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9th February 2022
Walmart invests in vertical farming
Plenty Unlimited, a vertical farming business in California, has announced a major new funding agreement with Walmart and other investors.
In its Series E financing round, Plenty Unlimited secured $400 million – the largest investment to date for an indoor farming company. In addition to Walmart and existing investor SoftBank, new partners One Madison Group and JS Capital also participated in the round.
Plenty Unlimited will use this funding to support its growth strategy, including leveraging its technology platform to sell multi-crop farms directly to partners.
“The indoor farming sector is at an exciting inflection point, poised to reach its full potential as a new asset class that addresses the significant need to provide access to fresh, nutritious food year-round, even in geographies where traditional farming is difficult,” said Omar Asali, Chairman and CEO of One Madison Group. “Plenty has truly ‘cracked the code’ on the technology and economics of indoor farming. It has developed an innovative and scalable model that can deliver fresh, sustainable produce to retailers, growers and governments anywhere in the world.”
Plenty claims that its architecture is completely different from greenhouses and other indoor farms. Its vertical towers and intelligent platform make it the only vertical farming company able to grow multiple crops on one platform with consistently superior flavour and yields. While traditional farms and other indoor farming solutions battle the limits of space, crop variation, nature, and yield, Plenty’s innovative, modular system makes it possible to scale farms to meet partner and consumer needs.
Plenty aims to create a more sustainable model for agriculture that helps partners achieve their own environmental goals. Plenty’s vertical farms use just 1% of the land required by traditional farming, while improving yields by an estimated 150-350 times per acre. As more Plenty farms are deployed globally, transportation times will decrease, thereby reducing cost and environmental impact due to transportation, while enabling Plenty’s pesticide-free produce to stay fresher longer on store shelves and in customers’ homes.
“We are pleased to work with a strong group of investors who recognise how Plenty’s proprietary approach to building and selling farms delivers a scalable, cost-efficient pathway to bringing fresh, clean produce to market 365 days a year, anywhere in the world,” said Arama Kukutai, Plenty CEO. “Having Walmart, as one of the world’s largest retailers, partner with us demonstrates the rising importance of indoor agriculture to the future of fresh and their belief in Plenty’s unique technology solution.”
In addition to this commitment, Plenty has also entered into a strategic commercial agreement with Walmart to lead a new category of fresh products and bring Plenty farms closer to Walmart customers to offer pesticide-free, sustainable produce year-round. The partnership will begin by sourcing Plenty’s leafy greens from its Compton farm for all 250 of Walmart’s California stores in 2022. After the Compton facility is fully operational, Plenty then hopes to expand its presence to the east coast. The company also plans to start growing strawberries and tomatoes and selling them to customers in 2023.
“As the global demand for clean and sustainable food continues to increase, indoor growing is an opportunity to provide fresh and nutritious produce that is good for the people and planet,” said Andrew Zloto, Investment Director at SoftBank. “With support from leading retailers and growers and a new focus on selling farms directly to partners, we believe that Plenty is at a critical inflection point that will have a lasting impact on the entire industry. We’ve been a long-term partner to Plenty and are delighted to continue to support them as they continue to innovate and rewrite the playbook for indoor growing.”
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Meet hot companies. Incubate. Acquire.
"The accelerator space in New York features a series of well-appointed offices and conference rooms where a young startup can ply its trade. Samsung has opened a similar space in San Francisco. "I could definitely get used to working here," said Nate Gosselin, a senior manager at the mobile advertising startup Sharethrough. "The refrigerator is really well stocked."
"Our biggest opportunities to innovate are outside of hardware."
This ambitious plan is another catalyst for Samsung’s push into software. "Samsung envisions an internet of things where your phone talks to your tablet, which talks to your TV, which talks to your refrigerator," says Ross Rubin, a principal analyst at Reticle Research. "In that scenario, where customers are using devices that don’t have intuitive, native interfaces, software becomes increasingly crucial."

domain: news


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Bassist John G. Lee has co-founded a record label dedicated to jazz, Jazz Legacy Productions.
The label will be celebrating jazz with the release of four albums: Cyrus Chestnut’s Spirit, Heath Brothers’ Endurance, Steve Davis’ Eloquence and Sharel Cassity’s Relentless.
Cassity is a new-comer among the other veteran musicians, a trend that is by design of JLP records. They plan to release eight albums each year, with a new name in each set of four.
Lee says, “So many artists who had deals before haven’t been re-signed, which means there’s important music that’s going undocumented. This is a great moment in jazz history, and it would be tragic if that music gets lost.” The albums all have one-word titles and feature photographs by Thomas Haynes in an effort to create a consistent brand, “We wanted people to be able to see our releases and identify them immediately as JLP,” says Lee.


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Future of finance reporter
David Ellison, a cash supervisor for economic business shares, claims LendingClubвЂ™s purchase of a bank that is regulated a good move for the fintech. However the 36-year veteran says heвЂ™s perhaps not willing to spend money on the alleged market loan provider.
вЂњI would personallynвЂ™t have the stock,вЂќ said Ellison of Hennessy Funds, which oversees $4.8 billion in assets. LendingClubвЂ™s purchase of Radius Bank for $185 million probably will include revenue and supply security. But leads for bank shares are closely associated with growth that is economic also it continues to be to be noticed just how some more recent fintechsвЂ™ credit scoring models endure within a downturn.
Ellison is not the only investor whom continues to be cautious about the San Francisco-based business, which focuses on unsecured loans. Its stock pared losings to 1.4% on Feb. 19, after dropping up to 11%, the time following the deal had been established. LendingClubвЂ™s $1.4 billion market capitalization is down nearly 80% since its IPO in 2014. (stocks also took a winner in 2016 when creator Renaud Laplanche resigned from business amid issues about financing practices and now havenвЂ™t bounced right back.)
вЂњI applaud them for recognizing that they must support their capital source to support their company,вЂќ Ellison stated payday loans Kansas. The purchase вЂњwill probably pay dividends over time should they will come through a credit down cycle and survive, and prove their lending algorithm works.вЂќ
Businesses like 14-year-old LendingClub were one of the primary generation of startups that sought to reinvent finance for the economy that is internet.


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iPhones have always been a very eagerly discussed topic among tech enthusiasts and mobile phone lovers.
Every year, Apple launches its new models which come with never seen before features. Every aspect of the newest iPhone is impressive. Apple also has the reputation of producing some of the best camera phones in today’s market. Powered by AI driven sensors and chipsets, Apple iPhones take end user satisfaction to a different level. If you are iPhone user, then you will experience superior graphics, better screen resolution, amazing sound clarity, brilliant photography, and strong battery life. Plus, you would get new features with each upcoming iPhone handset. Let us discuss some of the most interesting new features you will see in upcoming iPhone models.
Multiple sizes – It is rumoured that the upcoming iPhone 13 will come in four different sizes (5.4/6.1/6.4/6.4+). The 6.4 inch and the 6.4 inch plus screen would be higher priced models. On the other hand, the smaller 5.4 inch and 6.1 inch models would come at a lower price bracket.
Smaller notch – The upcoming iPhone models will have a smaller notch. The notch will shrink in width but its height would remain unchanged. iPhone 13’s Face ID transmitter will be made from a plastic material and would replace the existing glass material.
No USB C – There was news doing the rounds that the existing iPhone charging port would be replaced by the more common Type C port. However, it has been confirmed that iPhone will not shift to the Type C port in the near future.
Touch ID – The finger print touch ID scanner would be the latest addition to new iPhone models. The existing Facial Recognition Technology used by Apple has been a problem for some users with their face masks on. This new unlocking technology would become very handy for iPhone users who are not willing to use the Facial Recognition Technology.
A15 Processor – The new A15 processor will use 5nm+ size chip. However, the details of the chip are not available in detail. It is expected that this new chip design would bring in more efficiency and speed. Plus, it would augment the entire end user experience with key modifications in the Audio Video output.
5G chip and WiFi 6E – The 5G revolution is expected to become a reality in the year 2021. Hence, it can be expected that the upcoming iPhone models would be equipped with 5G technology. Today, the entire spectrum of mobile communication is being strongly influenced by 5G technology. Apple will engineer its upcoming iPhone models with the Snapdragon X60 third-generation 5G modem to enable 5G reception.
Larger batteries – The iPhone battery size will increase in the upcoming models. The lager battery size will increase the overall battery life. Hence, iPhone users can expect their phones to last more than 24 hours after a full battery charge. Plus, the new iPhone models will come up with faster charging ports and also support wireless charging.
Camera improvements – The camera is the most important aspect of an iPhone. Throughout its journey, iPhone cameras have awed tech experts with its clarity and sharpness. The upcoming iPhone models will undergo a major transformation in terms of camera capability. The new camera will come up with sensor shift stabilization and improvement in low light operations. This will significantly reduce image distortion due to shaking of the handset during photography.
1 TB Storage capacity – This might sound astonishing to many readers but the upcoming iPhone models like iPhone 13 might extend its storage capacity to 1TB. The highest storage capacity of 512GB is set to be surpassed in the year 2021 with 1TB internal storage.
New Cooling Technology – The new cooling technology would help the upcoming iPhone models adopt to 5G technology. Technology enthusiasts have already understood the importance of better cooling systems for the 5G compatible handsets. The high speed internet of 5G handsets will increase the latent heat of mobile handsets. Hence, iPhone designers will overcome this problem with innovative designs.
iPhone will transform the entire mobile market in the coming years. Its technologies will become the benchmark for other smartphone manufacturing companies. Today, there are a million plus iPhone users across the world.
If you have decided to for the newest iPhone, then you can visit Bajaj Finserv EMI Store to check the latest deals and offers on smartphones.
Bajaj Finserv EMI Store is one of the largest digital platforms active across more than 1600 Indian cities. Plus, you can avail offers like the No Cost EMI on Zero Down Payment on selected smartphone models. Plus, all Bajaj Finserv EMI Network Card holders are entitled to multiple pre-approved offers in the form of personal loans, credit cards, business loans, and education loans.


