text:
In a letter to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Global Automakers urged the agency to set a minimum, instead of a maximum, of 15 percent to the Volkswagen settlement to supporting electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the state. Under Appendix D of the current settlement, Illinois is due to receive $108 million, which can be used for a variety of environmental-based projects. A maximum of 15 percent, or $16.2 million, can be used for the acquisition, installation, operation, and maintenance of EV infrastructure. Global Automakers urges the state to allocate the full 15 percent towards this effort and to support all EV infrastructure, including charging stations and hydrogen refueling stations. The state needs to establish a strong foundation for electric vehicles by expanding its network of charging and building out a network of hydrogen refueling stations to support sales of electric vehicles. Increasing available infrastructure is critical to the state’s ability to advance electrification. Range anxiety is a significant impediment to sale of electric vehicles.
April 23, 2018 Letter


text:
Table of Contents
Google Play Developer Console now is Google Play Console…
Almost 2 weeks have already passed since 2017 edition of Google I/O developer conference, and since then we are reviewing the new features in Google Play Console. We love doing research and being up to date with everything related to the new developer console!
Google ecosystem continues its growth, and with more than 2 billion active Android devices, it has already reached 1 billion monthly active users in Play Store. As the company revealed at Google I/O 2017 developer conference, only the last year the users from 190 countries have installed 82 billion apps, and the number of developers of apps with over 1 million monthly installs is growing by 35% year over year.
In 2017, a set of exciting announcements has been made about the new features of Google Play Developer Console (which from now on is called Google Play Console for Google have mentioned that the console is not used only by developers today). The console exists since 2012, and ever since it has been constantly improved to help developers growth their app businesses and to increase the quality of their apps.
Today we will have a look at the improvements and new features related to App Marketing and particularly valuable for App Store Optimization (ASO).
Google Play Console news and updates
Evaluating performance of an app is the most important step towards increasing its quality, so in order to provide developers with easier and more flexible access to the key metrics of the app, Google has updated Statistics page. The developers will be getting more data and can compare two different metrics effortlessly:
With Android vitals showing experience of the users who have downloaded an app or game, developers can now get to use anonymized aggregated data from opted in devices to understand and control key aspects of app performance: stability (crash rates, App Not Responding rates), battery usage and render time (slow rendering and frozen frames).
Developers can now benefit from higher volume of data and quickly fix bad behaviours of an app, therefore improving user experience and increasing app store ratings.
In their I/O keynote Google has mentioned that it will start taking into account Android vitals data in their algorithm of ranking and giving visibility to apps and games in the Google Play Store.
Learn more about Android vitals here.
Pre-launch report, that shows the results of testing an alpha or beta of an app to detect and timely fix crashes before launch, has been updated with more controls and more devices coverage, including Android O devices. Fixing bugs and issues before the launch is great for the ASO, because none of the issues will affect the ratings of an app when it will be released.
Besides that, Google has also added a release dashboard for tracking a release and monitoring if the launch is going as planned, and a device catalog that shows installs, rating, and revenue contributed by each device type.
Google is visibly focused on providing a greater user experience. Instant Apps will benefit with the same release management dashboard, gather feedback from pre-release and only launch with a ready and stable product.
The acquisition report in Google Play Console is now including retained installer data, providing the developers with insights about the driving channels and geography of their apps users, their buying and installing behavior and retention. This is a great revelation for optimizing app marketing strategy, that enables developers and marketers to focus on the users who bring value for their app businesses.
Another blast for marketers is an updated review analysis of the app available in Google Play Console. Reviews history is now showing the past conversations with the users and the history of updates of their ratings, including the effect that developer’s replies have on ratings and user sentiment. Review analysis covers more languages now, which makes it possible to gather insights on how to improve an app seen from a perspective of different people who are using the localized version of an app.
With the number of active subscribers having doubled in the last year, subscriptions have become the fastest growing business on the Play Store. In the new subscription dashboard in the Google Play Console, the developers can analyze the performance of their subscribers, the revenue they bring, retention and churn rate.
And here so far are all the new features of the Google Play Console related to ASO that have been presented at Google I/O 2017.
Stay tuned to get updates about App Store Optimization and Mobile Growth!
Source | Android Developers Blog
Tell us your opinion in the comments and share it with your friends and colleagues!

domain: news


text:
China Mobile's branch in Zhuhai, south China's
Guangdong Province, has cancelled the service of 19,000 mobile phone subscribers
who are found to have abused the short message service (SMS) in the past six
Fraudulent messages designed to get people to give out their financial
information or remit money have been a popular tool to cheat mobile phone users
Last October, the company established a hot line for cell phone subscribers
to report junk messages. Users in Zhuhai could transfer the suspect message
texts and the sender's number to 01820.
"Once we get seven or more complaints for one number, we'd cut off its SMS
function so it won't be able to send any more harmful messages," Tuesday's China
Daily quoted Yang Kaixiong, chief manager for customer service, as saying.
Meanwhile, the company employed 36 people to supervise its contracted
Internet service providers (ISP).
Some of China Mobile's contracted ISPs violated rules by sending messages to
lure users to use their paid services, according to Yang. "If we receive more
than 50 complaints concerning the same ISP, we instantly terminate the
cooperation and report it to provincial headquarters," he was quoted as saying.
At least 44 ISPs have been found to violate the regulations, and 24 of them
were expected to lose their contracts, he added.
But Yang's company could not take action against ISPs or mobile phone users
from outside the province.
"Such isolated efforts can't crack down on illegal SMS senders, " Shen
Xiaoli, a mobile phone subscriber in Shenzhen, was quoted as saying. "Cheaters
can be anywhere in the country, so the mobile operators should launch the
campaign to cover the entire network."
By the end of 2005, China's mobile phone subscribers totaled 393.4 million
and the Ministry of Information Industry has predicted the number will reach 440
million this year.


text:
As worldwide online sales continue to grow at rates of 15 to 20 percent per year, many eCommerce companies are looking to place themselves in new and emerging markets.
The trouble, it seems, according to The 2015 Pitney Bowes Global Online Shopping Study, is that many eCommerce sites that would attract a global audience are failing to meet the needs of a huge potential customer base.
“In today’s global marketplace, ecommerce is continuing to connect the world’s economies in new ways, making it possible for brands to sell, compete and expand their footprint,” stated Lila Snyder, President of Global Ecommerce at Pitney Bowes, in a press release. “By focusing on the consumer – what they want and how they like to shop – brands can develop the right roadmap to achieve global ecommerce success.”
To Be Global, Think Local
You have a huge untapped group of customers out there that want your products badly, but they’re struggling to finish their orders for a number of very easy to solve reasons.
According to Pitney Bowes, 29 percent of global buyers have been deterred by not being able to read product descriptions in their native languages. Another 25 percent turn back when the products aren’t listed in the customer’s native currency and 27 percent are denied when they discover you can’t process the credit cards of their home country.
The other big problems that global customers regularly experience involve order fulfillment. This is a trickier one, since global fulfillment services can vary so widely and there are often a number of hand-offs when packages travel far overseas. China, for example, has access to major American shippers, but those shippers are routinely forced to use local delivery companies for a shipment’s last mile because of inaccessibility or lack of permission to deliver in certain areas.
Global Fulfillment Services Make It Easy
As an eCommerce business, you’re not expected to know the ins and outs of shipping to your global markets, but those customers still need the expertise of someone who does.
Partnering with a 3PL that provides global fulfillment services is the obvious answer — not only will your new partner ensure that your products make it all the way to their destination, they’ll know if you need to make your customers aware of any extra costs or time delays involved.
In fact, by integrating your 3PL’s customer web portal, your global customers can stay as informed about their order’s progress as your domestic ones. International eCommerce shoppers want to buy from American shops, in fact the U.S. remains the most desirable eDestination, with 71 percent preferring to shop here than anywhere else. The trick, then, is to make your global customers feel as at home as your local customers.
You can tap into whole new markets with a little web ingenuity. Increased attention to developing local versions of your site for global shoppers with the help of a 3PL who provides global fulfillment services will make a big impression, too. There’s no telling how large your reach can be once you start providing custom services to these underserved global markets.


text:
OnePlus 6 will initially be unveiled to the world on May 16 at an event in London, followed by two events in India and China on May 17.
OnePlus 6 India launch is set for May 17 at an event in Mumbai at 3 pm. While the specifications and features have already been tipped and confirmed on multiple occasions, its price has only been tentative so far for the UK and US markets. For the first time, we may know how much OnePlus 6 will cost in India. As per a report, the India price for at least two OnePlus 6 models will be less than the estimated price of Rs 40,000.
According to a report by technology website TrueTech, the OnePlus 6 could cost Rs 36,999 for 64GB storage model while the 128GB variant is likely to bear a price tag of Rs 39,999. While the report does not mention the pricing for the 256GB variant, which has already been confirmed, we now have a fair idea of the pricing of the OnePlus’ next flagship.
The OnePlus 6 will initially be unveiled to the world on May 16 at an event in London, followed by two events in India and China on May 17. In India, the launch event will commence at 3 pm at The Dome (NSIC), Mumbai. The smartphone has already been confirmed to be sold exclusively via Amazon India for Prime customers starting May 21.
OnePlus has already confirmed that the OnePlus 6 will bear a notch on top of the display with a bezel-less design. There will be two RAM variants – 6GB and 8GB – coupled with three storage models – 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. The smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor under the hood. There will be dual cameras on the rear while a single camera will be present on the front. There will also be a new Alert Slider in red colour to double up as a focus finder inside the camera app.


