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China's Videogame Market Forecasted to Become $2.0 Billion by 2009
From hdtvbuyer.com: Videogame Market In China Explodes Despite Piracy
"Niko Partners, a leading market research firm, today announced that the videogame market in China is experiencing rapid growth, particularly in the online games segment. According to a new report released by the company, online games revenue is forecast to reach $2.0 billion by 2009. Additionally, China had 28.8 million gamers in 2004 and Niko Partners projects that number to grow to 55.5 million gamers by 2009."
"Online games are emerging as the preferred platform for gamers and publishers," said Lisa Cosmas Hanson, managing partner, Niko Partners. "The online game platform is an excellent solution for the Chinese market, meeting the consumer demands for social interaction, entertainment, and intellectual stimulation. It also meets the needs of publishers because revenue is earned from fees gamers pay to play games, rather than from purchases of game software units that have long been the victim of piracy in China."
"Niko Partners projects that the online games market will rise at a compound annual growth rate of 33.8% from $467.8 million in 2004, to $2.0 billion in 2009."


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Jonesboro woman finds something unexpected in her car
JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - A device small as a quarter is what people are using to secretly track others.
“It popped up I have an AirTag following and I’m like, no,” said a Jonesboro woman that did not want to be identified for her safety.
This was a shocking alert she received on her phone as she got into her car Monday.
“The location of this AirTagcan be seen by the owner. Your air tag has been found moving with you,” she said.
At the time, she did not even know what an Air Tag was until she received a notification that she was being tracked.
“On my way to work and I went to hook my phone up to listen to music and then it popped up I have an AirTag following and I’m like, no,” said the woman.
Apple released its AirTag device in April of this year.
The release announcement said it is a device to help people track what matters most to them, but recently that device has been used to track people.
After a long weekend of shopping for a Christmas tree, she said she has no idea when this was put on her car.
“And as soon as it got eye level, I jumped. Cause it was taped right here,” she said
Robert Sexton, a CID Detective with the Paragould Police Department, said this is something that people should watch out for more often.
“That can lead to a lot of issues. It’s not something that we think about every day. We just typically just out and get in our cars and go about our business. It’s definitely something to keep an eye out for,” said Sexton.
The woman said after she found the device, she put it in a plastic bag and took it to the Jonesboro Police Department.
Sexton said tracking someone and their location without their permission is criminal and with the holidays approaching more crimes like this are starting to appear.
The woman said the AirTag was taped to her trunk.
She also said she will not be shopping alone anytime soon.
Sexton said this is a great reminder to stay attentive to your surroundings.
Copyright 2021 KAIT. All rights reserved.

domain: news


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Smartphone leaks are very commonplace these days and nearly every OEM is at risk of being leaked. Honor is the latest OEM to have a yet to be released smartphone leaked, the Honor 20 Pro. Previous leaks have already shown the new device in three colors but the latest leak reveals a new white gradient color.
This new color looks to shimmer and color shift like a rainbow. It’s very much like what Samsung has done with their white gradient S10+. All four of the Honor 20 Pro colors are attractive and we’re hoping we’ll have a review unit once the company announces the device to the public.
For now, all we know is that Honor, as with previous phones, is going to be concentrating on the cameras on the new device. As you can see from the photos in our feature image, there are 4 cameras on the rear. Rumor has it that the 20 Pro will be borrowing some of the technology in the Huawei P30 Pro for the cameras.
There’s not much more to talk about other than the color of the 20 Pro and the quad-camera setup. No other hardware or specification leaks have appeared and we’re expecting the 20 Pro to be announced around May 21st.
Last week we received a tip about the Honor 20 Moschino variant being launched and announced in London on May 21st, so maybe the Honor 20 Pro will show up at the same time. Honor phones aren’t heavily used in the United States but they are some of the best devices I’ve personally used. Especially for the price point most of their line sits in. Be sure to check out our Honor View 20 review here.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.


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A new software release from Lightning Labs targets a risk for users: the chance they'll lose funds if their hardware is having problems.
Lightning Labs has put out an alpha release for its lightning desktop app for bitcoin's mainnet.
Bitcoin spenders can use the lightning network to shop at e-commerce sites like Amazon, thanks to a new browser extension.
With $1.5 million in seed funding secured, Bolt Labs wants to bring privacy features to the lightning network and other blockchain solutions.
Pantera-backed Sparkswap has launched to offer pro traders litecoin-to-bitcoin atomic swaps using the lightning network.
Radar Relay, a decentralized exchange for trading tokens over ethereum, is branching out into bitcoin lightning technology.
Bitcoin startup Bitrefill is launching a new service aimed at helping onboard users of the lightning network more quickly.
The globe-trotting bitcoin payments experiment is nearing its end, having attracted participants like Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
A new service has launched to make it easier for people to accept money on bitcoin's lightning payments network.
Booted from India in a crypto banking crackdown, Zebpay is the latest exchange to use the lightning network to attract users.


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|A sight from the B2B event held by the Sri Lanka Chamber of Garment Exporters (SLCGE) and its partner Sri Lanka Apparel Sourcing Association (SLASA) recently|
Metallics, neon colours, laser cuts, sequins and leather vied for attention when Brandix, Sri Lanka’s inspiration-driven apparel manufacturer, brought the curtain down on the ‘Fashion Innovation Runway’ of the Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) with a show-stealing segment.
Sri Lanka Design Festival’s 2014 fashion edition concluded recently with a preview into Sri Lanka’s brand-led future in fashion. Taking a giant step forward from the country’s longstanding reputation as a sustainable and technologically advanced manufacturing destination, Sri Lanka is about to cement its position as a fashion industry with its own brands. Sri Lanka Design Festival became the platform for this major step for Sri Lanka.
Coats Plc, the world’s leading industrial thread and consumer textile crafts business, has launched its new e-commerce service for the local apparel industry.
The launch of Coats’ eComm website took place during the Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF), where Coats played a key role as the thread and zip partner. Linda Speldewinde, the Founder and Managing Director of SLDF and AOD International Design Campus, launched the service in Sri Lanka on 6 December during an exclusive event held as part of SLDF and attended by key apparel industry leaders.
Journal & Directory of the Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association, containing valuable information with regard to the apparel industry.
Issue No. 88


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Recent movements on the market show that the prices of a very famous British company, Barclays PLC are up 7.5%. The increase comes after a very hard several months for the company, as the virus affected the prices of the shares of the company a lot. In the third quarter, the company had reported a huge drop in provisions for bad loans. The initial huge impact of the coronavirus on the company has also lessened, as a result, the company has managed to draw much better profits than expected.
In the last three months, according to official information from ten companies, the UK bank took as much as £608m impairment charges. The number is definitely a lot higher than it was last year, however, the price is very much down from the first half of 2020. The first half of the year was very hard for many different parts of the economy.
As top stock brokers on the market announced, once the Covid-19 fist spread around the world, most of the investors started panicking which ended up in 2020 Stock Market Crash. Because of the situation, many companies like this one had a lot of problems.
Most of these companies are claiming that they are having a very hard time overcoming the challenges that were created during these times even today. However, as the current movements on the market indicate, Barclays was able to overcome some of the challenges and the situation is getting a little better for it.
Prices of Barclays of the Last Few Months
As can be seen in the chart shown above, the prices of the company have been changing a lot recently. The Covid-19 pandemic had a huge effect on many markets around the world, and the impact of it can be seen on the chart of this company’s prices as well. First, in December, the prices of the shares of the company were up. However, it started going down as the virus first spread in China.
As the virus spread around the world, the prices of the shares of companies like Barclays went down. During the stock market crash of 2020, the prices of the shares of the company were very down. It got better over the next few weeks but went down again in April. After that, the prices were recovering for some time, but, as can be seen in the chart above, the situation got worse again once the second wave of the virus started.
As of now, the prices of the shares of the company are up, but experts are having a very hard time predicting the future of the prices of the company. As most of the experts are claiming, the shares of the company are very hard to predict because of the ever-changing situation. The further spread of coronavirus means that it could once again affect the prices of companies around the world, which will be very hard to overcome by the market.
Today, the company has announced the third-quarter income. The next profit and pretax profit were much higher than the market expected, despite booking a considerable amount of provisions. The total income of the company has increased to GBP5.20 billion. It was previously anticipated that this would decline to GBP4.85 billion, however, it managed to overcome the challenges that it was facing. Also, it has ended the period with a common equity Tier 1 ratio, which is a key measure of balance-sheet strength, of as much as 14.6%. Last year, the same number was just 13.8%.
Barclays PLC is a very famous British multination investment bank and financial services company. The company is headquartered in London, England, and in addition to investment banking, the company is also organized into four different businesses, such as personal banking, corporate banking, wealth management, and investment management.
As of now, the situation of the company stands at a place where it is worth investing in it. The P/E ratio stands around 17, which is a great number for investors. Also, experts are saying that as time goes, the prices of the shares of the companies will be able to increase again, which will create a very rewarding situation for investors. However, at this point, since it is very much unclear what will happen in regards to the Covid-19 situation around the world, it is almost impossible to tell how the prices of the shares of the company will change in the coming few weeks.


