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5 Simple Techniques For Syma Drones in Montgomery AL 36121
For many moms and dads the price of a drone is not a factor in their young children’s pleasure. However you may be a lot more than annoyed when they trash a $four hundred drone than the usual $40 one. It’s most effective to start with a more inexpensive one, then operate your way around a more expensive product.
Basically, the Syma X11C drone has every little thing you might request in a drone of this measurement in addition to a 6-axis gyro for enhanced stabilization.
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Coastal Alabama Friday Roundup: No. 4 McGill girls knock off No. 3 Davidson
Keyshawn Woodyard followed with 12, and Chapman Johnson and Martin Montgomery each had eight.For Mobile Christian ... This story will be updated. To submit Coastal Alabama results, please email bthoma...
Alabama all-star squad adds Florida commit
getting ready for Monday's Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m., at Montgomery's Cramton Bowl. Alabama is 5-0 in games played at Cramton Bowl and is trying to bounce back ...
Alabama House speaker treated for heart problem
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon has been hospitalized for a cardiac procedure after being diagnosed with a heart problem. A statement released Friday by the speaker's offi...
Alabama public schools enroll nearly 5,000 fewer students
Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey speaks during the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. (Photo: Jake Crandall/ Advertiser) Of the ...
Maynard Cooper adds shareholder in Montgomery, Mobile offices
Maynard Cooper & Gale LLP has added a shareholder in its Montgomery and Mobile offices ... He also previously served as chair, vice chair, and a member of the State of Alabama Ethics Commission and cu...


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The gorgeous Kareena Kapoor Khan, who walked the ramp at the Lakme Fashion Week, has said that her husband, Saif Ali Khan, is a “lucky man” to have her in his life.
Kareena walked the ramp for designer Gaurav Gupta in a black feminine and sensuous gown, looking no less than a diva.
Comparing the makeup that she applies for her movies as compared to walking the ramp, Kareena said “Ramp is totally different. You are moulding yourself, as the outfit is totally different. It is a lot more glamorous. It’s all about makeup, beauty, fashion… fashion forward. There are a lot of things (that) come into play when you take to the ramp.”
Check out photos of Kareena Kapoor Khan at the Lakme Fashion Week 2015.

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University students are being offered special pricing from Apple on Macs and iPads, with the added bonus of Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones, a free year of Apple TV+, as well as special pricing on various apps and Apple Music.
Originally intended for the country's citizens, Finland has offered its AI training course to the world.
Ninety per cent of parents consider Australia’s education system to be “poor” or having “room for improvement”, with more than one in three admitting they feel ill-equipped to support their child’s learning in the next decade, according to new research.
Looks like Sam Varghese & ITWire are censoring comments in favour of CCP & Huawei. I've made 3 comments over[…]
Microsoft have progressively become more and more bonkers. Remember their funeral parade for iPhone? Microsoft's phone later this year will[…]
Microsoft's Edge browser wasn't released until 2015. I guess they were preparing it as far back as 2013, but I[…]
If it does it will be final confirmation that a portion of the establishment is not fit for office, and[…]
Good to see that our friends in the UK are rejecting the USA "bully boy" tactics. It would be great[…]


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Join TV, media, marketing and tech leaders for Adweek Convergent TV, Mar. 21–22. Virtual and in-person passes available. 50% off through Feb. 6.
Self-identified ad avoiders were 22% more engaged, emotionally involved and likely to remember brands mentioned in a podcast compared to TV ads, according to a new study from the BBC.
The study, which was commissioned by the BBC’s branded content division, StoryWorks, found that listeners were 16% more engaged when hearing about a brand on a podcast than when they were listening to the surrounding podcast content. They also had a 12% higher likelihood of remembering the brand than surrounding podcast content.


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Nucor is expanding its value-added portfolio with the addition of a new TrueCore manufacturing facility. The company plans to build a 120,000-square-foot facility in Brigham City, Utah, that will manufacture insulated wall and roof panels.
TrueCore was acquired by Nucor in 2019 and is part of Nucor’s Buildings Group. The Brigham facility will be the third manufacturing center for TrueCore and will service customers in the western U.S. and Canada. Currently TrueCore operates out of Laurens, S.C., and a second facility is under construction in Waterloo, Ind. The Utah facility is expected to be operational in 2022 and employ 50 team members.
“Building this third TrueCore facility will greatly expand our capacity and enhance our ability to service our metal building customers. This new facility will further our strategy of growing our line of value-added products for our customers,” said Jeff Carmean, president of Nucor Buildings Group.
TrueCore produces insulated metal panels that are used as exterior walls, interior partitions, ceilings and roofs in the cold storage, commercial and industrial construction markets. With thicknesses ranging from 2-8 inches and widths up to 44 inches, the company’s panels and facilities are designed to deliver consistent quality as well as reduced lead times, the company claims.
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Latest in Steel Mills
AISI: Raw steel output edges down
Domestic production of raw steel declined slightly last week, moving down for the first time in six weeks, according to the most recent data from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
Goncalves blames USS for ITC tin products decision, USS fires back
Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves said he blames U.S. Steel’s lack of participation in the tin mill products trade case for an unfavorable US International Trade Commission (ITC) decision.
Nucor slashes plate prices by $90/st
Nucor Corp. announced that its plate mill group would cut prices for as-rolled, discrete, and normalized plate with the opening of its April order book.
USW remains skeptical of USS acquisition despite Nippon’s promises
The United Steelworkers union expressed a lack of trust in assurances from Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. (NSC) regarding its proposed buy of U.S. Steel.
Biden admin scrutinizing Nippon Steel’s Chinese ops in USS deal: Report
Nippon Steel Corp.’s (NSC) operations in China are a potential security concern of the Biden administration, according to a Bloomberg report citing anonymous sources close to the matter.


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Internet casino game supplier Microgaming has announced that they've signed a deal to provide bingo services to Marathonbet.
The deal will see Microgaming's large bingo library, including a large selection of bingo variants and more than 400 casino side games. The deal will also allow Marathonbet to offer different bingo jackpots. The Marathonbet Bingo site is available now through the Lotto section on the website.
Speaking about the agreement Microgaming Director of Network Games Jean-Luc Ferriere said, "Marathonbet have always been an important Quickfire customer. We're thrilled to be welcoming them to the Microgaming Bingo Network, supporting them in their launch of bingo, and adding a strong brand to our growing customer base."
Marathonbet Gaming Manager Dave Mills also commented, noting: "We're thrilled to be launching a comprehensive Bingo selection for our customers to enjoy. We'll be offering our dedicated customers two classic variants of 90 and 75 ball games - plus access to a host of progressive jackpot titles with huge prizes. Our Bingo launch marks another step forward in our strategy to increase both brand awareness and footprint in the UK marketplace."


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WASHINGTON (AP) – The target was immigrants lured by cheap phone-card prices so they could call loved ones back home. But the calling cards delivered far fewer calling minutes than promised, and now their marketers will have to hand over $2.3 million to the federal government.
The Federal Trade Commission announced the settlement Wednesday in what it described as a vast prepaid calling-card scheme that scammed tens of thousands of people nationwide.
The settlement with New Jersey-based Millennium Telecard, Inc., Telecard Center USA, Inc., and several other companies owned by the same man _ Fadi Salim _ is the biggest settlement of its kind in the prepaid calling-card industry. A call to Salim’s attorney was not immediately returned.
Here’s how it worked: people bought prepaid cards with names such as “Africa Magic” and “Hola Amigo” for calls to Nigeria, Ghana, Mexico and other international locations. But the cards, the FTC said, often delivered less than half of the minutes promised because of all sorts of hidden fees.
There were fees for simply hanging up the phone. Other fees were applied on the first day, just for using the card, and every seven days afterward.
Before too long, the fees could wipe out the value of the card even with a short call, the agency said.
The cards included disclaimers about the fees, but the commission said the print was so small it was nearly impossible to read.
The FTC did its own testing on the cards and found that they delivered an average of only 45 percent of the advertised minutes. For example, one card that sold for $2 and was marketed as carrying 44 minutes of calling time to a landline in Guatemala only delivered 18 minutes and 27 seconds.
The cards were sold over the Internet as well as at newsstands, grocery and convenience stores and at kiosks nationwide. They carried brand names such as “Absolute,” “Digital,” and “Pan Caliente.”
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Waymo plans to include up to 20,000 driverless I-Pace cars in its fleet (Photo: Jaguar I-Pace)
The Jaguar I-Pace will become part of Waymo's driverless fleet in 2020 and tests with a self-driving version of the SUV will start this year already.
The two companies said up to 20,000 I-Pace SUVs will join Waymo's fleet in the first two years of production.
Jaguar Land Rover and Waymo, Google's self-driving car division, last week announced a long-term strategic partnership aimed at developing a premium self-driving electric vehicle for Waymo's driverless transportation service.
The announcement came as the industry is reassessing the timetable for autonomous driving in the wake of two deadly accidents that occurred in the US. One of them involved a Volvo SUV that ride-hailing service Uber was using in Arizona. The other involved a Tesla SUV crashing on a California highway, killing the driver.
In the wake of the Arizona accident, several companies suspended driverless testing on public roads.
JLR and Waymo said they would start testing driverless versions of the I-Pace later this year. The ability to capture real-word data will allow them to optimize the technology, they said.
JLR CEO Ralf Speth said his goal of "further advancing smart mobility" will come one step nearer through the cooperation with Waymo. "In joining forces with Waymo we are pioneering to push the boundaries of technology," he said.
Waymo CEO John Krafcik said in a press release that the I-Pace's new battery-electric platform will set "a new standard in safety, design and capability."
The I-Pace is Jaguar's first model designed from the outset as an EV.


