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It seems like an obvious point, and yet it’s a message that still hasn’t gotten through to a lot of people: sun safety is a year-round endeavour that requires us to protect ourselves whenever we’re exposed to sunlight, wherever we are, and whatever we’re doing.
It’s a message Dr. Lisa Kellett, a dermatologist at DLK on Avenue in Toronto, is emphatic about getting across to the general public: it’s not just about actively sunbathing. Whether you’re walking around the city, sitting on a patio, or hitting the ski slopes in winter, you still need to be thinking about your sun exposure.
“The cells in your skin don’t care whether you’re sitting on a beach or in a café,” says Dr. Kellett. “They’re still getting sun. So I think people have to realize that they’re getting lots of incidental light even while not sitting on a beach.”
It’s something that holds true for a variety of situations you might not even have considered. For example, if you’re sitting behind glass – in your car, or next to a window at your office – you still need to be aware of it, because glass typically blocks UVB rays, but not UVA.
Why is protection important?
Dr. Kellett mostly sees patients who are concerned about the cosmetic issues associated with sun exposure. And she uses a variety of treatments – from microdermabrasion, to vitamin A and vitamin C topical regimens, to laser treatments and photodynamic therapy, among other things – to repair sun damage and (to some extent) prevent the development of skin cancer.
Most of these procedures address unsightly spotting and pigmentation of the skin. But Dr. Kellett is quick to stress that the real damage – and skin cancer in particular – can take years to manifest itself.
“The damage that occurs has a lag time of about 20 years,” she says. “So it’s not like you go outside and get a burn and all of a sudden, you get skin cancer.”
In fact, she adds, people tend to get most of their sun exposure before the age of 20. The majority of the damage from this exposure cannot be repaired once it has occurred.
“There are multiple things that we try to use, such as vitamin As and lasers and things like that,” she says. “But the skin does have a memory, so the best thing is prevention.”
Skin cancer: a growing problem
The message of prevention – of protecting yourself from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays – is particularly prescient in light of a new report this week, Canadian Cancer Statistics 2014, released by the Canadian Cancer Society.
The report contains some staggering numbers on skin cancer. Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is identified as one of the fastest growing of all cancers: 6,500 new cases of malignant melanoma are expected to be diagnosed in 2014, while an astonishing 76,100 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer diagnoses is projected for this year. 1,050 Canadians will die from melanoma this year.
Incidence of melanoma, as well as deaths from it, continue to rise – despite the fact that those rates are going down for many other types of cancer. The incidence rate of melanoma in men increased two per cent annually from 1986 to 2010, from nine to 15 cases per 100,000. In women, the increase during that same period was 1.5 per cent annually, or from eight to 12 cases per 100,000.
One in 59 Canadian men, and one in 73 women, will develop melanoma in their lifetime. And non-melanoma skin cancer is incredibly common, representing at least 30 per cent of all new cases of cancer.
How well are we protecting ourselves?
Despite those alarming statistics – and despite the fact that health care professionals have been stressing the need for proper sun care for decades – many of the numbers in the Canadian Cancer Society’s report suggest that people are still not getting the message. From 1996 to 2006, the proportion of Canadians spending two hours or more in the summer sun grew; however, there was a significant drop in the number of people who reported wearing protective clothing and hats.
Dr. Kellett notes some inconsistencies in our attitudes towards sun protection. “The interesting thing is that I think we’re doing a better job of protecting our children,” she says. “So it’ll be interesting to see how skin cancer rates correlate to that over the next 20-25 years.”
In the meantime, she sees a greater degree of concern among women than she sees among men. And with the women she sees, they’re more often worried about the immediate cosmetic effects of sun damage than they are about getting skin cancer, which may be years or decades down the road.
Still, if these concerns lead to a more vigilant regime of sun protection, Dr. Kellett is satisfied. “There’s such a lag time between your exposure and when you actually get skin cancer, people don’t relate the two,” she says. “So any way we can keep people out of the sun is probably a good idea.”
Protection and prevention: A few tips to avoid getting burned
What are the things we should be doing to protect ourselves? Dr. Kellett offers a few pointers:
- Stay in the shade. The best protection is to stay out of the sun altogether. But if you’re going to be outside, Dr. Kellett advises that you stay out of direct sunlight as much as possible. So if you’re on a patio, for instance, it’s best to seat yourself in the shade. As well, she suggests avoiding the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when it is strongest.
- Wear protective clothing. Wearing a hat that shades your head and neck, as well as clothing that covers as much of your skin as possible, is always the best possible option. Sunglasses not only can protect your eyes from developing cataracts (another potential long-term consequence of sun exposure); they cover the skin around the eyes as well.
- Apply sunblock. Where clothing won’t cover you, there’s sunblock, which thankfully is no longer the greasy, sloppy cream you remember from when you were a kid. Dr. Kellett recommends alcohol-based sunblock sprays, which are easy to apply and partially evaporate without leaving an uncomfortable residue. Many lotions are now “dry-touch”, which means they’re not as greasy. And whatever type you use, it should protect against both UVA and UVB rays and have an SPF of at least 30.
- Remember neglected areas. As good as some people may be at applying sunblock, Dr. Kellett points out a few commonly overlooked areas: behind the ears and the back of the neck, specifically. And for women wearing skirts, she says, don’t forget the calves – the most common place for melanoma in women.
- Visit your dermatologist regularly. Dr. Kellett advises her patients to go see their dermatologist once a year. At the same time, she recommends people check their skin regularly at home, at least once a month. If they notice anything, they should see their dermatologist sooner.
Skin cancer by the numbers
- 6,500 new cases of malignant melanoma are expected to be diagnosed in 2014
- 76,100 cases of non-melanoma skin cancers projected to be diagnosed in 2014
- 1,050 Canadians die from melanoma every year
- The proportion of Canadian adults who spent 2 or more hours in the summer sun on a typical summer day increased from 1996-2006; however, in that same period, there was a significant decrease in the number of adults using recommended forms of sun protection
- People who first started using indoor tanning equipment before age 35 have a 59 per cent higher risk of developing melanoma
- One in 59 Canadian men, and one in 73 women, will develop melanoma in their lifetime.
- Non-melanoma skin cancer represents at least 30 per cent of all new cancer cases in Canada.
- Children and adolescents who get 5 or more sunburns have double the risk for melanoma later in life
- The economic burden of skin cancer in Canada is estimated at $532 million per year


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Dunamu, the operator of South Korea’s Upbit crypto exchange, told local media that Levvels, its Los Angeles-based joint venture established in May this year with HYBE Co., will start services in the latter half of this year.
See related article: NFT credit card in the works for top S. Korean crypto exchange
- Dunamu started recruiting staff in design, management, development and security during the first half of this year to ready the firm to launch services in the latter half, according to local media reports.
- The two companies sealed the partnership in November last year with Dunamu investing 700 billion Korean won (US$534 million) in HYBE equities, who also invested 500 billion won (US$382 million).
- Dunamu and HYBE own 65% and 35% of Levvels, respectively.
- Other than its business pertaining to servicing non-fungible tokens (NFT) and the Web3 space, specific details about the services offered by Levvels have not been disclosed.
- Dunamu has previously teased starting an NFT business based on the intellectual property of K-pop artists, targeting their fans.
- South Korean entertainment agency HYBE manages major names in the K-pop music industry such as BTS, TXT, Seventeen, and LE SSERAFIM.
See related article: K-pop logs in to the metaverse strung by idols’ vagaries, inability to tour

domain: news


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Orders For Six Ships To Cost $180 Million Placed By Cast Group
Cast Containers S.A. of Fribourg, Switzerland, recently announced that the Cast Group has just ordered three new vessels to be built in Korea for its North Atlantic Container Service. This order is in addition to three container vessels contracted for in Yugoslavia earlier this year. The total value of the six vessels is $180 million (U.S.).
At a press conference in Montreal, Klaus Glusing, president of Cast Containers S.A., explained that the announcement is part of an expansion program totaling $235 million (U.S.) which, in addition to the six new vessels, also includes : acquisition of a fleet of 4,000 forty-foot containers to augment Cast's existing fleet of 14,- 000 twenty-foot containers; purchase of two Japanese-designed container gantry cranes for the company's Montreal terminal; and the tripling in size of Cast's truck operations in Europe and North America to 270 tractor trucks. The expansion program, including the delivery of the six new ships, which will double and bring to 180,000 TEUs, (twenty-foot equivalent units) Cast's annual carrying capacity, is scheduled to be completed in 1982.
"The six new 70,000-dwt ships have been designed for a new age, the age of fuel economy, and are expected to be the most cost effective container carriers on the N o r t h A t l a n t i c , " Mr. Glusing said.
The two shipyards receiving the orders are Hyundai of Korea and 3 Maj Shipyard in Rideka, Yugoslavia. Cast is part of Eurocanadian Shipholdings Limited, a privately owned group of shipping companies controlled by three Canadian e n t i t i e s : the family-owned investment company of F. Narby, founder of the Cast Group; Helix Investment Ltd., and the Canadian National Railways.