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Here are the most important news, trends and analysis that investors need to start their trading day:
1. The first trading day of 2022 looks set to pick up where it left off last year.
Trader on the New York Stock Exchange, December 31, 2021.
Dow futures were up more than 150 points, or about 0.5%, on Monday, the first trading day of the new year. Futures pegged to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq pointed to even stronger upside gains on the open, as the number of Covid cases surpassed pandemic highs a year ago. Tesla shares jumped 7.5% in premarket after car shipments topped forecasts in 2021. Tesla has risen in price by almost 50% last year. That’s nearly double the S&P 500 at nearly 27% in 2021, the third straight positive year for the index. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq also posted a three-year streak, jumping 18.7% and about 21.4% over the year, respectively.
2. A week ahead: Fed minutes, three labor market reports.
The Marriner S. Ackles Federal Reserve Building in Washington DC, USA, Sunday, December 19, 2021.
Samuel Corum | Bloomberg | Getty Images
With the first bell of Monday on Wall Street, the clock begins to count down the quarter when the first Federal Reserve interest rate hike since 2018. The Fed is to release minutes of its December meeting on Wednesday, at which central banks announced they would accelerate the cut in Covid-era bond purchases. The December ADP report on hiring in US companies is also out on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday’s weekly initial jobless claims and last month’s government employment report on Friday.
3. Tesla shares jumped after fourth-quarter shipments set a record.
Tesla Model 3 is plugged into the mains and is being charged at the Supercharger fast charging station in Bershteland, Germany on March 2, 2021.
Thomas Koehler | Phototech | Getty Images
Tesla said Sunday it delivered 308,600 EVs in the fourth quarter and 936,172 EVs for the full year of 2021. both easily outperformed the ratings. Annual deliveries are up 87% since 2020, when the EV maker reported its first annual profit of 499,647 units. Analysts had expected Tesla to ship 267,000 units in the fourth quarter of 2021, of which 897,000 for the full year. The company is expected to begin production of the Model Y crossover at its new plant in Austin, Texas next year. He also plans to open another plant in Brandenburg, Germany in 2022.
Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on December 1, 2021.
Kevin Lamarck | Reuters
Dr. Anthony Fauci said The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering including a negative test in its five-day isolation guidelines for Americans infected with Covid but showing no symptoms. “I think we will soon learn more about this from the CDC,” the White House chief medical adviser said Sunday. The CDC received a significant scrapping from last week’s updated guidelines that cut isolation times from 10 days to five. The FDA said last week that preliminary studies show home rapid tests detect a variant of the omicron, but may have reduced sensitivity.
5. Airlines are canceling more flights to the US as tourist travel problems continue.
Travelers make their way through Miami International Airport on December 28, 2021 in Miami, Florida.
Joe Radl | Getty Images
The airlines canceled more than 1,700 flights on Monday. addition to bulk cancellations on holidays. Airlines canceled more than 13,000 flights, or 5.6% of their schedule, between Christmas Eve and New Years, according to FlightAware. The airlines blamed the interruptions on a combination of bad weather and omicronic infections that limited staff work. The chaos in travel came in what airlines expected to be one of the busiest days since the pandemic began. Last year, the Transportation Security Administration checked nearly 580 million people, up 79% from 2020. However, this is still about 30% less than in 2019, before Covid.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow all market activities like a pro CNBC Pro… Get the latest news on the pandemic with CNBC Coronavirus Coverage…


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What pandemic? It’s a question you might ask when analyzing responses to What Consumers Expect From Their Grocery Shopping Experiences, a PYMNTS and ACI Worldwide collaboration.
According to the new census-balanced survey of over 2,300 U.S. consumers, the majority of grocery shopping still takes place inside grocery stores, and not online.
Per the study, “Despite the digital shift that has taken place over the last 18 months, shopping at physical grocery stores remains prevalent, as 94 percent report shopping in stores at least some of the time. Consumers are nearly twice as likely to have shifted to digital channels to shop for retail products online than they are to have shifted for grocery items.”
When it comes to the digital shift in grocery, on the other hand, it’s quite real, with researchers finding that 34 percent of consumers “shop for at least some of their groceries online, and the share jumps to 57 percent among millennials.” Among these cohorts, curbside pickup “is nearly as popular a digital channel as grocery delivery, as close to 20 percent employ each.”
This gets even more interesting as we track how digital-first grocery customers’ shopping behaviors align with preferred payment methods.
Motivated more by mobility and digital ease, researchers found that 55 percent of those who buy groceries online “make their purchases through mobile devices, and this finding corresponds to a wide use of payment methods. Thirty-one percent of online grocery shoppers use PayPal, while 22 percent use other mobile wallets, such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.”
Digital Shift in Grocery Sector Stays Fresh
A burning question since the digital shift began in earnest in 2020 is whether it will last.
What Consumers Expect From Their Grocery Shopping Experiences provides answers, noting the “pandemic was a catalyst for the long-term adoption of new habits,” and adding, “More than three-quarters of those who increased their use of digital grocery shopping channels said they did so because digital channels provide an easier and more convenient way to shop. Avoiding COVID-19 was a less common motivation, cited by 59 percent of shoppers.”
Compare that to October 2020, when 64 percent of grocery shoppers cited virus fears.
This shift is attended by other changes, such as getting one’s groceries once ordered.
“Digital technology has opened several channels to grocery shopping that have caught on with consumers,” according to the new study. “Home delivery is the most common and preferred channel, yet curbside pickup is not far behind: 20 percent use it, and 7 percent prefer it. Interestingly, the use of and preference for aggregators — services that offer delivery services from multiple stores — is considerably lower than other channels. These findings suggest that grocery shoppers have affinities for their favorite stores and wish to maintain these connections when using digital channels, whether through direct delivery or curbside pickup.”
While the data shows consumers have definite favorite stores and payment methods, competing retailers can do more to capitalize on trends as the shift takes on permanence.
For example, the study states, “Among those who have purchased nonfood products at their favorite grocery stores, 27 percent say these items were an incentive for them to visit more often over the last 18 months. The effect is particularly strong for millennials: 49 percent believe nonfood offerings motivated them to make more trips.”
However, 56 percent of consumers said they would forego favorite stores “if they could obtain nonfood products and services. One-third would be ‘somewhat’ likely to try new stores in this scenario, and 23 percent would be ‘very’ or ’extremely’ likely to do so.”
Similarly, payments options are almost as big a draw as convenience, at least for the digerati.
“Payment variety and flexibility at checkout is always an important part of online commerce, but they are especially crucial for mobile users, who tend to place a premium on one-touch, seamless options like mobile wallets,” according to What Consumers Expect From Their Grocery Shopping Experiences, with online credit card use pegged just north of 65 percent and debit use at roughly 57 percent.
As for other mainstream methods, 31 percent are using PayPal, 17 percent use Apple Pay, and 13 percent use Google Pay, researchers found, adding that EBT cards are also used by 12 percent online, “about the same share who report using them in store.”


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Despite the personal benefits that individual delegates enjoy, it is noticeable now that the growth in the financial planning profession is gaining momentum.
The role of the financial planner has been set out and the competences defined. These will be tested with the certified financial planner community at the end of 2009 when all CFP professionals will be asked to set out a response detailing exactly what they do in their day-to-day dealings with clients.
This feedback will be invaluable as the IFP considers relevant curricula to build future tests for financial planners and continues the ground breaking work with universities.
The role of the paraplanner has been detailed and standards agreed. An examination syllabus is now in place and this test will be positioned at QCF level four to reflect the requirements of the FSA’s retail distribution review. The first examinations will be held at the beginning of 2010.
Having set out the roles so that there is clarity for financial planners, it is time to turn to the financial planning business itself and what actually constitutes a financial planning firm. At the IFP conference, president Barry Horner set out a vision for a financial planning firm which would truly enable the consumer to find a service appropriate to their needs.
The FSA’s RDR does not go far enough to differentiate the type of firms that exist and there is still time to do more.
The IFP’s response to the RDR will focus on these opportunities and set out the alternative models that might easily exist with a little more courage.
The large firms’ symposium showed that despite the challenges that businesses face, the desire to achieve a consistent client delivery is uppermost in their priorities alongside the build- ing of a profitable scalable business.
The IFP has captured what would be required within a classic financial planning business and will be using this as a template to launch a register of financial planning firms in 2010. This will complete the framework that the profession still lacks to then build at pace an outcome that everybody can be proud of.
What was very clear at the conference is the general recognition that fee-based financial planning businesses are going to lead the way over the next few years.
At the IFP strategy meeting in November, the IFP board will apply the finishing touches to our plans to accelerate their growth and to enable more firms to prepare themselves for the business model that they desire in plenty of time for 2013.
Sorry if you missed this year’s conference – it will be even bigger and better in 2010. Hope to see you before that.
Nick Cann is chief executive of the Institute of Financial Planning


