text:
It's a little over a month until Christmas and next weekend is traditionally when the annual shopping frenzy kicks off. But not everyone will be hot-footing it to their nearest mega-mall, because next Saturday also marks the annual Buy Nothing Day. Launched in the mid-1990s by the Canada-based anti-capitalist publication Adbusters, it's an idea in which people are encouraged to stay out of the shops for 24 hours to make a small stand against rampant consumerism. And this year they are thinking bigger than ever.
The plan, says Adbusters co-founder Kalle Lasn, is to stretch it out and turn it into a Buy Nothing Christmas. He wants us to bypass the tinsel, the tree and the tat and go cold turkey on consumerism for the whole festive period. "We are," he says, "going to try and take back our Christmas season from the commercial forces that have hijacked it."
If you think this sounds like the rantings of a deluded Bolshevik, it's worth noting a few things about Lasn and his cohorts at Adbusters, who have been producing the bi-monthly magazine from their Vancouver office since 1989. Lasn, an Estonia-born, former high-flyer in the advertising industry, now pushing 70, started Adbusters as an antidote to corporate greed, and what he saw as an aggressive pro-consumerist message that was being rammed down our throats. "We felt back then that there was a dark side to consumerism but no one ever talked about it," he says.
Lasn's background in advertising shows. Rather than being a ranting left-wing rag, Adbusters is slick and full of smart graphics and insightful critique. His ideas, so pertinent now in the global financial chaos of today, have always been ahead of their time. And it was he who, in last July's issue of Adbusters, ran a one-page poster which simply read "Occupy Wall Street, September 17th, bring tent".
What happened next sparked one of the most successful protest movements of recent times, one that has gone on to dominate the global news agenda for weeks. That one small page was responsible for hordes of disgruntled people congregating at Wall Street's Zuccotti Park and London's St Paul's Cathedral to express their fury at the world's extreme economic inequality, and many of them are still camping there to this day. And it was responsible for a further thousand or so other Occupy protests that sprung up in solidarity the world over. Lasn, it seems, has chanced upon a formula to harness global support.
"We were inspired by events in Egypt and Tunisia earlier this year," he says, "by that fact that a few smart people using Facebook and Twitter can put out calls and get huge numbers of people on to the streets to give vent to their anger. I always thought I would die a disappointed leftie, but now I have been redeemed. The idea that we, the people, can go into the iconic heart of global capitalism and take it over, and the fact that we can do that from an office staffed with 10 people and then sit back and watch the whole thing catch the imagination of the world – that gives me hope for the future." k
Lasn believes the success of the Occupy movement is down to the fact we have reached an impasse, a kind of critical moment where our future has now become so bleak, people have been driven to act. "We have reached a tipping point," he says. "Our economic system has been run like a global casino and is teetering on the brink of collapse. None of our political leaders seem to know what the hell they are doing any more and there are now seven billion of us facing ecological crisis, too. Young people are looking at a future that doesn't compute. We have reached a moment where, unless we fight for a different kind of future, we're not going to have a future at all."
Lasn saw it all coming back in 1989 when Adbusters started out as a humble newsletter. It was born out of an epiphany Lasn had after seeing an advert on TV for the Canadian forestry industry. "[The advert] was hugely misleading," he says. "They basically said, 'Hey you people of Canada, we are doing a fantastic job of managing your forests, you have nothing to worry about, you will have forests forever.'" Lasn – who left advertising to make documentaries – decided to make his own 30-second advert to tell the other side of the story: the dangers of deforestation. However, when he took his advert to the TV station, they refused, point blank, to sell him airtime.
"That was a devastating moment for me," he says. "In my home country of Estonia you weren't allowed to speak up against the government. Fifty years later, I found myself in the heart of the democratic world suddenly totally unable to speak out because of one company's advertising money.
"It made me realise how all our media and information delivery systems are infiltrated by pro-consumption messages, and that basically every aspect of our lives is controlled to some degree by this consumer machine. Consumption patterns in America have increased by 300 per cent since the Second World War, and the average American now consumes three times more than they did 50 years ago. It was time to rage against the machine."
Adbusters now has a dedicated worldwide circulation of 70,000 (with 20,000 more online readers), and all this has been done without the company ever publishing a single advert. "We have broken all the rules of all the business models," says Lasn, "In this day and age to run a magazine without any advertising sounds moronic." Costs are covered by the slightly higher than usual cover price (£5) as well as donations.
From the beginning, Lasn and his team took a lead from the Situationist movement and, alongside the magazine, pioneered a series of interventions, pranks or "culture jams" as they like to call them. There is Digital Detox Week, for example, a campaign which runs every April and is aimed at challenging our over-reliance on technology. There is also an endlessly expanding gallery of spoof adverts poking fun at our big brands, which kick-started the trend for subverting corporate logos and defacing advertising billboards. (There's a whole gallery devoted to Nike, including one poster featuring a group of sheep which reads "I'm sick of just doing it.")
And there was the fabulously successful launch of the Blackspot sneaker, a fair-trade, environmentally friendly, logo-free shoe sold only through independent retailers; "An experiment in grassroots capitalism and an attempt to demonstrate you can change the way the world does business," says Lasn. Currently, the Blackspot is sold in more than 100 shops worldwide.
And, of course, there is Buy Nothing Day, which is now observed in countries from Sweden to Hong Kong and Japan to France. "When we started it we had all these people saying, 'Buy nothing? You're telling us to buy less? Isn't that bad for the economy? You guys are crazy.' But it had a spark about it right from the start and spread quickly, particularly in the UK and Australia. A lot of people had profound epiphanies when they tried it. Many found that half-way through the day they were like, 'I've got to buy that Mars bar, I've got to buy that cup of coffee.' People really suffered and sweated. It was like giving up an addiction."
Whether we are ready to start trying to kick this addiction remains to be seen. Ways in which Lasn suggests we start trying to get off the consumer treadmill include walking into a shop and asking ourselves, 'What would Jesus buy?', or giving a "gift exemption" card to friends and family – although what my six-year old son would say to that definitely isn't thank-you. And, he says, if it's all too much for our greedy consumerist hearts to contemplate, there are other options to try, such as a Buy Local, Buy Fairer or a Buy Indie Christmas.
Whether or not Lasn successfully manages to harness the support he has mobilised through the Occupy movement remains to be seen. He is optimistic. "This year feels different. Hopefully we will get some of the occupiers to have fun subverting the global commercial system in the month leading up to Christmas. It feels bigger and better than ever before. It feels like there are millions of people around the world all ready to play a cat-and-mouse game with the agents of capitalism."
Finally then, after more than 20 years plugging away with the Adbusters message, Lasn is allowing himself a moment of gratification. "Of course it feels good that after all this time people are finally starting to get it. But there is also a darkness underpinning that good feeling. It sounds apocalyptic, but I have a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that the economic pain people are going through is just the beginning. If that's right, then we will really see the young people of the world stand up in a way that is many times bigger than they have up until now. We need to find ways to capture the imagination of the rest of the world. If we can do that then I believe this movement may well pull off some incredible radical transformation that needs to happen to make the future of our planet work."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies


text:
Robert Jones is the Director of Walter Smiths butchers. They have 17 shops across the region.
He says that the recent horsemeat scandal has driven more customers into his shops and that people have now been made aware of the benefits of a local butcher.
More top news
East Midlands Airport is preparing for its busiest day as part of the Christmas getaway.
Genelle Aldred brings you the latest weekend weather for the East & West Midlands.
Another largely dry and bright day with plenty of winter sunshine.

domain: news


text:
The Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa says he will push to form a new Samoa-New Zealand Business Council.
Fonotoe Nuafesili Pierre Lauofo says an improved trade relationship between the two countries will be better achieved with a council made up of private sector representatives.
He says trade barriers need to be reduced, and there are also quarantine issues, such as when taro shipments are held for fumigating for extended periods.
He says having a trade commissioner in New Zealand is helpful, but a business council would get more partners working together.
"I feel there is a lot of merit in that and I am seriously to that. Right now I see a lot of positive reaction from the business people here in Aucland and especially Samoans who are involved in business so I think I'm going to accord it my first prioroty and I would like to see it established it as soon as possible."
Fonotoe Nuafesili Pierre Lauofo says labour mobility is also an ongoing issue to resolve with Australia and New Zealand so that markets can be better accessed.


text:
BLURRING LINES: The MTV Movie & TV Awards is becoming a bit more accessible to the public.
The annual awards show, set for May 7 at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium, said Thursday it will host a festival component for the first time that’s open to fans just ahead of the ceremony. The event, called the MTV Movie & TV Festival, includes performances from All Time Low, Zara Larsson and Bea Miller. Red carpet interviews will also take place on stage in front of festival attendees. MTV.com and MTV Live will also live-stream the festival as it happens. Admission is free.
The move by companies to get closer and better understand their target demographics has been wrought on by social media and influencer marketing with the momentum only gaining strength.
MTV president Chris McCarthy said the festival is about “bringing [the network’s] content to life and feeding the audiences’ passion for great content and music.”
The action sports and streetwear industry’s trade show Agenda, held biannually in Long Beach, Calif., is set to see the launch of its first consumer-facing component in July. The trade-show organizer will hold the usual two-day, industry-only Agenda and tack on a third day open to the public, which will include more than 500 pop-ups, art installations, panels, skate contests, a food component and athlete and influencer appearances.
The trade show, which also has iterations in Las Vegas, is part of Reed Exhibitions.
Agenda founder and senior vice president of Reed Exhibitions Aaron Levant said at the time of the Agenda festival announcement that “as an industry, we spend too much time talking to ourselves, when the line is now blurred between brands, consumers, retailers and media companies. Now is the time to break the established mold of the past.”
The Agenda festival is projected to draw some 10,000 people to Long Beach for the event.


