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J&E Farm Store and Butcher Shop is a Cinderella story for direct-to-consumer farm marketing.
No plans for Nutrien to sell assets
Reuters – Canadian potash producer Nutrien is not looking to sell assets to raise capital, CEO Ken Seitz told Reuters,…
“We were in the right place at the right time. But it wasn’t all based on luck,” said Emma Butler, who operates the business with her husband, Josh.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for their business expansion and the number of farmers who sell direct to consumers is growing. According to the 2021 Census of Agriculture, one in seven Canadian farms sells directly to consumers. Nearly 25 per cent of those farms are located in Ontario.
Why it matters: Selling direct to consumers connects farmers directly to them, and hopefully a higher profit margin on the products they sell.
Butler and her husband’s growth strategy recognized the importance of repeat purchases and focused on capturing, building and maintaining a robust consumer relationship. She said there is a symbiotic relationship between the cash cropping, livestock operation, farm store and newly launched butcher shop, although each is an individual business.
“COVID, in terms of the evolution and logistics of how our business works, changed everything,” said Butler. “We maybe wouldn’t have built a butcher shop four years in, had we not seen those gaps in the other places we relied on to make our business go.”
It catalyzed other changes too, including the addition of an e-commerce platform and province-wide shipping.
“We want to have our fingers in everything because, as an entrepreneur, I want this business to succeed, and I will not give up at all,” she said with a laugh. “There’s no quit.”
Butler said their target demographic ranges from young families to retirees, who generally purchase weekly rather than in bulk.
“We’ve increased across the board in the amount of customers we serve and in the demand,” said Butler.
“Because we are our suppliers for those products, we’ve increased across the board in our beef production, lamb production, and our chicken production.”
Data from the 2021 agricultural census shows that farmer use of direct sales varies, but 60 per cent use a physical shop, whether it’s a farm store, kiosk or u-pick. Approximately half provide delivery to the customer.
Additionally, 96 per cent sell unprocessed products like fruits, vegetables and maple syrup, and 15 per cent of those producers buoy sales with value-added items like pies, sausage and preserves.
Morris Gervais said Barrie Hill Farms in Springwater was an early adopter of the pick-your-own model.
His parents initiated a u-pick model in 1977 on their 200-acre operation.
Until the late 1980s, customers would buy bushels of seasonal fruits and vegetables to can and preserve, said Gervais. Now he needs more traffic on the farm to sell the same product volume and has integrated a cafe to sell pies, preserves, canning, and pickling supplies.
Barrie Hill Farms incorporated seasonally themed events as an extra draw from May until October.
“In October … people can come out and harvest corn fresh off the stalk,” he said. “We’re trying not to be dependent on the wholesale market, and that was the wisdom of my parents. They said no, we’ve got to bring the people here to the farm.”
Gervais has also introduced u-pick asparagus, a popular addition this year that he said gives families the opportunity to create memories and get kids excited about eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
“I’m dependent on local customers who want to support this farm and can afford to pay a little more for quality and freshness,” he said. “The only way forward is to direct market and continue to do a good job, offer fun experiences here, and connect people to their food.”
Bringing families to the farm generates appreciation, awareness and education in a fun and interactive way that reconnects people to their food, said Kevin Vallier, executive director of Farm Fresh Ontario. But he also hopes people support and buy Foodland Ontario logoed produce in grocery stores.
Vallier said changes at the municipal and provincial level regarding red tape and planning regulations would help the next generation on these farms continue these direct-sales businesses.
“Let them grow. Let them expand. Let them be creative so the next generation can obviously make a living,” he said. “But at the same time, keep those prices affordable for consumers.”
Arden Vaughn of Lake Land Meats near St. Catharines said his business had a 50 per cent spike in sales early in the pandemic, but that has since evened out to pre-pandemic levels.
After nearly three decades of providing traditional cuts of meat, farm-raised elk/deer hybrids and locally sourced fish, Vaughn said finding butchers is the biggest challenge.
“It’s been hard with butchers retiring, especially in Niagara. There’s no place anymore to get custom cutting done.
“I drive an hour and a half to go and get pepperettes made, and then I drive to pick them up, and another place makes my sausage. Where can I get rabbits processed or my chicken processed? Good luck.”
That extra cost for those efforts must be covered by consumers.
“People shop with their wallet, and you only have so much money to spend,” she said. That can prevent some folks from buying fresh local products.
Brianna Kristensen’s small-scale online farm shop runs on tight margins. Kristensen, husband Kyle and their two kids raise a dozen beef cows, two pigs, 150 meat birds, 30 turkeys, 23 layers and two horses on a six-acre holding with 30 acres of rented pasture. Along with a produce garden, the animals supply the shop and 75 per cent of the family’s food needs.
During the pandemic, the first-generation farmer began selling to a broader demographic of 40-year-olds from nearby subdivisions and Toronto-area bedroom communities like Bowmanville, Newcastle and Oshawa.
“They’re typically people who want to buy local but also want to make sure animals are treated ethically and want to buy from a smaller farm,” Kristensen said of her grass-fed, pasture-raised products. “I think that appeals to a lot of people.”
She tries to offer harder-to-find popular cuts, like tomahawk and flat iron steaks, and supports nose-to-tail commerce through a group that purchases organ meats and provides cross-platform social media promotion for the farm.
“It really promotes atypical cuts, which is extremely important,” Kristensen said. “I’m not the only producer he buys from, but when he uses my meat, he tags our farm, which really helps us.”
Farm sustainability is the ultimate dream, so no one must work off the farm. So is a clear succession plan for their children through careful expansion that doesn’t outgrow the consumer base.
“We don’t have that much room for risk,” said Kristensen. “We want it to be sustainable. That’s why we’ve grown on a smaller, slower side, and I don’t want to take that kind of risk with my family and their lifestyles.”


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Three years ago – not long after I started at Kotaku, actually – a modder who took a three month break from his job to work full-time on Fallout: Project Brazil, an ambitious total conversion of Fallout: New Vegas. The mod has been in development for aeons, and after countless delays, bug fixes and a rebranding to Fallout: New California, an open beta was launched earlier this year.
But then a spanner got thrown into the works: Fantasy Flight Games announced Fallout: New California, an expansion for the post-apocalyptic RPG’s tabletop spin-off.
A post on the official Fallout: New California Facebook page a few days ago was disconsolate, to say the least. “They have every legal right to C&D us without hesitation. It would be effortless on their part to wipe us out with a single email, erasing 7 years of work,” the official account said.
At the time of writing, their issue wasn’t with Bethesda. It was with Fantasy Flight Games, the tabletop conglomerate responsible for the Fallout board game spin-off (and many licensed games, including the Star Wars: Rebellion, X-Wing, and so on).
“I doubt anything other than a functionary that approved the license ever even heard of it at BGS or Zenimax,” the modding team’s account said. “They probably has a deal worked out a long time ago and Fantasy Flight just named their new expansion without so much as consulting BGS. Or googling the new name.”
A quick scramble began to investigate possible options. Renaming all relevant assets back to Project Brazil was one option – that was the game’s original name – but it was time consuming, and hugely inconvenient: the mod was set in new California, geographically and spiritually.
The modding team scrambled to ramp up their release plans, preparing for a cease and desist from FFG, Bethesda, Zenimax, or some combination of the three. But the opposite ended up happening.
“Problem solved. Thanks to Michael from Vice and Pete Hines,” the modding team wrote. They posted a link to the New California expansion, asked people kindly pre-order, while adding “From Thain — with love” in the buyer’s notes.
Fallout: New California – the mod, not the board game – is still due to launch on October 23. People will probably be occupied with Fallout 76 or replaying the Fallout games in lieu of 76‘s release. New California could still get delayed again, of course, but at least the team can work on it safe in the knowledge that the Zenimax legal hammer isn’t looming over their head. And it’s nice to know that the tireless love and effort of dedicated volunteers will still see the light of day, hopefully soon.

domain: news


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When: Thu., Sept. 22, 7 p.m. 2011
Charlotte Seen Fashion Week's runway show focuses on undiscovered Charlotte talent. Four emerging artists will compete by displaying between 6-10 pieces each of their newest collections. Audience votes determine who wins. A portion of the proceeds from the runway show will benefit Right Moves for Youth. For more information, visit www.charlottefashionweek.com.
Price: $20 and up


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Friday, August 13, 2010
Let me just say that I do not believe that to simply stop shopping at these places is as effective as a organizing a letter writing campaign within your parish or community asking them to stop funding Planned Parenthood. I never want to see a company close down because of lack of business--companies hire folks from my community, I don't want to see them out of work either. However, if the letter campaign fails to convicne them, then it is time to take your business elsewhere.
Time to update my list.
A pro-life group has released its revised edition of a boycott list of corporations which support Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest pro-abortion group. New companies on its list include AOL, Hilton hotels, Staples, Trader Joe’s, and Toys “R” Us.
Life Decisions International (LDI) said new additions also include the Mrs. Fields cookie stores, Kohl’s department stores, and the ING financial services company. Darden Restaurants, which include Bahama Breeze, The Capital Grille, Olive Garden and Red Lobster, have been added to the list along with Ignite Restaurants which include Brickhouse Tavern + Tap and Joe’s Crab Shack.
Hilton Worldwide hotels include Conrad Hotels, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns/Suites, and Homewood Suites.
Reappearing on LDI’s boycott list are The Gap and the federal government-sponsored mortgage corporation Freddie Mac.
Corporations with a continuing presence on the boycott list include Wells Fargo, Nike, Time Warner, Bank of America, Walt Disney, Johnson & Johnson, Chevron, and Nationwide Insurance.
"As a direct result of the commitment, action and prayers of pro-family people, at least 256 corporations have stopped funding Planned Parenthood," said Kenneth C. Garvey, director of communications at LDI. "This should serve as a testament to those who thought it impossible to change corporate philanthropic behavior."
LDI estimates that the boycott has cost Planned Parenthood more than $40 million since the pro-life group’s Corporate Funding Project began more than 17 years ago.
Garvey criticized pro-life organizations which continue to use PayPal despite its owner eBay being targeted for boycott.
“Most pro-life groups are aware that it is a boycott target because it has funded Planned Parenthood, but they have consciously chosen to continue doing business with the company. Doing so is indefensible," he charged.
The LDI official said alternatives to PayPal exist and he would help anyone who has difficulty finding them.
"Corporate officials are learning that those who value life are among the most dedicated people on earth. We will not go away until corporate involvement with Planned Parenthood comes to an end," commented LDI chairman Thomas C. Strobhar.
The LDI Boycott List also includes a “dishonorable mention” section for charitable groups associated with Planned Parenthood or its agenda. Listed groups include the Lions Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, Rotary Clubs, the Boys & Girls Clubs, Camp Fire Girls and Girl Scouts.
The American Cancer Society, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Easter Seals, Ronald McDonald House Charities, YWCA and YMCA are listed, as are the Salvation Army and the charity America Gives Back, which is associated with the television show American Idol
Pro-life group adds AOL, Hilton and Trader Joe’s to boycott list :: EWTN News