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“Buy X and get a free Y” is probably one of the oldest marketing come-ons in sales. Here at EBACE 2011, OEM Hawker Beechcraft of Wichita, Kansas, is taking the concept to a new level. Any Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) customer who buys a Hawker Beech turbine airplane between EBACE and the end of the second quarter of this year will receive a Lotus sports car.
Hawker jet buyers will get a Lotus Evora, which has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $64,000. King Air turboprop buyers will receive a Lotus Elise (MSRP of $51,845).
“But wait! There’s more!”
Although the sports cars is officially being offered only to EMEA buyers, Shawn Vick, executive vice president of Hawker Beechcraft, alluded to AIN that the offer may not limited to this group. “If someone wants to buy an airplane here in Geneva, I am happy to have that conversation,” he said.
What if a King Air buyer prefers to get the more expensive Evora? “Then he should buy a Hawker,” Vick answered with a chuckle, but added, “We are all things here at Hawker, including pragmatic.”
New airplane buyers will receive their cars upon delivery of their airplanes via a Lotus dealer, he said. Buyers may add any options they want to their cars (as well as their airplanes) at their own expense.
The EMEA connection came about because Hawker Beech has reorganized its marketing regions, as well as customer service, from “The Americas” and the “Rest of the World,” to “The Americas,” “Europe/Middle East/Africa,” and “Asia/Pacific.”
Explained Vick, “We are a global enterprise and our aim is to think locally and act globally. Each region is tasked with developing a region-specific strategy for both sales and service. Formula One racing is popular globally, but particularly in Europe and Africa. And Formula One has many high-net-worth individuals among its fan base, sponsors, owners, drivers and fans–in other words, the same people who are our customers and prospects.”
Lotus seemed like a natural marketing partner for Hawker Beechcraft for a number of reasons. “We had been looking for ways to highlight the advantages that exist within the composite technology of our Hawker 4000 and Hawker 200,” said Vick. “And we saw some interesting similarities in the way Lotus has leveraged technology and we’ve leveraged technology, in areas such as materials, manufacturing, production, engineering and aerodynamics. For example, like Hawker Beechcraft, Lotus was the first in its field to embrace composite design.”
During this year, Hawker Beechcraft plans to join Lotus at each Formula One event in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, starting at the Turkish Grand Prix this month, and at other motorsports events in the Americas. Aircraft will be on static displays at airports near the events. Customers and prospects will have VIP access to the racing venues at each event.


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The price of gold on the domestic market has surged dramatically, reaching its highest level for 15 years. Gold was quoted at $381.75 a troy ounce on September 10 on the world market, up $5.30 a troy ounce on the four previous days.
Saigon Jewellery Company has not imported gold for two months due to high prices
Consequently, local prices also sprang up, with leading Ho Chi Minh City bullion traders Saigon Jewellery Company (SJC) and Phu Nhuan Jewellery Company (PNJ) pushing prices to record highs.
SJC quoted the local price at VND7.03 million ($456) per tael on September 10 – where one tael equals 37.5 grams and 1.2 troy ounces – much higher than the record price of VND6.5 million ($422) per tael in the early 1990s. The precious metal at PNJ also shot up to more than VND7 million per tael.
Local gold traders are facing great business uncertainties, fearing soaring bullion prices on the world market will deter their material imports.
An SJC official said his company was in dire need of gold bullion for production but “not a bit has been imported for two months due to high prices on international markets”.
“The situation is going from bad to worse,” he said, adding that the SJC had a one-tonne gold import quota for this year, but has only brought in 800kg to date.
“Although we see stable purchasing power now, the big differential between local and global prices discourages us from importing more,” the official said.
A local executive from the World Gold Council (WGC) said: “More gold price fluctuations are possible because if stock prices on the US stock exchange plunges, investors will shift into gold speculation.”
The WGC forecast the world gold prices would possibly be up to over $400 per troy ounce in two months.
It said the local gold price was $13 per tael lower than world levels, but tipped it to match international prices if the world remained high for any length of time.
According to the WGC, Vietnam’s gold consumption is forecast to increase by 7 per cent annually to reach 80 tonnes in 2006.
In 1995, the council forecast Vietnam’s demand for gold bullion would fall in 2002 or 2003 but in reality demand has gone the opposite way. Some 35 per cent of Vietnam’s 59.6 tones of imported gold last year was for savings, up nearly six tonnes in 1997.
The forecast had been made for Vietnam with reference to Thailand, where demand for gold jewellery increased when the stock exchanged opened, a WGC executive explained.
However, the case for Vietnam is different, as gold bullion is still an investment tool at a time there are few alternatives on the financial market.
“Vietnamese people will still prefer buying gold as savings in at least the next five years until the local stock exchange inspires more confidence among investors,” he said.


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Thunder just launched a new video feature with David Reyes. A video, extra photos, and Quick Response interview.
April 28th, 2012 at 10:48 pm
April 29th, 2012 at 3:40 am
Gerardo Mier Zepahua:
April 29th, 2012 at 8:46 pm
Collin Provost’s new Emerica pro model, the Provost, is available in #HigherQuality skate…
W Room & Board will launch June 26 at W New York Union Square with designs by Amar’e Stoudemire,…
Mighty Healthy’s Fall 2013 Collection featuring Pete…


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July 28, 2013 7:04 am
Activist investors target bigger
By Ruth Sullivan
Activist investors are building up stakes in larger, high-profile
companies. Large companies are twice as likely to be targeted by
activists as in 2010.
Global activist shareholders stepped up investments in companies with a
market capitalisation of more than $10bn by 104 per cent between January
2010 and the end of June, according to Activist Insight, the data provider.
The findings come as
Nelson Pelz, the activist investor
and founder of investment firm Trian Partners, called for a shake-up at
PepsiCo earlier this month, urging
the US drinks group to merge its snack business with
Mondelez, the snacks group spun out
of Kraft Foods, in a $60bn deal.
Dell shareholders, including
Carl Icahn, also
voiced dissatisfaction earlier this month over the terms of a
proposed buyout offer, which led to the PC maker postponing its shareholder
“The past few years have seen increased support for activists among other
shareholders and an increase in the level of activist fundraising. As a
result, activists are building significant stakes in much larger companies,”
said Kerry Pogue, managing director at Activist Insight.
About 60 public campaigns by activists, all still running, were initiated
this year, although fewer are expected to be launched during the rest of
2013. A trend to focus on fewer companies when launching campaigns, drawing
in several activists at the same time to gain muscle, is beginning to
Out of 57 companies where global activists initiated public action in the
second quarter of this year, over 10 per cent had more than one activist
Between April and June, the most popular strategy among global activist
investors was to try and gain seats on company boards. Twenty-five attempts
Proposals for share repurchase campaigns comprised 12 per cent of their
activity during the same period.


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Korea’s bookstore industry is in the doldrums, as dismal sales continue to force many sellers out of business. But at least one bookstore is expanding, defying the broader market downturn.
That is Aladdin Used Books ― a used-book franchise of online seller Aladdin.
The company, which runs 19 shops, has chalked up an average 30 percent annual growth in sales, said company spokesperson Jo Sun-ah.
Aladdin Used Books is not the typical small, “crammed to the ceiling” kind of shop.
Rather, it is the secondhand equivalent of the U.S. Barnes & Noble chain, with a pristine interior, large and varied selections of books, CDs and DVDs ― easily searchable on in-store computers ― and cozy reading spots here and there.
A customer passes by bookshelves at the Jongno shop of Aladdin Used Books chain, which opened in 2011 in a basement of a building that had housed a nightclub. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)
One early afternoon at its shop in Jongno this week, customers were browsing and reading or unloading books to sell to the shop.
Among them was Lee Youn-kyung, who was searching for books that she would like to read or lend to patients at the hospital where she volunteers. She chose a total of 33 books and paid 136,700 won for them.
“It is my first-time shopping here. I found out about this place on the Internet, because I needed to buy a lot of books,” Lee said as she stepped out of the shop. “I will definitely return when I need more books.”
Jang Seo-hui, a sophomore in university, calls herself a regular there.
“I come here once almost every two weeks. I am a seller rather than a buyer, though,” she said. She had just turned in three ― two comic books and a philosophy book ― to earn 5,000 won: 1,000 won each for the comics and 3,000 won for the more serious title.
A signboard announces the number of the day’s new arrivals. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)
This Jongno store opened in 2011 in the basement of a building where a nightclub used to be. Thanks to a convenient shopping experience and vast inventory of books across genres, on top of rare and out-of-print titles, the Aladdin used book chain grew from 1 store in 2011 to 19 now. It also runs a store in Los Angeles.
The secret of its success, Jo explained, is the ability to evaluate used books based on the extensive network and database it has established as a retailer of new titles.
“Thanks to this database, we’re able to check a book’s past popularity and determine its marketability, then reflect that in pricing for both sales and purchases,” the official said.
“We’ve been in this business for only three years now. We’re still learning how to operate and manage used bookstores by doing it,” she added.
One thing that Aladdin learned is that it helps to highlight new arrivals, as customers love to check out what other people have just sold to the store.
“The new arrivals section, which features books that were unloaded by someone that day, is the most popular of all corners,” Jo said. “I guess it’s more popular than the new bookstores’ new release section.”
The Aladdin franchise, though loved by bargain-hunting readers, is criticized by industry insiders who regard it as a veiled tactic to move new-title inventories with steep discounts.
With every Aladdin store opened, the already-struggling, small used and new bookstores in the neighborhood suffered a deadly blow, they claim.
Aladdin’s response to the criticism is that it is simply in the used-book business, which has been around for decades ― nothing more and nothing less. There is no hidden intentions, it says.
“As a book retailer, we want to engage with readers in all possible ways. That was why we started this business back in 2011. Right now, it accounts for only a small part of our revenues, but we’re keeping it, because it helps the Aladdin brand among readers,” Jo said.
By Lee Sun-young (email@example.com


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Get your business started
Tauranga’s festival of innovation, Groundswell, is planning a brand new business start-up workshop in Waihi Beach.
The festival, starting on August 27 to September 2 features a series of workshops for young entrepreneurs in a range of industries — from textile, horticulture and design to sustainable innovations around the Bay of Plenty.
One of the workshops, Kick-start your business, is at Waihi Beach Hotel next Tuesday, August 28.
Festival organisers wanted to promote the region and partnered with Waihi Beach and Katikati residents Carl Menary and Jamie Bell to include the town in their programme.
Both of them will mentor the local workshop along with five other experts in respective industries.
Product and industrial designer at Robotics Plus by day, Carl is also design director at Minnow, his wife’s business, from his Bowentown home.
He says the three-hour workshop will focus on the fundamentals of business.
“It will be a small and interactive workshop limited to 25 applicants for people who are serious about starting a new business. Mentors will give advice on digital marketing, software development, investment technology, applied science and more,” he says.
Moving from Christchurch three years ago, Carl says Waihi Beach is a good place for entrepreneurship.
In July 2017, he launched a local group, Waihi Beach Creatives Meetup to help networking and exchanging with other creative minds on business ideas.
In just a year, the group gathered around 50 people surrounding Waihi Beach, Katikati and further afield.
“We even have people from Tauranga who have joined us as this meet-up appeals to a broad market.
“The majority are interested in business advice because when you want to start a business, it is hard to be expert in all the aspects of it. We talk about engaging customers on social media [digital marketing], helping promoting a product, finding the right market,” he says.
Carl says Waihi Beach has a good range of self-employed people working remotely.
“Self-employed myself [at Minnow] and as I used to work remotely for Robotic Plus in Christchurch for the last two years, I felt the meet up will be a good way to meet other locals in the same situation to break the isolation and collaborate on ideas,” he says.
The Waihi Beach workshop is a one-off opportunity for young entrepreneurs to get started on a business plan.
“We all have some skills that will help entrepreneurs shape their idea, understand their market, find support and focus on what’s important to ensure the best chance of success,” he says.
■ Tickets are on sale ($30/person) online at Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/kick-startyour-business-workshop-tickets-47410321548
Founders of Minnow Design Studio, Victoria and Carl Menary.