text:
Retailers, consumers and prices
Check out the weaker-than-expected earnings at Lowe’s.
Giving fuel to pessimists about the U.S. economy, Lowe’s, the No. 2 home improvement chain behind Home Depot, posted a quarterly profit and sales that missed analysts’ expectations, and also forecast lackluster earnings in the current quarter, underscoring “limited visibility into near-term demand.”
Sales at companies like Lowe’s had benefited immensely from the homeowner tax credit and cash for appliances programs, but now more and more uncertainty seems to be the watchword.
Last week, retailer J.C. Penney forecast a full-year profit below Wall Street’s expectations, stoking fears it would need further discounts to clear out inventory. That was a day after department stores Kohl’s and Nordstrom gave conservative profit outlooks.
“We are taking a relatively conservative approach to the economic climate and especially the moderate consumer,” Chief Executive Myron Ullman said.
Check out department stores’ forecasts coming in below expectations as they try to gain market share.
On Friday, JC Penney became the latest chain to issue outlook that falls a little bit short of what Wall Street had already expected.
Wannabe vampires can now suck up some “Twilight” love — ummm, read fashion — at department store Nordstrom. The retailer has announced a deal with Summit Entertainment for an exclusive clothing and jewelry collection inspired by the upcoming film “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.”
“Twilight,” of course, is the smash hit movie romance ($382 million global box office) about a teenager (Bella Swan) and her forbidden love for a vampire (Edward Cullen) and all the blood-sucking complications that can bring. “New Moon” is its sequel, due in theaters this November.
Check Out J.C. Penney’s new store in Manhattan.
On July 31, J.C. Penney will open its first Manhattan store in the midtown area, promising to deliver trendy yet affordable items for New York’s notoriously savvy shoppers.
Penney is taking direct aim at rival Macy’s, whose flagship Herald Square store is a block away.
Check out the ten largest U.S. retailers.
The National Retail Federation’s STORES magazine is out with its annual ranking of the top 100 retailers.
The list shows that U.S. consumers have been focused on bargains and basic necessities, such as food and medicine. Wal-Mart tops the lineup, followed by Kroger and Costco. Home Depot fell from No. 2 in 2007 to the fourth spot in 2008 as many shoppers decided to cut back on costly home-improvement projects.
Check out the latest sales reports, which show that consumers are still cutting back on discretionary spending as they shift to discounters for the basics. Granted, that’s not exactly news anymore, but some of this morning’s sales tell us that even the discounters are starting to feel the heat.
“Sales for the month of May were somewhat below our expectations,” chief executive officer of Target, Greg Steinhafel, said in a statement.
By Nicole Maestri
Check out the ongoing struggle to sell clothes to recession weary Americans.
J.C. Penney and Abercrombie & Fitch both reported quarterly results that show consumers are still cutting back on non-essential items, with Penney also warning profit for the year would be worse than analysts expected.
Consumers have been hammered by the recession, mounting job losses and credit worries, and it appears they are sticking to shopping lists for groceries and other essentials, rejecting unnecessary purchases and seeking deep discounts.
While the conviction to buy only what they need has hit sales for department stores like Penney, consumers’ desire for bargains has battered Abercrombie, which has stubbornly kept prices higher than rivals, other than discounting clearance items.
“With a challenging economic environment, the consumer continues to show a reluctance to spend on premium brands; a price consciousness dictating shopping habits unlike anything I have ever seen,” said Abercrombie Chief Executive Mike Jeffries, a retail industry veteran. The teen clothing retailer posted a first-quarter loss wider than Wall Street’s expectations, and in an abrupt change, said it is conducting a strategic review of its struggling Ruehl chain. Meanwhile, Penney posted an in-line quarterly profit, but forecast second-quarter and full year results below analysts’ expectations. “We expect consumer spending and mall traffic to remain weak, which will be particularly evident against tough comparisons in the second quarter,” CEO Mike Ullman said. Also in the basket: Kohl’s, Nordstrom beat forecasts, raise 2009 views H&M April sales rebound boosts recovery hopes Target pilot pays employees to monitor health (Photo: Reuters)
Premium jeans are a chic — and profitable — addition to department stores when consumers flush with cash are willing to shell out over $200 per pair. But when the economy goes south, stores and shoppers start to balk.
On Tuesday, VF Corp, maker of 7 For All Mankind jeans, said that brand’s total business was down about 10 percent in the quarter, thanks to the weak U.S. wholesale environment.
“It is absolutely a piece of the market that has been most challenged in this economy and that is the more premium luxury sector,” Chief Executive Eric Wiseman told analysts in a call following the release of first-quarter results, which were lower than the year-ago quarter.
7 For All Mankind competes with a small group of premium brands including True Religion, which announces quarterly results in early May.
The brand is sold in specialty shops, some of which are shuttering their doors in the recession, and upper-tier department stores, including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.
“You see their comps so you see how they’re struggling right now to get traffic into the store,” Wiseman said.
VF’s international jeans business, too, is struggling for a good fit with the global economy.
The company, which makes Wrangler and Lee jeans sold around the world, said it was lowering its full-year earnings guidance in large part due to “a severe contraction” in the economies of Scandinavia and Eastern European countries, where jeans are apparently not at the top of the shopping list.


text:
Microsoft And Nokia Strike Mobile Deal
Microsoft and Nokia announced an alliance on Wednesday to make Microsoft Office software available on Nokia’s Symbian devices.
The software and cell phone companies said Nokia will start offering Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile on its smartphones next year, followed by other Office applications and related software and services in the future.
"With more than 200 million smartphone customers globally, Nokia is the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer and a natural partner for us," said Stephen Elop, Microsoft Business Division President.
Stephen Elop of Microsoft
Kai Öistämö of Nokia
"Today’s announcement will enable us to expand Microsoft Office Mobile to Nokia smartphone owners worldwide and allow them to collaborate on Office documents from anywhere, as part of our strategy to provide the best productivity experience across the PC, phone and browser."
The move by Nokia will help it better compete against Research in Motion while making Microsoft’s Office software available to a much larger global audience.
The two companies said the new partnership will not impact Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Nokia’s Symbian operating system for smartphone. Nokia does not have plans to make a Widows Mobile device.
"The scope of the alliance between Microsoft and Nokia, and potential value for the enterprise and individual is significant," said Stephen Drake, VP of Mobility & Telecom at IDC.
"By bringing Microsoft’s productivity solutions to Nokia’s large customer base, the two companies should be better able to serve the needs of the growing mobile worker population, which IDC estimates to reach 1 billion worldwide in 2011."


text:
This month saw one of the most fashion-forward and image conscious cities make it a crime to use anorexic models or encourage anorexia. France has joined Israel and Spain by cracking down on the glorification of dangerously thin women.
“It’s not just about protecting the models but also teenagers, because this body-image pressure also affects them and contributes to the emergence of eating disorders and tendencies to eat less and less,” said neurologist and legislator Olivier Veran.
The new law uses body max index as a guide to determine whether or not a model can work or earn money as a model. Anyone convicted of paying a model below the body mass index level could face six months in prison and $80,000 in fines.
Similar anti-anorexia bids failed to get approval in France in 2008, and according to the French health ministry, an estimated 40,000 people have anorexia 90 per cent being women.


text:
Across the nation, Leasing activity was solid across all property types in the second quarter, which is surprising because the economy lost momentum during this period. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the office market, where demand is relatively more dependent than other property sectors on job creation. Office vacancy fell by 40 basis points in the second quarter even though the labor market added just 43,000 net new payroll jobs in May and June combined. Industrial vacancy fell 30 basis points thanks to surging global trade, business capital spending and supply chain reconfiguration.
Apartment vacancy declined 20 basis points as the homeownership rate continued to slip, and retail vacancy fell by 10 basis points as stronger retailers expanded to gain market share, particularly retailers targeting upscale consumers. It remains to be seen whether the strong performance of the leasing markets in the second quarter was a delayed reaction to growth earlier in the year or whether it means that tenants' desire to expand might be more sustainable than the economic data would suggest. Look for continued moderate improvement in the leasing markets over the next few quarters as the economy moves forward in fits and starts.
Source: CoStar, Reis, Grubb & Ellis


text:
Allbirds launches its first running shoe made from renewable materials
Created using eucalyptus tree fibre, Merino wool and sugarcane, it challenges the current indutry, which largely relies on synthetic shoes made from oil-based plastics that linger in landfills and spill into oceans.
From day one, Allbirds’s mission has been to tread lightly on the planet and to reduce its carbon footprint through natural material innovation and supply chain efficiencies.
Earlier this month, the company announced it was to be the first fashion brand to label all of its products with their carbon output to encourage accountability and inspire businesses, as well as consumers, to commit to a low carbon future.
The Dasher will be the first Allbirds product to display a physical Carbon Count label, which takes into consideration materials, development, manufacturing, and end of life. The shoe emits 9kg of carbon dioxide per pair, nearly 30% lower than the estimated average trainer.
Through responsible sourcing techniques, such as regenerative farming and new innovations, the natural materials used in the shoe could actually sequester more carbon out of the atmosphere than it takes to produce – ultimately becoming carbon negative.
Designed by athletic footwear experts to perform, the Dasher has been bio-mechanically tested over thousands of miles by over 50 amateur and professional athletes.
The Dasher features:
● Responsive SweetFoam midsole
● Natural rubber outsole which increases durability in high-wear areas
● Bean foam insoles offer low-impact comfort
● Flared heel creates stable base and slows excessive pronation
● Anatomically contoured footbed provides arch support
● Integrated heel-drop-to-toe-spring propels runners forward
Tim Brown, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Allbirds said: “For too long, the performance industry told us that athletic footwear meant synthetic footwear. By failing to make the most of what’s right in front of us – nature – we've missed some of the greatest performance materials in existence.
"Our multi-year journey to create the Dasher demonstrates what’s possible if we put the kind of innovation muscle into natural materials that’s usually reserved for petroleum-derived synthetics.”


