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|By Business Wire||
|January 10, 2013 11:15 AM EST||
myCharge, leaders in portable power for today’s mobile consumers, today was named an iLounge 2013 CES Best of Show Award Winner. At the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), myCharge is previewing five new lifestyle collections, comprised of more than a dozen new products, designed for a variety of mobile lifestyles — from the business traveler to the college student, the on-the-go mom to the gadget connoisseur, to those who work outdoors or live life to the extreme. The newest myCharge products can be viewed at the Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall, Booth #4014, from January 8 – 11, 2013.
The iLounge 2013 CES Best of Show Award honored myCharge for its new myCharge Freedom Powercase, which embodies the highest level of innovation in portable charging cases — the perfect balance between protection, function and fashion. iLounge, Inc. is the exclusive partner of the Consumer Electronics Association for the iLounge Pavilion, a collection of iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Mac products that is now the largest dedicated exhibition area at the International Consumer Electronics Show.
“We’re thrilled that myCharge was selected from among thousands of products at CES as an iLounge Best of Show Award Winner. We developed the new generation of myCharge solutions around real-world behaviors of today’s mobile consumers to enhance and maximize the user experience,” said Ron Ferber, CEO, myCharge. “While smartphones and tablets have become increasingly universal across all facets of our society, needs and usage habits vary from person to person. Our new myCharge products deliver the most convenient, most reliable sources of portable power for all the different ways people power their digital life."
myCharge Freedom Powercase
Each myCharge Freedom Powercase is designed with a level of protection unmatched in today’s marketplace; no fear in the event you drop your phone once or twice (a day)!
myCharge Freedom cases provide the best user experience as a result of:
- Easy on/easy off, single molded construction: unlike competitive models that come in two parts, myCharge Freedom Powercase is one piece, so there’s no hassle, no struggle and nothing to lose or forget.
- Quick charging: charges your smartphone at the same speed as the supplied factory charger that came with your phone…like plugging right into the wall outlet.
- Exclusive for iPhone 5: the exclusive myCharge Freedom cable system provides instant charging with no blockage of your smartphone speakers or headphone jack.
- Exclusive for Samsung Galaxy: the exclusive myCharge Freedom retractable connector seamlessly integrates with the case.
The proprietary exoskeleton design of myCharge Freedom Powercase offers retail partners true product customization at a level never before experienced, allowing them to offer exclusive varieties of myCharge Freedom Powercase to their customers. The myCharge Freedom Powercase goes way beyond simply providing custom color options by offering retailers unique textures, patterns and finishes as endless as the imagination can conjure.
myCharge Freedom Powercase will be available in three versions — 1500mAh for iPhone 5, 2000mAh for iPhone 5 and 2500mAh for Samsung Galaxy — in a wide array of colors, textures and finishes. myCharge Freedom 1500 will retail for $79.99 and myCharge Freedom 2000 for $99.99 with both models available in March 2013. The myCharge Freedom 2500 will retail for $99.99 and be available May 2013.
myCharge portable power packs and cases are found at retailers nationwide including Amazon.com, Best Buy, Finish Line, Fry’s, Macy’s, Meijer, Staples, and more. For more information, please visit http://www.myCharge.com.
Every year, iLounge’s editors work extended hours—starting weeks before major trade shows—trying out new products that are debuting for Apple’s iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Mac. After visiting literally hundreds of booths at the 2013 International CES and surveying thousands of products, iLounge editors discuss and debate the merits of new releases, selecting only the very best ones for their awards: full CES Best of Show Winners offer the rare combination of great design, features, and pricing, while CES Best of Show Finalists demonstrate excellence in two of those categories but fall a little short in the third.
iLounge, the world’s leading independent review of Apple hardware, accessories and software, has covered thousands of different products since 2001. Founded only days after Apple announced the first iPod in 2001, iLounge has exploded in popularity, today boasting millions of visitors and tens of millions of page views each month. Praised for years as "the ultimate in product reviews and tutorials on all things iPod," iLounge and its team have been spotlighted by the Associated Press, CNBC, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and many other leading publications.
myCharge, innovators in portable power, creates the ultimate survival tools for gadget lovers and users. Using the highest quality components and cutting-edge design, myCharge responds to the latest technological advances by providing products dedicated to restoring everyday balance and fulfilling consumer needs in our on-the-go, always connected digital society. Learn more at http://www.myCharge.com.
NOTE TO MEDIA: A comprehensive digital press kit for myCharge, including detailed 2013 product information and high-resolution images, is available at: www.myCharge.com/press.
Too often with compelling new technologies market participants become overly enamored with that attractiveness of the technology and neglect underlying business drivers. This tendency, what some call the “newest shiny object syndrome,” is understandable given that virtually all of us are heavily engaged in technology. But it is also mistaken. Without concrete business cases driving its deployment, IoT, like many other technologies before it, will fade into obscurity.
Aug. 31, 2015 09:00 PM EDT Reads: 364
The Internet of Things is in the early stages of mainstream deployment but it promises to unlock value and rapidly transform how organizations manage, operationalize, and monetize their assets. IoT is a complex structure of hardware, sensors, applications, analytics and devices that need to be able to communicate geographically and across all functions. Once the data is collected from numerous endpoints, the challenge then becomes converting it into actionable insight.
Aug. 31, 2015 07:00 PM EDT
Consumer IoT applications provide data about the user that just doesn’t exist in traditional PC or mobile web applications. This rich data, or “context,” enables the highly personalized consumer experiences that characterize many consumer IoT apps. This same data is also providing brands with unprecedented insight into how their connected products are being used, while, at the same time, powering highly targeted engagement and marketing opportunities. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Nathan Treloar, President and COO of Bebaio, will explore examples of brands transforming their businesses by t...
Aug. 31, 2015 06:00 PM EDT Reads: 243
With the Apple Watch making its way onto wrists all over the world, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a staple in the workplace. In fact, Forrester reported that 68 percent of technology and business decision-makers characterize wearables as a top priority for 2015. Recognizing their business value early on, FinancialForce.com was the first to bring ERP to wearables, helping streamline communication across front and back office functions. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Kevin Roberts, GM of Platform at FinancialForce.com, will discuss the value of business applications on wearable ...
Aug. 31, 2015 03:15 PM EDT
With the proliferation of connected devices underpinning new Internet of Things systems, Brandon Schulz, Director of Luxoft IoT – Retail, will be looking at the transformation of the retail customer experience in brick and mortar stores in his session at @ThingsExpo. Questions he will address include: Will beacons drop to the wayside like QR codes, or be a proximity-based profit driver? How will the customer experience change in stores of all types when everything can be instrumented and analyzed? As an area of investment, how might a retail company move towards an innovation methodolo...
Aug. 31, 2015 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 457
The Internet of Things (IoT) is about the digitization of physical assets including sensors, devices, machines, gateways, and the network. It creates possibilities for significant value creation and new revenue generating business models via data democratization and ubiquitous analytics across IoT networks. The explosion of data in all forms in IoT requires a more robust and broader lens in order to enable smarter timely actions and better outcomes. Business operations become the key driver of IoT applications and projects. Business operations, IT, and data scientists need advanced analytics t...
Aug. 31, 2015 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 417
While many app developers are comfortable building apps for the smartphone, there is a whole new world out there. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Narayan Sainaney, Co-founder and CTO of Mojio, will discuss how the business case for connected car apps is growing and, with open platform companies having already done the heavy lifting, there really is no barrier to entry.
Aug. 31, 2015 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 141
Contrary to mainstream media attention, the multiple possibilities of how consumer IoT will transform our everyday lives aren’t the only angle of this headline-gaining trend. There’s a huge opportunity for “industrial IoT” and “Smart Cities” to impact the world in the same capacity – especially during critical situations. For example, a community water dam that needs to release water can leverage embedded critical communications logic to alert the appropriate individuals, on the right device, as soon as they are needed to take action.
Aug. 31, 2015 12:00 PM EDT
SYS-CON Events announced today that HPM Networks will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. For 20 years, HPM Networks has been integrating technology solutions that solve complex business challenges. HPM Networks has designed solutions for both SMB and enterprise customers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Aug. 31, 2015 11:30 AM EDT Reads: 896
SYS-CON Events announced today that Micron Technology, Inc., a global leader in advanced semiconductor systems, will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Micron’s broad portfolio of high-performance memory technologies – including DRAM, NAND and NOR Flash – is the basis for solid state drives, modules, multichip packages and other system solutions. Backed by more than 35 years of technology leadership, Micron's memory solutions enable the world's most innovative computing, consumer,...
Aug. 31, 2015 11:15 AM EDT Reads: 230
As more intelligent IoT applications shift into gear, they’re merging into the ever-increasing traffic flow of the Internet. It won’t be long before we experience bottlenecks, as IoT traffic peaks during rush hours. Organizations that are unprepared will find themselves by the side of the road unable to cross back into the fast lane. As billions of new devices begin to communicate and exchange data – will your infrastructure be scalable enough to handle this new interconnected world?
Aug. 31, 2015 11:00 AM EDT Reads: 161
Through WebRTC, audio and video communications are being embedded more easily than ever into applications, helping carriers, enterprises and independent software vendors deliver greater functionality to their end users. With today’s business world increasingly focused on outcomes, users’ growing calls for ease of use, and businesses craving smarter, tighter integration, what’s the next step in delivering a richer, more immersive experience? That richer, more fully integrated experience comes about through a Communications Platform as a Service which allows for messaging, screen sharing, video...
Aug. 31, 2015 10:30 AM EDT Reads: 658
SYS-CON Events announced today that Pythian, a global IT services company specializing in helping companies leverage disruptive technologies to optimize revenue-generating systems, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 17th Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Founded in 1997, Pythian is a global IT services company that helps companies compete by adopting disruptive technologies such as cloud, Big Data, advanced analytics, and DevOps to advance innovation and increase agility. Specializing in designing, imple...
Aug. 31, 2015 10:15 AM EDT Reads: 305
In his session at @ThingsExpo, Lee Williams, a producer of the first smartphones and tablets, will talk about how he is now applying his experience in mobile technology to the design and development of the next generation of Environmental and Sustainability Services at ETwater. He will explain how M2M controllers work through wirelessly connected remote controls; and specifically delve into a retrofit option that reverse-engineers control codes of existing conventional controller systems so they don't have to be replaced and are instantly converted to become smart, connected devices.
Aug. 31, 2015 09:30 AM EDT Reads: 124
SYS-CON Events announced today that IceWarp will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. IceWarp, the leader of cloud and on-premise messaging, delivers secured email, chat, documents, conferencing and collaboration to today's mobile workforce, all in one unified interface
Aug. 31, 2015 04:00 AM EDT Reads: 424
WebRTC has had a real tough three or four years, and so have those working with it. Only a few short years ago, the development world were excited about WebRTC and proclaiming how awesome it was. You might have played with the technology a couple of years ago, only to find the extra infrastructure requirements were painful to implement and poorly documented. This probably left a bitter taste in your mouth, especially when things went wrong.
Aug. 31, 2015 02:00 AM EDT Reads: 454
As more and more data is generated from a variety of connected devices, the need to get insights from this data and predict future behavior and trends is increasingly essential for businesses. Real-time stream processing is needed in a variety of different industries such as Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, Automobile, Finance, Online Retail, Smart Grids, and Healthcare. Azure Stream Analytics is a fully managed distributed stream computation service that provides low latency, scalable processing of streaming data in the cloud with an enterprise grade SLA. It features built-in integration with Azur...
Aug. 28, 2015 07:45 PM EDT Reads: 219
Akana has announced the availability of the new Akana Healthcare Solution. The API-driven solution helps healthcare organizations accelerate their transition to being secure, digitally interoperable businesses. It leverages the Health Level Seven International Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (HL7 FHIR) standard to enable broader business use of medical data. Akana developed the Healthcare Solution in response to healthcare businesses that want to increase electronic, multi-device access to health records while reducing operating costs and complying with government regulations.
Aug. 26, 2015 07:00 AM EDT Reads: 193
For IoT to grow as quickly as analyst firms’ project, a lot is going to fall on developers to quickly bring applications to market. But the lack of a standard development platform threatens to slow growth and make application development more time consuming and costly, much like we’ve seen in the mobile space. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Mike Weiner, Product Manager of the Omega DevCloud with KORE Telematics Inc., discussed the evolving requirements for developers as IoT matures and conducted a live demonstration of how quickly application development can happen when the need to comply wit...
Aug. 2, 2015 11:15 AM EDT Reads: 556
The Internet of Everything (IoE) brings together people, process, data and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before – transforming information into knowledge and knowledge into wisdom. IoE creates new capabilities, richer experiences, and unprecedented opportunities to improve business and government operations, decision making and mission support capabilities.
Aug. 1, 2015 10:00 AM EDT Reads: 486