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By Isabel Ferreira, Director of Sales, UK & Ireland at Adjust
The way we manage our finances has changed dramatically over the last decade. Experts believe that 72% of adults in the UK will use mobile apps for payments and transactions by 2023. In fact, according to Adjust’s latest Mobile App Trends 2021 Report, the average user now has 2.5 finance apps installed, and global payments reached USD $1.390 billion in 2020 and are projected to reach USD $1.680 billion this year.
As developers have continually found new ways to innovate mobile finance, the vertical has gone from strength to strength, changing the landscape of personal banking and how businesses interact with their customers. In this article, I explore how mobile finance is developing around the world and the popular trends commonly seen in fintech apps.
Fintech’s emerging markets and industry leaders
Due to the near universal presence of mobile devices, it comes as no surprise that the adoption of mobile payment solutions is increasing worldwide, consequently driving growth in non-cash transactions. Though what I find especially impressive is that many banking apps are beginning to emerge to provide these types of services in locations where users previously had no access to a bank. For example, socially-focused mobile payment platform Netzme has set out to transform mobile finance in Indonesia. Netzme takes a social approach to mobile finance to help unbanked users in rural areas. ItsCo-founder and CEO Vicky Saputra started the company after he realised that “financial inclusion and financial literacy is quite a big issue [in Indonesia], especially for people in small cities and rural areas.”
Changes to the banking industry have been driven by ambitious start-ups and leading traditional banks alike. British multinational banking company Standard Chartered, for example, has embraced this digital revolution with their own virtual bank, Mox Bank. Mox Bank CEO Deniz Güven recently explained to Adjust that “you cannot differentiate in this kind of market with just a new mobile banking app. You have to give a reason for customers to change their banks, which isn’t easy.” Deniz believes “your bankable population can be 100 percent and if you’re not on mobile, you’re missing out on this market share.”
The future of fintech
While the banking sector has been adapting to digital disruption for several years, the Covid-19 pandemic has only accelerated the transformation, opening up access and opportunity to millions of under-banked consumers around the world. In fact, our Mobile Finance Report 2020 found that:
- Emerging markets are driving global growth:Thanks to the low market saturation of existing solutions and a pool of unbanked users, emerging markets – such as Turkey, Ukraine and Brazil – are seeing huge growth. These apps are often filling a need that was not previously supplied by traditional banking methods.
- Investment app activity is booming:According to Adjust data, investment apps are the second-fastest-growing vertical worldwide. From January to June 2020, the report shows an 88 percent growth in average sessions per day for investment apps.
- Payment apps have seen an average of 49 percent rise in sessions.The increase is even larger in Japan, which saw an increase of 75 percent. The report also showed considerable increases in Germany (45%), Turkey (39%), the US (33%), and Great Britain (29%). This was likely a result of social distancing rules implemented as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, as mobile finance apps benefit from offering a more hygienic and convenient way to manage finances.
With such huge untapped potential across the world, here are the essential fintech trends you need to know when launching a new fintech app.
- Machine learning capabilities: Big data is used by mobile finance app developers for operations such as user segmentation and personalization. According to market research company Forrester, 89 percent of digital businessesare investing in personalization. Machine learning is also important to tech developers because it can be used to create better user experience. For example, chat bots can be implemented to provide fast and effective customer services for users. Machine learning enables chat bots to develop and become more useful, which in turn saves the developer’s team from manual tasks. This is a 24-hour service that can also save users time by eliminating waiting times before speaking with a customer services employee.
- Innovative payment methods: As mobile finance app developers continue to innovate new ways for their customers to complete a transaction, users are no longer limited to traditional payment methods that are not ideal for contemporary user habits. For example, QR codes and mobile wallets have become an effective way for users to easily complete a transaction, while also saving them the trouble of needing a physical wallet.
- Flexible payment distribution: Some mobile finance apps are giving users more options for accessing incoming payroll. Instead of payday loans, which can take advantage of a user’s situation, flexible payments enable the user to gain access to funds in advance without relatively large interest rates. This feature gives users more freedom to distribute their money in cases of emergencies and unexpected costs that are due before payday.
- Digital-only and mobile-first banks: The success of mobile-first banks is proving that a physical branch may not always be necessary. This can present a win-win scenario: the user doesn’t need to find a local branch to sign paperwork while banks save the cost of maintaining a physical store.
- Automation: Automation has had a considerable impact on the development of mobile finance. The purpose of automation tools is to carry out any activities that can be completed without manual work. Fintech companies can use automation to speed up processes and reduce the workload of employees so that they have more time to utilize their expertise. Automation can also provide a better user experience. Examples include automated application status updates, balance information and confirmation emails.
- Real-time reporting: Fintech app developers are always looking for innovative ways for their customers to stay up-to-date with their finances and investments. Real-time reporting means that users have immediate access to financial data whenever they need it. This is extremely valuable to users who want to act proactively to financial management and investments. Real-time reporting is fast becoming the industry standard – and an expectation for mobile users.
When developing a fintech app it is important to consider the features that will stand out from the long list of mobile finance apps available. When discovering your USP, you also need to address the following:
Customer support features: In addition to chat bots and other automated services, there will be times when users need to speak with an employee. This is an important step for fintech apps, as the stakes are high compared to other verticals. Ensuring that you have someone available is a critical step that ensures your users can trust your brand in any situation. To limit the frequency of when this type of customer support is needed, create a comprehensive FAQ page and ensure that your chat bots can address the most common complications when using your app.
Security features: The importance of security for fintech apps cannot be overstated. This is a critical factor for customers: if users have any doubts that your app is secure, they will uninstall and opt for another service. Features that contribute to a tightly secure banking app include payment blocking, two-factor authentication and a complex password requirement.
It’s been a fascinating year and a half for mobile apps as the pandemic has led to unprecedented growth in many verticals. While fintech apps were already undergoing a significant surge in most markets, they have received another boost as economies and user habits shifted to accommodate lockdowns and social distancing restrictions. It’s clear that consumers are continuing to trend toward mobile across all fintech sub-verticals – and companies are reacting to that by broadening their offerings and allowing for more options that void the need for face-to-face interactions. This increase in digital adoption coupled with the potential of untapped markets makes fintech an exciting and important vertical to keep an eye on.
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EA Sports revealed FIFA 22 details on July 11 getting fans excited for the next release in the series.
Paris Saint-Germain and French star Kylian Mbappe will be the cover star for the second year in a row. It was a down year for Mbappe considering PSG and France failed to win Ligue 1 and the Euro 2020 championship respectively this year.
Amid the Ultimate Team news which will be covered shortly, release dates were confirmed. Those who pre-order a special edition will be able to play Sept. 27 while the game's retail release date is scheduled for Oct. 1.
FIFA 22 Details Announced; Kylian Mbappe Cover Star Once Again
Ultimate Team news always grabs the headlines when it comes to new FIFA announcements, and this year is no different.
First off, a new card type was announced. "FUT Heroes have unique league-specific chemistry which is tied to their specific hero moment, providing a green Club link to any player within the same league as well as the usual nation link, giving you new ways to build your dream squad and recreate some of football's most famous moments in FUT 22," EA Sports said on the FIFA 22 website.
This new card type acts as a pseudo-Icon that should massively shake up FUT once they release. Some of the players announced include Mario Gomez for the Bundesliga, Clint Dempsey for the MLS and more.