text:
Lollapalooza has finally announced the lineup for its 2017 festival. The headliners are Chance the Rapper, The Killers, Muse and Arcade Fire. Besides hosting over 100+ bands, Lollapalooza’s lineup features electronic music’s biggest names such as Kaskade, DJ Snake, Porter Robinson, Zeds Dead, Gramatik, Crystal Castles and a number of others.
Four-day GA passes went on sale and instantly sold out ahead of Tuesday’s announcement. Single-day general admission tickets go on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m. General Admission single-day tickets are priced at $120 plus fees.
The festival returns to Chicago’s Grant Park from August 3-6. Check out the full daily lineup below.


text:
October 2020 Update
Updated October 8, 2020
New vehicle inventory in North America has dropped to extreme lows due to the COVID-19 pandemic and automakers are having a hard time catching up to new vehicle demand.
To further complicate things, we are now seeing significant shortages on aftermarket upfitting such as seat covers, mud flaps, grill covers, and running boards, causing delays up to 6 weeks. Canopies are taking a minimum of 8 weeks to come in.


text:
There are three main Galaxy S10 variants, then there's the 5G version (or two), and then a completely unrelated foldable phone! Let's unpack the details.
These concept renders are meant to illustrate how a foldable iPhone might look like, according to the recently uncovered Apple patent filing.
Not exactly flagship salivation as with the G8 or V50, but there are three new mid-range Android phones from LG coming to Barcelona next week.
AT&T might be your best friend if you want to get a Galaxy S10 as early, but as low effort as possible. You can get notification of when pre-orders start.
The gaming peripherals company is undergoing a corporate restructure and is moving staff away from newer side projects like the Razer Phones.
The phones are launching on February 20 and will take a couple weeks to begin shipping. As for pricing, that's going to be a secret until showtime.
Amazingly, we've had to make the same comparison for the November 2018 report: 70 percent down from the same month the year before.
A report claims that Huawei had approached the vendor for Apple's heart sensors for a contract, but asked many, many detailed questons.
Google Duo seems to be getting steady pickup from users and OnePlus wants to reflect that popularity back on its own software with deeper integrations.
And what brilliant timing it will be with it being GDC 2019 in San Francisco. But what's this about a Google gaming console?
To conclude, let's just say that a full year later, there are still reasons to consider buying a Samsung Galaxy S9+, and also a good deal of warning signs to go with it.
Get started on your DevOps career today with The DevOps Certification Training Master Class Bundle. it's 95% off at our Deals Store.
Qualcomm officially introduced its 7nm Snapdragon X55 5G modem chip, which will likely be used in commercial devices late this year.
If you wanted another, this time around, official look at the Galaxy S10, check this TV commercial out. It was accidentally aired in Norway.
The official name of Samsung's foldable smartphone will be Samsung Galaxy Fold, according to a recent tweet from Evan Blass.
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei said in a recent interview that his company is too important and big for it to fail and that there’s no way the US can crush it.
The accessory leaked in these renders is a Galaxy S10e LED Cover, but it comes with a twist: the text on the packaging says it displays emotional effects.
Recent patent filings suggest that LG might be working on an LG G8s ThinQ (adding an s to the G8). What will it be, and when will we see it?
The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro will become official on March 26. The company has posted a teaser video on Twitter announcing the date.
Here's a better, detailed, higher-resolution look at the upcoming Sprint 5G LG V50 ThinQ. It's expected to make an MWC 2019 appearance.
This leaked Samsung official banner promoting the Unpacked Event shows off the Canary Yellow Galaxy S10e once again, portrayed as a premium phone.
Just because Apple makes the iPhone you use doesn't mean you should be left with push notifications bothering you to subscribe to Apple Music.
If you're a longtime Android user, you may have to suffer one of the biggest design language shifts with Android 10 Q coming soon.


text:
Petsmart recently announced it will begin selling CBD (cannabidiol) pet products in select markets.
With this move, the nation’s two largest pet retailers (Petsmart and Petco) are finally embracing the potential of this industry. While not endorsing any of the specific products they are offering, it is encouraging to see these influential corporations taking steps to carefully evaluate product manufacturers and respond to the demands of American consumers. Pet parents will soon have improved access to products, however, they still need to do their own due diligence and evaluate any potential product they intend to use in their pet.
Click the links below to read the news stories:


text:
Salvation Army thrift store closes
Published 9:48 pm Friday, August 7, 2009
The Salvation Army Selma Thrift Store has closed.
Advisory Board Chairman Leith Wilson said in a statement because the store is losing money, the Salvation Army Advisory Board believes a better use of money would be to serve the needs of the community through the Army’s emergency social service programs.
“For over 100 years the community has depended on The Salvation Army to meet the needs of the less fortunate,” Wilson said in the prepared statement, “in this economic climate it is not financially responsible to continue operations that cannot be self-sustaining. Selma is the store we are having to close since it has not been able to generate revenue to support the ongoing services of The Salvation Army.”
Email newsletter signup
The store served as an extension and financial support mechanism for the social service programs of The Salvation Army.
The Demopolis Thrift store remains open. It will be expanded to meet the needs of the Black Belt area, Wilson said.


text:
Do You Want to Win Free Starbucks for Life?
Earlier this fall, we reported that Starbucks was announcing the contests of all contests: free Starbucks for life. Well, now that happy day is here. From now until January 5, customers who pay for their daily Starbucks fix using a Starbucks card or the Starbucks app have the chance to win a $5,000, 10-karat gold Starbucks gift card engraved with the winner’s name, which equates to “free Starbucks for life” (or 30 years, if you buy a grande drink every day). Ten U.S. customers and four Canadian customers will get this golden opportunity. It’s like an extra-caffeinated Willy Wonka golden ticket search.
For those of us without that much luck on our side, there will also be thousands of other small prizes given out during the holiday season, like free snacks and beverages.
“Starbucks for Life is truly the ultimate gift of the season, and we are thrilled to make that a reality for a special group of Starbucks customers. And, the prizes will keep coming throughout the holiday season with more than 482,000 instant winners,” said Sharon Rothstein, Starbucks’ global chief marketing officer.
For the latest happenings in the food and drink world, visit our Food News page.
Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozzi


text:
Gwyneth Paltrow has become the new face of natural luxury skin care line Restorea.
The “Iron Man” star, 41, has been appointed the brand ambassador for the anti-ageing products, which only include organic ingredients.
Paltrow lauds the brand in a statement that reads: “I was ecstatic when I learned that Restorsea is natural.
“Over time, I saw a real difference – a kind of freshness and dewiness. I love the fact that it is a brand started by a woman entrepreneur. I never promote anything that I don’t use, love and believe in, and I’m thrilled to support the brand and its mission to encourage women to embrace their age.”
Paltrow, who is also the face of Hugo Boss, joins “Shameless” star Emmy Rossum, who signed on as a Restorea brand ambassador last autumn.