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May 13, 2015
Copper Shipments Ahead of 2014 Pace
Service center shipments of copper products increased in March compared to the same month in 2014, while alloy shipments were mostly flat, reports the Copper and Brass Servicenter Association, Overland Park, Kan. Copper shipments of 11.1 million pounds were up 12.2 percent over March 2014, but brass shipments of 10.9 million pounds were off 0.5 percent. Total warehouse shipments of 22.0 million pounds were up 5.5 percent.
For the first three months of the year, total shipments increased 0.3 percent to 65.0 million pounds. Copper shipments year to date remained 0.9 percent behind 2014 at 32.8 million pounds, while alloy shipments increased 1.6 percent to 32.2 million pounds.
The biggest year-over-year gains were in 200 series brass sheet, up 19.1 percent to 11.6 million pounds, and copper rod, up 4.0 percent to 17.2 million pounds. Copper sheet was down 0.6 percent to 13.1 million pounds and 300 series rod and bar was off 2.5 percent to 14.4 million pounds.
March shipments were up across the board compared to February, driven by two extra shipping days. Total copper shipments increased 13.1 percent and alloy shipments were up 13.0 percent, CBSA reports.

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As China prepares to ring in the Lunar New Year, one shopping mall has declared it the year of #TrumpDog, complete with a giant statue that bears a striking resemblance to the US president.
The statue sports a deep frown, an index finger pointing straight up and Trump’s signature coiffure in what is believed to be his favourite colour, gold. The dog is also wearing a red kerchief, although it is significantly shorter than the power ties typically worn by the president.
The People’s Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Communist party, heralded the statue’s arrival, declaring “Welcome the #TrumpDog”.
The Festival Walk Mall in Taiyuan, the capital of the northern province of Shanxi, erected the statue ahead of the start of the Lunar New Year, which falls on 16 February, 2018. Last year the shopping arcade built another Trump-like effigy, but the US president was portrayed as a rooster.
The Chinese zodiac is a 12 year cycle, with each year represented by a separate animal.
Trump was born in 1946, also the year of the dog. But that is not good news for the US president, as Chinese culture predicts a year of bad fortune for anyone that shares the same zodiac sign.
People are generally told to be careful during their own zodiac year as pitfalls abound.
Trump frequently criticised China on the campaign trail, claiming Beijing’s unfair trade practices were “raping” the US. Since taking office however, he has refrained from taking a hard line on China and often lavishing praise on Chinese president Xi Jinping.
While the statue is a transparent ploy to gain international attention, an employee who answered the phone at the mall claimed it was not meant to resemble Trump.
“It’s just a cute dog for our customers to see and take pictures with,” the employee said, declining to give her name.
The statue, and the hashtag #TrumpDog, has been a hit on social media.


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Nerdist reported that Tokushoutsu, Shout! Factory's tokusatsu streaming channel will have a special Ultraman Day marathon, which lead to the US streaming premiere of Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial!
Bandai Tamashii Nations posted the official images of the S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Leo from the Ultraman Leo TV series.
Mill Creek Entertainment has opened pre-orders for Ultraman Leo's North American Blu-ray release on their official website.
It was reported that manga creator Daiji Kazumine has passed away last November 27th. He was 84 years old.
Bandai has unveiled new figures under the S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Z line at the the Tamashii Nations 2020 event.
Tokusatsu fans of the United States rejoice as Shout! Factory and Pluto TV team-up to launch TokuSHOUTsu, an online channel, which will stream the original 1971 Kamen Rider series, Super Sentai, and Ultraman Leo!
Shout! Factory posted the first episode of the 7th Ultraman series, Ultraman Leo in their official YouTube channel!
It was announced by Crunchyroll's forum moderator that four Ultraman titles left the streaming service last October 14th.


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The developer that brought us Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and the recent Vanquish will soon be receiving his paychecks from ZeniMax Media, the company that owns Bethesda Softworks, Arkane Studios, and id Software.
This might not seem like a big deal, but Mikami is one of the most respected developers in the industry, and ZeniMax– who’s most recent game was Obsidian Entertainment’s Fallout: New Vegas– can increase their scope and move to a more global footing.
ZeniMax’s upcoming games, which include some huge titles like Doom 4, Brink, and RAGE, are all being developed in North America, while the recently acquired Arkane Studios is based in France. The acquisition of Tango Gameworks increases the company’s worldwide range and gives it a new foothold into the Japanese market, where its games have met with mixed success.
ZeniMax is quietly positioning itself to become one of the truly elite publishers in the world, and the acquisition of Tango Gameworks will further that claim. If you are a fan of games like Fallout, Elder Scrolls, and Doom, then the news that ZeniMax’s reach is increasing is nothing but a good thing.
No word yet on Mikami’s plans, but Tango Gameworks will remain in Japan, and will likely begin to develop a new property for ZeniMax soon.


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Adweek Media Plan of the Year for YouTube stars
10 November 2014
Congratulations to our YouTube team on their Adweek Media Plan of the Year award for YouTube Stars. Together with PHD, we created a groundbreaking campaign around three talented vloggers that showcased the marketing potential of YouTube influencers while promoting its newest ad offering, Google Preferred.
Read more about the campaign on Adweek.


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“We are incredibly impressed with the Eero team and how quickly they invented a WiFi solution that makes connected devices just work,” Dave Limp, senior vice president for Amazon devices and services, said in a statement. “We have a shared vision that the smart home experience can get even easier, and we’re committed to continue innovating on behalf of customers.”
While Amazon is focusing its smart home efforts on the Echo, the company is proving willing to acquire where it makes sense. Last March, Amazon acquired Ring for $1 billion, jumping into the market for video doorbells.
San Francisco-based Eero was founded in 2014 by Nick Weaver, Amos Schallich and Nate Hardison with the goal of making WiFi simple to use, easy to install and effective across many rooms in a house. In 2015, Eero sold $2.5 million worth of products in its first two weeks after the company began accepting preorders, CNBC reported earlier.
A single Eero device costs $199 and covers up to 1,500 square feet. Users can add a so-called beacon for another room for an additional $149 or can buy both combined for $299. The company also sells a security service for $99 a year.
“You have to be able to react quickly to customers, and at the same time, you have to think far enough ahead to think about what the hardware needs to do in the future,” said Weaver, a Stanford University graduate who has been fixing home networking systems since he was 10.
More than 150 people are listed as Eero employees on LinkedIn. The start-up has raised at least $90 million in funding. Investors include Index Ventures, Playground Global, Redpoint Ventures and Shasta Ventures. The start-up laid off one-fifth of its employees last year, TechCrunch reported.


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Bad French horse meat sold to Dutch consumers
About 24,000 pounds of French horse meat from 200 slaughter horses that did not pass the health inspection, was sold on the Dutch market, reported State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Economic Affairs to Parliament on Monday. The horses originated from French centers for horse-riding, pharmaceutical laboratories, and private owners. Photo by dottorpeni/Wikimedia Commons Although they were slaughtered in 2013, and distributed to five Dutch companies between January and October, the fraud was only discovered last month in France, when fraud with horse passports came to light, according to Dijkema. Attempts of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) to track down the meat, have so far not had any success. None of the five companies have any of the meat left in stock. The health risks are minimal, according to the NVWA and the French authorities.