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If you’ve ever mistaken your wireless bill for your phone number, only to discover a dollar sign in front of all those digits, you’re far from alone. The CTIA estimates that one in six mobile subscribers have experienced bill shock, but thanks to the efforts of the nation’s wireless carriers — along with a bit of help from the FCC — consumers will start to receive notifications of any potential overages, along with alerts when the threshold has been crossed. The program is still in its infancy, but the FCC has launched a website to track wireless carriers’ implementation of the notification system, which will alert consumers to any voice, data, SMS or international roaming charges. Carriers have until October 17th to have alerts for at least two of these categories in place, and will have until April 17th of next year to implement all four. Consumers may track the monthly progress of individual carriers at the FCC’s bill shock website, but for a current peek at their progress, just hop the break.
[Bill shock photo via Shutterstock]


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April was a good month for Dubai-based Fruitful Day.
The company, which offers a fresh fruit delivery service, has only been trading since August and has been steadily building its customer base.
However, managing partner Marie-Christine Luijckx said that it registered a spike in inquiries following the endorsement of a National Charter for Happiness and Positivity by the UAE Cabinet on March 20. This followed on from the country’s earlier appointment of a Minister of State for Happiness.
“One of the things that I keep hearing over and over again is that people saying because [the government] appointed a minister of happiness, they are starting to look at workplace wellness,” she said.
“As a part of that, they are looking to reduce stress in the workplace and get people to do more activity, but also to address nutrition and a healthy diet. Our company has been a really good fit for that.”
Fruitful Day is run by Ms Luijckx and three business partners – Lyla Rawi, Lindsey Fournie and Yael Mejia – from a warehouse in Dubai Investments Park.
Ms Luijckx, who has been in Dubai for almost a decade, had previously worked for Deutsche Bank and Barclays – jobs that sometimes involved long hours and hectic schedules.
“That was part of the inspiration for starting this company because you’re stuck in the office a lot and you don’t have any healthy snacks. You probably have a sweets machine, but nothing really healthy around to snack on.”
After getting pregnant with her first daughter, Ms Luijckx took a year out and began to think about other opportunities. From her own experience, a business delivering fruit to businesses seemed like it was filling a niche.
“That’s when I started putting the concept together with my business partners,” she says.
■ For SMEs who want to place an ad free of charge visit: www.thenational.ae/small-business-ads
Ms Rawi and Ms Fournie came on board as partners and they used Ms Meija’s experience in the food industry to help source ingredients. Ms Meija is the founder of the Baker & Spice artisan grocery and restaurant business, which started in London before opening in Dubai in 2009. She had spent years sourcing ingredients for her own business, and brought that knowledge to Fruitful Day, where she holds the title of Chief Fruit Officer.
The partners believed there were a number of factors that would make this business appealing to Dubai.
“Firstly, Dubai is a place that likes convenience, and this is certainly a convenience – having a box of fruit delivered to your doorstep,” says Ms Luijckx. “I think Dubai is a place that increasingly is looking towards health and wellness, and this certainly fits in with that. And also, unfortunately, there is a prevalence of things like diabetes and heart disease in the UAE and therefore it’s important that we encourage healthy eating.”
Fruitful Day was formed in January 2015, but took until August 2015 to make its first delivery. Ms Luijckx explains there was a lot of work done during the intervening period. For instance, it had to find suitably-sized premises for its operations. “We didn’t need a massive space and there aren’t a lot of small warehouses in Dubai. It took us a while to fit out the space as well. We have a kitchen that has been purpose-built for slicing fruit and for washing fruit. We wanted to have our own refrigerated vans, because fruit’s a lot better when it’s served in a chilled box. It’s more delicious that way.”
It also spent a lot of time working out operations before launch. The business needed to be scalable, and being from a corporate background Ms Luijckx said that she knew the value of customer relationship management (CRM) systems. It bought and implemented one of these prior to launch, allowing customers to order directly from its website.
Moreover, the partners were keen to make sure the business did things in the right way.
The fruit is washed, but the only agent used in the cleaning process is bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda, as they were keen to avoid using harsher chemical cleaners.
Fruit is typically delivered in a box, with the company’s most popular Discovery Box containing 25 servings of fruit. Much of this is delivered whole, but items that are difficult to cut or peel in an office – such as mangoes, pomelo or coconut – comes prepared in sections, which are placed in airtight bags. The bags used are biodegradable, provided by Lamis Harib, the founder of UAE-based Bio-D.
The delivery boxes are both reusable and recyclable.
The company charges Dh125 (inclusive of delivery) for its Discovery Box, and Dh95 for a Staples Box, which does not contain as many exotic fruits. Users need to subscribe, but delivery frequency can be varied from daily to bi-weekly shipments. Larger boxes of 50 servings are also available.
The contents of the boxes change over the course of the year to take seasonality into account, and where possible the company tends to use regional fruits from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and India.
“One of the partners every week goes to the fruit and vegetable market. We don’t let anyone else make the fruit buying decisions,” says Ms Luijckx.
“Over time, we’ve got better at working out where is the best fruit and asking the right questions of the suppliers because they won’t necessarily tell you what their newest shipment is.”
To date, Ms Luijckx says that Fruitful Day has required significant investment, which has included the recruitment of staff to help pack and deliver produce. “I’d say roughly, from the point of when we first started investing money to when we break even, and we’re not quite there yet, we’ve put about one million dirhams into the business,” says Ms Luijckx. “That’s a mix of capital expenditure and working capital.”
The biggest surprise for Fruitful Day so far has been the evolution of its customer base. This was a business conceived for the corporate market, but individuals working within firms then began to request home deliveries as well. This now comprises about half of its customer base.
A study published by Nielsen last year found there is already a lot of interest in online grocery deliveries via the internet in the UAE, with 17 per cent of those surveyed already using online deliveries and 34 per cent indicating they were “definitely willing”. Of those who do order groceries for delivery, 23 per cent use an app and 39 per cent order directly from websites.
Camelia Pacurar, who is an occupational health, safety and wellness manager for building consultancy Aecom in the Middle East, says that she believes fruit delivery services are “a great idea, especially for busy people who may not have the time to prepare healthy snacks or visit the supermarket to purchase fresh fruit”.
“When our blood sugars crash, we often crave simple carbohydrates, such as sweets and soda, but having fresh fruit readily available would encourage people to consider a healthier option.”
She says that Aecom hosts monthly campaigns to promote health and wellness, and has previously brought nutritionists into its offices to extol the benefits of a balanced diet.
“We also encourage the provision of healthy snacks at training sessions and meetings,” says Ms Pacurar.
Ms Luijckx says that events or conferences with a human resources element have been one of the markets it has targeted for growth, alongside fairs and event days within local communities. Its most effective marketing tool, however, has simply been to offer a free trial box to companies.
“We feel like there’s still a lot more customers here. It’s really a word-of-mouth place. When people try our fruit, they recommend it to friends and we get more subscribers.”
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Barrhead Travel is to open seven new stores which will be staffed by former Thomas Cook employees.
New branches will open in Liverpool, Widnes, Wallasey, Burnley, Isle of Wight, Northwich and Warrington ahead of the peak trading season in January.
Barrhead confirmed that in all the locations there was formerly a Thomas Cook store which is now part of Hays Travel and the teams have made the decision to join Barrhead.
The former Cook staff are currently undergoing training at Barrhead Travel’s Training Academy in Glasgow.
The exact locations of the new stores are yet to be revealed, but Barrhead said the branches will be opened in new premises and the design will reflect Barrhead Travel’s “signature conceptual style”.
The news comes after the travel group said it would look to expand its retail network across the UK with 100 new shops.
Barrhead recruited former Thomas Cook senior managers Chris Mottershead, Kathryn Darbandi and Nicki Tempest-Mitchell earlier this month to lead its shop expansion.
Jaqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel said: “The natural first step was to find the right teams – after that, the exact store location would fall into place. For each of our locations, we made the decision to find the people before the premises – we’ve found that the managers and their teams have been integral in the decision-making process when it comes to specific locations.
“There are still a number of details yet to be finalised before we can confirm the exact details of the new branches, but we’ve found some brilliant high street locations which will translate into successful travel agencies.
“The new teams are currently in the midst of intensive training, familiarising themselves with our Barrhead Travel brand and systems. The team have spent significant time with our training team at the Barrhead Travel Training Academy in Glasgow with tailored training plans in place for everyone.
“Each manager and their team boast years of travel experience between them and are well-integrated into their local communities. The areas where we are launching are new to the Barrhead Travel brand so we’re also working closely with the teams and local businesses to introduce ourselves to the locality and align our values and offering with local initiatives.”
Barrhead Travel’s expansion is backed by parent company, Travel Leaders Group, which acquired the Scottish-based company last year. The first phase of new store openings is estimated to be completed by December.