text:
India’s electronics and IT departments required 21 smartphone makers (mostly Chinese mobile phone operators) to report to them what measures and processes they takes to ensure that the data is not stole or leak, according to foreign media reports.
A senior official in the department said that these smartphone manufacturers, including global mobile phones such as Apple and Samsung, China Mobile phones such as Oppo, vivo, millet, Lenovo and Jin Li , as well as Indian local mobile phones such as Micromax, are required to specify How they use security measures, constructs, frameworks, guides, and standards to ensure data transfer and storage security. Whether these mobile phone manufacturers in India to create their mobile phones, or from other places to import mobile phones, they must explain the above information.
“Because users use mobile phones to store personal information and make digital payments, so we need to ensure the safety of mobile phones or smart phones.” The official said.
He added that the Indian government will confirm the authenticity of the information, once found that mobile phone business does not meet the safety standards, it will take stringent punitive measures.
Under the Indian IT Act, any company must ensure that the user’s data is secure. Companies that violate this rule will be punished by the national arbitration authorities with a fine of 50 million rupees and no ceiling.
Most mobile phone operators said they have not received any notice. Apple and Samsung and many other companies said they agreed to report their protection of user privacy program.
In the international and Indian domestic, mobile phone contact list and SMS leaked cases have occurred. Moreover, people are worried that their data is stored in foreign servers, because many manufacturers selling mobile phones in India did not put the servers in India.
Another official added that the existing security standards could not solve the current security problems, so the Indian government will decide whether to improve safety standards and enforce.
According to Indian government statistics show that in the last fiscal year ended in March, a total of 3.74 billion US dollars worth of mobile phones imported to India. Worth 900 billion rupees of mobile phones are produced in India. About 54% of India’s smartphone market occupied by Chinese mobile phone operators, including millet, Lenovo, Oppo and vivo. Other cards, such as American and European mobile phone operators and Voto also preparing to enter the world’s fastest growing smartphone market. According to the Indian industry alliance to a new research report shows that Chinese investment in India’s electronics and information technology products have been close to $ 22 billion.
“The crackdown by the Indian government will affect the future development of China’s smartphone manufacturers in India, because these mobile phone business in order to highlight the individual, the Android operating system has undergone great changes.” Market research firm Canalys analyst Sabah – Dushi (Rushabh Doshi) said.
He added that if the Indian government to crack down on unqualified software, then it will greatly affect their mobile phone business. “Mobile phone vendors need to quickly introduce security upgrades to ensure that the phone is safe and available.”
In a letter dated August 14, the Indian government computer emergency response team asked the mobile phone operators to submit relevant information on August 28, including mobile phones, operating systems, browsers and pre-installed applications, and so on.
The official said the test and verify the work of the phone will be carried out in India. To this end, the Indian government is upgrading its existing experimental testing equipment. He added that it was because of the frequent media coverage of user data leaks, the Indian government decided to take such action.
The official also said that in the Indian government’s “digital India” program, smart phones play an important role, because their penetration has been as high as 65-75%. People “have a sense of trust in the convenience and efficiency of these phones.” Therefore, we need to ensure their safety.


text:
A Cabinet meeting gets underway at 4pm to sign-off on tighter restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19.
An official announcement is expected later this evening or tonight.
It's expected that schools will stay open, but most non-essential retail will close under the new restrictions.
This will mean hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, gyms, swimming pools and non-essential retail outlets closing, possibly for up to 4 weeks.
Some Ministers have suggested there needs to be a lead-in period of a number of days for the new restrictions, to allow businesses to make plans.
This might mean the new restrictions not coming into force until the middle of the week.
Travel limits are also being discussed, with people potentially being limited to going no further than 5 or 10 kilometres from their homes, while pubs and restaurants will be limited to a takeaway service only .
Limiting the hours off-licences can open is also under consideration.
However, schools and construction sites will remain open, while the GAA championship and elite sport are set to continue.


text:
TASTE Ness Service, October 22, 2021 - The industry is entering a post-pandemic world: hospitality is coming back strong and consumer demand is trending upward. People are ready to celebrate— with the best wines and spirits available.
TASTE News Service, October 8, 2022 – Washington State University Tri-Cities is partnering with the Port of Benton to offer wine and culinary education at the newly reopened Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington.
TASTE News Service, August 25, 2021 -- Paul Golitzin, president and director of winemaking for Washington State’s Quilceda Creek, a renowned producer of Cabernet Sauvignon, has announced that his family’s winery has increased its majority holding in the state’s “grand cru” vineyard, Champoux, based in Columbia Valley’s Horse Heaven Hills AVA.
TASTE News Service, August 14, 2021 --- A four-time finalist and now a back-to-back winner in the annual competition, the Walla Walla Valley has endeared itself among wine and travel lovers.


text:
Kings and Legends App Store Trailer
Kings and Legends brings innovative card game mechanics to a more board game type field. It’s now available via the app store.
Videos You May Enjoy
Articles You May Enjoy
- Star Trek: Alien Domain Hosts Anniversary Video Contest
- Next month marks the first year anniversary of Star Trek: Alien Domain’s open launch.


text:
Microsoft’s Android Strategy
It seems like Microsoft has gone full board with bringing all its suites of apps to android and iOs. Microsoft Translator has been recently added to Google Play. It is basically the native app edition of bing translator that Microsoft has had online for quite a while. The app lacks many languages that bing translator supports online, this maybe because Microsoft has not implemented the voice recognition engine for those locales. This is of course is not the first app Microsoft has brought to the Android Eco-System. Microsoft had previously brought Microsoft Office to Android and iOs.
The office apps though were clearly superior to other apps. Apps such as Microsoft Outlook and One note are the best in their class. It appears that Microsoft is trying stay relevant to a generation of people who might be opting to use Mobile First for everything including productivity software. This move by Microsoft is likely a defensive move so that its dominant position it enjoys on desktop productivity software does wane due to free apps on Android and iOs by likes of Google.


text:
“A music download site launched by Coca-Cola was shut down for much of its first two days due to problems. The My Coke Music site is called ‘the first consumer branded, legitimate downloadable music site,’ but was offline much of Monday and Tuesday,” BBC News reports. “Coke is hoping to cash in on the recent growth in online music services, which have been spearheaded by [Apple’s] iTunes.”
“The website said it was being ‘uploaded with the latest music’ and told users to return at 1600 GMT. A Coca-Cola spokeswoman told the Guardian news paper: ‘We have been experiencing some minor technical problems. People who have entered their details will be emailed a link to the site as soon as it goes live,’ she said,” BBC News reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Upfront, you should know that MDN officially and without remuneration endorses Diet Coke (we have learned to enjoy the taste of Aspartame mixed perfectly with Caffeine), but will switch to Diet Pepsi (yuck) for the duration of Apple’s iTunes Giveaway. As for Coke’s “minor technical problems” which resulted in the site not being active and open for business, we’d like to know their definition of “major techinal problems.” Not a good launch.


text:
Tesla plans a $5 billion gigafactory to produce battery packs for as many as 500,000 cars by 2020. How the project is coming together. read »Micheline Maynard, Contributor
#126 Elon Musk
- Net Worth
- $9.9 Billion
- $0 | 0%
- As of 9/1/2014 @ 8:05PM *
- Founder, CEO, Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
- Source Of Wealth
- Tesla Motors, Self Made
- Los Angeles, CA
- United States
- Marital Status
- Bachelor of Arts / Science, University of Pennsylvania
- *Reflects changes since 5pm EST last trading day
More On Forbes
The state of California wasn’t included in original list of four Southwestern states that were finalists to land its $5 billion gigafactory. But after officials appealed to CEO Elon Musk for the opportunity to make their case, he agreed to let California into the race.
However, California lawmakers are not about to be rushed. They read »Micheline Maynard, Contributor
A privately-operated rocket will carry supplies to the International Space Station. read »Alex Knapp, Forbes Staff
On Friday, August 22, a SpaceX test flight ended in a fiery fashion when its termination system kicked in, leading to the the explosive self-destruction of its rocket.
The company was testing its F9R rocket at its test facility in MacGregor, TX. The F9R is a successor to its previous Grasshopper program. Both experimental vehicles are read »Alex Knapp, Forbes Staff
By Jeff Dyer, professor of strategy at BYU, and Nathan Furr, professor of entrepreneurship at BYU.
What does good management look like? We teach what we think are good management principles in literally thousands of business schools around the world. Yet Scott Cook, founder and leader of told us, “When MBAs come to us we have to read »Jeff Dyer and Hal Gregersen, Contributor
Jeff Dyer and Hal Gregersen, Contributor
By Bridget Hilton
Like many entrepreneurs, I chose self-education in lieu of traditional higher education. Much of what I have learned about starting, maintaining and growing a business has come from networking, reading books, magazines and blogs and podcasts. Podcasts in particular are underrated tools for learning read »Young Entrepreneur Council, Contributor
Tesla announced that it would extend the warranty on the drive unit of its Model S cars to match the battery pack’s 8 years and unlimited miles with no limit on the number of owners. This will apply to new Model S models and all ever produced.
Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, wrote in the press release “If we truly believe that electric motors read »Chuck Jones, Contributor
Deutsche Bank’s Tesla analyst Rod Lache upgraded Tesla from Hold to Buy and raised his price target from $220 to $310 on Monday. The stock rose by $11.19 to $259.32 or 4.5%. He made major adjustments to his 2015, 2016 and 2017 volume estimates and believes his new projections could be conservative based on Tesla’s 100,000 volume run rate at the read »Chuck Jones, Contributor
Google, the influential tech giant, spent this week hosting a very low-profile conference for some very high-profile business and opinion leaders. While the event has been widely reported, Google has mostly kept quiet about it.
The New York Times, which broke the story, called it the “Davos of summer,” comparing it to the World read »Larry Olmsted, Contributor


text:
Microsemi Corporation, a provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, announced its products, including its field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), are not affected by the recently identified security flaws associated with the use of x86 and ARM®and a number of other processors. The announcement comes as security researchers recently revealed major computer chip vulnerabilities, called Spectre and Meltdown, in chips—affecting billions of devices globally.
“As a leader in security, we strive to ensure our products are immune to both existing and potential new threats or vulnerabilities,” said Jim Aralis, chief technology officer and vice president of advanced development at Microsemi. “As soon as news broke about Meltdown and Spectre, Microsemi immediately assessed its existing products with thorough analysis of the architecture and intellectual property (IP) blocks with its internal security experts. The assessment clearly concluded that none of the processor cores embedded with the associated use models in Microsemi products are impacted by these weaknesses.”
Not only are Microsemi’s FPGAs not affected by Spectre or Meltdown, the company’s devices also offer multiple security layers for maximum protection. In addition to its SmartFusion™ and SmartFusion2 FPGAs, and communications and storage products—which do not have either security flaw—the company’s soft RISC-V core and its RISC-V IP provider are also unaffected by the security issues. As a leader in hardware security, Microsemi is well-known for its cybersecurity and malware expertise, offering customers the highest levels of design and data security.
Both Spectre and Meltdown affect speculative execution in modern computer chips, but they can be abused via various methods. Microsemi offers a heightened level of security in comparison to its competition with these vulnerabilities, as its hard and soft central processing units (CPUs) are not affected by this issue, and in fact enhance security protecting against various side channel attacks.
For more information about Microsemi’s FPGA security capabilities, click here.