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The HPS Somerset Group’s popular annual indoor Plant Sale is taking place at West Monkton Village Hall, Monkton Heathfield near Taunton TA2 8NE on Saturday 22 April 2023. The stallholders will be a mix of local nurseries and keen growers amongst our group members. Amongst the nurseries taking part are Biocentric Plants, Elworthy Cottage Plants and In Clover.
Entry to the Plant Sale is just £1. Refreshments will be on sale during the morning and there is free parking on site.


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If you are looking for a deal at Target...turn off your location!
Prices change all the time on retailer's websites but people are discovering just how intense it is, especially at Target.
But what may be news to Target’s rabid followers is that prices are sometimes higher depending on what location they’re shopping ― and even where a person is standing.
Target participates in dynamic pricing meaning prices changes based on user behavior.
In 2019, an investigation by KARE11 news, an NBC affiliate in Minneapolis, found that Target would change its prices based on whether app users were shopping from in or outside a store. In fact, after comparing prices on 10 different products, the station’s total bill was $262 cheaper when shopping from the BACK of the parking lot versus INSIDE the Target store.
Just a few feet or 50 feet to be exact.
How To Avoid Dynamic Pricing
- Turn off your location
- Take advantage of price matching
- Use in-app coupons
- Download a deal tracker
There is SO MUCH to this discovery. Please read the entire Huffington Post article because it is crazy!
Photo: Getty Images


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BRITAIN’S leading upmarket retailer has announced it will open its first Welsh store at the end of September – 145 years after it began trading in London.
The arrival of John Lewis has been labelled a significant coup by a retail expert.
Professor Anne Marie Doherty of Glamorgan Business School told the Western Mail the fact John Lewis had chosen to put its biggest department store outside of London here and had also chosen Cardiff as the first of its stores to stock men’s clothes from American designer Ralph Lauren – supplanting the Oxford Street store – was proof Wales is considered a global player.
“It will encourage more global retailers of a certain level to come here because they will take this as a sign that there is definitely a market for their goods,” she said.
“It’s not that there wasn’t a market for these luxury goods in the past – you only have to look around at the clothes people wear – but in the past, apart from a couple of concessions, there just wasn’t anywhere to buy them.
“To me, John Lewis is just answering the demand for aspirational goods.”
With 170,000 square feet of selling space, the three-storey shop in the heart of the revamped city centre is, according to the store’s managing director Liz Mihell, “the envy of the entire company”.
She also said the department store, which will be Wales’ largest when it opens on September 24, will be the first of the 28 in the partnership to place fashion on a par with furnishings, treating shoppers to an innovative open- plan layout on the womenswear floor, where lines on sale will include lingerie from designer Stella McCartney.
A month after the store opens the centre to which it is attached, St David's, will open its £675m extension, on October 22.
“Up until now, we have done fashion in a fairly utilitarian way and perhaps not as exciting as it should have been,” said Mrs Mihell.
“It will be far bolder and more ambitious than what we have been able to do before.
“Traditionally, shoppers have been driven around the store down walkways, but here the key difference is that it will be much more free flowing, much more open and invitational to explore.”
Much of the chic grey Italian- tiled floor has already been laid and contractors are half way through fitting out the store, though it will be many weeks before the first of the £12m worth of stock can be brought into the building.
Designer names, including Jigsaw and Ted Baker, will feature heavily and Mrs Mihell is confident that, despite the recession, there will be sufficient demand.
“We are absolutely passionate that bringing them to the capital of Wales is absolutely the right thing to do.
“Before we go into a city we are absolutely about researching the level of interest.
“We are confident that a city of this size, the capital of Wales, will bring us the footfall.”
The outside of the store is virtually complete - next page
While there is still much hard work to be done on the inside, the outside of the store, attached to the £675m extension of the St David’s shopping centre by an elevated glass bridge, is virtually complete.
Its most eye-catching feature is the glass prow, the point at the front of the building which juts into The Hayes like a ship cutting through the waves.
Gavin Smith, who as occupation manager is in charge of ensuring the building is completed to the highest standard, said some in John Lewis described the store design as “nautical”.
But, as far as he is concerned, it has far more to do with wanting to stand out.
“We don’t build square boxes,” he said.
“It’s also about making the best use of the space we have.
“This is the best-looking John Lewis we have delivered.”
Paul Williams, Cardiff city centre manager, said: “There is an air of excitement building across the capital in anticipation that the new John Lewis store is to feature premium fashion brands, including a number of designer names that are currently only available in the West End.
“The decision to pursue the best brands in fashion is a clear statement of intent from this major department store.
“As the second largest of their stores in the UK, it will be a key player in delivering the most inspirational pieces of the season for an eager Cardiff and Wales audience.
“I’m delighted that all the best that the fashion world has to offer will be available this autumn in the heart of the city.
“John Lewis will provide one of the reasons why people from far and wide will choose Cardiff as the destination to visit, relax, enjoy and shop.”
Prof Doherty said: “The fact that John Lewis is prepared to come here despite what’s happening means they are planning for the longer term.
“They have faith that Cardiff will be a centre for European and global retailing.”


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Leading ticketing and CRM solutions company, TopTix, is providing its advanced SRO platform to the Starlite Theatre in Branson, Missouri.
An unusually high percentage of Branson’s tickets are sold as vouchers via reseller outlets.
Therefore, the Starlite needed a robust solution that could provide accurate accounting for the complex voucher system.
Renée Johnson, who has been involved with entertainment management in Branson for the past 14 years, considered 8 different software systems.
“We found SRO to be the most attractive right out of the box as far as unmatched reporting capabilities, user friendliness, and the ability to instantly increase our sales, ” she commented.
In fact, SRO enables the Starlite Theatre to integrate all POS outlets. This includes online, box office, concessions and gift shop with inventory. The rules-based engine allows for instant price changes based on demand. It also allows for the creation of unique upsell and cross-sell “Grab-and-Go” packages with tickets, concessions and merchandise.
“From a sales and marketing perspective, I am most excited about the incredible reporting capabilities of SRO, ” observed Pam Critchfield, Sales and Marketing Director.
“This new ticketing system will be significant in helping us reach our goals in 2017 and beyond.”
In summary, Brian Stallings, President of TopTix Americas, said that Starlite staff had treated the company like partners:
“Starlite has set the stage for greater operational efficiency and better marketing decision making. What’s more, it has the ability to generate immediate bottom line results through SRO.”


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Jobs available now for new highway servo at Ballina
JOBS are being advertised for the new highway service centre being built on the Pacific Highway at West Ballina.
The employment website Seek currently has listed jobs for a store manager and an assistant store manager at what is being called the BP Australia Travel Centre.
A spokesperson for BP Australia said the 24-hour service station is set to create 40 jobs.
The spokesperson said the fully operational service centre will employ about 200 people.
The highway service centre, which was approved in December 2017, is being built, and will be operated, by BP Australia on land owned by Transport for NSW.
Work began in February last year and is scheduled to be completed in April.
The site will provide 24-hour fuel, seven days a week, and include 25 parking spaces for trucks and other oversized vehicles.
The BP spokesperson said one of the tenants confirmed for the site is "BP's signature Wild Bean cafe".
Other tenants will be confirmed at a later date, the spokesperson said.
"BP has chosen to invest in the site in Ballina due to its future growth potential, and to cater to the needs of local and travelling customers, particularly as it will be conveniently located along the Pacific Highway," the spokesperson said.
"This is a significant and exciting investment for BP."
To find out more about the jobs available, see the website bp.com.au/careers.


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Local food. Local fuel. Local finance. All these popular ideas can help us build a more resilient local economy, and that means an even better community to live in.
On Feb. 25, Carol Peppe Hewitt, author of "Financing Our Foodshed: Growing Local Food with Slow Money," and Lyle Estill, author of numerous books on alternative energy and local activism, are bringing their sustainability roadshow, "Running On Local" to The Sentient Bean.
"I heard an idea, in 2010, of moving money into the hands of farmers and the local food businesses that support local, sustainable farming, by making small affordable loans to those folks who had a viable need for affordable capital," Hewitt said. "In the last three and a half years, I have helped facilitate over 115 direct, peer-to-peer loans in North Carolina from about 80 different lenders to 55 farmers and food entrepreneurs. Many of those loans are already paid off. They total about 1.2 million dollars and they have kept people employed in their own businesses, put more local food in our stores and restaurants, preserved small farms, and strengthened local economies.
"It's brilliant and simple. You can do it in your community, and I am here to help."
Hewitt has teamed up with Lyle Estill, who is well known in alternative energy circles.
"In a world of doom and gloom, where financial instruments are too complex to understand and money moves at the speed of light, where governments are struggling to take action and individuals are at the mercy of faceless global corporations, there are ways to localize all aspects of your life," Estill said.
Estill runs one of the few surviving community-scale biofuel operations in the Southeast, turning waste cooking oil into about one million gallons of B100 biofuel each year.
Come meet and talk with the authors to be inspired and to network with fellow locavists.


