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The system is peer-to-peer, and transactions take place between users directly, without an intermediary.
Value of Bitcoin – "Grab Your Bitcoin Value today."Bitcoin Prices. Menu. The price of digital currency Ethereum is tumbling on Monday after China and South Korea both announced crackdowns on.
Why did Bitcoin drop 25% in value today (17-Dec-2013)? - Quora
News - Bitcoin News
Bitcoin is the first decentralized peer-to-peer payment network that is powered by its users with no central authority or middlemen.
Seven years ago, the value of a single bitcoin was worth a quarter-of-a-cent.Slowly speculation, on the scale it is being done today, will dwindle,.Bitcoin is an innovative payment network and a new kind of money.
What's the price of Bitcoin today? - QuoraThis question was originally answered on Quora by Henry Berg.
Bitcoin: What Is It Good For? - energyandcapital.com
The value of Bitcoin keeps sliding | Fortune.com
Why Bitcoin Matters. Anyone in the world can pay anyone else in the world any amount of value of Bitcoin by.After hitting a six-month low just last Friday, the Bitcoin price is rising today as events in China are not quite as scary as people thought.
Bitcoin Value Today | BTC Today | Current Bitcoin prices
Bitcoin Price Will Hit $250,000 by 2020 If Seven-Year
Bitcoin Value Today Surges on Buying from China
View the latest Bitcoin price with our interactive and live Bitcoin price chart including buy and sell volumes.Our Bitcoin (BTC) price prediction 2017 remains upbeat, owing to both heavy investment in blockchain technology and capital controls in the East.
Bitcoin value falls after alternative currency goes liveThe value of the first bitcoin transactions were negotiated by individuals on the bitcointalk.
When traders are going nuts about a highly-speculative investment like bitcoin, that same risk-loving attitude might turn up among the folks who trade stocks.
12 questions about Bitcoin you were too embarrassed to askToday, all eyes are on Bitcoin. The only difference now lies in how exactly Bitcoin and gold are used as a store of value.Today, the majority of mining on the Bitcoin network is done by large pools,.
Bitcoin - Open source P2P money
Bitcoin's Value TodayBitcoin prices today climbed to record highs, thanks to a perfect storm of catalysts.Here are 12 cryptocurrency alternatives to Bitcoin. Created to address some of the security and price stability issues of Bitcoin,.
Bitcoin price for today ‹ Bitcoin Charts / MarketsToday news is out that a major. the non-Bitcoin value of a Bitcoin should rise as the new supply of Bitcoins decreases.Unlike traditional currencies such as dollars, bitcoins are issued and.We have the Federal Reserve issuing monetary policy and acting as a central bank to keep the value of a dollar from.
What does the Bitcoin price prediction chart say about its value in.As Bitcoin mining increases in popularity and the Bitcoin price rises so does the value of.
Today, other forks of Bitcoin Core exist such as Bitcoin XT,.Launched in 2013, Unocoin lets customers buy, sell, store, use and accept bitcoins.
Currently the value of Bitcoin is driven mostly by speculation,.


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Toshiba recently announced a new A19 LED lamp that is shaped more like an incandescent than some of the other LED bulbs we’ve seen so far, excluding perhaps Panasonic’s LED with a filament appearance. The new bulb is dimmable, available in 2700K and 4000K colors, outputs 450 lumens, and contains no lead or mercury. The 40-watt replacement uses 8.4 watts and reaches full brightness instantly.
California-based Water Wise Group makes the Aqua2use Greywater System, which was selected recently as a Top-10 Green Product for 2012 by Environmental Building News and GreenSpec. The product is meant to be a cost-effective way to save water and could help a family of four conserve up to 40,000 gallons of water annually through the reuse of washing machine, shower, and bath water.

domain: news


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Anand Rai, owner of QuickDel that owns and operates GoJavas, says Jasper & promoters Bahl, Bansal violated non-compete pacts.
Quickdel's notice comes after Snapdeal parent filed a FIR with Delhi police against the former promoters and directors of Quickdel - Praveen Sinha, Randhir Singh, Ashish Chaudhary and Abhijeet Singh.
Apart from usual suspects - Flipkart and Amazon India - Paytm Mall, Snapdeal and ShopClues will also enter the battleground this year.
“They spent over $2 billion trying to be Flipkart and now they are spending half a billion dollars trying to be like ShopClues. We will have to see where they land up,“ Radhika Aggarwal said.
The decision to launch the sales comes a little over six weeks after the SoftBank Group-backed company called off negotiations to be acquired by Flipkart.
Ola and Uber are currently losing crores every month as they compete for market share and invest in driver incentives and discounts, making profitability a tough goal.
UC Web, the browser owned by Chinese internet giant Alibaba, has come under the scrutiny of the Igovernment as part of investigations against Chinese companies over data theft. If found guilty of stealing data of Indian users, the company may be banned in the country, a top official said.
The founders of Unicommerce eSolutions, the Snapdeal-owned, SaaS-based ecommerce solutions provider, have quit the company
As VC funding slows to a trickle and global giants step up their investments, most online segments are quickly becoming a battle of two big leaders.
Masayoshi Son is known for his multibillion dollar bets around the world. He does after all have a $93 billion fund to dig into – the SoftBank Vision Fund.
Flipkart, Paytm Early Backers, To Get $1.5Billion From Son
Foxconn recognised an impairment loss of $160M related to its investment in Gurgaon-based Jasper Infotech, which owns and operates Snapdeal,
SoftBank has already committed more than $4 billion to India's startup ecosystem in 2017, doubling what it had invested in the country since 2014.
Snapdeal-Flipkart merger talks hit a dead end for various reasons, including the complex deal structure that would have placed millions of dollars worth of tax liability on many of Snapdeal's investors
Like petulant children refusing to eat their greens, Snap's co-founders scuttled that deal despite it being best for the company's health. "No worries," thinks Son.
SoftBank has been widely tipped to invest between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in Flipkart.
Amazon said it has surpassed Flipkart in terms of value and volume, while a Flipkart exec said co was ahead of Amazon India by 30% in terms of gross sales.


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Rumors have swirled this week, and now it’s confirmed: Meta, the owner of Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Oculus VR, is sacking 13 percent of its workforce, a total of around 11,000 employees out of work. This comes in the wake of the company having spent an extraordinary $15 billion on its so-called “metaverse” project.
Confirmed in a post to Meta’s site today, Zuckerberg messaged his employees in a contrite tone. “Today I’m sharing some of the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history,” the billionaire CEO began, continuing, “I’ve decided to reduce the size of our team by about 13% and let more than 11,000 of our talented employees go.”
Explaining why he believes this needs to happen, Zuckerberg lays the blame at a convenient universal gimme, Covid. Except this time, that Covid was too good for them as a company. Citing “outsized revenue growth,” as a result of people spending more time (and money) online during lockdowns, the boss (who is not taking a pay cut) adds, “Many people predicted this would be a permanent acceleration that would continue even after the pandemic ended. I did too, so I made the decision to significantly increase our investments.”
“Unfortunately,” Zuckerberg says, this didn’t happen. He then references the “macroeconomic downturn, increased competition, and ads signal loss,” saying these have all led to much lower revenue than expected. Then, crucially, he adds, “I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”


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Annual blockchain cruise
Justin union hrd minister prakashjavdekar says centre will soon open a university catering only to divyang students. Most of these events are just another day at the office, but every once in a while you there is an event of epic proportions.
Coinsbank announces fourth annual blockchain cruise btc.
It will depart from barcelona and dock in rome, with stops in palma de mallorca, marseille, and la spezia. After the success of the first three blockchain cruise by the company, it will return for a fourth edition on the 9th of june and will continue till the 13th.
Blockchain cruise mediterranean 2019 will become second annual event aboard the cruise ship and at the same time the major blockchain conference in europe. Its travel will start from barcelona and will go through monaco, france and italy.
As bitcoin sinks, wildly rich.
Controversial weiss cryptocurrency. 15, the bitcoin price was trading in the 13,500 range, with their profits intact.
The event held on the royal caribbeans anthem of the seas vessel was filled with a broad range of entertainment and educational resources focused on the future of cryptocurrency solutions and blockchain innovation. When 600 set sail from singapore for their second annual blockchain cruise, the price of bitcoin was hovering comfortably above 13,500.
Coinsbank has announced the biggest blockchain event on the seas the fourth annual blockchain cruise. When these passengers departed for the high seas for the second annual blockchain cruise, on jan.
Annual blockchain cruise sails over choppy bitcoin waters.
After three successful editions, the 2019 blockchain cruise by coinsbank will be held for the fourth time between june 9th and 13th. Asic amd radeon vii.
As you probably know, the famous annual blockchain cruise was held last week, and to the moon team shined on every deck of the luxury liner oasis of the seas. Com reported on the second annual coinsbank blockchain cruise that took place this past may 25th through june 3rd.
Denial of service attack. Coinsbank announces the years biggest blockchain event on the seas the fourth annual blockchain cruise.


