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|By Marketwired .||
|November 8, 2012 08:00 AM EST||
LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/08/12 -- Zumbox, powering the world's first digital postal system, today announced Chuck Teller has joined the company as SVP of market development and strategy. In his role, Teller will be responsible for identifying new industries that can be served by Digital Postal Mail (DPM) and developing relationships with strategic partners in the mailing ecosystem. The appointment supports Zumbox' strategic plan for 2013 to provide a way for consumers to effectively organize and archive transactional and direct mail forever, for free.
"Transactional mail has been a core part of our strategy since we started Zumbox, but we also knew the market would eventually shift toward a more robust mail experience and this is where Teller and his expertise will play a crucial role," said John Payne, CEO of Zumbox. "We're excited to have him join our team, as his proven track record of developing relationships with retailers, non-profits, universities and governments will enable us to bring a better way to organize all documents within American households."
Prior to Zumbox, Teller was chief strategy officer at TrustedID, a privacy and identity management company that acquired Catalog Choice in May 2012, where he was the executive director. At Catalog Choice, Teller lead the creation of the nation's largest consumer choice service by forming the partnerships that provide a way for consumers to manage their privacy and reduce the volume of unwanted mail, such as coupons and retail catalogs.
"Consumers struggle with organizing the various bills and statements they receive daily, and need a secure, private document storage system to solve their problems," said Teller. "Digital Postal Mail is that system, as it's automatically fed by the mail. We do all the heavy lifting, directing and organizing, simply notifying households when documents are available. I'm looking forward to leveraging my relationships to bring Digital Postal Mail to the masses."
The Digital Postal Mail system powered by Zumbox provides a household hub based upon a residential street address for all important digital mail received by consumers living at that address, enabling them to receive, view, archive and search digital postal mail in a single, secure, online environment. Digital Postal Mail is an exact facsimile of paper mail created from a redirection of the print stream delivered to a secure, centralized digital mailbox. The service includes convenient, powerful interactive features, such as online bill pay and a "Paperless, Please" badge to turn off their paper mail.
About Zumbox And Digital Postal Mail
Zumbox is leading the global migration of traditional postal mail to the digital cloud. Its core offering, Digital Postal Mail, delivers an exact facsimile of paper mail to consumer households, which is archived and instantly available in the cloud, forever and for free. Based in Los Angeles, the company operates a system with reach to 120,000,000 consumer households in the United States and operates around the world via licensing and Joint Venture arrangements through its subsidiary, Zumbox Software Inc. Digital Postal Mail is available on the web at www.digitalpostalmail.com and the digital postal mail iPad® app can be found on the Apple Store at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id517438820?mt=8
LEWIS PR for Zumbox
Eighty percent of a data scientist’s time is spent gathering and cleaning up data, and 80% of all data is unstructured and almost never analyzed. Cognitive computing, in combination with Big Data, is changing the equation by creating data reservoirs and using natural language processing to enable analysis of unstructured data sources. This is impacting every aspect of the analytics profession from how data is mined (and by whom) to how it is delivered. This is not some futuristic vision: it's ha...
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Let’s face it, embracing new storage technologies, capabilities and upgrading to new hardware often adds complexity and increases costs. In his session at 18th Cloud Expo, Seth Oxenhorn, Vice President of Business Development & Alliances at FalconStor, will discuss how a truly heterogeneous software-defined storage approach can add value to legacy platforms and heterogeneous environments. The result reduces complexity, significantly lowers cost, and provides IT organizations with improved effi...
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Data-as-a-Service is the complete package for the transformation of raw data into meaningful data assets and the delivery of those data assets. In her session at 18th Cloud Expo, Lakshmi Randall, an industry expert, analyst and strategist, will address: What is DaaS (Data-as-a-Service)? Challenges addressed by DaaS Vendors that are enabling DaaS Architecture options for DaaS
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Companies can harness IoT and predictive analytics to sustain business continuity; predict and manage site performance during emergencies; minimize expensive reactive maintenance; and forecast equipment and maintenance budgets and expenditures. Providing cost-effective, uninterrupted service is challenging, particularly for organizations with geographically dispersed operations.
Feb. 12, 2016 06:00 PM EST
SYS-CON Events announced today that Catchpoint Systems, Inc., a provider of innovative web and infrastructure monitoring solutions, has been named “Silver Sponsor” of SYS-CON's DevOps Summit at 18th Cloud Expo New York, which will take place June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Catchpoint is a leading Digital Performance Analytics company that provides unparalleled insight into customer-critical services to help consistently deliver an amazing customer experience. Designed...
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Feb. 12, 2016 04:45 PM EST
With the proliferation of both SQL and NoSQL databases, organizations can now target specific fit-for-purpose database tools for their different application needs regarding scalability, ease of use, ACID support, etc. Platform as a Service offerings make this even easier now, enabling developers to roll out their own database infrastructure in minutes with minimal management overhead. However, this same amount of flexibility also comes with the challenges of picking the right tool, on the right ...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Interoute, owner-operator of one of Europe's largest networks and a global cloud services platform, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 18th Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7-9, 2015 at the Javits Center in New York, New York. Interoute is the owner-operator of one of Europe's largest networks and a global cloud services platform which encompasses 12 data centers, 14 virtual data centers and 31 colocation centers, with connections to 195 ad...
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Join us at Cloud Expo | @ThingsExpo 2016 – June 7-9 at the Javits Center in New York City and November 1-3 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA – and deliver your unique message in a way that is striking and unforgettable by taking advantage of SYS-CON's unmatched high-impact, result-driven event / media packages.
Feb. 12, 2016 03:00 PM EST
SYS-CON Events announced today that Commvault, a global leader in enterprise data protection and information management, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7–9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY, and the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Commvault is a leading provider of data protection and information management...
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There will be new vendors providing applications, middleware, and connected devices to support the thriving IoT ecosystem. This essentially means that electronic device manufacturers will also be in the software business. Many will be new to building embedded software or robust software. This creates an increased importance on software quality, particularly within the Industrial Internet of Things where business-critical applications are becoming dependent on products controlled by software. Qua...
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As someone who has been dedicated to automation and Application Release Automation (ARA) technology for almost six years now, one of the most common questions I get asked regards Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). Specifically, people want to know whether release automation is still needed when a PaaS is in place, and why. Isn't that what a PaaS provides? A solution to the deployment and runtime challenges of an application? Why would anyone using a PaaS then need an automation engine with workflow ...
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With an estimated 50 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020, several industries will begin to expand their capabilities for retaining end point data at the edge to better utilize the range of data types and sheer volume of M2M data generated by the Internet of Things. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Don DeLoach, CEO and President of Infobright, will discuss the infrastructures businesses will need to implement to handle this explosion of data by providing specific use cases for filte...
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Recognizing the need to identify and validate information security professionals’ competency in securing cloud services, the two leading membership organizations focused on cloud and information security, the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and (ISC)^2, joined together to develop an international cloud security credential that reflects the most current and comprehensive best practices for securing and optimizing cloud computing environments.
Feb. 12, 2016 11:45 AM EST


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SEATTLE — Northwest Grocery Association and the Washington Food Industry Association are appealing a federal judge's decision to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to block hazard pay for Seattle grocery workers.
The appeal comes a day after U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenour rejected arguments by the Northwest Grocery Association and the Washington Food Industry Association that the pay increase interfered with collective bargaining and discriminated against large grocery stores.
The ordinance, unanimously approved by the Seattle City Council and signed into law by Mayor Jenny Durkan, requires stores with at least 500 in the city to pay frontline grocery workers $4 an hour in hazard pay was unconstitutional.
“This is a big win for grocery store employees who have been critical and vulnerable frontline workers since the start of the pandemic," city Attorney Pete Holmes said. "We brought strong legal arguments to prevail today, and I’m thankful to Assistant City Attorney Jeremiah Miller for seeing us through to victory.”
The ordinance, unless blocked, will last the duration of the pandemic.

domain: news


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May 07, 2010, 4:09 PM — Facebook is opening up new and interesting ways for you to share information, links and other items online with new features like its universal like button and Instant Personalization. But at the same time, Facebook's tendency to make more and more of your previously private information public continues to be a troubling habit of the popular social network. Concerns over Facebook's treatment of user privacy recently led the Electronic Privacy Information Center and 14 other consumer advocacy groups to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission over Facebook's stance on privacy.
While Facebook may be a great tool for connecting with friends and sharing photos and news, it's important to be aware of how Facebook treats your information and how those policies have evolved over time.
With that in mind, here are four reasons why Facebook's treatment of user privacy should cause concern among its users.
1. Privacy Regression
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has an interesting post up on its Deeplinks blog that charts Facebook's privacy regressions from keeping your information private to making more and more of your data public.
In 2005, for example, other Facebook users could not see any of your personal information on Facebook unless they belonged "to at least one of the groups specified by you in your privacy settings," according to the EFF blog post. By 2006, public information included "school, your specified local area, and other reasonable community limitations that we [Facebook] tell you about." By 2007, public information included your, "name, school name, and profile picture thumbnail." By November 2009 your publicly available information was being indexed by third-party search engines, and by December 2009, publicly available information included your "name, profile photo, list of friends and pages you are a fan of, gender, geographic region, and networks."
That is a drastic change in privacy in just five years, although some of these changes may be attributed to Facebook's popularity and new user features and services. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how much more of your information Facebook pushes into the public sphere over time.
2. Complex Privacy Settings
Facebook allows a certain level of control over some of the information you want to make private, but these controls are not as simple as they should be. For example, Facebook has an entire section in its privacy settings called "Friends, Tags and Connections" that controls what types of information about other people are displayed publicly on your profile.