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The most viewed news on our site for the week ended November 12, 2022.
Last week, Paris Hilton launched her 29th fragrance—Love Rush. It’s a part of her Rush collection, and the bottle is inspired by her wedding dress.
In other news, Bath & Body Works’ Board of Directors voted unanimously to appoint Gina Boswell as chief executive officer and a member of the Board, effective December 1, 2022. Sarah E. Nash, who has served as executive chair of the Board since February 2022 and interim chief executive officer since May 2022, will remain executive chair through the end of the company’s fiscal year on January 28, 2023, at which time she will transition back to chair of the Board.
Also, Avon announced it is establishing new Research and Development operations in Brazil and Poland, two of the largest markets in its business. As a result, the company will be closing its Research & Development operations in Suffern, New York.
Lastly, according to a report from the Financial Times, The Estée Lauder Companies is nearing a deal to purchase Tom Ford for about $2.8 billion, including debt, beating out competition from other suitors.
Here are our top 10 most viewed stories from the past week:
1. Ranking the Top 50 Cosmetic Companies
2. The Top Skincare and Beauty Trends Of 2022 So Far
3. Morphe-Owner Forma Brands Considers Bankruptcy
4. 4 Key Beauty Trends For 2023
5. Top 10 Beauty Brands in The U.S. For Q1 2022
6. Michelle Pfeiffer’s Fragrance Line Launches Today
7. Paris Hilton to Launch Love Rush Fragrance on The Day She Got Married
8. Bath & Body Works Appoints Gina Boswell as CEO
9. Avon to Establish New R&D Operations in Brazil And Poland
10. The Estée Lauder Companies Still In Talks To Purchase Tom Ford
Thanks for reading our Breaking News. We’ll have a new list for you next Monday.
Have a great week!


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After a year cancelled by Covid, McDonald’s Monopoly fans will be excited to know the game is back.
Diners will have the chance to win prizes, cash or (in the vast majority of cases) more Maccies food.
Here’s what you need to know about this year’s promotion.
When does it start?
McDonald’s Monopoly 2021 launched on Wednesday, August 25 and some prizes can be claimed up until November.
You must be over 16 to play and the event usually runs for around 41 days.
How do you play?
The promotion is based on a system of stickers affixed to the food and drink boxes, with different McDonald’s items carrying two or three apiece.
After peeling these off, diners find details written on the back either offering an instant prize, a Monopoly “property” or an online code which can be entered for the possibility of winning something.
The stickers can be collected to win larger prizes.
It was cancelled last year due to Covid. Initially the date was merely pushed back, before the fast-food chain decided not to run it at all.
It was the first time it hadn’t run for 15 years.
Customers should ignore the expiry dates on them this time around, as they have been reused after the usually Spring-time game was postponed earlier this year.
The new dates are as below:
- Collect to win non food prizes: redeemed by old date 4 June 2021, new date 11 November 2021
- Collect to win food prizes: redeemed by old date 18 May 2021, new date 19 October 2021
- Instant win non-food prize or discount: redeemed by old date 4 June 2021, new date 5 November 2021
- Instant win food or Just Eat vouchers: redeemed by old date 18 May 2021, new date 19 October 2021
- Instant win discount voucher (excluding Just Eat): redeemed by old date, 31 August 2021 or earlier, new date 31 January 2022
- Online game: redeemed by old date 5 May 2021, new date 15 October 2021
What can you win?
According to McDonald’s over 8 million prizes were claimed during 2018’s promotion, and there are a few different ways diners can win.
A massive 8,006,175 prizes were claimed, including 6 Mini Coopers, three £100k prizes, two £25k prizes and a Universal Holiday.
But mostly people win free food, such as apple pies or fruit bags.
The company has not confirmed this year’s list of prizes.
But usually the most common prizes on offer are won instantly, with the stickers instantly revealing the prize on offer.
The majority of these are for free food vouchers in McDonald’s, with literally millions on offer for anything from Big Macs to McMuffins.
There are also Play Online prizes, which means you will need to register online and use a code on the card, to see it. Previously these have included money, PlayStations.
If you get a Property sticker, you collect them and once you have got a full set you can register online and find out what you have won.
But 2021 has a brand new twist. The chain has brought in the McDonald’s VIP Gold Card. This is a totally new prize and sticker to be won.
There are 1000 up for grabs and the prize is a free medium McDonalds every week for the next year.
An extra 10 of these cards are available for app users.


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After talking with six companies that sell the specific kind of street light purchased by the city of Mobile in 2011 using federal grant money, it appears the city overpaid by nearly $500 per light.
That information comes on the heels of accusations Lagniappe has previously reported that the city crafted a request for quotes (RFQ) so that only that particular model of light could be chosen.
The selection process for a $1.2 million lighting contract, which was funded by a U.S. Department of Energy grant, began in 2011 when the city issued a RFQ on Aug. 22. Bids submitted ranged from $355.35 to $1,193 per LED light, but the work went to the second highest bidder on the list.
WESCO Distribution, which bid $1,070 per light, was awarded the contract for a Cooper Ventus LED light. The city ended up buying and installing 1,144 lights, which meant WESCO Distribution was paid $1,224,080 for the project, according to city and federal records.
Now it seems the amount the city paid for the Cooper Ventus light was over $500 per light than what was paid by other cities. Lagniappe contacted six companies that sell Cooper Lights and all gave estimate quotes between $613 and just more than $650 for the same light the city purchased at a cost of $1,070 apiece. If the city had bought the lights at an average price it would have saved roughly $500,000.
The companies consulted were Wells-Keown Associates in Harahan, La.; Tennessee Lighting Sales in Nashville, Tenn.; Tampa Bay Lighting in Tampa, Fla.; Premier Lighting in Greer, S.C.; Illumination Systems in Denver, Colo. and Southern California Illumination in Del Mar, Calif.
Lagniappe also asked the same companies if they had ever heard of the Cooper Ventus LED light selling for $1,070 and each said no.
“Tell me where I can sell (the Cooper Ventus) for $1,000 and I’ll be there,” joked Illumination Systems’ Lidia Mendez.
Chubbuck, Idaho recently used Cooper Ventus LED lights in a city project. However, Chubbuck City Clerk Richard Morgan said the city didn’t pay nearly $1,070 for the light, but was unsure of the price per light.
A person familiar with the bidding process but who wished to remain nameless explained how the light prices can vary.
“Cooper has specific sellers for their lights in markets. Those companies can sell to other companies who can then sell those lights,” the person said. “That’s why WESCO could sell the lights although they are not the dealers in Mobile.”
The company that sells for this area according the Cooper website is Lighting Solutions.
“The company who is selling the lights can mark up the price as much as it can,” the anonymous source said. “You can theoretically sell the light for as much as the person is willing to pay for it.”
Multiple attempts to contact Lighting Solutions were unsuccessful.
Lagniappe asked the city if they had checked the $1,070 price tag against what other cities paid for the same light.
“We did not contact any other cities or companies specifically about the Cooper fixture. During the two-year pilot program we contacted a few places about their general experience with LED street lights,” said city Traffic Engineering Director Jennifer White via email.
Even before the city seemingly paid an exorbitant amount for the light, the RFQ itself raised many questions from people who bid on the project.
In reviewing the RFQ, it appears to have been written in a way that would be consistent with purchasing an item based on proprietary qualifications rather than performance. A proprietary RFQ can only be used under specific conditions, according to state and federal law. Most of those specifications deal with safety issues, but those do not apply to the restrictive requirements used in this RFQ. A proprietary RFQ is so specific it essentially ensures an exact make, model or manufacturer will win the bid.
For example, under a proprietary RFQ for police vehicles, a person writing the RFQ could copy and paste the specifications from a vehicle like a Dodge Charger. Then, any company bidding something other than that specific car would not be able to meet the exact requirements such as weight and abilities. Thus the Dodge Charger would have to be selected.
The RFQ for the LED lights appears to have been treated this way by the city, as several lower bids were kicked out because they did not meet some very specific criteria.
According to the city RFQ, the light selected needed to “meet or exceed a 2-foot-candle average radius,” be able to be spaced out 150-feet along the road, weigh no more than 50-pounds and have a specific maximum effective projected area of “1.44-square-feet.” Several of the lights bid met or exceeded the 2-foot-candle average radius requirement, and were lower in price, but were not selected.
The requirement that the light have an effective area of exactly 1.44-square-feet appears to have ensured only the Cooper light selected could have been chosen. The effective projected area (EPA) is in reference to how much wind the light can withstand. Being that Mobile often deals with hurricane-force winds, this is important. However, the RFQ states the EPA should be specifically 1.44-square-feet. It does not state it should meet or exceed, which would could eliminate a cheaper light that could actually withstand more wind.
Lagniappe asked city officials who wrote the bid specifications and who was involved in the selection process. Multiple sources told Lagniappe up to four people were involved and in an earlier interview, city attorney Larry Wettermark told Lagniappe there were “several people from several departments involved in the selection process.”
However, White said the opposite.
“Doug Davis wrote the bid,” she said via email. “I do not know of four people who were involved in the selection process. Doug Davis reviewed the bids and made the recommendation.”
White did confirm reports that Davis had gone to Cooper’s facility, in Atlanta, Ga., during the bid process.
“Doug Davis drove to the manufacturing site and back in one day, but I do not know when in the process,” she said.
Requests for an interview or comment from Davis were not granted before press time.
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Adamjee Life Assurance Co. Ltd. and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) have joined hands for a Bancassurance Distribution Partnership. The launch ceremony was held, on 15th of July 2020, at the Main Branch of National Bank of Pakistan located at I.I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi. National Bank was represented by its Head of Bancassurance – Mr. Adnan Ahmed and Branch Manager Main Branch – Mr. Imtiaz Subzwari while Adamjee Life was represented by its GM – Business Distribution Mr. Ali Haider, Head of Bancassurance – Mr. Asim Raja and Head of Distribution Services & ADC – Mr. Khalid Qureshi at the launch ceremony in Karachi.
Officials from both the corporate giants emphasized on the importance of this partnership and how it will offer a range of financial solutions to the customers for a financially secure future


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Ola is reportedly scouting for multiple sites across major cities in India and several locations in Europe to build a network of charging stations for electric two-wheelers.
News agency PTI citing sources reports that Ola is scouting for multiple sites in 50 cities across India and several key locations in Europe to build a global network of charging infrastructure.
The company recently announced signing an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government to set up its first electric scooter factory in the state.
The charging stations will be strategically located so that it can be used by Ola’s customers to rapidly charge their electric two-wheelers.
One of the sources familiar with the matter speaking to the agency said while Ola’s e-scooters will feature a removable battery, the availability of a network of charging stations will address any concerns around charging requirements.
Ola is expected to launch the first of its range of electric scooters in the coming months.
According to PTI ,the new manufacturing plant — expected to be operational in a year’s time — will see the SoftBank-backed company invest Rs 2,400 crore. Upon completion, the factory will create nearly 10,000 jobs and will be the world’s largest scooter manufacturing facility that will initially have an annual capacity of 2 million units.
The factory will cater to customers not only in India but in markets around the world, including Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Climate Samurai has small but strong editorial team that brings you uninfluenced and curated news that you can trust. To support truly independent journalism, please consider taking a subscription which is free like our thought.