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Breaking Through the Circular Economy Barriers
[Editor’s Note: The U.S. Chamber Foundation’s 2017 Sustainability and Circular Economy Summit will be held on June 26-28 in Washington, D.C. The event will convene thought leaders and experts in the sustainability and circular economy field, to discuss how organizations can overcome barriers to start implementing the circular economy. Click here to register for this can’t-miss event.]
I recently spoke about corporate sustainability to Dr. Dan Fiorino’s class of highly educated graduate students at American University. When I mentioned all the exciting opportunities coming with the circular economy, I was met with a room full of empty stares. Dr. Fiorino asked me to explain what the circular economy is in a way that the students, who didn’t work in the field, would understand and admittedly, I had a difficult time explaining.
While many definitions exist for the circular economy, it’s still challenging to explain it in plain speak to our fellow employees, bosses, supply chain partners, customers, and others who we need to collaborate with to accelerate our progress. For the Chamber Foundation, the Circular Economy is designing waste out of the system and, in the process, creating regenerative value as opposed to the traditional linear economy (take, make, dispose model of production). The Ellen Macarthur Foundation has a more detailed definition:
“Looking beyond the current "take, make and dispose” extractive industrial model, the circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design. Relying on system-wide innovation, it aims to redefine products and services to design waste out, while minimising negative impacts. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the circular model builds economic, natural and social capital.”
While these convey a clear message to those of us already in the know, we need even more compelling ways to communicate the power of the Circular Economy to the unconverted masses, including our co-workers, our bosses, and the consumers who buy our products. In a meeting with USCCF environmental shape-leaders, defining and communicating circular economy and finding ways to engage employees and the value chain on the approach was identified as a priority for the work-program.
In addition to the communication challenges, the innovation that is central to achieving the circular economy is not easy to employ at scale within many large organizations. Some of the organizational challenges within the innovation space include:
- Risk-averse culture
- Silos that make it difficult to do cross-functional, cross-geographical collaboration
- Internal competition for funding within a framework of short-term ROI
- Lack of training and awareness of innovation and collaboration tools and processes
Joseph Walicki, Vice President and President, Power Solutions for Johnson Controls, writes in this article, “As the world continues to grow, so does our environmental footprint. Last year…it was noted that three quarters of all raw materials used in industrialized countries end up in landfills in just one year...The circular economy can dramatically alter that trend and create a more sustainable and profitable future.”
Walicki goes on to note five things company leaders can do to create a truly circular economy. Read the full article here.
For some organizations, where to even begin may seem over-whelming. But it does not have to be. There are tried and true processes in design thinking, shared value creation, lateral thinking, lean startup, and other innovation approaches and tools that can be applied to the circular economy space. We will be scoping these communication and organizational challenges more at the “From Aspiration to Implementation” Circular Economy conference in D.C., June 26-28. Come join the conversation as we think about ways to arm organizations with the tools they need to scale up the circular economy.
 From Jeffrey Phillips, OVO Innovation, “Make Us More Innovative: Critical Factors for Innovation Success”.


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The $3 billion lawsuit filed by former Saab parent company Spyker against General Motors has been thrown out by a US district judge who ruled that GM had the right to prevent the sale of Saab to Chinese investors – perhaps finally ending the long, painful era of Spyker-owned Saab.
General Motors has reportedly dismissed the allegations presented by former Saab brand parent company Spyker after the struggling Swedish automaker filed a $3 billion dollar suit against GM for making moves to intentionally bankrupt the Saab brand when the American automaker refused to approve the sale of the Saab brand to Chinese investors.
General Motors has been granted a 30 day extension to reply to the absurd $3 billion lawsuit presented by Spyker which claims that GM intentionally worked to drive the Saab brand into bankruptcy after Spyker purchased the failing brand from GM.
Saab lovers around the world got their wish earlier this month when the firm National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) purchased the Saab automobile brand but one aspect that the new owners seemed to overlook when making the bargain basement purchase deal for Saab was the legal rights behind using the Saab name and logo.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that they have upgraded their preliminary investigation of the 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer to an engineering analysis while also adding the GMC, Buick, Saab and Isuzu, a move which could lead to a recall of 341,786 vehicles in the US.
Bankrupt automaker Saab has been purchased by a consortium of Chinese and Japanese companies specializing in clean energy technology investment, who plans to resurrect Saab as an electric car maker with sales initially targeted for the Chinese electric car market.
There have been a great many rumors about companies interested in purchasing the bankrupt Saab brand but according to Swedish media outlets, a Swedish electric car company has made a bid for the majority of the Saab brand – although all parties involved are not commenting in support or in denial of these reports.
The automaker Spyker has been through a rocky few years, first buying the struggling Saab brand from GM, then changing the company name to Swedish Automobile NV only to facr complete ruin in the wake of a failed attempt to rejuvenate Saab but the dying company has announced that they intend to take back the name Spyker NV.
It seems the story of Saab, the Swedish automaker, keeps having an interesting turn or twist. Saab United, a Saab enthusiast website, has reported that unfinished Saabs left sitting on the production line have been bought and will be finished by a dealership.
Saab Automobile, the venerable brand from Sweden, entered bankruptcy last December. The trustees of the company have been seeking bids from international and Swedish investors looking to rescue and revive the now dormant company. Offers were due yesterday and the auto world is waiting anxiously to hear the results.
Saab has some good news finally. To be honest, it is great news! The historic and world-famous Saab museum in Trollhattan, is not going anywhere. It has been bought by the city of Trollhattan, Saab AB, and the Wallenberg foundation.
Saab is slowing losing some extremely vital employees, its engineers. Yesterday Saab's key Technical Director, Mats Fägerhag, has jumped shipped to another Swedish automaker, Volvo. What does this mean for the future of Saab?
It seems the saga of the Swedish automaker Saab has another interesting twist. Several news sources are reporting that key Saab's officials are in China. Apparently they were invited there by the Chinese automaker, Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile, to have talks about buying Saab, again.
As part of its restructuring after bankruptcy, Swedish automaker Saab is liquidating its world-famous museum in Trollhattan, including all 123 cars contained within it. This means some very valuable, collectible, and one-off prototypes will be entering private collections soon.
According to the internet gurus at Saabs United, Saab will send a small portion of its workforce back into the Trollhattan plant to resume production – but only of vehicles already underway when production came to a halt in early 2011.
It was recently announced that Saab, the venerable Swedish automaker, filed for bankruptcy protection. Saab did not need to do this though, as it had a chance with two Chinese firms to pull itself out from the dire financial situation it found itself in. However, General Motors (GM), blocked the deal. This begs the question... why can't Saab get a bailout?
The Saab brand officially appears to be dead with government aided bankruptcy and liquidation processes well under way, but things have just gotten worse for current owners and Saab dealerships as the Swedish automaker has announced that all standing warranties on privately owned vehicles will no longer be honored and new vehicles sold from now on will not come with any of the warranties previously offered.
Sweden - Unless you live under a rock, it has become common knowledge in the automotive world that Saab is in very bad shape but it appears that the dieing Swedish automaker has been saved by their would-be Chinese investment partner Youngman Lotus with a cash influx of around $5 million - with more money slated to shift from Youngman’s account to Saab’s in the coming weeks.
It has been an unfortunately exciting year for Saab and new parent company Swan with an incredibly valiant effort to reincarnate the Swedish automaker under new ownership but it was announced this morning that Saab has officially been sold to Pang Da and Youngman Lotus – the two Chinese firms that were set to invest in Saab to help it survive.
Saab and parent company Swedish Automobiles NV (Swan) has reportedly canceled the investment deals with Chinese firms Pang Da and Youngman Lotus after the two Chinese firms each made low-buck buyout offers last week - effectively preventing themselves from receiving the $340 million that the automaker had been desperately hoping for as they work through government assisted reorganization.
Last week, we brought you the news that Saab and parent Company Swedish Automobiles NV (Swan) had received the first installment of a massive bridge loan with help from soon-to-be Chinese partner Youngman Lotus and today, there is more good news as Saab has entered into an agreement with American firm North Street Capital – a deal that will bring the company some $70 million.
As Saab teeters on the edge of bankruptcy while attempting to shelter themselves under the protective arm of the Swedish government during corporate restructuring, the struggling Swedish automaker has reportedly received the first chunk of a $97 million dollar bridge loan with help from one of the Chinese firms hoping to buy into Saab.


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28 Sep 2017.
A lot of bitcoin proponents don't know about another fork called Bitcoin Gold (BTG ) that's scheduled to take place on October 25th.
For too long, Bitcoin has been held back by the centralized mining industry.
a “troll attempt” to create confusion and dilute the power of the Bitcoin Cash fork and Segwit2x.
Bitcoin Date De Creation Google 4 Jul 2019. Facebook's Libra is not a cryptocurrency and won't offer the kinds of. up-to-date record of all account balances on the network and makes. Libra has waxed poetic about creating an inclusive, border-transcending. Google launches Android Studio 4.0 with Motion Editor, Build Analyzer, and Java 8 APIs. Bitcoin is a digital currency that
Bitcoin Cash is a cryptocurrency that is a fork of Bitcoin. Bitcoin Cash is a spin-off or altcoin that.
In July 2017, the Bitcoin Cash name was proposed by mining pool ViaBTC.
for commerce while the Bitcoin-supporting faction view bitcoin's primary use.
"Ethereum Seeks to Prove a Crypto Fork Need Not Be Contentious ".
Blockchain. Actor-network theory. Heterogeneity. Bitcoin. Split. Fork.
Bitcoin Cash (BCH), for instance, resulted from a Bitcoin (BTC) split due to a.
Blockchain splits have been widely discussed, both in the news and in social media.
Miners comprise individuals with limited computing power as well as large companies.
2 Nov 2017.
Cryptocurrency architects have unveiled Bitcoin Gold, a new.
The Big Stories.
This second fork would create yet another distinct bitcoin-based cryptocurrency.
bitcoin's existing mining algorithm with one that is far cheaper to run,
of miners who have dominated control over the bitcoin blockchain.
23 Oct 2017.
If you follow Ethereum or cryptocurrency, you may have heard that.
“With this fork, there is a battle over Bitcoin — the name and brand and which chain is the true Bitcoin.
The other side says: Let's just make the house bigger.
Of the known plans, 15.6% of miners will definitely mine 2x, 12.5% will let.
Coinbase, BitGo and Genesis all have strong growth trajectories and balance sheets. But with that stability comes a certain.
29 Jul 2019.
Bitcoin (BTC) has had many forks over the years, most of which have faded into obscurity.
Ultimately, BSV aimed to “replace every payment system in the world with a.
the forks have had on metrics like hash rate and mining revenue.
A large portion of BSV's OP_RETURN transactions, for example,
Bitcoin Blockchain Data Structure Bitcoin Transaction Id Card Coinbase Crashed As Bitcoin Soared $3 One small cryptocurrency that isn’t even in the top 30 most valuable tokens has suddenly soared—climbing a staggering 230%. 9 Jan 2018. Coinbase and Overstock.com just fixed a serious glitch that allowed Overstock. On December 19, 2017, as the price of bitcoin soared to more
For The Love Of Bitcoin For The Love Of Scrubs – Original Group has 52,878 members An Early Bitcoin Millionaire Loses 'Love for the Industry'. By. Olga Kharif. October 3, 2019, 7:24 AM PDT Updated on October 3, 2019, 9:41 AM PDT. 4:44. 28 Jan 2020. Bitcoin trading on cryptocurrency exchanges has slowed. And using Bitcoin to buy legal items?