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Sony comments on Microsoft’s looming Activision Blizzard acquisition by stating that ‘Call of Duty’ is so popular it can influence players’ choice of console
Report: Tencent aims to increase its stakes in Ubisoft by purchasing shares from the Guillemot family
Every virtual NBA game is driven by actual NBA data, which Sportradar obtained as part of a US$1 billion streaming and betting data agreement with the league.
Apple is expected to produce less than 1.5 million units of its first mixed reality headset that could enter the market in early 2023
‘Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak’ is getting free Title Updates starting in August
Even though “Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak” is already launching later this year, the much-awaited expansion was still one of the highlights during Nintendo Direct on Tuesday. But aside from releasing a new trailer, Capcom also used the event to unveil the DLC roadmap for the expansion.
After “Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak” goes live on Nintendo Switch on Thursday, June 30, players can expect its first Title Update to be released sometime in August. It will mainly feature the addition of the Seething Bazelgeuse, along with other new monsters.
The first “Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak” Title Update, as well as the second DLC launching this fall, will both introduce “rare species monsters.” But the update in August will bring new “special species monsters” and a new locale called Forlorn Arena.
The Title Update arriving this fall will add new subspecies monsters and powered-up monsters to the “Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak” roster. Capcom did not reveal yet when this update will be released, but a fall launch schedule usually means sometime in October or November.
More monsters are lined up to come to the game in the third Title Update. The “Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak” roadmap only indicates this DLC will be released in “winter 2022.” The DLC schedule for the game suggests more free updates could come next year, but Capcom is not making any promises yet and only says there is a “possibility of further updates going into 2023.”
While the post-launch Title Updates are free, players will have to purchase the “Sunbreak” expansion for $39.99. They will also be required to own a copy of the “Monster Hunter Rise” base game. They will also have to complete the 7-star Hub quest “Serpent Goddess of Thunder” before they can play the expansion.
After completing missions in Kamura Village, the expansion’s plot brings players to Elgado, where they will have to face the wolf-like monster Lunagaron. Aside from new content, “Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak” will also bring updates to the combat mechanics. Players will also gain access to Master Rank quests, which represent a new difficulty level in the game.


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Uber denies it has been misleading customers on the passenger app.
Recently Uber came under fire. The car service company was accused of misleading clients. Uber allegedly has phantom cars which mislead clients. The phantom cars are non-existent cars showing on the Uber app.
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The phantom cars are only visible on the passenger app. They are not visible on the driver app. The driver app is provided to the drivers working in Uber cars.
The claims were made by two researchers. The researchers Alex Rosenblat and Luke Stark studied the Uber app. In their research they realized Uber was showing Phantom cars.
They research will soon be published in the form of a paper. The researchers are from the Data & Society thinktank. The researchers called the phantom cars as ‘Deceptive’ to passengers, in an article for Vice’s Motherboard.
The researchers also provided testimonies by drivers and passengers. The testimonies suggested Uber shows non-existent cars present in vicinity on the app. The researchers also claim Uber increases the prices of fare by showing phantom cars.
One customer representative of Uber in the US has also been cited in the study. According to the representative the app is only showing partners on the road. The app is like a ‘Screensaver’ of visual effects. The app is not exactly a representation of the number of drivers on the road.
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But Uber has denied the claims made by the researchers, according to Guardian. Uber UK stated the cars are real. Although the cars are lagging a bit behind in real time, they are real. Uber added sometimes the app does not show the exact location of the driver until requested. The reason is to protect the safety of the driver.


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- Happy Anniver5ary, St. Boniface!
- Downtown diversity
- Travelogue will explore Colorado River this Saturday
- Cool lineup!
- Everyone wins at the Souper Bowl
- Grammy-winning Brits to rock The Main in Ephrata
- Taste of the Town: Happy Holidays from Miner’s Club and Iron Valley Tubing
- Sweigart foundation awards $405,000 in grants for 2015
- Not a silent night…East Cocalico supervisors field questions in lively last meeting before holiday
- ‘Star Wars’ fans out in Force for opening night
40th craft show kicks off fair season here
When the 40th Annual Ephrata Merchants Association Arts and Craft and Restaurant comes to downtown Ephrata this Saturday, it will officially open fair season locally.
More than 100 vendors and restaurants are booked to set up here Sept. 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Included among them are those offering jewelry, candles, pocketbooks, woodworking, photography, wreaths, glasswork, beaded work, children’s items, pet accessories, crochet items and more. The commercial items will be on North State Street and all stands will be on Main Street from Washington Avenue to Church Street. There will also be music at the Whistle Stop Plaza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. by Joe Lerman and his guitar.
The craft show is family-friendly and community oriented – a perfect opportunity to shop, not just the fair, but Ephrata downtown stores will be open and many will have sidewalk sale items.
The craft fair also offers plenty of free parking in borough-owned lots. For more information, visit ephratamerchants.com or Ephrata Area Merchants on Facebook.
Then just a few days after the craft show packs up and leaves town for another year, just a few miles to the north, a week-long fair will begin.
The 32nd Annual Denver Fair gets underway Tuesday, Sept. 10 at Denver Park. A full week of activities, food, fun and agriculture is slated – please see the Cocalico In Review section, starting on page A-9, for full details.
Then there will be a full week to catch your breath before the big one comes rolling into Ephrata.
The 95th Annual Ephrata Fair arrives Tuesday, Sept. 24 in downtown Ephrata and Tom Grater Park. Like Denver, a wide variety of attractions and events are sure to please everyone in the family – from all the rides downtown, pig and rooster chases on Tuesday night, the grand parade on Wednesday, Kiddies Day Thursday, the Baby Parade Saturday and of course the star each year – all the food available in downtown as well as Tent City. More details of the big week will be coming in upcoming editions of The Review.
About Ephrata Review
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Email continues to grow -- driving over 21% of the average company’s revenue compared with 17% last year, according to a study released yesterday by The Relevancy Group, working with OneSpot.
In addition, open and click-through rates rose year-to-year, and dynamic email is now seen as the best way to drive relevance. But obstacles remain, including lack of support for personalization by internal shareholders.
The result is that many firms are achieving a rudimentary level of email personalization at best.
On the positive side, “the revenue contribution has grown big time year-over-year, and people are relying on email more than in the past, “ said Nick Einstein,VP of research and principal analyst for The Relevancy Group, and co-author of the report. But few are achieving “deep personalization,” he added.
The Relevancy Group surveyed 350 marketers in industries ranging from high-tech to CPG, and found that email makes its strongest contribution -- 23.9% -- to financial services companies. And the channel delivers 22.3% to media/publishing firms, 22% to consumer product marketers and 21.1% to technology companies.
At the bottom of this list are retail/ecommerce marketers, which now draw 15.9% of their revenue from email, and travel & hospitality providers, which generate 13.9% through the channel.
The survey also found that open rates rose from 25% to 27% and click-throughs from 14% to 16% year-over-year. Prior-year totals are from research by The Relevancy Group.
Explaining the uptick, Einstein said: "Marketers are getting better about sending better messages, and users are getting better about self-selecting and engaging with messages that are more relevant to them."
In another positive finding, 60% of the respondents say that “leveraging real-time data in email -- contextual signals like location at time of open, weather, current browsing behavior, etc. -- is either 'effective' or 'highly effective,' and 58 percent report the same of machine learning to drive email personalization,” the report states.
The study also found that open and click-through rates are higher in campaigns based on deep personalization tactics.
However, marketers faced serious obstacles in adopting personalization -- and the primary one is lack of buy-in from stakeholders, cited by 44%. Another 26.3% said personalization was “not a priority in our budget.”
This is due primarily to lack of education on the subject, said Damian Borichevsky, senior vice president, customer success/business development, OneSpot, adding that 22.3% of marketers said they do "not have high confidence that it would be better than our manual effort."
There’s confusion between the terms segmentation and personalization,” Borichevsky said. “People are personalizing their segments, but it’s really just segmenting. Real value is when we’re leveraging real behavioral data and user data to drive real relevant customer experiences.”
Einstein added: “We see a high percentage using basic personalization — based on first name and personalization based on location data.”
The most used tactic is first-name personalization, utilized by 78%. Next is personalized email content based on real-time data such as location, used by 59%.
The other tactics include:
Great article Ray - its not easier but its getting there. And we have no option. :)