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Ford and online listening hub Radioplayer have partnered to allow radio streaming in the carmaker’s cars and vans. This will be done through the Radioplayer app, which is integrated with Ford’s SYNC with AppLink in-car connectivity system. SYNC with AppLink connects apps on smart phones with Ford vehicles, allowing them to be voice controlled by the driver.
The Radioplayer app enabled for Ford’s SYNC with AppLink allows drivers to select from the best radio stations in the United Kingdom without having to take their eyes off the road. Radioplayer could be downloaded free-of-charge, and is available on tablet and desktop. It allows users to choose over 300 stations including all BBC national and local services, commercial stations as well as a number of community and student radio stations.
Ford pioneered the launch of digital stations into its model range as an option over 10 years ago. Just within five years, Ford models were already offering digital audio broadcasting (DAB) as standard on the Mondeo and Kuga. DAB was already standard across the C-MAX range in 2010, in the B-MAX in 2012, and Kuga this year.
It can also be specified on the majority of other models. Ford van drivers, whose line of work makes them driving longer than others, can listen to DAB stations as a standard feature on all new Transits, or an option costing just £75. In the past six years, Ford has already rolled out nearly 500,000 DAB-fitted vehicles onto UK roads. These vehicles now account for half of Ford sales. For those Ford vehicles without DAB in the UK, they could be fitted with one for just £199. [source; Ford]


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Rebecca Friendly, Special Assistant for CAP CA, contributed to this piece.
At all levels of government there has been a serious push for increasing access to food among low income households and fostering more nutritious eating habits in communities and schools.
Last July, First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America secured pledges from Wal-Mart, Walgreens, SuperValu and several other stores to open or expand stores in food deserts, bringing healthy affordable food to approximately 10 million people over the course of five years.
That same month the First Lady also announced the California FreshWorks Fund, a public-private partnership loan fund with $264 million available to support grocery stores and other healthy food retailers in low-income, underserved communities in California. The California Endowment and a team of partners that include banks, grocers, health care providers and nonprofits lead this initiative. Modeled after a successful program in Pennsylvania, this loan fund provides grants to healthy food retailers willing to locate stores in food deserts, areas lacking access to fresh, healthy food.
On Feb. 1, the First Lady spoke at a community event in Los Angeles to celebrate the progress that the California FreshWorks Fund has made in bringing affordable and healthy food to neighborhoods around the city. As one of its initial projects, the California FreshWorks Fund committed more than $20 million in loan funding to Southern California grocer Northgate Gonzalez Markets for its first three projects: a San Diego location as well as stores in Inglewood and South Los Angeles. The President and CEO of the California Endowment, Robert K. Ross, MD, also spoke at this event and enthusiastically stated, "we all have a shared interest in ensuring our neighborhoods, grocery stores and school cafeterias contribute positively to the health of our communities. Today's announcement marks the beginning of what we hope will be a robust effort to expand access to nutritious food for all Californians!"
These commitments are a step in the right direction in the effort to combat the country's obesity and hunger epidemics. Approximately one in four children in the U.S. live in a household that experiences hunger. Additionally, around 30 percent of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese and among African Americans and Latinos the number soars to an estimated 40 percent.
Although hunger and obesity are oftentimes viewed as two distinct problems, they are deeply interconnected. Hunger and food insecurity are key contributors to obesity as low-income Americans are forced to rely upon high calorie, low nutrition foods to quell hunger pangs. Notably, studies have consistently demonstrated the lack of supermarkets and other stores selling healthy, affordable food in low-income communities as compared to wealthier ones. Adults in California neighborhoods with low access to healthy food are 20 percent more likely to be obese than those in higher-access neighborhoods, increasing their risk of developing chronic diseases. The California Fresh Works Fund website features a very useful interactive map that displays "Grocery Gap" statistics for various counties throughout the U.S. and can be broken down into detailed indicators.
The California FreshWorks Fund was created to tackle these food access concerns, while also addressing additional challenges faced by communities in so-called food deserts. In addition to improving community health, drawing grocery stores into food deserts also creates opportunities for economic development. Grocery stores create jobs (an estimated 49 to 120 new jobs per store), attract other small businesses to the area, and increase the surrounding residential real estate values.
Additional benefits include increased property values in the surrounding communities and increased income and property tax. This increased economic activity and property value help relieve pressure on state and local budgets and increase community sustainability.
California's Freshworks Fund serves as a model for an innovative public-private partnership loan fund with the potential to increase access to healthy and affordable food throughout the state. This new program is proving itself as a vital component in California's fight against hunger and obesity, and as an important force in strengthening the economies of affected communities.


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Initial estimates put HBO Max at or above HBO’s premium pricing – at $15 per month, which would have made it the most expensive streaming platform – but UBS analyst John Hodulik released a research note suggesting otherwise, per FierceVideo.
Hodulik now believes that competitive pressure and the need to develop a scalable pricing model will shape the development of HBO Max, possibly driving the cost to users down to $8 per month with ads and $12 for no commercial interruptions.
Whether the introduction of Max will disrupt HBO’s current service pricing, however, is unclear. “Distribution agreements complicate the pricing decision however and it is unclear whether lower pricing for Max would trigger rate resets on existing linear subs,” Hodulik wrote in his research note.
Netflix’s most popular plan clocks in at $13 per month, while more specialized services like Disney+ ($7) and Apple TV+ ($5, free for a year with purchase of a new Apple device) are significantly cheaper.
Hulu offers four levels of service: Basic ($5.99 per month), Premium ($11.99 per month), Basic + Live TV ($44.99 per month), and Premium + Live TV ($50.99 per month). Hulu Basic is ad-supported, while it's Premium service is almost completely commercial-free. Also, in the market place is CBS All-Access. The service - a mix of originals and the broadcast network's current and past primetime fare - offers a base plan ($5.99 per month) and a no ads version ($9.99-per-month).
HBO Max will include the entire HBO library featuring everything from "Game of Thrones" to "Curb Your Enthusiasm." It will also be the home to series from HBO's sister networks also owned by WarnerMedia such as CNN and will be the streaming home to series from broadcast network The CW which shows such series as "Riverdale" and "Batwoman." It will also offer new original programming such as a reboot of "Gossip Girl" and star of The Big Bang Theory, Kaley Cuoco will produce and star in The Flight Attendant, a murder mystery.
More information about the service is expected to become available at AT&T’s WarnerMedia Day, scheduled for Oct. 29. The company’s stock is up more than 20 percent in 2019 but has tumbled 4 percent this week.


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In startling revelations, the government has imposed up to 500% more taxes on imported cars to protect the local car assemblers from foreign competition. In return, however, the assemblers have passed on the agony by overcharging consumers and delaying deliveries for up to one year.
The revelations were made during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) – the Parliamentary watchdog – compelling the committee to recommend reviewing the undue protection helping the said companies in fleecing consumers. The PAC recommended that the government should withdraw the status of “manufacturers” instead it should be calling (and treating) them as “assemblers” – a direction if converted into law, will help lower protection levels enjoyed by the assemblers.
According to the PAC, protection is afforded via the imposition of customs duties, additional customs duties, sales tax, additional sales tax, federal excise duty, and income tax at rates that are far higher than charged on the import of parts for locally assembled cars.
Local assemblers enjoy 241% to 500% protection, revealed Mujtaba Memon, the Special Secretary of Commerce. He said:
“Before the recent imposition of additional duties, the protection level was in the range of 100% to 390%.”
Headed by Noor Alam Khan, the PAC concluded that local car assemblers failed to honor their commitments, over-charged consumers by forcing them to pay a price higher than fixed at the time of booking, and delayed deliveries for over a year.
The PAC directed the Ministry of Industries and the Ministry of Commerce to review the protection and make a policy within one month addressing the issues being faced. It also instructed them to charge lower federal excise duty rates compared to the ones applicable to imported cars. The Secretary of Industries Imdadullah Bosal said:
“Any change in the tariff policy at this stage may antagonize the principal manufacturers, but the government will try to frame a comprehensive policy within a month to end the exploitation of consumers.”
The PAC instructed the companies to deliver vehicles within a month in cases where full payment had been received. It also recommended reducing the overall delivery period to one month and if the vehicle is not provided, the company would pay late delivery charges. According to Bosal:
“The company cannot take more than 20% advance and the delivery has to be made within two months. On a delay beyond two months, the company has to pay a fine equal to Karachi Interbank Offered Rate (Kibor) plus 3%. The companies have paid Rs 1.9 billion in fines on this account between the period of Nov 2021 to April 2022.”
If the companies do not improve the delivery period, the PAC recommended the government lower taxes on 800cc to 1,300 cc imported cars to encourage competition. It further instructed the government to increase the age limit of imported cars from three to five years and directed the FBR to audit the accounts of the car assemblers.
“Imports allowed should equal to less than the production capacity of local car assemblers,” suggested Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Senator Mohsin Aziz. Responding to this the secretary of industries said, “Against the total production capacity of 506,000 units a year, these companies cumulatively assembled 330,000 units in the previous fiscal year.”
Bosal mentioned that the government was giving protection to these assemblers under 2006 statutory regulatory orders. He informed:
“A proposal to phase out the SRO regime and replace it with the tariff structure from the next policy implementation period is underway. The Industries Ministry is also working on a proposal to stop the companies from booking vehicles with delivery periods of over two to three months, and the vehicles should be bought from wholesale dealers instead of car assemblers.”
According to PAC members, these companies have been running at half their capacity for the past many years, artificially creating demand and supply issues. In 2018, the assemblers produced only 273,279 vehicles, which in the previous fiscal year jumped to 322,754 units, Bosal said. However, a representative of a car assembler claimed that this year sales would remain in the range of 125,000 to 150,000 units due to restrictions on imports and higher prices.
“If the companies do not start behaving, the PAC will recommend opening imports,” said Khan. The members also grilled car assemblers and the government ministries for collecting advances of billions of rupees for undelivered goods. By the end of the last fiscal year, Indus Motors had taken Rs112 billion in advances, Honda Atlas’s advances amounted to Rs 23 billion, and Pak Suzuki Motors Rs 41.7 billion, according to the Secretary Industries. A total of Rs 217 billion in advances stood against undelivered vehicles till June this year, according to the Secretary Industries.
From The Express Tribune
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com