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At press time, the price of bitcoin is still refusing to budge, and remains solidly in the $6,500 range. The currency continues to move in a sideways motion, and there’s no telling when – or even if – bitcoin will do anything different in the coming weeks. Bitcoin bull and creator of the cryptocurrency merchant […]
The post Bitcoin Price Watch: Currency Still Unwavering, No Direction Set appeared first on NullTX.
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Ukraine-Russia: creation of clothing lines to support humanitarian organizations
Ukrainian Albertans create clothing lines to raise money to help combatants and those displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sisters Katilynn and Alyson Makowichuk grew up dancing in Ukraine and run a website for custom clothing and items. Prior to the dispute, the two entrepreneurs decided to create a limited-edition clothing line each month, with proceeds going to a charitable cause.
“It’s absolutely devastating to see what’s happening,” Katilynn said. “We just wanted to do whatever we could to help them.”
The couple, who live in Smoky Lake, used a design of the Tryzub, the coat of arms of Ukraine, inside a Canadian maple leaf containing other Ukrainian symbols and flowers.
“It tied it all into one,” Katilynn added. “A lot of symbols and stuff there, and a lot of artwork really reminds us of traditional (Ukrainian) blouses.”
Their initial goal was to raise $500 for the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. On Thursday, they raised over $2,600.
In Sherwood Park, Kristen Wysocki, owner of Kreative Kustoms, sells Stop War shirts to raise funds for the Red Cross Humanitarian Appeal for Ukraine.
“It breaks my heart and we feel a little helpless,” she told CTV News Edmonton.
“A lot of people are looking to donate, so we decided to do shirts,” Wysocki said. “I just wanted to keep it simple and elegant, so just two simple words with a little bird in between for peace.
“I wish I could do more, but it’s really nice to see the community coming together,” she added.
After living in Kyiv last year, Natalia Kostiuk and her partner Dylan Cliff knew they wanted to help raise money to help those fighting in Ukraine.
“We wanted to do something,” Kostiuk said. “We were just stuck watching the news all day, every day.”
The duo started selling a t-shirt featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his now-famous quote, “I need ammunition, not a round.”
After the success of this design, Kostiuk said they are now printing five more in hopes of creating more.
Their campaign supports the Friends of Ukraine Defense Forces Fund, which helps equip soldiers with equipment and bulletproof vests and supports families who have lost loved ones through military service. Kostiuk says they’ve raised $6,000 so far in just one week.
“I have memories of last year when we were in this beautiful church, and we were at this monument and we thought that all of this can be taken down and might not be there the next time we travel to Ukraine,” she said. “It’s a shame to think that all of this could be gone.”


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MediaCorp appoints ad agent in China
Beijing - MediaCorp has appointed Chinese advertising network SinoMedia as the advertising agent for its TV channels in a bid to expand its client base in mainland China.
SinoMedia will be responsible for bid invitation, marketing and sales of advertising opportunities on MediaCorp's TV channels in mainland China including Channel NewsAsia.
Clifton Yong, chief commercial officer of MediaCorp, said the partnership will help both companies to develop new markets and consolidate MediaCorp's position in the industry.
"With huge growth potential, the advertising market of China has always been one of the key development areas of MediaCorp," Yong said.
For SinoMedia, the deal marks its first overseas media resources partnership.
Jinlan Liu, chief executive officer of SinoMedia, said the partnership represents an important milestone in the firm's bid to expand to international markets and provide high quality media resources to its clients.
SinoMedia is one of the largest underwriters for TV advertising slots for CCTV.
- Mediacorp Pte Ltd
Mediacorp Pte Ltd Related Stories:
- MediaCorp appoints, Regal Hotels revamps
- MediaCorp pumps funds into Reebonz
- Sofialys makes bigger inroads in SG
- KFC fires up, StarHub in Facebook push
- MediaCorp launches trade marketing unit
- Clifton Yong resigns from MediaCorp
- MediaCorp promotes Seow to CEO
- Local broadcasters to go digital
- MediaCorp to operate media screens at Bugis
- MediaCorp appoints JWT for OTT biz
- MediaCorp: What were they thinking?
- MediaCorp to launch piggy back channels
- Measuring OOH advertising
- MediaCorp CEO Lucas Chow quits
- All things to all clients
- 4As sends letter to MediaCorp
- MediaCorp rewards its top spenders
- Major advertisers by-pass AORs
- MediaCorp HR lures talent with star power
- Digital is the new Style:


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Staff at a California jewelry store stopped a smash and grab robbery after thieves targeted the Orange County store in broad daylight.
Sarah Baca and Dallas Baca's parents own Princess Bride Diamonds, and they joined "Fox & Friends First" Tuesday to discuss the brazen incident and how they were able to stop the robbers in their tracks.
"I think this is like our livelihood and… we want California to be great again," Sarah told co-host Todd Piro. "And this is like our home. We want to defend it. I've grown up here my whole entire life."


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The Member States of the European Union are experiencing unprecedented inflation rates. In Germany, inflation has reached double figures, at 11 per cent, while Austria is close behind on 9.3 per cent. These rates can be traced back to supply chain disruptions and fossil fuel shortages caused by Covid-19 and the invasion of Ukraine — until recently both countries were extremely energy dependent. EU citizens now face a price explosion, not only in energy supply, but in all other areas of life, including food. At the same time, companies in certain sectors are recording windfall profits, caused by shortages in strategic resources. Confronted by this breakdown in market mechanisms, the state must step in.
US energy corporation ExxonMobil is expected to register $43 bn profit this year, double that of the previous year. The same goes for oil giant BP (British Petroleum), whose $9.1 bn first-quarter profits were triple those of last year. German energy concern RWE increased profits by a third in the first half of 2022, to €2.8 bn. Austria’s ÖMV recorded a 124 per cent profit increase during the same period.
Joe Biden has criticised ExxonMobil’s profits and all others profiteering from the crisis: ‘we’re going to make sure everyone knows [about] Exxon’s profits. ExxonMobil made more money than God this year.’ The implication is that Exxon’s profits are not a reward for improved performance, achieved through investment and technological advance. On the contrary, they reinforce the conviction that companies in strategic oligopolistic and monopolistic sectors are exploiting consumer dependence in the crisis and demanding disproportionate prices for essential products. This has been dubbed ‘greedflation’ in the United States. Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared war on this phenomenon in her state-of-the-Union speech: ‘in these times it is wrong to receive extraordinary record profits benefiting from war and on the back of consumers.’
The concept of greedflation calls into question the traditional view of the market, based on balancing supply and demand. On that view, unlimited corporate profit maximisation in a market economy is perfectly natural and definitely not a matter of greed. Greedflation, by contrast, raises the question of whether high sales prices are really the outcome of higher production costs. This also puts the very structure of the market under closer scrutiny. While the supply-and-demand model views inflation as an outcome of natural competition, greedflation defines it as driven by the naked rapacity of large corporations and cartels.
In the United States, while between 1979 and 2019 wage increases accounted for 61.8 per cent of price rises, since 2020 they have accounted for only 7.9 per cent.
In other words, these profits are not being made as a result of improved performance, spurred by competition, but enabled by the companies’ monopoly position. In such a market, in the absence of any alternative, prices can be driven upwards at will. This kind of monopolistic market structure is fundamentally problematic, causing even free-market supporters to doubt the viability of market self-regulation.
Corporate price setting powers in monopolised markets are so great that they accelerate inflation. Such windfall profits almost inevitably lead to a social crisis, when inflation is not cushioned by higher wages. Indeed, there has been a downward wage-price spiral since 2020. In the United States, for example, while between 1979 and 2019 wage increases accounted for 61.8 per cent of price rises, since 2020 they have accounted for only 7.9 per cent. In the current dynamic period, characterised by steep price rises and falling real wages; the question increasingly arises of how this market order can be justified, not to mention the issue of social power.
Creating a windfall tax
Strange times indeed when German and British trade unions are going into wage negotiations with demands for 10 per cent wage rises, while French industrial unions are seeking a minimum wage hike of 25 per cent?
One idea for how this wage-profit spiral can be tamed to restore social balance in price formation is a so-called excess profit tax. This might more accurately be called a windfall profit tax. Disproportionate profits with no significant performance increase or rise in production costs should be taxed away.
Meanwhile numerous European states have introduced an excess profits tax. In the United Kingdom it is 25 per cent, while Spain expects it to bring in €7 bn over the next couple of years.
Bernie Sanders put this approach on the US agenda in March 2022. But it isn’t new. An excess profits tax was imposed in the USA during the First and Second World War in order to absorb windfall corporate profits gained from the extraordinary circumstances of the wars. More recently this was applied during the 1980s oil crisis. Meanwhile numerous European states have introduced an excess profits tax. In the United Kingdom it is 25 per cent, while Spain expects it to bring in €7 bn over the next couple of years. Norway anticipates a 50 per cent boost in tax revenues this year. There is political reluctance in Austria, although the Austrian Trade Union Federation estimates that such a tax would generate €4 or 5 bn.
While some governments prevaricate, the European Union could step in. In its proposed regulation on emergency measures in response to high energy prices, the European Commission proposes a ‘solidarity levy’ on excess profits in the fossil fuel sector in 2022. This levy would amount to 33 per cent of taxable profits. From a trade union standpoint, it is clear that the myth that companies ‘earn’ high profits, regardless of market structure, is unsustainable in wartime. Or, as Ursula von der Leyen puts it: ‘profits must be shared’. Trade unions will take the Commission President at her word and ensure that this does not remain empty talk.