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With impressive minds like Elon Musk already taking huge steps towards a sustainable future, it can be a pretty daunting task to start up in such a saturated industry. However, the energy sector is facing far more problems than its solving, which leaves the door open for budding entrepreneurs to take a stab at solving one of the biggest crises in the world today. And this accelerator wants to spur as much innovation in the field as humanly possible.
Startupbootcamp Energy Australia is currently in search of their next cohort of startups dedicated to smart energy, smart grids, smart production, smart homes, and any other sustainable energy initiative you can think of. The accelerator is backed by EnergyAustralia, Spotless Group, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Cisco, the Victorian Government’s LaunchVic operation and myriad of other energy-focused organizations.
“Smart Energy is about product, process and business model innovation in a rapidly changing marketplace,” said Trevor Townsend, managing director of Startupbootcamp Energy Australia. “The energy industry, which hasn’t drastically innovated in the last two decades, is suddenly seeing 360 degree disruption that is going to change everything in the next 10 years. It’s one thing to know that change is coming and it’s another to know what to do and how to act to stay relevant.
Like any good startup accelerator, Startupbootcamp hopes to support these startups with all the resources at their avail. From standard perks like mentoring and networking opportunities, to more specific benefits, like free coworking spaces and $25,000 per team for living expenses, the Australian accelerator will truly impact the energy sector for the better.
“At Startupbootcamp, we help our 140 corporate partners around the globe think & act,” continued Townsend. “Our partners here in Melbourne have a strong desire to work with startups locally on global solutions. During the 3 month program and beyond, we will work closely alongside the program’s startups and partners to accelerate those kind of meaningful collaborations.”
In addition to all these perks, Startupbootcamp's wide ranging partners will be providing startups with nearly $500,000 worth of free and discounted services and products that can help them grow. And with companies like Cisco, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform on board, there's no telling how high these startups will be able to fly.
“There are startup businesses out there with great ideas that will make a difference to people’s everyday lives by putting them in control of the energy they use, even if it means they use less energy,” said Andrew Perry, an executive at EnergyAustralia NextGen to Bit.
If you're interested in applying the this startup accelerator, click here to apply today. Applications close on Friday, October 27th, so make sure to get your application in before you hit the streets for some trick-or-treating.


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Want to crush your challenges and kill scores in the games you play every day? Try these dexterity games to improve your speed and coordination. Read more →
Epic Games Founder Worried About Microsoft’s Future
Speaking with Polygon, Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney expressed his displeasure with Microsoft’s latest operating system, and has said that he’s concerned about the “closed” nature of the system.
“I genuinely worry about the future of Microsoft,” Sweeney said. “They’ve locked down this Windows 8. They say future app developers should focus there, but you can only ship that with Microsoft’s permission and Microsoft’s approval through Microsoft’s store. And that sucks compared to the open nature of the PC platform before…”
Sweeney was full of positive comments when talking about Valve’s line of Steam Machines, describing the product line as the “most open high-end gaming platform ever.” But he still isn’t willing to entirely give up on Microsoft, as he believes the recent corporal shakeup might help the company become more “open” as it relates to developing for the Windows platform. But if not, Sweeney believes Linux and Steam OS are a great backup plan.
“I sense kind of a renaissance at MS in the last six months,” Sweeney said. “Talking to the DirectX team for example, they’re making some brilliant decisions on DirectX 12 to make it more efficient and more open than ever before. You just generally sense a momentum to be more open with the community and more broad with their Windows strategy. I’m hoping that takes root.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Sweeney discussed VR technology and said that the virtual reality market will explode in popularity over time. “We’re doing a huge amount of research in VR, working with Oculus kits,” he said. “We see this as a technology that will influence every game and every platform.”
Sweeney is so confident with VR, that he went as far as to say that VR technology, like the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift or Sony’s Porject Morpheus, will leave a bigger impact on the world than smartphones.
“It’s technology that I think will completely change the world,” Sweeney said. “I think It’s going to be a bigger phenomenon than smartphones. You have to put it in perspective and realize we’re in maybe the [first-generation] iPhone stage right now where you have this really cool device, but it has some real flaws that prevents it from being a pervasive device for everyone. There might be an audience for 10 million users of the current tech, but as it improves with each generation, the audience is going to keep growing until eventually you’re going to reach a critical point where you can put on one of these devices and have an experience that is effectively indistinguishable from reality.”


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A man’s failed attempt at a personalized Christmas card has taken over Twitter.
Comedian Daniel White thought it would be a cute idea to send a custom Christmas card this year, using a picture of his family from Halloween.
However, he submitted a dental x-ray of his neighbor Mike’s teeth by mistake, resulting in a design that’s more frightening than festive.
Since sharing the photo with his followers on December 14, the hilarious mix-up has received over 121,000 likes and more than 9,000 retweets.
Why Do We Send Christmas Cards?
For some people, Christmas cards are a fun tradition, for others, they’re an annual nuisance. Whichever camp you fall into, you can credit the Victorians for the invention.
The first Christmas card was created by Sir Henry Cole, a British civil servant in 1843. Cole invented Christmas cards to help promote the post office and sold them for 1 shilling each. However, the first Christmas card wasn’t sent in America until 1875.
Although photo Christmas cards are seen as a modern invention, the first was actually sent by gunslinger Annie Oakley in 1891.
The sharpshooter was touring with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Glasgow, Scotland, at the time and wanted to send a card back to her friends and family in the U.S. She had a portrait taken wearing a tartan outfit specially made for the show, and asked a local printer to turn the photograph into Christmas cards.
Since then, personalized Christmas cards have become more and more creative. Last year, a family’s “goth Christmas card”—complete with “corpse paint,” a smiling Santa and a trip to Chucky Cheese—went viral, while a mom’s hilarious “parenting disaster” Christmas cards took over Reddit.
‘With a Smile Like That, You Gotta Show it Off’
Originally, White planned to use a cute family photograph for his Christmas cards this year. The photo featured his wife and daughter dressed as Minions for Halloween, while he’d gone as Professor X from X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
He used the Shutterfly app to create his design, but somehow mixed up the family photo with one of his neighbor Mike’s teeth.
He posted the hilarious result to Twitter, along with the caption: “Selected the wrong photo from my camera roll so now I have 90 of these.”
But why did White have an x-ray of Mike’s teeth on his phone to begin with? He said that Mike has such great teeth that he asked for a picture to show his own dentist.
“Mike got Invisalign a few years back so he had a few of these x-rays taken,” he told Newsweek.
When asked what Mike thinks of his teeth’s newfound internet fame, White said he’s a “little embarrassed.”
“But he said he’s also flattered so many people have enjoyed his mouth,” he added.
Will White still be sending the cards out? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
“It’s a funny mix-up,” he said. “But ultimately it’s Mike’s mouth so it’s not my place to mail them.”
Twitter users found the photo fail hilarious, with Definitely Danny calling the accidental card design “amazing.”
“Phenomenal,” agreed Rob Sheridan.
“Genuinely, this would make Christmas for me,” commented Sarah Phelps.
“With a smile like that, you gotta show it off,” said Edmond Lorts.
“Maybe you could paint them green so they look like Christmas trees?” suggested Arne Parrott.
While Caissie wrote: “If I received such a card, I would treasure it.”