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The on-again, off-again “E-Type successor” saga that’s been dragging on for more than a decade finally ended with the launch of the F-Type roadster at this year’s Paris Auto Show.
Jaguar boss Adrian Hallmark stated to Autocar magazine that the without the F-Type “our heritage would not be complete” and that the new sports car will form the core around which the rest of the brand’s future range will be built.
“From now on, the F-Type is our orientation point”, he said. “Without a sports car in our range, it has been possible for people to lose orientation about what Jaguar stands for. Other manufacturers who have strayed successfully from their core range have only done so if they have continued to invest in that model.”
Hallmark didn’t mention names, but a certain Stuttgart-based auto maker comes to mind…
He also dismissed criticism that the F-Type is priced too high, especially in the UK, saying that it offers Porsche 911 or Aston Martin Vantage performance “at prices well below them”.
British publication Autocar says Jaguar's boss conceded that the company’s next models will most likely be an SUV and a small premium saloon: “Whatever we do will be driven by the three pillars of our brand: innovation, design and performance leadership. Those three can be applied to different degrees in different cars, but they must always be present.”
By Andrew Tsaousis


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Meat processors are warning that the ongoing beef protests outside their factories could force many to close indefinitely.
Talks aimed at ending the dispute over the beef prices paid to farmers were cancelled last night due to the pickets.
In a statement, Meat Industry Ireland (MII) said it would not negotiate with the farmers until the blockades at meat processing plants were lifted.
It said it had “shown good faith” by putting off legal action against the protesters ahead of the talks but insisted it could not enter talks while the protest continue.
“The escalation of illegal blockades over the weekend has been a huge disappointment to MII members,” it said.
“Negotiating whilst illegal and threatening behaviour is ongoing is not compatible with negotiation in good faith.”
MII said the vast majority of cattle slaughtering has already been stopped at plants around the country – with thousands of employees temporarily laid off.
It warned farmers that they will soon find it impossible to sell their animals – with “vital customer relationships” facing significant damage.
The protests have been unofficial since the Beef Plan Movement (BPM) came to agreement with the meat processors on a range of issues.
After those talks, independent farmers continued to picket, calling for talks on pricing.
Beef Plan Movement
BPM spokesperson Dermot O'Brien said the organisation is willing to talk to the farmers – provided MII agrees to completely drop all threats of legal action against them.
“If the meat processors drop all the legal threats in full and associated costs then we would be willing to go to the picket lines to talk to those farmers,” he said.
“We would give that commitment. To ask them if they would stand down.”
He said the MII decision to walk away from last night’s talks “showed huge disrespect to the farmers of Ireland” and urged the Taoiseach to take control of the situation.
Meanwhile, Irish Farmers Association President Joe Healy said MII must return to talks as soon as possible.
“I think Meat Industry Ireland needs to come down off their high horse and go back into talks; see how that progresses things,” he said.
“See what we can do to safeguard an industry that is very important to farmers, to meat industry Ireland, to meat factories and to the economy.”
MII said the damage to the industry is “significant.”
“Hard won markets are being lost,” it said. “The processing industry is not in a position to continue operating in an environment where it cannot be sure whether staff, farmer suppliers and product can safely enter and leave the factories.”
The organisation labelled the blockades “entirely counter-productive to the interests of all involved.”


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Live from JA New York: Diversify the supply chain
March 04, 2014
New York--The heart of Monday’s educational session on why and how retailers should diversify their supply chain can be summed up with one very well-known idiom: don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
To start the session, Matt Tratner, Jewelers of America’s director of membership and sales, gave an example of a giant company that found itself with a very big problem due to a lack of diversity in its supply chain: auto maker Ford.
When the earthquake and resulting tsunami hit Japan in 2011, it left Ford with a severe shortage of cars and trucks in metallic red and black because the company only had one supplier of Xirallic, the pigment used to make this color, and that supplier was in Japan.
“If it can happen to Ford, it can happen to you,” Tratner said. “Don’t put all your eggs in a single basket.”
He said retailers shouldn’t stop at one source and should pull from different manufacturers, working with two or three different suppliers for the same product. While one manufacturer can serve as the main supplier, he said it’s not a bad idea for retailers to send orders to their secondary and tertiary suppliers from time to time, just to stay in touch with them and keep the relationship fresh.
While he said he believes the best place to find new manufacturers is at a trade show, other methods for sourcing new suppliers are referrals, the Internet and trade associations, such as JA, the Indian Diamond & Colorstone Association, Platinum Guild International and the Cultured Pearl Association.
Once a retailer has selected a new supplier, or suppliers, they need to assess their abilities, and one area that jewelers need to pay particular attention to today is sourcing.
“Sourcing is becoming a very, very big deal,” Tratner said. This is due to a number of issues, including regulations regarding the origin of certain products--for example, the new federal laws regarding so-called conflict gold--and the growing number of synthetic, or lab-grown diamonds, in the supply pipeline.
He said retailers need to know where their suppliers are sourcing their metals, gemstones or other products from and that those sources are ethical. At JA, for example, they make their recommended suppliers sign a code of ethical practices; other industry organizations have similar requirements.
In addition to ethical sourcing, retailers also need to ensure that a supplier’s turnaround time for delivery and payment terms work with their needs, and check their references.
Tratner said when trying to choose suppliers, it’s not a bad idea to send the same order to all of them and see which one fills it in a manner that’s most suitable to the store.
For a store’s chosen suppliers, he said retailers need to keep a roster handy and make sure their employees know whom the store deals with, so they never tell a customer they can’t obtain certain product because the associate isn’t aware the store has a supplier that carries it.
Tratner’s session on supply chain of diversity was one of three educational sessions held at the JA New York Winter show on Monday, the second day of the two days of education sponsored by JA.
The show concludes Tuesday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.


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Foonie Magus, the creators of the web3 god game Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event, have announced the launch of their core ecosystem token $APRS (Apeiros) on Bybit, a leading cryptocurrency exchange with a user base of 20 million.
This launch marks a significant milestone for Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event, which has seen impressive growth since its debut on Ronin in December, with daily active users increasing from 8,000 to 50,000, representing a 525% growth.
- Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event’s core ecosystem token $APRS (Apeiros) has launched on Bybit, a top cryptocurrency exchange.
- Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event is a web3 god game with over 50k daily active users, featuring NFT-centric gameplay.
- $APRS will be used for expanding the Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event NFT ecosystem, breeding Planet NFTs, minting Apostles, and in-game purchases.
- Bybit will host a Launchpool staking event and an Airdrop Extravaganza for $APRS.
- Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event’s global mobile game launch, featuring PvE and story mode, is expected in Q2 2024.
Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event is a unique casual competitive hybrid mobile game that combines elements of god games and card-based combat. Players take on the role of a godly avatar, tasked with converting their planet’s Doods into followers, summoning miracles to shape their worlds, and engaging in battles against the forces of the Mad God Chaos. The game’s NFT-centric model adds an extra layer of strategic depth, allowing players to trade and invest in the world they help develop.
- The $APRS token will serve as the core ecosystem token for Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event, primarily used for expanding the game’s NFT ecosystem.
- Players will have the ability to breed new Planet NFTs and mint Apostles using the marketplace DAPP and $APRS.
- These NFTs can be used for playing, renting, or selling, giving players greater control over their in-game assets.
- The forthcoming Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event Top-up Store will allow players to exchange $APRS for Aperium, the in-game currency, which can be used for purchasing seasonal Battle Passes, additional inventory space, and training the DoodGPT NPC AI system.
Frank Cheng, CEO of Foonie Magus, emphasized the significance of Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event’s tokenomics, stating that it represents the next generation of Web3 gaming by building upon the concepts laid by Axie Infinity’s token breeding model.
This model correlates NFT value with their actual cost creation, and when combined with scholarship and rentals, it was a key factor in Axie’s success. Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event aims to refine this model further by implementing supply management and vigilant monitoring.
To celebrate the $APRS listing, Bybit will host a Launchpool staking event from March 26th to April 11th, allowing players to buy and stake $APRS to earn more tokens. In addition, Bybit and Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event are launching an Airdrop Extravaganza, where players can complete social media and referral tasks to earn more $APRS.
Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event’s Arena Open Beta is currently available on the Epic Game Store, with the global mobile game launch planned for Q2 2024. The mobile version will introduce a new PvE and story mode, further expanding the game’s universe and offering players a more immersive experience.
Apeiron-Game-Bybit-to-Host-APRS-Launchpool-Staking-and-Airdrop-Event’s success can be attributed to its innovative approach to web3 gaming, combining classic god game elements with NFT-based gameplay and a robust ecosystem.
The game has already generated one of the largest single-game seed fundings in web3, raising $24 million from investors including Hashed, IVC, Morningstar Ventures, Spartan Group, and DeFiance.