text:
The New York Times recently profiled Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage through a Zoom interview to discuss her new album, CELIA. While we are still revelling in the fashion delight that the videos from the album provided, the Ole crooner gave us another unmissable fashion moment.
In the new feature, Tiwa talks about her journey in the music industry so far, the essence of the new album and using her platform to encourage young African girls.
The stunning photos following the story were lensed by Stephen Tayo and shot in Lagos conceptual boutique Alára. For the first look, Tiwa put a feminine spin on a striking design by Kenneth Ize – a boxy oversized aso-oke suit with frayed hems paired with mismatched pants. Daniel Obasi gave the look a demure touch stying it with simple earrings and wooden platform heels.
Next, she wore a girly polka dot dress from Turfah – one of the brands featured her new video Koroba.
Read the full feature on www.nytimes.com


text:
By Tara Kyle
CHELSEA — First it was a church, then a nightclub, and now a mini-mall — but not for long.
The Limelight at 20th and Sixth Ave. will soon house a single department store, the Wall Street Journal first reported.
The ever-changing site tried its hand at housing a collection of retail booths, beauty kiosks, and even an outpost of Grimaldi's famed pizza, which opened in the winter.
The Limelight Marketplace's current incarnation, barely a year old, was a step in the right direction, but not enough to keep it intact, the building owner said.
"We're going what's been working as opposed to staying with what hasn't been working," owner Jack Menashe said, saying he found relative success at the small number of fashion vendors currently in the Marketplace.
The new department store, called simply Limelight, will likely open in September and will cost Menashe about $4 million to launch. Menashe does not anticipate having to close the 30,000 square-foot space for any period during its transformation this summer.
Although merchandise and dessert vendors will move out of the Marketplace, the restaurants and bars — Grimaldi's, Cana Wine Bar, Jezalin's and Cross Bar — will stay.
Limelight's new iteration will include high-end menswear, which Menashe hopes to cull in part from a trip next month to Milan Fashion Week.
Lines featured in the womenswear sections will include Elizabeth and James, Society for Rational Dress and lots of premium denim. And a section tentatively titled "Limelight Fun" will emphasis swimswear and clothes for going out.
As part of the transformation, Menashe also plans to make-over the look and feel of Limelight, bringing in more black decor and spotlights and taking out much of the color peppering the property.
"We're bringing in a level of maturity," Menashe said. 'It's a beautiful, magnificent buidling, so we want to let it shine a bit."
The merchandise buyer for the new department store will be Melanie Drake, of Boogie's Retail in Aspen, Colo.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Sign Up for the Buffalo Business First Afternoon Edition Newsletter
Send this story to a friend
Summer forecast calls for hotter-than-normal temps
- Staff Business First
It's going to a long, hot summer.
The paper summarizes the forecast this way: "More than two-thirds of the country is expected to be warmer than normal, from Nunavut in the North to cottage country in Ontario to the rugged Nova Scotia coast. Pretty much the only regions projected to experience below-normal temperatures are pockets of northern British Columbia and Yukon."
Brett Anderson, an AccuWeather senior meteorologist, says that "everything is pointing toward a hot and a little bit drier-than-normal summer" across much of Canada.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- Auto sales revved up on Black Friday
- Bowl season means gifts for college players
- Demand keeps Cutco sharp
- Verizon widens media reach with EdgeCast deal
- Daemen fundraising for athletics' elevation
- Phone prank charges to be dropped
- Bars, pizzerias a familiar site in Buffalo
- Tops acquisition shifts decision-makers to WNY
- Community Bank buys Rochester benefits biz unit
- BryLin rebrands as behavioral health facility
Email Newsletter Signup
Start your morning with business news essential to Western New York's leaders.


text:
Shares of Molson Coors Brewing Co (NYSE:TAP) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $72.58.
Several brokerages have commented on TAP. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Molson Coors Brewing from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Molson Coors Brewing from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $68.00 price objective on Molson Coors Brewing and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Molson Coors Brewing in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank lowered Molson Coors Brewing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $72.00 to $63.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 12th.
Shares of TAP stock traded up $0.47 during trading on Monday, reaching $60.45. The company had a trading volume of 19,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,455,409. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.64. Molson Coors Brewing has a one year low of $54.17 and a one year high of $74.00. The company has a market capitalization of $12.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.00, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.77.
Molson Coors Brewing (NYSE:TAP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Molson Coors Brewing had a return on equity of 7.89% and a net margin of 8.37%. The firm’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.62 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Molson Coors Brewing will post 4.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.
In related news, CEO Simon Cox sold 9,497 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.69, for a total value of $576,372.93. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TAP. Acima Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Molson Coors Brewing in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP bought a new stake in Molson Coors Brewing in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Pinnacle Bank bought a new stake in Molson Coors Brewing in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its holdings in Molson Coors Brewing by 168.8% in the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in Molson Coors Brewing in the fourth quarter valued at about $60,000. 76.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Molson Coors Brewing Company Profile
Molson Coors Brewing Company manufactures, markets, and sells beer and other malt beverage products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company sells various products under the Blue Moon, Coors Banquet, Coors Light, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite, Hamm's, Icehouse, Keystone, Mickey's, Miller64, Miller High Life, Milwaukee's Best, Olde English, Steel Reserve, Grolsch, Hop Valley, Leinenkugel's, Peroni Nastro Azurro, Pilsner Urquell, Revolver, Saint Archer, Sol, Terrapin, Crispin, Smith & Forge, Arnold Palmer Spiked, Henry's Hard, Redd's, and Steel Reserve Alloy Series brands.
Receive News & Ratings for Molson Coors Brewing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Molson Coors Brewing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
NEW YORK — After scoring a hit at retail in the fall with his men’s version, Kenneth Cole hopes to see a similar reaction for his newest women’s scent this spring.
Launching Reaction for Her, a women’s counterpart to the men’s scent Cole launched in September, made sense, he said. “We were obviously pleased with the consumer’s response to Reaction for Him, and felt that the appropriate reaction was to introduce a Reaction for Her fragrance,” said Cole.
No argument there from Lancaster, the designer’s scent licensee. “Kenneth Cole’s fragrance business is our third-largest [prestige] franchise, ranked only behind Davidoff and JLo,” said Catherine Walsh, senior vice president of marketing for cosmetics and American licenses for Lancaster Group Worldwide. “And we believe it has the potential to get even bigger.”
Make that bigger not only in terms of money, but also counter space. Reaction for Her is the fourth fragrance launched by Lancaster since acquiring rights to Cole’s license from LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in May 2003. Industry sources estimated that two of these, Kenneth Cole Black and Kenneth Cole Reaction for Him, rank in the top five men’s scents at U.S. retail — and it’s clear that Lancaster hopes for a similar success in the more crowded women’s fragrance field.
Reaction for Her is a “juicy floral” formulated by Laurent Le Guernec of International Flavors and Fragrances, noted Jim Fine, marketing director for Lancaster Worldwide. The scent has top notes of pink grapefruit, mandarin and watermelon; a heart of violet leaf, yellow poppies, lily of the valley, white orchid and sweet pea, and a drydown of vetiver, musk, warm amber and cottonwood.
The collection will consist of eaux de parfum in two sizes, 1.7 oz. for $45 and 3.4 oz. for $58, as well as a 6.7-oz. shower gel for $26 and a 6.7-oz. body lotion for $29.
The bottle, a collaborative effort between Cole and Chad Levigne of Lancaster, is a heavy, clear-glass half-circle with a shocking-pink logo. The cap is of brushed chrome. Those colors are carried through to the outer carton, a silver-toned box with shocking pink accents.Like its male counterpart, the women’s Reaction is intended to appeal to a “twentysomething new professional,” said Carlos Timiraos, vice president of marketing, Lancaster Worldwide. Reaction for Her will be on counter in mid-April in the U.S., which currently means about 1,800 department and specialty stores doors. Later this year, it likely will be rolled out on a global basis, including doors in Europe, Asia and Australia.
While none of the executives would discuss sales figures or advertising spending, industry sources estimated that the scent will do about $25 million at retail in its first year on counter and that about $6 million would be spent on advertising and promotion.
Print advertising, featuring model Sara Ziff, breaks in May fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines. Shot by David Sims — also the photographer of the men’s campaign — it features a black-and-white photo of Ziff superimposed on a pink-toned shot of a dancing crowd. Scented strips featuring both the women’s and the men’s scents also are planned for a number of the ads, which Timiraos estimates will produce about 25 million scented impressions for the women’s scent. The men’s layer will ratchet the scented impression total to about 40 million, he added.
As well, what Timiraos calls “living media” also will play a significant part in the marketing of Reaction for Her. Pointing to a men’s promotion that took the fragrance into the Virgin Megastore, Timiraos plans similar nontraditional promotions for Reaction for Her.
In his new book “Hollywood Royale,” Andy Warhol’s Protégé Matthew Rolston celebrates the Eighties revival of Hollywood glamour. Featuring more than 100 portraits taken by Rolston from 1977 to 1993, the book contains photos of icons like Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, and @drewbarrymore, pictured here in 1991. “Hollywood Royale,” out today, will be accompanied by an exhibition opening at Los Angeles’ Fahey/Klein Gallery on March 1. #wwdeye
"Nowadays when life is not so happy with everything going on in the world, I think people come to me for a little bit of whimsy and color and fun." - Designer Rebecca De Ravenel on her cult-favorite jewelry line. (📸 : @vsteves) #wwd40
“Everyone is talking about how the retail industry is struggling, but I think it’s an incredible time because brands who are doing something different and innovative are setting themselves up for the future,” said @adamgoldston, who founded the luxury athletic brand @apl with his brother @ryangoldsten. The Goldston’s are part of WWD’s 40 under 40: a group of industry notables. See the rest of the list on WWD.com. (📷: @vsteves) #wwd40
@eyeswoon blogger Athena Calderone debuted her first-ever cookbook, “Cook Beautiful,” which is heavily centered on the presentation and visual expression of food. Pictured here are her miso glazed carrots from the book. Get the recipe on WWD.com. (📷: @johnny_miller_) #wwdeye
“It’s passion that helps get anybody to a certain point and it’s what’s propelled me,” said Kith founder @ronniefieg, one of WWD’s 40 under 40: a group of industry notables who are changing the face of retail, fashion and beauty. Fieg, who opened a Manhattan flagship on October 7, began his career at age 13 as a stock boy and salesman for footwear chain David Z. “I think staying true to [my] beliefs, hard work and passion have gotten me to where [Kith] is today.” See the rest of the 40 at WWD.com. (📷: @vsteves) #wwd40
25-year-old @samweaving is about to break out this fall, starring in Netflix’s horror film “The Babysitter,” fittingly out today on Friday the 13th. That’s not the only place you’ll be seeing her, though — Weaving’s got a role Showtime’s “SMILF” and another alongside Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Though she’s got a full plate at the moment, there’s one role she’s got her eye on: Marilyn Monroe. “I’m a little too young at the moment, but it’s on my bucket list,” the actress told WWD (📷: @dandoperalski) #wwdeye
BFF's Poppy Jamie and Suki Waterhouse celebrated the launch of their bag line Pop x Suki at Nordstrom last night. "The line is really about our friendship, and how we are so different but complement each other," said Waterhouse. 👯 (📷: Katie Jones) #wwdeye
After designing the new @louisvuitton and @bulgariofficial flagships and a @chanelofficial boutique opening in Japan, @petermarinoarchitect has another project on his plate: The Lobster Club. Located in the Seagram Building, it’s the famed architect’s first restaurant project in New York, serving up modern Japanese brasserie-style cuisine. Bronze hues, bespoke material detailing, blush and chartreuse tones and a heavy emphasis on Picasso can be seen throughout. Mark your calendars for Nov. 1 for the much-anticipated opening. (📷: @clint_spaulding) #wwdeye
Did you know: @carlychaikin of "Mr. Robot" has been painting for about a decade? The actress, who plays Darlene on the show, is a self-taught artist who lists Salvador Dalí and Chuck Close as some of her idols. Chaikin told WWD that painting is a form of meditation for her — A much-needed one given the intensity of "Mr. Robot." See a piece Chaikin is working on at WWD.com (📷: @jilliansollazzo) #wwdeye