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The New York Times has the scoop…
The following is an excerpt from Burger King in Talks to Buy Tim Hortons and Move to Canada
The restaurant operator said on Sunday that it was in talks to buy Tim Hortons, the Canadian doughnut-and-coffee chain, in a potential deal that would create one of the world’s biggest fast-food businesses.
If completed, the deal would mean Burger King’s corporate headquarters would move to Canada, raising the specter of yet another American company switching its national citizenship to lower its tax bill.
An agreement could be reached as soon as this week, a person briefed on the matter said.
CBCNews tells us more…
The following is an expert from Tim Hortons may be bought by Burger King
The companies say Ontario-based Tim Hortons and Miami-based Burger King would operate as standalone brands.
The statement adds that the new corporation would be the world’s third-largest quick service restaurant company, with approximately $22 billion in system sales and more than 18,000 restaurants in 100 countries worldwide.


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Japan is now the world's biggest solar market.
Japan’s solar installations surged by a stunning 270 percent (in gigawatts (GW)) in the first quarter of 2013, positioning the country to surpass Germany to become the world’s largest photovoltaics (PV) market in terms of revenue this year.
Although Japan is forecast to install fewer GW than China (which is forecast to be the largest market in GW installation terms) in 2013, the high prices of PV systems in Japan will drive it to become the world’s largest market in revenue terms.
This is all basically the result of Fukushima, after which Japanese authorities aggressively moved to promote solar. They adopted a feed-in tariff that rewarded utilities for transitioning power supplies toward solar.
Meanwhile, Europe is ramping down solar growth as it clears its market of low-cost Chinese products.
Japan's share the photovoltaic market will rise to 24 percent in 2013, up from 14 percent in 2012 and just 9 percent in 2011.


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Craigslist website hijacked by hackers
The site was taken offline by hackers with a so-called "DNS hijack."
'Sleepy Hollow' still scares us after 200 years
It's been 200 years since Washington Irving published "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," but the story is still scaring America.…
'Hunger Games' is top book-to-film series in US
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Most, least popular Thanksgiving activities
A survey of mothers finds the most and least popular ways to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Made in Michigan: Beard Balm popular in Movember
It's hard to ignore the facial hair movement in the United States, and really, across the globe. Two brothers are taking their Detroit…
6 terrible things found in fridges of hoarders
In honor of National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day, check out this list of six awful things found inside the fridges of real-life hoarders.
Ebola scare forces cruise ship to reroute
The Carnival cruise ship containing a lab worker connected to an Ebola-infected man is forced to skip its final port.
Getting the most out of frequent-flyer miles
Is it time for you to cash in those frequent-flyer miles? Before you do, Consumer Reports shares the secrets to getting the most for your miles.
Netflix wants to pay you to take pictures
Netflix wants to pay you to travel the continent and take beautiful photos.
Airbus files patent for entertainment helmet
It could be a great new way to alleviate stressed out passengers in the future. It's not uncommon to be a little uncomfortable when you're…
20 years after movie, real ‘Shawshank' a draw
The Ohio State Reformatory officially closed its doors in 1990 but remains a tourist attraction for the city, in large part because of…
11-year-old takes European vacation alone
An 11-year-old English girl recently traveled to France alone, at the encouragement of her mother. Is she too young to have done so?


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Get ready to welcome a brand new business to the quickly expanding world of plant based protein. Starting this month, consumers across various states should start to see a range of new products on shelves from Planterra Foods. The Colorado based companies new OZO range of products includes:
- OZO Burgers, two 4 oz patties
- OZO Ground, 12 oz package
- OZO Mexican Seasoned Ground, 12 oz package
According to a press release issued by the company OZO uses, “an exclusive proprietary blend of pea and rice protein fermented by shiitake mushrooms”.
The initial roll out of the product includes Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee; as well as a fleet of OZO vans expected to zig zag the country handing out more than a million free tasting samples.


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Ford is making it easier than ever to perform a well-executed burnout because who doesn't like the smell of tire smoke in the morning? The Blue Oval has announced a line-lock will be a standard feature on the 2018 Ford Mustang with the 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine.
The line-lock system—previously a Mustang GT exclusive feature—works by building pressure in the front brake calipers, which, in turn, locks the front wheels. Then, for 15 seconds, the driver can mash the throttle and spin the rear wheels without the Mustang skidding away. Even the most amateur of drivers can hop in and rip a burnout without the fear of burning up the clutch. For those unfamiliar with three pedals, it's also standard with the 10-speed automatic transmission.
To show off the new toy in its 4-cylinder pony car, Ford made a video featuring Vaughn Gitten Jr., Formula Drift champion and "professional fun haver." In the video, which is shown above, Gittin, Jr. surprises a few unsuspecting pedestrians with the chance to head to the track and try out the new line-lock feature for the 2018 Mustang EcoBoost. With a little instruction, each novice performance driver has no trouble at all as they press a few buttons the activate the line-lock, then spin the tires to their heart's content. The look on each of their faces is priceless.
Ford is also excited about a minuscule, yet very cool, little detail. The 2018 Mustang, when equipped with the optional 12-inch digital instrument display, will show a digital animation of an alloy wheel and tire kicking up smoke when the line-lock is activated. We get it.
2018 Ford Mustang line lock graphic
The automaker says sales of EcoBoost-powered Mustangs continue to grow, and it wanted to ensure all owners get a chance at the neat feature. That chance will come when the 2018 Ford Mustang goes on sale later this year—just don't look for a V-6 powered Mustang any longer.


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Here's what's making news on Road Show.
Listen up, Subaru faithful, and get hyped because the folks from Fuji Heavy Industries are getting ready to bless you all with a brand new Outback model.
This 2020 Subaru Outback will make its global debut next week during the New York Auto Show, and while Subaru has been light on the facts and figures so far, we're betting it's a taller Legacy in wagon form, because duh, of course it is.
Say what you will about continuation model classic cars, but we think it's an awesome trend that needs to continue.
Aston Martin has already done the continuation thing with the DB4 GT, but this time it's going totally crazy and recreating the DB4 GT Zagato.
Also known as one of the best-looking cars of the 1960s.
And it's selling as a package deal with the DBS Zagato.
How much will that cost?
Try around 8 million bucks, but it's totally worth it, in our opinion.
Bentley's new Continental GT is a real looker, in our book.
But the Flying-V sedans are, by comparison, a bunch of frumpkins.
Thankfully, Bentley is trickling the Continental's new handsome styling design language down to its sedans and the first model to be so blessed is the upcoming Flying Spur.
The teaser images that Bentley released don't tell us an awful lot, but we're excited to see this thing when it gets debuted later this year.
I have more on these stories over at TheRoadshow.com.
We'll talk to you tomorrow.


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The 2014 MOA Rally Commercial Vendor Packet is now available for download HERE. Pre-Registration will begin January 31.
You’re all invited to enjoy “Rollin’ by the River.” Roll on in to Minnesota’s capital city, and visit St. Paul. The 42nd BMW MOA International Rally will be held July 24–27, 2014 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
This coming May, AMT will celebrate ten years in business by offering a tour especially designed for BMW MOA members.
IMTBike TOURS, the motorcycle tour and rental company specializing in Europe and Morocco, will celebrate its 17th anniversary next year and they are preparing a very special tour, the IMTBIKE - BMW MOA ANDALUCIA TOUR.
July 24-27, 2014
Minnesota State Fairgrounds
St. Paul, MN
Rally Chair: Karol Patzer
Rally Co-Chair: Deb Lower


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The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a final rule that will allow agricultural employers to advertise for domestic workers online rather than in a newspaper before they turn to foreign guest workers.
While stating that the China trade war “is what it is,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told attendees of the United Fresh Washington Conference that a new trade agreement with Japan may be only days away.
Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Apeel Sciences has announced supplier partnerships that company leaders say will enable a year-round supply of Apeel avocados, limes, asparagus, and apples for U.S. retailers and consumers.
PBH commissioned a wide-ranging review of research on produce and how consuming it affects health outcomes, and among the results of the review are that eating more produce reduces chronic disease risk.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Have a Plant will succeed Fruits & Veggies — More Matters as the new consumer marketing message from the Produce for Better Health Foundation to promote fruit and vegetable consumption.