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DLA Piper advises Orchard Hardware Stores in sale of business to Lowe's Companies
DLA Piper has advised Orchard Supply Hardware Stores in the sale of its business to Lowe’s Companies Inc, which has been approved by the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
Under the terms of the transaction, Lowe’s has agreed to acquire substantially all of Orchard’s assets, including its 72 neighbourhood home repair and maintenance, paint, houseware and garden stores in California and Oregon for $205m (£131m) and the assumption of nearly all of the payables owed to most of Orchard’s supplier partners.
Orchard will then operate as a separate, standalone business at the completion of the sale process, which is expected to close by the end of August.
DLA Piper’s multi-disciplinary team representing Orchard involved lawyers across its US offices, including Richard Chesley (Chicago) who led the restructuring, Eric Wang (Silicon Valley) who led the corporate efforts, and Ann Lawrence (Los Angeles) who led the sale transaction.
News from DLA Piper
News from The Lawyer
Briefings from DLA Piper
Legislative decree no. 231/2001: the stance taken by the Italian Supreme Court on conspiracy crimes and more
The Italian High Court has pointed out some significant aspects concerning the application of Legislative Decree No. 231/2001 (corporate criminal liability).
The Trust Deficit: After the Crash report suggests that trust between business, politics and the media has broken down completely.
Analysis from The Lawyer
The fragile refinance market is back in rude health and US-style alternative lenders are stepping up with innovative structures to sustain the recovery
The Lawyer’s latest Top 50 litigation firms list shows that business for dispute specialists is roaring along while new in-depth detail reveals the winning strategies


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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., August 12 -- Spectra-Physics has expanded its operations in China with a new subsidiary for sales, service and support from its Beijing headquarters. The company said it will use the subsidiary to better penetrate the Chinese market for laser systems and photonic components and OEM sub-systems.
The new Beijing facility will offer laser spares and photonic components, and a satellite operation in Shanghai will focus on the industrial market. Leading the launch of Spectra-Physics China is Baining Liu, Spectra-Physics China operations director.
Guy Broadbent, president of Spectra-Physics, said, "We see China as an important, fast-growing market for products across the entire expanded Spectra-Physics brand, from simple optics and photonic components to high-performance laser systems." He said Spectra-Physics was the first US-based photonics company to set up a local service center in China, in 1984, which allowed it to gain a strong position in the scientific and research markets.
"Setting up a fully integrated and self-contained operation enables us to expand our attention to the growing industrial and commercial markets, where local support and fast service and repair turnaround are particularly critical," he added.
For more information, visit: www.spectra-physics.com


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When asked about the future of enterprise technology, the chief executives from two of America's largest companies agree that it is personalization.
According to a recent New York Times (NYT) report, Tim Cook of Apple and Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric forecast that business technology will take a lesson from consumer Internet by using data to tailor the tech experience for businesses.
Sinu noted in past blogs that Apple is aspiring to grow sales with new commitments to enterprise technology (see OS9: Apple eyes enterprise and Apple-IBM partnership promises new enterprise solutions).
Cook reaffirmed that position at a recent conference for Box, an online storage and collaboration tools company: “We want to make tools to help people change the world, and that means being in the enterprise.”
Cook also noted that the world has changed over the past decade and "there aren't nearly as many 'consumer' and 'enterprise' products—instead, corporate and BYOD buyers just look for the best tool for the job," reported TechRepublic.
GE's Immelt endorsed that viewpoint, reports the NYT: "Industrial companies have yet to feel the benefit of the Internet the way consumers have... We’re just getting started.”
Google and Facebook deliver ads based on your recent Internet activity and social behavior, and iPhone tracks your location and can conveniently suggest local businesses. In the battle between privacy and convenience, personalization has won in consumer tech. GE and Apple seem to be betting that it will be the same for enterprise.
“We can now track every jet engine separately throughout its life,” Immelt said in the NYT report, "giving each one the machine equivalent of a Facebook page, which states where it is and how it is 'feeling,' making maintenance more efficient."
The NYT report also noted that Apple already uses personal identification and location awareness, and office apps exist today that interact with people depending on location and job status.
But data security remains a real concern for the majority of business owners (August 2015 SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard optimism survey), and the market has responded. The Wall Street Journal reports, venture firms invested $1.2 billion in cybersecurity startups in the first half of this year.
Even with all the new security tech companies trying to assuage their fears, the question is whether business owners will be willing to share the amount of data needed for the type of personalization Apple and GE envision. It will likely depend heavily on where the burden of liability lies when data security breaches occur. In the meantime, business owners will continue to walk a tightrope between data security and providing employees the tools and conveniences they are used to from consumer technology.


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Crunch or cringe? Finnish companies cultivate insect cuisine
How would you feel if you found yourself facing a plate of food made from bugs? At an insect cuisine tasting event, the crowd seems anxious but eager. Insect eating looks set for a breakthrough in Finland, especially as regulations are changing. And we’ve got recipes!
Finland-animations to be available in karaoke booths across Japan
Starting from the 28th of October, thousands of karaoke establishments across Japan will begin offering Finland-related video content, ranging from Visit Finland-produced tourism promotion to short anime films the embassy has produced for Finland's 100th anniversary. The date marks start of the cooperation between the Embassy of Finland in Tokyo and Japan's second largest karaoke equipment and content company XING Inc. under its Joysound brand.
Fintan anime's last episode is finally here! Interview with Director Kenji Itoso
The Embassy of Finland's twitter mascot Fintan becoming an anime series is the first time that a mascot of any embassy in Japan was featured in animated form. Made to commemorate Finland's 100 year anniversary, the anime was made in hope of further warming the relationship between Finland and Japan as we prepare to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of our countries' diplomatic relationships in 2019. The third and final episode was released on September 15.
Interview with the Finnish and Japanese idol group Pinky! Noora & Petra
This summer, a unique idol group named "Pinky! Noora & Petra" will make its official debut in Japan. The unit consists of sisters Noora and Petra from Tampere, and Ayane Fujisaki a.k.a. Pinky!, a member of the already popular idol group "Dempagumi.inc." Pinky! Noora & Petra is probably the only idol group in Japan that has girls from Western countries as members. The Embassy of Finland interviewed them in July, before their debut single "Aurora to Peace" comes out on August 23.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe visits Finland
Mr. Shinzō Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, paid an official visit to Finland with his spouse Mrs. Akie Abe. Mr. Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic of Finland, with his spouse Mrs. Jenni Haukio received the visitors at the Presidential Palace on 10 July 2017.
Japanese markets opening to Finnish companies
The EU and Japan reached political consensus on a trade agreement on 6 July 2017. They will continue negotiations on, for example matters related to investments. For the European Union, the agreement is a major achievement because Japan is one of the world’s biggest consumer markets and the EU’s second biggest trading partner in Asia after China.
Embassy's twitter character Fintan's background gets disclosed in the 2nd anime episode
The second episode of the Fintan anime series, titled "Encounter under the cherry trees", becomes public in midst of the cherry blossom season in Japan, with an appearance of a new character named Yuki. The new anime reveals how and why Fintan came from Finland to Japan.
— 10 Items per PageShowing 61 - 70 of 125 results.


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DETROIT — Buick will begin exporting the latest edition of its award-winning Enclave luxury crossover to China.
Redesigned for 2013, the Enclave is the U.S. industry’s best-selling three-row luxury crossover, and features fresh styling, new safety technologies, in-vehicle connectivity, and a more refined driving experience, according to GM officials.
New safety features include available camera-based Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning, along with a front center side air bag system that helps protect drivers and front passengers in far-side impact crashes.
Enclave owners in the U.S. consistently list things like “overall quality of vehicle,” “ride comfort” and “overall exterior styling” as their top reasons for purchase, according to company officials.
Last year, the luxury crossover achieved its best U.S. retail sales year ever, growing 7 percent, company officials said while i was also Buick’s top-selling U.S. retail vehicle, with 54,330 deliveries.
The previous generation Enclave was exported to China from 2008 to 2013, and sold over 25,000 units.