text:
Many sectors have to close from 5 pm to 5am from Sunday. The measure will take three weeks for the time being. According to The Hague initiates, this applies to restaurants and cafes, ‘non-essential’ shops, cinemas and theatres, museums, amusement parks, gyms and amateur sports. Schools can stay open.
Yesterday it had already become clear that these measures were discussed in the cabinet, but then sources still assumed that the new restrictions would take effect on Saturday. So it is said to be Sunday. This change was made, among other things, at the request of the mayors. They wanted more time to be able to organize the enforcement of the previous closure. Grocery stores can stay open until 8 pm.
School face mask
Pupils from grade six in primary schools and secondary school students are obliged to wear a face mask in the hallway.
The outgoing cabinet again today also consulted on the measures, including the permanent advisors, such as RIVM director Van Dissel, and with the mayors, and put the dots on the i.
aim of the measures is to slow the rapid increase in the number of infections and hospitalizations. Minister De Jonge has already said a few times that there really needs to be a turn around now. He reiterated that today. “We will have to brace ourselves again for a harsh winter,” he added.
The cabinet asked the Outbreak Management Team for urgent advice on the measures on Wednesday. Tonight, Prime Minister Rutte and Minister De Jonge are giving another press conference. Then more details and any other measures will be announced.


text:
INFOGRAPHIC: SOCIAL-ECONOMIC SITUATION IN FIRST MONTH OF 2023
VGP - Viet Nam’s consumer price index (CPI) in January edged up by 0.52 % month-on-month, fueled by high consumer demand for the Lunar New Year or Tet which fell in the same month, the General Statistics Office said on January 29.
February 02, 2023 2:39 PM GMT+7
Foreign investment capital reached US$1.7 billion as of January 20, down 19.8 percent from the previous year.
Viet Nam ran a trade surplus of US$ 3.6 billion in the first month of 2023.


text:
Benjamin Chapman, a professor at North Carolina State University and a food specialist, says that washing fruits and vegetables with soap and water is not necessarily a good idea.
Other experts also weighed in with their own tips for food safety and staying healthy during the COVID-19 outbreak.
What's the deal with fresh foods?
Chapman told Live Science that there are "toxicity issues" with household dish soaps.
"We've known for 60 years that there are toxicity issues about consuming household dish soaps," he said. "Drinking dish soap or eating it can lead to nausea, can lead to upset stomach. It's not a compound that our stomach is really built to deal with."
Chapman said that a good rinse with cold water will suffice.
How about grocery shopping?
In a now-viral video, Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen, a private practice doctor out of Michigan, warned about the dangers of grocery shopping.
"I felt an urgency to get the word out to people that despite the stay-at-home order, we need to use caution when we go out," he said. "That's really the most important piece of the message: If you don't have to go out, don't. But if you must, to get food, do so with caution."
VanWingen says that people who have no choice but to leave the house and grocery shop should take the highest precautions when keeping germ-free.
Some recommendations include wiping down grocery carts with disinfectant or disinfectant wipes. He also recommends that people store newly purchased dry goods on a porch or in a garage for at least three days, and says that containers should be disinfected or discarded.
Chapman added, however, that there's no evidence that food or its packaging can transmit the virus, and says that VanWingen's suggestion isn't "based on any science."
Chapman said that people should simply put away their groceries and wash their hands well with soap and water.
"[R]inse fresh fruits and vegetables with running cold water," Chapman says. "That may remove 90 to 99% of what's there."
Donald Schaffner, a professor at Rutgers University, echoed Chapman's sentiments about washing hands after returning from the grocery store.
"[I]f you're still feeling worried after you put all your groceries away, wash your hands and/or use hand sanitizer," he said.
Schaffner also said that if COVID-19 is on the food, "it's not going to make you sick from eating that food" because coronavirus reportedly dies in stomach acid.
Schnaffner says that people should be more worried about spending time in the grocery store rather than disinfecting their foods — and to wash your hands.
"That's the big risk right there," he said.
(H/T: Fox News)


text:
Over the past decade, the local markets saw the introduction of several new cuisines. Think about the number of restaurants offering several kinds of cuisines – including Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Pakistani, Italian, Peruvian and Tex-Mex with the newest being Jamaican, among several others.
The number of fast food chains, including franchised and home-grown, are on the rise. The market is still predominately driven by franchised concepts from the US, Europe, Far East and so on. In the last five years, however, several exciting home-grown concepts have also sprung mostly in the UAE and Kuwait.
From fine-dining to casual to fast casual as well as quick service – every segment is replete with new concepts entering the market to satiate every taste bud. While the UAE is spoilt for choice, Kuwait offers some big franchised as well as unique home-grown brands, while other GCC markets like Qatar are catching up. The massive KSA food market has also changed drastically, especially in the last five years.
Rupkatha Bhowmick met food service specialist Abdul Kader Saadi, managing director of Dubai-based Glee Hospitality Solutions – who comes with over two decades of experience in the food service industry – to discuss the transformation of the regional food service landscape over the last decade and his entrepreneurial journey.


text:
A new TA Express is coming to Nevada
TA has executed a franchise agreement to open a new TA Express travel center in the city of Wendover. The location will offer another place for drivers to stop as they travel between TA Salk Lake and TA Wells.
Planned amenities include:
- Gasoline with 20 fueling positions
- Truck diesel with eight fueling positions
- Approximately 200 truck parking spaces
- Approximately 112 car parking spaces
- Eight showers
- Driver’s lounge
- CAT Scale
- Two quick-serve restaurants
- 17 RV parking spaces
- Picnic area
- Dog park
An opening date is planned for 2023.


text:
For all you frugal foodies out there, you may want to bring your own Kraft Single to sneak onto your patty the next time you visit your favorite burger joint.
Every time you opt to pay extra for cheese, you’re paying, on average, a 417% markup for that extra slice of creamy goodness, according to a study by PlateIQ.
Restaurants pay, on average, 29 cents per slice of cheese, but offer to add cheese to burgers for $1.50, on average — a 417% markup. For example, according to menu-tracking site Fast Food Menu Prices, at Shake Shack SHAK, -0.73% you’ll pay $4.29 for a hamburger, but $5.29 to make it a ShackBurger — the same thing plus cheese. And cheeseburgers aren’t even the biggest offender.
Every time you order a meat-lovers or supreme veggie pizza, you’re paying a 525% markup. Meat on pizza typically comes with a $3 additional price. But with the restaurant’s cost of 48 cents per serving, you’re paying a 525% markup. Add-on vegetables cost restaurants, on average, 32 cents, meaning the additional $2 charge for those pineapples is a 525% markup.
Another popular marked-up item is guacamole. The average cost of adding guacamole to your burrito is $2, though it costs restaurants 52 cents — a 285% markup. Chipotle CMG, -0.49% charges $1.95 extra for guacamole, though vegetarians can get guacamole for free in leiu of meat.
To be fair, every time you dine at a restaurant, you’re paying for more than just the food. About 30% of restaurant revenue goes to labor costs, 30% goes to general overhead and 30% is spent on the actual ingredients, according to PlateIQ. That means that restaurants still need to mark up ingredients by an average of 300% to break even.
And restaurants don’t exactly have it easy. U.S. restaurants in 2016 saw their weakest same-store sales in more than five years, according to industry tracker TDn2K, a trend that some analysts are calling a “restaurant recession.” The last time the restaurant industry saw declining sales all four quarters of a year was right after the financial crisis in 2009.
Often, the higher-end version can be a better deal than the standard item. The average $9 burrito has a 346% price markup. But make it a $14 deluxe burrito (we’re talking grilled tri-tip steak instead of carnitas, crema instead of sour cream, black instead of refried beans, cilantro rice instead of regular rice, and some onion and tomato), and you’re looking at just a 158% price markup.
Omelettes typically see huge price markups. A spinach omelette has a 471% markup, meaning you’re paying, on average, $8 for something that cost $1.40 to make.
And you’re definitely better off making pizza at home. A margherita pizza has a 580% markup, while a meat pizza has a 636% markup. So if you can’t cook at home, at least skip the pineapple and ham, and just order a cheese pizza. Hey, you shouldn’t be putting pineapple on pizza anyway.