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The most important things to know when shopping for a new laptop, hybrid, or Windows tablet.
When it comes to setting themselves apart, small studios have one especially effective tool in their arsenal.
An underwater robot has been used to produce the first detailed, high-resolution 3D maps of Antarctic sea ice.
The trade-in promotion is a promising idea for the struggling company, but will iPhone owners go for it?
Brian Cooley runs down new research by the IIHS and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute on driver distraction and what causes it.
Forrester Research also predicts that annual spending on online ads in the US will top $100 billion in 2019, as advertisers follow consumer habits.
Regin's behavior suggests that the newly uncovered and "highly complex" spying threat came from a nation-state, Symantec reports.
Scientists in China say they've identified a gene that may play a role in some people being uncomfortable in relationships.
The FAA's anticipated ruling is expected to impose a number of tough restrictions for operators such as requiring licenses and limiting flights to daylight hours.
Microsoft researchers develop a prototype of an app-shielding technology called Haven, which builds on top of its previous Drawbridge operating system work.


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The year’s most anticipated streaming service has finally arrived: Disney+ premieres in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands today, marking a new era for an entertainment giant whose business has long centered on theatrical releases and linear television distribution.
The service, which Disney is positioning as the cornerstone of its growing portfolio of streaming brands—CEO Bob Iger has called it the company’s “biggest priority” of the year—will feature the company’s enormous library of films and television shows and a slate of originals, including buzzy Star Wars original series The Mandalorian. Disney is hoping the service will grow, and fast—at an investor day earlier this year, the company said it projects Disney+ will have from 60 million to 90 million subscribers around the world by fiscal year 2024.
“We’ve worked extremely hard to create a service that’s second to none in terms of our content offering, streaming quality, user interface, brands and overall value to consumers,” Disney chairman of direct to consumer and international Kevin Mayer said at a Disney+ preview event in New York last week, prior to the service’s premiere. “We’re very excited to get this exceptional service into the hands of consumers around the globe, and we’re confident they are going to be extremely happy with it.”
Here’s what you need to know about the service, including what content will be on it, where you can find it and how many people can use one account.
How much it costs
For many customers, Disney+ will cost $6.99 a month. If customers are willing to pay once annually, they can pay $69.99 a year, which comes out to a slightly reduced monthly rate.
To get more people through the Disney+ door, though, Disney has also announced a number of steeply discounted promotions and partnerships. A deal with Verizon announced in October means Verizon customers who pay for unlimited wireless, Fios broadband or 5G home wireless internet will get a year of Disney+ for free. (Verizon paid Disney a one-time wholesale payment for the promotion, Mayer said.) In August, members of the Disney fan club D23 were offered a discounted annual subscription to Disney+ for $46.99 a year for three years, which comes out to less than $4 a month. And Disney is offering a bundled subscription of Disney+, its streaming service ESPN+ and an ad-supported tier of its general entertainment streaming service Hulu (of which Disney assumed full operational control in May) for $12.99 a month.
Its content slate
As of its premiere, Disney+ features a slate of eight original series, including The Mandalorian, National Geographic unscripted series The World According to Jeff Goldblum and the Disney Pixar shorts Forky Asks a Question. A live-action movie remake of Lady and the Tramp is also be available on the service, as is the Christmas film Noelle, starring Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader.
More impressive is Disney’s library of content, which includes 300 Disney films and all 30 seasons of The Simpsons on day one. Disney+ also will be the home of new films and television series from Disney properties, starting with Disney’s 2019 theatrical slate, after those programs’ theatrical and home entertainment windows close. Disney even moved up the release of Avengers: Endgame so it could appear on Disney+ at launch—it was originally scheduled to arrive in December—but Mayer said home video windows won’t be compressed in the future.
In its first year, Disney plans to release more than 30 original series and more than 15 original films and specials on the service in addition to a library to 7,500 television episodes and 500 movie titles, said Ricky Strauss, Disney+ president, content and marketing. Most of the episodic content on the service will be released weekly on Fridays, bucking a streaming trend of releasing content all at once. And users will be able to view much of Disney’s programming in 4K.


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It’s been a long journey, but after two years of waiting, the procedurally generated biking game Descenders finally received a Switch launch date. Publisher No More Robots announced this morning via Twitter that the title will be rolling out in just over a month on November 6th, with both digital and physical editions.
Been waiting for Descenders to hit the Switch? The wait is almost over!!
We're launching on Switch physically & digitally on Nov. 6th, thanks to @soldout!
Make sure you get yours on day one by pre-ordering!
— No More Robots (@nomorerobotshq) September 30, 2020
Created by the team behind Action Henk, Descenders has you join one of three teams as you try to survive a procedurally generated course filled with all sorts of off-road paths, jumps, and other obstacles. As if that wasn’t interesting enough, you’ll also earn special mutators as you play, providing an even fresher experience with each run.
The Switch marks the last platform Descenders has to hit. Originally launched in 2019 for the PC and Xbox One to generally favorable reviews, Descenders only recently came to the PlayStation 4 last month. While I have yet to try the game, Descenders appeals to my love of roguelikes and the Trials franchise, so this is definitely one I’m going to have to check out soon.
If you’re interested in picking up Descenders, pre-orders are now open at retailers like GameStop for $39.99. It’s worth noting that this is $10 higher than on other platforms, but this isn’t anything new for Switch titles.


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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Walking through Wailuku, it’s hard to miss Caramiya.
The clothing boutique’s storefront is framed with bright pink paint and these words are displayed prominently on the main window, “Fashion – Art – Made on Maui.”
It’s a simple message, but Caramiya is anything but — especially in the wake of the catastrophic wildfires that destroyed Lahaina town in August, claimed at least 101 lives and threw Maui’s economy into chaos. Despite economic hardship, Caramiya is still going strong.
And so are other Maui-grown fashion brands — all buoyed by the support of their community.
“I’ve seen what Maui does. Maui supports itself,” said Caramiya Davies-Reid, on a recent day in her namesake store, which features lovingly-made dresses in a rainbow of colors. Her walls are full of life, too — painted in vibrant hues that reflect the joy, the love, and the resiliency of her island.


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Textiles that repair rips and adapt to the release of sweat
Belgian textile companies that are using innovation to focus on a niche market most certainly have a future, one in which the Centexbel innovation centre plays a crucial role. “The things you can do with textiles are inconceivable,” says Bob Vander Beke, commercial director at Centexbel, the research centre and laboratory serving the Belgian textile industry. Centexbel may be considered the saviour of the Belgian textile sector, which is being threatened with bankruptcy. The centre has a staff of 140 and is located in the Ghent technology park, which is best-known for its biotech companies. “A number of companies, such as Umicore, Bekaert and Janssen Pharmaceutica have substantial research departments in Belgium,” says Vander Beke. For textile SME’s, Centexbel is a blessing: “Companies with a workforce of 25 do not have the time, staff or laboratory facilities to develop new products, even though they need to innovate in order to survive. Without us many of these companies would be weaker”, Vander Beke explains. Devan, a chemical company based in Ronse that makes textile thread, is an example of one of these. Together with Centexbel it has developed a ‘dynamic’ material that adapts to the release of sweat. Centexbel is also collaborating on a project that was launched by the fishing industry, an industry which sees a huge number of accidents involving filleting knives. One of the innovations are self-repairing packs, allowing for rips in fishing clothes to automatically grow shut. Centexbel’s fame has spread beyond Belgium’s borders, and it is one of the two companies that approve tents for refugees on behalf of the United Nations.


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Thomson Airways launches 787 Dreamliner flights from Cardiff AirportPosted: December 5, 2014
Press Release by Cardiff Airport
Thomson Airways, part of the UK’s largest holiday company TUI UK & Ireland, has announced it will be launching its first Dreamliner flights from Cardiff Airport in 2015, making it the first time the revolutionary aircraft has operated commercial flights from Wales.
The flights form part of the Caribbean cruise and holiday programme for Thomson Cruises, Thomson and First Choice holidays and P&O Cruises which will depart from Cardiff Airport during winter 2015, and always prove popular with local holiday makers.
Karen Switzer, Director of Aviation Planning for Thomson Airways said: “The Dreamliner has certainly lived up to its promise to revolutionise long haul travel. Feedback from both customer and crew has been extremely positive and we are delighted to be operating flights from Cardiff Airport where customers from Wales can now enjoy the Thomson 787 Dreamliner experience”
Debra Barber, Managing Director for Cardiff Airport added: “We are delighted that Thomson has chosen to operate its newest, largest and most comfortable aircraft from Cardiff Airport during 2015 and commit to serving routes which we know are hugely popular with holiday makers.”
Flights and holidays are on sale online at www.thomson.co.uk or www.pocruises.com . Alternatively book via your local travel agent. For more information about Cardiff Airport visit www.cardiff-airport.com.


