified through the CMAF – Canadian Martial Arts Federation, Teuk-Gong Worldwide – Korea Teuk-Gong Moo Sul Association, Kukkiwon – World Taekwondo Headquarters and the Jaguar Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
TMA Instructors are at minimum 1st degree Black Belts to 7th degree Black Belts.
A handful of tech companies have signed onto a friend of the court brief in the case of the Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same sex couple. While more tech companies generally voice their support in these LGBTQ-friendly cases, is a tinder box of particularly volatile social issues, particularly when it comes to interpreting the religious rights secured by the First Amendment.
Tech Crunch has confirmed that so far the list includes Apple, Yelp, Pay Pal, Salesforce and Affirm. That could be a reason tech companies have been a bit warier in this instance, though it also could be the sheer number of social causes that left-leaning tech companies have been called to support under the Trump administration.
All classes will typically have both Head Instructors and Assistant Instructors.
Each of our nationally certified instructors are graduates of intensive training, and their methods are constantly improved and updated through continued training with Chief Master Viani.
You will find that after transferring of the money, the seller then demands other payments for “duties” or delivery charges – and ultimately, you won’t get what you paid for. Check around for more information regarding any new vendors before you hit the purchase button.
Read More Transferring money for a fee is easy work but it is also illegal if the monies are found to be illegal proceeds.
While there was some confusion about the last day for companies to sign on, Tech Crunch has clarified that the deadline is actually Monday, October 30.
We’ve reached out to a number of the major tech companies about their interest in the amicus brief and will update this list when we learn more.


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khaskhabar.com : Tuesday, January 17, 2023 12:21 PM
San Francisco | Tech giant Samsung’s upcoming flagship foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will reportedly feature a 108MP primary rear camera and an in-built Stylus Pen (S Pen) slot. As per a report by SamMobile, the upcoming Z Fold 5 is expected to launch in the second half of this year.
The 108MP main camera might make the device a bit heavy, making it weigh around 275 grams. Galaxy Z Fold 4 weighs 263 grams.
The main camera will be 64MP camera with 2x optical zoom and 12MP ultrawide shooter.
Additionally, the new phone is expected to come with a dedicated slot for the S-Pen, the report added.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is likely to feature a ‘droplet’ style hinge, which will reduce its display crease.
According to tipster Ice Universe, the tech giant internally refers to the design as a ‘dumbbell’ hinge.(IANS)
read this also – Click to read the news of your state / city before the newspaper


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Business News›Laghu Udyog Bharti
LAGHU UDYOG BHARTI
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma calls for new industrial policy for Northeast like the one in J&K
Sarma appealed to Union Minister Narayan Rane to come up with a new industrial policy for the North-eastern part of the country, in line with the one that was enacted for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
Traders take on etailers at DPIIT ecommerce meet
The meeting took place at a time when the government is said to be working on finalising a draft ecommerce policy in the coming months.
DPIIT holds stakeholder meet on proposed e-commerce policy
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on Tuesday held a meeting with different stakeholders, including domestic and foreign companies, on the proposed e-commerce policy, an official said.
Aligarh's lock industry hit hard by lockdowns, seeks urgent help
To address the immediate needs of the industry, the secretary of the Aligarh Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association, Dinesh Chand Varshney, has sent a memorandum to the chief minister, apprising him of the situation.
Can't pay 28 days' salary to Covid absentees: MSMEs
In its order on April 26, the state government asked all industries to cover 28 days of salary for Covid-affected workers and to ensure payments for daily-wagers at workshops and stores which are shut at this time.
Noida will be developed as the biggest hub in North India, says UP CM Yogi Adityanath
He said the state has strived to develop infrastructure in terms of power, road, communication, transport, beside strong law and order to achieve the dream of one trillion economy status in India while contributing to the country's 5 trillion economy target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Perception of UP as an investor destination is changing: Sidharth Nath SinghThings are looking positive in UP , the perception is changing and that is key before bringing in industry, believes the state MSME minister.
With a low 'turnover' threshold, Government's new MSME definition sows confusionThe dual eligibility criteria of investment and turnover in govt's new MSME definition has led to confusion.
Government fast-tracks new definition of MSMEsThe plan, which has been in the works for months, is likely to be part of the stimulus package.