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A berry-growing cooperative that supplies supermarkets says it has lost 60 per cent of its orders due to the surge in COVID cases and supply-chain issues.
- A berry cooperative is losing 60 per cent of orders due to supermarket worker shortages
- The federal government says close contacts who return negative RATs can now return to work
- Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci says the new rules will keep the supply chain moving
As Omicron infections surge, supermarkets are being crippled by a shortage of transport, distribution and shop workers, who are isolating.
Miffy Gilbert, the chief executive of Ausberry Farmers, said sheds were already being shut down and fruit would be left to rot because so many workers were having to isolate.
"If you can't pick it on time, it's overripe and won't meet the specification for shelf life or eating."
Sales, prices continue to drop
Ms Gilbert said supermarkets had been open and transparent about their COVID-related issues, and she was preparing for sales and prices to continue dropping, along with workforce numbers.
"We need more rapid antigen tests (RATs) to at least keep production happening, we need more clarity on that.
"By the time we started looking for tests — maybe we were slow to the party — but there weren't enough and the price was exorbitant.
Federal government changes
In a bid to alleviate pressure on the food supply chain, the Commonwealth has announced that workers who are close contacts of a COVID-positive case, but are asymptomatic and returning negative RATs, will be able to return to work.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) reached the new agreement for workers in food and grocery distribution chains after consultation with major supermarkets.
"We've worked very closely with this particular sector right from the beginning of the pandemic, they have a lot a mitigation measures in the workplace," Professor Kelly said.
"We've heard from [major supermarkets] and they're finding 30 to 50 per cent absenteeism, it's huge, particularly in the distribution centres. They cannot work in those circumstances."
These measures do not include public-facing staff in supermarkets, such as sales assistants in retail settings.
New rules 'a big plus'
Chris Parisi, a wholesaler at Sydney Markets who also runs a couple of retail outlets in the city, said the change would help his business.
Mr Parisi has 120 staff on the books, but due to the pandemic only about 75 are able to work.
"A big problem for us is people having to stay at home."
Keep supply chain moving
Woolworths Group chief executive Brad Banducci said the new rules would keep the supply chain moving.
"We'll be as responsible and as sensible as we can, but with a focus on ensuring we keep food flowing through our supply chain."
"Our team members who come back to the sheds, they'll be expected to do a RAT before they go into the distribution centre, and if they're positive, clearly they won't be going in."
IGA says 'everything' is delayed
Ritchies IGA chief executive Fred Harrison said the supply chain issues began in early December, and could take months to resolve.
"There are deliveries that are anywhere from two days to a week late and most of it is due to COVID."
Mr Harrison said that in addition to isolation requirements draining the workforce, the supply chain was being interrupted by a lack of international products reaching Australia.
"Much of it is also problems with ingredients that are meant to come from overseas — they haven't been arriving here," he said


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Heineken has suffered a UK volumes dip in the wake of its Tesco de-listing, but still achieved “impressive” growth globally, its latest figures show.
The brewer’s global volumes were up 0.6% organically to 44 million hectoliters, driven by strong performance in the Asia Pacific region, according to its 1Q 2017 trading update.
Central European growth was solid but held back by “low-single-digits decline” in UK volumes, in the wake of Tesco’s cull of Heineken beer and cider brands in February.
Meanwhile, Middle Eastern, African and Eastern European market conditions remained “challenging”, said Heineken CEO and chairman of the executive board Jean-François Van Boxmeer.
Heineken did not report value sales or EBITDA, but revealed its unadjusted net profit was up 11% year-on-year.
The brewer’s global volume growth was “impressive”, given it achieved 7% volume growth in Q1 last year, said SocGen analyst Andrew Holland.
Heineken’s broad portfolio of international premium brands, cider, craft and low/no alcohol “played well” with current trends in beer, according to analysts at Liberium.
Tesco, which accounts for around 30% of the UK’s off-trade beer sales, took an axe to 31 Heineken products including Amstel, Sol, Tiger and Kronenbourg as part of a major overhaul of its booze aisles.
The Dutch brewer has since launched into Iceland for the first time with eight SKUs: Desperados Lager (650ml), Desperados Red Tequila (3x330ml), Foster’s (4x440ml), Heineken (440ML), John Smiths Extra Smooth Bitter (4x440ml), Scrumpy Jack (4X440ml), Strongbow (4x440ml) and Tiger (640ml).
“We’ve been working with the Iceland team over the past year and are pleased their shoppers can now choose from a range of our fantastic beer and cider brands,” a Heineken spokeswoman said.


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Press Release Distribution
December 21, 2013 News
4 months ago, 5522 views, By Best2014Gadgets
A quality home audio and video entertainment system brings to life your favorite movies, music, and television like you haven't experienced it before. If you ask any expert, they'll tell you that the core of it all is a home theater AV receiver.
4 months ago, 2044 views, By Jazz for Peace ™ Rising Star Program
Funding opportunity for Outstanding Artists! Whether you are established or an up and coming artist Jazz for Peace's new Program provides an Immediate cash/career infusion with just One Simple Step!
4 months ago, 1208 views, By Fashion Week Las Vegas LLC.
Fashion Week Las Vegas returns for Season Four in Las Vegas , with an International Roster of Designers
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Mona Lisa frozen in time at sunrise on December 25, 1500 AD, in Rome
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Do you work on improving yourself and your skills? Or do you waste time competing against others?
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4 months ago, 720 views, By Hammond International Inc. and Team Toby
This month when you hear “Mom…Dad…Can you read me a story?” the answer should be “Yes.”
4 months ago, 719 views, By Nightwriter93
Is getting your book e-published your #1 New Year’s Resolution? Have you given up because you’ve received a pile of rejection letters? Do you have a completed manuscript (or two) or even previously published books just lying around?
4 months ago, 710 views, By Mirror Theater Company
Mirror Theater Co. presents ‘Elvis Is In The Building,' an evening of one-act plays, music and dancing celebrating The King of Rock n Roll at Avery Schreiber Playhouse, 4934 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA
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New York Plantings Garden Designers is a hardcore garden company & landscape contractor based in Manhattan, NYC. Expanding Rooftop Irrigation and Landscape Lighting services to the finest residential and corporate Gardens and Landscapes in NYC
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AndyTailor.com, as a renowned online shop through the globe, is more often than not offering trendiest women dresses.
4 months ago, 674 views, By Idigit Pr
Iconic Fashion Designer AD Singh showcased his new collection "Fallen Goddess" at the Hyderabad International Fashion Week (HIFW) 2013. AD Singh showcased a stunning collection of red carpet gowns in copper, gold, black and metallic colors.
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2013 HostGator Christmas Offer, Sales, Deal, Discount Coupons Announced by HostGatorCouponSuperDiscount.net
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Award reflects company’s consistently high level of customer service
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December 21, 2013 India International Consumer Fair [IICF], a fourteen-day consumer fair will commence in BKC, Mumbai, from 24th December, 2013. Speaking on the occasion, Mr.
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TraceGains Listed as One of Food Logistics Top 100 Software and Technology Providers
Bora Health launches; a community interest company committed to making independent living affordable
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Display product, brand to buyers and manufacturers on a global marketplace.
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Home buyers, who would love to be settled in a new home in the New Year, have wonderful choices by the renowned home building company - Pulte Homes.
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The Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) 24th Annual International ACCT Conference and Expo January 30 – February 2, 2014 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Melissa Webb (Laing) Special Events and Membership Coordinator 800-991-0286 x 917...
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Get CPR / AED, First-Aid, Bloodborne Pathogens & Basic Life Support (BLS) Certified Today for as little as $13.95!
4 months ago, 402 views, By Concierge Preferred
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text:
Follow us on
Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership has unveiled a new strategy that aims to grow the video games industry within the region.
A Switch Joy Con returned by Nintendo after a repair has hinted at how Nintendo intends to fix its left controller problem.
Platform holder Nintendo has insisted that there are not inherent hardware problems with the Switch, but has admitted that it has changed how it manufactures the left Joy Con.
Without any sort of forewarning, a VR game based on the Ghostbusters franchise has suddenly landed on PlayStation VR.
eSports betting site Unikrn has announced the Rocket League will join its roster of titles in Australia.
Microsoft has announced yet another controller option for the Xbox One.
A new colour has been added to the iPhone 7 lineup.
Crowdfunding hit Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has scrapped its planned Wii U release.
The senior director of merchandising at retailer GameSpot has predicted an extremely bright future for Nintendo Switch.
The accusation that VR games lack adequate depth is unfounded.
Space has always been a big theme in games, but in 2016 publishers seemed to have a renewed interest in the genre.
Students at Kingston university now have access to a selection of virtual reality technology thanks to an investment in the institution’s tech facilities.
Video service YouTube has been criticised for restricting access to videos that contain references to same-sex relationships.
Publisher Atlus has been forced to clarify that the Premium Edition of Persona 5 does not contain ‘dangerous materials’.
The once popular DRM-free PC games store DotEmu has announced plans to close later this year.
Warner Bros has announced that its former senior VP of worldwide marketing Russell Arons has become the new general manager of Machinima.
One member of BioWare’s development team has found themselves the centre of a new online abuse campaign.
Three months after its iOS debut, Nintendo’s Super Mario Run will make its debut on Android this Thursday (March 23rd).
It’s two weeks on the trot at the top of the UK Top 40 for Ghost Recon: Wildlands.
There was a time when The Yogscast was synonymous with World of Warcraft and Minecraft Let’s Play videos. Since then, however, the Bristol-based production firm has grown into a full-blown ...
Downing, Tafler and Oliver all step up at Sega Europe and Dan Sheridan joins nDreams.
Australia’s classification board has reportedly blocked the release of upcoming horror title Outlast 2 in the region.
Last Thursday, MCV celebrated its fifteenth annual Awards, with 24 accolades recognising the very best in the industry. You can now read all the reactions from the winners and see ...
What one hand giveth the other taketh away.
The co-founder and chief executive of Telltale games has left the company.