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In July 2020, the World Trade Organization (WTO) issued their annual report to the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on their efforts to achieve trade-specific targets to the UNs Sustainable Development Goals. Like the rest of the world, the COVID-19 crisis has had “a major impact on the global supply and demand, leading to disruptions in global supply chains for both goods and services.” The WTO expects world trade to “fall by between 13% and 32% in 2020…exceed[ing] the trade slump brought on by the global financial crisis of 2008-09.” Due to these high numbers, nearly all regions will see impact from the decline, but it is projected North America and Asia will see the greatest effects and “complex value chains, particularly electronics and automotive products” will receive the hits on the industry side.
While the world’s recovery from the pandemic will hopefully begin as early as 2021, the true terms and conditions of this are unknown. The WTO outlined six priorities in the annual report to aide international trade through the pandemic:
- Keep members, staff and the public, safe and to assure continuity of service.
- Provide an international cooperative framework in which Members can consider their individual responses to the crisis.
- Be able to inform Members of the effects on world trade of the spread of the virus, including disseminating information on measures that facilitate and restrict trade.
- Make it clearly understood that there is wide freedom to take necessary positive actions to meet the crisis (i.e. lower tariff rates or have no tariffs on any products that aide in dealing with the emergency).
- Facilitate the crafting of a coordinated response – with respect to members pledging to keep trade flows open, both with respect to imports and exports.
- Assure the continuation of ongoing negotiations and work at the WTO.
On the vein of change, the WTO will have a new Director-General to lead the charge through the remainder of the pandemic and into the recovery period. On 31 August 2020, Director General Azevedo will be stepping down and the selection process is already underway. The eight nominated candidates for WTO Director-General met with members on 15-17 July at a meeting of the General Council and will be undergoing the selection process over the next few months. With the changing of the guard in such a tumultuous time, the WTO has much more than just the challenges of the pandemic to juggle. Hopefully, new leadership will ensure prosperous recovery for international trade out of the pandemic – but only time will tell.
[T]he multilateral trading system. In addition, the COVID-19 crisis is having a major impact on global supply and demand, leading to disruptions in global supply chains for both goods and services.


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Bluu Seafoods reaches developmental milestone for cell-cultivated seafood
Berlin, Germany-based cell-cultivated seafood company Bluu Seafoods announced on 13 December it reached a "pivotal milestone" in the fish cell-cultivation process.
The company announced in a press release it successfully adapted its proprietary fish cell lines to grow in suspension without the use of microcarriers and other scaffolds.
Previously, Bluu Seafoods said it expects to begin sales of cell-cultured seafood to European supermarkets by 2025.
Photo courtesy of Bluu Seafoods


text: Desperate people impacted by the recession resorted to retail theft in greater numbers over the past year, but retailers still spent less on technologies that help hinder theft. That is according to the 2009 Global Retail Theft Barometer, an annual report conducted by the Centre for Retail Research, which monitors shrinkage and crime in the retail industry. 'Shrinkage' or 'shrink' is defined as stock loss from crime or waste, expressed as a percentage of retail sales.The report surveyed over 4,200 major retailers around the world and looked at key trends in retail shrinkage and crime in 41 countries and regions, including the U.S., China, India, Japan and countries in Europe. The total shrink in the 41 countries surveyed across the world cost retailers $114.8 billion, according to CRR, an average of 1.43 percent of global retail sales. This represented an increase of +5.9 percent over last year's average shrink of 1.35 percent the group said. Also see Organized Crime and Retail Theft: Facts and MythsThe increase in shrink was felt all over. All except three countries experienced an increase in shrinkage. Average shrinkage rates increased most in North America (+8.1 percent) and in Middle East\/Africa (+7.5 percent) and were strongly influenced by a large increase in shoplifting, the report said. CRR said significant increases in shrink rates occurred in the U.S. (where shrink rose by +8.8% to reach 1.61% of retail sales). However, the highest increases in shrink rates were experienced in Slovakia (+9.8%) and South Africa (8.2%). Various types of retail business were impacted by shrink in 2009. The highest shrink rates were in apparel, clothing and fashion and accessories and the auto parts, hardware and building materials industry. Cosmetics, perfume, beauty supply and pharmacy-related business were third on the list. The lowest rates were in liquor, wine, beer\/off-licence retail establishments. Retailers reported that thieves stole a wide range of items, but tended to focus on expensive popular branded items including: razor blades\/shaving products; cosmetics\/face creams and perfumes; alcohol; fresh meat\/expensive foodstuffs; infant formula; CDs, DVDs, and electronic games\/wii; fashion (especially branded items, leather, handbags and accessories); mobile\/cell phones; iPods\/MP3 players, SD cards, electronic goods; and watches. Satellite navigation equipment and laptops were also increasingly stolen, according to the survey. "The economic recession played a significant part in this increase. Crime has risen in most countries, whilst reduced profitability has led retailers to cut their security spending," CRR officials said in a statement on the findings. The reason for shrink included shoplifting, employee theft, organized crime and vendor fraud. In fact, 41.2 percent of retailers had experienced a significant increase in shoplifting in 2009 and 19.5 percent of retailers found employee theft had increased. Retailers believed that one-third (33.6 percent) of the shoplifting increase was caused by the recession and 22.2 percent of the rise in employee crime. However, despite the increase in crime, retail security spending has fallen, particularly expenditure on security equipment such as CCTV and EAS (electronic tagging of merchandise), which fell by 11.4 percent, according to the report.


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Cibes Lift generates interest in USA
In early December, the Autodesk University Annual Conference was held in Las Vegas. Close to 10 000 architects, engineers and designers attended the conference to find out about the latest technologies and developments in BIM – Building Information Modelling. The investments the Cibes Lift Group has made in BIM since 2014 were highlighted during the conference. The fact that Cibes made the company’s platform and cabin lifts freely available as digital BIM objects was held up as an example of how technology can save time, reduce costs and simplify the design of intelligent lift solutions.
In front of several thousand people at Autodesk University, Michael Thydell from Sweco Architects Sweden took up Cibes as an example of how an innovative lift company could use BIM to create added value at the regulatory level. BIM was established as a concept in the early 2000s and it is estimated it will save billions in the Swedish construction sector through more efficient construction processes, as well as lower costs for building operations. Michael Thydell felt that developments in the use of BIM had entered a new phase which heralded the arrival of new forces and opportunities.
If BIM is to have an impact it is essential that large numbers of companies embrace the technology and also take initiatives to increase use. Michael Thydell describes it as creating an unbroken information chain and moving the focus to an earlier stage in the construction process. This is when opportunities are created to save money and time, but also to come up with new smart (lift) solutions.
“Companies that understand the opportunities here have an advantage today, and this also applies to Cibes. The development of BIM is moving so fast globally it is an exciting parallel to Cibes’ international expansion. Cibes is increasing its number of BIM objects and may also provide a design package with even greater opportunities to tailor lift solutions, that is really exciting,” adds Michael.


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Barbados is expected to attract a larger share of the tourism market with the addition of the Wyndham brand.
This view was expressed today by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, as he delivered remarks at the signing ceremony for the Preferential Buyer Credit Loan Agreement by China Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank), for the Sam Lord???s Castle Hotel Project, at Government Headquarters.
The redevelopment of Sam Lord???s Castle will result in a five-star branded resort, operated by Wyndham, the largest hotel company in the world.
Mr. Stuart said after the signing: ???There is renewed interest in Barbados from a tourism perspective, and the Wyndham brand, sitting on the site of the former Sam Lord???s Castle, will add to the growing list of branded properties setting up business in Barbados.???
He explained that the project proposes a new Wyndham Grand Resort Hotel and timeshare residences. He added that the development would include the former Castle and Cliffside restaurant buildings; the construction of a new upscale resort hotel, comprising 350 guest accommodations; 100 vacation ownership units; a destination spa and a conference centre.
???There are many benefits to be gained from this new development. It has been targeted to cater to couples as well as to have a special appeal to families, as this group usually travels in the summer. This in itself will significantly help our tourism product in the slower summer months, as Barbados is striving to become a true year-round destination and not just a winter destination, as it is traditionally known,??? he stated.
According to the Prime Minister, Barbados currently has five internationally branded hotels, representing 805 rooms or 14 per cent of the total inventory. ???The addition of this brand will assist the island since international brands are known for their significant marketing pull,??? he remarked.
He pointed out that Barbados has not only been focusing on developing its ???hard??? product such as hotels, restaurants, attractions and other facilities, but also on the ???soft??? product, such as being a clean, friendly, safe and secure destination.
Ambassador of the People???s Republic of China to Barbados, Wang Ke, explained that China EXIM Bank would provide US$170 million to fund the rehabilitation of the Sam Lord???s Castle Hotel.
Mrs. Wang continued: ???With the loan agreement signed today, it is finally ready for the project to be put into operation. This makes China the only country that offers large scale preferential loans to finance infrastructure projects in Barbados which not only shows that China remains confident in Barbados??? tourism industry and its national economy, but also writes a new chapter in the China/Barbados partnership.???
She noted that there would be a ground-breaking ceremony for the rehabilitation of the hotel soon and expressed the view that the hotel would further enhance tourism???s contribution to this island???s economy.