FM holds meeting on GST simplification; similar meetings across country on Dec 7To highlight the problems faced by GST filers, the stakeholders attempted to file specific returns on a real-time basis in the meeting and tried to show where they are facing difficulties.
New definition of MSMEs will be linked to turnoverAccording to the proposal, any unit with a turnover of up to Rs 5 crore will be classified as a micro enterprise, while those with up to Rs 75 crore annual revenue will be in the small unit category.
Nitin Gadkari promises 'concrete decision' for timely payments to MSMESpeaking at a convention of 'Laghu Udyog Bharti', an RSS-linked outfit which works in MSME sector, Nitin Gadkari also promised to rid the national capital of pollution in 5 years.
MSME sops will benefit only a fewIn his speech for the Union Budget 2018, finance minister Arun Jaitley announced that the corporate tax rate that was lowered from 30% to 25% last year.
Law review panel to take final call on GST suggestions: Finance MinistryThe Law Review Committee and the Advisory Group of the Law Review Committee were both constituted on November 2.
GST advisory group in favour of expanding composition schemeThis was the first meeting of the advisory group after it was formed earlier this week to suggest changes to the GST laws to make it more simple for taxpayers.
CAIT Secy General Praveen Khandelwal nominated for GST PanelThe group will discus possible changes in GST law and its rules and will submit its recommendations to Law Review Committee by November 30, the statement said.
Three-day BJP-RSS meet to streamline coordination in Uttar PradeshChief Minister Yogi Adityanath, deputy chief ministers Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya, who is also the UP BJP chief, along with Sunil Bansal are likely to participate.
RSS-backed body throws spanner in UP industrial policyLaghu Udyog Bharti said it is sore that there is no encouragement for the industries which have either closed down or are on the verge of closure.
Income tax rate is expected to come down, says Arjun Ram MeghwalHowever, MoS Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said that interest rates will definitely come down which means less earnings on savings
Expansion of small businesses necessary for growth: Kalraj Mishra"India will become a developed nation after becoming the manufacturing hub," Mishra said at an industrial fair organised by Laghu Udhyog Bharti.
Government holds meet with RSS affiliates over key economic issuesTo help resolve concerns raised by some RSS affiliates on key economic issues, the government today reached out to them at a meeting, where some top ministers, BJP and senior RSS leaders were also present.
Jharkhand panel to focus on 'ease of doing business' in the stateIt will also provide incentives for New Economy sectors and work towards simplification of procedures, policy and reforms to foster the state’s industrial growth.
PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate 'Resurgent Rajasthan' summit on November 19Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the two-day 'Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit' on November 19.
UAM will simplify registration process for MSME entrepreneurs: Kalraj MishraUnion Minister Kalraj Mishra said the newly introduced system of Udyog Aadhar Memorandum will simplify registration process for MSME entrepreneurs.
Madhya Pradesh government sets up Laghu Udyog Samvardhan BoardState's Commerce, Industries and Employment Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia has been appointed as Chairman of the LUSB, an official release said.
Government to come up with 'comprehensive policy' for MSME sectorThe government will soon introduce a new comprehensive policy for the MSME sector after incorporating suggestions from related associations, said Kalraj Mishra
India's economic model on ventilator: Mohan BhagwatRSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that not only the Indian rupee, but the economic model adopted by the country is on a ventilator.
FDI in India:SMEs see big gaps in government promise on local sourcingThe government's clarification that foreign retailers will have to source 30% has come as a relief for the sector.
Industrialists meet Atwal seeking cut in steel pricesIndustrialists and exporters in Punjab, who are hit by rising steel prices, on Saturday met Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal and submitted a memorandum seeking reduction in rates of the metal, besides lowering excise duty.Load More
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Cost is considered a major barrier in the pursuit of health and fitness, according to recent research by Irish Health Life.
More than half of respondents (53 per cent ) to the research said staying fit is “expensive”.
The findings come as Irish Life Health launches its new BeneFit plans, which offer its members the opportunity to claim back on a wide range of health and wellness benefits, including sports club/gym membership/children’s fitness classes, dieticians and nutritionists, fitness wearables, and life coach consultations.
Each family member on the BeneFit Plan is entitled to claim back up to €250 on these wellness benefits. For example, a family of four can claim €250 per person on a combination of the approved wellness benefits on the plan.