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Uber and Lyft ordered by California judge to classify drivers as employees
A California judge ruled that Uber and Lyft must classify their drivers as employees in a stunning preliminary injunction issued on Monday afternoon. However, the injunction is stayed for 10 days, giving Uber and Lyft an opportunity to appeal the decision. Uber said it planned to file an immediate emergency appeal to block the ruling from going into effect. Uber and Lyft are under increasing pressure by the authorities.


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Updates continue to roll in from the ongoing Facebook F8 developer conference in San Jose. One major trend coming out of this year's event is a focus on Facebook Messenger, chatbots and payments.
Yesterday, U.S. global money transfer company MoneyGram debuted Sendbot, a platform that allows MoneyGram users in the U.S. to send money transfers to any of the company's 350,000 global locations through Facebook Messenger.
Sendbot allows users to find the nearest MoneyGram location based on where the recipient is, send funds and track transfer progress all within the text-based Messenger environment.
“Innovation is the core to our business and the MoneyGram Sendbot is a true case of a hybrid product created to bridge the digital and physical worlds in order to promote financial inclusion,” said Youri Bebic, MoneyGram’s head of product innovation. “The bot is another example of MoneyGram’s commitment to making money transfers easy for our customers.”
Sendbot is the latest investment MoneyGram has made into its digital offerings, including MobilePass and MoneyGram online along with enabling transfers to bank accounts and mobile wallets. The company's digital money transfer revenue saw 16 percent growth year on year in 2016.
The new chatbot could also be appealing to the two companies currently vying to acquire MoneyGram. Ant Financial and Euronet have locked horns in a burgeoning bidding war.
MoneyGram's bot is the latest in a growing number of payments-related bots on Facebook Messenger as users learn to embrace the interface as a means to send funds.
Messenger users recently acquired the ability to make distributed group payments in-app, for instance, and other payments and financial companies have also made their Messenger chatbot debuts at F8, including other major players like American Express and Mastercard.


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Just a quick post on this development, as soon as more details are revealed I will update. Anna Sui is expanding her fashion empire into the ath-leisurewear market. She revealed her plans last week at WWD’s CEO Summit in China last week saying that she will be channelling an “empowering yet feminine” and good girl/bad girl attitude in the brand design. The brand is set to launch in China before it launches in the Middle East and the rest of the world. She also added “we want to bring something different into the activewear space”.
Since she’s known best for her prints and bold colours I have no doubt that she’ll be bringing something fun and innovative to the table. The line will cover yoga, fitness and running. Excited to see what she has in store for us.
See more Dubai fashion posts here.


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With the global landscape changed permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of changes are being made by every industry to adapt. Moving everything online is one of the biggest trends seen everywhere. Education and work (where possible) have all shifted to remote from the safety of people’s homes. Mobile development conferences in 2020 and other huge events have been hit by the pandemic. Usually attended by hundreds if not thousands of people from an international audience, tech conferences like WWDC and Google I/O are forced to reassess. Many companies have opted to cancel their annual conferences as Google did with Google I/O.
This isn’t the case for some tech conferences that took the initiative to shift their conferences and events completely online. Obviously holding these sorts of events online wasn’t invented this year. There are plenty of online-only events that have been held annually before the pandemic. We’ve compiled a list of the biggest mobile development conferences in 2020 to help you keep up to date with the biggest news.
This list will be constantly updated as things are constantly shifting nowadays so stay tuned for any updates.
Mobile Development Conferences 2020
Apple’s WWDC 2020
Starting June 22
The biggest example of an event being moved online is Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC 2020). Instead of a physical conference, it will be a week-long online event beginning June 22. This is WWDC’s 31st iteration which makes it a huge deal that the change is happening. In a statement along with the announcement Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing said, “The current health situation has required that we create a new WWDC 2020 format that delivers a full program with an online keynote and sessions, offering a great learning experience for our entire developer community, all around the world.”
This move gives worldwide fans and developers equal opportunity to experience early access to the future of all things iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The main announcements at WWDC are expected to the next iterations of all the platforms this will probably include iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS 10.16, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14.
Students are also a big focus for this year’s event. The aspiring developers had the opportunity to enter the Swift Student Challenge by “creating an interactive scene in a Swift playground that can be experienced within three minutes”. The question remains if the conference is a huge success whether or not the format will remain for next year or not.
Dates: Beginning June 22nd
try! Swift World
try! Swift World is a bit different than normal events and workshops. Instead of being held on specific dates squeezing all the talks and workshops together, they make the most of the online-only format. Workshops are available constantly and let you choose which ones appeal to you the most to add.
They focus on giving workshops a more personal touch by limiting them to 10 attendees and lasting for about an hour. Workshops are led by some of the top Swift developers around the world and give extra time for networking and brainstorming with colleagues.
mDevCamp is the largest conference for mobile developers in Central Europe. This will be the 9th edition featuring a great array of speakers and networking opportunities. Similar to most conferences it is usually done in person annually. Instead of just shifting to online talks and streams, mDevCamp has come up with one of the more creative ways to hold a conference. They created a virtual world to help developers ‘e-meet’ and better network and interact while being safe at home.
Dates: June 10 – 11
Price: 19€ per ticket
Hacking with Swift Live 2020
Normally an in-person event, Hacking with Swift Live will be shifted online this year due to the pandemic. Hacking with Swift are big players in the iOS dev circles and they bring a breadth of expertise to these events. Attendees will be able to learn, build, and network with a shared love for iOS development. They’ve also announced that all profits from the event will go to charity and focus on bringing the iOS community together this year. The online iOS event will be four days of learning and covering everything new from WWDC20.
Dates: July 13-16
Price: £330 per ticket
Even though it mainly focuses on a more European audience, droidcon Berlin is still one of the biggest Android conferences anywhere. It’s a place where the industry’s leading Android experts can come together with their shared love of the Android platform and create a strong network for developers and companies. This would be the 12th edition and unlike many who opted to move to an online conference, droidcon Berlin is still planning on being a physical event.
Initially planned to take place July 1-3, it has been delayed to October 7-9. In their statement, they said that they “remain hopeful that the current COVID-19 outbreak will be largely contained in the summer months and are confident that our international Android Developer community will be able to meet and interact in person at droidcon Berlin in October.”
Dates: October 7-9, 2020
Price: €119 – €444


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With bands playing, national anthems ringing out and the pulsations of Junkanoo, Bahamian leaders, businesses and stakeholders celebrated a long-awaited historic milestone today as more than 1,000 passengers boarded Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas ready to set sail from its embarkation port of Nassau for the first time in the cruise line’s history, and a first for The Bahamas.
NASSAU AND MIAMI, MARCH 11, 2021 – Today, in a joint virtual press conference with the Honorable Dionisio D’Aguilar, Minister of Tourism & Aviation for The C
Proving Once Again – It’s Better In The Bahamas
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to advise that the Prime Minister, the Most Honorable Dr.
NASSAU, Bahamas, March 8, 2021 – The Bahamas is
Virtual Romance Expo welcomes over 1300 Trade Professionals in advance of Consumer Expo on March 10 Event!
Since reopening Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in December 2020, Baha Mar has been an industry leader in the Caribbean, offering some of the world's most robust COVID-19 testing pr
Ease of doing business reform to enhance compliance and enforcement of 4% charter fee requirement
NASSAU, Bahamas, Feb.
Event Marked the Return of In-Person Trade Activity; One-on-One Meetings Were Conducted with Top Charter Brokers Who Provide Some


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DEVACURL IS A NO GO!!!!
The hair brand DevaCurl is facing heavy allegations as customers claim that DevaCurl has damaged their hair. Users of the hair brand say that after starting DevaCurl, they have experienced hair loss, dandruff, an inflamed scalp, loss of curl definition, and even loss of natural hair color. One woman said the product caused her hair to start turning grey.
DevaCurl is a hair brand that caters to women with curly hair and claims not to contain any damaging chemicals in its products. However, Stephanie Mero, former DevaCurl hairstylist, shared a video she titled “How I Went From Being a DevaCurl Stylist to a Victim Advocate.” She talks about how her clients complained about their hair thinning and then noticed negative changes to her hair. She also started a “DevaCurl hair and scalp issues” Facebook group that has since gained over 42,000 members.
She is not the only Youtuber to post a video about the effects of DevaCurl. Ayesha Malik also posted “Why I stopped Using DevaCurl,” which shows the damage to her hair as it looked vibrant and beautiful before she used DevaCurl. Malik warns people to stay away from the brand.
Mero has asked the FDA to recall the hair brand, more specifically the No-Poo line, but no recall has been done.
DevaCurl stands firm that there is nothing wrong with the products as they have tested everything rigorously and have found no problem. Despite the growing number of complaints, DevaCurl is adamant that there is no problem with the brand.
At this time, it is not recommended that women with curly hair use this hair brand or should, at the very least, keep an eye on the effects on their hair.