text:
West End shops to enjoy £50m boost
Thursday 28 April 2011
The royal wedding is set to give shops in London's West End a £50 million boost, it was revealed today.
Around half a million extra shoppers are set to descend on the West End over the four-day bank holiday weekend starting tomorrow.
"We anticipate that 500,000 additional shoppers will give retailers a £50 million royal wedding boost," said Jace Tyrrell, of the New West End Company, which represents 600 retailers in London's Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street.
The company added that sales would continue to go well due to a "halo honeymoon effect" lasting into May.
Simon Burdess, trading director of Fortnum & Mason, said: "We are very excited about the royal wedding. Sales of commemorative products, including our own range of china and food items, have exceeded expectation in the run-up to the big day."
Michelle Dowdall, spokeswoman for Debenhams, said: "Royal wedding memorabilia has been flying out of stores in recent weeks, with many lines selling out already in our Oxford Street flagship store.
"As visitors and tourists descend on London, there will no doubt still be huge demand for these items over the weekend."
Some West End in-store staff are set to don top hats and wear fascinators tomorrow in a "Wear a hat to work day" for one of Prince William's charities - Beatbullying.
- 1 Porn block in India: hundreds of sexual websites banned, internet outraged
- 2 Malaysia issues arrest warrant for Gordon Brown’s sister-in-law after she publishes stories on leader Najib Razak's financial affairs
- 3 Gamers confess the worst things they've done in The Sims
- 4 Sex with robots will be ‘the norm’ in 50 years
- 5 Barack Obama turns 54: US President's best put downs to celebrate his birthday
Jackie Chan climbs to second place in Forbes' Highest Paid Actors list after magazine includes actors working outside US movie industry
Malaysia issues arrest warrant for Gordon Brown’s sister-in-law after she publishes stories on leader Najib Razak's financial affairs
Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale divorce: One of music industry’s most enduring couples announce split after 12 years of marriage
Giant Minion terrorises drivers in Ireland as 40ft inflatable blocks traffic on Dublin road
Dutch King Willem-Alexander declares the end of the welfare state
Is Britain really full up? Are migrants taking our jobs? Leading academic answers the most common anti-immigration claims
Calais Migrant Crisis: Deputy Mayor of Calais labels Cameron's use of 'swarm' as 'racist' and 'ignorant'
Chris Leslie: Jeremy Corbyn's anti-austerity agenda will harm the poor, says Labour shadow Chancellor
Landlords renting properties to illegal immigrants to face up to five years in prison
While we fixate on Calais, the Home Office is quietly deporting dozens of migrants on 'ghost flights'
Labour leadership race: Jeremy Corbyn could be the next Prime Minister, says Ken Clarke
iJobs Money & Business
£35 - £50k DOE: Guru Careers: A Tax Manager / Accountant (ACA / CA / CTA) is n...
£35000 - £37000 per annum + benefits: Ashdown Group: Contracts Executive - Cit...
£20000 - £25000 per annum + OTE £45K: SThree: SThree Group have been well esta...
£21000 per annum: Recruitment Genius: This is an exciting opportunity to join ...


text:
Chrome for Android now loads faster, performs better, and consumes less memory
Thanks to the latest update, Chrome for Android has improved in different ways. Google’s mobile browser now loads faster, has optimized performance, and consumes less memory, among other interesting new features.
The latest update of Chrome for Android, version M89, presents the most interesting news. In addition to improving performance, it has also added new features and functions that allow it to be faster and consume less memory.
As Google explains in a post on the Chromium blog, the company is very committed to offering a browser for mobile devices that performs well, is secure, and offers an ever-expanding range of features and functionality.
In the new version, the Big G has implemented some optimizations related to compilation, packaging, and runtime that are a major boost for Chrome on Android. These developments have brought about a 5% improvement in memory usage, 7.5% faster startup times, and 2% faster page loading.
Also, users who have next-generation mobiles with Android 10 and 8 GB of RAM or more, will be able to enjoy a 64-bit Chrome for Android, which stands out for being more stable, up to 8.5% faster, and 28% faster. more fluid.
Another feature that stands out in Chrome M89 is its ability to start up faster. Thanks to the new Freeze-Dried Tabs feature, the browser can start up 13% faster.
This is possible because Chrome now stores a lightweight version of the tabs that supports scrolling, zooming, and clicking on links. The first thing the browser shows when it opens is this light version, while the real tab loads in the background. In this video you can see how this function speeds up startup:
So far come the news that optimizes the operation of Chrome for Android, but from Google, they assure that there are still many more improvements to come in the next.
The company notes that in this update they have focused on delving into the core of Chrome, but that this year several updates are scheduled aimed at improving the performance of the browser. Therefore, we are waiting to see how Chrome evolves throughout 2021.


text:
Machine Gun Kelly Launches Gender Neutral Line of Nail Polish UN/DN LAQR
Machine Gun Kelly expertly navigated a switch from rap and hip-hop to pop-punk and now he's crossing over into a new industry, continuing to work on his brand having just launched UN/DN LAQR, a gender neutral line of nail polish.
Anyone with a vigilant eye has likely noticed that MGK's nails are routinely a spectacle and highly decorated. On occasion, they've even adopted the appearance of being a feasible weapon — extra long and sharpened to a point, coming dangerously close to literally being nine inch nails.
Considering the UN/DN LAQR brand had been "incubating for over a year," per MGK in an Instagram post, all this fingernail flair has been a subtly brilliant way to build up to this announcement.
The brand launched with 10 color shades bearing snappy names such as "Depressionist" (black) and "Slippery When Wet" (pink), which retail for $18 individually. Trio sets are also available for purchase for $52 and an $86 kit option includes six shades as well as a cleanup and art brush. Head here to buy.
"Many of the men in Greek mythology were warriors or soldiers or gods who had used their strength, and then there was Cupid, who was poetic and beautiful," MGK (real name Colson Baker) told Allure in an interview about his gender neutral nail polish line.
"I wonder what a world of Cupids [would] look like instead of just people falling into what they think we have to be as 'men.' Strength comes in how you honor your word, not what you literally can do with your hands," he added, "That's an art."


text:
Samsung Elec shares down as prosecution seeks arrest of Samsung chief
SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics (005930.KS: Quote) shares fell for a fourth consecutive session on Wednesday, after South Korean special prosecutors said they would seek a warrant to arrest Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee as part of a corruption probe.
Samsung Electronics shares declined by as much as 1.3 percent to 1.854 million won ($1,624.32) each in early trade on Wednesday, their lowest level since Jan. 23.
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Richard Pullin)
© Thomson Reuters 2017 All rights reserved.