Jim Dowdall, managing director of Irish Life Health, said: “We are always looking for new ways to help people take steps to be healthy, and so we are delighted to launch these innovative new plans that support people to proactively manage their health. Comprehensive hospital cover is of course a given with these plans, but we are delighted to offer our customers additional ways to embrace their health and wellbeing.”
The research also examined how parents in Ireland are working to incorporate fitness into family life, with a large majority (84 per cent ) saying they make it a priority to keep children fit and healthy all year round. However, with the colder months approaching, two thirds of parents say they struggle to get their family outside and active in winter.
The research showed that only 24 per cent of those surveyed believe wellness is a combination of physical fitness, mental wellbeing and nutrition - so as a nation, we are still on a journey to viewing health in a more holistic way.
More information on the new BeneFit plans is available on www.irishlifehealth.ie


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Search Results for: newsflash-allergy
A NY City father is searching for answers after his 7-year-old son, suffered a fatal anaphylactic reaction & asthma attack following Halloween festivities.
While 99 percent of nannies are aware a food allergy can be fatal, 46 percent were uncomfortable with using an auto-injector.
Study finds exposure on the skin can sensitize infants to peanut – before they’ve even had a taste of it.
Mother felt “shell-shocked” after 504 team agrees teachers can be ‘asked’ but not ‘required’ not to eat nuts in music and art common rooms.


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Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), India’s largest passenger car exporter and the second largest car manufacturer, has re-launched its nationwide service initiative – ‘Always Around’ campaign in a mega avatar for the seventh consecutive year.
On May 26th the ‘Hyundai Always Around’ campaign will provide free check-ups for its customers at convenient locations. Last year camp was organized at around 6962 locations. This year, the ‘Hyundai Always Around’ campaign, which has grown wider in terms of locations and reach, will continue till December, 2013 and will be seen covering 7,000 locations. Around 8,000 vehicles across 558 locations nationwide are expected to attend the camp on the launch day.
Commenting on the campaign Mr. Rakesh Srivastava, Sr. Vice President – Sales & Marketing, HMIL, said, “The ‘Hyundai Always Around’ campaign is an initiative to build a strong bond with our valuable customers. The campaign has been getting favorable response and the customers have also been appreciative of the campaign. This year also we are expecting to target our large customer base and we aim to provide them with the maximum benefit and services. I am sure with this initiative will help us further enhance our relations with our customers.”
The ‘Hyundai Always Around’ campaign will offer a comprehensive 18 point check-up with oil top-up and a thorough examination of the vehicle and services such as tyre and vehicle polishing, coolant and oil top-up. The Hyundai team will also collect suggestions and feedback on the performance of the vehicle & after sales service. The customers will also have a chance to see and test-drive the latest Hyundai cars which would be there on display at the venue.


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Entrepreneur James Park says he was out-of-shape, hanging out at home playing videogames, when he had the idea to build a new wearable tech device.
The Harvard dropout was taken by the way the then-new Nintendo NTDOY -1.57 % Wii combined motion sensors with software, so he and his longtime business partner looked to create something similar—but portable.
Today, Mr. Park, 37 years old, is chief executive of seven-year-old FitBit Inc., the top seller in the world of wearable fitness trackers, accounting for 67% of the market, according to NPD Group.
The San Francisco company—which suffered a setback recently when users began complaining that one of its wrist-worn gadgets caused rashes, blisters and burns—has raised more than $66 million from venture-capital firms Foundry Group, True Ventures and SoftTech VC. Its staff has tripled in the last 2½ years to 245 people.
WSJD is the Journal's home for tech news, analysis and product reviews.
Mr. Park, a "serial" entrepreneur whose previous ventures include a desktop-photo organizer that was acquired in 2005, says he was surprised when complaints started rolling in at the end of 2013 about FitBit Force, a $130 wrist-worn gadget. A Fitbit forum was flooded with descriptions of hundreds of users who said they were suffering from painful burning sensations on their wrists.
On Jan. 14, Mr. Park apologized on the company's website, writing that "multiple tests" by an independent lab had ruled out a mechanical or electrical defect, and added that the "skin irritation" was most likely an allergic reaction to nickel, a component of the steel in the Force.
Yet some users took photos of their red wrists and posted them to Flickr, with captions such as "Stupid rash from Fitbit Force," and "This ain't no allergic reaction."
By Feb. 20, Mr. Park decided to recall the product, creating a dedicated Web page and toll-free "hotline" for refunds.