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Analysis originally distributed on June 28, 2018 By: Michael Vodicka of Cannabis Stock Trades
October 30, 2017 was one of the best days of the year for the young cannabis industry.
That’s the date when Constellation Brands (STZ), the second-largest US beer maker, announced a 10% stake in Canopy Growth Corp. (CGC/WEED), the largest Canadian cannabis company.
It was a groundbreaking moment for the cannabis industry because it was the first time that a big alcohol company had invested directly in a cannabis company.
Not only did it give the young cannabis industry tons of credibility, it also sets the stage for big alcohol to invest billions into the cannabis industry in the next few years.
In the short run, Canopy shares jumped more than 23% in one day on the news.
In the long run, it triggered a 10-week rally in Canopy – and the entire cannabis sector – that sent shares deep into a new all-time high. Take a look.
Chart courtesy of MarketClub.com
Today I see this same cycle about to repeat itself.
Rumors began swirling days ago that the third-largest beer maker in the US is in talks to buy or partner with a leading Canadian cannabis company.
This could be a repeat of the chart above, and I am going to show you how to potentially profit.
Molson Coors Eyeing Canadian Cannabis Partner
Another potential blockbuster deal is brewing between big alcohol and the young cannabis industry.
Bloomberg reported this week that Molson Coors (TAP), the third largest US brewer, is in deal talks with a few Canadian cannabis companies.
Here are some more details directly from Bloomberg:
Molson Coors Brewing Co. has been engaged in discussions with several Canadian-based cannabis companies to invest in them and collaborate on future cannabis-infused beverages in a move aimed at stemming the brewer’s declining beer sales, multiple sources familiar with the matter have told BNN Bloomberg.
The tie-up would see another major U.S. player enter the lucrative cannabis market ahead of Canada legalizing recreational cannabis on Oct. 17. Molson Coors has spent the past six months engaged with as many as four separate cannabis companies, including Aphria Inc. and Aurora Cannabis Inc., discussing its plans to enter the marijuana space and the discussions are said to be serious, the sources said. A deal could be announced before the end of the year, one of the sources said.
Molson Coors said to be in talks with pot firms as legalization looms
I am expecting to see an official deal hit the wire much sooner than later — within a couple of weeks.
My experience has shown me that when M&A rumors are leaked to the Street – a deal is close at hand.
If that happens, I expect shares of Aurora or Aphria to spike higher.
In the long run, news of a big new deal could easily trigger a multi-month rally in the entire cannabis sector.
Here’s a closer look at the two stocks at the two primary targets.
Aurora Cannabis (ACBFF) is one of the largest Canadian cannabis companies and an early industry leader. Aurora looks like an ideal way for big alcohol to enter the cannabis market. Aurora is hugely ramping its production capacity with Aurora Sky, a new cannabis greenhouse that will be over one million square feet when complete. This will make Aurora one of the cannabis industries lowest cost producers, a key factor for long-term success. After seeing huge gains in 2017, Aurora is down in 2018. I see that as an opportunity to buy the dip.
Aphria (APHQF) is also one of Canada’s largest cannabis companies with a similar business model to Aurora. Aphria is also ramping production and looking to become one of the cannabis industries lowest-cost producers. Aphria shares were also up big in 2017 but have been down in 2018. That is creating a great value opportunity for longer-term investors.
Risks to Consider:
Aurora and Aphria shares have both been rebounding in the last two weeks as investors anticipate good deal news. If the deal falls through shares could see a little pullback as shorter-term traders rotate out of shares.
The Big Picture:
I see another mega deal brewing between big alcohol and the young cannabis industry. History tells me these deals can be a huge catalyst for shares and the entire cannabis sector. Keep your eye on Aurora and Aphria, both are in play and could see a nice pop any time.
The information contained in this post is for informational and educational purposes only. The trading ideas and stock selections represented on the Cannabis Stock Trades website are not tailored to your individual investment needs. Readers and members are advised to consult with their financial advisor before entering into any trade. Cannabis stocks carry a certain level of risk and we accept no responsibility for any potential losses. All trades, patterns, charts, systems, etc. discussed are for illustrative purposes only and not to be construed as specific advisory recommendations. All ideas and material presented are entirely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
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Average Firm Loses $85K Annually on Purchases Made Outside of Company Policy
The shift to remote working arrangements during the pandemic has complicated some operations for finance teams, especially in employee spending.
Today, 31% of finance professionals say employees are submitting more expenses than before the pandemic; the same percentage, 31%, say they are finding more errors in their expense reports, and 78% say many employees are not cognizant of company spend policy.
As a result, companies on average lose $85,000 annually on purchases made outside of company policy, according to the October 2021 Corporate Spend Playbook, a PYMNTS and Airbase collaboration.
Setting Administrative Spend Controls
To cut down on unauthorized corporate spend, many B2B companies are adding virtual cards to their financial efficiency toolbox. With virtual cards, they can set administrative spending controls, which can also make accounting quicker and more transparent.


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Domestic screens have become the mainstream in the mobile phone industry, accounting for over 50% of the market share In the future, they will continue to grow
Over 50% of the mobile phone industry is dominated by domestic screens, and they will keep expanding in the future
【PhoneAuto News】It is reported that in the second quarter of 2023, the market share of mobile phone screens produced by Chinese manufacturers has successfully surpassed the industry leader Samsung. Currently, Chinese screen manufacturers are mainly represented by four companies: BOE, Tianma, Huaxing Optoelectronics, and Visionox, with their market shares being 25.5%, 9.4%, 7.8%, and 7.5%, respectively, totaling more than 50%. Relevant bloggers also stated: this is a new turning point, and it is expected that the market share of domestic screens will continue to steadily increase in the next two years because each company’s mid-range phones will adopt 1.5K/2K domestic screens, and the overall visual experience will be excellent.
Currently, 1080P resolution OLED screens are gradually disappearing from more and more mobile phone products, replaced by higher-quality 1.5K resolution domestic OLED screens. Currently, models equipped with 1.5K resolution domestic OLED screens include realme GT Neo5/Neo5 SE, OnePlus Ace 2, Honor 90, OPPO Reno10 Pro, and more. Moreover, according to current news, mobile phone manufacturers will gradually popularize 1.5K resolution OLED screens on models priced at around one thousand yuan, and we may see many related models coming out soon.
- Xiaomi 13 Ultra will welcome a new partner tomorrow, which may be a white version of the camera kit
- Red Magic 8S Pro e-sports flagship officially announced! High-energy evolution debuts on July 5th
- iQOO 11S officially announced The esports competition machine for the Asian Games will be released on July 4th!
It is worth mentioning that in addition to mid-range phones, the presence of domestic screens in the high-end domestic mobile phone market is also increasing. At the end of 2022, vivo released the X90 series, its highest-positioned regular flagship mobile phone product, which first launched BOE’s Q9 high-definition screen. In the first half of 2023, the top flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra screen released by Xiaomi was also a 2K screen manufactured by a domestic manufacturer.
- Many years later, when facing the vast sea of technology, he will recall these four ultra-durable phones
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s real machine exposure! Its folder-style external screen is eye-catching
- The Honor X50 is equipped with a brand new ten-sided anti-drop hard-core curved screen, challenging anti-drop from all angles!
- Morning News Honor X50 to be released on July 5th, Deep Blue S7 officially on the market
- The OnePlus Ace 2V is still popular after the 618 shopping festival! You can get 256GB storage for only 2000 yuan
- Nubia’s new flagship will be released soon, with a focus on upgrading the 35mm golden focal length lens
- The vivo X90S will be officially released this afternoon The strongest Android phone?


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7-Eleven held a grand opening celebration Thursday for its new location at Orlando International Airport.
The "travel plaza" store had a ribbon cutting and special events Thursday after it opened to the public December 18.
It's located at 10536 Jeff Fuqua Boulevard, near the cellphone parking lot.
The store handed out free food samples and free drinks including coffee, Slurpees and Big Gulps during the celebration.
The new store's "beverage experience," created to try to compete with the likes of Starbucks, offers espresso-based wake-me-ups including lattes and cappuccinos.
The grand opening was set to last until 2 p.m. and had planned appearances by radio station XL 106.7 and NASCAR Championship Ford Fusion and racing simulators until 3 p.m.


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"The Video Audience" is a column written by members of the media community and focused on the evolving world of online video advertising.
Today's column is written by Cynthia Butler, Publisher Integration Engineer at Denver-based, SpotXchange, a video advertising technology company.
I’ll give you two differences between display and video advertising: technology and people.
Some publishers and networks are selling video ads in the same way that display banners are sold. Display ad servers are “upgrading” their software to integrate video ad serving capabilities. The people behind advertisers and agencies who have been in the online industry expect video to behave the same as display banners. From both perspectives, video is being treated like it’s the same as display banners. Voila, all our problems are solved, right?
Okay, noted sarcasm there. But anyone who’s ever tried to “integrate” a new video ad server or new video technology keeps running into the same issues. Advertisers, agencies, networks, and publishers are all building, managing and creating video very differently, yet expecting the same results as display banner advertising. Beyond that, video is at the point of adoption where it is changing much more quickly than display.
Along those lines, over the years the IAB has set all regulations and standards for display banners. The IAB is working hard to establish standards for video technology (VAST, VPAID, companion banner sizes, overlays). But the video ad industry isn’t there yet. While video technology is changing and adapting quickly, some regulations set by the IAB have not kept up with this faster pace of change.