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King Ranch Saddle Shop Opens at The Star
It’s hard to get more Texan than the 825,000-acre King Ranch down in Kingsville. And while it might be hard to visit the working South Texas ranch, the King Ranch Saddle Shop opened a new outpost at The Star in Frisco on June 3. Though called a saddle shop, the brand also carries western-inspired men and womenswear; outdoor accessories, like gun cases, camo apparel, and knifes; luggage; furniture; and more. The Frisco store is the sixth King Ranch location across the state and second in North Texas—the other is based in Fort Worth’s Mule Alley.
Dallas Influencers Are Making Moves
Local jewelry designer and TikToker Carla Rockmore, known for her stunning two-story closet and whimsy-filled videos, recently released her first capsule clothing collection. Ranging $79–$119, the line features two chic, yet casual button-down shirts and a slouchy, yet elevated shirt dress.
Dallasite Mindy McKnight took YouTube by storm 14 years ago when she started her @CuteGirlsHairstyles channel. Since then, her oft-featured children have garnered internet fame for themselves and McKnight’s amassed more than 5.6 million followers and launched a popular haircare line, called Hairitage, with Walmart. This spring, Hairitage released a 14-piece bath and body collection, including lotions, creams, body washes, bath bombs, and more.
Fashion designers and influencers Grayson and Buddy DiFonzo founded their ultra-feminine and beach-inspired clothing label BuddyLove way back in 2010. The company opened a flagship storefront in Fredericksburg two years ago, and opened a more local storefront at 4442 Lovers Ln. last month.
Highland Park Village Is Getting Four New Shops
After a successful year-long pop-up at Market, Los Angeles-based designer Johnathan Simkhai is opening his third store and first permanent Texas brick-and-mortar in Highland Park Village this summer. Following in the footsteps of other Market pop-ups to find permanent locations in the shopping center, the cool and casual womenswear line will be sandwiched between Panerai and Trina Turk. Luxury Italian menswear brand Brioni will also open in Highland Park Village this summer. This fall will also see openings from French fashion house Balmain and Spanish leather goods and fashion company Loewe.
Other News to Know
Visit this mom-and-pop shop
Earlier this year, Park Cities mom Shannon Jud, who also owns consignment store Clothes Circuit, opened a new boutique, Kat + Noelle, at The Pavilion on Lovers Lane. Named for Jud’s daughters, the spot sells womenswear, jewelry, and home accessories.
Re-do your backyard
Out in Euless, 2023 D Home best designer Jean Liu’s store, Stori Modern, is hosting a huge “Bold & Bright” warehouse sale. From June 8–10, get 50-to-75-percent off luxe patio furniture, outdoor accessories, fans, and more.
American Girl is moving
On June 1, the Dallas Morning News reported that the American Girl store plans to move out of Galleria Dallas and into the Shops at Park Lane in 2024. The doll store’s only Texas location, the new spot will be two stories, 15,400 square feet, and cost an estimated $9 million.
Who’s the queen bee?
Los Angeles-based spa Queen Bee recently opened its third location at Preston Center. The spot offers services like facials, spray tanning, microblading, waxing, and more.
NorthPark is smelling nicer
Luxury British perfumer Creed, which is more than 260 years old, opened a storefront at NorthPark Center last month. The brand’s second Texas location, the Creed Boutique includes a tower of perfumes and a VIP room for events.
Get sun-kissed skin
Sugared + Bronzed has gone double or nothing in Dallas this year. The luxe spray tan and hair removal chain, which uses a sugar paste instead of wax opened its first Dallas location at 3911 Oak Lawn Ave. in February, and a second at 6465 E. Mockingbird Ln. ste. 440 in March.
In 2020, Brittany Underwood, Whitney Rowell, and Tinsley Merrill founded HerStory, then a subscription box service, as a way to support women-owned businesses during the pandemic. The company has since grown into a online marketplace with more than 50 brands. Earlier this year, HerStory opened a three-month pop-up, called the Gallery, in Fort Worth, which has been extended through March 2024.


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All is still well at Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA], it seems, with CEO Elon Musk announcing the company is beating its self-imposed production targets.
As Bloomberg reports, Tesla is ahead of its 400-per-week production goal, by a margin Musk describes as "not trivial".
Meeting such a target is all the more important as Tesla's sole new product, the Model S, is set to go on sale in European markets in the next few months.
Back in January, the company announced it had reached full production capacity of 400 units per week, after a slow start in 2012 which saw Tesla miss its 5,000-car delivery goal.
Tesla is clearly capable of more, though. Musk says the pace of production will rise to 800 per week by late 2014--"I'm very confident we'll get there" he told Bloomberg.
Targets are higher than that, of course, Musk providing an optimistic soundbite that Tesla's Fremont plant will one day return to its full, pre-Tesla production capacity of half a million vehicles per year--numbers achieved in the plant's GM-Toyota period.
To this, he added, "We going to have every kind of car you could possibly imagine...if it moves, we'll make it."
For the time being, production will be a little lower than this, and the combined efforts of the U.S, Asia and Europe should see 21,000 Model S delivered this year. That's still a number below only a handful of major automakers' own electric vehicles, but one expected to grow when Tesla's future models come on song--including the Model X crossover and a sub-Model S sedan.
Beating production targets is the latest in a string of good news stories for Tesla and its fans, including the firm's first-quarter profit earlier this year, and the announcement it had paid off its Department of Energy loan a full 9 years early.


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FOOD lovers have been left horrified after a pizza with kiwis as a topping has gone viral.
The questionable dish was shared online by a tourist visiting Denmark, and it has caused quite the stir online.
The pizza looked like it had all the usual toppings, from a tomato base, cheese, ham - but then had slices of the edible green berry placed on top.
While the debate about whether pineapple belongs on top of a pizza has divided foodies for decades, this addition has caused many to slam it as “stomach-churning”.
One person wrote on Reddit: “That’s an abomination for sure too. It’s ok. There’s a pineapple pizza section in hell.
“Add kiwi and anything else that doesn’t belong on pizza in that same section in hell."
Another added: “Stomach churns at the thought."
Meanwhile, another person said it was one of the worst things to happen in 2020 so far.
They wrote: “The World is going to hell. 1) pathologic lair, traitor, and racist a******* for a president. 2) possible war 3) Australia is on fire 4) kiwifruit on pizza is a thing."
However, as with pineapple, the kiwifruit also had some supporters among pizza lovers.
One brave internet user wrote: “I could almost taste the combined flavours of the cheese and kiwi — its saltiness and its sweetness and tartness respectively.
“Like it could be a good flavour combination much like that of cheese and grapes or berries."
Last year we shared how a pizzeria in Minnesota created the world's first gherkin pizza - and it's already cooking up a storm.
The pizza is covered in a layer of thinly-sliced gherkins and then covered with a heavy dusting of Parmesan cheese.
Perhaps we’ll stick to the UK’s favourite pizza topping - mushrooms.
A tasty looking chart from YouGov revealed that the most liked topping was mushroom with 65 per cent of those surveyed.
The fungi was closely followed by onion, (62 per cent), ham (61 per cent), peppers (60 per cent), chicken (56 per cent), and pepperoni (56 per cent).
Most read in Fabulous
We shared the pizza chain with the most pepperoni toppings revealed on Shop Smart, Save Money.
The investigation after health officials set new targets which means the size of pizzas at high street restaurants and takeaways could shrink.