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The donation marks the beginning of a new two-year partnership between the retailer and the national charity which works to provide the best end-of-life and bereavement care to patients and their families.
Through its two main services, Nurses for Night Care and Bereavement Support Line, the Irish Hospice Foundation provides vital care to thousands of families each year.
In 2022 alone, the charity supported families with 2,673 nights of Nurses for Night care and answered in excess of 1,423 calls on its Bereavement Support Line.
Every two years, Londis retailers nationwide vote to champion a new charity and for 2024/2025, the Irish Hospice Foundation had unanimous support across the board.
The exciting partnership will see Londis stores support the charity through a variety of fundraising initiatives as well as through collection points in-store. A donation on selected own-brand Londis products will also be vital in raising much-needed funds.
To kick off the fundraising campaign, Londis Castlebridge hosted a beautiful event where shoppers and locals helped decorate the Irish Hospice Foundation Christmas Tree by donating €2 to hang up a decoration in memory of a loved one.
Commenting on the new Charity partnership, Conor Hayes, Londis Sales Director, said Londis is proud to work with the Irish Hospice Foundation adding that the nationwide network of Londis retailers voted overwhelmingly in support of the charity.
‘We hope that our support will continue to help improve the lives of everyone availing of their services,’ Mr. Hayes concluded.
Paula O’Reilly, Chief Executive Office of The Irish Hospice Foundation also expressed her delight in partnering up with Londis.
‘Our work in supporting people to die and grieve well is in all communities across the country and that’s why being able to highlight our work through the many Londis stores will be invaluable,’ she added.
Driven by the fundamental belief in the importance of dying well and grieving well, the Irish Hospice Foundation also supports individuals and families actively campaigning for change by advocating and influencing the development and implementation of national policy.
Feature Image: Jonathan Gillan Londis Castleknock, Gillian Rigley Londis Marketing Manager, Darrol Holden Londis Brand Manager, Conor Hayes Londis Sales Director, Paula O’Reilly, Irish Hospice Foundation CEO, Helen McVeigh, Irish Hospice Foundation Director of Fundraising


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The Dubai hospitality industry is set to grow exponentially with thousands of hotel rooms joining the market in recent years. Add to that theme parks and restaurants and the influx of tourists due to the World Expo that happened in 2021/22. The hospitality industry in Dubai is showing signs of quick recovery after the devastating impact of the covid-19 pandemic. In this post, we provide an overview of the hospitality industry in Dubai.
If you are planning to travel to Dubai or work in Dubai in the hospitality industry, you are with the tide. It is due to this growth that even hospitality Jobs in Dubai have seen a dramatic rise in the past decade.
Travellers have flocked to the city and the hospitality industry of Dubai has seen new heights in the past decade. So, what’s in store for the hospitality industry of Dubai in the next few years? Dubai Expo happened in 2021 after a one-year delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We have a lot of information about the Hospitality industry of Dubai in this post. Let’s explore more.
Dubai Hospitality Industry Overview
Dubai; a shopper’s haven, an adventure lover’s must-visit destination, a cultural dynamism hub and where the impossible is possible, with such a distinguished hotel industry, is it the new world?
If you speak about hospitality industry sectors, Dubai can be considered as one of the few cities which has the best mix. Whether you consider the entertainment sector, or the theme parks or the food service industry, Dubai is excelling in the same. But, the biggest of them all is turning out to be the hotel industry.
- With the number of rooms soaring beyond the proverbial 100,000 mark, Dubai’s hotel and hospitality sector are poised for greatness.
- Over 15 million overnight visitors are being welcomed by Dubai every year.
- Over 400,000 jobs are supported by the Hospitality and Travel industry in Dubai
A lot of amazing hotels and restaurants in Dubai are a testimony to the sustained growth of the hospitality industry in Dubai.
Did you hear that Dubai’s Hotel industry might see a slump after the World Expo 2020? You might be grossly mistaken.
According to the Gulf News report, KPMG’s studies reveal that the Hotel industry of Dubai would sustain well after the World Expo 2020. This study would certainly take a hit due to the slowdown imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. But there is much more to Dubai hospitality industry than just hotels.
At the moment, the industry’s motivation is to firmly and strategically position itself among the leading ten global destinations where room availability isn’t a problem.
And, the recent happenings including the achievement of such a worthy feat indicates a spur in the number of international tourists.
It isn’t the number of hotels alone that is making Dubai’s hotel industry a rapidly burgeoning sector.
Key Statistics for the hospitality industry in Dubai
Hotel Jobs in Dubai are becoming easier to come by. Just this year, over 5000 rooms are being added to the hospitality sector.
So, if you are looking for hospitality jobs in Dubai, you have a better chance to get into this new hospitality world.
Read on to know more about the Dubai Hospitality industry before you start looking for job opportunities in Dubai.
Are you aware of the current number of rooms in the hotel industry of Dubai?
- 64,200 rooms were available in 2015 in the emirates according to the figures from real estate investment and advisory firm JLL.
- The revised estimated growth in 2019 was in excess of 5,000 rooms.
- The number had already touched the magical 100,000 figure in the first quarter of 2017 if we include the Hotel apartments.
- While this growth is substantial it will only become greater in 2023, adding close to 10,000 rooms each year.
You probably know that a gigantic number of the planet’s crème de la crème hospitality facilities are right in the heart of this thriving economy.
But it is the ever-expanding leisure, events and attractive locations that are partly to blame.
The fast-rising demand for skilled labour-force is, without a doubt, the best testament that indeed Dubai hospitality industry is gravitating towards greatness.
The emirate is a destination known for her massive oil and gas volumes, but the tide is subtly changing. The country’s hotel sector is literally driving the job market as some of her oil reserves continue to wane.
Not even the presence of such names as Burj Al Arab, Waldorf Astoria, Burj Khalifa, The Ritz-Carlton, One&Only Royal Mirage and the many star-studded names can stop the emergence of other new hotels in Dubai or in UAE in general.
Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental hotel is the latest name, same as Starwood.
So, speak about any of the top hotel chains in the world, you would fin their presence in Dubai.
And, with the entrance of such notable brands, the hospitality industry in Dubai is slowly taking over the world by storm.
This wouldn’t come as a surprise that now Dubai is considered to be one of the Global cities in hotel supply.
How attractive has been Dubai for Tourists?
The Dubai hospitality market has a lot to attribute to it’s founding success this year.
- An estimated 50 million people visited the Gulf region in 2015, allowing the Middle East to outperform most of the other regions.
According to the Official Website of Travel and Tourism of Dubai.
- The contribution of Travel and Tourism to UAE’s GDP is over 10%
- The emirates of Dubai saw over 14.9 Million overnight visitors in 2016 and there has been an increase till the downfall in 2020 due to the Pandemic.
Another issue for the Dubai Hospitality market was the “sudden and dramatic fall in the oil price has led to a decrease in high spending visitors to the region as well as the devaluation of the euro against the dollar has led to a drop in visitors in the Eurozone.” –Philip Shepard, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
What is in the future for the Dubai Hospitality industry?
Budget hotels would need more budget-friendly rooms over high-end rooms in order to attract and diversify the options for budget-conscious tourists. Also, the focus should be on an enhanced customer experience using technology in an effective manner.
However, the same is not the case with mid-market hotels. Given the demand, investors can expect double-digit investment (of around 10 to 12 per cent each year) with the right product and the right location.
While current occupancy for the area may be estimated lower for the coming months, the forecast shows a dramatic increase in tourism for the next few years.
Along with the limitless of unexplored historical features, Dubai is celebrated for being the planet’s major shopping hub.
Warm weather throughout the year and a plethora of leisure and relaxation amenities offer a perfect excuse to fly there, as well.
From IMG’s haunted hotel in the theme park to Luxury Floating homes and everything in between is what can be expected out of the hotel industry of Dubai.
And while the hospitality sector in Dubai may appear a bit sophisticated, it is said to be as simple as browsing the web.
Luxury hotels of all types, similar to boutique hotels, budget hotels and those with the region’s authentic touch colour the mainstream.
But that is not the real news as the country’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing expects more brands to set camp in the near future.
As per reports from Deloitte consulting, Dubai was targeting over 20 million tourists annually by 2020, a factor that is pushing the industry to the limits. Dubai Hospitality Industry is set to see new heights in the future. The government is doing all it can to make the dream a reality, and so far, the results are impressive.
With 2017’s hotel occupancy growth of a whopping 77%, achieving the 20 million tourists figure by 2020 wasn’t so hard but the Covid-19 pandemic spoiled the show. Expect the number to be achieved in 2022 if things go as pet the plan.
But so far, it is safe to mention that Dubai hospitality industry is the new world in every sense of it!
So, whether you looking for hospitality jobs in Dubai or are travel enthusiasts, the hospitality industry in Dubai might have a fair share of your time and career in the future.


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Iconic bootmaker Dr Martens plans IPO
Classic British boot brand Dr Martens has unveiled plans to float on the London Stock Exchange.
The company, whose boots and shoes were made famous in the punk era and are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, plans an eventual free float of 25% of its share capital, with potential to list another 15%, depending on demand.
Dr Martens is owned by IngreLux, a Luxembourg-based company owned by funds advised by private equity firm Permira, which would reduce its stake as part of the offering. The company sells more than 11m pairs of shoes and boots every year in more than 60 countries
It generated revenue of £672m in the year to March 2020, with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of £184m.
“The announcement of our intention to float reflects the great achievements of the Dr Martens team and brand over the past seven years,” said chief executive Kenny Wilson. “Even more important is the significant global growth potential for Dr Martens in the future.”
“We have invested massively to ensure that we deliver the best digital and store experiences to connect with our wearers, and through this we are driving our long-term, sustainable growth,” Wilson added.
Recent figures show rising sales, despite Covid-related restrictions on its stores, as it shifts more sales direct to consumers.
QUESTIONS FOR INVESTORS?
The company's iconic air-cushioned sole was developed by Munich-based Dr Klaus Maertens and Dr Herbert Funck. Originally sold as a work boot, it was popular among the skinhead youth movement of the 1960s and became synonymous with the punk movement in the 1970s.
Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are IPO co-ordinators, with Barclays, HSBC, Merrill Lynch and RBC acting as joint bookrunners if the offer proceeds. Lazard & Co has been appointed as financial adviser.
AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said the IPO decision was "interesting timing, coming so soon after the Brexit trade deal and revival in the UK market with the FTSE 100 having enjoyed its best start ever to a calendar year. If ever there was a good time to market a well-known British name to investors, it is now".
However, despite the company's "classic British brand" status Mould warned that "a few warning signs flash immediately".
"The first is widespread consumer criticism over a decline in product quality. Once known as being reliable, long-lasting footwear, Dr Martens’ products have more recently been accused of having sub-standard stitching and soles which peel off after short use," he said.
“Could it be that the business has suffered under private equity ownership? Many investors are sceptical about backing companies that are being sold by private equity, for fear they might have suffered from underinvestment and subjected to a “quantity over quality” approach for production.
Mould said some critics had suggested the problems started when production shifted to Asia nearly 20 years ago which could be "a key reason behind the apparent deterioration in quality".
“Its boots may look good, but the real test for investors to part with their money is whether the shares can go the distance. While the earning growth figures may impress, it doesn’t look good when there are already holes elsewhere in the investment case.”
Dr Martens said Permira had invested in the business during the last seven years, adding that it had de-risked its supply chain by diversifying both the supplier and factory base, outside of China, as well as "establishing a detailed bottom-up supply chain cost savings programme".
"The group has been able to continually scale production capacity to meet the volume growth, whilst at the same time reducing China production from 46% of pairs in full-year 2019 to 32% in 2020 ," it said.