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Fitness trackers are widely popular. It seems like every person who decides to improve their fitness or lose weight buys one of these gadgets dubbed to help you reach your goal easily. It is estimated that about 20 million of these devices have been sold in the first half of 2016, and it’s not surprising, fitness trackers are versatile and promise to deliver different kinds of info that you can use to keep track of your progress. With multiple advertised benefits and immense popularity, it comes as a total shock that fitness trackers can put your security at risk. Keep reading to find out more.
How Do Fitness Trackers Affect Security?
You see your fitness tracker as a device that displays blood pressure, calorie burn, the amount of steps you make, and so on. To use all benefits that fitness trackers have to provide, you usually have to connect them with your smartphone device or a computer. That way, you get detailed insight into the progress you’re making. It all seems harmless, but not so fast. According to Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi of the Technische Universität Darmstadt, the data collected by fitness trackers aren’t only used for their original purposes; they are increasingly used by third parties as well.
Sadeghi and his team collaborated with the University of Padua, Italy to examine whether these devices jeopardize wearers’ security. They analyzed 17 fitness trackers made by famous brands such as Xiaomi, Garmin, and Jawbone as well as gadgets made by less known manufacturers. For the purpose of the study, scientists focused on the manipulation of the gathered data on their way to the cloud server by the “man in the middle” attack. They wanted to investigate the security and safety of communication protocols used by fitness trackers.
After a thorough examination, the research team discovered shocking results. Even though all cloud-based tracking systems do use HTTPS and other encrypted protocols to transfer data, the scientists succeeded to falsify information in all gadgets they included into the study. In fact, only devices made by four manufacturers took minor measures to protect the data integrity. That said, these measures were so weak and poses as no obstacle for a motivated attacker. The study author revealed that scammers could easily manipulate the data from your fitness tracker with very little IT knowledge meaning, a person doesn’t have to be a well-skilled hacker to manipulate information on your device.
Researchers also discovered that five manufacturers, whose gadgets were included into the study, didn’t provide a possibility to sync up fitness data with online services. They store the gathered data in plain-text. More precisely, the stored data is unencrypted and visible to everyone, thus increasing the risk of a security breach and unauthorized data leak in case a virus infects someone’s smartphone or it’s stolen.
Access to the data by nosey and curious attackers isn’t the only issue with security of these devices. Data gathered by fitness trackers have been used in court trials. The Forbes reported that a legal firm from Calgary, Canada was working on the first known personal injury case which included activity data from popular FitBit to help show the effects of an accident on their client, back in 2014.
The NY Daily News alleges that police have started to use fitness trackers from companies such as FitBit, Garmin, and Jawbone in courtroom as part of the evidence. For example, they used information from Lancaster, PA woman’s FitBit to prove she lied about being sexually assaulted. Attorneys and police have started considering fitness trackers as human “black boxes.”
The popularity of these gadgets and easy access to the data also led a number of health insurance companies to offer discounts if the insured individuals provide personal data from devices they’re using.
Sadeghi explains that inadequate security associated with fitness trackers could attract scammers who would manipulate the tracked data to gain financial benefits or influence a court trial fraudulently.
The Fitness Tracker Hinders Your Weight Loss
People usually buy a fitness tracker because they want to lose weight which is why a team of scientists at the University of Pittsburgh decided to examine its effect on weight loss. Results, published in the JAMA, were quite surprising. They showed that among young adults with BMI between 25 and 40, the addition of a wearable technology device resulted in less weight loss compared to standard behavioral intervention. Scientists concluded the study explaining that devices that monitor physical activity and provide feedback don’t offer an advantage over conventional approaches to weight loss.
Although fitness trackers are trusted by millions of users, the latest research showed they aren’t that trustable at all. Gaining access to data collected by these devices is easy, and it can be done without vast IT knowledge. Since health insurance companies start to use data from fitness trackers as well as police and attorneys, this leaves space for people to manipulate the data. It’s also needless to mention that any motivated attacker can access data your fitness tracker collected.


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HONG KONG: Divorced, in his 40s and fearing a solitary future, Zhou Xinsen went online like thousands of other Chinese men to find an affordable and fast solution to bachelordom — a Vietnamese bride.He was among millions of his gender struggling on the sidelines of China’s ultra competitive marriage market, where a decades-long one-child policy and sex-selective abortions of daughters has resulted in a massive gender gap.“It’s very hard for people my age to find a Chinese wife,“ 41-year-old Zhou says.Single men, many in remote rural villages, are known as “bare branches”, a pejorative term in a country where pressure to marry and extend the family tree is sharp.Running out of time, Zhou forked out nearly US$20,000 to find his second wife — a 26-year-old from Vietnam who he relocated to Jiangsu province.“For people my age, time is bought with money.”Having fixed his romantic quandary, Zhou then opened his own match-making business, taking a small slice from China’s multi-million-dollar annual trade in overseas brides.He charges around 120,000 yuan (RM72,817) to connect Chinese men with Vietnamese brides via his website, which shows photos of women aged 20-35 “waiting to be married”.It’s “profitable”, he says, remaining coy on the amount of money he has made.A portion of the money from matches is meant to be funnelled back to families in poor Mekong area countries.While many unions flourish, others quickly lurch into crisis with women disappointed at swapping village poverty in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar for life in rural China.China’s single men are often older, divorced, disabled or too poor to pay the traditional “bride price” — a dowry in gifts or cash — for a Chinese wife.Those costs rose to between US$22,000-US29,000 in parts of the country last year, according to state media.Problems start when the brides feel duped about what they are getting into, says Zhou, who sends a monthly remittance to his wife’s family of $175 as a show of goodwill.“This is nothing to us, but for them it’s lifesaving,“ he adds.Family business Chinese men face a barrage of economic, psychological and cultural pressures to find a wife, says Jiang Quanbao, a Professor at Xi’an Jiaotong University’s Institute for Population and Development Studies.“Marriage is not only a personal matter, it concerns an entire family... especially the parents,“ Jiang told AFP.As women — especially in the cities — push back marriage while they work, study and enjoy single life, China’s villages are fast losing their female population. Sons left unmarried become an issue of family “face” in tight village communities, says Jiang.That crushing social expectation has driven a grim trade in brides.Increasing numbers of woman — and teenage girls — from neighbouring countries are kidnapped, tricked or forced into marriage, according to several rescue groups across the Mekong who spoke to AFP.“Buying a woman who has been kidnapped becomes a kind of hopeless choice,“ Jiang adds.Last year Chinese police rescued women sold into forced marriages in Henan, Anhui, Shandong and Jiangsu provinces, as the buy-a-bride trade billows out to the eastern provinces. Crime and deceptionUnder Chinese law, the abduction and trafficking of women or children is punishable by five to ten years jail. But critics say the law needs updating as the trade surges.“It’s extremely profitable and there’s no incentive at all for traffickers to stop,“ Mimi Vu of the Vietnam-based Pacific Links Foundation, which works to prevent human trafficking.“The demand is there and the money, the profit is there to be made.”Beijing switched from a one-child to a two-child policy in 2016, but experts say it may take decades to see a rise in the number of women of marriage age.That means the bride trade is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon.Zhou describes his work as “a public service” in a country where there are 33 million fewer women than men.But the outcomes for Chinese men are often far from perfect, with money warping motives throughout the system. Cautionary tales — of dodgy brokers, trafficked women and brides pocketing money then fleeing — abound on Chinese social media as the market widens.“It is an industry, and many of them (marriages) are fraudulent,“ one Weibo user wrote recently. “It’s time the government takes care of this business.” Another man in Hubei told state media he paid a broker US$8,700 to meet a young Vietnamese woman who left him after three months, later aborting their baby as she went on the lookout for another husband.“Now I have neither a wife nor the money,“ he told the Chutian Metropolis Daily. “I’m a laughing stock in the village.” — AFP [...]
Pak Daud took over the silversmith business from his uncle back in 1964. — Pictures by Ham Abu Bakar
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 — Pak Daud, 70, is one of the very few artisans left keeping the tradition of silversmithing alive in Kelantan.His exquisite works include silverware for royalty and even a keris which was presented to former US President Barack Obama!Craftsmen of his calibre are fast dying out but with the Kelantan silver jewellery shoe project supported by Yayasan Hasanah, a foundation of Khazanah Nasional, his work will soon receive world recognition.
Yayasan Hasanah senior vice president arts heritage & culture, Zainariah Johari, explains how they are using Italian handmade shoes to promote the dwindling Kelantan silver industry.
Silver embellishments, made by Pak Daud and four other silversmiths, will be adorning handmade Italian shoes.The project was first mooted back in 2016 by Yayasan Hasanah, following a study by Kraftangan Malaysia and Tradisi Busana PR Sdn Bhd that showed the number of silversmith artisans are now less than 40.It's a drastic decline from around 200 silversmiths back in 1995. The study highlighted that this was due to a lack of demand for silverware since most people aren't aware of the fine craft.
Designs for the silver pieces were inspired by the surroundings in Kelantan like this floral matt silver piece.
Pak Daud, whose full name is Mohd Daud bin Yusoff, said another difficulty artisans faced was the fluctuating price of silver. He lamented that at one time, it went up to RM5,000 per kilogramme! Sometimes it can drop down to, say, RM1,000 per kilogramme.This causes uncertainty for their pricing. In terms of crafting the silverware, it needs a pair of hands versus machines. For instance, Muhammaad Khairi bin Suhaimi, 20, explained that the craftsmen need to ketuk (knock) by hand, as the silver is too soft to do otherwise.
The elegant black Italian handmade shoe is enhanced with the handcrafted silver piece made by the Kelantan silversmith artisans.
Yayasan Hasnah, senior vice President, arts heritage & culture, Zainariah Johari, explained that initially they were approached by Dodi Mohammad from Tradisi Busana PR to do preservation work.As Dodi was a protege for 20 years of celebrity shoe designer Jimmy Choo, they decided to combine the silverware industry revival with shoes.She added, “Our silver craftsmen are always producing household items or decorative items like brooches. We feel the industry needs a lot of boost and with a big name behind it, this will take it a couple of steps beyond.”
Carry a piece of Malaysian 'wau' crafted from silver on this patent men's shoe.
The eight-month project identified five silversmiths scattered around Kelantan that included Pak Daud from Pengkalan Chepa. The rest are KB Permai, Zaini Arif, Suhaimi Mat Jusoh and Razak Ismail.All of these artisans specialise in various items that range from jewellery and trophies to royal ceremonial items. Usually, these items are commissioned by various parties.Pak Daud explained that for his designs, he'll see what raw materials are easily available around him. Hence, he uses bull horns, since it's found in his village.
Kelantan silverware needs a lot of patience as you need to carve and 'ketuk' by hand to achieve its beautiful texture.
As part of expanding the pool of silversmiths, these artisans selected six proteges from their own village. Some of the artisans also have the new generation helping out like Suhaimi Mat Jusoh's two sons and Pak Daud's son and daughter.To further facilitate the project, a fashion consultant was also brought in to advise. The project also included teaching the artisans how to be sustainable, which was done via an academician from a higher learning institute.“You cannot just create something beautiful but it sits on the shelf. You need to be sustainable. But that remains a challenge, as an artisan is an artisan,” said Zainariah.With the crafting of Italian shoes, they worked closely with the Italian Trade Commissioner Dr Samuele Porsia. It's via the know-how shared by the Italian shoe makers that the Kelantanese artisans learnt how to create special hooks for the silver pieces to attach onto the shoes.
Suhaimi Mat Jusoh is famous for his carving techniques on metal substances like this elegant silver handbag.
The collection features a total of seven shoe designs: Five for women and two for men. The designs of the silver adornments are all inspired by the Kelantan environment and feature wayang kulit characters, wau and flowers.Tradisi Busana PR has also secured a retail space at Amato Couture Gallery in Dubai to market these shoes.Yayasan Hasanah is hopeful that this project will be the stepping stone to bigger things to come for the whole industry. As Zainariah explained, “The shoe is not the hero. The hero is the craftsman. We want to save the craft and the product is the silver. The shoe is just a tool. It could be bags.”
Syahrul Syazwan explains to customers about their silver jewellery pieces.
Seeing the exquisite silver craftwork, two companies have also signed a memorandum of understanding with the artisans to promote their craft.The first is Nusantara Collection, a local company with an established customer base in the US for their website designs. Another is LORD's Tailor who is well known for their handmade suits. They have plans to introduce silver lapel pins, buttons and cufflinks, which highlight the Malaysian tradition and the Kelantan silver craftsman.With the awareness created, there's hope for the artisans to make more ties with other companies to promote their work. Yayasan Hasanah has also invited other charity foundations to consider funding further initiatives.
Various brooches made by Razak Ismail who started learn [...]
KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 17): Aside from the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal, the problems at the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) were part of the reason... [...]