text:
This article is telling us that if we roll our own (and I do, thank you!), then we should stick to the established brands of papers that aren’t trying to be fancy. Give me my plain old Zig Zags any day and I’m a happy camper. Take a look if you like to roll your own or buy a pre-roll.
Original Post: Leafly: Rolling Papers, Blunt Wraps May Harbor Heavy Metals, Pesticides
Original Post: Cannabis Now: Meet the Flameless Device That Wants to Disrupt Cannabis Vaporizing
[Canniseur: This is a very interesting development in technology. We love research is being performed looking for the safest and most effective consumption method. We need more rocket scientists!]
Back at the start of this year, the Willamette Week reported on a new type of vaporizer that would work with any pipe to make it into a vape.
The seemingly miraculous device at the center of their story was the Ember, a U.S.-made vape by Portland-based Prrl Labs. Created by a former aerospace engineer, it’s essentially a pocket-sized heat gun designed to blast your bowl. The Ember uses convective heat, like a Volcano, passing heated air through the plant material, vaporizing the cannabinoids and other active chemicals in the cannabis. This is different than conductive heat, used in nearly every other vape pen on the market, where the heating element contacts the cannabis or oil directly — which raises the risk of accidental combustion.
Cannabis Now caught up with Josh Winicki, one of the two founders of Prrl Labs, who told us about the process of designing, creating, and launching the Ember.
Winicki is a former economist with the USDA, a researcher with the American Institutes for Research, a teacher at Portland’s Wilson High School and even a competitive gymnast. In a way, it’s thanks to his history as an athlete that Winicki is in the cannabis industry today.
“I have always enjoyed cannabis much more than alcohol,” Winicki says. “With gymnastics, if you come in and you are pushing yourself and you’re not performing your best it can be dangerous.” While many of Winicki’s peers drank to relax and have fun, if he drank he says he suffered dire consequences. “I couldn’t train the next day or two, but with cannabis I was fine.”
Winicki and his co-founder Mark Lewis are both “sensitive to the material components issue,” and they “wanted to have a clean vaping experience.” To do that, they put intense effort into their sourcing of materials. “Mark found a coil from his background in aerospace that is completely non-corrosive and never breaks down,” Winicki says. They use that coil in place of nichrome wire, which research has found actually breaks down and vaporizes. In addition to the coil, the Ember has a screen glued into place which covers its heating element. Winicki says this prevents flower material from blowing into the device and “causes a more even distribution of the heat.”
“The glue in the Ember is heat safe,” Winicki added.
Another step Prrl Labs took to create a safe device is making it themselves in Portland, Oregon, rather than half a world away in Shenzhen, China. “You send something over to China and it’s like a black box,” says Winicki. “You get it back and while it may look really professional, you have no idea what went inside it.”
To Winicki, the Ember is “like a piece of art” and like art, “it’s about the quality.” He says he and Lewis felt the best way to make an artisan vape product was “to keep it more local,” with an in-house operation. However, as of now the Ember itself is an adapter that fits onto a battery pack, the Cuboid Mini, which Winicki says “does come from abroad.” But he says that’s something Prrl Labs is already reexamining. “The next product we are working on has the battery inside it, rather than using the Cuboid,” he says.
Ambitious Plans for Innovation
While the goal is to make the Ember able to fit onto any pipe or bong, for now, the device comes with a customized pipe. The Ember pipe is designed for both bud and concentrates, although Winicki advises that users “put concentrates on a bed of flowers so they don’t gum up the screen.” And if you’re a serious dabber, don’t worry — Winicki says they “already have an accessory with a 14.4 brushed glass attachment to go onto a dab rig.”
As Cannabis Now has reported before, there are many devices on the market being sold as vapes which aren’t actually vaporizing what is inside them. Instead, they heat cannabis material to temperatures well above the point of combustion.
“[We] dug into the temperature settings on other devices and found that all they are really measuring is the resistance in the circuitry rather than the actual temperature,” Winicki says. Basically, this means your inhalation speed can impact the heat applied your cannabis material, because your vape’s setting manipulate power levels rather than exact temperatures.
But the Ember is no exception to this rule, and how quickly you inhale will affect the temperature things are heated to. Winicki says that a “slower draw will cook the bud more, but a faster draw will be a purer vapor draw,” and added that “a very tiny amount of airflow could cause combustion, but no airflow at all should not burn.”
Winicki gave specific tips on how to get the best results from the Ember. “What I tell people is you are going to want to draw in a lot slower than you think,” he says. He also mentioned you can do a “cigar puff” to “pre-heat of all the material,” which means that your first puff will get your bud or dab up to temperature and is not likely to produce a huge cloud. But Winicki says that “by the tenth draw it can be hot enough where you only need like a three-second burst of heat to vape it.”
As of yet, Winicki says Prrl Labs has yet to reap the financial rewards of the Ember, but he remains unbothered.
“We’re not making a whole lot of money on it,” he says, but emphasized that it isn’t about the money, it’s about breaking out from the pack and working to get people “back to the pipe” in a healthier way. “Once you get to experience vaping flower, you can tell the difference in the vapor,” he says.
For the record, I got to try a prototype of an Ember and found that the quality of vapor produced for flower and cold-water hash to be on-par with a home device like a Volcano or a VapeXhale — with some bonus points for portability. Put that in your pipe and vape it!
Meet the Flameless Device That Wants to Disrupt Cannabis Vaporizing was posted on Cannabis Now.
Original Post: Cannabis Now: Why Cannabis Businesses Should Care About the #BoycottUline Movement
Recently, a new conservative boogeyman (and woman) have been in the news, Liz and Dick Uihlein (pronounced ULine, like the company they founded).
The Uihlein’s were a major driving force behind the recent Supreme Court decision which eviscerated worker’s rights. Their company, which produces boxes and shipping supplies, is also utilized by many cannabis businesses. Like many, you may now be wondering, who are the Uihleins?
When most people think about the pantheon of rich, white, Republican donors, they think about names like Koch, Adelson and Mercer. While those are some of the most widely reported on funders for conservative causes around the country, they are not the only ones. For years the Uihleins have been working in the shadows, while avoiding much of the negative press that has beleaguered their fellow billionaire kingmakers.
While the Uihleins are most well-known for starting the packing and office material supply conglomerate ULine, Dick comes from old money and is an heir to the Schlitz beer fortune. In just this current election cycle, the Uihleins have already spent over $26 million to support more than 60 far-right anti-establishment candidates. In previous years, they backed Roy Moore, even after his sexual misconduct became public knowledge.
As many conservatives now support legal cannabis, it is worth asking, where do the Uihleins stand on cannabis?
“Have the politicians gone mad?” Liz wrote in a 2017 company mailer. “Marijuana… affects your children or grandchildren, who may be busy telling you it’s safer than alcohol. It’s bad news. It remains a gateway drug.”
While Liz did also raise important safety concerns about workers being high and climbing “30 feet in the air to pick products off the shelves,” that is why employers can, and do, drug test their employees, even in states with legal cannabis. That misinformed newsletter was the first public sign of the Uihlein’s private views on cannabis legalization.
Cannabis Businesses Begin to #BoycottULine
The Evergreen Market ran a story last year about ULine’s opposition to legal cannabis, which appears to be the first article to cover the Uihleins views on cannabis and the fact that many marijuana-based companies are still using them as a shipping vendor. The article ends by proudly announcing that, “The Evergreen Market will be taking its business elsewhere. Specifically to West Coast Paper Solutions, who are local, quick and price competitive.”
But have any other companies followed suit in the year since that article ran? To try and answer that, I reached out to several California-based companies.
I worked at Harborside’s San Jose and Oakland stores for over five years, just leaving that position last April. When I left my job there, they were still buying some materials from ULine. I reached out to Dani Walton, the wholesale and distribution manager at Harborside, to confirm if they still used them or if they had moved on. Walton said they, “rarely use ULine these days and order from other companies like Office Depot and Amazon.”
Longtime activist and the Executive Director of Magnolia Oakland, Debby Goldsberry, confirmed that they are no longer using ULine.
“We used them only until discovering the info about their drug warrior efforts,” Goldsberry said. “Never again! I prefer Give Something Back.”
Erik Smollin, founder of Stuff Stoners Like, said he currently uses ULine, but after learning about their politics, wants to find someone new.
“I use ULine mailing tubes a couple times a week to send out our Periodic Table of Stuff Stoners Like posters,” Smolin said. “After hearing about their anti-cannabis politics and their super conservative agenda, I will definitely be changing suppliers.”
While the #BoycottULine movement has been slow to catch on in the cannabis space, musician, record labels, and other businesses have been shunning ULine since 2016 and earlier.
The Battle For Congress
After Citizens United, money means more than it ever did before when it comes to getting elected, or wrecking an otherwise successful opposition campaign.
Now that primary elections across the country are wrapping up, and the focus has begun to shift to November’s general election, we can expect to see the big money donors coming forward and raining political donations onto the anointed few they have selected to ascend to Congress. It won’t be easy for them, as 2018 has already proven to be a populist year, as seen by the primary victory of the pro-cannabis and anti-ICE Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over Democratic establishment favorite Representative Joe Crowley, who outspent her nearly 18-1.
That upset victory, and others like it, will have the money people scared, and this year may see some of the most expensive campaigns ever, as incumbents struggle to keep their seats amidst a populist uprising. If cannabis companies want to take a stand against oppressive politics that want to keep their industry down, they can put their money where their mouth is and #BoycottULine.
TELL US, does your company use ULine?
The post Why Cannabis Businesses Should Care About the #BoycottUline Movement appeared first on Cannabis Now.
Why Cannabis Businesses Should Care About the #BoycottUline Movement was posted on Cannabis Now.


text: Dubai is now the home to 52 "superbrands", it has been announced.The seventh annual Superbrands Tribute Event saw 52 brands across the emirate awarded the status.Following the event Dubai Duty Free revealed that it was once again given the coveted 'Brand of the Year' award.Described as the 'Oscars of Branding', the event was attended by a number of high-profile businesses and marketing executives.Mike English, director of Superbrands Middle East, said: "We are happy to announce that Dubai Duty Free has once again won the much coveted ‘Brand of the Year’ award for 2011 by scoring the highest points amongst all the brands that were nominated."Dubai Duty Free has taken a relatively small local business and turned it into one of the most trusted and recognized brands internationally. That is real genius and the brand continues to innovate. We would like to congratulate them on this feat and wish them even more success in the coming year. I can't wait to see the next chapter in the book."


text:
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) yesterday said the outright deregulation of the oil sector would have been preferable to increase of pump price to N145 per litre.
The association advised the Federal Government to deregulate the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
This is coming on the heels of the yesterday announcement of the new pump price with immediate effect.
Speaking with The Nation on phone, its Vice Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi Dankigari said the new price would breed corruption in the sale of the product.
According to him, had government deregulated the price, some marketers could have sold it below the new price but with the announcement of N145 per litre, some marketers would still sell the above new pump price.
He submitted that “the best solution is that they should deregulate the sector. They should allow the prevailing market forces. Those who want to sell N145 per litre can sell. Those who can sell N130 can sell. But immediately the government gave that directive that the marketers should sell at that rate, it is what is causing corruption.
“So, if the government will take the decision of deregulating the petrol price and allow the market prevailing rate, the price will not even reach N145. But now the price will likely exceed that N145 because of the monopoly of the terminals.”