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Inflation is as violent as a mugger, as frightening as an armed robber and as deadly as a hit man. - Ronald Reagan
As if inflation wasn’t already on everyone’s radar screen, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has elevated inflation fears to levels we haven’t (or, at least, I haven’t) experienced since the 1970s when I, as a teenager in Denmark, could ride my bike on the local highway on the car-free Sundays. That was one of the more intriguing ramifications of high inflation back then. Far less amusing was it when, a few years later, I moved away from home and had to pay 19% in annual interest on my first mortgage. Only a few of the young people I have shared this story with actually believe me!
Now, fast forward to 2022. The Russians are destroying a peaceful country, and the West has responded with powerful sanctions. These sanctions have already had, and will continue to have, a drastic impact on energy prices. Consequently, many OECD countries will, in a few months’ time, be flirting with inflation levels that, only weeks ago, were considered unthinkable.
Take for example the United Kingdom. Consumer price inflation in the UK is already 6.2% (as of February 2022, i.e. before Russia invaded Ukraine), and the economists at Bloomberg now think it will hit 10% in the next few months (Exhibit 1). As you can see, the Bank of England have somewhat lower expectations, but don’t forget that BoE have a vested interest in not raising inflation expectations.
Virtually all countries around the world are affected by the war but some more than others. From a national security point-of-view, the USA may not be that affected but, from an inflation point-of-view, it is. Tight labour markets had already begun to have an impact on inflation, and the invasion has only made it worse.


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Music-streaming service Spotify acquired Echo Nest today (Thursday) in a move that will have a major impact on the rumored 2015 Spotify IPO.
The acquisition is a shot across the bow to several Spotify competitors who use Echo Nest now and plan to continue using the service in the future.
Echo Nest defines itself as a "music intelligence company" that determines which songs to recommend to users on music-streaming services. The company also offers playlisting, fingerprinting, and audio analysis services to its customers.
Essentially, Echo Nest helps users discover new music, and create playlists and archives based on their music preferences.
According to the company, it has a massive library of data to pull from, including 1.1 trillion data points, more than 35 million songs, and 2.7 million artists.
Echo Nest has numerous high-profile, music-streaming customers including Rdio, Vevo, and iHeartRadio. Spotify was a customer before today's purchase. Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
Spotify's purchase of Echo Nest should improve the service's user experience and will also help to address one of the larger problems Spotify is facing ahead of its potential IPO...Acquisition Gives Spotify a Leg Up on Competition
One of the biggest questions facing Spotify ahead of a potential IPO is how it would fare in an increasingly competitive market.
Spotify currently reports 24 million active users, up from 10 million users in 2010. Approximately six million of Spotify's active users are paid subscribers. That's up from 2.5 million in 2010.
While its user numbers are growing at an impressive rate, it still lags far behind its biggest competitor, Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P), with 73 million active monthly users.
But that's not Spotify's only competitor...
The music-streaming industry is crowded with services like iTunes Radio, Songza, Sirius XM, Google Play Music All Access, and Rdio all competing for users. That competition is something that has made Money Morning's Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald question the Spotify IPO.
"I think they have too much competition," Fitz-Gerald told FOX Business' Stuart Varney in February. "I think they're looking for $7 to $8 billion if you believe the whispers on the street via the IPO. It's probably a trader's trade, not an investor's bet."
While the market will remain competitive, the acquisition of Echo Nest does give Spotify a big leg up on many of its competitors. Echo Nest's services are highly coveted, and as mentioned, they are widely used in the industry.
Technically, the acquisition deal states that Echo Nest's services will remain free and open, meaning competitors like Rdio and iHeartRadio can still use them.
How that relationship plays out exactly will be interesting to watch moving forward. It's hard to imagine it will be "business as usual" for Spotify rivals using Echo Nest.
The acquisition also helps Spotify build its brand ahead of an IPO run. Companies will typically make acquisitions before going public in an attempt to plug any holes they may have in their business model.Spotify IPO in 2014
Rumors of a possible Spotify IPO were amplified in February when the company posted a job description for an "External Reporting Specialist." The job advertisement described an employee who can complete many of the financial filings the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires for an initial public offering.
At the time, Reuters reported that the music-streaming service could be valued as high as $8 billion. In its 2012 corporate filings, Spotify reported revenue of $571 million, but a net loss of $78 million.
Investors interested in the Spotify IPO will want to see user numbers continue to grow, and see the 2012 net income loss turn into a net profit. Any impact the Echo Nest acquisition has on these two figures will be a welcome sight for company officials and investors.
How do you feel about a possible Spotify IPO in 2015? Is this a stock you would want to invest in? Give us the scoop on Twitter @moneymorning using #Spotify.
The longer the crisis between Russia and Ukraine remains unresolved, the higher the tension in Europe will grow. Here's the real way the West can impact the Ukraine crisis...Tags: how to invest in Spotify, Initial Public Offerings, IPO calendar, IPO Calendar 2014, IPO investing, ipo market, IPO market 2014, NYSE: P, Pandora stock, social media IPOs, Spotify initial public offering, Spotify IPO, Spotify stock
The post Spotify IPO Update: Echo Nest Acquisition Targets Competitors appeared first on Money Morning - Only the News You Can Profit From.


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The Daily News Egypt
JETRO, GAFI to organise promotional investment conference in Europe
BOOSTING JAPANESE INVESTMENTS IN EGYPT IS MAIN GOAL, TAKASHI SAYS
Takashi Tsunemi, managing director of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in Egypt, said that his organisation is discussing with the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) arranging a conference in a European country.
Takashi told Daily News Egypt that the conference aims to promote the Egyptian market to Japanese companies based in Europe, adding, “many Japanese companies located in Europe are watching Egypt’s potentials but they do not have much information about the market. It will be good to tell them that there is a chance to invest here.”
Takashi noted that a specific country in Europe has not been determined to hold the conference in. However, Germany and the UK are being considered, potentially benefiting from the JETRO’s offices there.
Meanwhile, Takashi said that the interest of Japanese companies in the market is remarkably increasing, adding that he met with many Japanese companies which are keen on investing in the local market.
“My message for new Japanese companies is clear:many things were changed, it is a peaceful country, the security and the political situation is fine,” said Takashi, noting that President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is working very hard to enhance security and political matters.
Takashi mentioned that there are very good signs of the economy improving, adding,“the IMF established an office here so there is much positive news.”
Companies headquartered in Japan are worried about the situation in Egypt, but the JETRO tells them that the economic and investment situation is improving, said Takashi.
“I had a meeting with Japanese investors in the real estate sector. They are looking to set up big businesses in housing and financing,” said Takashi adding that he has not yet explained the New Administrative Capital’s opportunities.
Takashi said that a new Japanese manufacturing company working in the automotive sector is mulling the Egyptian market’s opportunities, potentially joining major Japanese companies which are already in Egypt, like Nissan and Toyota, but he did not reveal its name due to confidentiality reasons.
“Last year, a big company working in environmental business, like air conditioners, started working in Egypt and they want to expand exports from Japan as well as set up a factory in Egypt," noted Takashi.
Takashi said that another medical sector Japanese company, headquartered in Hong Kong, started operating in Egypt lately and it is mulling expanding its business, clarifying that the company offers a new kind of business in the market, which is supporting patients with convenient hospitals outside the country.
“There is a Japanese company working in the energy sector in Egypt, but it wants to enter consumer businesses,” mentioned Takashi, adding that some Japanese companies are interested in the food industry.
Takashi said, "Toshiba is already [in Egypt], but I do not think it will expand its business shortly because it targets high level
IMF ESTABLISHED AN OFFICE HERE SO THERE IS MUCH POSITIVE NEWS
people who can afford buying its products, the prices of which may be high compared to Korean products.”
Takashi expected that Toshiba may implement an expansion plan when Egyptians incomes become higher after recovering from economic reforms, adding that the Central Bank of Egypt is controlling the issue by altering interest rates.
Takashi said that Japanese companies which work in home appliances in Egypt note improvements in purchasing power during the past Mother’s Day, during which their sales were much better than Mother’s Day in 2017.
Takashi added that he held some meetings with Egyptian officials to help solve Japanese companies’ problems, including officials from Ministry of Trade and Industry, as well as the GAFI.
He clarified that some Japanese companies experienced difficulties in terms of complicated governmental procedures regarding investment in and trading with Egypt.
“I understand that the Egyptian government tries to control the prevalence of fake commodities from international markets like China and Dubai, but the problem is that the extra procedures add difficulties on the committed companies,” said Takashi, adding that the government needs to enhance the competitiveness environment.
Takashi said that the latest bilateral trade statistics of 2017 are very similar to previously announced data.
In February, media reports said that Japan’s trade with Egypt continued to decline for the second year in a row to record $878.322m from January to November 2017, compared to $1.199bn in the same period of 2016 and $1.335bn during the same period of 2015.
According to the statistics that were prepared by the Japanese customs authority, Egypt ranked 86th on the list of the top exporting countries to Japan, while it ranked 51st in terms of the biggest importers during the first 11 months of last year.
Former managing director of JETRO,Atsushi Ikeda, expected 2018 to witness the beginning of gradual recovery in trade after its decline in the past few years, according to a media interview published in February.