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The Indian government, deciding to take its chances with market moods, has launched the long-awaited IPO of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). This is entirely an offer for sale by the government to offload 3.5% of its holdings (2.21 crore shares) to the public, at an offer price band of Rs 902-949. LIC will not receive any proceeds from the sale. Retail bidders will get a Rs 45 discount while LIC’s policyholders will get a Rs 60 discount.
Search Results for: ipo
On the LIC IPO, a lot is at stake. Rules have been bent, timelines collapsed and all the corners cut to meet deadlines and valuation numbers. The secondary market price is extremely critical for the government as it will decide the annual dilution of five percent that is likely to happen, to reduce the government ownership to seventy five percent over five years. So, for those who are worried about the price now, there is hope.
Star Health and Allied Insurance Co Ltd (Star Health), India’s leading standalone health insurer, is making an IPO worth Rs. 7,249 crore comprising a fresh issue of shares valued at Rs.2,000 crore and an offer for sale of Rs.5,249 crore. The issue will open on November 30 and close on December 2 at a price band of Rs. 870-900 per share. At the upper end of the price band, Star Health will be valued at Rs. 51,800 crore (~$7 billion).
Initial Public Offer. IPO. The magic term that brings forward so many emotions…and probably all falling into the bucket of ‘greed’ or ‘fear’. Nothing in between.
India’s IPO market has been throwing up many money-making opportunities lately. But for retail investors trying to get in on a piece of the action, bidding in IPOs is a frustrating exercise. But if you’re set on investing in IPOs, here’s a workaround through the mutual fund route.
Rs 18,300 crore. This monumental sum is what One 97 Communications Limited, which owns the Paytm platform, aims to mop up in the largest-ever IPO in our markets. To put it in perspective, it is almost twice the size of the largest IPO this year (Zomato at Rs 9375 cr), and as much as the 3 IPOs that we covered recently (Nykaa, FinoBank and PolicyBazaar) combined.
At a time when the revenue models for many fintech startups are ambiguous, PB Fintech – the company that houses Policybazaar and Paisabazaar – stands out. It has a clear revenue model driven by scalability that will likely pave the path to profits!
Fino Payments Bank arrives in the market today with an IPO – a public issue of Rs.1,200 crore comprising fresh issue of shares worth Rs.300 crore and offer for sale of shares worth Rs.900 crore by promoter, Fino Paytech, at a price band of Rs. 560-577 per share. The issue opens on October 29 and closes on November 2. The proceeds from the fresh issue will go towards augmenting the capital base of the bank.
FSN E-commerce Ventures, which operates e-commerce platforms in the beauty and fashion spaces under the brand name Nykaa, is launching a Rs 5,350 crore IPO that comprises a fresh issue of shares of Rs 630 crore and an offer for sale of Rs 4,720 crore.
If not the fund, should you invest in the fund house? The Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC IPO is open now, through which the AMC’s sponsors Aditya Birla Capital and Sun Life AMC will offload stake.
On the heels of Zomato, Burger King, and Mrs Bectors comes the Devyani International IPO. This company runs the KFC and Pizza Hut chains across the country. It has other restaurant chains too, but the bulk of its revenues come from these two. Devyani International is aiming to raise approximately Rs 1,838 crore through its IPO.
Glenmark Life Sciences (GLS) is a generic API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) manufacturer and a subsidiary of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. The Glenmark Life Sciences IPO is worth Rs. 1,514 crore, comprising fresh issue of Rs.1,060 crore and an offer for sale worth Rs.454 crore by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals. Should you invest in the IPO of this high-value, non-commoditized API player?


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"R.B.I. Baseball 15" will return to the video game world with Anthony Rizzo as the cover athlete.
Major League Baseball Advanced Media announced that the game will have new features such as "authentic MLB ballparks." An online multiplayer game is also available that includes status tracking. There will also be 30 teams with 25 members each and players can choose the settings between easy, medium and hard."
"R.B.I. Baseball 15" boasts high resolution graphics that is being developed to suit new consoles, tablets and smartphones. Aside from the new features, making Rizzo and Pedro Martinez parts of the game is something players can look forward to.
Rizzo is a good choice for a cover athlete since he showed the "importance of sportsmanship and charitable acts." The player is always on the top ten lists of several National League offensive stats. In addition, he was the youngest player who received the Branch Rickey Award for outstanding community service.
The baseball player was asked about how it feels like to be the face of "R.B.I. Baseball 15." Rizzo expressed his enthusiasm by saying that being in the cover of promotional materials is "awesome" and "surreal."
Meanwhile, Martinez will be in charge of promoting the game. This is his first product endorsement after the Hall of Fame election last month. In 1992, Martinez became the Montreal Expos "rookie callup" when "R.B.I. Baseball 15" was released. The following year, he was also a top roster pick for the game.
Gamers can look forward to the stats tracking. This means that they can now continuously check their skills on the game including batting and pitching. Players can view leader boards according to player, team and season.
For more exciting matches, players can play in ranked games via online or consoles. The 25-man roster is also a big change from previous 16 players in a team. This can help gamers adjust their winning moves easily.
"R.B.I. Baseball 15" will be available this spring on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and several Android gadgets.


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By Ollie Hall
The price of truck tyres will rise between 3% and 5% by the middle of 2010 as the market continues to struggle with reduced demand and a weak pound, according to a forecast by Continental.
Arthur Gregg, sales and marketing director for Continental commercial tyres, says: “At the start of 2009 we saw the cost of raw materials and oil rise, which forced us to increase prices by 3% and then a further 6% in March to compensate.
“We’ve forecast that the pound will decline further against the euro and the cost of raw materials will invariably go up, so for that we’ve forecast a price increase of between 3% and 5% in the second quarter of 2010.”
He added: “Next year’s market will continue in a similar vein as it has done over the past six months and will start to grow very steadily from the middle of next year onwards, however, the impressive sales we saw in 2007 won’t be back until 2013 or 2014 at the earliest.”
Forecasts and costs aside, Continental has said that it is seeing a growing demand for tyres with higher load capacities as well as smaller 17.5-inch and 19.5-inch tyres for double-deck trailers.


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AWS debuts new Sydney availability zone
Optus net profits up despite mobile subscriber fall
UK parliamentary committee criticises encryption backdoor bill
Herron Todd White's bet on building from scratch
Toshiba issues big recall for laptop batteries over fire fears
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Basslink still searching for cable fault
Tassie comms to be disrupted for next two months.
Jan 28 2016 2:23PM
Exetel slapped for dumping heavy broadband users
Promises to compensate affected customers.
Jan 18 2016 10:36AM
NBN to trial discounts for ISPs with heavy users
Testing a change to contentious pricing model.
Nov 27 2015 9:04AM
Perth to Singapore cable woes continue with new break
Restoration time pushed back again.
Nov 3 2015 9:22AM
Australia's data retention goes live, but ISPs say they're still in the dark
AGD silence leaves many unclear on exemptions.
Oct 13 2015 7:00AM
Telcos silenced by AGD on data retention exemptions
Threatened with revocation should they go public.
Sep 25 2015 12:00PM
NBN wants to cut access costs for smaller ISPs
PoI plan angers big telcos.
Sep 16 2015 12:05PM
Second-hand IPv4 addresses reaping big bucks
Up to US$100 per IPv4 address could become the norm.
Sep 11 2015 6:33AM
Hardware failure hits iiNet broadband, 3G data
Mobile broadband data services affected throughout Australia.
Jul 7 2015 6:42AM
DBC wants alleged pirates' income, download details
Studio succeeds in keeping fee methodology secret.
Jun 18 2015 11:10AM
Exetel dumps 400 heavy broadband users
Affected customers given 30 days to find a new provider.
Jun 12 2015 12:25PM
Telco bosses hound Govt on data retention costs
Telstra, Optus, Vodafone bosses lobby for clarity.
Mar 16 2015 2:03PM
Govt to adopt all changes to data retention bill
Likely to pass into law.
Mar 3 2015 2:11PM
Deadlock: Cost still the problem for piracy scheme
ISPs, rights holders in repeat of 2012 stalemate.
Feb 24 2015 7:00AM
France mandates blocking of terrorist-supporting websites
Providers have 24 hours to comply.
Feb 9 2015 6:35AM
Vocus offloads Kiwi network construction unit
Sets up joint venture with Spark.
Feb 4 2015 10:50AM
Australian police fail to quantify metadata use in investigations
Law enforcement agencies lay out case for data retention.
Dec 17 2014 11:11AM
Govt gives ISPs four months to develop piracy code
Will introduce website blocking for non-Aussie torrent sites.
Dec 10 2014 2:30PM
Netflix announces Australian launch
Updated: Will the telcos play ball?
Nov 19 2014 10:12AM
AFP will use data retention to fight piracy
Commissioner reveals use for new scheme.
Oct 30 2014 1:30PM
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Prismata Kickstarter Update
As Prismata nears the end of its Kickstarter campaign, the team explains the history of Prismata’s early development.
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Independent watch Maison, Romain Gauthier has unveiled its latest timepiece, which also marks the fifth iteration of its C sports model: the C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Five.
In terms of appearance, the new timepiece remains faithful to its predecessors, from the same silhouette, and proportions to materiality. One of the key defining features that set the new iteration apart from its former counterparts is its dial, starring a radiant champagne hue and hand-engraved finish.
The dial is further embellished with three-dimensional elements such as its tapered handset, Arabic numerals, and indices — all crafted from 18k white gold and coated with Super-LumiNova. Touches of burgundy red punctuate the shimmering watch face, arriving in the form of a unique small seconds subdial and 2 o’clock crown.
Like the first edition of the model that debuted in 2021, the new reference is also equipped with an in-house hand-wound movement with a 60-hour power reserve. Accompanying the watch are two rubber strap options in gray and burgundy.
Priced at 39,000 CHF (approximately $43,261 USD), the C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Five is released in a limited run of 38 examples only. Visit the brand’s official website to inquire about its availability.
In other watch news, NOMOS releases its iconic Tangente watch in a limited-edition rose gold build.
Source: Read Full Article