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Consumer spending accelerates at fastest pace since 2012 Olympics as economic confidence returns
Consumer spending rose at its fastest pace since the Olympic Games in the first three months of the year, a report has found.
Household spending rose 1.2 per cent in the three months to the end of March compared with the same period a year earlier, Visa Europe’s Expenditure Index showed.
On an annual basis spending rose 0.7 per cent in March compared with a year earlier, and month-on-month was 1.6 per cent higher.
Confidence: Growing consumer confidence is leading to higher household spending
Consumer spending has now risen on an annual basis for the past six months.
The index, which takes card spending data and adjusts it for a variety of factors to create a like-for-like comparison of consumer spending, found online spending continued to rise in March albeit at a slightly slower pace, up 4 per cent on the same month a year earlier.
However, mail/telephone order catalogue sales continued to fall, down by some 2.2 per cent in the month while face to face consumer spending rose by just 0.1 per cent.
The strongest increase in spending was recorded in hotels & restaurants, followed by clothing & footwear and household goods.
Jeremy Nicholds, director of commercial development at Visa Europe said the economy was poised for a strong increase in consumer spending through the second quarter of 2014.
‘Warm weather, growing consumer confidence, a buoyant property market and the end of the inflation squeeze – retailers are cheering all four as spending roared ahead in clothing, footwear and household goods in March,’ he added.
Publicans, hoteliers and restaurant owners will be raising a glass as well, with spending increasing at the quickest rate in over two years.
‘The only cloud is over food and drink sellers, including the supermarkets, as spending in this category fell by 3.2 per cent in March following a fall in February. The late Easter this year is giving no respite to the sector as it continues to gear up for a price war.’
Paul Smith, director at Markit said: ‘Although some temporary uplift was provided by the weather, the underlying improvement in household spending is again further evidence that the vastly improved UK economic climate is starting to be felt by consumers.
‘As real wage growth finally begins to pick up and the labour market tightens further, expect expenditure volumes to finally move back above pre-financial crisis levels in the coming months.’
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Intel Partners Say New Haswell Motherboards In Short Supply
Several Intel partners, who wish to remain anonymous, say Intel is facing a shortage of its new motherboards for the chip maker's fourth-generation Core processors, codenamed Haswell, which debuted this week.
Part of the problem, partners say, is the small number of new motherboard SKUs; currently, Intel has only launched its fourth-generation Core i5 and i7 desktop processors, with i3 chips to follow later. In addition, there are currently just five types of desktop boards available at launch. For previous Core launches, Intel has made a dozen or more motherboard versions available.
[Related: 5 Things That Can Help The PC Business Rebound ]
Meanwhile, several Intel partners this week received emails from the chip maker reminding them of Intel's plan to phase out its desktop motherboard manufacturing business. The emails also encouraged solution providers to explore partnerships with other motherboard makers, namely Asus and Gigabyte.
Todd Garrigues, North America channel manager at Intel, said demand for the fourth-generation Core i5 and i7 has been strong, which could be contributing to higher demand for Intel motherboards. However, he said, Intel has already begun shrinking its desktop motherboard business, as evidenced by the smaller-than-normal number of Haswell boards.
"That's why we only have five desktop boards," Garrigues said. "We wanted to send a clear signal that this [business] is winding down."
Intel said it is investigating the reported shortages. Sharon Alt, Intel's director of North American distribution, said the company will work with its distribution and supplier partners to address any shortages and will help solution providers to find alternative motherboards as Intel continues to ramp down its desktop board operations. "We want to make this as smooth a transition as possible for partners," Alter said.
Nevertheless, some system builders thought they'd have more time before having to turn to alternative motherboard options. "We've known this was going to happen for months, but it's still a big transition, and I think a lot of people are still in denial," said Todd Swank, senior director of product marketing at Equus of Minnetonka, Minn. "This is probably going to force companies to make the transition earlier than they expected."
Intel's previous Core launches have also experienced some road bumps. The company's 2011 launch of the Sandy Bridge family of re-architected Core processors was hindered by a recall for Intel's Cougar Point chipset. In addition, Intel's third-generation core chips, codenamed Ivy Bridge, were delayed several weeks and reportedly experienced shortages following the launch.
PUBLISHED JUNE 6, 2013


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EVGA is introducing a pair of new Z590 motherboards and they look mean!
A recent report claims that AMD's chip supplier, TSMC, is having issues with packaging, contributing to its chip shortage.
Ikea now has cardboard mockups of the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 to help with furniture choices
Expiring import tariff exemptions will lead to increased component prices for PCs, at least for some time to come.
A new patent from AMD points to a GPU design based on chiplets to overcome silicon manufacturing limitations.
Reported benchmarks of Intel's Core i7-11700K show promising performance gains, but can the leaks be trusted?
Earlier reports stated that Samsung's PCIe 4.0 SSD would only come in a capacity of up to 1TB, but it turns out those reports are wrong.
MSI's L65 Leopard 10SFK-062 gaming laptop is down to just $1099 -- a steal considering it comes packed with an Intel 10th Gen Core i7 CPU and RTX graphics.


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Wingstop tests 11 chicken sandwich flavors in U.S. markets
The announcement follows news that the brand is exploring the purchase of a poultry complex.
Wingstop will sell chicken sandwiches available in any of the brand’s 11 signature flavors at 60 U.S. restaurants.
“The Wingstop Chicken Sandwich can be hand sauced-and-tossed in fans’ favorite flavors, ranging from sweet to super spicy, and everything in between,” a spokesperson said.
The limited time offer will be added…


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- Articles tagged "counter-strike"
Held at Shijingshan Stadium, Beijing, from the 22nd to 24th November, the MSI Beat It 2013 tournament saw 17 top CS:GO teams from different parts of the world gather to compete against one another in a bid to win the grand prize of US$10,000 and five MSI GE70 gaming laptops loaded with WD SSHDs. We give you a rundown of what took place.
- Linksys announces new WRT1200AC dual-band AC1200 router
- Join the CEE Instagram contest and stand a chance to win S$500 in cash
- Trade in your old devices at CEE 2015 and receive cash vouchers to use at the show
- OnePlus to "shake up the tech industry" on 1st June, expect to see OnePlus 2
- Google said to release two Nexus phones in October, no plans for new tablet
- FSP’s NB H series 2-in-1 adapters are both power bricks and USB 3.0 hubs
- Here’s a glimpse at Antec’s new flagship S10 Signature-series case
- The Oculus Rift has something brewing


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The chocolate crisis
Published 4:00 am, Monday, May 11, 1998
IN BRAZIL, witches' broom. In Costa Rica, monila. In West Africa, black pod. These are among the fungal diseases and blights that may do more for the concept of
"sustainability" than all the worried pleadings of environmentalists.
That's because they threaten something that to many people is more important than sex, world peace and whether the Niners will visit the Super Bowl again. They threaten chocolate.
Americans, who gobble more than 600,000 tons of cocoa products each year, have a sweet stake in the outcome of the year's most unlikely peace talks - a gathering last month at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama for Mars, Cadbury, Nestle and Hershey officials. It was unlikely because most corporate food producers tend to slide sideways when buttonholed by earnest advocates of concepts like "biodiversity,"
"integrated pest management," "organic" and
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The chocolate crisis brought them together. Production of cocoa beans has been cut almost in half on several of the huge plantations where rain forests have been leveled, planted with cacao trees, treated something like strip mines and profitably harvested until the eventual arrival of viral diseases, ruinous bugs and fungal blights. The answer, now that the supply of convenient rain forests is dwindling, is for the producers to revert to family-size operations with cacao trees sheltered by a canopy of larger trees.
"We've got an organism here that's basically evolved over millions of years in tropical wet forest," the New York Times was told by Milwaukee biologist Allen M. Young, who heads a sustainability experiment with cacao trees in Costa Rica. "Let's test the concept, which is new, of putting the rain forest to work and returning cacao to its native habitat."
Let's hope the idea spreads so that the family farm gradually replaces huge factory farms. Throughout the world - but particularly in California - these plantations are owned by absentee corporations, treated like industries, cultivated by hired hands, sterilized with too much pesticide, fertilized with too many chemicals, flooded with too much irrigation and prone to so many problems that harvests can't be sustained.
Few urban dwellers give much thought to how and where their goodies originate, but that should change as soon as witches' broom, monila and black pod push the price of a Hershey bar to $5.<


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iPhone 3GS–The S Is for "Shortage"
The iPhone 3GS has been on the market just 10 days now, and already a growing number of Apple (AAPL) stores around the country are running short of the device. It seems that demand for the 3GS, which topped one million units sold its first weekend at market, has exceeded even the company’s presumably aggressive targets.
At the time of this writing, Apple’s iPhone availability widget (pictured) is showing shortages of various iPhones at Apple stores across the United States. The device is completely sold out in states like Alabama, Delaware and Kentucky, where Apple (AAPL) has a limited retail presence. In others, its availability varies, though there seems to be higher demand for black phones than white.
An impressive performance, particularly at a time when consumers are inclined to be more frugal than usual.