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Apple has opened registrations for its annual summer camp for kids in the US, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, allowing children ages 8 to 12 who are accompanied by a parent or guardian to attend a series of workshops at a local Apple Store focused on iMovie, iBooks Author, and in some countries, basic programming. The sign-ups are on a first-come, first-served basis, and tend to fill up quickly.
Every day, we are showcasing some of the offers available from our MacNN Deals store. Today's highlighted items are all photography-based gadgets, with the imaging devices including a dash cam, a handy waterproof snapper, a high-tech post-shot-refocus camera, and one retro item that could be used as a history lesson for younger photographers to learn from.
As expected, Apple on Tuesday released the public-tester versions of its latest OS X and iOS betas -- the third round of OS X 10.11.6 and iOS 9.3.3 betas for testing, alongside a developer-only version of the forthcoming tvOS update, v9.2.2. The two major-platform betas, now available to pre-registered public testers, offer no notable changes or major bug fixes, but instead focus on minor bugs, security enhancements, and performance or interface tweaks.
Adobe has made a large number of updates to its suite of Creative Cloud apps today. While most of the main apps have extra features for designers and film makers to try out, the main changes revolve around a few major additions to Photoshop, as well as a deeper integration with Adobe Stock, increasing the library of content available to use as well as making it easier to add content to a project, and notice of an upcoming change for users to make money from their own creations.
Apple is starting to pay customers who purchased e-books from the iBooks store in the past, as part of its $450 million settlement to end a lawsuit over alleged e-book price fixing. Starting from today, affected consumers will receive a store credit from the company, with the law firm Hagens Berman advising the $400 million allocated to customers would be paid out at different levels, depending on the popularity of the books in question.
For quite a while now, MacNN sometimes finds a deal that is too big or important to go into our other deal lists, and is deserving enough to be highlighted inside its own Big Deals post. Even though this writing team hasn't got much time left, we're still going to point out the deals we think you will enjoy. This time, it is one of the largest photography bundles available online right now, with the aptly named The Big Deal 2016 from Foto Promos.
Various reports have confirmed that Apple is beginning to remove the 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro, the least expensive model, off the floor of its stores, with clerks steering budget-minded customers towards refurbished Retina models instead. The move comes even as expectations rise about a forthcoming refresh of the MacBook Pro line, which is overdue for a specifications bump and may -- according to rumor -- drop the non-Retina model entirely in the next round of possible upgrades, including a move to Skylake processors and new graphics systems.
Spotify has broken a major milestone, with the streaming music service claiming it has now got more than 100 million active monthly subscribers. The Swedish streaming company advised earlier today that approximately 30 percent of its user base pay a monthly subscription fee, and the number of users of the service continues to grow at a rate of 1.8 million users per month, though at a cost to its bottom line.
Cast your mind back to the spring of 1995. Apple was making Macs -- the last of the Performas, among other models -- and the Clone Wars were already underway, all while MacNN was starting out as a serious journal covering Mac technology. Nothing has changed since then, and yet everything has changed: Apple is now a cultural force, it's shaping new industries, and it's even making some money now, we hear. From when the company was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and irrelevance, to the crowning of Apple as the most valuable and influential tech company in the world, MacNN has been there. As of July 1, Apple will carry on -- but MacNN will not, we're sorry to say.
Apple may have its own retail outlets in India after all, as the government has made changes to requirements hindering the company's progress. Rules that force retailers to source at least 30 percent of its products from within the country have been eased, giving Apple and other major companies with their own retail presence the ability to open stores in India, without having to worry about fulfilling the requirement for a while.
It's time for episode 67, and we're going to mix it up a bit this week. Mike and Charles, both of whom are former residents of Orlando, start off the show talking about the mass shooting there, and (despite very different political leanings) come up with a reasonable and rational set of proposals that would dramatically cut down on such tragedies (with proof) while preserving protected liberties, and thus no rational person would disagree. Oops, we can already see the flaw in that plan from here.
It's a week of departures from Apple -- and not to spoil things too much, but whether people chose to leave or were pointed toward the door, it doesn't seem to have worked out brilliantly for them. Then again, it's not as if this has been an entirely good week for Apple itself, as there are two huge product launches that are marred by mistakes. All in all, there's not a lot in this week of June 18 to 24, across 1976 to 2016, to give you any clue that Apple would take over the world. Except, this is the week it did take over eWorld.
Every day, we are showcasing some of the offers available from our MacNN Deals store. Today's selections are all light-providing devices and accessories, including a way to improve your light for selfies and video calls, something to help you connect devices in the dark, and two neat ways to illuminate your desk or a room.
It is now possible to get money out from a bank account via Apple Pay, as Bank of America has started to roll out ATMs capable of using Apple Pay for transactions in a limited number of markets. Hinted at earlier this year, the first ATMs that are compatible with Apple Pay for withdrawals have been spotted in California, expanding a recent pilot program consisting of two ATMs based in the Bay Area of San Francisco into other markets.
In a bid to boost the discoverability of new apps, Apple announced earlier that it would launch a test program for Search Ads, a forthcoming feature to the App Store that offers -- for the first time -- paid promotions on one of Apple's storefronts. Previously, Apple staffers have picked items to received promoted status at will, resisting efforts at putting advertising in the search results for fear that big players would dominate and further obscure up-and-coming, smaller, and new releases.
Apple's iOS has reached a significant milestone in reaching its tenth iteration, and Apple continues to pump out the changes with renewed momentum. If there are some themes running through the latest release, it is that Apple is making iOS and the built-in app experience "richer," making them "bolder," and making them more "intuitive." When you're actually in them, that is. When you are not, you can still get things done through your apps via the upgrades to Siri, without needing to open them at all. If you thought that iPhone apps had somehow reached the conclusion of their evolution, Apple has shown with iOS 10, that there can never be enough reinvention, reimagination and reinvigoration of the user experience.
Apple, which is seen as a relatively minor political player compared to other tech firms, has opted out of supporting the Republican Party's 2016 presidential convention due to presumptive nominee Donald Trump's long string of racist, misogynist, and minority-bashing comments. A number of other tech and non-tech companies have also indicated they will not provide funding or other support for the convention as well -- HP had previously said it would skip the convention, and Microsoft has opted to cut back on its contribution. Most of the big tech players generally offer computers and cash to both of major party conventions.
Everyone likes getting something for nothing, especially when there's no or relatively few catches. Freebie Friday is the post where the MacNN staff find stuff that you can get, and possibly make use of this weekend, without spending a single cent. The freebies this time include lessons on how to improve the food you cook, a way to keep track of your workouts, and an extremely powerful OCR app.
We spend a fair amount of time in this space belittling the predictions and pontifications of pundits around here (one in particular -- though we would like to stress that it is the sites that unfairly balloon his above-average-but-imperfect record into gospel-like status that we actually don't care for, not the man himself). We love deconstructing rumors (where needed), rooting out the source, watching it evolve and refine (or be walked back and forgotten), and let's not forget: even if it's clearly nonsense, rumors can be fun and entertaining. We feed on them.
An accessory for the upcoming Pokémon game for mobile devices is now available to pre-order. The Pokémon Go Plus, an accessory that was revealed during E3 to be arriving sometime after the iOS and Android game's release date, has surfaced on Amazon for players to acquire before it ships, though while it keeps the $35 price tag declared by Nintendo earlier this week, it is currently listed with a release date of December 31, instead of an expected launch in the months following July.
Now AAPL Stock: The symbol you provided ("AAPL") doesn't appear to be registered
Cirrus creates Lightning-headphone dev kit
Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has introduced a MFi-compliant new development kit for companies interested in using Cirrus' chips to create Lightning-based headphones, which -- regardless of whether rumors about Apple dropping the analog headphone jack in its iPhone this fall -- can offer advantages to music-loving iOS device users. The kit mentions some of the advantages of an all-digital headset or headphone connector, including higher-bitrate support, a more customizable experience, and support for power and data transfer into headphone hardware. Several companies already make Lightning headphones, and Apple has supported the concept since June 2014. http://bit.ly/29giiZj
Apple Store app offers Procreate Pocket
The Apple Store app for iPhone, which periodically rewards users with free app gifts, is now offering the iPhone "Pocket" version of drawing app Procreate for those who have the free Apple Store app until July 28. Users who have redeemed the offer by navigating to the "Stores" tab of the app and swiping past the "iPhone Upgrade Program" banner to the "Procreate" banner have noted that only the limited Pocket (iPhone) version of the app is available free, even if the Apple Store app is installed and the offer redeemed on an iPad. The Pocket version currently sells for $3 on the iOS App Store. [32.4MB]
Porsche adds CarPlay to 2017 Panamera
Porsche has added a fifth model of vehicle to its CarPlay-supported lineup, announcing that the 2017 Panamera -- which will arrive in the US in January -- will include Apple's infotainment technology, and be seen on a giant 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of an all-new Porsche Communication Management system. The luxury sedan starts at $99,900 for the 4S model, and scales up to the Panamera Turbo, which sells for $146,900. Other vehicles that currently support CarPlay include the 2016 911 and the 2017 models of Macan, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman. The company did not mention support for Google's corresponding Android Auto in its announcement. http://bit.ly/295ZQ94
Apple employees testing wheelchair features
New features included in the forthcoming watchOS 3 are being tested by Apple retail store employees, including a new activity-tracking feature that has been designed with wheelchair users in mind. The move is slightly unusual in that, while retail employees have previously been used to test pre-release versions of OS X and iOS, this marks the first time they've been included in the otherwise developer-only watchOS betas. The company is said to have gone to great lengths to modify the activity tracker for wheelchair users, including changing the "time to stand" notification to "time to roll" and including two wheelchair-centric workout apps. http://bit.ly/2955JDa
SanDisk reveals two 256GB microSDXC cards
SanDisk has introduced two 256GB microSDXC cards. Arriving in August for $150, the Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Premium Edition card offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s for reading data. The Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card can read at a fast 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s, and will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter for $200. http://bit.ly/294Q1If
Apple's third-quarter results due July 26
Apple has advised it will be issuing its third-quarter results on July 26, with a conference call to answer investor and analyst queries about the earnings set to take place later that day. The stream of the call will go live at 2pm PT (5pm ET) via Apple's investor site, with the results themselves expected to be released roughly 30 minutes before the call commences. Apple's guidance for the quarter put revenue at between $41 billion and $43 billion. http://apple.co/1oi1Pbm
Twitter stickers slowly roll out to users
Twitter has introduced "stickers," allowing users to add extra graphical elements to their photos before uploading them to the micro-blogging service. A library of hundreds of accessories, props, and emoji will be available to use as stickers, which can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere on the photograph. Images with stickers will also become searchable with viewers able to select a sticker to see how others use the same graphic in their own posts. Twitter advises stickers will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, and will work on both the mobile apps and through the browser. http://bit.ly/29bbwUE


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David Rosenberg explains why it’s so hard to be bearish on stocks right now, with CNBC’s Jackie DeAngelis.
H/T Cliff Kule
David Rosenberg’s Upbeat Take On 2015
Today, Apple is the largest public company in the world, and the group’s iPhones can be found in stores all over the globe, but not long ago the company was a baby when the Apple IPO was filed in the 1970s. Not only is Apple the world’s most valuable company, but it’s also arguable that Read More


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Thailand’s Hom Mali rice has claimed the World’s Best Rice Award for the second consecutive, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said on December 14, 2021.
Hom Mali 105 rice, which is grown in the Northeast of Thailand was awarded the world’s best rice this year. It is the seventh time that Thai rice has won the award. This year, eleven types of rice from six countries — Thailand, the US, China, India, Vietnam and Myanmar — were nominated.
The Commerce Minister said the award would help strengthen the confidence of international consumers in the quality of Thai rice. It is expected that rice exports in 2021 will exceed the target of six million tonnes.