Mr. Park, who declined to specify total expenses from the FitBit Force recall or whether the firm is profitable, recently talked to The Wall Street Journal about the rash crisis and the road ahead. Edited excerpts:
WSJ: You unveiled the first FitBit model at a tech conference in 2008. What did the quantified-self movement [the use of advanced sensors worn on the body to track personal health metrics] look like then?
Mr. Park: At that time, the market seemed to be split between really high-end sports watches and low-end, $15 pedometers that are not connected to the Internet.
There was really nothing that blended sophisticated technology with an affordable price. And neither the high end or the low end were good at software.
So we saw a market opportunity for something simple to use, that tracks sophisticated metrics, [and then makes that information] magically appear on the Web.
WSJ: You began accepting pre-orders immediately, even before the product was ready, using a "shadow testing" tactic. How did that work out?
Mr. Park: We were a bit naïve at that time. I had expected maybe 50 pre-orders, and we ended up with 2,000 or so.
We were about a year late in launching the product. We just had this prototype, but we discovered that its radio range was terrible.
There was a lot of hair pulling, sleepless nights and last-minute changes to the design. One of the cables was placed too close to the antenna, and we had to change that.
There has been a lot of experimentation. We've worked with different sensors, different form factors and different price points. People developed a trust in our brand.
Customers really like that we are improving and advancing the software over time. The hardware is the initial motivator to buy it, but what keeps people coming is the software.
WSJ: What makes building hardware so much tougher than, say, a software product?
Mr. Park: There have been a lot of challenges. Hardware is tough, and there are always trade-offs. The more sensors you put in, the larger the device, the more power consumed and the more cost. So you do the best you can.
If you are releasing software, you can do multiple deployments, and constantly tweak it. With hardware, you make your bet a year-and-a-half in advance, then you live with it. Mistakes can be expensive. Nowadays things are easier, because of Kickstarter and things like that. This is a capital-intensive business. I would tell others to maximize things like crowdfunding.
Hiring is also a constant challenge for us. We're based in San Francisco, and a lot of the hardware talent is down in Silicon Valley. It's a constant game of catch-up, hiring enough people to manage the growth. But hardware can be exciting for some people, more exciting than selling ads. We're a mission-driven company with a focus on health. We are going to open up our fifth office, all of this within the past seven years.
WSJ: What is the latest about the recall of the FitBit Force?
Mr. Park: It's a small percentage of people that have developed a rash—that's not to minimize it. This is a long journey. There's a lot of hard work. We've had a lot of challenges along the way. We share as much information as we can about what is happening. We want to do the right thing.
Write to Timothy Hay at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Hejaz Financial Services has become the first Islamic finance provider listed on HUB24.
As of Wednesday, Hejaz Financial Services’ Global Ethical Fund is available on HUB24, becoming the first ever Islamic superannuation product to be available on both HUB24’s IDPS and Super investment menus.
Through Hejaz’s Global Ethical Fund, advisers will be able to connect customers with an ultra-ethical product that has returned an average of 12.10 per cent p.a. gross over the last three years.
“Our vision is to provide world-leading financial products to Australian Muslims to help them grow their wealth in a way that doesn’t compromise their faith. Because many lack access to Islamic finance products, or are completely unaware of them, making the fund available on HUB24 is a major step towards giving Australian Muslims the tools to suitably manage their wealth.” said Muzzammil Dhedhy, COO at Hejaz Financial Services.
Recent research from Hejaz found that 36 per cent of Australian Muslims store considerable cash savings at home due to a lack of financial products that fit with their faith. This large addressable market is compounded by broad consumer demand for ethical investment products.
"Accessing Hejaz’s Global Ethical Fund via HUB24 enables advisers to better serve a community of 1.2 million people who are traditionally great savers and will be looking to access a range of services, from superannuation to personal or commercial property purchases,” Mr Dhedhy said.
Hejaz Finance has around 6,500 customers directly or through intermediaries, with 400 accredited mortgage brokers.
Ifa is pleased to announce that nominations and submissions for the 2022 ifa Excellence Awards are now open.
The corporate regulator has reiterated its focus on improving its reportable situations regime.
While the guidance is targeted at superannuation and investment funds, ASIC said it can also help companies to avoid greenwashing or overstating green...