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It was quite clear from the day that the 2021 Ford Bronco was revealed over one year ago that the Jeep Wrangler finally had a direct and worthy competitor. Since then, Jeep has worked to counter the new Ford Bronco by offering things that it doesn’t (for now) – like the V8-powered Rubicon 392 and 4xe plug-in hybrid. But deep down, it’s pretty clear that the automaker is also worried about the Bronco stealing its crown, as Jim Morrison, head of Jeep in North America, just can’t stop talking about Ford’s reborn off-roader.
Last year, Jeep sent out a memo to its dealers making a feeble attempt to reassure them that the Wrangler was still a superior product to the Bronco, which turned out to be an internet meme of sorts. Then, Jeep began offering a doors-off mirror kit after it was announced that the Bronco’s side mirrors would remain attached to the vehicle even when the doors were removed. Now, at the recent 4Fest gathering in Michigan, Morrison was taking more shots at the Ford Bronco and its recent hardtop woes.
“It’s going to rain on Saturday, so I don’t think there will be any Broncos here this weekend,” Morrison told Detroit News. “It’s the love each customer has of the brand and for the community because that is quite frankly what competitors can’t copy. We’ve had our best-ever sales success. I just think it shows the strength of our customer base. There’s no doubt there’s going to be a lot of F-150 people driving Broncos. For me, the proof for the strength of the Jeep brand is in the results of the sales it keeps kicking out and more importantly, the passion of our customers that keep staying true to the brand.”
Indeed, Wrangler sales have enjoyed three straight quarters of record sales thanks in part to the fact that Jeep has prioritized the semiconductor chips it has on hand for its hottest models. However, Morrison seems to be a bit blind, perhaps purposely so, to some other recent market trends.
Bronco sales have yet to truly take off due to the aforementioned hardtop issues, but the demand is certainly there, as we’ve seen from a number of crazy markups and vehicles being sold for well over MSRP on the secondary market as well. Then, there’s the fact that a whopping 70 percent of Bronco buyers are defecting from other brands, including Jeep.
The same also holds true of the Ford Bronco Sport, which has enjoyed a tremendous number of conquest sales – 63 percent of its total thus far – with most of them coming from Jeep. But perhaps that should come as no surprise, given the fact that a recent comparison test embarrassingly ended with the Bronco Sport being chosen over the Wranger – a vehicle that it doesn’t even directly compete with.
Yes, the times, as they say, are clearly changing, and once Ford straightens out its supply chain issues, the Bronco looks destined to take over the Wrangler’s long-held spot at the top of the off-road SUV market – no matter how much shade Jeep executives attempt to throw its way.


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Nokia XR20 5G sale started in the US market recently. While the smartphone is priced at USD 549 in the US market, you can now save $32 on the official pricing, if you want to buy one.
Retailer B&H is offering Nokia XR20 5G for the price of $517. This pricing is offered on the Granite color model. B&H has mentioned Nokia XR20 5G as the best seller smartphone.
okia XR20 5G is the new “indestructible Nokia phone”. It is scratch-resistant, drop-resistant, temperature-resistant, water-resistant and kid-and-pet-resistant as per Nokia Mobile. It also boasts of 3 years OS upgrade and 4 years of security updates.
Nokia XR20 also features the “SpeedWarp” mode for action and adventure shooting. With Nokia XR20, Nokia Mobile has also launched a phone supporting wireless charging after a long time. Nokia XR20 has 18W wired fast charging and 15W wireless charging support. You can read more about Nokia XR20 by clicking here.


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Baskin-Robbins appoints new Vice President of Marketing
The Baskin-Robbins franchise recently announced that it has appointed Brian O’Mara as Vice President of Marketing USA. With more than twenty-five years of marketing experience, including twenty years with McDonald’s, Mr. O’Mara brings, the company says, extensive knowledge of marketing, product development and the quick service restaurant industry to is position at Baskin-Robbins, as well as a history of working successfully with franchisees. In his new role, O’Mara is responsible for the strategic development, planning and execution of Baskin-Robbins’ marketing initiatives in the United States.
“Brian is a proven strategic brand marketer who brings to Baskin-Robbins invaluable experiences that will help intensify our focus on marketing,” said Baskin-Robbins Srinivas Kumar, Chief Brand Operating Officer for Baskin-Robbins Worldwide. “We are confident that he will further build brand excitement and drive consumer engagement.”
Named the top ice cream and frozen dessert franchise in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine’s 31st annual Franchise 500® ranking, Baskin-Robbins is, it says, the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shops. Baskin-Robbins creates and markets innovative, premium ice cream, specialty frozen desserts and beverages to consumers at more than 6,000 retail shops in 33 countries. (kbp)
Baskin Robbins (USA)
selling ice-cream, frozen yogurt and other approved services
» to the franchisor


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By Hiawatha Bray, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Nov. 22--This column gets results. A few months ago I suggested that Internet users would do well to give up on Microsoft Corp.'s buggy and insecure Internet Explorer browser and check out some well-crafted alternatives. And so you have, in a big way.
In the past two weeks, Internet users have downloaded over 4.5 million copies of Firefox, the excellent browser available for free from the nonprofit Mozilla Foundation. Yes, there are hundreds of millions of IE users, but Firefox is gaining fast, and IE is losing market share for the first time in years. The switch to Firefox will happen even faster as more people realize the full power of this browser, much of it provided by computer hobbyists who are scrambling to create a cornucopia of useful add-ons.
They're called extensions, handy programs that fit seamlessly inside Firefox and augment its original functions. There are dozens of them, ready to do for you just about anything IE will do and a bunch of stuff you never even thought about before.
What's the latest weather? There's WeatherFox, an extension that will pop up the most recent forecast in a corner of your browser. Do you enjoy music while you surf? Check out FoxyTunes, which adds a toolbar with controls for your favorite music player. How fast is your Internet connection? Bandwidth Tester will tell you at the touch of a button.
Try a few for yourself. For the browser, go to www.getfirefox.com. Once it's installed, use Firefox to return to the site and then scroll down the page and click the Extensions link.
All of these gadgets are being hammered out by talented amateurs with time on their hands. The Mozilla Foundation is glad of the help; indeed, it was counting on it.
"We've designed our software to support extensions," said Ben Goodger, lead designer of Firefox, "and we've put a lot of things in it with extensions in mind."
Lots of people know that stuff. Firefox users get free access to the fruits of their effort, and the Mozilla Foundation gets one more weapon in its campaign to make Firefox the Web's dominant browser.
Firefox will need plenty of help, despite its deserved reputation as a safer way to visit the Internet. Public disgust with computer worms and spyware attacks, many of them made possible by security flaws in the Microsoft browser, gave Firefox a toehold in the market.
Microsoft has issued some major repair patches, but the company says it won't offer a total browser overhaul, because that will come in a couple of years with its future operating system, codenamed Longhorn. Too bad for Microsoft that nobody wants to wait till 2006 for a safe browser. Throw in a lingering and well-founded distrust for the world's biggest software company, and plenty of people were ready for an alternative.
But browser-switchers often pay for their disloyalty to IE in the form of compatibility problems. Some sites are designed around IE and studded with features that don't work properly in Firefox.
Here at the Globe, we do a lot of research using Factiva, an online database run by the Dow Jones and Reuters news services. It's an excellent resource, but only for those running IE. Factiva and Firefox don't get along. Or visit the Blackamericaweb.com site run by talk radio personality Tom Joyner. Some of that site's features don't like Firefox at all.
It shouldn't happen that way. Websites ought to be designed in accord with the universal standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium in Cambridge.
But for many designers, the temptation to use Microsoft's specialized features was irresistible. They especially like ActiveX, which basically lets the Microsoft browser install new software on a Web surfer's machine.
Since ActiveX is also used by worm and spyware writers to smuggle their code onto computers, Firefox doesn't use it. This is a key reason why it's a safer browser than IE, but also a barrier when visiting some websites.
Indeed, one of the Web's most important sites requires ActiveX: Microsoft's Windows Update page, where you download the latest security patches for the operating system. Windows users should run this feature at least once a week to keep their computers safe, and you'll need IE to run it. It's a clever way for Microsoft to keep IE users loyal.
Microsoft also gets help from Internet companies that have created popular IE browser extensions. The Google Toolbar, with its pop-up blocker and built-in search window, is probably the most famous, but there are lots of others.
I'm especially partial to Pluck, a wondrous program that will keep an eye on key websites for new and interesting information.
For instance, Pluck can flag you whenever someone auctions a rare Ted Williams baseball card on eBay or when Amazon offers a new book on the athlete. Pluck can also track updates on your favorite websites. It's a great piece of software, but, like the Google Toolbar, it's IE-only. Giving up the Microsoft browser means sacrificing your favorite IE tools.
Happily, the Firefox extenders are assembling worthy rivals to IE's offerings. PRGooglebar, for instance, does everything the original Google bar does, except for blocking pop-ups, which Firefox already does. As for Pluck, the company has received so many requests from Firefox users that it plans to offer a compatible version sometime next year.
Microsoft's even getting the message. Just last week, the company said it's considering short-term upgrades to IE, in response to growing demand. And Microsoft has launched a website promoting dozens of IE extension programs, an obvious bow to the popularity of Firefox add-ons.
For the first time in years, Web browsing is getting better. All it took was a few million Firefox downloads, a growing inventory of enhancements, and a vital nudge of encouragement from your humble columnist, of course.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.
To see more of The Boston Globe, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.boston.com/globe.
(c) 2004, The Boston Globe. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail email@example.com.
MSFT, DJ, RTRSY, RTR,


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Michelin: creates JV to develop Rubberway
(CercleFinance.com) - Michelin, Continental and SMAG have announced the creation of a joint venture to develop and deploy Rubberway, a smartphone application to map sustainability practices across the natural rubber industry.
Designed to meet the objectives of the Global Sustainable Natural Rubber Platform (GPSNR). Rubberway has already been operational since 2017 - and is already used in some main rubber producing countries, such as Indonesia and Brazil.
The joint venture is expected to begin business before the end of 2019 (subject to validation by the competition authorities). Michelin will bring the rights of use and exploitation, along with its user experience of it on the ground.
Copyright (c) 2019 CercleFinance.com. All rights reserved.