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Nitrite and nitrate alternatives gain ground for processed meat applications14 Jun 2022
As France finalises its review into the health risks of nitrite in cured meats, industry research focuses on the potential substitutes for nitrite and nitrate in processed meats to offer consumers healthy alternatives.
By the end of June 2022, France will have completed a review of the potential health risks of using nitrite in cured meats. The review comes as the French parliament gave the green light to a bill that seeks to lower nitrite use in cured meats.
In May 2022, flavour manufacturer, Givaudan, introduced its patent-pending nitrite alternative for processed meat. The company combined plant-based ingredients and natural flavouring to provide a nitrite replacement for processed meat manufacturers.
Further analysis into the role nitrites and nitrates have on consumers’ health follows a 2015 report by The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an intergovernmental agency that forms part of the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations.
The IARC found that consuming processed meat is “carcinogenic to humans” and that the consumption of red meat is “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Processed meat is outlined in the report as meat that has been transformed through processes designed to enhance flavour or improve its preservation capabilities. Examples of these processes, include salting, curing, fermentation and smoking.
Achieving health without giving up meat
Reading University in the UK set out to explore ways to reduce risks associated with processed meat while enabling consumption for health-conscious meat-eaters. The international team of researchers embarked on its Phytome Project in a bid to develop processed red meat that contains added natural substitutes.
These substitutes aim to lower the carcinogenic compound, nitrite, used to preserve meats. Researchers applied a mixture of plants and fruits, including rosemary, green tea and resveratrol, an extract from Japanese knotweed.
Scientists at the University of Reading created versions of cooked and dry-cured meat which replaced nitrite with natural alternatives. In addition, the research teams also examined whether the alternative substitutes would impact meat when used with standard nitrite levels found in processed red meats.
The difference between nitrite and nitrate
Gunter Kuhnle, professor of nutrition in food science at the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Reading, UK explains that it is important to distinguish between nitrite (NO2) and nitrate (NO3).
“Nitrite is usually from curing salt that is added to meat products,” says Professor Kuhnle. It binds to the haem and results in the pink colour of meat, which disappears when heating, and is also used to preserve meat, Kuhnle adds.
“Nitrate is often added to the meat in the form of “vegetable salts” (nitrate is found mainly in leafy vegetables, but also beetroot or celery), and is then converted to nitrite when meat products are fermented (such as, for example, salami),” says Kuhnle. The nitrite will then act as a preservative but does not have to be declared on the label.
“From a health impact, when considering the impact on endogenous nitrosation, there is very little difference,” explains Kuhnle.
Kuhnle continues by saying that to add to the confusion, nitrate-rich foods such as beetroot juice are promoted as health foods because the nitrate is converted to nitrite by the oral microbiome and nitrite can improve vascular function and lower blood pressure.
“Nitrite and nitrate (but in particular nitrite) have both been linked to an increased risk of cancer,” says Kuhnle.
“Nitrite is used as a preservative, so it can’t be removed easily without jeopardising food safety—but there is a drive to reduce it as much as possible (or even remove it) to weaken or break the link between processed meat intake and cancer,” Kuhnle states.
High phenolic plant and fruit extracts as alternatives
In exploring processed meat, the researchers set out to achieve two core aims with their study, which was published in the Molecular Nutrition and Food Research journal. The first was to develop a ‘proof-of-concept’ product. In developing the concept, the researchers sought to show it is possible to reformulate meat products that are acceptable to the consumer and reduce the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, Kuhnle says. The second was to elucidate underlying mechanisms further.
The researcher’s core findings were that adding plant extracts with phenolic compounds to meat reduces the formation of nitrosamines in the GI tract, and this even works when there are high amounts of nitrate in the drinking water, Kuhnle shares.
“This is very relevant because meat is not the main source of nitrate in the diet—these are vegetables and drinking water—and nitrate is converted by the oral microbiome to nitrite, so the impact on health is very similar (it lowers blood pressure but increases cancer risk),” says Kuhnle. “Consuming meat products with high-phenolic plant extracts prevent the formation of carcinogenic compounds,” adds Kuhnle.
‘There is a lot of interest in the meat sector to improve products’
Professor Kuhnle has researched the link between red and processed meat intake and cancer for almost two decades and was always interested in finding ways to weaken or break this link.
“Colorectal cancer is one of the main types of cancer in the UK, and it would be great to contribute to interventions to change this,” says Kuhnle. “In my opinion, it is always more difficult to promote abstinence—so a technological solution would have more impact,” adds Kuhnle.
The research team at the University of Reading has also found that polyphenols, another keen research interest of Professor Kuhnle, can reduce the formation of nitrosamines in the stomach—one of the key mechanisms linking meat consumption and cancer, Kuhnle states.
“The meat sector was very interested in this, and this is why we, and collaborators from Maastricht in the Netherlands, started a research project with EU processed meat producers,” says Kuhnle. “There was and is a lot of interest in the sector to improve products,” adds Kuhnle.
Alternatives should be affordable – not just for premium products
“It is possible to develop meat products containing much less—or no—nitrite, which is acceptable to the consumer,” says Kuhnle, on the conclusion the research team could draw from these results.
Dr Kuhnle anticipates that alternatives in the cured and processed meat sector are “very likely”. “It is important that such products are not just available in the premium range but are affordable,” adds Kuhnle.
Metrics matter: Measuring the true price of food for a healthy and sustainable future
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Food value chains must begin to price in the ‘externalities’ of production, including impacts on human and planetary health, if the world is to realistically create a healthy and sustainable food supply to feed a growing population, according to one of...Read more
Foodwatch says industry self-monitoring ‘not sufficiently effective’ at preventing potentially harmful contamination
10 Jun 2022
The system of self-monitoring entrusted to food manufacturers is “not sufficiently effective” to ensure food safety, says non-profit watchdog Foodwatch, following cases of Nestlé and Ferrero products contaminated with E.coli and Salm...Read more
EFSA stalls CBD novel food evaluation citing ‘several hazards’
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Data gaps and uncertainties surrounding the potential risks associated with the consumption of cannabidiol (CBD) have stalled EFSA’s certification of CBD as a novel food. “We have identified several hazards related to CBD intake,” say...Read more
US FDA was ‘wrong’ to deem tagatose calorie content ‘significantly higher’ than allulose, says Bonumose CEO
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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was “wrong” to deem tagatose’s calorie content contribution “significantly higher” than allulose because the difference between the two sugar substitutes is less than between tagat...Read more
Clutch Cognition creates functional drinks with brain health botanicals
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Danish startup, Clutch Cognition, has entered the functional drinks space targeting cognitive health with a blend of botanicals and plant-based ingredients such as sage, green oat, green tea, and guar beans.Read more
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Food safety testing technologies such as automation and next-generation sequencing methods are instrumental to building industry transparency, consumer confidence and detecting foodborne outbreaks and infectious diseases.Read more
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Algae strain Chlorella appeals to environmental ingredient demands
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No ‘silver bullets’ for impending wheat crisis after India’s export ban
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“It’s been a long time since we have been able to do this,” he added.
In March, organizers said they had planned to reduce attendance at this year’s event to about 4,000 cars a day, parked in a tailgate-style spectator lot. With six passengers in each car, that would have meant up to 24,000 guests a day — a far cry from the average 60,000 to 70,000 people milling about on foot in typical years.
The show had also planned to nix static aircraft displays, another big change.
Guests were to drive on to show grounds near the airport, according to this initial plan, where visitors could watch from private 20x20 viewing areas. No one was to be allowed to walk in.
Tickets are on sale now at the show’s website, www.daytonairshow.com. Customers can use a print-at-home option on all website purchases.
Beginning June 1, customers can purchase discount general admission tickets at Kroger stores. This Kroger exclusive offers $3 off adult and children’s tickets at over 100 Kroger stores in the Dayton/Cincinnati region.
Any drive-in tickets purchased for the 2021 show will be automatically refunded, the show said.


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While Samsung's latest Android-powered flip phone is expected to be announced imminently, another video clip has surfaced that shows off the inside and outside of the device as well as its displays.
Windows 11 in Release Preview adds urgent notifications bypass and more
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Windows 11 released to Dev Channel and ISO comes with File Explorer tabs
windows 11 promo
Flip phone RSS
Samsung's tradition of releasing a flagship-class flip phone is continuing, and we now know what this year's model will look like thanks to a few leaked photos and a hands-on video.
The rumored Samsung flip phone powered by high-end internal specifications such as a Snapdragon 835 processor and 6 GB RAM seems to have cleared the FCC and has moved one step closer to release.
It looks like someone has gotten their hands on Samsung's upcoming Android flip phone and posted photos of the device online, providing a good look at the device when opened and closed.
If a new detail is to be believed, Samsung could release a new smartphone on August 3. This handset will arrive as a flip but will be powered by Android and offer quite a set of specifications.
It was towards the end of last year that Samsung revealed its latest flip phone, the Galaxy Folder 2. Now, we are finally getting more details about the handset for its South Korean debut.
Samsung recently launched the entry-level Galaxy Folder 2, but the company is gearing up for a bigger, high-end release with the SM-W2017. And here's a look at the new phone in leaked images.
If you're looking for a high-end Android device packaged into a flip phone, the SM-G9198 might be for you! Samsung debuted its latest flip phone that packs a Snapdragon 808, 2GB RAM and a 16MP camera.