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Localisation for the Asian Market: Consumer Value is Essential
- Localisation for the Asian Market: Consumer Value is Essential
A new report from Ernst & Young reveals companies should change their localization strategies when they wish to enter the Asian market. A focus on consumer value and a balanced strategy are needed to become successful on this emerging market.
According to the National Post, the role of the emerging Asian markets is changing and have now become the engine behind the growth of companies selling global consumer products (CP) and retailers. To seize this opportunity, the recently launched Profit or lose executive summary by Ernst & Young advises companies to alter their approach to localization and employ a greater local autonomy, granularity, focus and agility.
For the report, 276 senior executives based in China and are working for leading CP companies and retailers in eight different markets were surveyed. 69% of these participating executives believed the emerging markets will be the main source behind growth and profit in the next three years. Only 20%, however, had already reaped the fruits of this.
With regards to the report, Ernst & Young’s Global Consumer Products Emerging Markets Leader Kristina Rogers says: “The pace of change in Asia is dizzying. Consumerism has matured over a short span of years rather than the decades witnessed in developed markets. Global companies stalking growth in Asia are finding the well-established local and multinational players tough competition. Global companies need to be agile and light on their feet, by putting consumer value first and foremost, in order to win over the increasingly sophisticated and demanding Asian consumer.”
“Balance” is the key word when turning to Asia for some much-needed profit. In the report, eight business imperatives are stated that must be managed simultaneously by CP companies and retailers to become successful players on the Asian market.
Andrew Cosgrove, Ernst & Young Global Consumer Products Lead Analyst, also adds that “Profitable growth does not mean cutting costs. Global CP companies need to adopt a selectively localized portfolio approach across all the elements of the supply chain from conception to consumption. Whilst this approach incurs higher costs in terms of time and resources, versus a universal approach, it is a price that companies must be prepared to pay in order to capture profitable growth.”
Concluding, Rogers shares her views on the future of Global CP companies that are aiming for the Asian market: “Today’s high performers are adopting a ‘pay as you go’ approach, with profits reinvested locally to generate even more profit and sustainable growth. By 2016, emerging Asia will account for almost a quarter of global consumer products markets and 37% of total consumer products growth. Companies wanting to win in Asia must adopt a highly disruptive approach to managing their business through selective localization and above all, flawless execution.”
It is clear that companies definitely should not overlook Asia as a market to sell their products. It might require some research, time and money, but according to Ernst & Young, this will pay off in the long run.
Click here for more information about the Ernst & Young report


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Apple-owned Dark Sky weather API shut-down delayed a year to 'end of 2022'
What you need to know
- The Dark Sky API has been given a new lease of life, but only until the end of the year.
- The app and website will be gone by the beginning of 2023.
When Apple announced that it was buying weather app Dark Sky in March 2020 it said that it would be keeping the App Store but killing the API that many third-party developers relied on. That was supposed to happen on July 1, 2021. But it turns out there's life in the old dog yet.
As spied by developer David Smith, Apple has quietly confirmed that it intends to keep the API around for another year. Instead of being killed off next month, the Dark Sky API will now live on until the "end of 2022."
Missed this on Monday. Looks like Dark Sky will keep their API active for a year longer than that originally announced. Now through the end of 2022. https://t.co/31YfUl8FZ8
One less thing to have to sort out this summer. pic.twitter.com/aZUkGNyl4WMissed this on Monday. Looks like Dark Sky will keep their API active for a year longer than that originally announced. Now through the end of 2022. https://t.co/31YfUl8FZ8
One less thing to have to sort out this summer. pic.twitter.com/aZUkGNyl4W— David Smith (@_DavidSmith) June 10, 2021June 10, 2021
It's the same for the app and website, too. Both of those will reportedly be gone by the beginning of 2023 which seems like an awfully long way away – until it isn't.
Apple has been building Dark Sky features into its Weather app for the last year and that's sure to continue. It isn't clear why Apple has decided to extend the life of the API used by third-party developers, but it has been suggested that an Apple-made API was supposed to replace it and that it wasn't ready for WWDC21. In lieu of a replacement, Apple may have decided to extend the existing API's life another year.
You don't need an app like Dark Sky or Weather to know what's going on around you, though. These are just some of the best HomeKit temperature sensors you can buy and they'll put their data right into the Home app for you.
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Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.
Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.


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The upcoming Google Pixel 7 Pro can be seen in a brief unboxing video posted on Facebook by Bangladesh-based technology shop Gadgetful BD. The video shows someone taking the device out of the Google-branded box, revealing its sleek black exterior, which is stamped with Google’s “G” logo.
Google first teased the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro at I/O in May, and is expected to launch the device next month alongside the Pixel Watch. The phone in the video posted to Facebook matches Google’s official renders, complete with an aluminum camera bar with two cutouts for the sensors. It looks like the Google Pixel’s official animation sequence when it boots up, followed by the device setup screen.
The video doesn’t tell us anything about the new device, and Gadgetful BD doesn’t offer any additional details in its description. We’ve already seen two alleged Pixel 7 prototypes crop up, with one user selling one on eBay and another claiming on Reddit that they bought the device from Facebook’s marketplace.
Every leak has basically confirmed the designs Google presented earlier this year, but this particular video suggests that Google is actually close to launching it. The previous two leaks did not show the Google logo on the back of the device and did not include any product packaging.
Google doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to keeping its Pixel phones under wraps until launch, and the Pixel Watch itself is shaping up to be a leak. With Google’s fall launch event just around the corner, it won’t be long before we see what Google is all about Really In store.


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Nintendo Switch Sees Crossplay Third-Party Games As Strength
Former Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima and senior executive officer Susumu Tanaka, while at the 78th Annual General Meeting for Shareholders, revealed that the Japanese gaming company is open to including more crossplay games to the Switch roster in the future.
Recently, Kimishima and Tanaka shared their thoughts on crossplay games for the Switch.
“Crossplay basically comes about from conversations between publishers and platform holders. We are inclined to do what we can to help publishers incorporate crossplay when that is what they want. The other parties involved also have a say in whether we can reach this outcome or not, so we will continue to discuss it with them.”
Tanaka’s words seem to reflect both his and Kimishima’s beliefs on Nintendo’s stance toward crossplay for third-party games for the console. In fact, Kimishima’s words allude to the idea that the Japanese gaming company always saw crossplay games as a strength.
“Our fundamental way of thinking about offering Nintendo titles on other platforms remains unchanged,” he said.
From the reactions of Switch fans, crossplay games seem to be what gamers want. According to GameRant, Kimishima and Tanaka’s stance on crossplay games for the portable console was received well by Switch players. Indeed, additional crossplay games would only be beneficial to Switch players. As it stands, Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One still dwarf the Switch when it comes to sales. So, without crossplay, owners of the portable console would only be limited to playing with friends who also own the Switch.
— PC Gamer (@pcgamer) June 14, 2018
Opening Nintendo’s platform to crossplay games allows Switch owners to play with their friends on other platforms. This ideology could make the Switch more enticing to buyers, predicts ScreenRant. Currently, Minecraft and Fortnite are the two crossplay games available on the Switch. Sony has received some backlash for not working with Nintendo and giving access to Fornite on a crossplay basis for PlayStation players.
Only time will tell if Sony’s move will prove to be smart or a big mistake. As Tanaka alluded to in his open discussion about crossplay games, both parties must agree for it to come to fruition. Either way, Nintendo seems to be forging forward and stands firm on the idea that crossplay third-party games will become the new norm in the gaming industry. Just recently, Digital Extremes has shown interest in releasing a crossplay Warframe for the Switch, reported ComicBook. As more and more game developers explore this option, Nintendo’s portable console may grow in popularity and result in better sales.