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UAE. According to PwC Middle East’s latest “Total Retail Middle East 2016: They say they want a revolution”, Middle Eastern retail is in revolution and online shoppers in the Middle East are fundamentally disrupting retail.
Technology is changing not just how consumers shop, but how retailers operate across the spectrum: from supply chain management, all the way through to customer engagement and brand management.
In PwC’s most comprehensive Total Retail survey, nearly 23,000 online shoppers in 25 countries, including over 1,000 consumers in the Middle East, revealed the changing behaviors that will drive the coming retail revolution. The survey looked at what drives shopping decisions, what makes different channels attractive and explored how new trends like social media are changing the face of the sector.
Middle East key findings
Despite taking time to develop, the online retail sector is growing and is gradually catching up with more developed markets across the world. The survey found that the PC is still the main channel for online retail, however the use of mobile is growing and taking a larger role in the online shopping process. Further, the advancement of online retail varies across product categories.
One of the important factors that has an impact on shopping behaviour, and as a result on the retailers themselves, is the payment method as consumers are still wary of online security and have a preference for cash payment. Finally, social media and personalisation influence consumer shopping behaviour and should therefore be a consideration for retailers with the change and evolution of the sector.
The survey found that price is still king and plays a key role in determining shopping behaviour. Middle Eastern consumers value monetary benefits obtained through loyalty / reward programs and social media.
PwC’s survey also found that social media influences shopping behaviour and contributes towards building brand value across the region. The PC remains the most commonly used device for online shopping followed by mobile / smart phones.
Online retail is growing
- Middle Eastern consumers are shopping online more frequently than they did a year ago (2014 vs. 2015)
- The percentage of daily online shoppers doubled from 6% in 2014 to 12% in 2015
- The shopping experience remains divided between online and in-store; consumers still revert to in-store shopping after researching their products online
- As many as 44% of respondents in the region made their first ever online purchase less than one year ago, compared to 19% globally
- 63% of those in the UAE would pay more for sameday delivery, and 54% in Saudi Arabia
PC is the main channel, mobile is catching up
- The use of mobile / smart phones for online shopping increased from 61% in 2014 to 70% in 2015,
- While the use of PCs decreased from 92% in 2014 to 89% in 2015, indicating a shift in consumer behaviour and choice of shopping channel
Preference for cash; concerns over online payment
- 80% of consumers prefer the cash payment method over others, higher than the global average of 75%
- Shoppers still have security concerns over making payments via their mobile / smart phones
Preference for online shopping varies significantly amongst products
- Clothing and footwear was the most frequently purchased product category online (68%) followed by consumer electronics and computers (66%)
- Groceries was the least purchased product category online (43%)
Shoppers value service, flexibility and personalisation
- Preference for buying from a neighbourhood retailer increases with better service
- Customers are willing to pay a premium for speedy delivery of online purchases
- Shoppers find that real time personalised offers improve their in-store shopping experience
Norma Taki, Retail and Consumer Partner at PwC Middle East, commenting on the survey and findings said: “The Middle East has one of the fastest-growing populations in the world, and one of the youngest: the number of people in the Arab world is set to almost double to 500 million by 2100, and half of these people will be under 24. Because of these demographic shifts, compounded with the other seismic changes provoked by the global megatrends, the Middle Eastern retail sector, is no doubt undergoing a change, a revolution, albeit at a different pace compared to the more developed countries.
"Most notably, here in the Middle East, the disruption is happening at the millennials’ level: our younger populations with more of them living in cities, and more of them using digital technology. There are opportunities here for retailers, as well as challenges. Online shopping is the most obvious example, with even relatively small operators now able to cross borders and reach global buyers, if they do digital well. But increasing urbanisation also offers new and different possibilities for physical stores, and the growing numbers of middle-class consumers in emerging economies have more to spend, and an appetite for brands. It truly is an exciting time for the Middle East.”
In this year’s survey, the UAE stood out as having more experienced online shoppers than is typical in the region:
10% have been shopping online for more than ten years, compared to a Middle Eastern average of 5%. Likewise everyone surveyed in the UAE said they owned a mobile phone, but in the region overall 7% did not have one. Aftersales service is more important to UAE respondents (37% versus a Middle Eastern average of 31%), as is Click & Collect (27% versus 22%), and they value loyalty points more in loyalty schemes (64% see it as a key benefit, compared with a Middle Eastern average of 55%).
UAE consumers are more likely to choose a retailer for their stock availability (24% compared with a regional average of 18%), and because they trust the brand (32% versus 29%). UAE respondents are more concerned about security risks online (22% versus 14%), and – perhaps for similar reasons – are much more likely to use a debit card than another form of payment (46% compared to a regional average of 25%).
Saudi respondents tended to conform to the overall regional trends in their answers. Some of the variances that did stand out are aftersales service and Click & Collect, which are both less important in Saudi than the regional average (24% versus 31%, and 18% versus 22%, respectively).
Saudi respondents also put a lower value on reward points as part of loyalty schemes (47% see it as a key benefit of a loyalty scheme compared to a regional average of 55%). The other interesting finding was that 16% of Saudi respondents say the slow speed of their data connection is an impediment to mobile shopping, compared to a Middle Eastern average of 10%
One of the most striking findings is the polarisation of the online shopping landscape in Egypt. Egypt has more people shopping online daily (12% versus a regional average of 11%), but also more people who have never shopped that way (18% versus 13%). It also has the smallest number of people who have been shopping online for a long time – only 0.9% of respondents have been doing this for more than ten years, compared to a regional average of 5%, and 16% of Egyptian respondents said they don’t own a mobile phone, compared to a regional average of 7%.
But Egyptians are catching up fast: more of them are likely to research products on their mobile while instore (39%, versus 29% in Saudi Arabia and 31% in the UAE), and they are more likely to compare prices on their mobile while instore (46%, versus 39% for Saudi and 40% for the UAE). Social media is very influential too: 75% of Egyptian respondents value a brand more after interacting with it on social media, compared to a Middle Eastern average of 63%.
Price and personalisation emerge as other key factors: Egyptians are more likely to choose a retailer because of price (52% versus an average of 49%), and the availability of personalised offers is a major reason why retailers gain ‘favourite’ status (31% versus 24%). 43% would have a better instore shopping experience if there were more personalised real-time offers, compared to a Middle Eastern average of 34%.
Security concerns are much less of an issue for Egyptians: only 2% say that’s preventing them from shopping online, compared to a regional average of 14%. But mobile security is still an issue: 74% are worried about their phones being hacked, compared to an average of 65%, which may partly explain why more of them prefer to pay in cash – 85% versus an average of 80%.
Other challenges for the online operators include long delivery times: 51% of Egyptian respondents cite this as a problem, compared to an average of 45%.
Photo Caption: From PwC's report: “Total Retail Middle East 2016: They say they want a revolution” (Credit : PwC)
At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 157 countries with more than 223,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com.
Established in the Middle East for 40 years, PwC has firms in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with around 4,000 people.
For more information, please visit www.pwc.com/me.


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NEW YORK: Tesla has laid off about nine percent of its employees, Electrek first reported. This is part of the reorganization Musk talked about in May on the company’s quarterly earnings call. The layoffs reportedly started on Monday and will be made official at some point today.
Tesla, which also operates SolarCity, is only laying off salaried employees. Tesla isn’t letting go any production associates, as the company is trying to ramp up Model 3 production.
“We made these decisions by evaluating the criticality of each position, whether certain jobs could be done more efficiently and productively, and by assessing the specific skills and abilities of each individual in the company,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote to employees in an email obtained by TechCrunch. “As you know, we are also continuing to flatten our management structure to help us communicate better, eliminate bureaucracy and move faster.”
When Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016, its headcount increased to more than 30,000 employees. Toward the end of 2017, Tesla had around 37,000 employees.


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BERLIN—The coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc on international travel, but Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Germany’s most notorious white elephant, is finally set to open—nine years behind schedule and three times over budget.
Udo Haase, former mayor of Schönefeld, the municipality where the airport’s buildings have been sitting empty for nearly a decade, said the timing of the launch, now scheduled for the fall, is a fitting coda to the “tragicomedy” of its history.
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Xiaomi will revive the Mi Note series this year with the Mi Note 10 and Note 10 Pro. It started with rumors that got huge consistency after the referred devices were certified in Thailand. Now, Xiaomi decided to confirm that this smartphone is indeed coming through a post on its official Twitter account.
The Chinese giant decided to post a teaser in the social media network leaving no doubts about the arrival of the new Note 10 duo. The teaser clearly says that “Mi Note 10” is coming, but this isn’t the only thing revealed by the post. According to Xiaomi, it will be the world’s first smartphone to ship with a 108MP Penta-camera.
— Xiaomi #MiMIXAlpha (@Xiaomi) October 28, 2019
Interestingly enough, Xiaomi also teased the Mi CC9 Pro earlier today, the smartphone also counts with a 108MP Penta-Camera and will be released on November 5. This isn’t a mere coincidence, we believe that that the CC9 Pro is the Chinese version and the Mi Note 10 is the international version of the same smartphone. We wouldn’t discard the possibility of seeing Note 10 becoming official in the same date of CC9 Pro. After all, Xiaomi is teasing it as the world’s first 108MP Penta-camera device.
Gizchina News of the week
— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) October 28, 2019
According to the tipster Mukul Sharm, both the Mi Note 10 and CC9 Pro will have a lot of similar features. However, they will have different processors. Judging by the leaks, the Mi CC9 Pro will feature a Snapdragon 730G CPU. If the Note 10 has a different processor, we would bet in a Snapdragon 855 chipset.
The Snapdragon 730G is Qualcomm’s best offering for the upper mid-range segment. We believe that the Mi Note 10 isn’t a mid-range smartphone. For that reason, it shouldn’t come with a Snapdragon 6xx SoC. Based on this, we believe that it could fly higher with a Snapdragon 855 SoC. Take this with a grain or two of salt, since it’s just mere speculation at the moment. In the end, if the Note 10 comes with a Snapdragon 855, then the Note 10 Pro may jump to the Snapdragon 855+. Both handsets would be Xiaomi’s best opportunity to compete with the late 2019 flagships.