text:
GDC 2014 (Game Developers Conference) is underway, so naturally the news is full of feel good stories about video games, especially the recently launched next-gen consoles from Microsoft (MSFT) and Sony (SNE).
Sony unveiled its Project Morpheus virtual reality headset for the PS4 and pointed out that, besides leading next-gen consoles in sales, the PS4 has so far exceeded Sony’s own targets. Meanwhile Electronic Arts’ (EA) new Titanfall — a Microsoft exclusive and one of the most highly anticipated video games for the new generation of consoles — has generated considerable excitement and reportedly boosted Xbox One sales.
Look a little deeper, though, and there is also a lot of not-so-good news.
Going into a crucial post-launch phase for these new video game consoles, both Sony and Microsoft have lost key division executives. Sony’s U.S. Playstation head is leaving after 20 years even as Sony cuts 25% of staff from its North American game studio and axes a new PS4 title under development.
Microsoft, meanwhile, suffered the indignity of having its Xbox chief — the guy who has led all three Xbox projects and launches — announce he was quitting just days before he was scheduled to talk about Xbox One’s leadership among next-gen consoles at GDC 2014.
Despite the fact that brand new consoles launched over the holiday season and gamers would typically be snapping up video games to play on them, sales of video games in the U.S. were down by 26% in January 2104 when compared to 2013’s numbers.
Flashy new next-gen consoles notwithstanding, this is beginning to look like an industry in crisis, not a problem specific to Nintendo’s (NTDOY) struggling Wii U. We’ve compiled a list of three threats facing video game consoles.


text:
AT&T Intros Mix-And-Match Unlimited Plans
Sep 29, 2020, 10:35 AM by Rich Brome
AT&T has tweaked its unlimited postpaid service offering to allow mix-and-match family plans. AT&T calls this "Unlimited Your Way". Each family member can now choose the unlimited plan right for them, while taking advantage of multi-line discounts. For example, with a five-line account where two customers wanted the Unlimited Elite plan, AT&T previously required that all five family members have the Unlimited Elite plan for $45/line/month, running $225/month total. Now, AT&T will allow three of the five lines to choose the Unlimited Starter plan (for example) instead, which runs $30/month/line, for a total of $180/month, a $45/month savings. The details of each Unlimited plan are otherwise unchanged from what AT&T announced almost a year ago. Verizon debuted mix-and-match plans over two years ago.
Feb 1, 2021
Samsung is permanently dropping the price of its Galaxy Z Flip 5G. Separately, Motorola is offering major discounts on its 2020 phones — including the 2020 razr with 5G — in the first half of February.
Feb 22, 2021
T-Mobile today introduced a new premium service plan called "Magenta Max", that offers truly unlimited "premium" (full-speed 5G or 4G) data. Before today, T-Mobile's top-end "Magenta Plus" plan offered up to 50 GB of full-speed data, after which speeds could be restricted.
Apr 15, 2021
Xfinity Mobile, the Comcast MVNO for Xfinity home internet customers, today introduced discounts for accounts with multiple lines. The discounts are greater for more lines, similar to what many other US carriers offer.
May 20, 2021
T-Mobile today announced out new small business plans called Business Unlimited. The three new options offer a better value than the existing Magenta for Business plans in several ways.
Jul 12, 2021
AT&T has tweaked its International Day Pass and Unlimited Elite plan, adding more value for the same price. The International Day Pass is now free after the first ten days per billing period, offering a much better value on longer overseas trips.


text: In the largest piece to come out of the FTC’s new focus on emerging technologies, the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection issued new guidance on the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) and algorithms. The guidance follows up on a 2018 hearing where the FTC explored AI, algorithms, and predicative analysis. As the FTC recognizes, these technologies already pervade the modern economy. They influence consumer decision making – from what video to watch next, to what ad to click on, or what product to purchase. They make investment decisions, credit decisions, and, increasingly, health decisions, which has also sparked the interest of State Attorneys General and the Department of Health & Human Services. But the promise of new technologies also comes with risk. Specifically, the FTC cites an instance in which an algorithm designed to allocate medical interventions ended up funneling resources to healthier, white populations.


text:
vivek oberoi appears to be inspired by Sachin Tendulkar. While the cricketer refused Rs.20 crore to endorse a liquor brand, the actor turned down an endorsement deal from a beer major that offered him Rs.3 crore a year.
A source close to VO says, "Vivek is very clear that he does not wish to be associated with any alcohol or smoking brand. He does not want to promote vices that will damage the health of his young fans. A beer company recently asked him to be their brand ambassador as they felt he connects to the youth in a big way. He immediately said no."
But the brand in question refused to take no for an answer. The source says, "The company came back and doubled the money to over Rs.6 crore but the actor just wasn't interested. VO would never spoil his image and is very careful about the brands he endorses. Also, he's a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar and was inspired by his example."
Boxer Vijender Singh, cricketer Irfan Pathan and actors Celina Jaitley, Soha Ali Khan and Irrfan Khan: alcohol, cigarettes or gutka
Kareena Kapoor: non-vegetarian products
Bipasha Basu and John Abraham: an aphrodisiac
Bipasha: condom ad
Akshay Kumar, Jackie Shroff and Kay Kay Menon: cigarettes
Shilpa Shetty, Saif Ali Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shahrukh Khan, Abhay Deol: liquor/alcohol brands
Govinda, Zayed Khan, and Fardeen Khan: gutka/paan masala


text:
Will Schick parent’s acquisition of Harry’s create a ‘next-generation consumer products platform’?
Edgewell, the parent company of Schick and Wilkinson razors, Edge shaving gel, Playtex and other personal care brands, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with Harry’s in a cash and stock deal that values Harry’s at $1.37 billion.
The combination of the two companies, according to a press release announcing the deal, will “create a next-generation consumer products platform with an expansive runway for accelerated topline growth and enhanced value creation.” Translation: The two companies will work together to come up with new products that create mass appeal and drive the price of Edgewell’s shares up well beyond yesterday’s close of $39.82.
Harry’s — along with Dollar Shave Club, acquired by Unilever for $1 billion in 2016 — has been among a number of consumer-direct brands shaking up the men’s grooming and shaving categories in recent years.
Edgewell’s shaving brands combined with Harry’s represent just over 16 percent of sales in the U.S. shaving market, according to Euromonitor data cited in a New York Times report. Procter & Gamble, with its Gillette brand, represents 47.3 percent of category sales.
While known primarily as a consumer-direct brand, Harry’s is not a stranger to retail. The company began selling its products in Target’s store and on its website in 2016. The brand got picked up by Walmart last year.
Andy Katz-Mayfield and Jeff Raider, Harry’s co-founders, will become co-presidents of U.S. operations for Edgewell after the deal’s close.
“When we launched Harry’s six years ago our vision was to create a grooming brand that better met our needs as consumers, and over time, a CPG platform that creates brands people love across more categories,” said Messrs. Katz-Mayfield and Raider in a joint statement. “Together with Edgewell, we see a significant opportunity to continue delivering on that vision, leveraging Edgewell’s advanced technology and global footprint alongside our customer-first approach, brand building expertise and omni-channel capabilities.”
Harry’s owners will control 11 percent of Edgewell’s shares after the deal is completed.
- Edgewell Personal CareAnnounces Second QuarterFiscal 2019 Results – Edgewell Personal Care Company
- Edgewell Personal Care to Combine with Harry’s, Inc. to Create a Next-Generation Consumer Products Platform – Edgewell Personal Care Company/Harry’s Inc.
- Shaving Start-Up Harry’s Will Be Sold to Owner of Schick for $1.37 Billion – The New York Times
- What does Unilever’s acquisition of Dollar Shave Club mean? – RetailWire
- Will Target and Harry’s make for a perfect retail partnership? – RetailWire
- Soon available at Walmart, Harry’s is giving Gillette a run for its money – Fast Company
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Will the Edgewell/Harry’s deal create a stronger single company from the two? What will the combination of Edgewell and Harry’s mean for brand rivals and retailers that carry the two companies’ products?


text:
Last Minute Shopping
This is the last full weekend before the big day, and in downtown Columbia, it shows.
"We were just walking around downtown and saw the horse drawn carriages and musicians," said shopper Jill Lafferty.
As busy buyers move from store to store, there is an underlying pressure that drives them, they don't want to be tied up at the last minute.
"I do a lot of homemade gifts so I did them a couple of months ago," said smart shopper Morgan See, "so now they're just done."
Other shoppers know they've got work to do. "Well, so far not so good. I need to catch up," said shopper Ron Wineinger. "My wife is way ahead of me so I need to get it done."
Others have shopping horror stories.
"On Christmas Eve I bought some lottery scratch tickets because there were only gas stations open in my hometown," said Nathan See.
The inevitable time crunch is apparent everywhere, but Adam Lafferty knows his shopping will get done.
"I usually just stay at home and think of stuff, and then I just go with my Mom and Dad."
As proof that procrastinators are out there, Christmas Eve Day is actually a big day for retailers. You can bet a lot of people we talked to will be out this week and into next weekend getting everything finished up, wrapped up, and ready to go.