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Airbnb has just announced the launch of the “Live Anywhere on Airbnb” program and they are seeking 12 people to live for an entire year in Airbnb listings anywhere in the world.
You can pick somewhere exotic to live and work remotely , plan the ultimate road trip, or bump around as you please. All you need to do is share your experiences with the company to help “inform future product upgrades and innovations on the platform to better accommodate nomadic living,” says a news release.
Airbnb will cover the cost of your accommodations and give you an allowance for transportation. The program will take place for 12 months from July 2021 to July 2022. Applications are now open and you have until June 30, 2021, to throw your name in the hat.
You need to be 18 years old or older to participate, and if you’re selected, and you can bring up to three people along with you. “The program is 12 consecutive months from July 2021 to July 2022, 10 of which will include travelling to and living in listings on Airbnb.”
Also Read: 15 best places to visit in Germany


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Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
Boris Johnson has been urged by a senior Tory to set “clear red lines” in US trade negotiations to stop the import of “cheap” and “grizzled” American food to the UK.
Former minister George Freeman, backed by a “growing group” of dozens of Tory MPs, told the prime minister not to “sell out” the party’s manifesto pledge to maintain British food standards in post-Brexit trade deals.
Around 20 Tory MPs have already rebelled to try and block the import of chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef amid growing fears about trade negotiations with Donald Trump’s US, which has made food exports a priority in talks.
Writing exclusively for HuffPost UK, Freeman suggested MPs could back fresh amendments to the trade and agriculture bills in an effort to ensure ministers do not “pander to the grizzled US cheap food lobby with its hormone beef, chlorinated chicken and ‘finger-lick’n’ cheap food culture”.
The government has so far insisted it will not water down food standards, but voted down a Tory rebel attempt to stop the UK import poorer quality food after signing a free trade deal with the US.
Trade secretary Liz Truss last week insisted that the UK “will never lower our standards in order to sign a trade deal”.
“Contrary to claims in the press, these standards – the ban on chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef – are already in UK law through the withdrawal act,” she said.
But Freeman and colleagues fear the government could use controversial so-called Henry VIII powers to change the standards without a proper vote in the Commons, and seek to drive through the changes under the radar as part of a wider US trade deal package.
More than one million people have also now signed a National Farmers Union petition to legally ban the import of lower quality food.
Speaking to HuffPost UK, the Mid Norfolk MP said: “We won a landslide based on Boris and Michael Gove’s clear commitment that Brexit would not mean lowering our welfare standards. They were right.
“This is the first test of that. We mustn’t allow the opposition to portray us as selling out our manifesto pledge.
“Our growing group of MPs from all wings of the party and corners of the country is urging the PM to set clear red lines in the US trade deal”.
Five Tories are already backing amendments to the trade bill to give MPs a greater role in scrutinising post-Brexit free trade deals.
The Lords is also set to vote on a cross-party amendment to the agriculture bill to maintain UK food standards in trade deals, which is likely to spark a fresh MPs’ rebellion if it passes in the upper house.
Freeman warned that without either clear red lines or “basic parliamentary scrutiny” of trade deals, “we are in danger of giving the green light to exactly what the US department for trade – and ultra-free market Brexiteers – have long wanted: an abandonment of EU “red tape” and an open door for cheap imports”.
He said that approach would “mean the equivalent to UK farming of the closure of our shipbuilding and steel industry in the 1980s”.
In the wake of coronavirus, Freeman also warned that the UK has a “solemn duty” to secure its supply chains from public health risks from other countries like China, with its wet markets.
“Does “global Britain” mean maintaining our high standards and leadership on the environment, animal welfare, food standards, resilience and sustainability?” he wrote.
“Or does global Britain mean “cheap Britain” - cutting corners, lowering standards and abandoning our own farming industry by importing the cheapest food from around the world? From Wisconsin to Wuhan.”


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To help the French government dealing with current pandemic, the French Federation of Beauty Companies (FEBEA) will mobilise its members to start manufacturing Hydroalcoholic gels and roll out the products. This is in support of French Healthy Ministry’s decree for the authorised beauty product manufacturers to mass produce the gels as per formulas approved by the government.
This will help the healthcare sector to meet the shortage of sanitisers in the face of this COVID 19 crisis. While the manufacturers are already rolling out thousands of litres of the hydroalcoholic gel, concerns have been raised that the disinfectant quality of the products may not be up to the mark. However this has been de-bunked as an unfounded rumour and controversy by the French Cosmetics Association for SMEs COSMED.


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The Container Store and the American consumer have seen tough times before but both have always bounced back, said Kip Tindell, CEO of The Container Store and author of 'Uncontainable'. Tindell said it has been a tepid year for retailers due to harsh weather in the first quarter, yet he is reasonably optimistic that shoppers will have the confidence to open their wallets during the holiday season. He said The Container Store successfully expanded from a single store in Dallas in 1978 as a result of a strong corporate culture that encouraged 'excitement' at the company's stores, as well as a passion for offering 'solutions' to customers.
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Despite the president's promise of no stimulus until after Nov. 3, there are no signs yet that this is the sort of correlated selling that leads to a deep correction.
Salesforce, Amgen and Honeywell will give a lift to the DJIA going forward.
CAG has hung onto the bulk of its recent gains, and could rise to the $50 area, according to the charts and indicators.


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Single-use technology provider PBS Biotech has acquired Integrity CMI, a manufacturing company that designs, tests and packages medical device and biotech products. PBS says it will integrate CMI into ongoing operations, picking up certified Class 10,000 cleanroom operations as well as non-cleanroom assembly and testing facilities as part of the deal.
The ops capabilities will boost PBS's capacity for manufacturing disposable vessels, bags and related single-use bioreactor parts. The companies, located a few miles apart in Camarillo, CA, will reconfigure equipment and personnel to build out the manufacturing facilities, according to an announcement. Production focus will be PBS disposable vessels and bags.
The PBS/CMI combo faces some big guns in the disposables business--Pall Life Sciences ($PLL) and Sartorius Stedim Biotech chief among them. Pall unveiled the Allegro 200L single-use mixer to its disposables line in June. The mixer supports work from pilot scale to full production.
Meanwhile, Sartorius Stedim has released the Clipster aseptic disconnector, a single-use device for silicone tubing in biopharma processes.
- see the PBS announcement
- here's the Pall release
- and here's the Sartorius Stedim release


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Samsung has officially announced the launch date of its upcoming line up of phone, Samsung Galaxy S21. Samsung also released an official invitation to the even through its Samsung Newsroom to the new Galaxy unpacked event. The tagline of the event is “Welcome to the Everyday Epic” and the event will be conducted virtually and is scheduled on 14th January at 10 AM EST (8:30 PM IST).
The rumours suggest that Samsung will be launching three smartphones in this launch event namely Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, and Galaxy S21 Ultra. The leaks of Galaxy S21 have surfaced online for quite some time now and the new smartphones are supposed to offer upgrades than the previous smartphones in terms of camera, performance, and overall design. It is also known that this time the flagship will allegedly come with S Pen functionality which was exclusive for its Note Series.
The recent leaks suggest that the flagships will be powered by Exynos 2100 which has beaten Snapdragon 888 in Geek-bench test in both single-core and multi-core tests. The phone will be coupled with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB Storage through there is no word if the Samsung will provide a MicroSD slot for external storage. The smartphone will run on Android 11 out of the box with One UI 3.1 on top of it.
Other specifications include a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x Display and the Plus Model with 6.7-inch with 120 Hz refresh rate for all the models and HD+ panels. The Galaxy S21 will be backed by 4000 mAh Battery and S21 Plus with 4800 mAh battery with support for fast charging of 25W. Also you can expect wireless charging and reverse charging mechanism in the phones.
In the segment of the camera, both the phones will be coming with a 10-megapixel front camera with the functionality of Face Unlock. The rear has a triple camera setup which includes 64-megapixel as the primary sensor, 12-megapixel secondary wide-angle sensor with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), and 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor.


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The mystery of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane has crowdsourcers scouring satellite images to locate 'a needle in a haystack.'
The gaming industry is larger than most other entertainment businesses in the UK, but more gaming companies are moving to the U.S.
Intel's new CEO Brian Krzanich explains how his company is adapting to the mobile world. He also says, 'the PC isn't dead.'
The hits keep coming for virtual currency Bitcoin. Christine Romans has 5 reasons why Bitcoin may not be currency of the future.
Spritz is a new app designed to let users speed read at up to 1,000 words a minute by keeping the words at the same exact eye level.
A look at the evolution of the World Wide Web as it celebrates its 25th birthday.
As the World Wide Web turns 25, here's a look at how we first reported its existence.
CNNMoney's Laurie Segall takes a bite out of Oreo's latest project, a 3D printed cookie.
Snowden says his actions were worth it because the interpretation of the Fourth Amendment had been changed to 'hey, any seizure is fine, just don't search it' and he wanted the public to know.