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Google has just announced its acquisition of Zenter, a small company that makes software for creating online slideshows--a much rumored, and fully confirmed product Google's CEO Eric Schmidt officially announced a few months ago at the Web 2.0 Expo.
Zenter joins Tonic Systems, another presentation-creation service Google picked up back in April.
Zenter first unveiled its service in mid-March and has since stayed fairly quiet. The service lets users import Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, as well as grab bits of content from all over the Web for making presentations that can be viewed and shared in the Web browser. Users can also create their own live broadcasts, similar to many of the Web-based PowerPoint competitors that have popped up in the last few years.
While Google hasn't announced a timeline of when we can expect to see the official presentation application, as of last week, users of Google's Gmail service have been able to open attached PowerPoint files inside their message windows without having the software installed.


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Lexus of Massapequa has a new general manager.
Lenny Cafarelli was brought in last month from Huntington Toyota, where he served in the same role.
“As a General Manager, I am very customer service-focused and believe in the importance of treating customers as members of the family,” Cafarelli said. “I plan on bringing everything I have learned over the past 20 years to the many loyal and new customers that visit.”
The Massapequa Park dealership, one of 22 operated by NY Auto Giant, is making the move to house both sales and service departments under one roof. Sales is currently located at 4950 Sunrise Highway while Lexus services vehicles at 141 Albany Ave. in Amityville.
Construction has begun at the new location along the busy Route 110 corridor at 2100 Broadhollow Road.


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“Television is dying.” “Television is such an ‘over 50’ old-folks thing.” “The cord-cutting revolution is here.”
By now, you’ve probably heard some comments similar to the ones above . As we have seen the growth of digital streaming services, being hitched to traditional cable and satellite television is something that's not long for the world. In a few short years, your television will have gone the way of the Dodo.
There’s just one problem. You’re getting it all wrong.
Yes, there has been an incredible explosion in how we consume video content as mobile, gaming, and other platforms such as Roku and Apple TV gain market share. But what’s really happening is consumers are having their cake and eating it too.
Let’s look at the NBA Finals that aired on Walt Disney-owned ABC and was streamed on the ESPN app as an example of how live sporting events are king when it comes to video consumption due to most wishing to watch it outside of the DVR given its drama and unpredictability.
According to data from Adobe via the NBA, the five-game series averaged a total live audience (television plus streaming) of 20,840,000 average viewers, up from 20,578,000 viewers for last year’s seven-game series. The series averaged an average minute streaming audience of 434,000 viewers.
Game 5 of the NBA Finals was the most-streamed NBA Finals Game 5 ever and the second-most streamed NBA game ever. The only NBA game to have generated a larger streaming audience was Game 7 in 2016.
Nearly 2,000,000 unique viewers (1,964,000) streamed Game 3 with an average minute audience of 440,700 viewers and 76,680,000 total minutes streamed – all records for an NBA Finals Game 3.
Just take that in for a second and look back. Game 5 nearly had a steaming audience catch a Game 7.
To add, the device landscape is growing.
TV connected devices—your gaming platforms, Rokus, and Apple TVs of the world—lead TV everywhere growth for video starts. TV connected devices grew by +349% over the past two years, according to Adobe. That’s after one in five cable and satellite TV users now utilizing TV everywhere, TVE video starts increasing by +102% in two years and overall TVE viewers increasing by +110% in the same timeframe.
So, how, you ask, is TV not dying?
“What we’re finding is digital streaming users accessing content on televisions that are internet-ready, and television users growing more comfortable with streaming to mobile and other connected devices,” said Jeremy Helfand, VP of Video Solutions at Adobe.” With each event—sports or other content like Game of Thrones—we see more adopting streaming, but also utilizing television.”
Part of this is form factor. While mobile devices are utilized often for streaming content, it’s a matter of convenience. You’re watching the big game at home and have to leave. You pick up your content on your mobile connected device until you come back. And as 4K ultra-HD, and eventually 8K makes its way into the marketplace, consumers will want to take advantage of the television platform all the more.
When asked if it’s fair to say that what your traditional television is becoming will be referred to more as a “big monitor on the wall”, Helfand said it’s more practical.
“At a certain point, IP connected televisions will simply be called ‘televisions’.”
In other words, the changes to television that see more internet connectivity will become the norm, and we’ll just call it what it is: the TV.
What’s clear is as more internet devices come to market and are adopted by consumers as part of the television experience, the traditional cable and satellite carriers become less relevant. The “wire” now comes from the internet. Or, the “wire” is a combination of internet along with cable or satellite.
So, maybe it’s time to think about the television and cord-cutting landscape more holistically. That while there are new consumers of streaming content growing rapidly, and growth in adoption, the television is actually benefiting. In the end, we want our video content at home, and now anytime, and anywhere. We’re not thinking about TV and streaming as being mutually exclusive.


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I went bearish onPractically every smartphone and tablet produced since the iPhone and iPad did nothing other than cheaply imitate Apple. Steve Jobs produced products that people love. The so-called competition could do nothing other than hope to pick up Apple's scraps with cheap knock-offs. Clearly, it didn't work. As Samsung gets embarrassed in court, don't forget about the other offenders. RIM and HP look equally as bad with inventory write-downs and strategy shift after strategy shift. It's a strange irony: As usage of mobile devices goes through the roof, much of the industry sits in disarray. If it did not promote Android as an open system, Google ( GOOG) would likely qualify as part of the larger mess.
RIMpartially because of the company's apparent inability to do anything other than put out cheap imitations of Appleproducts. And, as Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted when introducing iPad 2, RIM is not alone ...
Using this type of logic, I should chide
Amazonfor the same, yet I do not ... A couple of differences exist between an innovative company like Amazon playing copycat and the old guard or beleaguered companies like RIM and Motorola doing likewise.


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Buoyed by a flood of warehouse capacity hitting markets across the U.S., industrial real estate tenants are looking to expand their presence this year into both familiar and emerging markets.
Commercial real estate firm CBRE expects an uptick in leasing activity as companies grow their warehouse footprints, said James Breeze, vice president and global head of industrial and logistics research.
"Despite all the economic uncertainty, consumers continue to consume," Breeze said. "That means that some occupiers who are waiting are just going to have to get back into the game and restart their expansion plans."
But which markets are logistics and warehouse operators likely to expand into? Location, labor availability, local regulations and individual company needs all play a part in leasing decisions. However, in conversations with industrial real estate experts, three markets emerged as likely hot spots this year.
Warehouse tenants have Savannah, Georgia, on their minds.
The Port of Savannah's status as a key East Coast port is driving increased demand for industrial real estate in the area. Savannah also offers a viable alternative to Atlanta-area distribution centers for some occupants, according to Stephanie Rodriguez, national director of industrial services at real estate giant Colliers.
Industrial tenants securing new space in the Savannah market include supply chain service providers like Win.IT America and Customized Distribution Services, according to a January report from Colliers. The automotive industry also serves as an important driver of growth, with Hyundai Motor Group building a mass-production plant for electric vehicles in nearby Bryan County.
As tenants flocked to Savannah, a CBRE report said that the market saw 15.4 million square feet of leasing activity in 2023, the most in its history. However, a rush of construction completions pushed Savannah's overall industrial vacancy rate up to 8.4%, putting downward pressure on rental rates.
"We've seen higher vacancy rates in Savannah just because of the massive amount of development, but the activity has also been good there," Breeze said.
Savannah's warehouse pipeline tries to keep pace with demand
Securing warehouse and logistics space in Southern California is becoming a little easier, making the area more appealing for prospective tenants. After a stretch of red-hot demand sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the market featuring the critical Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach finally began to cool off last year.
Logistics real estate rents in Southern California fell by 5.3% in 2023, according to the Prologis Logistics Rent Index. Both greater Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, a distribution hot spot in the region, saw an uptick in vacancy rates last year. This slowdown in demand offers companies a prime moment to land new space in the market.
"Particularly if you want a modern space in SoCal with proximity to that population, as well as those ports, I think 2024 is going to be a great year to sign a lease and establish either a bigger presence or a presence there," said Melinda McLaughlin, SVP and global head of research at Prologis.
Southern California rent growth finally cools down
Last year, shippers looked to diversify ports of entry in their supply chains and avoid potential West Coast port labor disruptions, benefiting the Gulf Coast and East Coast. But with retailers finally rebalancing their inventory levels, Southern California is poised to benefit from future import growth.
"As we see customers looking to restock rather than destock, Southern California and the West Coast generally is going to still be the first place to benefit, because even though there's been some market share shift, the majority of our imports still come from Asia," McLaughlin said.
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas, is a border market taking advantage of companies nearshoring their supply chain operations in Mexico and moving goods across the border into the U.S., Breeze said.
The market's industrial vacancy rate was 3.7% last year, an increase from 2022 but still well below the 7.2% vacancy rate for Texas' top markets overall, according to a CBRE report. Its monthly average asking rent jumped from $0.77 per square foot to $0.85 in 2023.
"Demand for industrial space remained far above the historical average as tenants seek to gain or expand on the location advantages of the market," according to CBRE's report. "With existing supply still tight, tenants will continue to look at the construction pipeline to find future space."
El Paso sees a squeeze in warehouse space
Texas' industrial real estate market overall is seeing strong demand due to manufacturing activity in both Mexico and the state itself, along with the need to reach consumers in growing areas like Dallas-Fort Worth. Developers have responded by building more space, which pushed vacancy rates up in 2023 — a factor tenants could take advantage of, Rodriguez said.
"They may be able to cut some better deals with landlords who are looking to get their rental income stream going rather than waiting to do a higher rental rate deal," she said.