text:
Pitch deck: How Amazon is selling ads on Fire TV
Amazon is throwing a whole kitchen sink of streaming inventory at advertisers, based on a recent pitch deck that the company has shared with ad buyers.
The sales pitch by Amazon largely centers on the ads it can sell across apps on its Fire TV platform. But that isn’t the only streaming inventory that Amazon has on offer, as detailed in the pitch deck embedded below. The deck touts Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” viewership across its Prime Video and Twitch video services. It highlights the audience overlap between people who tune into IMDb TV (Amazon’s ad-supported streaming service) and viewers who hook up all the third-party Fire TV apps that provide Amazon with their ad inventory. Amazon also teases out the opportunity to advertise on its curated news app, as well as an option for advertisers to connect their Fire TV ads to Amazon’s voice-enabled Alexa devices.
An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.
Here are five highlights (with the full pitch deck at the end):
Amazon aims to satisfy advertisers’ demand for broad reach
By aggregating inventory from various apps on its connected TV platform as well as from its own streaming properties, Amazon aims to deliver the broad reach that advertisers are seeking through streaming services. And the company certainly attempts to push that position in its pitch deck (which seems to have been mistakenly labeled September 2019 although it includes November 2019 data).
In one slide, Amazon claims that people spent more than 8 billion hours streaming video on Fire TV in 2019’s third quarter. In another slide, the company cites Nielsen data that asserts Amazon’s connected TV platform reaches “nearly double the number of adults aged 18-49,” compared with who is watching via rival platforms such as Apple’s and Roku’s. The deck mentions that more than 37 million people use Fire TV each month, but earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show Amazon updated that figure to more than 40 million.
“What they’re trying to do is build out scale,” said one ad agency executive who reviewed the pitch deck. “They’re using a number of different strategies to do it, and that’s what we need right now is scale.”
IMDb TV is a path to incremental reach
Amazon announced its free, ad-supported streaming service in January 2019, and in June it renamed the service IMDb TV while making it the centerpiece of its 2019 upfront pitch. Ad buyers have not been especially enthusiastic about IMDb TV, which mirrors other free, ad-supported streaming TV (or “FAST”) services, such as Roku’s Roku Channel, Viacom’s Pluto TV and Walmart’s Vudu.
“IMDb TV is one of those things that always feels like it’s being added in to the conversations that we have with them. But it’s just not viewed as a premium offering,” said the first agency executive.
In the pitch deck, Amazon positions IMDb TV as an add-on to advertisers’ broader Fire TV buys. One slide claims that, in October 2019, only 12% of viewers tuned into both IMDb TV and the third-party Fire TV apps that provide Amazon with ad inventory to sell. That makes for a compelling pitch to ad buyers.
“It’s far more convincing to share the incremental reach story than to convince me that IMDbTV is a brand that consumers are actively seeking out in droves,” said the first agency executive.
Thursday Night Football viewership has climbed substantially
Amazon has kept viewership figures for its Thursday Night Football broadcasts close the chest. But it has opened up a bit to advertisers. In the pitch deck, Amazon cherry-picks a statistic about the Week 6 matchup between the New England Patriots and New York Giants: Citing its own internal data, the company claims that 2.6 million people tuned into its broadcast of the game for at least 30 seconds, a 31% increase as compared with the prior year.
For ad buyers, the growth statistic is more impressive than the raw viewership figure. Yet neither figure is all that compelling considering that 16 million people watched that game on traditional TV, according to agency executives. Further undercutting Amazon’s NFL sales pitch is the premium it puts on that inventory. “The pricing is higher than linear TV,” said a second agency executive. When considering a price tag that is higher than regular TV’s and an audience that is smaller, Amazon’s NFL broadcasts “only work for a limited amount of advertisers,” said this executive.
That said, for some companies that sell products on Amazon platforms, advertising during its “Thursday Night Football” streaming does seem to work. While Amazon does not specify in the pitch deck how many sales these ads drove for advertisers, it does report that 50% of all the purchases associated with Thursday Night Football campaigns were made by people who had not purchased a product from the advertiser through Amazon in the prior 12 months. “That’s an impactful stat,” said the second agency executive.
Amazon sees Alexa as a call to action
As Business Insider reported earlier this month, Amazon is lobbying advertisers to tie their Fire TV ads to its Alexa voice assistant. Advertisers can now let consumers use Alexa’s voice recognition technology to act on an ad and order an advertised product from Amazon.
To entice advertisers to sign on for inclusion of these “branded utterances” in their campaigns, Amazon is offering to provide companies their own “Alexa-branded experience,” voice shopping-specific measurement and more than $750,000 worth of creative work, per the pitch deck.
But advertisers’ interest in these Alexa-based branded utterances may depend on how much a marketer relies on Amazon to sell its products. “The transition to using voice as it pertains to brands and shopping hasn’t happened in the way people predicted, so why would something necessarily change now?” said the first agency executive.
Amazon’s pitching News app ads
Amazon’s pitch deck puts a spotlight on Amazon’s own News app, which the company announced it was adding to Fire TV in October 2019. While early last year Amazon had expressed “no interest” in live news programming in meetings with media company representatives, the pitch deck specifically calls attention to the app’s “ad-supported live news content” in addition to its on-demand news programming. But that’s about all the deck has to say about Amazon’s News app.
The second agency executive interpreted Amazon’s News app pitch — along with its promotion of the advertising on “Thursday Night Football” streams and IMDb TV’s 24/7 streaming channels — as being part of the company’s overall pitch to advertisers to consider Amazon as an option when looking for live audiences. But unlike what’s the case with live sports, “news doesn’t have the hook,” the second agency executive said.
Here’s the full pitch deck:
More in Future of TV
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at the recent developments in the TV measurement market on the eve of this year’s upfront negotiations.
Future of TV Briefing: How Axios Entertainment is looking to expand its original programming business
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how Axios’s entertainment division has its eyes on moving physical production in-house and getting into scripted programming.
Future of TV Briefing: Ad buyers, sellers ‘don’t anticipate a major currency shift’ in this year’s upfront
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at the measurement currency outlook for this year’s TV and streaming ad upfront market.


text:
The 2008 Honda CR-V is underpowered, sort of weird looking, doesn't have a third-row seat and no longer has a picnic table built into its cargo bay. These are all criticisms that can be lobbed at the CR-V, but none seem to matter much to American consumers. In 2007, Honda's fully redesigned compact SUV was the runaway best-selling sport-utility on the market, beating out nameplates like the RAV4, Escape and Tahoe by tens of thousands. While sales are often a poor meter of a vehicle's worth, in the CR-V's case, the American public has picked a winner. It's an extremely well-rounded machine that successfully manages to be just what its name suggests -- a Comfortable Runabout Vehicle.
The 2008 Honda CR-V SUV is powered by a 2.4-liter Inline-4 with 166 hp.
|MORE 2008 HONDA CR-V SPECS|


text:
UPDATE (3/4/19) – San Luis Obispo County Animal Services has said it has received documentation regarding Bark Adoption’s 501 C-3 status as it requested from Animal Kingdom.
However, it should take a few days for all of these documents to fully review, which means Animal Services is not taking any action against Animal Kingdom at this time.
Animal Kingdom, which has stores in Pismo Beach, Grover Beach and Santa Maria, has been asked to provide documents showing it is working with a legitimate non-profit rescue or refuge.
Under a new California law, pet stores that cannot provide this proof could be fined $ 500 per dog.
In January, KSBY reported on a new California law that allows pet stores to sell cats, dogs and rabbits only if they are from a rescue organization or shelter.
Since then, we have received complaints from viewers who say that several local pet stores still sell purebred puppies for thousands of dollars.
Animal Kingdom, which operates in Santa Maria, Pismo Beach, and Grover Beach, sells a variety of animals, including dogs. San Luis Obispo County Animal Services say the company caught their attention during a recent annual inspection.
“We require each pet store to resubmit an application every year, which involves an inspection and assessment of the facility,” said Dr. Eric Anderson, director of animal services for San Luis Obispo County.
Dr Anderson says Animal Kingdom has been given a March 1 deadline to prove their dogs are from a legitimate shelter or shelter. If they are unable to provide evidence, they face fines of $ 500 per dog.
According to disclosure documents from pet dealers obtained by KSBY News, some of the puppies are from an organization called Bark Adoptions in Menifee, California.
Bark Adoptions registered as a national nonprofit association in California in November 2018, but it did not receive 501 C-3 status with the IRS.
The state franchise tax board has confirmed that Bark Adoptions is not currently exempt from tax in California. San Luis Obispo County officials say this means Animal Kingdom may have been breaking the law for almost two months.
Over the course of several weeks, KSBY News made several attempts to call and visit the owner of Animal Kingdom.
After leaving several messages, we still have not received a response.
Veterinary inspection forms from the Iowa Department of Agriculture show that some of the purebred dogs that go through Bark Adoptions are from a group called Rescue Pets Iowa.
If these records are correct, that means the dogs travel at least 2,000 miles from Ottumwa, Iowa, to Menifee, Calif., Ending up in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
“Why are they doing this? These rescues were trained to circumvent these laws. Whether it’s by city ordinance or state law, that’s why they were created, ”said Deborah Howard, president of the Companion Animal Protection Society.
Howard says dozens of pet stores across California get their dogs from Bark Adoptions and at least two other companies.
“Animal Friends of the Valley in Riverside County has already issued 60 citations to pet stores, which are primarily located in Temecula,” Howard added.
Experts call the shelters a “gap” in the new law.
“Business operations, which work with puppy mills and this factory breeding industry, have the potential to fill out paperwork and register as a non-profit organization. Then that organization essentially becomes an intermediary nonprofit, ”said Dr. Anderson.
This is something Howard is determined to change.
“The next step is that we are going to ask the legislature to change this law. There was a loophole in the law that allowed these rescues to form, ”Howard added.