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Yahoo will lay off approximately 5 percent of its global workforce as part of an aggressive initiative to cut costs. The announcement came as the company reported a year-over-year Q1 net income decline of 78 percent.
In its statement Yahoo said the layoffs would “allow flexibility for accelerated strategic investments and targeted hiring in its core operations.” The majority of affected employees will be notified within two weeks.
Yahoo reported first quarter net income of $118 million on revenue of $1.6 billion. Revenue dropped 13 percent compared with Q1 2008. Revenue from the company’s owned and operated sites declined 10 percent, slightly better than the 16 percent decline it saw in revenue from partner sites.
To some extent those figures mirrored Google’s Q1 earnings report earlier this week. While Google performed much better overall than Yahoo, growing its revenue year-over-year despite the recession, revenues generated by its Web site partners totaled $1.6 billion, a 3 percent drop compared to the year-ago period.
Yahoo’s layoffs this spring will mark its third large-scale workforce reduction in a little over a year. A year ago February the company let go an estimated 1,000 Yahoos, and last December another 1,400, representing approximately 10 percent, were handed pink slips. Based on its current headcount of 13,500, the impending round of cuts should affect roughly 675 people.
CEO Carol Bartz said cost savings generated by the staff cuts and other measures will be reinvested in the company’s core products. She called out nine products she called “imperative”: home page, sports, news, finance, entertainment, mail, search, and mobile.
“I want to be clear this is not the kind of across-the-board cost reduction Yahoo undertook in Q4,” said Bartz. “It is a natural outgrowth of the work we are doing to…streamline our products.”
Separately, Yahoo has hired Jeff Russakow as SVP of customer advocacy. He will lead a new customer advocacy group that aims to make Yahoo more efficient and responsive to advertisers and consumers. The group was created as part of a management overhaul Bartz initiated in February.
Amazon Prime was launched in 2005 as an express shipping membership program and more than a decade later it has tens of millions of subscribers who enjoy a lot more than just free, fast shipping on millions of products Amazon sells.
Here we take a look at sales and abandonment data from the 2016 Christmas shopping season.
Facebook isn't just the world's largest social network. In the past two years, it has also become one of the world's most popular online destinations for consuming video content.
This past November Google announced that it was starting to test indexing their mobile index as the primary index above desktop.


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Luetkemeyer Introduces Bill to Allow Financial Institutions Provide Flexibility and Forbearance to Customers
Washington, August 4, 2020
Tags: Financial Services
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) introduced a bill that would help financial institutions provide flexibility and forbearance to their customers following the economic interruption caused by COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has created an uncertain economic climate for the entire country. It has become clear that as the shutdown has lingered across the country and businesses look to get back on their feet, financial institutions will need to provide flexibility and forbearance to their customers for an extended period of time that goes beyond the provisions included in the CARES Act. My bill will provide a long-term solution to help get American businesses both large and small through this precarious time and our economy back on its feet.
Click HERE for bill text.


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Microsoft and Activision have new appointments before the CMA, next week will be loaded with new updates, news and maybe new disputes. What is clear is that the issue is far from over for now, as Microsoft’s purchase of Activision has caused quite a stir inside and outside the video game industry.
The UK CMA plans to begin its oral questioning next week. Be supposed to Microsoft would be on Tuesday, February 28, while Activision would have it the next day, on March 1. Sony would follow days later, as well as third parties.
Microsoft and Activision have new appointments before the CMA, what can we expect?
The CMA is the market regulatory commission in the United Kingdom, and as such is aware and in charge of the current situation of the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. Therefore, both parties are called to make a statement for the next week. On Tuesday, February 28 and Wednesday, March 1, both companies will provide their testimonies before the CMA.
We don’t know exactly what next week holds for us, but it is clear that the topic is far from over And in the same way we expect new developments and news that clearly update the news, and slightly decide the direction that the final decision about the purchase of Activision will take.
Microsoft and Activision have new appointments before the CMA. Having said this, we can only wait and be aware of new news that arises related to the subject, since the purchase of Activision has been on everyone’s lips and it is a decision that will tip the balance to one side or the other in the two positions that have been in the industry recently.


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A Waikanae property marketed by First National has attracted over 180 people at just three open homes, proving confidence is back in the Kapiti Coast property market.
First National Waikanae principal Ingrid Chew said that kind of interest was unheard of a year ago. The market had slowly recovered over the past 6 months and was now at “cruise altitude.”