text:
Samsung Pay was due to land on the Gear S2 Smartwatch before the end of the year, Samsung had previously said that the software would be available on the device in November.
Now Samsung has confirmed on Twitter that the Gear S2 will not be getting Samsung Pay until next year, this was in response to a question from an owner of the device.
@_TheTRn We’re sorry for the wait, Michael. #SamsungPay is now coming to the #GearS2 in 2016. Stay tuned for more information. Thanks!
— Samsung Mobile US (@SamsungMobileUS) November 29, 2015
As yet Samsung have not given any specific details on exactly when in 2016 their Gear S2 smartwatch will be getting their new mobile payment system, as soon as we get some more details, we will let you guys know.
Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.


text:
Payment holidays from the banks - can they be trusted?
Some banks have temporarily halted loan payments for students and small businesses for two months to ease the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
Over the same period, zero interest or fees will be charged for student loans.
But, asks The Money Show's Whitfield, should the phrase "payment holiday" not send alarm bells ringing?.
Remember those car ads that said 'Buy now and pay in three months' time'.
But that interest is going to catch you...
Standard Bank says zero fees - what about the interest though? Funnily enough, I'm not getting too much response on that question.Wendy Knowler, consumer journalist
Nedbank has been the most forthcoming.Wendy Knowler, consumer journalist
They said if they re-structure a loan the re-arrangement of the current monthly payment schedule, which includes a review of the interest rates charged, may result in an increase of theoriginal loan term- in other words you'll pay less interest but you'll pay for longer.
Listen to the entire interview below.
Get the 10 most-read articles of the week from Bruce Whitfield’s The Money Show, emailed to you every Friday morning.
As South Africans look for ways to make extra cash, Gumtree South Africa has warned consumers not to fall prey to online fraudsters.Read More
The Ombud for Short Term Insurance’s aim is to resolve short term insurance complaints ''fairly, efficiently and impartially''.Read More
Wendy Knowler, consumer Ninja, on the small print and pitfalls of credit life insurance.Read More
The annual banking ombuds report has been released. Were they good, were they bad; how many complaints have been received?Read More
Car dealerships and repair shops have been allowed to reopen under very strict conditions, explains consumer journo Wendy Knowler.Read More
It seems many credit life claims are being rejected. Here are nine companies that were named and shamed in a new report.Read More
You can send your consumer-related questions and queries to consumer journalist Wendy Knowler via firstname.lastname@example.orgRead More
Certified financial planner Kobus Kühn has compared what various companies, long-term insurers, and medical schemes are offering.Read More
Consumer journalist Wendy Knowler has compiled some information regarding credit insurance policies offered by various banks.Read More
This edition of Consumer Corner looks at how lay-offs, closures and quarantine will impact people's income and ability to repay debt.Read More


text:
Shares of The Trade Desk (TTD 5.11%) slumped 19.4% in May, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The company's share price moved lower early in the month and then saw a more pronounced sell-off after the programmatic advertising company paired strong first-quarter results with guidance that appears to have fallen short of the market's expectations.
The Trade Desk released its first-quarter results on May 10, and the digital-advertising specialist's stock fell despite sales and earnings coming in ahead of the market's expectations. The company posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.41 on sales of $219.8 million, while the average analyst target had called for per-share earnings of $0.77 on revenue of $216.9 million. The company also announced that it would carry out a 10-for-1 stock split on June 9.
The Trade Desk guided for second-quarter revenue to come in between $259 million and $262 million, while the average analyst target prior to its recent quarterly report called for revenue of $253.9 million. The company's guidance came in ahead of the overall Wall Street estimate, but the average analyst target included estimates from earlier in the quarter and had started to move higher after Roku and other players in the ad-supported streaming space posted strong results. The Trade Desk's guidance for EBITDA of at least $84 million in the second quarter might also have underwhelmed investors.
The stock has continued to move lower early in June's trading and is down roughly 2.6% in the month so far.
The Trade Desk has a market capitalization of roughly $27 billion and is valued at approximately 24 times this year's expected sales and 92 times expected earnings. The company has a growth-dependent valuation, but it's a category leader in its corner of the digital advertising market and should benefit as more advertising moves to digital channels.
I initiated a position in The Trade Desk last month, and I think that the stock stands out as a worthwhile buy for risk-tolerant investors.
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to include the correct date of the stock split.


text:
- October 24, 2022
- Posted by: Amos Ekow Coffie
- Categories: Banking and Finance, Economics
He indicated that when he conceived that idea some persons said it was not going to be possible however, everyone is now talking about how important it is for the Ghanaian economy to lessen it’s dependence on foreign goods
“The whole purpose of the policy means having factories and enterprises here in Ghana, which will substitute the ones that are coming from abroad.
“That is the whole purpose of the policy. Instead of importing XYZ, you’re going to have them made here,” President Akufo-Addo who embarked on a three-day tour of the Eastern Region over the weekend said.
He added that, “when we said we wanted to implement 1D1F and certain strategic industrial policies, we were told it couldn’t be done, but today everyone is talking about how important it is for the Ghanaian economy to lessen it’s dependence on foreign goods and foreign services.
“Now people are beginning to understand that indeed we had the foresight, we knew exactly what we needed to do to bring substantial progress, real progress not intermittent progress, but substantial progress which is going to be strong and resilient. That is what I’ve noticed is ongoing,” he added.
The initiative was part of the government’s agenda to change the nature of Ghana’s economy from one which is dependent on import and export of raw material to one which is focused on manufacturing, value addition and export of processed goods.
These raw materials are largely found in the districts which would have otherwise gone waste.
The initiative has seen the ongoing construction of two hundred and ninety-six (296) factories across the country, of which one hundred and twenty-five (125) have been completed.
“I am hopeful that, by the end of my term, the full complement of two hundred and ninety-six (296) factories will be in operation to help provide quality domestic alternatives to the consumption needs of Ghanaians, and reduce substantially our dependence on imports.
“We do not only account for the youth as labour in the 1D1F programme, but also as managers and owners. Indeed, fifty-eight (58) of these factories are wholly owned by young people who have received direct government support”, he added.


text:
Major US Retailers Set Up Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center
A problem shared is a problem solved? When it comes to cyber threat intelligence, some of the major US retailers hope working together and sharing information will help thwart future cyber attack campaigns. Recent massive security breaches at Target and other stores have left consumers angry, and despite assurance that new security measures are in place, some shoppers wonder how safe their information is when they swipe their card.
In hopes of minimizing the risk and financial fallout from another disastrous cyber attack, some of the top retailers—including Target, Lowe's, Nike, J.C. Penney, American Eagle Outfitters, Gap, Safeway, VF Corporation, and Walgreen Company—along with the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) announced they are launching a clearinghouse: the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center (R-CISC).
The R-CISC is a non-profit organization that will serve as a forum for sharing cyber threat intelligence among members, as well as with government agencies and federal law enforcement, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
There are three components of the R-CISC:
- The sharing and analysis center is staffed by analysts who identify and share intelligence on cyber threats, including suspected criminal activity, new types of malware, or potential software vulnerabilities.
- Education and training resources for information security best practices
- Research focusing on future cyber security issues surrounding emerging technologies and potential new threats
To help determine best practices for threat information sharing, the association consulted with organizations and vendors such as the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the Information Security Forum, the National Cybersecurity and Communication Integration Center, National Cyber Security Alliance, Verizon, CrowdStrike, IBM, iSIGHT Partners, and others.
In January 2014, Reuters first reported that the FBI distributed a confidential document cautioning retailers to expect more cyber attacks in the future. The story quotes the FBI as saying, “We believe POS malware crime will continue to grow over the near term, despite law enforcement and security firms' actions to mitigate it."
Retailers hope steps like the R-CISC will help prevent the FBI’s prediction from becoming reality. The R-CISC is open to retailers and merchants of all segments and sizes.


text:
Hit-Boy and James Fauntleroy are turning some AI apes into an actual rock band.
The Grammy award-winning producer and singer have started work on a new album for the digital band, known as Kingship, which is signed to Universal Music Group’s 10:22 label and was initially formed partially as a means to help generate revenue by selling virtual goods and services during the peak of crypto-mania. The group was formed by the label head Celina Joshua, who designed the “band members” as a collection of NFT’s known as the Bored Ape Yacht Club.
Despite the recent crash in crypto’s value, Kingship has still gone on to generate $1.5 million in revenue. Joshua also revealed the group now has a deal with M&M’s, announcing the deal in the band’s first-ever animated clip called “Rider.” She is now ready to take this digital band to the next level.
“KINGSHIP’s journey is rooted in storytelling, experiences and music,” said Joshua in a statement. “I’m incredibly thankful that Hit-Boy and James Fauntleroy, two of the most influential and creative geniuses in the entire industry, are coming together to develop the music and sound for KINGSHIP.”
Hit-Boy and Fauntelroy were brought in to bring these digital creatures to life, and in turn, created a quartet of apes named Captain (bass, vocals), KING (lead vocals), Arnell (beats, producer, drums) and Hud (guitar, keyboards, vocals).
5,000 Key Card NFT’s were also unveiled to help promote the band. Owners of these NFT’s will receive special access to a Discord server where fans can talk to one another and learn new information about the group. There will also be perks associated with forthcoming music and performances.
“It’s so exciting to be a part of something historical and ambitious,” Fauntelroy added in his statement. “As a huge nerd, and music fanatic, I can’t wait to see what comes from the intersection of the web3 collectors/creatives and the entertainment creative community.”
Hit-Boy echoed this sentiment. “I’m always looking to push things forward musically,” he said, “and this is a great opportunity to do something new in the web3 space.”