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What's on Tap is all about keeping you up-to-date on what is going on in the beer world here in the Northwest. Grab a beer and enjoy!
Monthly Archive for July, 2008
All of you east coasters (And beer geeks like me that like to trade for beer) should be well aware of Southern Tier and some of their fantastic beers. [Read More]
According to Reuters and the AP, the two brewing giants came to an agreement this weekend. [Read More]
A few of you may have tried this beer during the Brouwer’s Belgian Sour Fest a few months ago. Sounds like they will finally be getting the full shipment this month (Possibly already have it?). [Read More]
I knew the Deschutes Black Butte XX would be coming out while I was overseas, and I wasn’t sure how available it would be around town. Sounds like it was a bit hard to get? I headed into QFC on Broadway today, and they didn’t have any sitting out. But, upon asking the beer/wine guy I found out they were keeping them in back; I picked up three bottles at $9.99/EA. Anyone else have info on availability? [Read More]


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National authorities regulating currency generally do not have direct jurisdiction over virtual currencies, to date, as they are not national fiat currencies. However, currency regulators are influencing development of digital currency in several key indirect ways. Through their authority to protect the value and integrity of national fiat currencies, they take actions affecting digital currencies claiming that such actions are necessary to protect their national currency. Additionally, as these regulators generally have the authority to control the activities of banks and other key financial institutions, they influence digital currency development and use by restricting the ability of those institutions to use or accept virtual currency. Currency regulators commonly have jurisdiction over conversion of foreign currency, and through this role, they now routinely restrict the ability of parties to conduct conversions between digital currencies and traditional national currencies. National currency regulators have also issued substantial warnings to consumers of the risks associated with digital currency use. Currency regulators often have authority over funds transmission and money transfers, and they frequently exercise that jurisdiction in the context of virtual currency use. Some government are now exploring the possibility of government controlled digital currency and of government participation in the blockchain of existing virtual currency platforms.
Keywords: Banks, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, consumer protection, Croatia, currency, currency conversion, Cyprus, digital currency, Ecuador, Electronic Currency System, European Union, fiat currency, financial institutions, financial services, foreign exchange, France, Germany, government participation, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Isle of Man, itBit, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, legal tender, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, money transfer, M-Pesa, national currency, Netherlands, New York, Nigeria, private money, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, units of account, Vietnam, wallet.


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Surprise, Surprise, StAnza’s second event as part of this year’s St Andrews Food and Drink Festival, is a free event taking place on Saturday 16th November at Zest Juicing and Coffee Bar on South Street. Poet Alexander Hutchison, whose latest collection, Bones & Breath, is due out from Salt Publishing next week, and whose celebration of the birth of Macsween’s vegetarian haggis has become a Scottish poetry legend, will offer a selection of tasty poems served up with haggis stovies and the occasional song. It all kicks off at 6.30pm so come and listen, or bring along your own food and drink poems to read at the open mic slot. StAnza’s own Carly Brown, the Scottish Slam Champion for 2013 who came fourth in this year’s World Slam Championship in Paris, will MC the proceedings.
More information on this event is online at here, and don’t miss our other two events this month, , Tasting Notes: The Poetry of Wine at Luvians Ice Cream Parlour at 6.30pm on Friday 15th November, and our Delicious Poetry Workshop with Gerry Cambridge at 1pm at St Andrews Town Library on Tuesday 26th November.


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Trust Disrupted: Bitcoin and the Blockchain traces the rise of Bitcoin and the technology that made it happen: the open, distributed ledger known as the blockchain. As blockchain technology has outpaced Bitcoin, an array of new apps has proliferated across the globe.
Subscribe to TechCrunch today: http://bit.ly/18J0X2e
Trust Disrupted is based on the book Digital Gold by Nathaniel Popper. Produced by Stateless Media, it is an exclusive TechCrunch series that offers an in-depth look into the how and why of bitcoin.
New episodes every day next week.
Byrne is funding a documentary that critiques the two-party system and launching a venture to disrupt the financial sector with blockchain technology.
See the full text at Reason.com: https://reason.com/reasontv/2016/10/04/overstock-ceo-patrick-byrne-on-gary-john
MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS:
PATRICK BYRNE ON NET NEUTRALITY, BITCOIN, AND MMA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCU6jX9OBiI
Gary Johnson and William Weld on Hillary, Trump, and Why You Should Vote Libertarian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsWGdPBbsI0
Can Ethereum Restore Online Freedom & Transform the Internet?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6bGuKN3m6E
Produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Alex Manning. Music by Podington Bear.
Reason TV’s Zach Weissmueller sat down with Byrne in Overstock’s headquarters in Utah to talk about Byrne’s return to the helm of the company after taking a medical leave of absence (0:53 – “I’m actually healthier than I’ve been in about 30 years.”), his enthusiasm for bitcoin and other blockchain-based technology (4:18 – “For five thousand years, society has accumulated these [centralized] institutions like barnacles on our hull, and now the blockchain lets us scrape those off.”), his new venture t0 that brings the blockchain to the financial sector (5:26 – “We now have built a blockchain version of Wall St.”), his support of Gary Johnson (11:23 – “He’s ‘pro-freedom.'”), and his disdain for both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton (15:09 – “I don’t consider Donald Trump a businessman.”).
Visit http://reason.com/reasontv for downloadable versions of this video, and subscribe to Reason TV’s YouTube channel for daily content like this.
Video Rating: / 5


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It seems like every other day there’s a new story about some new virus, spyware, or other malware-ridden app finding its way into the Google Android Market, and potentially millions of Android phones and tablets. But just because the Android Market is the Wild West compared to Apple’s App Store walled garden where every app must be approved by hand, doesn’t mean Google doesn’t take malware seriously.
While anyone can publish an Android app to the Market in a matter of minutes, Google is taking steps to scan apps to detect malicious software automatically.
For the last few months Google has already been using a new scanner which is codenamed “Bouncer.” It looks at new apps as they’re uploaded and also scans existing apps and developer accounts to look for potential problems.
Bouncer looks for known malware, but also identifies behavior that could be an indication that something shady is going on. Google says the number of downloads of potentially dangerous apps dropped 40 percent between the first half of 2011 and the second half (when Bouncer was implemented).
So what do you think? Do you feel any safer? Or would you prefer if someone from Google examined each Android app manually before it was added to the Market the way Apple does? Because that’s not going to happen… it’s not how a company that doesn’t even offer customer support works.


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Committed to putting the health and wellbeing of its customers first, National Bank of Oman (NBO) is raising awareness on the importance of safe banking in light of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The bank has taken a number of steps to ensure its customers can continue banking uninterrupted, part of its NBO Cares campaign, including forming critical teams to ensure business continuity, and reaching out to customers with tips and advice via SMS, email, and social media. While the bank has implemented work-from-home for a number of its workforce, its services remain largely unaffected.
With a robust digital banking offering, the bank is prepared to accommodate an increase in online requests. Customers are urged to substitute cash with NBO’s contactless “Tap and Go” cards when making in-store purchases, or bank in the comfort of their homes via online banking and the mobile banking app. Today, NBO’s network, including ATMs and the call centre, remain open and fully operational, adopting rigorous sterilization procedures at all contact points. Despite the current challenges posed by the pandemic, the bank has assured customers that it remains at their service, committed more than ever to being their bank of choice.
NBO has made it simple and easy for customers to bank digitally, eliminating the need to physically go to branches or handle cash. A range of everyday tasks can be completed through the app and online banking platform, including opening accounts, paying utility and credit card bills, locating branches and ATMs, applying for products such as the Easy Payment Plan (EPP), and making local and international money transfers. Meanwhile, the Badeel prepaid card
, available to both NBO and non-NBO customers, utilises ‘Tap and Go’ contactless technology, allowing users to carry out day-to-day purchases, online transactions and bill payments at over 5,000 terminals across the Sultanate. A secure and convenient alternative to cash, it can also be ordered directly through the app and delivered to the customer’s doorstep. Moreover, NBO’s MarketZone app is also available to meet investors different requirements and needs.


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Word is already on the street that Samsung is looking to unveil Windows hardware at the closely approaching IFA (official website), which will be held in Berlin this week (yes, we have Mobile Nation's people there for coverage, no worries). This will more than likely include Windows 8 PCs and tablets, as well as a potential Windows Phone 8 (Apollo) device or two.
Through SamMobile we're now aware that Samsung has trademarked 'Ativ', which could be used as branding for future hardware families. Ativ Tab, being the most conspicuous, looks to be the potential name for Samsung's venture into Windows 8 tablets. There is a high probability this will become reality as we're not likely to see the manufacturer alter its Android arsenal. We hope to find out more information in the next few days at IFA.


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Every night at nine, Sudhir Sharma, an Onida salesman assigned to a multi-brand outlet, wraps up his work by sending an SMS from his mobile phone. The message, containing his product-wise sales for the day, gets routed to Onida’s central server in Mumbai, where it gets stored with similar messages from 1,000 other such salespersons from across India.
The next morning, everyone who matters in Onida — from the marketing chief to category heads, from regional managers to branch managers — gets an auto-generated email on the previous day’s sales.
Till five months ago, Onida’s sales figures used to take two weeks to a month to trickle in, especially from smaller towns. Now, thanks to an application on mobile phones and some back-end software connections, it happens daily. As a result, Onida is able to manage the movement of its goods better, replenish stocks faster and tweak production based on daily sales patterns.
“After we introduced mobile-based reporting, sales by in-shop demonstrators (Onida salespersons in multi-brand outlets) has increased 15%,” says Sriram Krishnamurthy, VP-marketing, sales and service at Onida. “It’s a leap forward in MIS (management information systems).”
From the field force to in-store executives, the ubiquitous mobile is emerging as a silver bullet for companies struggling to capture data on sales, inventory, service and delivery in real time. As a feedback tool, it allows brand owners to measure consumer response to advertising or promotional campaigns on a daily basis.
Importantly, problems in the system can be spotted and corrective action taken promptly.
Handset makers, mobile operators and independent software vendors (ISVs) are offering such applications. Embracing them are leading companies across sectors like FMCG (CavinKare, Coca-Cola, Eveready and Godrej), consumer durables (IFB and Voltas), pharmaceuticals (Dr Reddy’s and Piramal Healthcare), photo-equipment (Kodak) and financial services (Edelweiss), among many others.
What makes these applications appealing is their sheer simplicity and affordability: they run on basic Internet-enabled phones that start from as little as Rs 2,500, they integrate easily with most enterprise-resource software like Tally and SAP, and they can be rolled out with very little training.
They plug the information gap in the most critical part of any business: the last mile. “Field-force integration is really the key to business process automation that PC-based systems could not address,” says Sanjeev Mahajan, VP and national head for enterprise voice solutions at Bharti Airtel.
At Chennai-based CavinKare, sales auditors visit retail outlets, and punch stock and display numbers for the company’s and its competitors’ products into their mobile phones. With a simple message application, they upload this data instantly into the company’s sales automation system. Says chairman CK Ranganathan: “Updated field reports flow in every 10-15 minutes against a week’s time in the manual method.” As a result, it can take tactical decisions like increasing its retail presence in weak markets or responding to competitors’ activities faster.
Importantly, field executives can send this information through the day only if they actually visit the outlets. “It’s a virtual supervisor in itself,” says Mr Ranganathan. Convinced about its efficacy, he plans a larger rollout of the application for over 1,000 stockist salesmen, and subsequently with the company’s direct salesforce.
The big leap, however, is in the phone becoming a tracking device where employers can know precisely where an employee is at any point in time. That may not come as good news to the salesforce. But for firms like Matrix Processing House, it’s an imperative. Matrix is a Delhi-based provider of new-customer verification and collection services to leading telecom operators and banks. Says CEO Deepak Sharma: “Verification is like a police job; it needs a robust back-end.”
Matrix’s agents are required to carry GPS-enabled phones. Supervisors in the office track their movement and confirm through geo-tagging that they indeed visited an address and at what time. They also upload pictures of the house or person visited along with their comments in an audio file. According to Mr Sharma, mobile-based verification has helped reduce his supervisors from 29 to 8 and nearly eliminated the risk of fraud.
Bill collections from mobile and credit-card customers too are more secure and nearly fool-proof. Agents enter payment details into their handset, send a confirmation to the supervisor, and generate a receipt instantly from a handheld Bluetooth printer. “We know the mode of collection immediately, and reconciliation is quicker,” says Mr Sharma. “Earlier, we had to wait till the end of the day or next morning to know of any issues, by which time we were all busy with that day’s work.”