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Restaurants in Boston will soon have a different assessment standard for food safety. The city has plans to start assigning restaurants letter grades based on inspection results, according to The Boston Globe.
This new program, which will kick off early next year, is based off similar ones in place in New York City and Los Angeles. Officials will assign either A, B, or C letter grades to restaurants based on their level of cleanliness. Initially, the grades will be posted online, according to Boston Magazine, but there are plans to have restaurants display grades in their storefronts.
Restaurants with the lowest grade (C) will have the opportunity to improve their standards or fix any violations in advance of a re-inspection within 30 days, the Globe reported, at which point their grade will either get bumped up or will stand until the next regularly scheduled inspection.
Food trucks, cafeterias, and other vendors will also be subject to this new standard of review.
William Christopher, the head of Boston's Inspectional Services Department, which will oversee this new program, told the Globe: "We want to make it as simple as we can for people to understand the health conditions at our restaurants."
Meanwhile, Bob Luz, who is the president and chief executive of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, told the Globe he had reservations about the initiative, saying such programs can oversimplify inspection results.


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The Culture Ministry revealed “Creative Korea” as a new slogan for branding the nation on Monday.
“The new brand slogan promotes the value that the Republic of Korea upholds and an image that the country wants to promote abroad,” said Kim Jong-deok, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, at a news conference announcing the brand slogan and logo design on Monday.
Creative Korea logo (The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)
The new slogan and logo were created following nationwide polls the government conducted among citizens who were asked about keywords that represent “Koreanness,” as well as design contests. The logo, designed with motifs from the national flag of Korea, has words written in red and blue and in clean, modern typography.
“Some 1.2 million keywords that citizens voted to represent Korea were grouped into three representative words -- creativity, passion and harmony,” said Kim. “Creativity reflects the direction that the country wants to move in,” he added.
The new brand replaces the long defunct slogan “Dynamic Korea” that the country used during the 2002 World Cup hosted by Korea and Japan. The nation brand project resumed last year to mark the 70th anniversary of the independence of Korea from Japan and to set a new national identity of Korea.
Poster for Creative Korea (The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)
The government plans to promote the new brand via television commercials on major channels abroad such as CNN and BBC and through Korean Embassies and cultural institutes in major cities abroad. The commercials feature several leading Korean celebrities, including actor Song Joong-ki, actress Song Hye-kyo, K-pop idol group Big Bang and other popular cultural figures, including Go player Lee Se-dol and pianist Cho Seong-jin.
By Lee Woo-young (firstname.lastname@example.org)


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So, the Realme GT5 Pro is around the corner. It’s about to make its debut on December 7, which is just two days away. So far, Realme has shared a good number of details about the upcoming device.
For example, just a few days ago, Realme confirmed that the GT5 Pro will come with 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. Recently, the brand has showcased the craftsmanship and exquisite design of the device.
Now, Realme has shared a bunch of camera samples. These samples confirm that the GT5 Pro will come with a robust camera setup.
A Closer Look At the Camera Samples of Realme GT5 Pro
As you see from the photos attached below, Realme isn’t holding back on the samples. The brand has shared a handful of image captures from the device. From the telephoto camera shots, it’s clear that the Realme GT5 Pro is the most capable camera smartphone from the brand as of now.
Gizchina News of the week
To be exact, the Realme GT5 Pro could even give the current high-end camera smartphones a tough time. As some of the pictures attached below highlight, the device comes with a capable proprietary engine. This engine is responsible for balancing the shadows and highlights of each shot.
In addition, Realme has integrated the portrait algorithm from Arcsoft. The samples from the Realme GT5 Pro also showcase the hardware and software optimizations of the phone. They reveal that the device can take 6x zoomed photos in lossless mode.
In other news related to the GT5 Pro, the device will come with up to 1TB of storage. This storage capacity makes a lot of sense for a device with such camera capabilities. And for professional photographers, the phone has a USB 3.2 port. This will enable super-fast transfer from the phone’s internal storage to workstations.


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A few passing clouds. Low 34F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..
A few passing clouds. Low 34F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: October 13, 2019 @ 11:13 pm
The mall needs to be updated!! It is starting to look run down. A small movie theater would be nice, maybe a hardware store, Burlington Coat Factory, Van Heusen, Timberland Factory Store and Corningware Corelle Revere Factory Store to name a few. Plus put more lighting in the hallways, …
Very expensive and not worth the price.
Chamberlain is part of the problem when it comes to roads. He took the money that was supposed to be used for County Rd C and spent it on other cr@p so now it is being done half a@s like he does with everything else. He broke Adams County and he is doing a great job at doing the same thing…
Well said Breezy..
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.


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On people's complaints, the Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Nasir have directed the magistrates and assistant commissioner to expedite campaign against shopkeepers who are selling woolen garments, sweaters and blankets on very high prices
According to details, the Assistant Commissioner, Moghees Sanaullah and Additional Assistant Commissioner Inayatullah Khan accompanied by Assistant Food Controller Tasbihullah Khan conducted raids at vegetables and fruits markets at Inqalab Road and GT Road and arrested 22 shopkeepers for selling these items on high prices
against the Govt's approved list.
According to Galbraith there is no end in sight to the high prices
, "Planting in England is already a month behind, with some parts of Scotland even later.
BEIRUT: The relatively high prices
of the fourth generation mobile services and dongles in Lebanon may discourage customers from the subscribing to the new product, an international business organization said.
The boycott of poultry products and the high price
of livestock fodder are some of the reasons sheep traders cite for the high prices
of livestock this year.
Persistently high prices
at this stage of the economic cycle may ultimately sow the seeds of their own destruction.
Only a few lots sold at the record high prices
The organisation has requested an urgent meeting with Enterprise Minister Batt O'Keeffe as they claim high prices
are driving many of its members out of business.
A NUMBER of supermarkets dropped their milk prices yesterday following a call from the Commerce Minister to tackle high prices
and profiteering in the Cypriot market.
Marketers should think twice about trying to mislead consumers by putting high prices
on low-quality products or by touting attributes that seem to signal quality but in reality are meaningless.
Summary: The recent falls noticed in the prices of some building materials, notably the cement and concrete reinforcing bar have not any immediate impact on the finale price of new houses which are still growing due to speculation and high prices
of land basis.
After all, wage settlements are only one factor that goes towards generating high prices


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In August of 2001, the founders of The Link News felt a void in this densely populated area of Eastern Monmouth County. Something was missing that was needed to truly cover the news and give advertisers an avenue to attract customers. Within 30 days, The Link News became a reality! After one edition, everyone was talking about ‘The Link’ !
Today, The Link News reaches thousands of readers each week. A paid for Newspaper with sales through subscriptions, convenience stores, and vending machines insures Link advertisers that the paper is being purchased and read, and not just thrown in the recycling pile.
Local events and sports coverage, an aggressive approach to digging for news, incentive-based subscription drives and innovative advertising methods are just some of the reasons for The Link’s success. One thing is certain, Link readers can’t wait for the next edition!


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© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and Nutritional Outlook. All rights reserved.
In a recently published study, researchers concluded that many dietary supplements may not provide pregnant women in the U.S. with adequate doses of key nutrients.
Researchers of a new study1 published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition say that many pregnant women in the U.S. taking dietary supplements may not be getting adequate doses of key nutrients from those supplements that they need for prenatal health.
Between 2007 and 2019, the researchers conducted 24-hour dietary recalls in 2450 pregnant women in the U.S. Based on the information gathered, the researchers estimated what the subjects’ intake of six key nutrients would be from foods alone: vitamins A and D, folate, calcium, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. Then, they used the National Institutes of Health’s Dietary Supplement Label Database to determine the level of those nutrients in 20,547 dietary supplements, including 421 prenatal products. Their goal was to determine which target doses of those six nutrients would be “needed to shift 90% of participants to consume above the estimated average requirement and keep 90% below the tolerable upper limit.”
The researchers said that of the 20,547 supplements they identified, only 69 products (33 of them prenatal products) contained all six nutrients. Seven products (two of them prenatal) contained target doses for five of the nutrients. And, they said, “Only one product (not a prenatal) contained target doses for all six nutrients,” but said that the cost of that product was high and required 7 tablets per daily serving.
Their conclusion? “Almost no U.S. dietary supplements provide key nutrients in the doses needed for pregnant women.”
Dietary supplement association the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, DC) responded in a statement that supplementation should not be relied on solely to address nutrition gaps and that a healthy diet is also key.
In the statement, Andrea Wong, PhD, CRN’s senior vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, said: “We appreciate the study authors’ efforts to add to the body of research on nutrient needs and supplementation during pregnancy. This latest research reinforces what skilled dietitians and nutritionists have been saying for years—dietary supplements, even prenatal supplements—are simply ‘supplements’ to a healthy diet, not substitutes. While these critical products absolutely do fill some nutritional gaps, they are not intended to replace healthy eating, and certainly not during the critical time of pregnancy.”
She continued: “The results of the study are not surprising—getting sufficient levels of all the necessary nutrients to support a healthy pregnancy means eating right, as well as using a prenatal multivitamin and other dietary supplements when needed. Including every key nutrient in a single product at levels to meet the needs of nearly every woman during pregnancy is, of course, challenging. These products absolutely increase the daily intake of these nutrients, but even as food patterns vary across the population, one product should not be expected to provide exactly 100% of each person’s precise nutritional needs. However, the dietary supplement industry strives to provide products that best serve most people during pregnancy.”