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Bourse Building To Convert Into Upscale Food Hall
The historic Bourse building is getting a facelift
The Bourse, which opened in 1895 as the United States’ first commodities exchange, long served cheap buffet food on its first floor for tourists and office tenants above. But MRP Realty has undertaken a renovation meant to evoke the popular Chelsea Market in New York or Union Market in Washington, D.C., the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Offerings at the food hall will include Indian street food concept Chaat and Chai, Jewish-style eatery Prescription Chicken, and a location for Philly suburbs-based Bluebird Distilling. Baltimore-based Cana Development is managing retail and restaurant leasing at the building.
Read the full article on Bisnow Philadelphia


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This Palm smartphone is looking realer by the second. Here's a spyshot that just surfaced over at Palm Infocenter.
The device clearly shows a Palm logo and prototype serial number along with Vodafone branding. It also has the home and back navigational buttons found on all Windows Mobile smartphone devices. The Vodafone mark indicates this is a GSM device which will be offered in Europe. No other details accompanied the picture.
They also mention that the Gandolf will be the first Windows Mobile Palm phone, but we're guessing they meant WM6.
New Treo Smartphone Images Leaked [Palm Infocenter]


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Shoppable here, shoppable there, shoppable everywhere! Brands have started taking advantage of every little technological feature that will make their content convert, instantly. The latest brand to join the craze Puma.
The brand debuted a video, featuring English footballer Adam Lallana who discusses about Puma’s latest collections. As he talks, users can see small, clickable annotation marks that, once hit, reveal more information about the featured products.
From that point on, visitors can choose either to share the products on their social networks or shop them directly from JD Sports website. This type of technology is brought to life with the help of Smartzer, a company specialized in turning content into bespoke, shoppable experiences.
According to Fashion & Mash, the video is scoring 6.9% at conversion rates and shows earnings per click at 24 times higher than the e-commerce industry standard.
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Huawei’s Regional President James Wu said that in the next five years, 5G will create $1.2 trillion dollars in income in Southeast Asia.
Talking to reporters at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) -019 in Barcelona, he said this information.
Speaking to journalists in Barcelona, James Wu of Southeast Asia, Huawei said, “In the Southeast Asian countries, GDP growth will average 5-6 percent in the next 5 years and the digital economy will play a key role in achieving this growth, which is 20 percent of the total growth.
We are committed to the development of digital economy in the countries of this region and we will work with partners to build a digital ecosystem.
James Wu said, ‘Before 2020, there will be huge commercialization of five cities in India, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong and five markets in regional markets. The number of 5G users in this region will stand at 80 million in the next 5 years.
As a result, wireless technology and digital and intellectual parts increase the social productivity by 4-8%. Huawei has already received 5G invitations from different countries and Southeast Asia customers.
James Wu said, “2019 is very important
in 5G expansion in Southeast Asia. As the world’s top 5G vendor, Huawei will help fulfill the 5G dream of all operators in this region.
We continue to invest in 5G, broadband, cloud, artificial intelligence and smart device technology to help customers and get the least benefit using the current technology.
Last year the relationship between the United States and Huawei began. The United States has called for not to partner Huawei’s 5G development partners in its allies and claims to be a threat to national and user safety.
Although Huawei denied the allegations by the United States, claiming that their technology could be used in spying, but there is no evidence for the allegations so far.


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Amidst all the hustle created yesterday at the absolutely gorgeous Steve Jobs Theatre, Apple silently raised the pricing of some iPad Pro models.
Some iPad Pro models will now cost you more; the 256GB iPad Pro 10.5 pricing has gone up to $749 to $799 while the 512GB iPad Pro 10.5 saw an increase from $949 to $999. Similarly, the 256GB iPad Pro 12.9 (2017) pricing went from $899 to $949 and the 512GB 12.9-inch model's pricing increased from $1,099 to $1,149. All these models have got a price jump of $50 on their previous pricing.
Thankfully, the 64GB variants of iPad Pro have not got any price jump. Also, some stores have not updated the new pricing of iPad Pro models yet, so if you have been planning to get yourself an iPad Pro, then you should make a move now to get better storage model at previous pricing in stores.
Apple has not given any explanation regarding the sudden price hike for some iPad Pro models, but 9to5Mac reported that this could be because of the rising cost of NAND flash storage.
The report from 9to5Mac also cites the statement of Apple CFO Luca Maestri made at Apple's Q2 earnings call earlier this year, she said:
We started to experience some level of cost pressure on the memory side particularly on on and on NAND and DRAM. To offset that and actually do better than that, we had very good cost performance on other commodities.
The impact on NAND and DRAM will continue to be there and we expect it to be there.
We don't know whether or not Apple will drop the pricing of iPad Pro if NAND storage goes cheaper. Ideally, the company should reflect the change in the pricing of iPad Pro if NAND storage comes back to regular pricing.


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The huge rebound in the stock market has opened the door for companies to go public, and investors are hungry to invest in businesses with the potential to disrupt their industries. Nikola (NKLA -4.66%) has set its sights on doing to the commercial and passenger truck market what Tesla (TSLA -4.59%) has done with cars, using electric and fuel-cell technology to provide an alternative to internal combustion.
Nikola's stock started trading through a reverse merger with special-purpose acquisition company VectoIQ Holdings in early June, and the share price nearly tripled between June 4 and June 9 before falling back somewhat. Nikola's gains show how optimistic investors are about the company, but shareholders will need to see some real progress from it in order to justify further gains. Here are the three things that need to happen soon in order to keep the company's investor fans confident about the electric-truck specialist's prospects.
1. Nikola must see huge success from the Badger launch
The company's initial focus has been on the commercial truck market, but founder and CEO Trevor Milton sees a huge opportunity with the Badger electric pickup truck. With one model using electric batteries solely and another offering a hybrid of electric battery and fuel cell technology, Nikola will start taking preorders for the Badger on June 29.
Nikola has already turned the preorder into the beginning of a massive promotional campaign. It will offer those who put down deposits an opportunity to get priority tickets for the Nikola World event that will feature the Badger's premiere.
Milton also promised that the event will feature the Badger in actual operation, poking at Tesla by saying that it won't be "a fake show truck" that attendees see. Milton said that his goal is for the Badger to outsell Ford Motor's leading F-150 pickup, so the stakes are high for a successful launch.
2. Nikola needs to stand up to the Semi
As much attention as the Badger will get, commercial trucks are what have most investors excited about Nikola's potential. Commercial trucking and other transportation companies are excited about the line of Class 8 tractor-trailer trucks, especially because the option to include hydrogen fuel cells will introduce added flexibility for many operators. Nikola has already taken 14,000 preorder reservations for the truck line, which it says works out to roughly $10 billion in future sales.
Nikola is looking to start building a factory for production, with trucks likely rolling off the line three or four years from now. The company's also planning a network of hydrogen refueling stations to accommodate the needs of trucking operators.
The problem is that Tesla's Semi is a prime potential competitor, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently said it intends to get the Semi into "volume production" in the near future. That'll create a race between the Semi and Nikola's products, and Nikola needs to work quickly to cement its place in the commercial-truck market and prevent Tesla from getting an insurmountable first-mover advantage.
3. Nikola must pick the right production partner
Nikola is trying to be innovative, but it's not following the same route Tesla did by trying to build a fully vertically integrated business all at once. In particular, Nikola will work with an established auto manufacturer to offer production facilities and provide key parts for the Badger. The company hasn't yet said which automaker it will choose.
No matter which company Nikola goes with, critics will undoubtedly take the opportunity to point to whatever quality and production flaws that automaker has had with its own vehicle models. Nikola needs to get in front of those critics, but it also has to make sure the partner it chooses can defend its own track record. Ideally, the stronger the automaker that the company works with, the easier it'll be for Nikola fans to have confidence in what the final product will look like.
Hitting the gas
Nikola has gotten out to a good start as a publicly traded company, but it still has a long road ahead of it before its electric trucks enter full production and start showing up on highways across the nation. If it can get these three things right, though, the company will dramatically increase its chances of making good on its full potential.


text: BRIDGEPORT, MI—Saying it would be almost impossible to whittle down all the options, sources confirmed Friday that Halloween pop-up store Spooky City could take its pick of just about any storefront in the rust belt town where it intended to operate until October 31. “Well, I’m seeing a lot of empty windows, so at least we’ll have plenty of room to display our costumes and hopefully lure some folks in,” said Spooky City proprietor Curtis Hawkins, noting that except for the Exxon station, the Goodwill store, and a vape shop, every single retail space he looked at on Main Street was vacant. “I could set up shop in the shuttered Kmart. Looks like I could take just about any place in that strip mall off the interstate, too. I’d use one of these old grocery stores, but they’re all clearly falling down.” At press time, reports confirmed the pop-up store had gone out of business two weeks before Halloween.