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It looks like the releases won't be slowing down this weekend, as now included in the mix is the "Gum" colorway of Kevin Durant's KD VI EXT from Nike.
Accounting for the first EXT release of the KD VI, the pair boasts an outdoor-inspired look, featuring a Wheat colorway and D-ring lace locks. Bright blue laces pop alongside the Gum pair, which boasts tonal branding on the side, heel and tongue.
The Nike KD VI EXT "Gum" will be landing at Swoosh stockists such as Sneaker Bistro on Saturday, December 7. Retail is $130.


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Unilever Sets Up U.K.-Netherlands Clash in Search for New HomeBy
Dual legal structure adds complexity in deal-making, CEO says
Choice of domicile to have political ramifications amid Brexit
Unilever is considering doing away with its long-standing structure of maintaining separate corporations in the U.K. and the other in the Netherlands, wading into a political storm with governments in both countries likely to put up a fight to keep the headquarters.
The owner of Dove soap and Hellmann’s mayonnaise plans to divest its spreads business as part of a broader overhaul, Unilever said Thursday. While looking at options for the operation, it became apparent that the dual-headed legal structure makes such changes more complex, Unilever said. The company periodically has reviewed the set-up over the years, but always kept it in place.
Read more: Gadfly: Unilever’s Charm Is Thinly Spread
“It has become clear to us that given the dynamics around more significant major change, that now is a good time to review it again,” Chief Financial Officer Graeme Pitkethly said on a conference call with analysts.
Losing Unilever would be a blow for U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, coming soon after she started divorce proceedings from the European Union. Multinational companies based in the U.K. have benefited from the decline in the pound since the vote last year for a so-called Brexit, boosting the value of their sales outside the U.K. If Unilever picks the Netherlands, local politicians would get a breather at a time of concern about Dutch companies targeted by foreign bidders -- with paint maker Akzo Nobel NV trying to fend off approaches from PPG Industries Inc.
London vs Rotterdam
The dual structure -- Unilever is both a London-based public limited company in the U.K. and an NV, the Dutch equivalent, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands -- has been a key part of the company since it was formed in 1930 from the merger of a Dutch margarine maker with a British soap provider.
“Will London win, or Rotterdam?” said Joost van Beek, an analyst at Theodoor Gilissen Bankiers. “They could pick the U.K., benefiting from a lower pound as a result of Brexit. On the other hand, with all the R&D efforts here it would be very important for a company like Unilever to stay active in the Netherlands.” Van Beek rates Unilever shares “buy.’’
Unilever’s overhaul -- including a plan to buy back 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion) of stock and step up its cost-savings efforts -- is part of a bid to protect its independence after being caught off guard by a failed takeover attempt from Kraft Heinz Co. Unilever Chief Executive Officer Paul Polman has said U.K. takeover laws put British companies at a disadvantage, giving targets insufficient time to mount a defense, and has called for taking the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders, into account.
Unilever’s dual structure means the company has two boards of directors, two sets of corporate laws and governance rules to follow, two shareholder bases and thus two annual meetings. Unilever prepares two sets of accounts, one in euros and one in pounds.
“What we are looking at now obviously is the complexity that the legal structure built,” Polman said on the analyst call. “We’ve always been able to live with that.”
The combined company has four stock-market listings -- the Dutch company trades on the Amsterdam stock exchange and the U.K. entity is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and each of those shares also trades as American depositary receipts on the New York Stock Exchange. The stocks are included in both the U.K.’s benchmark FTSE-100 Index and the Dutch AEX Index.
Unilever bends over backward to operate as one entity. The two boards, for example, have the same members; a director elected by shareholders of the NV can’t serve unless also elected by the Plc. Management also is the same, and there are agreements between the businesses ensuring they work as one. Under one such pact, each company agree to guarantee the borrowings of the other.
“It is of profound significance for Unilever, with its dual structure of two parent companies and two different shareholder constituencies, that it is able to operate as nearly as practicable as a single economic entity,” the company says on its website in a document explaining the structure.
Other Anglo-Dutch companies have already changed their structure. For example, in 2005, shareholders of oil company Royal Dutch/Shell Group voted to merge its holding companies in the Netherlands and Britain, ending a century-old separation. The new company, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, has its headquarters in The Hague.
Unilever expects opportunities for acquisitions to come and go more quickly, and the company would be able to move more rapidly without the dual structure, Polman said. A spinoff of the spreads business would be easier, he said.
Unilever also said today it’s integrating food and refreshment businesses into a unit to be based in the Netherlands. The Foods and Refreshments divisions’ “natural center of gravity is in the Netherlands,” said Polman, who is a Dutch national.
Dutch law affords companies more protection against unwanted takeovers than the U.K. code does. Among other things, it requires boards to take the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders, into account. And many Dutch companies have a stichting, or foundation, that can aid in takeover defenses.
For investors, politicians and executives, the question of which country to choose inevitably will be tied up with matters of national pride.
“I can see that for a neutral investor having a simpler structure is logical,” said Corne van Zeijl, a fund manager at Actiam who owns Unilever shares. “I am also in favor of that. Having said that, it would be more than a pity if they would pick the U.K.’’
Watch Next: Unilever Focuses on Returns in Strategic Review
— With assistance by Thomas Buckley, and Ellen Proper


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A brand new TK Maxx store is set to open its doors in Eastbourne in the new year and will be creating 45 new jobs in the area.
The new TK Maxx store will open in the former sports shop at the retail park on Pevensey Bay Road.
It will feature more than 19,000 square feet of fashion and accessories for women, men and kids as well as homeware at a fraction of the normal retail price.
TK Maxx spokesperson Helen Gunter said, “We are very excited to be opening up a new store and bringing Eastbourne shoppers savings of up to 60 per cent off the recommended retail price on great brands and labels for all the family under one roof.
“The TK Maxx concept is simple. TK Maxx buyers shop the world all year round working direct with designers to negotiate great deals bringing customers designer and famous brands at a fraction of normal retail prices.
“With a modern and stylish, but no frills store environment, further savings can be passed on to customers. A typical TK Maxx store stocks an average 50,000 items with daily deliveries bringing up to 10,000 new items to store every week so customers will always find a constantly fresh and exciting mix of top brands and great quality at the lowest prices, every time they visit.
“TK Maxx has a team of almost 200 buyers in Europe working directly with designers and brand owners all over the world. Week in week out,our team of buyers across Europe search the world to get the best deals for savvy shoppers. This allows them to take advantage of exciting opportunities as and when they arise.”
The company is urging people interested in working at the store to contact the Eastbourne Jobcentre or to visit the store’s website at www.tk maxx.com


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Wireless local area network gear revenue totaled close to $5 billion in 2014, an anemic 6 percent year-over-year growth, according to the latest stats from Infonetics Research.
Close to one quarter of all enterprise access points use the latest 802.11ac standard, according to the latest data from Infonetics Research.
The Wi-Fi customer premise equipment market is forecast by ABI Research to increase 11 percent this year, with 802.11ac equipment expected to capture 18 percent of total shipments this year.
The most recent Magic Quadrant to come out of Gartner looks at the market for wired and wireless local area network access infrastructure, an issue of concern to enterprises, especially those dealing with the demands BYOD is placing on that infrastructure.
Enterprises are increasingly deploying faster 802.11ac-based Wi-Fi equipment, according to the latest stats from Dell'Oro.
Upgrades to the faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard and convergence between Wi-Fi and switching are prompting vendors of enterprise Wi-Fi and campus Ethernet to readjust product lines and pricing strategies, according to research firm Dell'Oro Group.
Wi-Fi market revenues are forecast to approach $12 billion in 2017, a 57 percent increase over 2012 revenues, according to the latest research from the Dell'Oro Group.
Cisco unveiled this Tuesday new enterprise Wi-Fi products based on the next-generation 802.11ac standard that offers data speeds up to 1.3 Gbps for Wave 1, with an upgrade to 6 Gbps when Wave 2 becomes available within 12 to 18 months.