text:
Blue Mountains Posts
Make Money and Save Money as this year’s Garage Sale Trail, The Recovery Edition Launches
Make money and save money by selling and shopping when the Trail comes to your neighbourhood with a stack of COVID-19 safety measures in place, including for the first time ever virtual garage sales
Registrations are free and open now for households, schools, community groups and anyone else who wants to join communities in their neighbourhood and or online for one gigantic weekend of money making, planet saving fun
Households, schools, community groups and local businesses are set to join over 400,000 people across the country on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November as part of the tenth annual Garage Sale Trail, which will also be taking place online for the first time ever.
A multi-award-winning community and sustainability event, Garage Sale Trail is powered by over 115 councils across Australia, dedicated to helping their communities on the road to economic recovery by making and saving money through the sale of secondhand goods. This year sellers can set up virtual garage sales as well as take part safely in their local community.
Event organisers project that more than 2 million items will be listed for sale and diverted from landfill across over 16,000 garage sale events held over the Garage Sale Trail weekend both in person and online. A great result for the planet, seller’s pockets and bargain seekers all over the country.
Garage Sale Trail Co-Founder Andrew Valder says, “despite our focus rightly being shifted towards the pandemic, the issue of waste hasn’t gone away. In fact, COVID-19 has clearly demonstrated our impact on the planet and proven that with a little teamwork, we can achieve great things!”
“Garage Sale Trail is an awesome way to make some extra cash in these trying times. My hot tip is to come up with a really fun name or theme for your sale – the sellers that go to town with marketing are the ones that really bring home the bacon!” says Valder.
For the first time ever, Australians can participate in Garage Sale Trail online as well as face to face. This online element will not only work to keep people safe during the pandemic but also assist sellers in finding the perfect match for their pre-loved items – no matter their location.
For those hosting or shopping at physical sales, Garage Sale Trail will provide guidelines to ensure COVID-19 restrictions and safety precautions are in place. You’ll also receive tips and tricks, as well as marketing material to help achieve the best result from your sale.
National Parks & Wildlife Service
Blue Mountains National Park –...
The Morrison Government is investing $353.9 million over the next four...
Landholders across the state can now have their say on Local Strategic...
The Primary School Futsal Gala Day was held recently with the seniors...
Blue Mountains Limousines & Vintage Cadillacs 1929 "The Gatsby" era Limousine Experience. $300 = 1 hour tour Max 4 passengers. Upper Mountains Only
Trumans Chartered Accountants EOFY tips for your tax plan, and more!
La Casetta Enjoy the beautiful Blue Mountains for a luxury winter break.
Seclusions We currently have limited cabins available for stays throughout winter 2021.
Edith School House Magical May 10% off accommodation this month only minimum 2 night stay. JENOLAN CAVES reopened bookings essential


text:
Following so much talk on the relaunch of TStv Africa, the Pay Tv operator has announced that it will be the first to implement the pay per view model in Nigeria. You
Bright Echefu, the chief executive officer of Telecomm Satellite TV (TStv), says his organization will be the first to implement the pay-per-view model in Nigeria.
TStv has over 100 channels that will be made available for as low as N2 per day and as high as N5 for a channel.
“We are going to be the first to implement pay-per-view. What TSTV has done is, allow you to create your own bouquet and you have channels that are as low as N2 per day,” he said.
“If you have a N50 voucher, you are actually watching TV and saving your money.”
Echefu said no other organization has as much high definition (HD) channels as they do.
“Nobody has as many HD channels as we do. We are rolling out with about 108 channels. We are going to be the first in sub-Saharan Africa to implement H.265,” the CEO said.
“TStv has invested a lot in acquiring rights. Most channels are as low as N5 per day. As a gift to Nigerians, we are releasing one of our sports channels free for a year.”
He said La Liga would be free but viewers would have to pay to view other football leagues, adding that about 18 states would be activated once they roll out their services on October 1.
We’ll communicate the 18 states where the decoder will be available for grab and how much you can pick each decoder.
The relaunch is today October 1, after battling different challenges for about 3 years. Stay tuned with us as we get more information from the pay-TV operator. Watch this space.


text:
How Chrysler Is Trying to Keep the Minivan Alive and Well
With the rise of SUVs and trucks, other car body types have been put on notice. For some automakers, like Honda, that means cutting back on sedans and focusing on SUVs. For other automakers, it means ignoring minivans entirely. However, Fiat Chrysler is making a big bet on minivans. Here’s how.
The new 2021 Chrysler Pacifica
As Trucks.com reported, Fiat Chrysler showed off its new 2021 Pacifica minivan at the 2020 Chicago Auto Show. This 2021 Pacifica has a lot of changes that Fiat Chrysler hopes will reinvigorate the minivan segment that has been largely beaten by the booming SUV and pickup truck segments.
One of the most significant changes to the Pacifica is visual. Fiat Chrysler knows and understands the stereotypes about minivans. Minivans simply aren’t cool for most Americans, but with this new design, Fiat Chrysler hopes that the 2021 Pacifica will be a cool minivan for once.
Of course, your mileage may vary in terms of how cool you think it looks, but Trucks.com says that Fiat Chrysler is intentionally giving the 2021 Pacifica an “SUV look.” Additionally, Fiat Chrysler is going all-in on making minivans cool by adding a premium trim level to the 2021 Pacifica. Trucks.com says that this trim is called the Pinnacle trim, and it’s designed to compete with the premium trims of luxury SUVs. Some of the changes include leather front seats as well as leather pillows for its rear seats.
Other new changes
Some of the other new changes, according to Consumer Reports, are purely technological. For instance, the 2021 Pacifica will come standard with a 10.1-inch touchscreen display, which Trucks.com says is the largest touchscreen that’s available in minivans. But, in addition to that, Fiat Chrysler is giving the 2021 Pacifica its brand-new Uconnect 5 infotainment system.
Uconnect 5 boasts a ton of new features, according to Consumer Reports. For example, not only will it have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard, but it’ll also have the Amazon Alexa digital assistant as standard. Consumer Reports says that Alexa will allow drivers to do many things with just their voice, including locking, unlocking, and starting their car while they’re at home.
On top of that, Uconnect 5 comes standard with a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot that also gives the 2021 Pacifica over-the-air update capability. Over-the-air updates are something that very few cars can do right now, and Tesla’s cars are some of the few cars that have that capability.
Other smart features that the 2021 Pacifica has includes an interior camera system that allows the people in the front seats to watch and monitor the people in the backseats. This feature is particularly great for families as parents won’t have to look over their shoulders to watch their kids.
The 2021 Pacifica will also have all-wheel drive
And, as both Consumer Reports and Trucks.com reported, the 2021 Pacifica will finally have all-wheel drive. This is a very important upgrade, as it not only makes the Pacifica a sporty minivan, but it also allows many people in states that have harsh winters to consider buying the 2021 Pacifica.
All-wheel drive is a necessity in many places of the country, and SUVs and pickup trucks that either offer all-wheel drive or have it as standard simply beat any minivan. But now, as Trucks.com reported, Fiat Chrysler is finally offering all-wheel drive on a minivan for the first time in over 15 years.
This change will not only make the 2021 Pacifica cool in an SUV sense, but it’ll also make it a very capable minivan. For most Americans, practicality and capability are what matter the most, and this upgrade will make the 2021 Pacifica a very strong competitor for America’s wallets.


text:
Ever since video games decamped from arcades and set up shop in the nation's living rooms in the 1980s, they have been thought of as a pastime enjoyed mostly alone. The image of the antisocial, sunlight-deprived game geek is enshrined in the popular consciousness as deeply as any stereotype of recent decades.
That's changing. Online PC games in which thousands of players gab and explore together are attracting tens of millions of subscribers. Back in the living room, Nintendo's revolutionary Wii system has helped forge a new audience for gaming among families, women and older people, who had been turned off by the complex, violent and solitary adventures that once dominated the market. Paradoxically, at a moment when technology allows designers to create ever more complex and realistic single-player fantasies, the growth in the now $18 billion gaming market is in simple, user-friendly experiences that families and friends can enjoy together.
World of Warcraft boss Holly Longdale tells us which of the WoW Season of Discovery classes she'll be picking up in Classic's new mode.
For its final Trading Post update of 2023, World of Warcraft gets into the holiday spirit with some of the cosmetic rewards players can earn soon.
For a limited time, World of Warcraft players who are also subscribed to Amazon Prime can claim some loot via the latest Prime Gaming promotion.


text:
Event Tech of Hanover, Md. has added Jeff Miller in the newly created position of draftsman. Miller will be responsible for producing all production CADs, lighting plots, steel and structure drawings, working with the P.E. on engineering reports and creating associated paperwork.
Miller comes to Event Tech after serving at Baltimore Stage Lighting for more than 25 years, where he started in the rental department and worked his way up to production manager. Baltimore Stage Lighting provided lighting packages for Frank Sinatra and Liza Minelli tours in the 1980s.
“We are all very excited to have Jeff as part of our team,” says Mike Aug, VP of sales & marketing at Event Tech. “I’ve always considered Jeff’s lighting plots to be top-notch, and now he’ll be able to expand his abilities into all departments. We’ll really be able to challenge him, which is something he’s been wanting!”
For more information, visit www.eventtech.com.


text:
Metro Manila’s mass transportation system has definitely a lot of room for improvement. But aside from the main infrastructure, the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), the private operator of LRT-1 train line, is exerting efforts to further improve rider travel experience – one way is through the recently launched IkotMNL Mobile App!
IkotMNL Mobile App
From last year’s ikotMNL concept launch with the ‘amazing race‘ type of tour, this year, LRMC has officially released the brand-new and free ikotMNL mobile app featuring a convenient one-stop information for commuters and tourists traveling along the route of LRT-1 in Metro Manila.
Available for both iOS and Android devices, the ikotMNL App equips passengers to plan their trips and commutes ahead.
“This is the first railway and tourism app in the Philippines. We constantly look for modern ways to change the way we move people and this ikotMNL app is an innovative tool to delight our passengers with a comfortable, safe, and convenient experience when riding the LRT-1,” shares LRMC President and CEO Juan F. Alfonso, emphasizing the value of innovation in LRMC.
The app’s core features include the following:
- real-time train arrivals and departures
- fare information
- crowd monitoring in twenty stations of LRT-1
- tourist spots
- safety reminders
- passenger advisories
- news and announcements
- a chat box for customer service assistance
- a feedback form to help improve train service and passenger experience
Tourism, Shop, & Food Trip!
The ikotMNL app also promotes local tourism with detailed directions on tourist spots near LRT-1 stations and information about partnered local tour operators who are more than willing to show tourists the best places for sightseeing and great spots to dine and shop in Manila.
According to Alfonso, promoting local tourism in the nation’s capital is made easier with the help of ikotMNL app. “We are excited to be part of tourists’ Manila adventures with ikotMNL app and the LRT-1,” he said.
The beauty of the ikotMNL app comes with its unified purpose of being an urban mobility app, transport app, and eventually, a lifestyle app—all in one package.
“We’ve spent a considerable amount of time and effort into making the ikotMNL app the best it can be and this early, we already have more features in mind to add to the app. It is our way to keep improving it so that those who have downloaded and yet to download the ikotMNL mobile app may continue to enjoy using it,” said LRMC Corporate Communications Head Jacqueline Gorospe.
Future upgrade plans for the app include partnership with beep card and QR codes for fares and tie-ups with different merchants. So whether you’re a daily LRT-1 commuter or just looking to take a much-needed trip to the best of Manila, download ikotMNL for free on the App Store or Google Play and start traveling better! Te’na, tren na!
Hungry for travel news and adventures with Let’s Go Sago? Subscribing to our blog through email and like the LGS Facebook Page. Follow our Twitter and Instagram accounts too!
Congratulations to LRMC on this newest innovation with the LRT-1 riders in mind. We hope more transportation groups and hubs will have the same initiatives to improve pubic experiences with the use of technology!
The country’s pioneering integrated resort, Newport World Resorts, is taking a bolder step in its property-wide I Love Earth (ILE)...
While the Christmas season in the Philippines start once the “ber” months kick in, the All Saint's Day and All...
The Klook Travel Fest is back and better than ever! With 2 years of lockdown and pandemic blues, this year's...
Join the Easter Fun Day at Diamond Hotel Philippines tomorrow - April 17, 2022! The entire family can enjoy Arcade...
As more regions in the country open with less restrictions on leisure trips under the most relaxed Covid-19 alert level,...
The Philippines’ leading carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE: CEB) continues to make moments happen for everyone as it launches its trademark...