Sales volumes in the business were up 50% on same time last year and enquiry was continuing to increase, after a tough 18 months.
“Properties in our area are now taking less time to sell. We sold one property recently after just one day on the market. It was well presented, in a good area and priced well.
“Prices have become more realistic. People are no longer scared of selling on a market where they may get a lower price than they initially felt their property was worth, when they realize they are buying at a lower price also,” Ms Chew said.
“It has taken a while for that to sink in but people are coming to terms with the new level where the market has now stabilized.
“As well as providing somewhere stable and attractive to live, property for a lot of people will always be a sound, long term investment.”
The landmark Waikanae property, marketed by First National’s Grant Longstaff, had not been on the market for 27 years.
It is a picture perfect colonial style weatherboard home with character, set in almost one acre of botanical gardens, maginificent mature trees and vast lawns. With an RV of $480,000 a couple has just bought it at auction for $702,000.


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– this really is a turning point for the continuous try to guarantee that customers’ security is actually shielded using the internet. Your data shelter council (Datatilsynet) features evidently proven that it really is unsatisfactory for businesses to build up and express personal data without user?s authorization, Finn Myrstad, director of digital strategy inside Norwegian market Council stated.
In 2020, the Norwegian Consumer Council revealed just how many software obtain and show large sums of vulnerable data without consumers’ facts. According to these finding, the client Council filed legal claims, in addition to noyb, the European facility for online correct, up against the going out with app Grindr and five business mate for breaches regarding the standard info policies legislation (GDPR). Read More


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‘The India Story’ can be a success only with thriving Supply Chains
India is ambitious and not hiding from the fact that if it wants to be the third largest economy in the world, it needs to increase its manufacturing output. Currently India is a service dominated economy and while this will continue to be our strong suit, we cannot afford to ignore manufacturing and logistics. recent research, cross-border trade represents 20% of global e-commerce and is growing at a 2x rate than domestic e-commerce.
The Indian government and economy experts are on the same page here if we see the recent events. The announcement of The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), on the sidelines of G20 is a major indicator of this. The upcoming Logistics Framework by the end of September and government’s commitment to raising manufacturing to 25% from current 17.7% of the GDP by 2025, all indicate that the government wants to improve and expand the manufacturing and logistics sector.
Recently, PM rolled out a mix of tariffs and incentives to attract companies to ‘Make in India’ as many businesses are looking to diversify from China. While this is a great opportunity for us, it is important that India acts fast to ensure the advantage stays with us. Small countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Taiwan are developing themselves as a credible manufacturing hub. The investor confidence is high there.
For India to be seen as a more reliable manufacturing partner, we need to develop a holistic approach as the long-term success in the global manufacturing landscape hinges on it.
India's ambition to become a global manufacturing hub hinges on three key factors
The first critical factor is the opportunity to establish robust supply chains, and routes like IMEC will do that. The current geo-political situation has made it imperative to have such robust supply chains in place.
The second factor involves aligning physical production infrastructure with digital capabilities to offer cutting-edge products to the world. India's Performance-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, encompassing fourteen sectors, is expected to boost exports and drive innovation for product differentiation.
Lastly, India's path to manufacturing prominence demands a focus on workforce skilling, innovation, quality, and sustainability, rather than relying solely on cost advantages.
The Importance of an Efficient Supply Chain in India's Development
A robust supply chain is the lifeblood of any thriving economy, and India is no exception. Streamlined and strong supply chain will heighten India's ability to efficiently move goods from manufacturers to consumers and markets.
An effective supply chain reduces lead times, minimises costs, and enhances overall productivity. It allows businesses to respond swiftly to market demands, ensures the availability of essential goods, and promotes economic resilience.
Furthermore, an efficient supply chain empowers MSME’s to participate and be competitive at a global scale. Currently, India has the power of 3 D’s - Diversification, Dividend and Demand, which makes India a lucrative market as well as a global manufacturer.
The early success that India achieved with smartphone manufacturing, like Apple and Samsung, should now be replicated in other sectors as well, and logistics will play a key role here.
India has made striking progress in four of the six World Bank's Logistics Performance Index (LPI) indicators, encompassing infrastructure, international shipments, logistics quality and competence, and timeliness; climbing 6 places in the LPI since 2018, now securing 38th position among 139 nations. This remarkable ascent not only reflects India's growing digital and infrastructure initiatives but also holds immense promise for its future on the global stage.