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Fallout 76: West Virginia declares Reclamation Day a real event
One of the year’s biggest titles is now on sale. Here’s what you need to know
The governor of West Virginia has declared that the fictional Reclamation Day from Fallout 76 will be officially recognised by the state.
Reclamation Day is the name of the first mission in the post-apocalyptic game, which is set in the US state, and sees players venture outside an underground vault to “explore” and “settle” in the bomb-stricken world, according to gaming blog Geek Girl Authority.
To mark the launch of the eagerly awaited game yesterday, West Virginia’s governor, Jim Justice, announced that 14 November will now be known as Reclamation Day.
Bethesda Game Studios, the company behind Fallout 76, posted an image on its Twitter page of the proclamation certificate, which says the day will be used to “encourage all citizens to visit West Virginia” and “explore the diverse set of featured sights and destinations” from the game.
However, as PC Gamer notes, the proclamation is “one of those marketing stunts” that unfortunately won’t give the citizens of West Virginia a day off.
While Fallout 76 is now available on consoles and PC, critics are holding off from giving their final verdicts so that they can assess the game’s multiplayer features.
As Fallout 76’s core gameplay centres around online interaction with other players, Forbes says reviewers were unable to trial the game until after it released. Therefore, most critics are unlikely to share their final opinions before early next week.
Until then, here’s everything you need to know about one of this year’s biggest game releases:
When does Fallout 76 come out?
The new title is now available on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.
There are three versions of the game on offer, including the standard version and the Tricentennial Edition, with the latter coming with “a variety of in-game bonus items” such as exclusive outfits and weapons, says GameSpot.
The final option is the Power Edition, featuring a life-size helmet from Fallout’s heavy-duty power armour, as well as a glow-in-the-dark map and a steel case for the game disc.
Fans willing to shell out for the Power Edition can order it from Game for £174.99.
However, the new title will not be launching on popular gaming platform Steam, which hosts most of the industry’s biggest releases, PC Gamer reports.
Instead, Bethesda told the website, PC players can download the new title and its pre-release beta version from its online store, Bethesda.net.
PC users can also buy a boxed version of the game - rather than a digital download code sent via email - from Amazon for £49.99.
What is Fallout 76?
Unlike recent entries into the franchise, which take the form of single-player RPGs, Fallout 76 is an always-online multiplayer game set prior to the events of all the previous titles.
The game takes place 25 years after a global nuclear war that has all but destroyed the US. Players adopt the role of a survivor as they emerge from an underground vault and make their way into the wasteland for the first time since the bombs dropped.
According to The Verge, Bethesda has improved its lighting and rendering technology for Fallout 76, so the game packs in significantly more detail that its predecessors. The game’s world is also four times larger than that in 2015’s Fallout 4.
The new title will feature survival elements, with players able to build settlements together and to take on missions as a group, says Digital Trends.
However, not all players will be friendly. The post-apocalyptic West Virginia features a number of nuclear missile sites that players can annex in order to launch an attack on other gamers, the tech site says.
Gamers looking for a more traditional Fallout experience can still play solo, says Kotaku, but “playing together and teaming up is definitely encouraged”.
How do microtransactions work?
Bethesda Studios outlined how in-game purchases will work back in October.
Speaking to Xbox programming chief Larry Hryb, Bethesda vice president Pete Hines said players would be able to purchase items in the game using “Atoms”, a virtual currency that can be earned through playing Fallout 76 or bought with real money.
“Quite honestly, we throw them at you all the time”, he said. “You get them as little rewards for leaving the vault, or the first time you kill a creature, or the first time you pick fruits or vegetables from somewhere. It’s a little challenge reward.”
Hines said that Atoms could be used to purchase new outfits and decorations to place around the player’s home. Players aren’t able to use real-world money to buy new guns or abilities as this would give them an advantage over those who don’t spend cash in-game – commonly referred to as microtransactions.
While players can earn Atoms by playing the game, Eurogamer says it’s not yet known how long it would take to save up enough Atoms to buy new outfits.
How Bethesda plans to deal with ‘trolls’
In August, Bethesda chief Todd Howard provided some insight into how the multiplayer game would deal with “trolling” – where a player repeatedly kills or annoys another person in order to ruin their game – at the company’s QuakeCon conference in Texas.
Howard explained that the player who kills someone who didn’t want to engage in a fight becomes “a wanted murderer”.
The so-called murderer won’t receive any rewards for killing a player who doesn’t want to engage, says Gamespot. Instead, the murderer’s location will be highlighted to other players in the virtual world and a bounty placed over his or her head.
The bounty money is taken out of the murderer’s own stash, according to the gaming news site. Bethesda hopes this will act as a deterrent to players looking to interfere with another person’s experience.
Other new features announced during the QuakeCon panel include a refreshed skills system where players can unlock new abilities through random card packs.
These virtual card packs are handed to players every time they level up, says Mashable. The cards give players special perks, such as improved gun accuracy and better health.
Bethesda has added a photo mode to Fallout 76. This will enable players to take pictures of their custom character and layer over filters inspired by Instagram, the tech site says.
Fallout 76’s beta programme, which allowed players to test the game before it released, officially ended on 8 November. Bethesda has made a number of tweaks based on player feedback provided during the beta period.
One of the main issues raised centres on Fallout 76’s weight limit, says Gamespot. Players can only lug around a certain number of items in the game, but Bethesda says it will increase this carry limit “in the future”.
Meanwhile, some players reported that their character was always hungry, even after eating, the gaming news site says. This, along with a number of other small technical bugs, has been now been fixed.


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Recovery held back by few flights
With international flights reaching only 40% of pre-pandemic levels, Thai tourism must wait for a clearer outlook, particularly with the government budget running dry, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said competition in the upcoming high season will be intense as more countries will reopen with fewer restrictions, particularly those struggling economically, eager to stimulate spending via the international tourism market.
He said the overall seat capacity to Thailand in August was around 40% of pre-Covid levels, a rate that has gradually increased from 30% over the previous two months.
Mr Yuthasak said the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has to wait until Sept 7 to see a complete winter schedule, with CAAT expecting October-December seat capacity to rise to 50% of pre-pandemic levels.
However, the tourism industry is likely to see no more financial stimulus as the government is running out of funds. A 1-billion-baht tourism stimulus proposal is still waiting for approval from the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA).
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said the government will allocate the funds for the proposed scheme at the next CESA meeting.
The government reportedly only has 5 billion baht left in its central budget, which must be reserved for unexpected disasters.
The domestic market will also have to depend on organic growth in the final quarter as the 1.5-million-room "We Travel Together" hotel subsidy scheme has been exhausted and the government will not extend it, Mr Yuthasak said.
Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association, said only luxury hotels are seeing strong forward bookings for the upcoming high season, particularly those situated in areas with high demand, such as along the Chao Phraya River. "Many hotels only partially reopened as guest numbers remain weak," she said.
- international flights


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By TBY | Costa Rica | Mar 01, 2018
Costa Rica must contemplate the economic and environmental feasibility of becoming a large pineapple exporter following its first shipment to China in 2017.
As with all agricultural farming, there is a balance between growth and environmental standards. Costa Rica is in a unique circumstance following its first shipment of fresh pineapples to China. While this is a potentially lucrative demand market, there may be adverse effects on Costa Rica’s lush environment and its famous image of sustainability.
A 2003 tariff agreement between Costa Rica and the EU has helped establish the Latin American country as one of the largest exporters of pineapples globally. According to Abel Chaves, President of the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers (CANAPEP), Costa Rica “produces 2.9 tons per hectare, above Brazil with 2.6, the Philippines with 2.5, and Thailand with 1.9.”
As a result, pineapple production has become a legacy industry in the country where fresh pineapple and its variants represent 33% of total agricultural output, roughly USD1.1 billion, or about 2% of total GDP in 2016. 2017, however, has offered an additional boost to export potential by seeing its very first shipment of Costa Rican pineapple to China via the Caldera port in Puntarenas.
Access to the Chinese market is a major focus for many companies and countries in today’s globalized world, and Costa Rica has been no exception. The prospect of the Chinese market is not without its challenges, however.
Not only is the market demand not fully proven in its current nascent stage, there is the great geographical divide of the countries making shipment of a perishable good an ongoing drain on resources for exporters. There is hope that, through marketing the Costa Rican variation as a delicacy compared to its more bitter Filipino counterpart, they may see a boon to the already thriving pineapple business in Costa Rica.
Even still, there is another consideration that must be addressed, which is the viability of a country the size of West Virginia and its ability to grow enough supply to satisfy potential crippling demand from the world’s most populous nation. Simply offering up more land for pineapple cultivation amounts to further environmental degradation by tearing down pristine jungle habitat. It is a perpetual issue in Costa Rica and other sub-tropical emerging nations, and many struggle to find the sweet spot between maintaining pristine tropical ecosystems or stimulating job growth in usually rural, underemployed areas.
However, the true impact of job growth is a bit ambiguous. Pineapple production in Costa Rica employs roughly 32,000 people directly and 120,000 indirectly employed by the industry, not an insignificant figure in a country of less than 5 million people. However, roughly 70% of those employed are Nicaraguan seasonal workers, many illegal. Much of this money makes its way out of the country in the form of remittances, thereby, limiting the economic benefit of production.
Furthermore, Costa Rica’s entire national brand, from tourism to energy, is based on sustainability and greenness. How do they reconcile growth and greenness? The US and the EU represent an established export market and make up roughly 97% of current pineapple exports. Ultimately, the answer may simply be the status quo with a twist. During an interview, Chaves expressed his optimism and clarified that Costa Rica is looking to supply organic pineapples, a smaller niche market.
In similar efforts to fill other market demands, Costa Rica may be better situated to further develop its value-added processes like dehydrated pineapples or expand its organic pineapple production, a solution seemingly more suitable to such a small land mass servicing the richest regions in the world.