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Oya Food, a growing agro business offering great nutritional value in Nigeria, is set to launch Beaver Rice to boost access to fortified and micronutrient food across the country.
Beaver Rice affords Nigerians with a wide range of nutritious rice products available at Oya Food retail stores countrywide.
This comes following the fact that Nigerians suffer from micronutrient malnutrition — a factor that substantially contributes to the global burden of stunted growth among other diseases.
According to the Founder and CEO, Oya Food, Chidiadi Madumere, when rice is milled, it loses about 60 per cent of Iron, 90 per cent of Vitamin A, 80 per cent of Vitamin B6.
“It also loses 67 per cent of Vitamin B1, 67 per cent of Vitamin B3, and Vitamin A deficiency contributes to the deaths of two to three million children annually.
“Research also shows that iron deficiency saps the energy and active learning capacity of Nigerians and lack of folic acid during the first days of pregnancy causes over 200,000 severe birth defects.”
Madumere further acknowledged that Zinc deficiency affects the growth and immune system functioning of hundreds of thousands.
In particular, she cautioned that it leads to longer and more severe bouts of diarrhoea in children. Thiamine deficiency quietly continues to affect populations primarily consuming diets of polished rice.
She added: “To enhance the nutritional values in children and women especially, our staple food brings amazing taste and micronutrients values to all.”
Listing its components, the MD of Beaver Rice, Joshua Scott Fawcett, said that Beaver Rice comes in three product categories including Beaver Rice Organic Brown, Beaver Rice Premium Gold, and Beaver Rice Fortified Premium Gold.
“Beaver Rice Organic Brown is the Nigerian local brown rice, organically grown using sustainable farming methods. All the rice grains have an intact germ, endosperm, bran layer and packed with micronutrients including folate, Vitamin B2, potassium, calcium, and manganese. It also comes in various colours of brown,” says Scott.
According to the MD, 1 kg of Beaver rice Fortified Premium Gold is fortified with micronutrients including iron (28 mg-42.5 mg), folic acid (75-125 microgram), and vitamin B-12 (0.75-1.25 microgram).
It also contains Zinc (10 mg-15 mg), vitamin A (500-750 microgram RE), vitamin B-1 (1 mg-1.5 mg), vitamin B-2 (1.25 mg-1.75 mg), vitamin B-3 (12.5 mg-20 mg) and vitamin B-6 (1.5 mg-2.5 mg).
“When cooked”, he assured newsmen, “Beaver rice Fortified Premium Gold has the same taste, colour, and texture as the unfortified Beaver rice Premium Gold. Beaver Rice Premium products are stone-free, gluten free, chemical free, non-sticky, easy to cook, premium parboiled and golden standard.”
Indeed, Oya Food products are made from some of Nigeria’s finest and home-grown raw food materials. Accordingly, Fawcett noted that their activities focus on sourcing raw food commodities directly from local female farmers, packing and packaging, transportation, construction of retail outlets and advertising.
He further acknowledged that they source, package, market and distribute their branded packaged foods to thousands of Nigerian families and consumers across multiple markets locally and worldwide.
With a wide and growing network of farmers, suppliers, wholesalers and Local Buying Agents (LBAs), he upholds that Oya Food has a strong heritage in agricultural marketing in Nigeria.
This is as the firm continues to forge close ties with supermarkets, digital commerce partners, retailers, and active distributors — to help secure their ongoing loyalty to our packaged product brand.
He highlighted: “We adapt to evolving market conditions, emerging consumer trends and a changing environment.
“We increasingly leverage our network and expertise to process and transform our crops and invest in the future of food, seeking innovation and sustainability,” emphasising that the firm is also open to investors from all over the world.


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Healthcare Marketing in Arab World
Healthcare companies targeting the Arab world may be surprised to discover that the best point of entry may be through an Israeli-Palestinian joint venture. “Palestinian entrepreneurs have excellent access to the Arab world and they are willing to explore collaborations with Israeli and foreign providers of health services and products,” says Avi Nudelman, CEO of the Israeli-Palestinian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “Contrary to what many think, there presently is a large amount of business cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian business people, ” adds Avi Nudelman, who spent more than 25 years in the IDF working in liaison activities with Palestinians and Jordanians. “During the past three years we have been instrumental in matchmaking, organizing business delegations to travel between Ramallah and Tel Aviv and in nurturing numerous joint ventures,” he says. He notes that furniture, shoes, textiles and food products of Palestinian origin regularly enter Israeli markets. The IPCC recently formed a Life Sciences division and plans are underway for Israeli companies to increase their manufacturing and distribution of healthcare products to the PA as well as to work with Palestinian entrepreneurs in outsourcing production activities. There currently are a limited number of life science companies operating in the PA, including about six or seven Palestinian pharmaceutical manufacturing plants. WRC is one Israeli company that is already doing business in both the Palestinian Territories and throughout the Arab world. “We have found that the key to serving this sector is to find out from local people what they see as their healthcare needs. They often have a better grasp of their needs than so-called outside experts do,” says Offer Karmi, -– CEO of WRC. With regard to reaching international markets, he points out that Israeli – Palestinian joint ventures give the two sides the best of both worlds: Israeli companies have access to the US and European markets through trade treaties; Palestinian entrepreneurs can readily access the Arab markets. The IPCC is planning a trip in the near future for a healthcare business delegation to Ramallah.


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The directors of the 45-year-old business, based at Maggots Nook Farm, Rainford, St Helens, called in turn-around and recovery specialists, Rushtons Insolvency, following two years of very difficult trading.
The business consisted of both farming and haulage divisions. The 1,800-acre farming division grew fresh vegetables and salad produce across Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire for customers including Aldi, Booths, Hello Fresh and a number of food service providers across the UK. The haulage division had a fleet of 25 trucks and 40 temperature-controlled trailers that transported produce for a variety of food industry customers.
The company sold its haulage division Preston-based Len Wright Salads, in May 2022 that safeguarded 42 haulage and support jobs but the directors were unable to secure a sustainable future for the farming side of the business.
The farming division of the business ceased to trade on 29th April, 2020, with the loss of 35 jobs in the farm, packhouse and administrative roles, leaving the directors with no option but to place the company into administration.
Nicola Baker of Saltaire-based Rushtons was appointed by the directors as the administrator on 14th June 2022.
“The last few years have seen an unprecedented squeeze on many farms and aspects of food producing businesses, and, sadly, despite the strongly performing specialist haulage business, it was simply not possible for the company to keep trading as it was in the current economic climate,” said Baker.
Len Wright Salads, which backed the new company that now operates the haulage business, has appointed former haulage director Rob Wilson to continue to run the haulage business under their ownership.
Nicola Baker has appointed Eddisons Commercial to auction the remaining assets of the business, including a significant volume of farm machinery and food processing equipment which will be sold by online auction in the coming weeks.


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Mac customers can now take their personal looking expertise to the subsequent stage with the brand new DuckDuckGo app. As introduced, DuckDuckGo for Mac now rolls out for the general public in beta, enabling customers to check the app and share suggestions for enhancements.
DuckDuckGo For Mac (beta) Is Now Public
Asserting the replace through a current post, DuckDuckGo has formally confirmed the general public launch of their app for Mac units.
As elaborated, the brand new app (model 0.30) is accessible for Mac customers through the DuckDuckGo browser. This app claims to exchange the traditional incognito mode in different browsers with enhanced anti-tracking capabilities. As well as, the search engine app comes with superior privateness options that guarantee 60% much less monitoring than Google or others.
Particularly, the DuckDuckGo browser, with the app for Mac, comes with safe hyperlink upgrading, Fireplace Button characteristic, and Cookie Consent Pop-up Supervisor. Furthermore, the app additionally permits customers to guard their emails from unwarranted monitoring through the E mail Safety characteristic.
Moreover, one other worthy characteristic is the privacy-oriented Duck Participant, which substitutes YouTube with fewer adverts and higher privateness.
As well as, customers may forestall unsolicited spying because the app presents safe password administration and higher safety in opposition to invasive monitoring throughout looking.
DuckDuckGo first launched the Mac app for customers in April 2021 for limited-scale beta testing. However now, after receiving suggestions and introducing enhancements, the supplier has made the service accessible for all Mac customers. Although it’s nonetheless in beta, customers might face glitches or lack some options. However, in fact, they will all the time share their views with the builders for enhancements.
Sooner or later, DuckDuckGo plans to open-source the app as effectively earlier than the beta testing will get over. As elaborated within the submit,
DuckDuckGo for Mac isn’t a “fork” of Chromium, or another browser code. All of the app code – tab and bookmark administration, our new tab web page, our password supervisor, and many others. – is written by our personal engineers. For rendering, it makes use of a public macOS API, making it tremendous suitable with Mac units. DuckDuckGo believes in open sourcing our apps and extensions every time doable, and we plan to take action for DuckDuckGo for Mac earlier than it strikes out of beta.
Moreover, DuckDuckGo additionally pledges to launch the app for Home windows customers, which is at present in beta testing with family and friends. Home windows customers might anticipate the app to reach for public testing within the coming months.