text:
Microsoft's Bing search apps for smartphones moved into a new era this week with the launch of new versions for Apple's iOS smartphones as well as certain Android-powered smartphones. The official Bing blog site reveals some of the details of the new Bing app which will also be coming to Blackberry and, of course, Windows Phone devices sometime in the future.
The new HTML5 features are described in the video which you can see above this post. So why move to HTML5 in the first place. Microsoft says, "Using HTML5, our goal is to build a mobile experience that leverages the unique capabilities of the different platforms including camera support and voice search, while making the functions the apps can provide consistent across the platforms and – in the future – callable by engines to help people get from searching to doing."
Some of those features include adding real time transit info and news for the Android version of the Bing app that was previously only available to check out via the https://m.bing.com web site. The new video domain on the m.bing.com web site can also now be accessed via the iOS version of the Bing app. You can also link business information with a map in just one view in the new app version along with being able to seek out local shopping deals from over 100 deal companies here in the US.
While perhaps not quite as advanced as the voice-controlled Siri features in the iPhone 4S, the new Bing mobile app does add new features to mobile search features that will give smartphone users some added functionality.


text:
Lower gas prices have become maybe the top economics story of the moment. But while we cheer the cheaper driving, there's another trend to cheer: the growing economy just doesn't need gasoline quite like it once did.
Total miles driven per dollar of GDP have fallen off dramatically in the last 20 years. The number of gallons of gas consumed per dollar of GDP has been falling for even longer. That's according to a new report from Michael Sivak, a research professor at the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute.
Lots of factors contribute to this. The declining number of gallons consumed is in part a function of more efficient cars. And more public transit ridership has probably also helped to keep the number of miles driven in check. The recession may have also caused people to cut back on their driving.
But part of what's happening is that economic health has grown increasingly decoupled from how much we drive. Sivak points out that not only has everyday driving fallen off, but truck-driving's contribution to GDP has also declined. Meanwhile, areas of the economy that are not transportation-intensive — internet publishing and data processing, for example — have seen explosive growth. Likewise, e-commerce has grown while shopping at actual, physical stores has been flat.
It's not that low gas prices aren't great for some people's personal finances — as the Wall Street Journal's Nick Timiraos writes, lower prices "could be a particularly progressive tax cut because lower-income households are particularly sensitive to increases in energy prices." So low prices could create an economic boost in the sense of boosting some consumer spending and maybe even driving. But economic growth and driving aren't as tightly linked as they once were.


text:
Dillard's donates nearly $21,000 to local Ronald McDonald House
BY BRAVETTA HASSELL World Scene Writer
Friday, January 25, 2013
1/25/13 at 4:35 AM
Promenade Dillard's store manager Dennis Hix pledged the department store's continued support of Ronald McDonald House Charities by presenting a $20,976 check to Tulsa's local Ronald McDonald House on Thursday.
The donation was made possible through the sale of the store's exclusive Southern Living Christmas Cookbooks and was made on behalf of Dillard's two Tulsa locations - Promenade and Woodland Hills - and its stores in Bartlesville and Muskogee.
"It's just a good feeling to know that we can give back in some way to the community," Hix said ahead of the presentation, one that's been a tradition for several years now and is part of Dillard's larger campaign to support Ronald McDonald Charities since 1994.
Since then, Dillard's has donated more than $10.4 million to RMHC local chapters, with it announcing earlier this month, its donation of more than $1.2 million to local chapters through the sale of its cookbooks this year.
Original Print Headline: Dillard's donates to local Ronald McDonald House
Dillard's representatives Katie West (left) and Dennis Hicks; Ronald McDonald House Executive Director Jean Ann Hankins; Robin Stribling; and Duc Huynh are shown Thursday with a $20,976 check to the Ronald McDonald House donated by Dillard's. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World


text:
An online vegan food retailer has moved to a bigger warehouse in Glasgow after receiving financial backing from more than 700 vegans across Britain.
TheVeganKind has relocated to a new 12,000 square foot base in Maryhill, which is four times the size of its previous site and allows it to stock up to 15,000 products.
It also includes a 1,000 sq ft chill room so that more refrigerated deliveries can be shipped to customers across the UK.
The move follows a successful crowdfunding campaign which saw donations from 710 investors and raised in excess of £65,000, beating the initial target of £50,000.
The funds will enable the company to install pallet bays, recruit an additional customer services advisor to its 15-strong team, and invest £35,00 in a targeted billboard advertising campaign.
Co-founders and husband and wife team Scott and Karris McCulloch, from Dalmarnock in Glasgow, ran the crowdfunding drive to help their business cope with rapid growth and increasing demand for meat-free and dairy-free products.
Scott McCulloch said: “It’s been really humbling watching the donations flood in. People were digging deep to offer anything from £5 to £50, and a number of corporate sponsors pledged significant sums of money to ensure we reached and exceeded our initial target of £50,000.
“We will always be seeking investment and re-investing our own profits to ensure we keep growing, but seeing hundreds of amazing people rallying together to help us reach our target has been incredible and will ensure that our growth plans get off to a flying start.”
The couple launched TheVeganKind from their living room table in 2013 as a monthly subscription box after struggling to find easily accessible vegan options on the high street.
Within months the business had to take on its first 1,000 sq ft warehouse to help keep up with demand, and less than two years later continued expansion forced the company to relocate again, to a 3,000 sq ft base.
It was here that the couple launched TheVeganKind supermarket, shipping vegan cheese, pizzas, chocolate, and more across the country.
McCulloch added: “We’re a small company with big blue-chip thinking. We want to create the biggest and best 100 per cent vegan online supermarket that the UK has ever seen so you will know that if it’s vegan, you can get it from TheVeganKind.
“The internet and social media have been key in helping to expand people’s understanding of what’s going on in the meat and dairy industry, which is why veganism is becoming an increasingly popular lifestyle choice.”


text:
Chrysler Recalling SUVs
Fiat Chrysler is recalling 184,000 S-U-Vs for an airbag problem.
The models affected are the 2014 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The company said a potential short circuit could prevent the airbags from deploying. Fiat Chrysler said it is unaware of any injuries or accidents tied to the problem.


text:
Apple is expected to launch its new services later this evening. Cupertino is finally going to take the wraps off its new video streaming and news subscription services as the company look to focus on its Services business.
We have heard a lot about both the new services, and just before the official announcement, The Wall Sreet Journal has published some more tidbits on the new services, claiming that CEO Tim Cook is “gambling that selling services, an area filled with risks and competition, will be the company’s next chapter”.
First thing first is the new Apple video streaming service — we don’t quite know what this thing will be called, but we do know some details about the pricing. Apple is rumoured to offer its original content for free to Apple device owners as part of the service, but the company’s new original shows aren’t expected to be available at launch.
The new service will, however, allow users to stream content from platforms like HBO, Showtime, and Starz. These “channels” will cost $9.99 a month each, so if you want to watch the new season of GoT, you will have to pay $9.99 a month to get access to HBO shows. And if you want to watch something on Starz, you will have to pay another $9.99 a month. That is still cheaper than the respective prices for these channels, so there is some incentive to use Apple’s new service instead of subscribing to the channels individually.
It still is not clear what the actual Apple streaming service will cost, that’s the one that will give users access to Apple’s own original content, so the pricing of that should be very interesting.
And then there is the new news subscription service that will also apparently cost $9.99 a month, giving users access to up to 200 magazines, including The Wall Street Journal. The new service will likely be integrated into the Apple News app, so you may not have access to it outside of Apple devices.
The new video streaming service, however, will reportedly come to other platforms, especially smart TVs later on.


text:
The EBU has enhanced the ultra high-definition test sequences it initiated last October to include stereoscopic 3D TV content.
The EBU released a set of UHD-1 test sequences last year to enable scientific testing of studio compression formats and video codecs for distribution to the home. The test set has now been enhanced with the addition of stereoscopic 3DTV content. The sets are available free of charge to EBU members, with two sequences each from the UHD-1 and 3DTV sets being made freely available under a Creative Commons licence.
The availability of these new sequences will enable further testing of the newer “service compatible” 3DTV format, as opposed to the frame compatible system that has typically been used up to now, according to the EBU. The sequences, shot at the RAI Production Centre in Turin last June, consist of two times 1080p/50 images.
ICYMI: Vodafone sees TV losses in Germany as competition bites digitaltveurope.com/2021/07/23/vod… https://t.co/K0O4Gs51fz
23 July 2021 @ 19:30:00 UTC


text:
Telephone deregulation bill passes Kentucky House
Supporters, led by Democratic Rep. Rick Rand of Bedford, said the bill guarantees that landline phone customers in rural areas can keep their service if they wish.
The measure passed the House on a 71-25 vote Tuesday. It now goes to the Senate.
Gov. Steve Beshear hailed the House vote and called on the Senate to pass the bill quickly.
Beshear says the measure strikes a balance between providing consumer protection and creating economic development opportunities spinning off from expanding broadband access.
Rand says the bill will spur more investment in broadband networks across Kentucky.
Opponents say there’s no guarantee of added investments.