text: Latest News Book sales top £5,300 donation for charity Four inspirational books written by Deacon Sean Loone have so far raised an incredible £5,315 for charity. Deacon Sean, who serves at Our Lady of the Wayside in Shirley and also lectures part-time at St Mary’s College, Oscott, is donating profits from four of his books written in the last two years. He has sold 2,120 books to date and donated £5,315 to charity. Copies of his most recent book have also been sold as far a field as the USA, Mexico and India. Released in July 2020 'Only in the Crucified God - Questions and Answers on Faith, Hope and Love’ has sold 603 copies and seen £1,724.41 donated to CAFOD. 'Sharing in the Life of God - A Journey Into the Real Meaning of Easter’ was published in January 2021 and has sold 401 copies. The donation to the Father O'Mahony Memorial Trust stands at £1,324.09. In July 2021 Deacon Sean issued 'Servants of the Word: 'The Gospel of Christ and the Call to Discipleship’. This has sold 265 copies and resulted in a donation of £500.58 to Father Hudson’s Care. In March this year Deacon Sean published 'Words of Life - The Parables of Jesus for People Today’. This has sold 851 copies to date and seen £1,766.44 donated to CAFOD’s Ukraine appeal. Deacon Sean said: “I am absolutely delighted that my book sales have helped to raise an incredible amount of money for various charities. “I know these donations will be put to good use to help those in need and I hope to have donated £5,500 by the end of this year.” Deacon Sean, who works in several schools as Chaplain and RE advisor, said his books were not just being snapped up by a UK audience, but international too. “This last month my most recent book, Words of Life, has sold 39 copies in the USA, two in Germany, one in India and one in Mexico,” added Deacon Sean. “There is a real international and Catholic flavour to the project.” All books are currently available in dual format from Amazon online.


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Cultural Appropriation Native American Edition
STORY BY Emily Kirkpatrick
Published: September 4, 2013
A number of big name fast fashion companies have come under fire in recent years for producing products that utilize racially insensitive Native American stereotypes.
As The Guardian pointed out in an article a few weeks ago, despite the 565 historically, culturally and linguistically distinct tribes of Native Americans recognized in the United States, their culture as a whole tends to be broken down into the most simplistic, offensively inaccurate, terms. In other words, a culture based around headdresses, face paint, rain dances and fringe.
In 2012, Urban Outfitters produces an entire range of clothing and accessories termed the “Navajo” range, despite zero involvement from the Navajo community. The collection utilized a fake Native American tribal print, which covered everything from hip flasks to underwear. In a cease and desist letter from the Navajo Nation, they pointed out their specific objection to these two objects as they are in direct conflict with their spiritual beliefs about modesty and their reservation-wide ban on alcohol. Not to mention, marketing inauthentic products using specific Native American tribal names is explicitly outlawed under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, although that seems to have stopped absolutely no one in the fashion industry. Urban Outfitters agreed to remove the word Navajo from their collection, however, they continued to sell the offensive products in question both in stores and online. In fact, they refused to apologize despite being sued by the Navajo Nation and have failed to participate in the court-ordered mediation, which will result in a court case scheduled for 2015. This kind of rampant cultural insensitivity seems to be common corporate practice at the Urban Outfitters headquarters, considering over the years they have also been accused of racist and offensive designs by representatives of the Jewish, Irish, Latino, Black and Chinese communities.
In September 2012, Paul Frank caused similar offense when it threw a party with a “neon Native American pow-wow” theme. Thousands of photographs were posted online documenting party-goers with glow-in-the-dark face paint and feathered headbands, wielding bow and arrow and tomahawk party favors, and drinking themed cocktails such as the “rain dance refresher.” The party was also held in celebration of the launch of a line of t-shirts that used a fake Native American tribal print along with images of the Paul Frank monkey mascot in feathered headdress.
Unlike Urban Outfitters, Paul Frank Industries took a very different tact and immediately issued an apology and removed all Native American inspired designs and artwork from their website and stores. The company invited Adrienne Keene of Native Appropriations and Jessica Metcalfe of Beyond Buckskin to lead an industry panel aimed at educating manufacturers about the use of Native American imagery in fashion. Paul Frank also sought out authentic Native American artists to collaborate with on a respectful and authentic line of products. The president of Paul Frank Industries, Elie Dekel, described the collaboration as not only a ways for their company to make amends, but also “help raise awareness about cultural misappropriations, which unfortunately happen too often in product, promotion and fashion.”
The Paul Frank companies efforts, although transparently an attempt to pay dues for their own misdeeds, seems genuine and is at least more than most companies are willing to do in the face of charges of racial insensitivity. The appropriation and abuse of culture is a problem that every minority group faces equally and until major corporations are held accountable for their insensitive, wildly politically incorrect behavior, fashion will continue its exploitive, destructive behavior in favor of making a quick buck.
Have a topic you want covered? Let us know.


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Following the initial closure of indoor businesses operations in 30 counties earlier in July, California is now expanding the shutdown of indoor dining at restaurants and wineries to all 58 California counties. The order also includes a complete shutdown of all bars.
Gov. Gavin Newsom made the announcement on July 13 as the state fights a surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that have been steadily increasing since June. California has reported an average of 8,000 new cases daily, according to data from The New York Times.
The 30 counties on the state’s watch list where new COVID-19 cases have hit dire levels — including Alameda County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County — are also being ordered to close shopping malls, gyms, churches, barbershops and salons. In total, more than 80% of California’s population lives in the 30 counties on California COVID-19 watch list, according to ABC News.
“This virus is not going away any time soon,” Newsom said in a press conference. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to recognize soberly that COVID -19 is not going away any time soon, until there is a vaccine and/or an effective therapy.”
The governor's order also includes a ban on indoor operations of movie theaters, family entertainment, zoos and museums.
California is not the only jurisdiction fully or partially shutting down indoor dining again as COVID-19 cases continue to climb:
- Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on July 9 ordered that restaurants operate at 50% dining room capacity, after indoor dining had been open for two months. On July 10, Arizona reported a total of 116,892 cases and 2,082 deaths, according to AZ Central.
- Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez shut down indoor dining again effective July 9, but continues to allow outdoor dining and delivery/takeout options. The emergency move in response to the surge in coronavirus cases in Florida prompted restaurant operators to protest, saying Gimenez is using small businesses “as a scapegoat,” according to The Miami New Times.
- Las Vegas shut down all bar operations again on July 10. The closures include bars, pubs, breweries, distillieres, wineries and taverns and will subsist for at least two weeks.
- Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms — who recently tested positive for coronavirus — announced on July 10 that she is reinstating Phase 1 guidelines for the city following the increase in cases. Phase 1 recommends that restaurants reclose their doors for indoor dining. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called the mayor’s actions “mere guidance, both non-binding and legally unenforceable.”
- New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham shut down indoor dining and is allowing outdoor dining to operate at 50% capacity, effective July 13, prompting a protest from the New Mexico Restaurant Association.
- Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has closed all bars statewide and is now requiring masks for all residents ages eight and older, effective Monday, July 13.
For our most up-to-date coverage, visit the coronavirus homepage.
Contact Joanna Fantozzi at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter: @joannafantozzi


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Week of Toys For Tots Distribution in Billings
As we get closer to Christmas, Toys For Tots is building up to what will be a spectacular ending event for the season!Townsquare Media along with Bretz R.V. and Marine and their toy hauler have joined forces with the Marines, St. Vincent De Paul, Family Service Inc and the Montana Rescue Mission during this Toys For Tots campaign for 2013.
This week is the week for distribution of all of the toys for the families. If you have about an hour to spare this week, we could certainly use you in escorting families through the Toys For Tots store. Distribution week goes through this weekend.
The Toys For Tots store is located at the old Montana Rescue Mission in downtown Billings off of Minnesota Avenue. Please call to make an appointment to help out in this rewarding experience, 406-252-1855.
The annual Toys For Tots overnight push with Yellowstone County Commissioner, Bill Kennedy is this Saturday, December 21st at 3 p.m. until Sunday, December 22nd at 3 p.m. Drop off toys up at MetraPark all night long!