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Dave Wilde and Eric Francis opened The Pinball Dudes in Jupiter because they love to play pinball, and wanted others to experience it.
JUPITER — Dave Wilde's Davie home is a pinball enthusiast's paradise.
Eric Francis' Loxahatchee home is, too.
The pair owns dozens of pinball machines between them, so many that Francis had to build an addition to his home in order to store them, while Wilde had to negotiate a compromise with his wife.
"At my house, if you walked in my living room, my dining room and even much of the family room, they were taken over by pinballs," Wilde said. "I literally had like 30 machines in my house."
Wilde moved many of them out once he and Francis opened The Pinball Dudes, a Jupiter business that buys, sells, trades and restores new and old pinball machines. Visitors also can stop by if they just want to play pinball — for free.
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"We love pinball, and we want other people to be able to experience pinball," said Wilde, who also works as the finance director for a car dealership in Delray Beach. "For us, it was a hobby that grew into more. It grew into a business, but we want other people to be able to experience pinball. A lot of people don't know what pinball is. They play it on their phones with an app. But they haven't actually gone in and played it physically."
The Pinball Dudes offers customers that opportunity. The business keeps about 45 pinball machines at its Jupiter Park Drive store, with most of them in working condition.
Francis, a world-champion Jet Skier in his free time, works to restore the others. Some of the machines are more than 50 years old, while others are brand new.
"We refurbish the machines and get them ready for sale," Wilde said. "We do an awful lot on the internet. There are people all over the country who buy machines. But this is our hub. This is for the community to come in and experience the machines."
Wilde grew up playing pinball, as did many of his customers.
Many of those who buy the machines are men in their 30s, 40s and 50s — like Wilde — and playing pinball takes them back to their childhoods.
Machines can cost from $1,000 to $10,000 at Pinball Dudes, depending on their age.
"If you buy a guy a pinball machine, he'll absolutely love it," said Wilde, who's 54. "In the '70s, we didn't have arcade games at home, or stuff you can play on your phone. We had to go to the arcade. That's what you had to do. I think it takes people back to a different place and a different time."
Though not as popular as they once were, pinball machines are still around. Bowling alleys have them, as do some restaurants and movie theaters. New machines still are being manufactured because there is enough of a demand for them, Wilde said.
"It's not like the old days," said Wilde, who plans to host pinball tournaments and shows once his store becomes more established. "But they are still producing new machines, because the hobby's coming back."
Pinball Dudes, at 880 Jupiter Park Drive, is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekend appointments are available. For information, call 954-224-8678visit www.thepinballdudes.net.


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FRANKFURT—Germany’s vocational-education system, which feeds students straight from school into apprenticeships and jobs, is gaining traction abroad but losing some of its luster at home.
Almost one of every three Germany companies is unable to fill available apprenticeships, according to a recent report from the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
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Italy is taking its home-grown fashion brands on the road for a US tour that had its first stop in Los Angeles.
Under a very rainy sky, 29 small and medium-sized Italian brands showed their collections in two fairs that took place from March 13 to 15 during Market Week in Los Angeles.
In the past, most Italian brands focused their marketing on the East Coast and attended large trade shows such as Coterie in New York. But there is a vast world beyond that where small and medium-sized Italian brands can sell their collections.
Many consumers are “attached to the names of the big Italian brands. You know, the famous ones,” said Paola Guida, head of the fashion and beauty division at the government-backed Italian Trade Agency in New York, which arranged the trip. “And then we started thinking that the U.S. weren’t just a market. The East Coast is different from the West Coast, South Florida and Chicago.”
Outside of Europe, the United States is the first market for Italian fashion brands. Last year, Italy exported $2.8 billion of fashion and textiles to the United States, an increase of nearly 25% over the previous year.
Analyzing the market, the Italian government has decided to present Inspri Italia, Innovations in Style, a show that includes clothing, footwear and accessories brands for buyers in the United States, starting in Los Angeles and then moving to Miami, Dallas and Atlanta .
For LA, the roadshow organizers chose to attend Designers & Agents, a biannual show hosted at The New Mart showroom building in the city’s downtown Fashion District, and Brand Assembly, a four-year event since across the street at the Cooper Design Building Space.
At Designers & Agents, the Italian contingent filled their section with 15 brands showcasing a range of products from clothing to handbags.
One such brand was Etici, a sustainable natural fiber clothing label built since 2015 in Carpi, a city of about 71,000 in northern Italy. It was the first time that the owner of the company, Andrea Vignoli, took part in a fair in Los Angeles. “We’ve done three shows in New York, but we’re new to Los Angeles,” he said.
The company is dedicated to producing more climate-friendly goods. “We’re trying to reduce the carbon footprint of everything we do,” said Vignoli, who noted that even his hang tags are made from recycled paper. “We only do natural washes and natural dyes. We are trying our best to reduce our water consumption and have no allergy causing fabrics.
This sustainable approach was paying off. Vignoli said he saw about 20 buyers during the three-day show. They came from places like Jackson, Wyoming and cities in California including Manhattan Beach, Sherman Oaks, San Marino and San Francisco. “It was a good show,” Vignoli said, adding that several U.S. agents have asked to represent his company.
Another new brand on the show was Alessandro Aste, a line of Italian-designed cotton, wool, silk and cashmere sweaters and felted cashmere scarves made in Nepal.
Owner Alessandro Aste said he showed his line at Designers & Agents in New York but wanted to expand his sales to the US, which now accounts for about 10% of revenues. He had seven buyers placing orders: half for scarves and half for sweaters that retailed for more than $300.
Although he thought the show was a bit slow compared to D&A in New York, he said it introduced him to the California market. “I want to understand the people and the fashion here because everyone says it’s a little bit different,” she explained.
Some of the Italian brands included in the roadshow have already been to Los Angeles, including Whyci Milano, a contemporary line of sweaters, blouses and trousers in silk, wool, cashmere, linen and cotton that has been run by the same family for three generations. Everything is made in Italy, and 75 percent of the company’s suppliers are located within a 30-mile radius.
Elena Ghisolfi, one of the owners, said that the company has participated several times at Designers & Agents in Los Angeles. But after seeing orders pick up following the pandemic, the company is working to expand its business in California.
“We have placed orders at this show with our old customers, but we have seen some new orders here,” Ghisolfi said. She and her husband will then travel to San Francisco to check their existing accounts.
At the Brand Assembly trade show, 14 Italian designers mainly selling footwear, jewelery and leather goods had booths located on a different floor than the main Brand Assembly trade show. This created a fickle business situation.
Fracap, a high-end collection of handmade leather boots, shoes and sandals now in its third generation of the Cappello family, had seen no customers during the show, Martina Cappello said.
But Milano’s Laboratorio Mariucci has placed enough orders for its fine leather handbags, including shoulder bags that retail for between $70 and $120, to sell out its current collection.
Despite mixed results from this first show, Paola Guida of the Foreign Trade Agency said the organization will bring more Italian companies back to the Los Angeles shows next October. “This is something like a trial,” Guida said. “But I think there is potential for our companies.”


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Xcel Energy warns of phone scam
Xcel Energy is warning its customers of recent phone scams.
Callers will claim to be Xcel employees and threaten customers to turn off electricity or natural gas service if they are not paid immediately, according to an Xcel Energy news release. Some scammers may go as far as manipulating caller IDs so the number will appear to from Xcel.
Customers who think they are being scammed are advised to hang up immediately and call Xcel to verify the status of their account.
To avoid being tricked into paying money to a scammer, be suspicious if the caller requires the use of a prepaid debit card, such as a Green Dot card, and never wire money or provide your debit or credit card numbers to an unverified source. Also, if a customers' account is about to be disconnected, Xcel sends a notice through U.S. mail before the power is turned off.
Customers can check the status of their account or report a scam by calling Xcel Energy's business Solutions Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1-800-481-4700. Customers can also call the 24/7 line at 1-800-895-4999.


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CHICAGO — Timber industry giant Weyerhaeuser Co. is getting into the plastics business, developing cellulose fiber reinforcement for plastics, which could be used in place of glass.
Our analysts provide insight on business trends, foreign investment, top end markets and plastics processing activity. The report also provides important data on exports, production, employment and value of plastics products manufactured.
January 14, 2015 - January 14, 2015Plastics in Automotive
February 4, 2015 - February 6, 2015Plastics News Executive Forum 2015
June 2, 2015 - June 3, 2015Plastics Financial Summit - Chicago 2015
September 16, 2015 - September 18, 2015Plastics Caps & Closures - September 2015More Events


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Reality Breaking VR Journey About The History of Flight “The First Class VR” Available Now
Gripping experiential history of man’s quest for flight “The First Class VR is out now for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift
Beijing, China, December 14, 2017 – Zodiac Interactive, an up and coming video game publisher, curating a selection of hand-picked titles from the Indie Chinese scene, is excited to announce today that “The First Class VR” is out now! The First class VR is a one of a kind VR cinematic experience, available for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, which guides the users through an interactive historical story of man’s quest for flight and beyond. “The First Class VR” is available on Steam for $6.99 USD.
Steam store page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/630020/The_First_Class_VR/
The First Class VR is an interactive VR experience that takes the audience through the historical journey of air and space through an incredible lifelike environment built on the Unreal 4 graphics engine, which pushes the boundaries of interactive storytelling by putting players in moments that define human aviation.
“We are proud to announce that The First Class VR is out now on steam and Oculus. We have worked very hard to create this incredible experience and can’t wait to receive users’ feedback.” Said An Pu, Lead Creative Producer at Light & Digital Technology.
About Light & Digital Technology
A Leading CG & Visual Effects company founded in 2014, whose artists worked on both the London 2012 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games opening ceremonies. They have been and continue to be a driving force in the future of experiential and VR storytelling.
About Zodiac Interactive
Experts in global software publishing and boasting a wealth of industry knowledge. Based in Beijing, the team is using their experience to bring quality foreign games to the Chinese market, while also identifying and enabling exciting and up-and-coming chinese developers to reach their potential in the West. The team previously worked on Tiger Knight: Empire War by NetDragon in China, Securing 1.4 million downloads on the Steam Marketplace.