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Burberry crackdown on toxins in children's clothing: Ban comes after tests found harmful substances in garments made by 12 different brands
- Label took the decision after tests by Greenpeace found suspect chemicals in a £175 shirt modelled by Romeo Beckham in a Vogue magazine shoot
- Presence of hazardous chemicals found in clothes by Disney and Adidas
- No evidence that the levels of chemicals would cause immediate harm
- However Greenpeace argues they should be removed as a precaution
Burberry is to stop using toxic chemicals in the manufacture of its clothing after residues were found in some children’s products.
The British designer label took the decision following tests by Greenpeace which found suspect chemicals in a shirt modelled by Romeo Beckham.
Tests commissioned by the campaigning group revealed the presence of hazardous chemicals, including hormone disrupting substances, in children’s clothes made by 12 brands such as Disney, Adidas and Primark.
Decision: Burberry is to stop using toxic chemicals in the manufacture of its clothing after suspect chemicals were found in a shirt modelled by Romeo Beckham
Many of these chemicals are now widespread in the environment, following years of discharges into global waterways from clothing factories.
Ilze Smit, Detox campaigner at Greenpeace International said: ‘Burberry’s Detox commitment to rid us of these hazardous little monsters represents a new chapter in the story of toxic-free fashion.
‘In taking this landmark step, Burberry has listened to their customers’ demands and joins the ranks of brands acting on behalf of parents everywhere to give this toxic nightmare the happy ending it deserves.’
She added: ‘Burberry’s move raises the bar for the luxury sector. With the Fashion Weeks coming up, brands like Gucci, Versace and Louis Vuitton risk getting left behind.
‘From budget to luxury, we have a right to demand our clothes are free from hazardous chemicals and big brands have a responsibility to do something about it.’
The Daily Mail revealed last week how a £175 Burberry shirt modelled by Romeo Beckham in a fashion shoot for Vogue magazine has been found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals.
Contaminated: The Daily Mail revealed last week how a £175 Burberry shirt modelled by Romeo Beckham in a fashion shoot for Vogue magazine has been found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals
tests: The shirt was tested as part of the Greenpeace Detox campaign investigation and was found to contain a relatively high level - 780 mg/kg ¿ of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs)
Eleven-year-old Romeo, who is the second of David and Victoria Beckham’s four children, was hired by Burberry last year to front a high profile marketing campaign.
Following his designer mother into the fashion world, he was hand-picked by Burberry’s chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey.
The campaign saw him wearing a purple metallic shirt alongside models Edie Campbell and Cara Delavingne as part of the Spring/Summer 2013 collection in a photo-shoot by the renowned Mario Testino.
The shirt was tested as part of the Greenpeace Detox campaign investigation and was found to contain a relatively high level - 780 mg/kg – of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs).
NPEs are man-made chemicals that are widely used as surfactants or detergents by textiles manufacturers during the manufacture of the cloth.
Usage: NPEs are man-made chemicals that are widely used as surfactants or detergents by textiles manufacturers during the manufacture of the cloth
Once released to the environment, NPEs degrade to nonylphenols (NP), which are known to be toxic and act as hormone disrupters. They will accumulate in the body over time.
There is no evidence that the levels of chemicals found would cause immediate harm to children wearing them, however Greenpeace argues they should be removed on a precautionary basis
The £175 shirt was made in Tunisia and purchased in the UK from the firm’s online store.
Graham Thompson, of Greenpeace, said: ‘The Mail’s reporting on this issue showed that even the super-rich can’t avoid exposure to hazardous chemicals without industry-wide action.
‘The industry know this, and everybody wants to do the right thing, but nobody wants to lead. Burberry have broken through that corporate inertia, they have a plan, it’s a plan which meets Greenpeace’s hopes, and it’s a plan which makes them industry leaders.’
Burberry has announced an action plan to begin removing suspect chemicals with immediate effect in a process that will take place between now and 2020.
It said: ‘Burberry’s long-term sustainability programme recognises the urgent need for eliminating industrial releases of all hazardous chemicals.
‘Burberry Group will work with other companies in the apparel sector and other brands we sell, as well as material suppliers, the broader chemical industry, NGOs and other stakeholders to achieve this goal.’
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- Generic environmental claims and other misleading marketing tricks will be banned
- Ban will also apply to commercial communications about goods that contain a design feature introduced to limit product durability
- Only sustainability labels based on approved certification schemes or established by public authorities will be allowed
- Guarantee information to be more visible and a new guarantee extension label to be introduced
Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement on new rules to ban misleading advertisements and provide consumers with better product information.
The agreement updates the existing EU list of banned commercial practices and adds to it several problematic marketing habits related to greenwashing and early obsolescence of goods. The aim of the new rules is to protect consumers from misleading practices and help them make better purchasing choices.
What will be banned?
Negotiators from Parliament and Council agreed to proscribe the following:
- generic environmental claims, e.g. “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco”, without proof of recognised excellent environmental performance relevant to the claim;
- commercial communications about a good with a feature that limits its durability if information is available on the feature and its effects on the durability;
- claims based on emissions offsetting schemes that a product has neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment;
- sustainability labels not based on approved certification schemes or established by public authorities;
- durability claims in terms of usage time or intensity under normal conditions, if not proven;
- prompting the consumer to replace consumables, such as printer ink cartridges, earlier than strictly necessary;
- presenting software updates as necessary even if they only enhance functionality features;
- presenting goods as repairable when they are not.
New harmonised label to highlight products with extended guarantee
MEPs successfully insisted on making guarantee information more visible, as many people are not aware that all goods enjoy at least a two-year guarantee in the EU. The Commission is also tasked with designing a new label for producers willing to highlight the quality of their goods by extending the guarantee period free of charge.
After the deal, Parliament’s rapporteur Biljana Borzan (S&D, HR) said: “We have achieved an excellent deal for consumers. 60% of European consumers are not even aware a legal guarantee comes with all products. That changes today, with a reminder to be present in every shop in the EU and also in some cases on packaging. Also, a new extended guarantee label will show clearly which products last longer, so it will be easier to buy more durable products. We have also negotiated a strong stance on early obsolescence. We shouldn’t advertise products that fail too early. In addition to that, we are clearing the chaos of environmental claims, which will now have to be substantiated, and claims based on emissions offsetting will be banned.”
In order to become law, the provisional deal will now have to get the final OK from both the Parliament and the Council. Parliament's Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection approved the deal on November 28. The final plenary vote by MEPs is expected to take place in January. When the directive comes into force, member states will have 24 months to incorporate the new rules into their law.


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Views from the California Labor Movement
Stop Uber and Lyft from Buying Their Own Law to Cheat Workers – No on Prop 22!
You probably can’t turn on the TV for five minutes without seeing a Yes on Prop 22 ad. The tech giants – Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart – are spending $184 million, which buys a lot of fancy TV spots. In fact, that $184 million is more than any campaign has spent on a ballot […]
READ MORE >>


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COVINA, Calif. (KABC)– A man has been arrested on suspicion of DUI after driving his car into two shops in Covina late Sunday afternoon, causing extensive damage.
The accident happened around 5:45 p.m. on East Rowland Street.
According to Covina police, the vehicle was speeding down Second Avenue when it crashed into a dry cleaning store and printing facility.
A nearby business owner said it was not the first time such an accident had happened in the area.
“It’s not uncommon here,” said Georgia McCaffrey. “It might be the sixth or seventh in 10 years. They just seem to run into the building. I do not understand.”
The driver was reportedly uncooperative with first responders before being taken into custody.
Both stores were closed at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported. Both companies suffered significant structural damage.
Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
https://abc7.com/covina-dui-crash-driver-arrested/12291092/ DUI suspect arrested after smashing into 2 shops in Covina


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UK: The Patter Of Designer Labels At Mothercare
Mothercare, the high street and Internet parenting retailer, is to introduce designer fashion brands into its stores for the first time in its 40 year history. After successfully test marketing aspirational labels including Osh Kosh, Petit Bateau, Oilily & Chicco kids clothing, the company has confirmed it will launch fashion brands into 15 Mothercare World stores this Autumn. Other stores are likely to follow in the new year.Each new range has been selected to complement Mothercare's existing own-label fashion lines for mums-to-be, babies and kids. Chrissie Waterlow, brands buyer at Mothercare, said: "This is a particularly exciting development for Mothercare, which is designed to give our customers greater choice. The brands have already proved very popular in our trial stores."A complete list of the Mothercare World stores introducing fashion labels is shown below.Romford, Stoke, Manchester, Edmonton, Liverpool, Warrington, Gateshead, Dudley, Croydon, Cardiff, Leeds, Kew, Oxford Street, London, Blue Water, Peterborough.
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In the past two years, manufacturers have increased investments in digital technologies to meet the demands of the changing environment like erratic supply chain or poor equipment efficiency. However, the industry is discovering that technology alone cannot solve these business challenges. They must also empower their workforce with digital capabilities to ensure the successful execution of an organization’s strategy.
As manufacturers increase investments in digital technologies to meet the demands of the changing environment, there is a realization that technology must be coupled with an empowered workforce to ensure the successful execution of an organization’s strategy.
Most of us believe that the manufacturing industry is not well suited to a remote work model. However, the pandemic and the adoption of Industry 4.0 proved to be a catalyst accelerating automation with a cloud-first infrastructure in the factory environment to enable a hybrid work model. Manufacturers who began to adapt designs to meet the requirement of social distancing realized the benefits of the new work model. They strategically began to invest in virtual environments that could bring at least part of their factories online, so much so that Gartner predicts 50% of factory work will be done remotely by 2024.
WEF found that rapid advances in AI, robotics, and other emerging technologies were happening in ever shorter cycles, changing the very nature of the jobs that needed to be done – and the skills needed to do them – faster than ever before. The workforce must be enabled with productivity tools, learning opportunities, and digital capabilities for the success of an organization.