Things that we need to work on to improve this record even further are –
Free Trade Warehousing Zones (FTWZs): Boosting Exports and Attracting Foreign Investment
Free Trade Warehousing Zones (FTWZs) have proven to be a game-changer for India’s logistic landscape. By providing state-of-the-art infrastructure and streamlined customs procedures, FTWZs have become magnets for foreign investment. These zones offer a seamless platform for businesses to store, process, and export goods with ease, making it a destination for global manufacturers and traders. Not only do FTWZs bolster exports by enhancing logistics and reducing costs, but they also promote job creation and technology transfer. As of now there are 8 approved free trade and warehousing zones in India of which 3 are operational. All these are developed by private developers. As the number of operational FTWZ grows in India, they will play a pivotal role in attracting foreign capital and driving the nation's economic growth.
Skilling the Workforce
As manufacturing grows, we will need allied services and logistics to make the home grown manufacturing competitive. We will need a skilled workforce to achieve this. India is in the population dividend zone, i.e we have a large working population which can be creators as well as consumers. This workforce needs to be skilled to make them at par with global standards. To achieve this, skilling programs at universities and finishing schools is essential. Sectors like logistics, too can emphasise on continuous training to ensure their workforce is at par with the global workforce.
Digitization is rapidly transforming the way businesses and governments around the world are functioning. India’s thrust for digitization and sustainability is well documented and hence it is only natural that these factors transform the logistics sector as well. Increased digitization, both at government and partner level, will improve transparency, reduce red tape, boost business confidence and help ensure standardisation.
Push for Automation
India needs to focus on being known for its quality, speed and reliability. This can be achieved with greater innovation, increased automation and focusing on ensuring that the workforce is agile and equipped with the latest knowledge and technology.As an integrated logistics service provider, we are excited about this opportunity. There is a collective responsibility on all stakeholders to seize the opportunity and make the most of it to become the third largest economy in the world by 2025.


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Unreal Engine is now safe from Apple’s impending removal. The judge handling the Epic vs. Apple trial permanently blocked the tech giant for the trial duration.
Unreal Engine is the game engine developed by Tim Sweeney and owned by Epic Games. The Engine, used by many games on both iOS and different platforms, is crucial for mobile devs. With Apple unable to touch it, the company is now unable to use it as a hostage.
Judge prevents “adverse action” against “Epic Affiliates”
The trial between Epic and Apple is not going to start until May next year. Until then, there were fears of an Apple retaliation, not against Epic but against their Engine. The potential disabling of dev accounts for Unreal can be destructive for the industry.
Unreal is one of the most versatile and most powerful gaming engines available. Devs from both PC, mobile, and even console rely on it to work. For the iOS dev space, its loss can mean security issues for the entire industry.
United States District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers made a recent restraining order permanent. In an order filed last Friday, October 9, Rogers prevents Apple from taking action against Epic. The order is in regard to the current Apple Dev Program.
“Apple and all persons in active concert or participation with Apple, are preliminarily enjoined from taking adverse action against the Epic Affiliates with respect to restricting, suspending or terminating the Epic Affiliates from the Apple’s Developer Program, on the basis that Epic Games enabled IAP direct processing in Fortnite through means other than the Apple IAP system, or on the basis of the steps Epic Games took todo so,” said the conclusion.
Unreal protected for public, not for Epic
The protection given to Unreal Engine is not there to help Epic Games at all. The gaming industry’s mere balance relies on UE staying clear of the spat between Epic and Apple Rogers understands this in deep detail.
“The record shows potential significant damage to both the Unreal Engine platform itself, and to the gaming industry generally, including on both third-party developers and gamers,” says the filing.
“The public context in which this injury arises differs significantly: not only has the underlying agreement not been breached, but the economy is in dire need of increasing avenues for creativity and innovation, not eliminating them. Epic Games and Apple are at liberty to litigate against each other, but their dispute should not create havoc to bystanders…”
Though Unreal Engine will have its support continued for iOS devs, Fortnite isn’t so lucky. The game may as well be dead on the iOS, with the courts denying its reinstatement. Though a previous compromise came, Epic declined to work with Apple.
Featured image courtesy of Unreal Engine/Youtube Screenshot