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Millennials may not be the entitled “me” generation after all. A new survey from intuit Canada  shows that they embody a bold new entrepreneurial spirit that is remaking the Canadian economy. The survey, conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion, found that Millennials – defined as those born between 1980 and 1995 – are twice as likely as the Canadian average to want to start a business in the next 12 months.
- Eight per cent of Canadians say they want to start a business within the next year, whereas sixteen per cent of Millennials say they want to start a business.
“It’s far too common to dismiss Millennials as an entitled “me” generation, and to dismiss their approach to the workplace,” said Jeff Cates, managing director of Intuit Canada. “At Intuit, we think differently. We believe that there is a tremendous opportunity to foster the entrepreneurial spirit of Millennials by giving them the tools they need to succeed.”
One likely explanation for the rise of entrepreneurialism among Millennials is sheer necessity. The youth unemployment rate is 14.1 per cent, double the Canadian average of 7.1 per cent, the biggest gap since Statistics Canada started tracking this statistic in 1976.
Key Survey Findings
An additional survey conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion on behalf of Intuit dug deeper on the motivations and challenges of 400+ aspiring Millennial entrepreneurs. Here are some key findings about aspiring Millennial entrepreneurs:
- They are nearly five times more likely to be motivated by the opportunity to chart their own course (78%) than they are by money or status (16%).
- They are not naive about the realities of managing a business – they ranked a poor understanding of business finances as the top reason entrepreneurs don’t succeed.
- They are roughly three times more likely to point to financial risk (61%) than they are to point to personal (17%) or career risk (22%).
“At Intuit, we believe that financial literacy skills are central to ensuring that Millennial entrepreneurs succeed, said Cates. “We feel so passionately about this that we are announcing that we will be giving our new QuickBooks Online software free for one year to every new Canadian startup.”
Focus on Financial Management
Research from Dr. Sean Wise at Ted Rogers School of Business Management at Ryerson University in partnership with CYBF, provides evidence of the fact that financial literacy is a fundamental determinant of long-term success for business owners.
“Our research shows that financial literacy has a direct impact on new venture success, a higher financial literacy leads to more financial reporting which leads an increased measure of success,” said Dr. Sean Wise, Associate Professor in the Entrepreneurship & Strategy department at, Ted Rogers School of Business Management, Ryerson University. “By providing nascent entrepreneurs with financial literacy tools, CYBF and Intuit are increasing those founders’ probability of success.”
The Financial Bridge Builders Program
Intuit Canada and the Canadian Youth Business Foundation have teamed up to create the new Financial Bridge Builder Program, which will gives a select group of new Canadian business owners the financial tools and resources they need to succeed over the long-term.
Key elements of the Financial Bridge Builder Program include one-on-one coaching with an Intuit Pro Advisor Accountant, and a one-year free subscription to QuickBooks Online Plus.
“We’re so pleased to be partnering with Intuit to give entrepreneurially-minded young Canadians the tools they need to increase their financial literacy and create and sustain successful businesses for the long-term,” said Julia Deans. “Together, we are encouraging young people to view financial management as an essential component of an entrepreneur’s skill-set that enables them to not only monitor, but shape the health of their business.”
Other Findings From The Intuit Millennial Survey
Here are some additional key findings about aspiring Millennial entrepreneurs:
- Almost half (48 per cent) would run a business from their home. Other business locations for Millennials include:
- Primarily online (28%)
- Store front (19%)
- Other (5%)
- They are nearly twice as likely to finance their business using personal savings than by borrowing money from a bank:
- Personal savings (68%)
- Borrow money from a bank (38%)
- Borrow money from friends/family (18%)
- Borrow money from another third-party (7%)
For more information, including a report and infographic, please visit the intuit Canada blog .
About the Angus Reid Survey
From August 28th to 29th 2013, Angus Reid surveyed 1,000 Canadians about how likely they were to want to create a business in the next year. From September 6th to 10th 2013, Angus Reid surveyed 464 aspiring Millennial entrepreneurs, defined as those born between 1980 and 1995. All respondents recruited from the Angus Reid Forum, Canada’s leading national on-line panel.


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Macy’s locations across Southern California are looking to fill thousands of positions including more than 80 in Palm Desert.
“Macy’s employs enthusiastic colleagues who have a passion for providing excellent customer service. A variety of opportunities are available with competitive pay, access to flexible scheduling, bilingual work environment, merchandise discount and the opportunity to earn additional bonuses,” read a press release.
Macy’s will hold a national hiring event on Thursday, July 15, at more than 500 Macy’s stores and fulfillment centers across the country. Store hiring events will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time.
“Macy’s is strongest when we represent the many communities we serve,” said Art Green, Macy’s Southwest region senior principal of human resources. “As an iconic retailer at a moment where the marketplace is evolving faster than ever before, it is our colleagues—rooted in equality and driven by purpose—that form the foundation of this innovative retail company and drive our transformation strategy forward as a digitally led omnichannel retailer.”
Candidates are encouraged to apply online in advance of the hiring event at macysjobs.com.


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Research in Motion releases its 4th qtr earnings today. Along with that RIM is also getting a new Hybrid BlackBerry ready that will feature both touch screen and full QWERTY keypad. Could this be the rumored 9900?
Rumor has it that top industry sources state the new BlackBerry, which does not have a name as of yet, will be available only on Verizon and should appear in the next few months
For the full story visit CNBC


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Chatbots that get down to business by interacting with your past and potential customers will be one of the major attractions at F8, the Facebook developers conference that opens tomorrow morning. There are no more physical seats available at Fort Mason in San Francisco but you can watch it all live — alas, still in 2D — by registering here.
Livestreaming, a virtual assistant and 3D are also likely to be on the agenda, too.
“Chatbots could replace 1-800 numbers, and Facebook wants them on Messenger. But most businesses don’t have the resources or technical skills to build chatbots themselves,” writes Josh Constine for TechCrunch. “That’s why Facebook is currently providing developers with API tools to build chatbots and Live Chat web plug-ins for business clients, according to multiple sources and a leaked deck Facebook shared with devs.”
Facebook will announce a bot store that some suggest “could be on the level of the app store in the degree to which it could change technology. Instead of clicking through to an app to look at products from a specific company, they will instead speak or type to the artificially intelligent chatbot,” The Independent’s Andrew Griffin tells us.
But “the robots won’t just be limited to customer service conversations, and could also include tools like push notifications from businesses to tell people that products are back in stock, or from news organizations to tell people about breaking stories,” Griffin continues.
1-800-Flowers.com is one potential partner for the new Messenger services, writes Deepa Seetharaman for the Wall Street Journal, citing a source as well as an earlier report in The Information. “Under one scenario, 1-800-Flowers could contact past customers over Messenger about upcoming holidays such as Mother’s Day and highlight promotions."
Looking at Messenger from the consumer side of transactions, Facebook “hopes the app can be more than just an alternative to texting, where your contact list includes all of your Facebook friends, writes CNET’s Richard Nieva. “Instead, it's hoping Messenger becomes a sort of Swiss Army knife, allowing you to pay your roommates rent money, make phone calls and book restaurant reservations.”
If you’ve been wondering what F8 stands for, by the way, Nieva tells us that Facebook has never officially told us,“but some say it's a nod to the company's tradition of 8-hour hackathons, marathon coding sprees where engineers try to build a product in one binge.”
Speaking of other products, “on the live video front, Facebook plans to roll out new tools to encourage video creators to broadcast more high-quality video,” reports Kurt Wagner for Re/code. “‘Going live’ on Facebook currently means shooting video on a smartphone, but if Facebook wants to entice major media organizations to use the product, they’ll need to be able to accommodate TV-like production value. F8 would be a good place to start that conversation.”
Facebook is also developing M, a virtual assistant like Apple’s Siri, Alphabet’s Google Now, Microsoft’s Cortana andAmazon’s Alexa, that “can complete tasks for users, including making travel arrangements and booking appointments,” the WSJ’s Seetharaman reports.
And that is surely not all that is forthcoming from a company that also owns Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus Rift among more than 50 other companies it has acquired since 2005, including the Belarus-based visual effects company MSQRD— for Masquerade — a couple of days ago.
Indeed, “If Facebook were just an advertising company, it would still be the tech behemoth it is today — but a lot less interesting. Over its 12-year history, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reshaped Facebook from a social network into a platform of platforms,” as Alice Truong puts it for Quartz.
“To be sure, it’s the ad business that fuels Facebook’s grand ambitions. Its mission statement is to connect everyone in the world (and to show ads to every last one of them). Beyond that, it’s made a $2 billion gamble on virtual reality, transformed its chat app into a robust platform capable of much more than sending text, and is testing a drone capable of beaming internet to parts of the world lacking it.”
As for bot technology, “analysts predict messaging could one day eclipse social networking as the globe's favorite online pastime,” Jessica Guynn informs us in USA Today. “About 2.5 billion people have registered to use at least one messaging app, according to technology and strategy consulting firm Activate. By 2018, Activate expects that number to reach 3.6 billion.”
That a sizable audience — no ifs, ands or bots about it.


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Ben Bradshaw, 33 and Shannah Bradshaw, 31
- Head office
- Year founded
Communications and marketing
Corporate magician Ben Bradshaw was facing a “sink or swim” moment, desperately needing to book jobs in order to support a young family, when he discovered the magic of Google AdWords.
Digital marketing agency SponsoredLinX was born from the tricks of the trade he learned while advertising his own business online – and over the last decade it has grown into a $12 million company that provides SEO and web development advice for more than 3000 clients.
“What I had found was an enormous knowledge gap that many small to medium business owners still face today,” Bradshaw explains.
The online marketing space also changes on an almost hourly basis, and Bradshaw saw scope to expand the company off the back of this fact.
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“It still seems as though the rate at which digital marketing is growing is outpacing the rate at which it is being picked up by businesses – particularly when they try to tackle it alone,” he says.
SponsoredLinX has recently expanded to New Zealand, which is just one step in a series of growth plans to maximise the value of the business going forward. With each step Bradshaw has had to come to terms with his changing role in the company, and his number one piece of advice to other business owners is to develop the ability to adapt.
“As we have grown, it has been a real challenge for me to realise that my role is to work on the business, as opposed to within the business,” he says.
Now that there is a hundred-strong team around getting the job done, Bradshaw has had to transition out of wearing all hats in the business, and make sure the basics get done right.
“I also have to constantly prioritise and focus on core competencies, which can be hard when all I want to do is run with a new and exciting idea.”
After a decade spent observing platforms like Google AdWords in action, SponsoredLinX has rolled out its very own digital marketing tools, including a free health check for clients’ Adwords accounts, called AdAdvisor.
“This innovation drastically improves on what came before, reducing the amount of time needed for assessing an account,” he says.
Bradshaw, who runs the business with his partner Shannah, says the team has surrounded itself with the right people to make a major go of expansion – and is not holding back on the possibilities.
“There is literally no limit to what we can achieve,” he says.