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|Thursday, March 29, 2012
|10:45 AM - 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Morgan Lewis partner, Jon Snare will speak on a panel discussing Legislative and Regulatory Issues Affecting Home Builders at the NAHB Home Building Legal Conference.
The program features an exceptional faculty including representatives from the Judiciary, the Federal Trade Commission, former Deputy Solicitor of Labor, General Counsels from six builders, attorneys from top firms representing the industry, and NAHB. Hear their thoughts on big picture projections for the industry, ways that companies can adapt and manage in the slow economy, the top legislative and regulatory issues facing the industry, the top issues for industry GC's, the latest on green building, and updates on litigation, insurance, and electronic media issues affecting the industry.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
1201 15th Street NW


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Four designers on the journeys that charted their creative influences and the elusive entity called inspiration.
Updated : April 6, 2017, 1:03 pm
Here are the Leisure stories for this week.
Updated : April 1, 2017, 11:32 pm
At the Lakme Fashion Week grand finale, Kareena Kapoor stunned on Anita Dongre's runway.
Updated : February 6, 2017, 11:31 am
Designers Anita Dongre, Payal Singhal, Tarun Tahliani and others give a sneak peek into what to expect from their summer/resort 2017 collections.
Updated : January 20, 2017, 2:03 pm
Updated : January 19, 2017, 12:40 pm
Updated : January 18, 2017, 3:30 pm
Artistes, dancers, musicians, fashion designers to watch out for in 2017.
Updated : January 10, 2017, 10:53 am
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on wanting to address the nation on New Year's Eve, left not only the citizens but also party ministers in a flux.
Updated : January 6, 2017, 5:09 pm
Updated : November 13, 2016, 6:00 pm
Heritage is a living, dynamic concept that draws from our cultural richness but also charts a course for the future
Updated : November 4, 2016, 10:48 am
Updated : October 21, 2016, 2:35 pm
The grand finale of the Amazon India Fashion Week spring/summer 17 brought together two celebrated names in the field.
Updated : October 18, 2016, 2:09 pm
The grand finale of the Amazon India Fashion Week spring/summer 17
brought together two celebrated names in the field through the
gurushishiya synergy with veteran designer JJ Valaya and his designer
disciples, duo Alpana and Neeraj presenting their 'India Modern Festive' collections on Sunday night in the city.
Updated : October 18, 2016, 6:41 am
The sixth edition of the event promises to be bigger and better than before!
Updated : September 23, 2016, 2:09 pm
Diwali may be known as the festival of lights but the four days of celebrations have become just as popular as the time for giving. Here are some gifting ideas for you from across fashion, food, home decor and more.
Updated : September 17, 2016, 10:45 am


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Chrysler LLC, North America and Fiat Group of company have decided to enter into a joint venture as declared by Fiat to build a car at Fiat’s Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy. A U.S. platform would be brought into Turin by Fiat and then cars of the larger segment passenger cars and SUVs for the Jeep and Alfa Romeo brands would be built utilizing this platform.
A Fiat statement says “These will be flagship models for Jeep and Alfa Romeo, the most international brands of the two Groups with significant development potential globally.”
The vehicles that would be built at this site are meant mainly for the international market outside of the European Union. North America market would be the prime target of the car to come. Probability is high that the car would be in the market in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Fiat adds “Bringing this new platform to Mirafiori will result in potential production of up to more than 1,000 vehicles per day or some 250,000 to 280,000 vehicles per year, resulting in full utilization of the current workforce and opening the way for potential new jobs.”
The project is likely to cost more than a €1 billion which would be shared between Fiat and Chrysler in proportion to volumes produced for each brand.
The press release issued by Fiat on this project states “This is an extraordinary opportunity for Italian industry to produce cars of quality and prestige. Mirafiori has all the elements necessary to achieve a leap of quality and become a world class plant, producing cars for Europe, North America and other markets around the world.”


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MLS and Adidas Extend Multi-Year Partnership
Major League Soccer and adidas announced a multi-year extension to their partnership. Through the deal, adidas will continue as the official supplier for MLS clubs and youth activities.
The goal of the partnership extension is to continue growing the sport across the U.S., elevating soccer culture and communities. The partnership began at the inception of the MLS in 1996, with adidas functioning as a founding member of the league.
Dick’s Acquires Moosejaw from Walmart
Dick's Sporting Goods will expand its outdoor offerings through purchasing Moosejaw from Walmart. Moosejaw runs a highly successful e-commerce platform, 12 physical stores, and customer loyalty efforts.
Through the acquisition, Dick’s is focusing on providing more experiential, omnichannel offerings for its customers. Dick’s is currently in a transformational period, increasing its customer base through strategic partnerships with brands like Peloton and DoorDash.
Ulta Beauty Partners with Beautycounter
Beautycounter will expand its online and in-store presence through a partnership with Ulta Beauty. As part of the deal, Beautycounter products will be available on the Ulta website and in its 500 stores across the U.S.
For Ulta, the partnership will bring more clean product offerings into its stores. The partnership comes as a celebration of Beautycounter’s 10th anniversary, hoping to continue the growth of the brand.
Read More on Trends, Updates, and Industry Leaders.
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P.F. Chang’s is confirming that data from credit cards and debit cards used at its restaurants was stolen. The company said that learned about the security breach on Tuesday.
P.F. Chang’s said that it is investigating a potential security breach that may have involved data from thousands of customer credit cards and debit cards.
AOL says a security breach may have exposed the private information of a “significant number” of its email users’ accounts.
Sally Beauty says a security breach in March may have affected more of its customers than it earlier estimated.
Target’s executive ranks have suffered their first casualty since hackers stole credit card numbers and other personal data of millions of the retailer’s shoppers last year.
Users are being advised to change their passwords after crowdfunding platform website Kickstarter.com was recently hacked.
More than 100 million Americans were affected by personal information breach at Target. Now CBS 11 News has learned it may have started with one infected e-mail.
Two banks have teamed up to file a class action lawsuit against Target over its data breach.
The usernames and passwords of an unknown number of Yahoo! email customers have been stolen and used to gather personal information, the company reported.
Irving-based Michaels Stores, Inc. said it is investigating a possible security breach of customer data.
Neiman Marcus says 1.1 million debit and credit cards used at its stores may have been compromised in a security breach last year.
The security of shoppers has been put to the test since Christmas. Target is one of three major businesses dealing with data breaches that put customer information at risk.