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Redmi officials in China have confirmed the sub-brand of Xiaomi will release a Gaming device at the end of this month
Per a new report, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 is in works and could come equipped with a Dimensity 1200 chipset with another variant drawing power from the Snapdragon 870 chip
Oppo and Xiaomi are reportedly working on custom in-house chips that could power their future smartphones
The Mi 11 Ultra is all set to make its debut in India on 23th of April 2021
Xiaomi has unveiled its latest Mi Mix Fold device that comes with an inward folding design
The Redmi Sonicbass wireless earphones have a cheap price tag but will they be able to hold up the brand reputation of providing good products at an aggressive price? In our opinion, it does.
In the sub Rs10,000 price bracket, all most all the smartphones look similar in terms of offerings with a subtle change here and their and slight change in specifications.
Unlike previous years, the Xiaomi is no more an automatic choice in mid-range as the competition from other brands especially Realme is quite fierce.
Xiaomi at an online event today announced the launch of its new Xiaomi Mi Box 4K streaming box along with its latest Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 in India. Both the devices are loaded with a host of interesting features and both of them can give a stiff competition to other products. Here's everything you need to know about the latest Mi Box 4K and Mi True Wireless Earphones 2.
Xiaomi has finally revealed its next-generation operating system, the MIUI 12. The latest user interface from Xiaomi comes loaded with a host of interesting features and it is loaded with good animations, design language along with key features like Dark Mode 2.0, Super Wallpaper and more. The company has also revealed the list of smartphones that will get the latest MIUI 12 starting from June 2020. So, without any further ado, let’s take a closer at the list of Xiaomi smartphones that will get MIUI 12 update.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro Max comes with a price tag of Rs 14,999 for 6GB RAM + 64GB storage option, Rs 16,999 for 6GB RAM + 128GB storage option and Rs 18,999 for 8GB RAM + 128GB of internal storage.
Xiaomi M10 has been lauched should you buy it? What are the expectations from Mi10? Would you consider Oneplus or Samsung smartphone if your budget is around Rs 50,000? Will Xiaomi Mi 10 succeed in India?
Here's a closer at the competition devices for Mi Box and which one offers better value for the buyer.
In this video, we present the review of Xiaomi’s Mi Outdoor Bluetooth speaker. It costs Rs 1,399.


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Ever just think about what happens to plastic when your done using it. We know that plastic doesn’t naturally decompose. It just gets lost in the world—in oceans, around the necks of turtles, in the stomachs of whales. It’s sad to think of all that plastic damaging the lives of wildlife. The ethically minded company, Everlane sets out to make a change with ethically recycled clothing.
Renew Lightweight Puffer:
“We need to start saying no to companies that are not pushing sustainability forward,” says Everlane founder Michael Preysman. To address the global plastics crisis, the brand will stop creating new plastic and use what is already here. The company pledged to eliminate all virgin plastic from their entire supply chain by 2021, meaning no more wasteful shipping bags. The Renew collection, which drops this week, represents the first step toward that commitment. “Any brand that’s not thinking this way, is putting profit ahead of people.”
Renew Fleece Sweatshirt:
“With the ReNew collection, we are able to use plastic that would stay on the planet forever and renew it to create products that are as incredibly warm, sustainable and affordable.” Consisting of 13 classic cold-weather styles for both men and women, the first ReNew collection will be made from 3 million recycled plastic bottles. “Our hope is that people wear our jackets and fleece for decades to come,” says Preysman.
Renew Puffy Puff:
Everlane offers sleek parkas, fleece sweaters, and a beautiful mustard puffer jacket to keep you toasty for winter while reducing your carbon footprint. Everlane plans to produce additional ReNew collections to recycle 100 million plastic bottles within five years.
“Our growth means that each year, our impact on the environment is greater and greater,” Preysman says. “We knew we had to play our part in improving the planet for ourselves and our customers.”
Visit Everlane to check out all the product offerings.


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2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Earns NEMPA Yankee Value Award—Again
Mitsubishi is going to the yanks—quite literally. The Japanese automaker recently announced that the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport was recognized by the New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA) as the Yankee Value Award winner of the year. This is the second time in a row that the Outlander Sport has come out on top in this prestigious award.
Better Than Ever: Find out what the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport has to offer
“Outlander Sport continues to prove why it’s our sales leader,” said Don Swearingen, executive vice president and Chief Operation Officer of Mitsubishi Motors North America. “Reliability, quality, competitive pricing, and cost of ownership are at the core of Outlander Sport; to be recognized for providing exemplary value in such a competitive CUV segment proves Mitsubishi is providing customers with what they not only want, but need.”
Looking For A New Car? See why you should consider buying a Mitsubishi
To earn the Yankee Value Award, a vehicle must exemplify the hardy New England spirit of understated perseverance, something that NEMPA takes very seriously. All contenders for this award must impress the judges as a value proposition—and the 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport easily does this. With a variety of features that will impress even the stingiest consumer, plus a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty—one of the best in the business—the Outlander Sport easily comes out on top as one of the most value-oriented models in the competitive crossover segment.
The award was given during NEMPA’s annual awards dinner in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During this banquet, all award recipients for the 2016 Winter Vehicle Awards were honored.


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Procurify Reports Record-Breaking Growth, Nearly Triples Quarterly Revenue
Quarter-over-quarter growth and account expansion continue to accelerate
Vancouver, BC – Procurify, a leading global platform for mobile and cloud-based purchasing, is today reporting first quarter revenue that dwarfs the company’s previous records. During Q1, the team achieved an increase of more than 250% in net new revenue and a 500% increase in new revenue from existing clients through account expansion.
Net new revenue growth has been fueled by an increased number of enterprise and high-profile clients like Berkshire Hathaway, Bangkok Life Insurance and OLX.
Account expansion is accelerating, with some clients as much as quadrupling their subscribed account base and increasingly choosing to roll out Procurify to a greater number of departments, locations and subsidiaries. This allows for more precise data and greater efficiency. Account expansion begins as early as 3 months after implementation.
Aman Mann, co-founder and CEO of Procurify said: “The first quarter of 2016 has been one of tremendous growth. This has been further compounded by the fact that we are increasingly seeing larger deal sizes – bigger clients are getting greater value. This outcome speaks volumes about the success of our product-market fit, growth of our Android and Apple mobile user base, focus on value for the user, and the recent launch of our expanded accounts payable module. We will carry on improving and adding features to Procurify in 2016, as well as continue our mission to make work life easier while unlocking the potential of every individual.”
This explosive first quarter also saw the release of a new integration with Slack – Procurify is the first in the spend-management space to integrate with Slack. The company is also continuing to grow it’s team, hiring business development and customer success team members to support its fast-growing customer base.
Procurify is a global leader in mobile and cloud-based purchasing. With users in over 100 countries worldwide, Procurify empowers businesses to manage direct and indirect company spending and streamline the purchasing process. The ridiculously easy-to-use platform provides control and visibility of company spend.
For interview requests, high-res images and additional information:
Communications and Community Manager


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[image url="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/9337544ba0a6b249c4a87e00/image.jpg" link="lightbox" caption="" source="" alt="mark zuckerberg smiling" align="left" size="xlarge" nocrop="true" clear="true"]
This week, Facebook announced it became cash-flow positive during the second quarter.How is that possible?
We wonder because it was also during the second quarter that Facebook launched a press offensive to tell everyone that it planned to be cash-flow positive…sometime during 2010.
At that point, Facebook revenues were supposed to grow 70% in 2009. Obviously, they must be growing much faster now.
So how did Facebook end up so far ahead of plan?
Earlier this summer, we spoke to several sources with insight into Facebook’s financials. Taking the sources’ input together, we estimated the company’s expected 2009 revenue breakout this way:
- $125 million from brand ads
- $150 million from Facebook’s ad deal with Microsoft
- $75 million from virtual goods
- $200 million from self-service ads.
Compiling the breakout, the number that sources kept telling us to nudge upward was revenue from self-service ads.
Why are they such a big business? Three main reasons:
- The virtual goods economy in Facebook gaming is getting huge and appmakers spend a lot marketing their latest launches to users. Zynga spent $1 million marketing its latest hit, FarmVille.
- Instead of microsites, brands from TV shows to consumer packaged goods are building Facebook pages. They buy very cheap ads on the site to promote them.
- Facebook’s self-service ads are very, very easy to make.
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