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French fintech startup Libeo has secured €4 million in a fundraising round led by LocalGlobe, existing investor Breega, and some angels. Breega led the startup’s €2 million seed round just five months ago, in November 2019. The SaaS platform enables business owners, CFOs and chartered accountants to automate their accounts payable processes. Features include digitised invoices, one-click IBAN-less payments, and cash flow monitoring. "Paying and communicating with a supplier should be as simple and intuitive as sending a message on a social network, that's how we built Libeo,” say founders Pierre Dutaret, Jeremy Attuil and Pierre-Antoine Glandier. In a press release the company implies the coronavirus pandemic and economic uncertainty make effective cash management especially important for businesses, and therefore increases the demand for its services.
The investments will finance the French company’s ambitious growth plan. Since launching at the end of 2018, over €2 million in payments have been made on the platform, a figure that the startup plans to increase to €30 million by the end of next year.
Photo: Libeo founders Pierre Dutaret, Jeremy Attuil, and Pierre-Antoine Glandier


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Despite nail biting situations in terms of stocks, US tech giant Apple has managed to solve the supply problems it was facing for the iPhone 5. The company has completely caught up with the demand for the phone in the US market and this comes just in time for the upcoming bustling holiday shopping season.
Gene Munster and his team are on nightly checks of the 100 or so Apple Stores. The team found that the supply of the AT&T and Verizon models has improved significantly and the stock for Sprint is readily available.
Munster said, “As we get closer to the holiday, we believe consumers will likely have the ability to walk into an Apple Store and walk out with an iPhone 5 within the next two weeks”. Dramatic improvements were noticed in stores, as the AT&T models are now available at 82 percent of the stores, while the Verizon models are available at 72 percent of the stores. Even the Sprint iPhone 5 models are available at 92 percent of Apple Stores.
The signs of improvement came after Apple changed its online store to advertise two-week shipping times for the iPhone 5. The estimated shipping times of Apple is seen as a sign of how well the company is able to keep up with demand.


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Operator of retail department stores Dillard’s Inc. (DDS) has announced a new stock repurchase program worth $500 million of its Class A common stock.
Under Dillard’s previous share repurchase program announced in 2018, a buyback of $114.3 million remains pending.
Under the new buyback program, the company can acquire securities via open market transactions as well as private negotiations.
Furthermore, Dillard’s has also declared a cash dividend of $0.15 on its Class A and Class B common shares.
The dividend is payable on August 2 to investors of record as of June 30. Notably, this is Dillard’s 209th consecutive quarterly dividend since the company went public in 1969. (See Dillard’s stock analysis on TipRanks)
Currently, Dillard’s operates 282 stores, which include 32 clearance centers along with an online presence via dillards.com.
On May 14, Telsey Advisory analyst Dana Telsey reiterated a Hold rating on the stock and increased the price target to $110 (12.3% downside potential) from $80.
Dillard’s stock closed about 22.7% higher on Friday after the company registered earnings per share of $7.25 versus a net loss per share of $6.94 a year ago. Revenue surged to $1.33 billion from $787 million in Q1 2020.
Telsey noted broader strength coupled with higher than estimated revenue growth, elevated gross margin leverage, and streamlining of SG&A expenses during this period.
The other analyst covering the stock, Deutsche Bank’s Paul Trussell also has a Hold rating on the stock with a $107 (14.6% downside potential) price target.
The two ratings add up to a Hold consensus rating alongside an average analyst price target of $108.50 implying 13.4% downside potential. Shares have gained 373.4% over the past year.
Sierra Wireless Tops Expectations in Q1; Shares Rise 10%
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Fisker to Manufacture Vehicles with Foxconn; Shares Jump Over 15% in Pre-Market


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Panera Bread Tuesday topped Wall Street's expectations for the third quarter and raised its forecast for the year, sending shares 6 percent higher after the closing bell.
Panera reported its earnings excluding items rose to $1.37 a share on revenue of $684.2 million, compared with earnings of $1.32 a share, excluding items, on revenue of $664.7 million in the year-ago period.
The results easily outpaced analysts' estimates, which called for the company to report earnings of $1.34 a share on $680 million in revenue, according to Thomson Reuters.
Panera cited strategic changes it has made to its business for its strong performance, including the implementation of its Panera 2.0 digital ordering platform.
"The power of our multi-year strategic plan and the impact of our initiatives to transform Panera into a better competitive alternative with expanded runways for growth becomes clearer each quarter," said Chairman and CEO Ron Shaich in a press release.
Other steps Panera has taken to boost its business include focusing its menu on healthier foods, its loyalty program, and adding catering and delivery. The company said delivery was now available in 13 percent of its restaurants system-wide.
Indeed, many competitors have been hurt by a slowdown in restaurant traffic, but Panera said same-store sales rose 3.4 percent in the last period at its company-owned stores. Franchise-operated stores saw comps edge up 0.2 percent. System-wide comparable net bakery-cafe sales rose 1.7 percent from a year ago.
Panera was expected to post same-store sales growth of 2.8 percent, with company stores rising 3.7 percent and franchised stores up 1.2 percent, according to StreetAccount.
Panera said it is still targeting fiscal 2016 same-store sales growth between 4 percent and 5 percent for its company-owned bakery-cafes.
"With peak investments and significant scale behind us, our pace is quickening as we focus on completing the rollout of these initiatives and reaping the benefits," Shaich said in the release. "That's why we are confident our efforts will translate into industry-leading comps and sustainable double-digit earnings growth in 2017."
The company raised its fourth-quarter earnings forecast and now expects, excluding items, profits will be in the range of $1.96 to $2.01 a share.
For the fiscal year, Panera forecasts earnings of $6.67 to $6.72 a share, on a non-GAAP basis. That would equal growth of 7 percent to 8 percent year-over-year.
Panera recently changed hands at $206.47, up $11., or 6.1 percent.


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How the birth of the iPhone changed the world forever
It has taken just 10 years for a five-inch screen to take over almost every aspect of our lives, writes Adrian Weckler
It controls us. Look around any bus, restaurant or public space. Look into any sitting room, or through the windows of stopped cars at traffic lights.
Anytime, anywhere - almost everyone is now looking down at a small, five-inch screen.
We stare and stare, the occasional grin or grimace thrown in.
The touchscreen gizmo that the late Steve Jobs introduced 10 years ago is now our phone, computer, camera, social life, TV, radio and news service all squished into one device.
In Ireland, it is now hard to function in basic daily life without an iPhone or one of the devices made in its image. Schools and parents' groups now communicate information over (smartphone-only) Whatsapp. Grandparents increasingly depend on Facebook to keep in touch with what relatives are doing. Airlines and travel companies are starting to emphasise phone boarding passes rather than paper ones.
Little wonder that survey after survey shows the smartphone as the only indispensable item in our daily routine.
The most recent official figures from Ireland's telecoms regulator confirm what we already know - that phones are now used far more for things like Whatsapp, Facebook and Snapchat than they are for traditional voice calls or SMS texts.
Separate figures from Ipsos MRBI also show that the vast majority of us - young and old - now have some sort of modern social media account to use on our phones.
Basically, the iPhone has achieved what the doomed computer game 'Second Life' never could: it has created a virtual, parallel universe where most of us want to return as often as possible throughout the day.
Is this a step forward in civilisation, or the gateway to a dystopian future?
Those complaining about modern ways are often characterised as cranky, middle-aged luddites.
"Why can't people chat to one another as they used to in the old days?" they tell radio shows and each other in doctors' waiting rooms. "The smartphone is killing human interaction."
Shy, isolated or lonely people may not see it this way. For them, the iPhone has been transformational.
They can now talk to people without many of the usual stigmas and pressures.
As phone networks and broadband services gradually improve, they can access a wider range of news and services without having to travel miles.
They can now feel part of the same society they felt excluded from before.
On the other hand, a small screen dictating everything from our language and physical looks to our political opinions has arguably given rise to new forms of narcissism, group-think and social pressure. In a world where photos are effectively the new text, image is more important than ever.
None of this is why Apple invented the iPhone in the first place. It did it to make money. And it has succeeded beyond its wildest dreams.
Conservatively, Apple has made over €150bn in profit from the gadget to date, probably the biggest return from any single invention in history in such a short timeframe.
When looked at with competitors' fortunes, its cash haul from this one device is even more astonishing. Even though the iPhone spawned countless copies, only a small handful of competitors - Samsung, Huawei and one or two others - are actually making any significant money out of phones. The rest, including big name rivals such as Sony and HTC, are either losing money or barely scraping a living out of it.
Along its 10-year journey, the iPhone has killed as many industries as it has given birth to.
It's not easy to find a shop selling alarm clocks or home stereos anymore. The compact camera business, for obvious reasons, has collapsed.
CDs, already endangered in 2007, are dead too. DVDs are just about to expire, but not because of people watching on PCs. It is the larger screens on phones that is sustaining the huge growth in video streaming. Netflix, the biggest online movie company, says that the majority of its usage in countries like India now comes on phones.
Professional sports bodies such as the English Premier League or the National Basketball Association say that most of their opportunity (and piracy threat) comes from phones, not laptops.
Other industries are caught up in a fight for relevancy too. Broadcast news media is currently shifting dramatically from big screens to small ones, while other media - including newspapers - are having to find some way to deliver their product on the devices people now use most.
And yet more businesses look set to follow. When Amazon is done getting us to shop on phones, is hard to envisage anything like the same number of physical shops for clothes and other items on Irish streets. (This is already happening, even as the Irish economy booms.)
Meanwhile, Apple has just announced what it calls its next big platform: augmented reality. Think of Pokemon at a far more advanced level.
The iPhone is the single most influential product of the last decade. It could well remain the single most influential for the next.


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A Black attorney has exposed an Airbnb listing of an 1830 slave cabin marketed as a bed and breakfast, which people have been eagerly renting and staying in.
TikTok user @lawyerwynton, who
Jean Wiener should be elated. The organization he leads, FoProBim, has just won a series of grants to help protect mangroves in Haiti. In the coming months, he and his team will crisscross the coun
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The amount of
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Toado... I have a feeling we're not in NYC any more
So. We are now in a post-Chris-Pratt-as-Mario world. A world in which we know what Mario sounds like. The trailer released today has pro
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