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November food news was not only filled with delicious new options but also a sign of hope following the Memorial Day tornadoes.
Mr. Bourbon Restaurant has opened in Trotwood in part as a response to the devastating storms. Its owners hope it will be a step in rebuilding the community.
A new vegan restaurant, That’s Soul Vegan, has opened in the Dayton Mall and Ghostlight Coffee has unveiled a second location with a more expansive food menu.
Fino Sur Peruvian Street Food, a new restaurant on the horizon in Centerville’s Cross Pointe Centre, will bring more South American food options to Dayton-area diners.
Here’s a closer look at some of the restaurant highlights in November.
Mr. Bourbon Restaurant
Trotwood has a new restaurant, and its co-owner says he and his partners chose the Salem Avenue location in part because they wanted to support the community after it was ravaged by the Memorial Day tornadoes.
Mr. Bourbon Restaurant opened at 5212 Salem Ave., in a 5,000 square feet space that most recently housed John Anthony’s Southern Cuisine.
The new restaurant’s menu includes its signature Bourbon Chicken and several other chicken dishes, such as Cajun and Curry chicken and a Chicken Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. It also offers gyros, fried rice, burritos and grilled fish entrees, along with a handful of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern specialties such as Greek Salad, Falafel sandwich and Fattoush salad, all served up in a fast-casual ordering concept similar to Subway and Chipotle.
Butter Churn Café
Waynesville has another lunch-and-dinner dining option in the downtown portion of the village.
Butter Churn Cafe opened earlier this month at 57 S. Main St. It fulfills a long-time dream of its founder and owner, Waynesville native Herchelle Shipman.
The new restaurant serves muffins, cakes and other house-made baked goods. It also makes its own waffle cones, in which it serves scoops of ice cream sourced from Young’s Jersey Dairy near Yellow Springs.
Customer favorites so far have been a tomato soup that has mac and cheese in the soup; a seasonal pumpkin soup; and a signature grilled-cheese sandwich, Shipman said.
Chiapas Mexican Grill
The locally owned Chiapas Mexican Grill has opened its second — and much larger — location in a former craft beer pub off of Ohio 741.
Chiapas Mexican Grill, which has operated a restaurant at 298 N. Main St. (Ohio 48) in Centerville since 2015, opened its second location at 2733 West Alex-Bell Road near Springboro Pike (Ohio 741) in Moraine.
Chiapas Mexican Grill has a broad menu that specializes on the cuisine of southern Mexico, where the Mexican state of Chiapas is located. Offerings include the Mole del Sur, a grilled chicken breast topped with mole sauce. Meat choices for soft tacos include chorizo, carnitas, seasoned grilled chopped steak, marinated pork, cow tongue and grilled chicken. Soups, fajitas, enchiladas and tortas are also available.
Agave & Rye
Agave & Rye has opened at 7125 Fountain View Drive in Liberty Twp. offering a menu that features 17 “epic” gourmet specialty tacos, seven street tacos, plus a liquor list brimming with more than 120 tequilas and bourbons.
Tacos are prepared from scratch, using fresh produce and protein to create a mix of hot meats and cool toppings. The majority of them are double-shelled with crunchy corn and soft flour and can be ordered with a “Love Cushion” between the two shells — bourbon-bacon refried beans, queso or guacamole — for $1 each.
Ghostlight Coffee opened its second location in Dayton on Nov. 14 at 800 S. Patterson Blvd., next to Old Scratch Pizza.
The first coffee house has offered fresh baked goods and treats made off-site by Ghostlight bakers, but the new midtown location will have more room for an expanded food menu ranging from breakfast sandwiches and “from-scratch” bakery goods to toasts, tartines and salads inspired by international cafes, its owners said.
The Dayton-area’s third Rusty Taco is now open.
Rusty Taco, formerly known as R Taco, moved into a 2,700-square-foot space at 2335 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Miami Twp. that formerly housed an El Toro Bar and Grill.
Rusty Taco specializes in street-style tacos along with house-made salsas, and also offers craft beers and margaritas. It was founded in 2010 and named for co-founder Rusty Fenton.
Restaurant and sports-bar chain Twin Peaks has opened a new location in West Chester Twp.
Located at 9424 Civic Centre Blvd., the 9,800-square-foot restaurant will feature 68 high-definition flatscreen televisions, 32 taps, an open-air covered patio and a variety of beers and spirits.
Twin Peaks touts itself as “the ultimate sports lodge featuring made-from-scratch food and the coldest beer in the business.”
That’s Soul Vegan
The Dayton area’s newest vegan restaurant is located inside the Dayton Mall in Miami Twp.
“That’s Soul Vegan” opened earlier this month in the mall’s food court. The new restaurant is a partnership between Ashaki Daugherty, who previously operated the KulaKula restaurant on North Dixie Drive, and Jose Estremera, owner of the Agnes Express restaurant, also located in the Dayton Mall Food Court.
Menu favorites so far include “Soul Stuffed Meatloaf,” made from plant-based “Impossible Beef.” The meatloaf is stuffed with “Mean Greens” that have a slightly spicy kick and “Lip Smackin Mac” macaroni and cheese. Another customer favorite is the “Soul Rolls,” in which marinated jackfruit, macaroni and cheese and greens are rolled in a spring-roll wrapper and lightly fried, then served with “Original Soul Sauce.”
Fino Sur Peruvian Street Food
Alberto Arenas has worked for several years in the local restaurant industry, mostly in Mexican restaurants, but he has always had a dream to bring his native country’s South American food to Dayton-area diners.
His new restaurant, to be called Fino Sur Peruvian Street Food, will open in the Cross Pointe Centre in Centerville early next year.
If all goes well with the build-out of the space, which formerly housed a chiropractic office, Fino Sur Peruvian Street Food could open as early as February or March 2020, Arenas said.
Sherri Zelen, who along with her husband Steve Zelen purchased the Green Lantern and the surrounding three-acre property at 3490 Old Troy Pike earlier this year, plan to transform the former bar into the “Riverside Hideaway” sports bar and pizza restaurant.
Their plans, the Zelens said, include indoor and outdoor dining, with a menu that includes Roman-style “Old Dayton Pizza;” live entertainment; a pool table and dart boards; a farmers market on Sundays; plenty of televisions for sports-watching; community-supported events and charity fund raisers; and outdoor events such as pig roasts and bike nights.
Singha Thai Homestyle Thai Food
The new Thai restaurant that has been in the works in the Town & Country Shopping Center at Stroop Road and Far Hills Avenue in Kettering is gearing up to open fully to the public, perhaps by this week.
Singha Thai is located at 4123 East Town and Country Road in the “Village Shops” section of Town & Country, which consists of smaller retail spaces behind the main Town & Country retail building. It is in the same building as First Watch restaurant.
The menu will include many classic Thai dishes but will also include special offerings that come from family recipes, founder Mint Thonawn said.
Arepas & Co. Colombian Comfort Food (Washington Twp. location only)
The most recently opened of the three Arepas & Co Colombian Comfort Food restaurants in the Dayton area has shut its doors.
The small, locally owned restaurant chain has closed its location at 1000 Miamisburg-Centerville Road (Ohio 725) in Washington Twp., between Centerville and I-675. The restaurant opened in June 2017.
Arepas & Co co-founder J.P. Perdomo confirmed the closure last week, on Nov. 26.
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HTC's ten-inch Puccini tablet gets official, and gets a new name as it becomes an AT&T exclusive. But despite a decent feature set, this new Android Honeycomb tablet may prove too expensive for many.
A week of Windows 10, holograms and Exploding Kittens on Mars
Office 2016 launching this year, touch apps coming soon
Microsoft reveals the next version of Windows 10
Introducing Windows 10 for phones
Hands on with HoloLens
Download: Windows 10 build 9926


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Be it a fitness tracker, smartwatch, smart speaker or smart home assistant, the way Bluetooth devices communicate with the mobile apps leaves room for hackers to steal sensitive personal information, new research has found.
Microsoft upgraded three of its Surface computers, unveiled wireless over-ear headphones and released software to better integrate its devices with iPhones and Android phones.
While manufacturers are promoting ‘connected’ toys to keep children engaged, these toys can be turned to spy on little ones or to track their location.
In an attempt to reduce fake votes, verify authenticity of voters and make EVMs hack proof, students from Veltech Dr RR and Dr SR University are developing a wireless electronic voting machine.
The app will be first enabled for Android phones, followed by those of Apple and Microsoft operating systems.
Sgnl is a smart strap that can be attached to existing smartwatches, and enables the user to answer phone calls through their fingertip.
You will soon be able to use your smartphone as your hotel room key.
Apple may roll out a mobile wallet service that would allow users to pay for physical goods with their iPhones, according to a report by The Information.
Early adopters of Google's smartwatch standard have found that paid apps simply don't work on Android Wear devices, according to Android Police. Currently there are no standalone apps for Android Wear devices; apps with Wear features need to be downloaded to an Android phone, which then sends the relevant part of the app to the smartwatch via Bluetooth.
Samsung has announced a new line of headphones along with a wireless Bluetooth speaker called Level. The products will be launched globally in coming weeks. The Level Over is the top-tier model. The noise-cancelling headphones pair with your smartphone wirelessly using Bluetooth and include touch controls on the side of the device.


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General Motors Targeting Hispanic Market For New Trucks1
General Motors will be targeting a number of buyers with its new mid-size pickup trucks, but according to Chevrolet Colorado marketing manager Tony Johnson the Hispanic market will be a key demographic for the Colorado and its GMC Canyon sibling. “They’re a big piece of the midsize pickup segment and a growing part of the auto industry and this is [a] good opportunity to get out in front of them,” Johnson told WardsAuto.
The company is also targeting varied vehicle segments with the new Colorado and Canyon, expecting to steal buyers from crossover SUVs and full-size trucks. “There are customers that can easily afford a fullsize pickup, both the price and operating cost, but it’s the wrong truck for them…They’re compromising and having trouble parking, or it doesn’t fit in their garage, or they live in a city and (are) trying to parallel park and can’t,” Johnson said to WA.
Of course, the Colorado and Canyon’s main targets will be the similarly-sized but aging Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma, a market the latter truck controlled 65.1 percent of in 2013 according to WA. But GM isn’t daunted by the Tacoma’s stronghold in the segment, with Johnson noting that “[i]t’s not often we get a launch like this where the segment is so dated that we can come in and leapfrog the competition.”
The two GM mid-size pickups go on sale in the fall. Two engines will initially be offered: a 200 horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a 305 horsepower 3.6-liter V6.
- Sweepstakes Of The Month: Win a 2023 Corvette Z06 Convertible. Details here.
Makes perfect sense considering the Hispanic community makes up a large portion of Tacoma buyers, plus they tend to stay away from large pickups, so GM is pretty much using this as a way to bring more customers to the Silverado. Pretty smart IMO.


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The Entertainment Software Association welcomed another member today, as it announced the addition of DeNA to its ranks. The social and mobile gaming outfit brings the trade group's membership to 36 companies.
Joining the ESA is just the latest step DeNA has taken to increase its presence globally. Last year the company acquired San Francisco-based Ngmoco for $403 million. It then turned around and signed a series of deals with developers around the world, including China, New Zealand, Finland, France, Brazil, Canada and the US.
"It's very important for us to be part of an association that is dedicated to protecting the policy and business interests of the gaming industry in the US," DeNA CEO Isao Moriyasu said in a statement. "ESA provides valuable counsel and support as we expand our social game offerings and undertake new ventures to grow our business and our customer base in the West."
DeNA's primary rival in the social and mobile space,Gree, joined the ESA last August alongside NetDragon and Mad Catz.