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As the Galaxy S24 series launch approaches, rumors are already circulating about potential upgrades. Recent leaks suggest that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will receive a boost in its camera capabilities.
Upgraded Telephoto Camera: Galaxy S24 series
Leaker Ice Universe has disclosed that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will feature a 50MP telephoto camera with 3x zoom. This enhancement indicates that both telephoto cameras on the device are in line for improvements, promising an enhanced photography experience.
Compared to its predecessor, the S23 Ultra’s 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, the S24 Ultra’s increased camera resolution is expected to result in improved image and zoom quality.
Reports suggest that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will maintain its quad-camera setup. The device is anticipated to retain the 200MP main camera equipped with an ISOCELL HP2 sensor. However, it remains uncertain whether the ultra-wide camera will undergo an upgrade, as the company has primarily employed a 12MP ultra-wide camera.
Exynos 2400 Possibility
Speculations about the Galaxy S24 series include the potential reintroduction of Exynos chips, specifically the Exynos 2400, marking a departure from the current year’s models. Additional details are expected to surface in the coming months, shedding light on Samsung’s decisions.


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Wells Fargo & Co. Chief Executive Officer John Stumpf, telling the story of his first meal with Warren Buffett in Omaha, Nebraska, said the billionaire investor’s eating habits came as a shock.
Stumpf, responding to a question about Buffett at the National Press Club in Washington today, said the world’s third-richest person dined on a T-bone steak cooked medium rare, a side of chicken parmigiana, mashed potatoes and a Cherry Coke. Buffett, 84, runs Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the largest shareholder in San Francisco-based Wells Fargo.
“Warren eats a full meal, let me tell you,” said Stumpf, 61. “When the food comes, Warren grabs a salt shaker in his left hand and one in his right hand, and it’s a snowstorm. And I know a snowstorm when I see one because I’m from Minnesota.”
Stumpf said he suggested Buffett, whose preference for hamburgers over vegetables is part of his folksy persona, should cut back on the sodium and consider getting a colonoscopy. Buffett had a procedure to remove polyps from his colon in 2000 that were discovered during a routine examination.
“I went in with a colon and came out with a semicolon,” Buffett, reprising one of his old jokes, said today in an e-mail sent by his assistant. He declined to comment further on Stumpf’s remarks.
Berkshire, which has held stock in Wells Fargo since 1989, owns companies including Dairy Queen and See’s Candies and is the biggest shareholder of Coca-Cola Co. Last month, Berkshire said it would help finance Burger King Worldwide Inc.’s purchase of Canadian doughnut chain Tim Hortons Inc.
“Warren is just a terrific human being,” Stumpf said, adding that the investor doesn’t meddle in Wells Fargo’s affairs.
Stumpf, in his nearly hour-long speech today, also discussed matters including philanthropy and how regulation is hurting the U.S. economy.


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Cable and satellite TV can be expensive, but don’t feel guilty if you want to keep it.
More details on local stations coming to streaming bundles like DirecTV Now and PlayStation Vue.
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Time to upgrade your Roku? This guide will help you decide.
Don't be fooled by Comcast's new Roku app; the cable box isn't going anywhere.
You can buy an AirTV now, but the product won't integrate antenna and Sling TV channels until "early 2017."
It may not persuade home theater geeks, but Sony’s “actuator” tech, which turns the entire OLED panel into a speaker, is impressive.
Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch talks pricing, DVR, and certified hardware.
TiVo's new interface tries to predict what you'll watch, but it's not just for DVR boxes anymore.
The networked tuner builder discussed DVR delays, new hardware, and a semi-secret exchange program at CES 2017.
This year's smart TVs are thin enough to leave you with paper cuts.


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DALLAS — About 20,000 retailers swarmed into town last week for the Dallas Winter Homefurnishings Market, filling at least 15 of the city`s largest, poshest hotels and sometimes tripping over each other`s feet on the exhibition halls` jammed escalators.
This is, after all, said to be the biggest gathering to hit Dallas every year; and before everyone clears out at the end of the week, orders for more than $1.5 million worth of furniture will have been placed.
``We have 5 buildings--8 million square feet--devoted to home furnishings,`` Dolores Lehr, who has handled publicity for the market for 26 years and who can rattle off such tidbits as when the first waterbed appeared, likes to tell newcomers.
``We have 11,000 free parking spaces and a 150-acre lot with room for expansion. We are the largest wholesale merchandise mart in the world.``
Welcome to Texas.
To be sure, nearly everything new that showed up at this market was first unveiled three months ago at the Southern Furniture Market, a national event held in High Point, N.C. But among dozens of regional markets--that are really like giant furniture fairs--Dallas purports to be the biggest, and, this being Texas, the best.
Retailers come here to buy from wholesalers, who rent showroom space as they do in Chicago`s Merchandise Mart; and scores of reporters, from publications as diverse as Floor Covering Weekly and New Yorker magazine, come here seeking trends.
Item: Furniture with an American heritage--that is, furniture that comes in cardboard cartons stamped ``Made in America`` and harking back to a younger, perhaps tougher nation--is one of the biggest themes of this market. Pulaski brought out its new Sagamore Hill collection of Victorian adaptations from Theodore Roosevelt`s time, or, as company spokesman Harvey Harris put it, ``from a less complicated era in our nation when nobody kicked us in the buns.``
Aside from being undeniably pretty, the furniture is meant to have emotional appeal. ``People are very tired of being kicked around by foreigners,`` said Pulaski president Bernard C. Wampler. ``So if we give them a product they can use with some pride in our country, they`ll buy it.``
A marble-topped ``chesser,`` half chest, half dresser, sells in stores for about $850 and has already been ordered by Homemakers in Chicago, Wampler said.
Item: The country look is so strong that some executives swear it`s permanent. Country, too, has taken a nationalistic turn.
Hickory and Lane, two major names in the business, showed nearly 100 new pieces of country furniture from lines called, respectively, American Artech and American West. Both reflect a little of French Provincial, a little Scandinavian, a little Biedermeier, with all due respect to the European artisans who, as one executive put it, were once ``the new Americans.``
``The Trump Tower stuff, the brass and glass, is a dream that may not be lasting,`` said Leslie W. Flippo, executive vice president of the Hickory Furniture Co. ``You might have the most modern home furnishings, but somewhere you`ll have a piece or two of something that`s solid, and a tie back to Mom and Dad and what this country is and has been.``
Clearly, it is high time for a new buzzword, and Flippo believes he has found one. It was coined by his friend, O.B. Solie, a Rockville, Ill., furniture designer: ``Ameristyle,`` said Flippo triumphantly, as if a void had just been vanquished. (The people at Pulaski, obviously thinking in the same terms, prefer their own ``Amerostyle.``)
A fad? Flippo thinks not. ``We believe country can go on ad infinitum,``
An apothecary chest with strong, geometric Biedermeier lines will appear in Hickory`s Merchandise Mart showroom in February and probably in a department store or two as well, Flippo said. It has a list price of about $2,700.
Item: Contemporary furniture is getting more comfortable and even a little squashy, like soft sculpture. Look for black, white and jewel colors. Black lacquer, shiny as pools of ink, often is used to set off white upholstery and pillows in piercing fuschia.
``I think the Memphis look has subsided a little,`` said Carol Mace, who manages a contemporary multi-line showroom here called Design Place 401.
``They`re getting away from strong, angular lines.``
Recent Memphis-inspired pieces by Thayer Coggin, for instance, are no longer being shown. And one furniture executive, asked at a luncheon what consumers now want to buy, inhaled and said: ``Big, beefy, fluffy,
overstuffed, comfortable-looking merchandise.``
Item: The Italians have unleashed an unstoppable passion among U.S. manufacturers for those thin pads that flop like elephant ears over sofa arms and backs. Unfortunately, some manufacturers seem to think that their dreariest offerings will perk right up with floppy pads. One saleswoman called them ``hippos,`` explaining, ``They just need two little eyes right here, right in front, and don`t they look sort of like hippos?``


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Politcal correctness aside there is no question that adding an additional power system to a hydrocarbon combustion plant also adds additional waste.
Pound for pound it takes more fuel to move a hybrid per foot poound of travel than it does to move a vehicle with a signle stage power system.
With a Hybrid one is also adding the waste of generation which includes the additional friction losses of driving a generator as well as the standard generator efficiencies encountated as an industry standard. These are generally no better than 80 percent adding rougnly an additional 20% loss to a process that is aleready terribly inefficient.
A middle school team from Rochester, Mich., has again nabbed the grand prize in the annual international Future City Competition, which drew students from 37 regions of the United States, as well as from England and China.
The word “smart” is becoming the dumbest word around. It has been applied to almost every device and system in our homes. In addition to smartphones and smart meters, we now hear about smart clothing and smart shoes, smart lights, smart homes, smart buildings, and every trendy city today has its smart city project. Just because it has a computer inside and is connected to the Web, does not mean it is smart.
Are you being paid enough? Do you want a better job? According to a recent survey Manpower released just before Engineers Week, employers and engineers don't see eye-to-eye about the state of US engineers' skills and experience.
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