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Nine’s new CEO Mike Sneesby inherited a well-run operation from predecessor Hugh Marks, but he has work to do in TV and print.
After losing a fight in the ACCC, ASX-listed Plenti will launch buy a now, pay later product to capture more of the $2 billion rooftop solar panel and battery market.
Rio Tinto chairman Simon Thompson lacked a plausible explanation for how he mismanaged the aftermath of Juukan Gorge.
Labour’s shadow trade minister Bill Esterson slammed the company overnight, saying it’s a ‘disgrace’ that Lendlease had made 240 staff redundant while finding millions to pay its shareholders.
Underestimating the future role of gas in power generation will cost the economy and decarbonisation efforts, Frontier Economics analysis shows.


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Sibos 2016 & innovation: crossing the next frontier
There has been a huge amount of hype at this year’s Sibos about financial technology and its role in financial services. Devie Mohan* looks at the technologies that will help financial institutions cross the next frontier of innovation.
The world of financial technology has seen a clear and significant shift in the past year – the focus of innovation has moved from pure technology to information and learning. Platforms around payments, lending and advisory have reached a certain level of maturity. Now, the attention of banks, investors and the financial technology industry has shifted to use cases around emerging technologies that build on and learn from all available data and information.
Financial services firms globally are experimenting with cognitive systems, applying them to the vast amount of unstructured data they hold in order to identify potential use cases that will have immediate impact. Whether it is data from industry research, advisory reports, news, product brochures, terms documents, stock information or customer transaction data, these tools can be deployed to help provide a better and more efficient customer service. Firms are increasingly aware of the potential of cognitive computing technologies to increase engagement with the customer, thus improving customer experience and loyalty. Personalised engagement, intelligent targeting and marketing and advisory around personality traits are some of the areas where these technologies are beginning to be applied.
Artificial intelligence techniques including machine learning and neural networks have several applied use cases today, especially around security optimisation, risk management and fraud detection. Financial technology firms such as Feedzai and BillGuard use big data mining and machine learning to detect fraud and risky customers in a much more efficient manner than any traditional method used in banks. Machine learning is being used for image and voice recognition to improve authentication accuracy. However, the vast majority of banking use cases for artificial intelligence is focused on customer support. ‘Chat bots’ and deep insights are used to deliver a human-like, conversational customer experience with quick and easy access to relevant information.
If last year was the year of big data, this year all activities for banks are centred on getting the best out of the now available data infrastructure. They are using analytics, especially predictive analytics, to improve their understanding of customer behaviour. A recent report from Aberdeen Group found that firms using predictive analytics tools experienced an 11 per cent increase in customer acquisition numbers (compared to 8 per cent for those not using them) and an 8 per cent increase in cross-sell revenues (compared to 3 per cent for those not using them).
Almost all banks globally are using predictive analytics techniques across their product portfolio. Citi has used predictive analytics tools as part of its treasury management portal and several banks including Commerzbank, HSBC, Bank of America and BNP Paribas have used it to handle cash forecasting. Although corporate banking products such as cash, trade finance and supply chain finance have been popular with predictive experimentation so far, several innovations are being applied in consumer banking and insurance, for example, to handle peer to peer lending, automated investing and customer underwriting and risk management.
Authentication and know your customer requirements have remained two of the biggest challenges for banks. Many banks are working closely with financial technology firms to explore solutions that offer both accuracy and automated efficiency. Facial recognition, fingerprints, finger vein patterns and iris recognition are some of the most commonly used biometric inputs in branch and cash machine banking. Several banks such as Wells Fargo are experimenting with voice recognition and multi-factor authentication methods to improve online and phone banking security.
One of the most important areas of future development in this space is expected to be around wearables, with banks including Halifax and TD Bank experimenting with heartbeat-based online authentication, which is considered more reliable than fingerprinting.
The obvious application for robots in banking is around automating repetitive manual tasks, especially in customer-facing functions. Software robots can help provide a human-like interface between different systems in a process, or to bring together disparate data sources, with minimal intrusion and increased accuracy. For example, according to Acca Global (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the global body for professional accountants), Barclays Bank’s work with robotic automation software resulted in a £175 million annual reduction of bad debts.
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ and the Bank of Taiwan have launched robot tellers that can learn, adapt and respond to customers’ branch banking queries. Apart from these physical robots, virtual robots or bots are widespread in the banking industry today, handling everything from personal finances and payment of bills through to money transfer and IT support. Most banks have experienced tremendous impact from this automation; for example, Swedbank’s robotic assistant achieved 78 per cent first contact resolution in its first three months of operation.
Augmented reality and internet of things
When Commonwealth Bank of Australia experimented with augmented reality-based property search apps in 2010, it was perhaps the first step towards the digital revolution seamlessly collaborating with the physical world and its senses. Any product that has a physical presence can be digitalised using augmented reality. Such technology can be applied to corporate banking challenges around collateral and inventory management and insurance claims processing. It also can be applied to consumer banking challenges around personal insurance, health sensors, credit cards and retail shop rewards, for example.
Combined with the big data initiatives most banks have taken on, there is tremendous potential for internet of things to connect all payments or sensory devices to a bank’s data networks. Risk management and security remain two areas of concern and there is considerable research and development in these spaces to help find sustainable solutions that work across both urban and rural banking customer groups.
Use cases for emerging technologies
These emerging technologies are being applied in three main areas of banking: customer and IT support, marketing automation and fraud anomaly detection.
Whether it is about humans and machines working together or machines replacing humans in certain tasks, all of the use cases around these emerging technologies are focused on deriving huge efficiencies in terms of human and physical resources.
Quantum computing is another technology being used to achieve vastly improved efficiencies by banks across all groups.
It is clear that with the help of these technologies, both humans and machines will learn, adapt and grow with each other, thus driving the speed of innovation further. With most global banks experimenting actively with new technologies and desiring to be ahead of the innovation curve with these tools, financial technology has crossed over to a new dimension where back-end use cases driven by customer experience, accuracy, security and sustainability of costs have taken over from user interface or user experience improvements and front-end platforms.
* Mohan Devie is a financial technology industry advisor and analyst based in London


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Facebook is to pay £630m for Instagram, though some of the photo-sharing app’s 30 million users have complained that the social network is ‘for old people’
Facebook has acquired Instagram, a popular photo-sharing app, for $1 billion (£630m).
“We couldn’t be happier to announce that Instagram has agreed to be acquired by Facebook,” Instagram chief executive Kevin Systrom wrote in a 9 April blog post.
30 million users
“I’m excited to share… that we’ve agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook,” chief executive Mark Zuckerberg posted an hour earlier.
Instagram has approximately 30 million active users, and Zuckerberg noted that it was the first and possibly last time it would ever acquire a company with so many users.
Surely setting some minds at ease, Zuckerberg explained that Instagram users will have the option to not share Instagram photos on Facebook, and the ability to “have followers and follow people separately from your Friends on Facebook”.
“We think the fact that Instagram is connected to other services beyond Facebook is an important part of the experience,” Zuckerberg added. He went on to say that Facebook understand what’s important to the Instagram experience, and that it will try to learn from Instagram’s experience and build similar features into its programs, while also helping Instagram “continue to grow by using Facebook’s strong engineering team and infrastructure”.
On 6 April, Instagram announced that it was finally opening its world to Android, in addition to Apple iOS users. In half a day, the Android app was downloaded by more than one million users.
“When we started Instagram, we tried to image what the world would be like if every single person on earth could share the world around them through the lens on their phones,” the company announced on its blog. “With the release of Instagram for Android, we’re one step closer to making that goal a reality.
Systrom, in his 9 April post, added that Instagram will remain the same app that its users know and love.
“You’ll still have all the same people you follow and that follow you,” Systrom wrote. “You’ll still be able to share to other social networks. And you’ll still have all the other features that make the app so fun and unique.”
Not all users appeared to be convinced. When the Android-app launched, it besmirched the Instagram brand for some users. “They’re saying how it’s uncool now, because Android is uncool,” analyst Roger Kay, with Endpoint Technologies, told eWEEK at the time. “Who are these teenage girls?”
Some of Instagram’s users have given the same unfavourable reaction to Facebook’s acquisition, according to Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.
Shortly after the news broke, he Tweeted a screenshot of an instant message from his 12-year-old daughter. “It ruins the purpose of instagram! OMGosh!!!!” she wrote, complete with crying emoticons.
“How does it ruin it?” he asked. “BECAUSE FACEBOOK IS STUPID AND FOR OLD PEOPLE AND IT WILL CHANGE INSTAGRAM,” she wrote, with more crying emoticons.
How well do you know your tablets? Take our quiz.