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By Ichiro Suzuki
One of the developments to be remembered in the 2020 equity markets is the rise of electric vehicle makers. Tesla took off early in the year, to begin with. In response to the explosion of Tesla’s share price, Chinese EV makers soared in summer after months of lackluster performances in the U.S. market. NIO, the largest one among them is valued at $90 billion in equity market capitalization, as of January 8. It is only a little over 10% of Tesla but is almost the size of GM and Ford combined. Whether the market is correctly valuing NIO and others is far from certain. Nonetheless, having already been in the market for ten years, Tesla may have proved all the skeptics wrong. The market appears to have decided that the future belongs to EVs, while assigning little or no value to the business of internal combustion engine cars, which may or may not be right.
According to the Nikkei, Japan’s business daily, China is already the market leader in both EVs as well as internal combustion engine passenger cars, with 38.4% and 30.3% of the global markets in terms of the numbers of units for the first half of 2020. The U.S. is the runner-up in EVs with a 23.1% share and ranks third in internal combustion engine cars with 11.1%. Japan is the second largest in internal combustion engine cars but has a paltry 2.3% share in EVs. The numbers represent vehicles made on a country’s soil regardless of the car makers’ nationality. Foreign car makers are vastly contributing to the numbers for China.
China already controls a leading position in the EV market, at a time when governments around the world are announcing their plan to phase out internal combustion engine cars in the coming decades. China has declared to reduce carbon intensity by 65% from 2005 levels before 2030. Prime Minister Suga wants Japan to be carbon neutral in 2050. Most recently Governor Yuriko Koike wishes only EVs or hybrid new cars be sold in Tokyo in 2030. As is always the case with a paradigm shift, a radical change inflicts heavy blows to the champions that have ruled the existing regime. So the future looks bright for Chinese EV markers. It will most likely be positive for China, but it still remains to be seen how positive the new paradigm will be.
Chinese makers will definitely shine in terms of the number of units, on which almost all the industry statistics are based. On the other hand, there can be different picture if the statistics are based on the value of sales. Smartphones offer some perspective on this. Smartphones are an entirely new product category that sprang up in the 21st century, dramatically changing the shape of the electronics industry. Japanese makers that almost ruled the gadgets industry in the late 20th century suffered a massive blow. South Korea, essentially Samsung, made a big leap on smartphones and China has made a spectacular advance despite being late comers. Apple’s iPhones, once the only smartphones in the retail market, have already retreated into No.3 or No.4 spot in terms of units sold. Despite the setback Apple continues to dominate the market in terms of profits generated, holding onto its control of almost two-thirds of the profits in the smartphone industry. Samsung captures much of the remainder of the profits in the market. Three Chinese makers, Huawei, Oppo and Xiaome share what’s left after Apple and Samsung, selling competitively-priced, shiny and very well-functioning phones.
There is a reasonable chance that EVs follow the pattern of smartphones. Chinese makers are in the segment of subcompact economy cars, with much of its eyes on the developing countries, as well as the developed world market. In contrast, Tesla is solely focused on the luxury segment with a solid market share in this space, trying to compete EV versions of the Mercedes Benz or the Toyota Lexus. Driving a Tesla already became a trendy thing to do in Silicon Valley several years ago. Due to EVs’ considerably simpler structure than conventional cars, EVs have a relatively low barrier to entry. EV technologies have been in the market already for a long time. EVs are not the invention of China or not even of Elon Musk. Competition in the economy segment could be fierce, allowing only thin margins for vehicle makers. A seemingly aggressive wish of Governor Koike eyes ten years from now, leaving a plenty of time for the existing car makers to work on EVs. They have already been doing it for some time anyway, and only production capability needs to be tested. One argues that no American has followed the path of Elon Musk as an entrepreneur in passenger EVs, as opposed to a variety of Chinese competing in the market. However, this may not be a proof of a lack of entrepreneurship among Americans but it rather proves their understanding of the market structure.
Then there is a question of whether people in the developed world buy EVs based on price as a dominant factor of their purchasing decision, as they might on refrigerators, washing machines or TV sets. They might be willing to pay somewhat more on cars, for which quality and safety of the product matters more than they do on white goods. At present, NIO vehicles are not known for their quality, though it can improve over the years. While price could be still a significant factor in the subcompact segment of the market, it could be different in the middle market segment and above. To the majority of EV buyers, service would matter as much as it does to internal combustion engine cars even though EVs have a lot simpler structure. Affluent Japanese are not yet inclined to drive Tesla in part due to the company’s lack of service network. Americans and Europeans might not be as obsessive on service as Japanese, but it should still matter more than on a purchase of white goods or smartphones. It takes time and financial resources to build a network. Way back in the 1980s, Japanese automakers’ retail and service networks were singled out as a non-tariff trade barrier as American car makers struggled to expand market share in Japan. Elon Musk has recently expressed his interest in acquiring an existing car maker, quite possibly because of their well established service networks. Chinese EV makers might want to buy an American car maker but such a bid to buy a network would most likely be denied in this age of Sino - American tech cold war by the CFIUS (The Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States).
Finally, EVs are moving onto something beyond a box on wheels powered by electricity. Software matters a great deal more than a box and wheels as EVs evolve. Tesla already offers over-the-air software update. Conventional car makers’ failure to write effective software would have their value shifted to more capable software writers, such as Google or Apple. Would Chinese EVs’ software, written by themselves or Huawei, be trusted by the public at a time like this? The road to Chinese EVs’ dominance is not as simply as one might think at this juncture.
Mr. Suzuki is a retired banking executive based in Tokyo, Japan.
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How iPhone 11’s New U1 Chip Could Start an ‘Ultra Wideband’ Revolution
That feature is the U1 chip, which Apple says is capable of spatial awareness and highly accurate positioning data. But the U1 chip and the technology that powers it is a lot more groundbreaking than it might sound. Here’s what you should know.
Apple’s U1 Chip
Apple’s U1 chip uses Ultra Wideband (UWB) to allow for extremely precise positioning of other U1-equipped Apple devices. As the company puts it, it’s like “GPS at the scale of your living room.”
The U1 chip’s potential is vast, but Apple has been extremely quiet about its inclusion. The company didn’t even mention it at its By Innovation Only keynote last week, and only vaguely claims that it’ll allow for “amazing new capabilities.”
At this point, however, the U1 chip appears to only allow for better prioritization of AirDrop file transfers. On the iPhone 11, pointing your device at another iPhone will put that device at the “top” of your AirDrop list.
UWB technology, which the U1 chip relies on, can be used similarly to Bluetooth. But compared to UWB, Bluetooth is pretty inaccurate and unsecured. For something like Tile tracking, it simply uses the strength of a connection for locating.
By contrast, UWB uses time-of-flight techniques to come up with a much more accurate distance. It’s also capable of determining direction very precisely, something that Bluetooth can’t do nearly as well.
Again, all of that may sound relatively unexciting until you start to think about the capabilities that smartphone-based UWB could usher in.
What the U1 Could Do
As Six Colors’ Jason Snell points out, some of the potential applications of UWB include “smart home tech, augmented reality, mobile payments, the aforementioned keyless car entry, and even indoor navigation.”
The most obvious use is Apple’s rumored tracking devices, which could use a mixture of Bluetooth, UWB and AR to allow for extremely precise location tracking. Apple was expected to debut the trackers at its September keynote, but it didn’t.
Snell gives a series of other examples, too, such as a whole-home audio system that moves playback through rooms based on the location of a user. Or a smart lock that automatically opens and closes only when a user is in direct proximity of it and when they leave that proximity.
Other potential uses include much more accurate spatial awareness and object placement for AR, and keyless entry or security for vehicles.
In a nutshell, UWB technology could “dramatically change how our various intelligent devices interact with each other.” And Apple is at the forefront of the innovation, since the company is the only smartphone manufacturer to date to include an UWB chip inside of one of its devices.
Apple, in other words, may have just quietly kicked off the “Ultra Wideband” revolution.
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Walmart in Iowa is Hiring Over 2000 Jobs
During hard times like these when people have lost their jobs during the quarantine, there are businesses who are hiring.
According to KWWL, Walmart has announced they will be hiring over 2,000 employees in Iowa . Actually, they are hiring 150,000 new employees all the way through May and then their goal is to hire around 2,300 employees at stores, clubs, distribution and fulfillment centers in Iowa. This comes along with some other big news.
Walmart has also announced that they will be providing over $365 million in cash bonuses to all hourly associates employed as of March 1st and this will be payed by April 2nd. The company will be giving the next scheduled quarterly bonus, which adds up to $180 million across the nation, a month early.
It's a bit of good news to hear among all the uncertainty happening now with the coronavirus. Being able to give back to the communities and workers, Walmart is taking a step to support it's workers.


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PHOENIX — Sunflower Farmers Market said Tuesday that it would open a new store here early next year. It would be the second Sunflower store in Phoenix and its eighth in Arizona for the value-priced natural foods retailer, also based in Phoenix. The store is at the site of a current Bashas' store that will be closing next month.
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It looks like General Motors (NYSE: GM) is going to get its long-sought German factory closure earlier than expected.
Workers at GM subsidiary Opel's troubled factory in Bochum, Germany, voted Friday to reject a deal that called for a winding down of production between now and the end of 2016. The workers' union leaders had been hoping to squeeze further concessions out of GM.
But the joke – or at least, the squeeze – was on the union: After the deal was rejected, GM officials declared that no further negotiations will take place. And instead of waiting until the end of 2016, the factory will close next year, the company said.
Clearly, this was a strategic blunder by the union. But is it good news for General Motors?
A big win for GM -- if it holds
You might be saying, "It's just one factory. Other than the people who work there, who cares?" But closing this plant is a big deal for GM. Opel, the German automaker wholly owned by GM, has lost massive amounts of money in recent years. GM lost $1.8 billion in Europe in 2012, its thirteenth consecutive year of losses in the region.
CEO Dan Akerson has made it clear that this is a problem that has to be solved once and for all, and has put several of his top lieutenants on the case. And on the surface, this is a simple problem that's familiar to anyone who remembers GM's troubles of a few years ago: too many factories, too many workers, not enough cars being sold.
The magnitude of the problem has increased in the last couple of years, as deep recessions in many parts of Europe have crushed new car sales. Sales hit a 17-year low in 2012, and most analysts don't expect sales to recover to levels seen before the economic-crisis for at least a few years – maybe longer.
It's not hard to figure out what GM will have to do to return to profitability in Europe. But solving the problem has proven to be a lot harder than you might expect. One big reason: It's really hard to close a factory in Western Europe, and especially hard in Germany, where the unions have a lot of political clout – and where no auto factory has closed since the end of World War II.
That's why this closure will be such a big deal for GM – if it actually happens, which is not yet a sure thing. And as a rival's experience recently showed, closing a European car factory can be an expensive proposition.
A $750 million parting gift for workers
Rival Ford (NYSE: F) – like most of Opel's European competitors – has had its own troubles in Europe. Ford lost $1.75 billion of its own in the region last year. Last fall, CEO Alan Mulally presented a plan to return Ford Europe to profitability.
Ford's plan has several parts, but capacity cutbacks are a key component. Ford currently plans to close three of its factories in Europe. The company reached a deal with workers at one of those plants, in Genk, Belgium, last week. The deal provides for lavish separation packages for the workers -- an average of $187,500 per worker, expected to cost Ford some $750 million over the next several quarters.
That's a huge bill, but for Ford it's worth it: Reducing production capacity is a critical part of Ford's plan for returning the business to sustainable profitability. Just as the company shed factories and jobs in the U.S. in its painful restructuring last decade, so must it close factories – and make other structural changes – in Europe.
The takeaway for GM watchers: Closing Bochum, or any other plant in Europe, could still turn out to be a costly move for GM. Stay tuned.