text:
Tesco announced on Monday that it will be creating 20,000 new jobs in the UK over the next two years.
The new positions will come as part of an investment in customer service, updating stores and opening new ones.
Tesco, the country’s largest private sector employee, says it “expects to focus” on giving opportunities to unemployed young people.
Welcoming the announcement of jobs and investment, Prime Minister David Cameron described the announcement as a “huge shot in the arm for the UK economy”.
Tesco CEO Richard Brasher said in a statement that Tesco’s was “determined to target many of our new jobs at young people currently out of work – so that in this difficult jobs market those who need help the most will get it”.
Tesco employs 290,000 staff, and 70,000 young people under the age of 25 – a quarter of its workforce.
Mr Cameron said in a statement: “This is a massive confidence boost for the UK economy. Tesco is one of the world’s leading companies and the biggest private sector employer in this country. Their commitment to creating jobs and opportunities for young people at what is a difficult time for the economy is fantastic news for the UK as a whole and for those people they will help into work.”


text:
- Mason Greenwood has been partaking in first-team training with Getafe
- The Manchester United forward pulled on seven-year-old boots in training
- Greenwood previously had his sponsorship deal with Nike ended
Mason Greenwood laced up in seven-year-old Nike boots during a training session with his new Getafe team-mates as he attempts to rebuild his career.
Greenwood previously had charges of attempted rape and assault dropped by the Crown Prosecution Services and the player denied any wrongdoing.
However, his original arrest in January 2022 and subsequent charges led to the player being suspended by United while other companies ended sponsorship deals with the 21-year-old.
Greenwood remains without a boot sponsor after Nike previously dropped the striker from their roster of footballers and later decided against renewing his deal.
Mason Greenwood (middle) has been seen wearing seven-year-old boots at Getafe
Greenwood (left) has been training in Nike Mercurial Superfly 4 boots with Getafe
He has since been unveiled as Getafe’s new star striker after completing a Deadline Day move to the club and opted for an old pair of boots during a recent training session.
The Bradford-born former England international pulled on a pair of Nike Mercurial Superfly 4 boots as he ramps up preparations for his expected debut later this month.
Nike have since released a further five versions of the prestigious boot model.
Greenwood was previously seen training in a park wearing Nike Phantom GX boots while United waited to decide on whether to reintroduce him back into the first-team.
His appearance in Spain has received heavy criticism, however, Getafe have been doing their best to make Greenwood feel at home in his new surroundings.
Greenwood was previously dropped by Nike and is without a boot sponsor
The club haven’t been shy in making him the centre-piece of their recent media output with Greenwood being unveiled in front of eager Getafe supporters and have released a lengthy video showcasing his arrival at the club.
Greenwood demonstrated his delight at being given a new opportunity in senior football after agreeing a move to Spain and said: ‘Hi Getafe fans, it’s Mason here.
‘I’m so happy to be here and I can’t wait to get started.’
The striker will have to get up to speed following a year away from team training but could make his debut on September, 17 when Getafe host Osasuna.
Source From: LaLiga News, Fixtures and Results | Mail Online
- FlowCart Review – The Next-GEN App Building Highly Profitable eCom Funnels Preloaded With 100s of Winning Products And Convert 10x More Than Regular eCom Stores!
- PixaSuite AI Review – The World’s First 9-in-1 AI App That Allows Us To Start, Promote, And Scale Any Business In Any Niche!
- LeadPulse Review – Brand New Software To Amplify Lead Generation, Elevate Your Strategies, Multiply Your Leads, And Dominate Your Market Effortlessly!
- Traffic GPT Review – The Brand New Revolutionary Software Generating 100% Free Traffic and Blasting More Profits!
- LearnX Review – The #1 To Market AI System Creates Self-Managed Academy Sites, And Prefill It With Tons of Unique AI-Generated Courses


text:
The OEM for TV sets sector saw a 59 percent increase in 2019 over the last year. While all other manufacturers managed to run their lines on the same levels as last year, it was Dixon Technologies, which after having doubled production in 2019, is set for higher numbers in 2020.
The Indian OEM market in 2019 for TV sets is estimated at 4.5 million sets, a whopping 58.5 percent increase over 2019, as against a 22 percent increase in 2018 over 2017, and a 12 percent in 2017 over 2016. The main contributor is Dixon, manufacturing about 0.18 million sets for Xiaomi, about 1.5 lakh per month. The slot vacated by Videocon in 2019, was filled by other brands, that is, not LG, Samsung or Sony, as was the drop in sales of Sony and Panasonic. Apart from Xiaomi, TCL is another brand which jumped ranks in 2019.
In January 2020, Dixon entered into an agreement with Samsung India for manufacturing LED TVs at its facility located at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Additionally, the company is also looking for other TV OEMs in India. Samsung is also figuring out whether the company can restart the production of the television line at its Chennai plant. The plant was closed in October 2018 after the government had imposed a duty on open-cell television panels, which has been revoked.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer, OnePlus is also looking to start manufacturing its range of televisions in India, starting the first quarter of 2020. The company plans to leverage its position in the local market, and turn it into a production hub for global supplies. The company currently plans to assemble smart TVs in India at a partner’s facility.
India has set its sight on creating a USD 400-billion manufacturing ecosystem by 2025, and has notified a new policy to boost manufacturing activities.
In line with this, while the electronics exporters have been expecting incentives in the transition from the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) to the new scheme, Remission of Duties and Taxes on Export Product (RoDTEP), effective April 2020, thereby creating a fully automated route for Input Tax Credit (ITC) in the GST and an additional export credit of up to Rs 68,000 crores, which includes electronics as a category, the DGFT recently announced a drop to 2 percent from 4 percent in export incentives for the electronics manufacturing industry.
This has led to uncertainty, as it will impact the existing investments as well as planned investments, much of which is linked to export orders. This is when MAIT had proposed 8–10 percent support to offset India disability to attract global manufacturing into the country. There is no denying that India has strong competition from manufacturing hubs as Vietnam and China, with their attractive and stable export-oriented policies, coupled with better infrastructure, logistics network, and laboratories for global standard testing.
The powers-that-be must be very clear that we are in a make-or-break situation and the applecart could very well just tumble.


text:
Kourtney Kardashian and her husband Travis Barker continue to kiss wherever and whenever they feel like it, much to the chagrin of those around them.
Though the couple resides in Los Angles, their latest public display of affection appeared at New York Fashion Week.
The two played tonsil hockey while seated at the Tommy Hilfiger fashion show, and the unexpected rain didn’t stop them.
Kourtney was outfitted in head-to-toe Tommy Hilfiger as she wore a tight denim catsuit. Blink-182 drummer Travis opted for an oversized red, white, and blue puffer coat with no shirt underneath.
Though critics continue to come for the couple and their constant PDA, both Kourtney and Travis have defended their relationship.
While it may have seemed sweet towards the beginning of their relationship, the constant public make-out sessions continue to make others uncomfortable.
In fact, even Kourtney’s mom is growing tired of her daughter’s PDA.
Kris Jenner shares her thoughts on Kourtney and Travis’ PDA
Kris Jenner and her youngest child, Kylie Jenner, recently guest starred on The Late Late Show with James Corden to clear up some questions and rumors about the KarJenner clan.
James had the KarJenner matriarch hooked up to a lie detector test, and he and Kylie began firing away with some pre-written questions.
After admitting that Kylie is her favorite child, Kris got real about her feelings regarding Kourtney’s nonstop PDA.
Kylie asked her momager if she thought Travis and Kourtney’s PDA was “too much,” to which Kris responded, “Once in a while.”
The person administering the polygraph test said the results showed that she was lying. James pushed Kris to clarify, and she stated, “Once in a while, it’s too much…you know, a little bit goes a long way.”
Kourtney becomes BooHoo’s sustainability ambassador
Although Kourtney appears to have her head in the clouds, more specifically Cloud 9, she’s also grounded by promoting good causes.
BooHoo announced that Kourtney would be their first-ever sustainability ambassador. In her role, Kourtney sits down with people passionate about climate change and sustainability in a social series called Meet the Experts.
Boohoo also released a collaboration with Kourtney featuring vintage pieces, clothes made with recycled materials, and eco-friendly packaging.
This change comes after the fast fashion company was ripped apart by critics after receiving a very low ranking on the 2022 Fashion Transparency Index.
While BooHoo tries to turn over a new leaf, onlookers have complained that the company is merely greenwashing.
Their collaboration with Kourtney certainly won’t keep the planet from warming, but hopefully, it will nudge consumers to be more thoughtful about their fashion consumption.
The Kardashians Season 1 is now streaming on Hulu. Season 2 premieres on September 22, 2022.