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Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 14.5.1 With Fixes for App Tracking Transparency Bug, WebKit Security Issues
Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 14.5.1, minor security updates that come just a week after the release of the iOS 14.5 update. There is also a companion watchOS 7.4.1 update for Apple Watch and an iOS 12.5.3 update for older iPhone and iPad devices that don't support Apple's latest operating system versions.
According to Apple's release notes, the update fixes a bug with App Tracking Transparency that may have prevented some users from receiving prompts from apps.
This update fixes an issue with App Tracking Transparency where some users who previously disabled Allow Apps to Request to Track in Settings may not receive prompts from apps after re-enabling it. This update also provides important security updates and is recommended for all users.
Security notes for the release indicate that it addresses a memory corruption issue and an integer overflow in WebKit that could both be exploited using maliciously crafted web content. Apple says it aware of a report that these issues may have been actively exploited, so users are advised to upgrade immediately.
The iOS and iPadOS 14.5.1 updates can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max will have the thinnest bezels of any smartphone, beating the record currently held by the Xiaomi 13. That's according to the leaker known as "Ice Universe," who has divulged accurate information about Apple's plans in the past.
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If you are still using an iPhone 12 Pro and are considering upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro when it launches later this year, we have put together a...
While the iPhone 15 lineup is around six months away, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes are expected for the iPhone 15 Pro models in particular, including a titanium frame and more.
Below, we have recapped 11 features rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A17...
Apple's high-end iPhone models have started at $999 in the U.S. since they first launched back in 2017 with the iPhone X, but could this finally be the year that starting price sees an increase?
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Apple's next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will likely be more expensive than previous Pro models, according to Jeff Pu, a tech analyst at Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities.
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Top Rated Comments
"Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited".
In other words, potential zero-day.


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New mural in Chipping Norton
A beautiful new mural has been painted in the windows of the former Beale's store in Chipping Norton. From the Oxford Mail:
A GRAPHIC artist who has previously worked for Nike has created a mural in his home town.
Luke Embden, 38, has been working on the piece from inside Beales since Thursday.
He said: “The idea stems from the pandemic situation, as I came back from Berlin to Chippy for my dad’s birthday, and then should’ve gone to Amsterdam for work but ended up getting trapped back here.
“Being born and raised here, I wanted to give something back to the community. I reached out and Georgia Mazower has been very supportive in making this happen.
“The idea then grew from the store being vacant, it had been here years and was iconic. I wanted to create a piece of work that tells the story of Chippy and the iconic buildings. Hopefully it will lift morale and community spirit.
“People can walk past as I’m on the inside, painting to the outside, so we’re able to conform to social distancing. Hopefully this will be a push for other creatives to use these empty shops windows.”
To see more of Mr Embden’s work, please visit: lukeembden.co.uk


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A year ago, Solectric Inc. was little more than a concept. Today the Troutdale-based start-up is being courted by a handful of states hoping to land the 100,000-square foot manufacturing plant the company wants to build.
Company officials remain coy, saying Oregon remains in contention for the plant, which will make thin-film solar modules, and its 220 jobs.
“It looks like it’s going to be here,” CEO Paul Hodge Jr. said this week.
State officials, however, worry that Solectric could join a growing list of solar companies that got away. While Oregon was once one of the few states fighting to recruit solar energy companies, the field of competitors is growing. And for every SolarWorld and Sanyo Solar the state has lured, just as many ended up elsewhere.
“My biggest fear,” said Tim McCabe, director of the Oregon Economic & Community Development Department, the state’s chief job recruitment division, “is that when we’ve convinced (a company) they need to be here, that they go shopping once they’ve got our offer.”
Oregon has placed significant emphasis on promoting the state as the epicenter of solar manufacturing in the U.S,, touting its access to a skilled workforce, relatively cheap electricity, and proximity to California, which represents 80 percent of the U.S. solar market.
The state gained significant momentum with the addition of SolarWorld, which last fall opened the world’s largest photovoltaic manufacturing plant in Hillsboro, and Sanyo Solar, which broke ground in Salem in October on a plant to produce solar ingots and wafers.
State officials are in talks with several other companies to add to the momentum, McCabe said.
“What doesn’t get reported, is we don’t win a lot of these,” McCabe said.
German firm Schott Solar Inc., a company Oregon targeted, announced in Jan. 2008 its plans to build a plant in Albuquerque, N.M. Evergreen Solar Inc. chose to stay in its home state of Massachusetts after receiving an incentive offer from Oregon.
And in October, Oslo-based Renewable Energy Corporation ASA announced it would invest $3 billion in Singapore in a photovoltaic manufacturing plant that will include 1,300 jobs in the first phase. Oregon officials said the state hoped to lure the project.
“The big thing we’re seeing now is that other states woke up about six months ago,” said Bruce Laird, the OECDD’s recruitment specialist for the renewable energy sector. “We used to have an absolutely clear field in talking to these companies and now we’re seeing the big-incentive states showing up.”
That includes New Mexico, which — among other things — gave Schott $7.5 million in addition, and Tennessee, which has shown its muscle in the past by luring once-lucrative auto manufacturing jobs to the state.
McCabe said it’s natural and acceptable for companies like Solectric to play the field.
“Evergreen was one that originated in Massachusetts, came out here, went back to Massachusetts, and they beat it,” McCabe said. “They’re not dishonest. They’re trying to get the best deal. That’s a real-world business situation.”
Hodge said Solectric has met with officials in Nevada, Utah, California and Washington, but Oregon has thus far provided the best opportunity.
The company hopes to decide within a month. It has selected sites in Salem and Washington County, but would not identify exact locations because it is still in negotiations with county officials.
“We just feel so far that the state and counties locally are willing to contribute the most to help fund our facility,” Hodge said.
Solectric’s plans include an initial 100,000-square-foot plant to produce 20 megawatts of capacity.
It plans to use an existing thin-film manufacturing production line, enhancing it with laser technology it believes can produce solar electric modules that are more efficient and cost effective.
Solectric plans to sell the modules using a network of licensed dealers for residential commercial-scale projects.
Hodge said the company already owns 900 acres near Reno, Nev., on which it will develop a 150 megawatt solar farm that today would be the world’s largest solar project, he said. The $500 million project will take seven years to complete, he said.
Hodge said the company’s panels can be affixed to the sides of buildings or balconies, allowing them to look like tinted windows that generate electricity.
Justin Pentelute, the company’s director of sales, said Solectric has $4 million in pre-sales, not including pending commercial-scale projects the company said are forthcoming.
Hodge said the company anticipates $30 million in 2009 sales, a figure he expects to grow to $80 million a year later.
The anticipated market demand already has the company planning for a second, 100,000-square-foot phase to its yet-to-be-located manufacturing plant.
“This next 12 months is the big gold rush for solar,” Hodge said. “We’re making history right now.”
While some solar companies nationwide are struggling under tight credit markets, the Solar Energy Industries Association this week said the passage of a federal stimulus bill — filled with an array of solar incentives — could generate as many as 67,000 jobs this year nationwide.
“And we are just getting started, as these figures will more than double in 2010,” Rhone Resch, the trade group’s president and CEO, said in a news release.
Oregon officials, meanwhile, continue to recruit new solar companies, with a particular focus on firms that supply photovoltaic manufacturers.
“We’re still the leading manufacturer of solar in the U.S. and that’s going to grow,” McCabe said. “The potential is huge and I really think we’re going to realize that potential. How big? It’s probably not going to be as big as I want.”
By Erik Siemers, Portland Business Journal – http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/02/09/story2.html?b=1234155600^1774428&page=2


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SHANGHAI: Brands can achieve significant improvements in campaign performance by increasing their share of spending on mobile to between 8% and 15% according to a study for The Coca-Cola Company in China.
A Smart Mobile Cross Marketing Effectiveness (SMoX) study conducted by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) assessed the economic value of mobile compared to traditional marketing channels and found that mobile at 8% of total budget drives 7% of the profit and mobile at 15% drives 16% of profits.
"We have begun to see a number of truths about mobile that provide a clear path forward, especially around marketing effectiveness," said Tom Daly, group director/Global Connections at The Coca-Cola Company.
Greg Stuart, CEO of the MMA, added that while there was an acknowledged gap between consumer behaviour and brand spending on mobile, "there is real, indisputable proof on the value of mobile to a brand's business goals".
The study further found that mobile offered nearly double the ROI over TV and was twice as efficient in driving sales compared to the campaign on average.
And mobile video emerged as significantly more effective – around three times more – than TV or digital video. This was, then MMA noted, a greater increase than the strong trends that had been observed for mobile video in similar US studies.
Finally, mobile display was shown to drive purchase intent, while mobile social drove both purchase intent and engagement.
Rohit Dadwal, managing director of the MMA in Asia Pacific, welcomed the study.
"It is a great data set for marketers to reassess and optimize their spending with the most impactful allocations in their marketing mix, while leveraging mobile with double digit spend," he said.
"As an industry, it is time we learned the effectiveness of the channel to aid marketers with their ambitions, and kept pace with consumers to understand the power of mobile."
A separate study from Warc, due to be released in conjunction with MMA Asia Pacific later this year, finds that typically mobile is being assigned 5% or less of marketing budgets across the region.
The survey also notes that all respondents expect this share to have risen, if not doubled, by 2020.
Data sourced from MMA ; additional content by Warc staff


text: Residential real estate sales in Sarasota and Manatee counties dipped in January, even as median prices continued to rise, according to data released this week by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee. With 520 sales in January, Sarasota County experienced a slight 1.2 percent rise from last year in total sales for single family homes, while condo sales numbers decreased 5.2 percent, with 217 closed sales. In Manatee County, the number of single family home sales decreased 5.4 percent from last year, with 385 total sales, but condo sales rose 2.6 percent, with 156 closed sales. Single family median prices rose 21.3 percent in Sarasota County to $230,500, and climbed 10 percent to $274,900 in Manatee County. Condo prices were also up 17.8 percent in Sarasota County, at $218,000, compared to $169,950 for Manatee County, an increase of 6.3 percent over last year.