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As the world steps towards automation, the need of Human labour will reach the minimal. For almost a century, we have been relying on automated production lines and robots in manufacturing to push the envelope of producing goods. This reliance on machines did not come easily to us, but was incrementally accepted once we got acquainted and saw the advantages it provides. Similarly, the world is looking forward to another 360 degree change where the automation reaches the streets outside our houses.
Uber recently announced its driverless car service for its customers. What looks like a visionary experiment, has amused customers with its futuristic goals. Uber has always been in possession of an acumen to please the customer and provide them with an ultimate level of comfort. And that is just what the whole automobile industry is about lately – reducing the need of human efforts as much as possible – blowing innovations softly. Some of the most powerful brains have ventured out into this transport automation industry and have joined hands with Google, Tesla and others of their likes to build a smarter transport channels that are rid of traffic congestions and tragic accidents.
The big question remains would the automation favour car-hailing services or would it mean an increase in the number of personal vehicles on the streets? It is a huge market with enough resources for both the segments to survive in parallel with each other, but one of the two segments definitely trail blazes the other; chances for the latter are more, predictions too. Google, Tesla, Volvo and others are working on their respective designs to better the personal driving experience with the driverless cars and launched a dozen of them. Note that, they are in the testing mode!
Elon Musk, the mastermind behind Tesla, shared his ambitious plan to increase the safety of his autonomous vehicles and allow the passengers to eat, sleep, read or do anything while they are on their way. He also mentioned how he wanted his customers to own a fleet of driverless cars that can be of great service for the society and would allow the owner to generate income. This means that even the biggest futurist on the planet knows what transport service through driverless cars means for the growth of an organization.
While Uber will gain an advantage for being one of the firsts to practice this business model, there are many that are struck by the Uberification like before and are looking forward to adopting a similar model. Uber has mounted a few Ford Fusion cars with lasers, cameras, and sensors and programmed them to drive through traffic without the need of hands on the steering wheel.
Regular people in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ordered themselves an Uber and got picked up by these driverless cars which had two technicians seated on the front seats to ensure safety as this is not a full proof plan yet. Although Uber is rolling its dice, it better makes quick moves because the competitors are catching up and so are others in the stream of automation.
And then, it makes us a little perplex about the future of the startups which are working on the concept of car-rental services and reselling the used cars because when you can have an awestruck experience of a ride without a driver while sitting in the back seat of the car and aggregators are ready to rush you plethora of such cars at one click, who would want to get a car on rent? Forget bikes, and here, we’re not counting the enthusiasts because they are minimal!
Well, the driverless cars are the next, keyless cars are not that far away from the reach, and we’re looking forward to the transformation that they’re going to do in the aggregation space because then every owner can actually rent his own car when he isn’t using it through a very simple mode of technology – mobile. And yes, that too without a key!
There are also not so obvious issues with the driverless future, but without ignoring the fact, there are many challenges that driverless cars will face.
(With inputs from Ayush Garg).
Crafted with brevity
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New collaborative platform launches to support businesses in post-lockdown environment.
The 2020 pandemic has been catastrophic for businesses, with many now contemplating uncertain futures.
But two business entrepreneurs used their own enforced ‘down time’ to get busy, and have launched a new collaborative platform to help other businesses successfully navigate through these exceptional times.
Victoria Beale and Daryl Woodhouse’s paths originally crossed almost a decade ago.
London-based Daryl was setting up his company Advantage Business Partnerships and invited Victoria, from Milton Keynes, to join him as an associate.
But her time was being utilised overseeing the successful Business Live lunches and the first Business Expo 3.0 in the new town.
“The project was perfect, but the timing was wrong,” Victoria said, “We couldn’t make it work then, but I’ve always been keen to reconnect and knew that together we could deliver a strong, vibrant partnership.”
Fast-forward to lockdown 2020 and Victoria, who has created and promoted more than 3000 corporate and property events, and multi-award winning business growth strategist Daryl seized the opportunity to make a difference.
They worked hard to bring a new company to fruition and Bright Stars Group Ltd (BSG) is the result.
BSG brings together Daryl’s extensive business growth expertise with Victoria’s lead generation and events knowledge. Their new union has provoked an enthusiastic response.
“Even the best need a helping hand to be the best and to stay there, which is where the BSG ecosystem comes in to set leaders and their teams up for accelerated, sustainable success,” Daryl said.
“With the new recession, leaders need more help than ever before to overcome the challenges. We are humbled by the interest from other leaders keen to get involved in our new BSG ecosystem, and they are working closely with us to provide exceptionally high value to our clients.”
He added: “Our trusted suppliers have been selected from our respective networks to include private investors, brokers and trusted suppliers spanning everything from accountants to social media experts.”
Victoria said: “We see Bright Stars Group as a virtual resourcing hub and growth accelerator – a conduit between investors, quality suppliers and ambitious businesses. We will support and accelerate their aspirations with strong core values, mutual collaboration and the support of our expert team.”
Businesses interested in learning more about the Bright Stars Group Ltd mission are invited to join Victoria, Daryl and their BSG partners for a networking event at the Enfes Restaurant at Stadium Way on November 19 (midday- 2pm).
Tickets are £60 which includes a four course Turkish meal and prosecco, and refreshments.
To book your place visit https://businesslivevip.eventbrite.co.uk
Alternatively, you are invited for virtual coffee with the BSG founders and to connect with them on LinkedIn to discover regular inspirational content, and monthly virtual growth and business development workshops, with practical tips to help you as leaders to work smarter and live happier:


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The Rocknasium will celebrate the grand opening of its new rock climbing gym with a ribbon cutting — on one of the gym’s arches, 20 feet off the ground — at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The event is open to the public. Food and refreshments will be served. The new gym replaces the original Rocknasium, which […]
Address Sale Price Davis (95616) 3135 Woods Cir. $355,000 809 Cherry Ln. 535,000 2442 Elendil Ln. 577,500 1830 Glenn Pl. 611,000 645 Coolidge St. 612,000 Davis (95618) 2571 Hepworth Dr. $614,500 3045 Audubon Cir. 720,000 Woodland (95695) 73 West […]
After 18 years, Alphabet Moon Toys & Treasures will close its doors at the end of the month. Christine Hildebrand, owner of the beloved toy store, announced the decision Wednesday in a letter to her customers. “We have loved every minute of it,” Hildebrand wrote. “We are proud to have provided a warm, friendly place […]
Music tells a special story, of love and laughter, heartache and sorrow or blessings and joy.
For Sarah Majorins of Davis, capturing these emotions in a melody is more than just a passion, it’s a business, too. She writes music for special occasions — including church services, weddings, concerts, new songs that go into albums, and more.
Working from her family’s East Davis home, she provides new arrangements of familiar hymns, as well as original material, to customers around the country, using the Internet to move sheet music and sound files back and forth.
She has long been an active musician.
“My dad (David George) is a pastor, at Valley Springs Church in Roseville. So I’ve been involved in church music my entire life,” she says.
For years, downtown toy merchant Alphabet Moon has been the point-of-purchase for countless birthday presents that delighted local youngsters. But with Alphabet Moon planning to close by the end of January, another nearby business that targets a similar customer demographic is retooling its strategy, seeking to fill at least part of the niche being vacated […]
Boldly forsaking a history of boxy, gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles, England’s Land Rover now sells a compact SUV that’s so stylish former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham is consulting on a special edition model. The new-for-2012 Range Rover Evoque with standard all-wheel drive Terrain Response System also is impressively capable off-road and recently snagged the 2012 […]
The Hallmark Inn in downtown Davis has gone through several renovations since Reed Youmans and his family first bought the hotel about a dozen years ago. The Youmanses aren’t finished making changes just yet. The owners of the inn at 110 F St. recently gutted six bays of ground-floor hotel rooms that they plan to […]
The message on the easel out front always said it all: “Come and play.”
And for nearly two decades, the children did.
Because Alphabet Moon Toys & Treasures was never just a toy store; it was a Davis destination, a favorite place to visit, where to browse was to play, and where current owner Christine Hildebrand and her employees earned raves for their selection of toys and customer service.
But Christine Hildebrand, who bought the store nearly 10 years ago, said Alphabet Moon took two big hits about three years ago: the economy tanked, and Target opened in Davis.
Davis City Manager Steve Pinkerton will give a “State of the City” talk at the January membership luncheon of the Davis Chamber of Commerce. The event will run from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at the Davis Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second St. downtown. While most of the Chamber’s membership luncheons are […]
Pickup trucks used to be for hauling stuff. You would not want to use them for anything else because they were uncomfortable and crude. Today, you can get a truck that is as comfortable as any luxury car with state-of-the-art features. And while the comfort and features have increased, the amazing thing is that trucks’ […]
Jen Wendt moved to Davis when she was 7 years old. She made friends and quickly felt at home. She graduated from Davis High in 1993, and soon after felt like it was time to leave the Northern California hamlet. The energetic raven-haired girl headed to Southern California, went to college, fell in love and […]
The Davis Chamber of Commerce has changed the location of its mixer Thursday, Jan. 12, to West Yost Associates, an environmental engineering firm, 2020 Research Park Drive, Suite 100. The event will run from 5 to 6:30 p.m., offering an opportunity for networking as well as refreshments and a prize drawing. The mixer had been planned for […]
Paris Clark of Woodland was among a dozen area residents given free hearing aids by Avalon Hearing for its second annual “12 Days of Christmas” hearing mission in Sacramento and Yolo counties. The recipients were gifted their hearing aids because of their compelling stories of why they couldn’t get hearing aid help by themselves, a […]
The Hallmark Inn in downtown Davis is offering a special $99 nightly room rate to those who donate $1 per night of their hotel stay to the Yolo Court Appointed Special Advocate group, which helps Yolo County foster children. This special rate is available for travel through Wednesday, Jan. 11. Hallmark Inn, 110 F St., […]


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NZ Innovation Council have put together a series of videos and guides focused on different stages of business growth - called Innovation Heroes - Show and Tell. The latest video to launch is around being Export Ready.
Jonathan Boswell is one of the Heroes in the video and is the director and co-founder of Wine Grenade, a company that is giving winemakers the control and insight needed to create great wine, year after year.
Jonathan joins Mark Sainsbury to talk about what drives him and what the biggest challenges about getting products to an offshore market.
To hear more about being Export Ready and other business stages go to innovationcouncil.org.nz, where you can download the guide and listen to their stories.
Listen to the full interview with Jonathan Boswell above.
Morning Talk with Mark Sainsbury, weekdays from 9am-noon on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the ROVA app on Android and iPhone.


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Dr. Kate Santos is a scientist, an artist, an advocate, a traveler, a dreamer, a visionary and a go-getter. Well-known for her work managing Dümmen Orange as Operations Director, Santos has taken on a new role as co-founder of Luxflora, an organization for women in horticulture.
In a heavily regulated society, growing relationships is just as important to our industry as growing beautiful flowers. In environmentally sensitive states like Maryland, outreach has become mandatory, says Bell Nursery’s Gary Mangum.
Project PrintGREEN is turning 3D printers into on-demand gardeners after designing a “green” 3D printer in 2013. The printer produces living prints, printing customized objects in a variety of sizes and forms. The project was created at the University of Maribor in Slovenia, with a goal to unite art, technology, and nature, creatively producing living designs with the help of technology.


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WEBB CITY, Mo. — Fruit and vegetable growers can learn about produce safety at a half-day workshop Jan. 17, 2018, in Webb City, Mo.
The workshop will help all produce growers, include those selling at farmers markets and to restaurants, grocery stores and wholesalers, improve the safety of their produce and will provide an introduction to produce safety regulations and market requirements.
“Because some produce is not cooked before eating, it’s essential that anyone handling fresh fruit and vegetables along the grower-to-consumer chain use the best practices possible to ensure safety,” said Londa Nwadike, consumer food safety specialist with University of Missouri Extension and Kansas State University Research and Extension.
Participants can receive up to 10 free water tests after attending the workshop, she said.
The workshop is 9 a.m.-noon Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, at Central United Methodist Church, 5 Pennsylvania Ave., Webb City, Mo. Cost is $15.
For more information or to register, go to eventbrite.com/e/37887629921(opens in new window) or call 816-482-5860.
This workshop is organized by MU Extension, Kansas State University, Lincoln University and the Webb City Farmers Market, and is supported by a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Food Safety Outreach Grant.
— Curt Wohleber, University of Missouri Extension
For more news from Missouri, click here.


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Amazon went on to file a lawsuit against the admins from 10,000 Facebook groups over fake reviews
Amazon.com Inc. later brought legal action against the administrators of more than 10,000 Facebook groups on Monday, July 18. These are allegedly the organizations that coordinate the distribution of money or goods to customers who are willing to write unreliable product reviews. These international organizations concentrated on enlisting prospective fake reviewers. They mostly worked in the UK, US, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Japan’s online stores for the large retailers. According to allegations they received from Amazon, there are approximately 10,000 groups on the social media platform. The retail behemoth went on to explain how its prior legal efforts had been successful and had even ended the careers of several of these well-known review brokers. According to reports, they began suing people for situations like this in 2015.
The retail behemoth mentioned a Facebook group named “Amazon Product Review” that had over 40,000 members up until last year when Meta’s Facebook banned it. It turns out that it evaded detection using a well-known, AI-eluding technique that substitutes letters with words that could be recognized. Amazon explained how it will use this disclosure method to identify such offenders and remove bogus reviews that its own technology was unable to detect. Even if the site is constantly under observation, it is clear that a number of fraudulent evaluations continue to exist and contribute to the constant global sale of goods on the site. Amazon has long battled against reviews that increase product ratings artificially. An examination in 2018 showed how these false reviews clearly dominated some categories.
The study made clear how vendors entice customers on websites like the Amazon Review Club to leave favorable reviews in exchange for payment. The problem was brought up by Amazon last year, who noted that they had noticed an uptick in “bad actors” seeking to facilitate bogus reviews outside of the online retailer. In the first quarter of 2021, the e-commerce company claimed to have discovered over 1,000 review selling groups on social media platforms. It was clear that there had been a threefold increase since the first quarter of 2020. Companies struggle to eliminate numerous other types of deceptive information in addition to false reviews. For instance, a large enough online currency printing machine can cause unmanageable systemic problems.


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April 1 2021, David R Brown
GDP Companies acquires European thermoplastics distributor, Distrupol from Univar
GPD Companies, Inc (GPD), an affiliate of One Rock Capital Partners, LLC (One Rock), has completed the acquisition of Distrupol, a leading European distributor of thermoplastics to the polymer processing industry, from Univar Solutions Inc (NYSE: UNVR). Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
With two strong independent companies, GPD is well positioned to increase its presence in global plastics distributionPaul Tayler
CEO of GPD Companies, Inc.
Headquartered in Chertsey, UK, Distrupol is a leading European distributor of thermoplastic polymers and elastomers, serving more than 1,300 customers across 13 countries. Its product range is certified and approved in industries such as automotive, medical, food and electrical. The company operates warehouses in the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands.
“We welcome Distrupol to the GPD family and look forward to furthering the company's legacy for innovation and service among its trusted network of European suppliers and customers,” says Paul Tayler, Chief Executive Officer of GPD. “With two strong independent companies, GPD is well positioned to increase its presence in global plastics distribution.”
Distrupol will become part of GPD, a global holding company for value-added plastics distribution entities including Nexeo Plastics. Under GPD’s ownership, Distrupol and Nexeo Plastics will continue to operate as independent entities and brands and be led by their existing management and commercial teams.
About GDP Companies, Inc.
GPD Companies, Inc. is a holding company formed by One Rock Capital Partners, LLC with the intent to create a leading group of global, value-added distributors. Its operational entities currently include Nexeo Plastics and Distrupol.
Source(s): GPD Companies Press release


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FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS OF INDIA
FSSAI to set up food safety standards review panel
"FSSAI will also look at ensuring that these food safety standards are complied by stakeholders in the food business through third party auditing and food inspections," FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India briefs Parliamentary panel on Maggi controversy
FSSAI today briefed a Parliamentary panel about ...
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India takes junk food off school menu
The country’s top food regulator is set to restrict consumption ...
Global standards for food safety set for revision
As many as 185 countries, including India and the European Union, are likely to adopt new food safety and quality standards.
FSSAI to soon notify new standards for food supplements
Stating that about 60% of the direct selling industry players deal in food products, he asked the members to create awareness about the food safety.
FSSAI frames safety standards for alcoholic drinks
This assumes importance because food products which have been manufactured by using these approved additives may not require product approval.
Air India shirks safety rules at Leh
Standard Operating Procedures to be followed at the Leh airport mandate airlines to turn right immediately after take-off so that airplanes can fly between the hills.
India and Germany to collaborate on rail safety
India requested that Germany extends its proposal of high speed rail study of Mysuru-Bengaluru-Chennai corridor to Vijayawada city.
Half-baked safety standards & nonchalant attitudes to hygiene: Is every food item prone to contamination?
Dubious testing facilities, half-baked safety standards and nonchalant attitudes to hygiene may mean that every food item is prone to contamination.
Municipality launches food campaign to ensure food safety in Kolkata
This awareness campaign is targeted to ensure food safety norms to be maintained by not just the street food vendors but also at the upmarket eateries in Kolata.
India's social sector spending inadequate by global standards: HSBC
According to the global financial services major, fiscal multipliers of health and education spending are even higher than that of capex, but they often get side-lined.
Terrorism cannot be defeated with double standards: India and Russia
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar held a detailed meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu here.
Food safety standards should not be arbitrary: Harsimrat Kaur Badal
The matter has been taken up with the PMO and the Health Ministry, she told reporters while briefing her ministry's 100-days initiatives.
'Nuclear plant vendors improving designs to raise safety standards'
Regaldo said several countries were focusing on the issue of reprocessing of spent fuel and finding ways to dispose of radioactive waste.


text: SPICA is re-engineering its whole business approach, creating a closed loop within the industry. Moving from TAKE-MAKE-DISPOSE to REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE, SPICA is using skeletons, set-up sheets and printed sheets to create new material and start the cycle all over again. A take-back scheme was put in place for post consumer and post-industrial waste. The SPICA project is already launched and expected to be fully implemented by the beginning of 2023. It will allow customers in our markets to reach a 100% circular approach.


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Australia-based Global Energy Ventures (GEV) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Germany’s ILF Beratend Ingenieure GmbH (ILF) to identify and develop green hydrogen projects in Europe and Australia which will include GEV’s compressed hydrogen (C-H2) shipping solution.
GEV is an energy transition company that provides compressed shipping solutions for transporting energy to regional markets. Last year, the company introduced the world’s first large-scale C-H2 ship and positioned itself as an early mover to fast track the marine transport of hydrogen.
Under the terms of the MOU – which is valid until 31 December 2022 – the two parties will cooperate and explore renewable project opportunities regarding the full hydrogen value chain employing GEV’s C-H2 ship and supply chain in Europe and Australia.
GEV Managing Director Martin Carolan said the MOU provides the company with access to the fast-developing hydrogen economy in Europe, where up to 85% of the world’s proposed green hydrogen projects are located.
“GEV has identified Europe as a key market for the company’s C-H2 shipping and supply chain with the renewable energy sector growing at a rapid rate for some years and the transport of green hydrogen using compression highly suitable given the short to medium distances to future demand centres such as Germany,” Mr Carolan noted.
“The MOU with ILF will establish GEV’s launch into Europe with one of the world’s leading engineering firms with expertise in the design and implementation of green hydrogen projects.
“ILF’s experience in hydrogen, strong reputation in project delivery and long-standing relationships will be beneficial to GEV in Europe while we will also look to ILF’s expertise across the value chain for hydrogen projects in Australia.”
ILF is an international engineering and consulting firm that offers solutions for a large spectrum of hydrogen-related projects. The company’s engineering expertise covers the hydrogen value chain from renewables, water supply down to hydrogen production, transportation and storage.
Jens Kottsieper, ILF Business Development Manager, said the company sees Australia as ‘an important supplier of green hydrogen’.
“We also recognise the need for shipping of hydrogen into Europe given the need for large quantities,” he continued.
“Transporting large quantities of gases has been a topic that has kept us busy for over 50 years.
“We are glad to be able to complement our pipeline and hydrogen expertise with GEV’s expertise in low-cost transport by ship.


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Reducing Carbon Footprint At Trade Shows
Trade shows, conventions and industry gatherings are huge in the United States, with more than 2 million taking place each year. In the jan/san and commercial cleaning industries, the peak season for these gathering is during the fall. Realizing this, now is a good time to discuss ways these events can reduce their carbon footprint.
The average person generates a whopping 20 pounds of waste during a trade show, and the average three day, 1,000 person convention will generate about 580 tons of global warming C02 emissions, says Stephen Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group. To reduce the amount of waste they produce, Ashkin recommends trade show organizers and attendees do the following:
1. Invest in carbon offsets
Many wind energy companies sell carbon offsets. Purchasing these offsets makes wind energy projects more economically viable.
“Buyers can claim their purchase resulted in non-polluting energy, which they can use when they report their sustainability efforts to customers and stakeholders,” says Ashkin.
2. Use USB drives
All the materials customarily provided in handouts, including entire product catalogs can be loaded onto USB drives instead, thus reducing the amount of paper used. Another options is for exhibitors to create mobile apps for the tradeshows they attend, so that attendees can consumer even more of the information they provide electronically.
3. Improve recycling
Tradshows can improve upon their recycling by providing more recycling bins throughout the large tradeshow floors.
"When it came to environmental preferable cleaning products, we showed other industries how important this is,” says Ashkin of the jan/san industry’s ability to change the tradeshow. “I believe we will do the same once again, helping other industries realize how important it is to reduce their carbon footprint."


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Reaction to a John Lewis “Feel Good Friday” challenge asking kids to design a SuperBear for Christmas may have proved a bit mixed in some quarters, but it hasn’t dampened kids’ enthusiasm to take part.
Utilising the hashtag DesignYourSuperBear, John Lewis announced the launch of a competition to find a superhero teddy bear, and that they needed kids help designing it. The winning teddy will be sold in John Lewis and Waitrose shops later this year, with 100 per cent of the profits going to the NHS.
“In honour of our incredible carers at the NHS, we need designs for superhero-themed bears,” the company briefed aspiring artists. “Don’t feel like you have to stick to the traditional brown bear – we want to see all kinds of super teddies.
“Try and incorporate unique elements through colours, patterns, capes, masks – whatever feels exciting for you, but please avoid using any recognisable icons in your designs, such as the ‘NHS’ lettering or Superman logos.”
Pointing to the estimated £7 million cost of last year’s “Excitable Edgar” campaign, while welcoming the creative challenge for kids, some on social media suggested this might be a pretty inexpensive way to find a new mascot for the companies involved. Not least because John Lewis and Waitrose have not even hinted at a prize of any kind for the winning entry.
John Lewis will have begun the campaign now – despite prevailing concerns about the Coronavirus Pandemic – in order to ensure “SuperBear” can be manufactured in time for Christmas.
“A lovely idea, but the NHS is not a charity and we have to stop looking at it as though it were,” said Twitter user Katie, responding to the company’s promotion for the SuperBear project. Her concerns were shared by a number of Twitter users.
The very thought that Excitable Edgar the dragon, the star of John Lewis and Waitrose’s festive fairytale last year, might not be back dominated responses from many.
“Can’t we keep Edgar,” pleaded The Happy Farmers” from deepest Somerset, “as we have loads of chocolate ones we brought after Christmas last year in the sale, everyone we knew had them for Easter as locked in and loved them.”
YouGov research last year revealed that “Excitable Edgar’ drove more awareness than its retail rivals. The Drum reported the fiery dragon mascot also fought off stiff competition from Kevin the Carrot to take the crown for the most beloved brand mascot of 2019.
There’s no official word on whether he’ll be back.
Many felt the Challenge should be seen as a bit of fun for kids caught up in the current lockdown, however, and teachers and others were quickly encouraging children to take part.
“Good on you Waitrose to try to brighten a child’s life and get them motivated instead of moping around,” enthused Christina Mac, from Yorkshire. “That’s not being crass or taking this situation lightly of course not, but we all need a bit of light in our lives and hopefully a better future in all of this sadness and gloom.”
• The full details and a downloadable Teddy Bear template are here: jland.partners/FeelGoodFriday | Share your designs through a public Instagram or Twitter account using the hashtag #DesignYourSuperBear by 8th May 2020
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: downthetubes News


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She was always full of life out in the world making it a better place. Survivors include Daughter Patti Eby of Aurora, CO, Daughter-in-law Elaine O’Fallon of Pullman, WA, Grandchildren Christy.
PULLMAN – First and foremost. She attended the University of Washington and the school still writes her paychecks. jeunai works for the alumni office on the Seattle campus. So, while the Dotsons.
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PRESS RELEASE FROM THE KOOTENAI COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE: On March 11, 2013 at about 7:00 PM, Detectives from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office made an arrest related to the death of a Spirit Lake.
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The Grant County Sheriff’s Office says Crystal Sullivan was taken into custody Wednesday morning after deputies found her partially naked outside the Genie factory on the airfield. She was booked into.
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Due to the recent issues plaguing Driver’s Licensing Offices statewide, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office has expanded the Driver’s Licensing Office hours of operation. Both the Coeur d’Alene and.
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Attorney General’s Office Friday charged Emily Kirk of Pullman, Wash., with theft of $13,910 from Whitcom 911 Employee Guild. The Guild’s treasurer is accused of Theft.
The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office wants you to be aware of a level iii sex offender moving into the Springdale area. The sheriff’s office said 50-year-old Gene H. Wilson is not wanted by law.
The rented locker was used to store backup data from WSU’s Social and Economic Sciences Research Center, which has two offices in Pullman and one in the. Weiler said the storage unit also contained.
Lacasse Office Furniture Peru IL Consult the D&B Business Directory to view the Groupe Lacasse LLC company profile in Chicago , IL .. office Furniture, Except Wood. Manufacturing – Desks, Office: Except Wood. CLAIM THIS business. 222 merchandise MART PLZ CHICAGO, IL 60654 Get Directions (312) 670-9100.
The unique hospitality program includes educational sessions by professionals from each of the four companies who travel to WSU in Pullman, WA each week teaching the students about the operations of a.
Lacasse Office Furniture Andrews TX George Bush and Barack Obama meet in the Oval Office. Eric Draper/The White House At. and most of their boxes of books and clothes have already departed for Texas. The only piece of furniture said.


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It looks like the Star Wars Twitter verse is in chaos again.
Marvel Comics just recently released the fourth issue of its new Star Wars series called Bounty Hunters, and it seems like the comic book has created quite an uproar on social media after it featured Boba Fett shooting down a pregnant woman of color.
Taking to Twitter, Star Wars fans have expressed their dismay over the female character’s death, saying that Boba Fett shooting down a woman of color is an example of the franchise’s racism and misogyny.
One particular fan even listed down other moments in Star Wars comics where the franchise featured acts of aggression towards women of color and pregnant women.
While it’s understandable that Boba Fett would kill left and right ( after all, he is a scoundrel and villain), fans are quick to point out that the character seemed to be written just to be killed at the hands of one of Star Wars’ most popular bounty hunters. Not only that, but fans couldn’t help but find it strange that Boba Fett’s victim looked a lot like Rose Tico from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
For some reason, Rose became a source of outrage from traditional Star Wars fans, and actress Kelly Marie Tran became a victim of rabid fanboy’s online bullying.
Because of this recent stunt by Bounty Hunters,Star Wars progressives have gone up in rage against the comic book, calling out the creators for featuring violence against women. Some have even decided to cancel their Star Wars comic subscription.
What are your thoughts on the issue? Do you agree that the comic went too far by having Boba Fett kill a woman of color? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Curbing the illicit trade in cultural goods will be the subject of a major conference in Paris on 1 February, organised by France, which holds the presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of the year.
The meeting, which will take place via video conference from the Musée du Louvre, aims to define “new proposals that could be submitted to the European Commission” within the next six months, says Jean-Luc Martinez, the museum’s former director, who now serves as France’s ambassador for international cooperation on cultural heritage.
The conference will focus on practical applications with an emphasis on the challenges of the digital age.
Law enforcement authorities and specialists from France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Greece and Cyprus, along with NGOs and international bodies such as Interpol and the World Customs Organization, will discuss new technologies for tracking fraudulent works of art as well as the development and coordination of databanks between countries.
Another topic on the agenda will be ways to educate the public about the fight against archaeological looting and trafficking, which could include exhibitions of recovered looted properties across Europe. Specialists from Unesco and the Aliph Foundation (the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas) will also be involved in the conference.
Yesterday, Aliph held its own fundraising conference with European governments and sponsors for the continuation of its activities in the Middle East and Sahel. The Geneva-based foundation raised $90m at the event.
The French government has also invited key art market figures to participate. Vincent Geerling, the chairman of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art; Guillaume Cerutti, Christie’s chief executive; Alexandre Giquello, Drouot’s chairman; and Henrik Hanstein, the spokesman for the European Art Market Coalition, will discuss the impact of measures against art trafficking on the art market, with the Swiss lawyer Marc-André Renold and two representatives of the European Commission, Alessia Di Grigorio and Valérie Ledure.
Martinez, who authored a 2015 report on the illicit trade of cultural goods after the destruction of heritage sites by Isis, has previously insisted that “it would be more useful to have the art market fully participate in this general mobilisation than to feed a confrontation between states and antique dealers”.
The art market has been up in arms against recent controls instituted by the European Commission, such as the 2019 regulation on imports of cultural goods created or discovered outside the EU. The European Commission has until June 2025 to set up a centralised electronic system to monitor the import licences now required for antiques and cultural goods entering the continent.


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The HMV administrator has been urged to make sure all the £150,000 it received from selling the Hillsborough single is paid to the charity.
Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram has contacted Deloitte, the administrator brought in by HMV earlier this week, to ensure that all money made on the sale of the Justice Collective's Christmas single is paid to the families.
The proceeds of the sale of the single, which was Christmas number one, is for the families' continued fight for justice for the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
Mr Rotheram said HMV was "first class" in the way it promoted and sold the single over the Christmas period and hosted the launch in its Liverpool store.
He said: "I am devastated for the staff of HMV stores who are now facing the very real prospect of redundancy.
"I have made contact with Deloitte the administrator highlighting the need for them to give consideration to passport the residual monies owed to the charity from the sale of the single. I look forward to working with them to resolve this issue.
"It is worth reiterating that HMV did not make any profit from the sale of the single and that all monies collected by HMV stores were on behalf of the charity to assist the Hillsborough families in their continued legal fight for justice."
The MP said they sold almost 400,000 copies of the single, both digitally and in stores.
HMV were responsible for sales which generated receipts of around £150,000, which he believes should be transferred via their distributor, Universal, to the charitable account.
Mr Rotheram added: "I am confident that the administrators understand the special circumstances relating to this specific issue and will do the right thing and pass the monies owed to the families' charity fund as soon as possible.
"I once again wish to express my great sadness that such an iconic high street music store has been forced to call in the administrators, but recognise it is unfortunately a sign of the times for some businesses in the retailer sector in these uncertain economic times."
A spokesman for the administrator said: "It is the second full day of the administration and we are working through hundreds of inquiries.
"However, we understand why people feel very passionately about the Justice Collective single and have discussed this matter with people involved in the campaign.
"We are looking into it as a priority and hope to provide an update very soon."
The version of the Hollies' hit He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother by The Justice Collective was launched at Liverpool's HMV store by stars including football legend Kenny Dalglish and comedian John Bishop.
The song was produced by Robbie Williams' long-time collaborator Guy Chambers.
The song was inspired by the sight of two children who walked out to the track during a tribute to the dead at Liverpool's cross-city rivals Everton.
The release of the single came after a damning report into the handling of the crowd crush at Hillsborough.


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TRAVERSE CITY — Tourists think of Front Street as a clean, well-lighted place, a respite from trudging the hot summer sidewalks of big cities like Chicago.
They travel from afar seeking solace in the green hills of Traverse City. The sun sets each evening over West Grand Traverse Bay, lulling vacationers into pleasant slumber in motel rooms, cottages and tents. The sun also rises over East Bay to rouse them from their dreams.
“It’s just the perfect mix of water and downtown,” Steve Maul, of Macomb County, said of Traverse City.
Maul and his wife, Janet, were in town last week for what was their sixth — or possibly eighth — annual summer trip to the area. Neither could recall exactly how many times they’ve enjoyed the company of the twin bays. But they keep coming back.
They travel north each summer with friends who own a condominium on East Bay. A stroll along Front Street is a requirement each time the Mauls visit town. They purchase jellies from Cherry Republic and artistic creations from other shops. This year, a set of mosaic drink coasters ended up in their shopping bag. The selection of items they purchase varies from year to year. But they’re always unique creations that help remind them of their time spent in the north country.
“I like things you can’t get anywhere else,” Janet Maul said.
Front Street becomes a moveable feast of potential customers for the shops that line downtown’s sidewalks.
The Anderson Economic Group said 3.3 million tourists visited Traverse City in 2012, the most recent annual estimate available.
More than 113 million tourists visited Michigan in 2014, according to research commissioned by Travel Michigan and conducted by Tourism Economics.
Visitors to Michigan spent $22.8 billion on lodging, food, beverages, recreation, entertainment and transportation in 2014. Their purchases generated nearly $2.4 billion in state or local tax revenue and $2.5 billion in federal tax revenue. Their commerce accounted for more than 214,000 Michigan jobs.
“The summer is off to a great start,” said Todd Gyulveszi, assistant retail manager at Cherry Republic on Front Street.
The store normally uses the July 4 weekend as its annual benchmark to compare sales with previous years.
“We’ve already seen an increase prior to that,” said Gyulveszi.
Sales are up an average of 20 percent day-to-day over last year, he said. Around 30 percent of the store’s customers now buy something in its new cafe, which opened a month ago.
Shoppers scan store shelves all along Front Street and ponder the question of to have and have not, to buy or not to buy.
Ken He, of New York City, visited friends in Traverse City three or four years ago. He has returned each summer since.
“It’s amazing here,” he said. He said his hometown’s summers don’t compare. “It’s not pleasant.”
Traverse City rolls out all her most popular attractions in the height of summer. Waters, dunes, beaches and woods beckon visitors from afar.
Sam Perfanov, of Chicago, said nature draws him to Traverse City.
“The forests, the beach so close to town” brought him to the area for four days this summer, he said. “Downtown is just so cool.”
Perfanov spent money at American Spoon Foods, M22 and Cherry Republic.
Some visitors may fear their upbeat vacation mood will lead them to spend a bit too freely. That’s always a danger.
But this is not the dangerous summer for local business. The warm season, with its influx of tourists, sustains Traverse City shopkeepers. The dual natural bounty of woods and water function like a big two-hearted river, pumping the blood of economic life into the business district and into the lives of the many workers it employs.
Editor’s Note: References to titles by Ernest Hemingway are used with respect for the author’s work.