text:
Leo Burnett has partnered with AqVerium, Digital Water Bank to launch the Water Sustainability Score. Solving for Water is the core agenda when it comes to sustainable development as it is at the heart of adapting to climate change. It is a finite and irreplaceable resource – only renewable, if well managed.
“Thousands of litres of water are used, not only to create our favourite products, but also in the process of bringing them to our doorstep,” said Leo Burnett in a release.
“This makes it a responsibility for people and organisations to ensure efficient, equitable and sustainable allocation of this resource.”
A video lays out the ambitious plan:
The water report card for brands is simply broken down into a 1-100 score, that talks about how water is sourced, used, wasted or recycled in the entire process of creating a product.
Adopting the Water Sustainability Score acts as a commitment from organisations to bring transparency and accountability in their efficient use of water. Much like compliance logos such as the Cruelty free, Certified Vegan, Fairtrade, Energy Rating Label and the Recyclable symbol, this score can be displayed on the product, packaging and other corporate material through a unique symbol.
Brands from FMCG, lifestyle, electronics, automobile, construction and even airlines, everyone can use this score and show their commitment to water positivity, and give consumers the choice of choosing a more sustainable product.
“The water crisis is already upon us and by adopting the Water Sustainability Score – a first of its kind report card on how water positive a brand really is can bring transparency and accountability in the indiscriminate use of water,” said Rajdeepak Das, CEO & CCO Leo Burnett South Asia and Chairman, Creative Council – Publicis Groupe India.
“This is not just an initiative but a true Humankind idea which has the potential to impact a billion by helping save one of the most important resources for earth – ‘water’ and take us forward to a water positive future.”
Dr. Subramanya Kusnur, Chairman & CEO of AquaKraft Group Ventures added “The water crisis is real and needs immediate action. A lot has been spoken about Climate with water clearly missing the narrative. We are thrilled to have partnered with Leo Burnett – an agency which is known for its impactful work on sustainability to not only amplify this message but take timely action towards this crisis.
We already have mapped out water positive practices and getting brands to pledge towards the ‘Water Sustainability Score’ can be a game changer in water preservation. To this effect, we have onboarded Bangalore International Airport Limited on AqVerium and verified & validated the Water Audit report provided to us. We are happy to present the first “Water Sustainability Score”, recognising & incentivising the water positivity of organisations, along with their commitment to sustainability. ”


text:
LG embraces MeeGo, to showcase smartphone and tablet prototypes in May
Just when you thought MeeGo was on itsway to slow, but certain demise, LG seems to have embraced it in a rejuvenating hug. The company will showcase prototypes running portsof MeeGo and that includes both smartphones and tablets. We're still far from an officialdevice, though.
After Nokia announced it's largely stepping away fromMeeGo with only one experimental device to be released, the platform wasleft solely in the hands of Intel. MeeGo might be in its earlystages, but it does give the much needed differentiation and that'swhat might attract more companies to it. In the case of LG, we'llhave various prototypes showcasing where's MeeGo gone so far. It willall happen at a press conference dedicated to the platform at the end ofMay, so stay tuned.


text:
RANCHI: Rural markets, which are the backbone of the local economy, in remote villages have been adversely affected due to Maoist activities in Lohardaga district which is a known hot-bed of extremist outfits like the CPI(Maoist), Tritya Prastuti Committee (TPC) and People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI).
Police said the rebels have banned entry of traders from outside and auction of local produce. This besides, the rebels have been demanding levy both from villagers and outsiders. This has not only hit the villagers but also the revenue collection of the Bazar Samiti.
"Village haats which are worst affected are Raniganj, Tissia, Pessrar, Mungo, Chaampi. Local farmers, particularly, tribals suffer because they mostly grow vegetables which are mostly perishable items and get damaged before these can reach the customers," said an official of district administration.
Moreover, these markets also act as centres of sale and purchase of forest produce like Mahua, Karanj, Imli and Lac etc. Primitive tribals belonging to Asur, Birjia, Birhor tribes collect these forest items and sell them in the village markets. "This is their only source of their livelihood. In return they also purchase their daily utility items like clothes, soap, utensils etc from these markets. For the last few years the markets are not functioning. Traders who used to come from Gumla, Bishunpur, Latehar, Banari and Ranchi have stopped visiting the local haats owing to Maoist threat," the official said adding that middlemen have flourished because of this.
Villagers sell their products to middlemen in the villages as it is very difficult for the former to travel to towns like Lohardaga located 25-50 kms away.
Sandip Kujur of Tissia village said they have to travel at least 25 km even for items of daily use like rope or bag. "Police and district administration cannot do much as traders are scared of the rebels," said Kujur.
Jamil Ansari, a local trader, said earlier people from the villages would throng these markets. "Today, you will hardly find anybody at these markets as nothing much is on sale. These markets do not boast of a wide variety of item to attracted the rural folks any more. We have also accepted this reality," Ansari said.
Despite this, however, Bazar Samiti secretary Beni Lal Rajak is optimistic. "We are trying to revive the markets with help of security forces and hope that things will change in favour of the villagers very soon," said Rajak.


text:
Pure Storage reported fiscal second quarter revenue of $163.2 million up 92.8% Y/Y, and ahead of the guidance range of $153 million to $157 million.
“We are delighted to report another great quarter with record revenue,” Pure Storage CEO Scott Dietzen said. “We are very pleased with the growth of the business in the July quarter, driven by solid repeat purchase rates, by partnering with the channel to accelerate our go-to-market, by healthy demand from cloud customers – which accounts for more than 25% of our business – and by growing sales to international customers, who made up 25% of revenue.” In the quarter, Pure began shipping FlashBlade, the company’s second major product line.
The firm reported an operating loss of $59.5m down from $63m in the previously.
While we aren’t planning on FlashBlade materially impacting revenue this year,“ Dietzen said, “we’re excited about the expanded range of possibilities that FlashBlade is already offering customers in chip design, genomics and life sciences, big data analytics, software development, Internet of Things, machine learning and film production.”
"We continue to execute well against our operating plan,” Pure Storage CFO Tim Riitters said. “While driving rapid growth, we also significantly improved operating margin year over year. We nearly doubled our business over the last year, while at the same time cutting our operating losses almost 40%.”
In the quarter, Pure Storage added more than 350 new customers, increasing the total to more than 2,300 organizations, including nearly 20% of the Fortune 500. New customer wins in the quarter include: British Airways, The University of Tokyo, NIFTY Corporation and Sally Beauty Supply, among others.
Also in the second quarter, Baylor Miraca Genetics Labs purchased FlashBlade to transform its genetics research pipeline, and the Farm Bureau of Michigan purchased FlashBlade to deliver high performance infrastructure. Additionally, for the third straight year, Pure Storage is positioned in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Solid State Arrays (SSAs) furthest along the "Completeness of Vision" axis.
Pure also reported that it retained its position in the Leaders Quadrant of the Magic Quadrant for Solid State Arrays (SSAs) by Gartner. For the third straight year, Pure Storage is positioned furthest along the "Completeness of Vision" axis in the Leaders Quadrant.


text:
Earlier this year, EA Sports revealed that its partnership with FIFA is coming to an end. This means that the licensing behind the popular EA Sports FIFA franchise will expire next year, bringing an end to the FIFA title.
FIFA 22 is about to come to a close, and according to leaks, the next title in the series will still be called FIFA 23. However, will FIFA 23 be the last FIFA?
Will FIFA 23 be the Last FIFA?
Yes, according to EA Sports, FIFA 23 will be the last FIFA. When EA announced the end of their partnership with FIFA, they also shared that a new name would come for the soccer franchise in the future.
Instead of FIFA 24, the title after FIFA 23 will be titled EA Sports FC, according to EA. The only change to the game will be the title of the game. All of the licensed clubs and leagues should still feature in the game in the future. This includes the returning Juventus of Serie A.
While FIFA will come to an end after FIFA 23, the franchise will still continue thankfully, so FIFA fans don't have to worry about the franchise ending all together.


text:
Contemplations on busyness …
January has been a busy month at Ortus and thankfully it’s showing no signs of slowing down. We’ve had a record number of loan completions which is brilliant and given our healthy pipeline, we’ve brought forward our recruitment plans with a new member of the team starting on Monday.
We were always hopeful tthat 2014 would start strongly, and the level of activity within the leisure industry seems to be booming which gives us lots of new opportunities to explore. This has also got us wondering what factors are causing this change. Like everyone, we’ve heard the positive news that unemployment has fallen to 7.1 million – which inevitably means that people have more money to spend on leisure activities. However, as the fall in unemployment is relatively recent, it can’t really explain the sustained activity in the sector. Two reports help to give some indication as to why things might be improving.
Firstly, the leisure industry experts Christie & Co released their 2014 Business Outlook which confirmed that the hotel, pub and restaurant sectors are enjoying a prolonged recovery. The year 2013 saw a 3.3% increase in pub sale prices, with hotels and restaurants enjoying 5.7% and 4.7% increases respectively.
Just as importantly, Christies reported that the number of pubs being bought as pubs (as opposed to residential conversions) increased by 67%, suggesting that buyers are seeing them as viable businesses rather than just development opportunities. One could argue that this is being driven by a marked increase in experienced operators and entrepreneurs returning to the sector.
Of course, this is really positive news for a bridging lender like Ortus which services clients buying and growing leisure businesses. It’s also vital that clients have longer term solutions available to them.
In this respect it is interesting to read a report from the British Bankers Association (BBA) confirming that banks are far more willing to lend than many small businesses think. According to the BBA, only 37% of small businesses planning to apply for finance believe they will get approval from their bank, but in fact more than 66% do. Furthermore, of the rejected clients who appeal, 40% are successful. Getting the message to small business owners (or prospective entrepreneurs) that it’s worth making that loan application is one of the BBA’s key strategies for 2014.
The cynics amongst us will say that the banks are simply being compelled to focus on businesses since the Funding for Lending scheme was changed to exclude individuals. However, if the BBA prediction that 270,000 companies could benefit is even close to being accurate, few will be complaining.
For Ortus, this combination of factors explains a lot. The leisure industry is attracting quality operators, rising employment means the economy is increasingly able to support a decent level of discretionary spending and banks are now willing to provide small businesses a longer-tem exit from their bridging loans.
No wonder we’re busy.