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A fire at a Samsung data centre managed to knock out access to apps and services for six hours over the long weekend, raising concerns about the company’s data centre failover policies.
According to a report in the Korea JoongAng Daily, an electrical generator is believed to have sparked a fire in the backup datacentre of Samsung SDS, the IT and cloud services affiliate company of the Samsung Group.
Aside from one contractor hit by debris, there were no casualties reported from the facility in Gwacheon, south of Seoul.
However, the blaze led to a six hour blackout for Samsung websites, as well as the company’s SmartHub and smartphone services.
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In a statement in Korean, but not appearing on its English language site, Samsung apologised to customers over the blaze.
“A fire occurred Samsung SDS ICT centre in Gwacheon area. To customers and residents, we apologise for any inconvenience.
“Samsung SDS will confirm the cause of the fire and survey the scale of the damage. Relevant authorities [are] to cooperate actively in the planning.”
However, the incident has raised concerns for some resellers of Samsung cloud services.
The chief executive of Samsung solution provider 2k Networks told CRN the incident was worrying.
“I was pleased to see that service came back online quickly. It appears they did have a plan in place to recover and get back online. There was a service interruption that was minimal. However, there was not an automatic fail-over to another site.”


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Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Signed Agreements Worth US$500 Million
The 2nd Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan Interregional Cooperation Forum has resulted in the signing of 52 agreements worth US$500 million. Uzbekistan is ready to purchase cereal, meat and dairy products from Kazakhstan. For this purpose, Uzbekistan plans to strengthen cooperation with Kostanai region. A Kazakh-Uzbek cluster of light industry will be established at the Ontustik Special Economic Zone in Shymkent. The parties also plan to open a joint tourist route which will include Turkistan, Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khorezm regions.
“Bilateral trade between our countries has exceeded US$4.1 billion. Realizing the huge potential of our countries, the heads of state set an ambitious goal to bring the level of bilateral trade to US$5 billion this year and bring the trade value to US$10 billion in medium-term trade. The integration of industrial processes will play the most important role in the implementation of the assigned task, and we can observe the significant progress in this focus area. The joint projects in areas such as manufacturing of machinery and building materials, as well as the cooperation in the agro-industrial complex have been successfully implemented,” said Kazakh Prime Minister, Askar Mamin.


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By Lina Saigol and Callum Keown
McDonald’s began reopening drive-through restaurants across the U.K. and Ireland on Tuesday, sparking massive queues and even police intervention as customers rushed to get their fast-food fix.
The fast-food giant will reopen 1019 restaurants for drive-through and delivery in the next three days, after the coronavirus pandemic forced it to close all of its U.K. venues in March.
The first batch of 168 McDonald’s /zigman2/quotes/203508018/composite MCD +3.14% drive-through restaurants opened from 11 a.m. on Tuesday, causing long queues up and down the country. At one store in Newbridge, staff said over 120 people had been through in the first hour since opening, according to a report in the Edinburgh News .
Police officers were called to the scene at several branches, including in the Scottish capital and Redditch in the West Midlands area, as traffic jammed the streets.
“In the last week, on occasion, we have taken the decision to close Drive Thru lanes where demand has impacted local communities or the safety of our people or customers. We will continue to work with local authorities and the police as we extend our reopening plans,” a McDonald’s spokesperson said.
Hungry drivers will be restricted to a £25 limit per car and a reduced menu, while the company said service may not be as quick as normal due to smaller teams and social distancing rules. Customers are also being encouraged to pay by contactless payment methods.
The move is part of a phased reopening of all drive-through restaurants across the U.K. this week, after the company opened 15 restaurants in the south east of England in mid-May for delivery only. “To manage the anticipated demand, we will release the locations of the reopening restaurants on the morning of each day,” the company spokesperson said.
The pilot restaurants had a £25 order cap to cater for smaller teams of staff and social distancing in the kitchens. On May 20, a further 30 pilot restaurants opened drive-through lanes.
Competitors — including Burger King, which is owned by Restaurant Brands International /zigman2/quotes/202094900/composite QSR +2.55% , KFC, which is part of Yum Brands /zigman2/quotes/209029767/composite YUM +0.86% portfolio, and Nando’s — have also been trialling phased reopenings of their restaurants in recent weeks.
McDonald’s said that following the successful pilot, 924 drive-through restaurants would reopen between Jun. 2 and Jun. 4. It will also add 75 restaurants to its McDelivery service, either through Uber Eats or Just Eat.
Employees’ temperatures are being checked by contactless thermometers on arrival at work and Perspex screens have been fitted at drive-through windows, as well as in specific areas in the restaurants and kitchens.


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Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired commerce specialist agency eCommera.
ECommera provides multi-channel commerce services and platforms for international brands and retailers. According to a company statement, eCommera will amplify Dentsu Aegis commerce proposition globally.
Headquartered in the UK, eCommera and its team of 275 staff across multiple locations will join Isobar, Dentsu Aegiss global digital agency. Mark Fagan, the CEO of eCommera, will report to Tracy De Groose, CEO UK and Ireland, Dentsu Aegis Network.
De Groose said: In a time when changing consumer expectations are transforming the retail sector, the need for a more seamless integration of brand experience and commercial experience is critical.
ECommeras reputation for innovation, and their track record in guiding retailers through the changing retail landscape complements and strengthens our Brand Commerce offering. We are delighted to welcome the eCommera team to our business, she adds.
Jean Lin, Isobar global CEO, said: Connected brand commerce experience is driving success for businesses and brands. All compelling brand experiences are now omni-channel, and are only one click away from commercial interactions. Clients need to be supported and advised properly.
ECommeras highly scalable ecommerce technology services will strengthen Isobars global brand commerce offering, and further accelerate our ambition to deliver sustainable business ideas without boundaries.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.


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According to a flyer from Best Buy, posted online by technology website Engadget, the Xoom tablet by Motorola will be launched on February 24, 2011 and will be priced at $799. This makes it even more expensive than the devices that are already in the market, but it also might be the first device to actually offer significant challenge to the Apple iPad.
In terms of timing and price, the device does well to come in before the iPad 2’s release, and has on offer specs which many would agree are fairly unmatched at this point – the tablet will be the first to officially run the Android 3.0 Honeycomb update, which is designed for the large screens of tablets, as against the smaller phone screens that the earlier Android versions were designed for. The tablet will also have a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra processor, which can handle full HD video. Two cameras – 5MP back and 2MP front allow for HD photography and video conferencing – also feature, which the iPad does not have, and in all their marketing so far, Motorola has been clear in calling out Apple – going so far as to reference Apple’s famous ‘1984’ ad, with a new Super Bowl ad of their own.
Whether the device will make it to India anytime soon, or at what price, is not clear right now. While the iPad sold 15 million copies in less than a year of being launched, the Galaxy Tab has only recently crossed the 2-million milestone, and no other tablets have seen widespread adoption.
Interest in the device category is obvious though, and in 2011, various manufacturers are releasing almost 1,000 different tablets of varying quality. India itself has seen various devices like the iSlate and OlivePad, and also the Notion Ink Adam, which should be reaching customers soon, but it remains to be seen if high-end tablets will catch on here.


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According to reports, the ABA decided that in order to quell the rage of LGBTQ cult members, the best course of action was to express deep sorrow for sending out Abigail Shrier's "Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters" in a recent mailing to independent bookstores all across the country.
"This is a serious, violent incident that goes against ABA's ends policies, values, and everything we believe and support," the trade group groveled before the altar of LGBTQ perversion, pretending as though words that "offend" LGBTQs are akin to violence. "It is inexcusable."
"Apologies are not enough. We've begun addressing this today and are committed to engaging in the critical dialogue needed to inform concrete steps to address the harm we caused."
Casey Morrissey, a transgender book buyer at Greenlight Bookstores in Brooklyn, says "they" were "seething" with rage after opening the ABA's latest white box and seeing a copy of "Irreversible Damage" inside.
"I was excited to open our July white box, and then the first book I pulled out is 'Irreversible Damage,'" Morrissey tweeted in a triggered rage about the white box, which comes every two months and includes "finished books that publishers wish for booksellers to read."
"Do you know how that feels, as a trans bookseller and book buyer? It isn't even a new title, so it really caught me in the gut. Do better."
As we reported back in 2019 when "Irreversible Damage" first came out, Shrier wrote it as a warning to today's youth about not falling for the "social contagion" that will forever destroy their lives.
Many former transgenders now live with trans regret, having later in their confused lives come to the realization that getting a "sex change" by lobbing off or installing artificial body parts, or taking synthetic hormone pharmaceuticals, was a huge mistake. After it is already done, though, reversing the process is impossible.
Even so, the Cult of LGBTQ knows that its tears can be used as a weapon of privilege to always get its way. In other words, by crying and throwing tantrums on social media, trans cultists like Morrissey know they can always get their way because they belong to a special protected class that is afforded unique privileges that override other people's rights.
In this case, Shrier's book is now blacklisted from the ABA. The Cult of LGBTQ is also trying to get it banned from Target and Amazon for allegedly violating their corporate "standards."
Employees at Amazon, for instance, contend that "Irreversible Damage" should be banned because it frames "LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness." At this time, both Target and Amazon continue to sell the book because it is popular, and thus highly profitable.
The ABA, however, is doubling down with hysterically cringeworthy hysterics as its CEO Allison Hill released a statement apologizing profusely for upsetting the trans freaks and their "allies."
"This week we did horrific harm when we included an anti-trans book in ABA’s July box mailing to members," Hill announced, adding that the ABA also "did terrible and racist harm" by mistakenly releasing another book with the wrong cover featuring a black "right-wing extremist."
More related news about trans tears and the privilege of censorship that comes with them can be found at Gender.news.
Sources for this article include: