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iPhone SE: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Just last week, Apple released their new iPhone. However, it was not the new and better iPhone 7 that everyone expected them to reveal. Instead they re-hashed a four year old design (derived from the iPhone 5) and simply added an upgraded hardware inside.
Their reason for doing so — millions of people still want a 4-inch smartphone. Their 2015 sales numbers point to an observation that a significant number of iPhone users still prefer a much smaller phone. That’s a surprising revelation in a market where Apple’s latest flagship device is the smallest of all the other competing flagship handsets. Yes, the 4.7-inch display size of the iPhone 6S pales in comparison with the 5.1-inch of Samsung’s Galaxy S7, 5.2-inch Sony Xperia Z5 and 5.4-inch LG G4.
Then again, there could be more to that than just the size. We think it’s more of the price. You see, this is not the first time that Apple created an iPhone that was positioned to be priced lower than their flagship.
A couple years back, Apple also introduced a cheaper iPhone 5C along with the upgraded iPhone 5S. Apple was hoping to sell more units because the iPhone 5C would attract Apple fans who cannot afford the premium price of the flagship handset. That did not happen and people snubbed the 5C in favor of the better 5S. The main reason is that Apple did not put a wide enough price gap between the two which was just Php5,000 (around 15%).
Apple learned their lesson, did not repeat it in the iPhone 6 and moved on. Or so we thought.
From the looks of it, the iPhone SE is more like the iPhone 6C of this generation. And this time, Apple applied what it learned from the failed iPhone 5C and made the iPhone SE much more affordable — about 45% less than the retail price of the iPhone 6S.
So, when Apple saw that millions of people are still buying 4-inch iPhones (the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5/5S), they thought it was because people wanted a smaller smartphone. They missed the other observation that people were buying the 4-inch iPhones because they were now much cheaper. If you check around, a brand iPhone 5 and 5S are selling well under Php20,000 or close to 50% of the retail price of the current batch of iPhones. On top of that, the telcos are practically giving them away for free with data plans.
If the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 were selling at the same price as the iPhone 5S, we’re pretty sure it will sell more than its smaller 4-inch predecessor.
This is not isolated to Apple. Other smartphone vendors have surely made a similar observation. Samsung’s A series and J series smartphones are selling well not because people wanted smaller phones but because they can only afford the cheaper versions of the flagship model.
Apple’s observation would have been more believable had they created a 4-inch iPhone that looks alot like the iPhone 6 and called it the iPhone 6SE (Small Edition?). But then again, shrinking that iPhone 6 to just 4-inches would have required a lot of re-engineering due to its slimmer form factor. The thicker profile of the iPhone 5 works just right and the older materials are also cheaper. Not that Apple was lazy as others would call the resurrected design. Rather, they were looking for ways to still make a good margin despite the lower retail price. Perhaps as good a margin as they’re getting on the latest iPhone 6S.
However you look at it, this is still a good move for Apple. They will sell a ton of the iPhone SE as they predicted. However, once the iPhone 7 will be released in September, that would drive the prices of the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6 down and when the latter matches the retail price of the SE, then we will really know which one will people go for.
In the end, Apple’s success with the iPhone SE will mean that the next generation of iPhones will come in three sizes — 4 inches, 4.7 and 5.5. It would be interesting to see what the iPhone 7 line-up will look like this September.


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International Council of Shopping Centers conference is promising for Kansas City
Retail brokers say Lady Luck might start smiling on Kansas City after the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual conference in Las Vegas last week.
Sheryl Vickers, vice president of retail leasing at Copaken Brooks, said the conference was high-energy with large crowds. Consumer confidence is boosting sales, she said, and retailers are on the lookout for new markets to enter.
“Every retailer has their strategy of what markets they’ll hit next,” Vickers said. “Kansas City is often on their radar screen.”
“It was wildly successful for us,” she said.
“Kansas City is more of a priority for the larger national retailers that have locations all over the country,” he said.
But landing new retailers will require continued growth in the local job and housing markets, as well as perks for the retailers, Kosoglad said.
“For the national retailers who are not here now, typically, it’s going to take incentives to get these guys here,” he said.
Brenna reports for In Depth sections and about local restaurants. She also does copy editing and handles People on the Move.
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Mozilla has published a statement on their Open Policy and Advocacy blog about the recent report that it is possible to purchase a cracked software for as little as ₹2000 (US$30) to get ‘write’ rights to the Aadhaar database, allowing you to update any information in there without any kind of verification or checks.
The official Mozilla statement is as follows:
Mozilla is deeply alarmed by recent reports that it is possible to purchase editing rights to the Aadhaar database for a mere 2,000 rupees.
Mozilla has long argued that the Aadhaar lacks critical safeguards. With the demographic data reportedly compromised, it is hard to see how Aadhaar can be trusted for authentication. Access to myriad vital public and private services which require Aadhaar for more than a billion Indians is now at risk.
Mozilla calls for the UIDAI to close these glaring security loopholes, and to engage an independent firm to do a security audit of the Aadhaar. We further call on the Justice Srikrishna Committee and the Government of India to ensure that the forthcoming data protection bill strongly protects Indians, including from the privacy and security harms that they’ve already suffered from Aadhaar.
The UIDAI has today announced that it will be introducing a way to generate Virtual IDs from their website.
The Virtual ID, which would be a random 16-digit number, together with biometrics of the user would give any authorised agency like a mobile company, limited details like name, address, and photograph, which are enough for any verification.
Officials said a user can generate as many Virtual IDs as he or she wants. The older ID gets automatically canceled once a fresh one is generated. UIDAI will start accepting these IDs from March 1, 2018.
In theory, this would work like Virtual Credit Card numbers do — use and throw. But practically, I think it’s still going to be a mess.
People familiar with the matter said the company levied a penalty of around 50 times the commission paid on several retailers who violated the guidelines for the first time, and removed repeat offenders from the network besides imposing a fine on them.
This is in response to the massive Aadhaar-related fraud that came to light a few weeks ago.
[…] UIDAI imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 crore on Airtel for allegedly opening payment bank accounts for its mobile subscribers without consent. The report also notes that Airtel routed the LPG subsidies of 31 lakh users (payments worth Rs 190 crore) to their Airtel payment bank accounts instead of the beneficiaries’ original bank accounts.
It still boggles my mind all the crazy shit that Aadhaar has enabled to happen, so easily.


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A startup company claims to have invented a $25 device that could double the lifespan of your phone’s battery.
Canal Electronics’ Battery Guard is a small device that sits between your phone’s charger and the phone itself. It regulates the rate at which the battery is charged, reducing the intensity of the fast charge process, which the company claims can damage the long-term health of smartphone batteries.
Fast charging has become something of a workaround for smartphone companies. Instead of making phones thicker with bigger batteries or reducing the processing power of phones to make them less demanding, phone makers have instead resorted to fast charging to allow people to top up phones quickly.
However, Canal Electronics claims this comes at the cost of battery longevity. “Using fast chargers accelerates battery degradation exponentially,” said Mohamed Morsy, the team lead at Canal Electronics. “The reason batteries degrade is because of charging, not discharging.”
“We decided there’s a better way to charge a phone,” he added. “Instead of charging it constantly, we could charge it in a more slow and paced manner to give it more rest periods so it doesn’t overheat.”
The Canal team point to research from the National Renewable Energy Labatory in Colorado, which claims that reducing the amount of time spent in a high state of charge, and thus avoiding temperature peaks, is best for battery health.
The team also highlight their own, small-scale research in which they charged 12 batteries through 470 cycles. Those batteries which were given the “optimal charge”, where the charge was regulated to prevent temperature spikes, had approximately 50% of the decay of batteries on standard charging.
The team admit their research was limited and that they plan to use some of the funding from the current product line to finance further, third-party research.
How the Battery Guard works
The Battery Guard consists of a small dongle that sits between charger and phone, and an accompanying app, which works with both iOS and Android. Before users go to bed at night, the tell the app what time they will wake in the morning, allowing the charger to spread out charging periods throughout the night, so that the phone is 100% topped up by morning.
This, the team claims, both eliminates the damaging temperature spikes caused by intensive charging, and also prevents the phone being constantly topped up when already fully charged.
When asked why the huge phone companies with their expensively funded R&D departments hadn’t developed this idea themselves, Morsy claimed that “the easy answer is that they want to sell more phones, so they wouldn’t want to have this feature”.
Morsy pointed to the recent Batterygate case, where Apple admitted hampering phone performance to improve battery longevity, as evidence that the problem exists.
The team came up with the idea when they were freshmen engineering students at the University of Pittsburgh. Four years later, the Battery Guard is now being sold via Kickstarter, with a relatively modest funding goal of $20,000. With 16 days to go at the time of writing, the product is almost half funded.
An early bird special which sold the device for $15 has now sold out, making the $25 tier the cheapest way to get the device now.


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Harley Davidson India Closed
Harley-Davidson the iconic American motorcycle manufacturer is shutting shop in India after a decade of trying to crack into the worlds largest bike market.
Harley davidson india closed. Harley-Davidson has now officially confirmed that it is shutting down its India manufacturing facility. Iconic American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson may be closing shop in India soon. The company is closing its sole manufacturing facility in Bawal Haryana.
US bike maker Harley-Davidson has announced that it will discontinue sales and manufacturing operations in India as part of its rewire program in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The phase-out could involve 75m in restructuring costs and job losses for Harleys 70 remaining employees in India. Harley-Davidson is one of.
A legacy that began in 1957 the Sportster set speed records raced and won off-road and has inspired racers builders and riders for generations. Harley-Davidson plans to shut down its assembly unit in Bawal Haryana state and lay off 70 employees. Financial troubles declining sales and Covid-19.
Harley Davidson officially announces the closing of their India operations. Decade long business has shut now in India for brand Harley-Davidson. India is one of the companys weakest international markets.
Harley-Davidson to shut down its manufacturing plant in India next month - Report. A revolution of power and performance. What this essentially means is that Harley Davidson will be closing their manufacturing plant in Bawal Haryana and significantly reduce the size of its sales office in Gurgaon.
Company is Cutting down staff and laying off 70 employees in India. American cult bikemaker Harley-Davidson often used by US President Donald Trump in trade diplomacy with India is shutting down its only factory in India on below-par business as it. The iconic US motorcycle brand is stopping manufacturing and.
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Alright T-Mobile users, it's time to get flashing, at least if you own an LG G3 or the 7-inch version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4. Team Win has released their custom recovery build for both of the T-Mobile variants of those devices, enabling power users to easily flash modifications and ROMs or backup the existing system. You can grab the T-Mo G3 recovery here, and the Galaxy Tab 4 recovery here.
Apparently the various unlocked and carrier models of both devices are just different enough to cause difficulty when flashing a modified recovery or ROM, and in both cases these TWRP builds are the first official ones for their respective devices. Read More
T-Mobile doesn't have the most expansive network, so while it's doing its part to rapidly roll out LTE to many of the country's largest markets, it's also coming up with other ways to fill in the gaps where its connection is weak. Today the company made a series of Un-Carrier 7.0 announcements that all concern using Wi-Fi to make calls or send texts, even from 30,000 feet (texting and voicemail only). Read More
Update #2: T-Mobile has started updating support pages with a clarification on those Wi-Fi calling enhancements. The phones now have support for Gogo inflight texting, a feature the company announced as part of Un-Carrier 7.0.
Update #1: The Galaxy S5 got some love, too.
Google isn't the only company lumping big updates on Wednesday. T-Mobile is sending out Android updates to four, count 'em, four phones on its network. Read More
Update: T-Mobile has updated the support page with a clarification on those Wi-Fi calling enhancements. The phone now has support for Gogo inflight texting, a feature the company announced as part of Un-Carrier 7.0.
Carriers are now gradually rolling out Android 4.4.4 to a number of Samsung devices. Sprint's version of the Galaxy Note 3 started receiving an over-the-air update on Monday. Verizon's Galaxy S5 followed suit the next day. Read More
T-Mobile's HTC One M7 is set to receive an over-the-air update tomorrow, September 10th, that will deliver Android 4.4.3 along with Wi-Fi calling enhancements. HTC's Mo Versi, the company's Vice President of Product Management, took to Twitter this weekend to deliver the news in his usual fashion.
T-Mobile has long supported Wi-Fi calling, a feature that lets users circumvent a poor mobile connection by tapping into their home network instead. Read More
There are a lot of smartphone trade-in programs from both retailers and carriers, and to be frank, they suck. In just about every situation you can get more for your current gadgets by selling them yourself on secondary markets like Craigslist, eBay, or Swappa. The only reason to sell gadgets to carriers (or any retailer) is the convenience factor. But T-Mobile is positioning itself as the self-styled people's champion of smartphone trade-ins, or at the very least, the best option among its competitors. Read More
Nine out of ten times when we report on a lawsuit, it has something to do with patents or trademarks. I'll admit that those posts can get a little dull, but they're important for the world of consumer electronics. If you've been waiting for something a little juicier in your tech legal news, have we got a story for you. The Seattle Times reports that American cellular carrier T-Mobile is suing Huawei, a giant provider of telecom infrastructure hardware and currently the third-biggest manufacturer of phones on the planet, for stealing a robot. Read More
Sony's information on the Xperia Z3 and related devices has been coming out fast and furious, but we've been left waiting to hear about which of these devices will actually make it over to the US. Well, T-Mobile has announced that it will offer the Z3 online and in stores this fall.
No US carrier picked up the Z2, but T-Mobile carried the Z1s previously, so this announcement isn't without precedent. Read More
When any new flagship device is announced, the first thing most people want to know is which carriers it will be available on. Samsung announced the Note 4 and Note Edge this morning (along with the Gear VR), and carriers have been quick to jump up and announce which of the devices they'll be offering, so here's a quick rundown of what to expect here in the States.
Remember when T-Mobile announced plans that included Music Freedom, which let users stream music from certain services without impacting their wireless data limits? Remember when it didn't include [insert your music streaming service of choice here], so you ignored it? Actually that isn't quite fair: Music Freedom support currently includes Pandora, Spotify, and iHeartRadio, which are the heavy hitters in the industry. But it's hard to deny that a lack of support for Google Play Music was kind of disheartening. Read More


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The parent company of The Range, which also snapped up Wilko’s website and intellectual property (IP) following the discount chain’s administration, said it will open five shops before Christmas.
CDS Superstores said the first two standalone Wilko “concept stores” will be opened in Plymouth and Exeter.
It comes just weeks after Wilko shut the final stores from the collapse of its 400-strong estate across the UK, leading to the redundancy of almost all its 12,500 workers.
Administrators from PwC ultimately sold a raft of Wilko’s assets in order to help pay off its outstanding debts after failing to secure a rescue deal for the entirety of the 93-year-old retail chain.
The Range’s owner bought the Wilko brand, website and IP in a £5 million deal last month.
CDS said it plans to roll out more Wilko stores in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2024.
Alex Simpkin, chief executive of CDS Superstores, said: “The public reaction to the loss of Wilko stores was undeniable.
“It’s clear that there’s a huge love for Wilko and we’ve seen an encouraging demand for the return of its own-brand products.
“That’s why we’ve taken the decision to reintroduce Wilko back to many of the high streets and communities that it used to so proudly serve.”
On Friday, The Range also started to sell Wilko products across its estate of 210 UK stores.
By Henry Saker-Clark, PA Deputy Business Editor


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The start-up eduwo from Winterthur in the canton of Zurich has enjoyed a successful 2021 so far. For example, the comparison platform for the education sector secured additional support as part of a financing round, further details of which can be found in a press release. This fresh capital is being used by eduwo to invest in further growth, while there is also a focus on sales, among other aspects. In this regard, the start-up has actually already achieved a milestone: customer numbers have been doubled in 2021, while a threefold increase has even been recorded for the number of platform users.
The start-up is currently working to expand its service portfolio. For example, it has recently started offering a comparison function for educational opportunities as well as the placement and booking of talents for suitable courses. Moreover, eduwo is advising companies on the selection of further training courses. “After consultations with innovative companies, we found that finding suitable training for employees is also a hurdle”, explains co-founder and COO Benjamin Vidas. However, the start-up has agreed terms on a strategic cooperation with the Swiss Banking Association in this area, while agreements with more than 40 companies including Microsoft Switzerland, the Swiss retail and wholesale group Coop and the cooperative banking organization Raiffeisen Switzerland have already been activated, with the aim of “forging a connection between education and career”.
Eduwo has also announced that its Board of Directors has been bolstered by the appointment of two new members, namely Viktor Calabrò, founder and member of the Board of Directors of Coople, and Peter Petrin, CEO of Academia Group Switzerland. "We are delighted with the experience in the fields of start-ups and education that our two new board members will bring to the table. This will prove extremely valuable for our further growth”, explains Raphael Tobler, CEO and co-founder of eduwo.


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While we wait patiently for the 4th installment of the Jurasc Park franchise to hit the big screen, Universal Pictures is offering up a special treat this spring which should have any fan of the popular series feeling all giddy inde.
On April 5, 2013,
Steven Spielberg's landmark film Jurasc Park will be heading back to theaters with a pretty little 3D make-over!
Check out the brand new trailer, with very familiar footage, promoting the 3D re-release below.
Source: the 'Bid


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There are some ‘troubling trends’ in sports drinks — and that’s bad news for Pepsi (PEP)
|05/16/2018||Posted by BusinessMediaguide.Com under General World News||
- Pepsi’s Gatorade drink will likely continue to be a drag on the business given the waning popularity of sports drinks in the US.
- Customers are choosing water over sports drinks, and many name health and wellness concerns as a reason for their change in behavior.
- US sports drinks are losing market share.
- Watch PepsiCo trade in real-time here.
More and more Americans are ditching sports drinks for bottle or tap water due to health and wellness concerns, and that doesn’t bode well for beverage maker Pepsi.
Gatorade, the company’s key sports drink, has been a drag on business and read more >>>


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FDA DIETARY FIBER HEALTH CLAIMS CONFERENCE SET FOR MAY 12-13
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
FDA DIETARY FIBER HEALTH CLAIMS CONFERENCE SET FOR MAY 12-13 will address "the criteria for determining whether significant scientific agreement" on the relationship between dietary fiber and cancer or heart disease exists, FDA announced in an April 7 Federal Register notice. FDA said it plans to divide the meeting into "four major parts" -- an opening and overview of dietary fiber, a discussion of dietary fiber and heart disease, a discussion on dietary fiber and cancer, and a discussion of the criteria for determining significant scientific agreement on dietary fiber health claims. A similar public conference took place in November to address antioxidant health claims ("The Tan Sheet" Nov. 8, 1993, pp. 15-21).
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News & Public Affairs07/15/14 Lisa Kauffman
WMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Controversy over who will purchase the Channelside shopping center could be resolved during a hearing in Delaware Tuesday.
The Tampa outdoor mall is being sold by the Tampa Port Authority, which got a $7.1 million bid by a company controlled by the owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
During a board meeting Tuesday in Tampa, Port Tampa Bay’s director Paul Anderson laid out the disagreement erupting because of a more recent offer by a challenger.
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"CBP LLC was declared the highest and ...
06/12/08 Mitch E. Perrry
WMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
The Tampa Port Authority has plans to build a new parking garage next to the current structure in the Channelside District.
But several members of the Tampa City Council tried to persuade the Authority today to allow retail shops to be located on the first floor of the structure to create a more vibrant area directly across the street from a current row of shops.
Charlie Clue is with the Tampa Port Authority; he says Tampa is now the seventh largest cruise port in the country.
Counc...Be the first to comment


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The next entry in the popular RPG series The Denpa Men will be a free-to-play title.
Denpa Ningen no RPG Free! will launch in Japan on July 23rd, and will feature items which can only be obtained by spending real-world cash. Aside from the teaser trailer below and the rather spare website, we don't have any more details at this stage, but we'll report back when new information becomes available — including the chances of a western release.
Genius Sonority president Manabu Yamana has previously expressed concern at the poor sales of the series in the west — perhaps this is a move to finally crack North America and Europe? Let us know what you think by posting a comment.


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More than 70 British business leaders have signed a letter concerning Brexit. They’re trying to urge a new referendum on whether the UK should stop being part of the European Union (UK). Are you concerned about growing your UK business? Where can you find the cheapest merchant services in the UK? This article is here to help you with all this.
UK Businesses for a New Brexit Vote
Over 70 business leaders have recently signed a letter trying to call for a public vote on the UK’s Brexit deal. The People’s Vote campaign was the coordinator of the letter. The campaign wants a ballot on whether to support the UK’s departure from the European Union.
In 2016, Britain voted to stop being part of the European Union. According to some viewpoints, the public should be granted another chance to decide on the terms of the departure and future relations with the EU.
James Daunt, chief executive of the Waterstones bookstore chain, Justin King, former Sainsbury’s supermarket CEO, as well as Marks and Spencer’s former chairman Lord Myners, founder of Lastminute.com Martha Lane Fox, and former chairman of Rolls-Royce Sir Simon Robertson are among those who’ve signed the letter.
According to the chief executive of Waterstones and former Sainsbury’s boss, “destructive hard Brexit” will cause damage to the country’s economy. German carmaker BMW says there’re still uncertainties around the political situation in the country, so they should be prepared for the worst-case scenario. This is what a no-deal Brexit would account for.
As a senior executive at one of Britain’s major banks has mentioned, this was the most disastrous governments he’d ever seen. He further mentions that the whole world is looking at them and laughing. He believes it’s time to have some stability, which will help businesses avoid uncertainties. The UK really needs this.
UK Businesses vs Brexit: Cheapest Merchant Services
The above-mentioned letter says that UK businesses are now faced with either a blindfold or a destructive hard Brexit. Both of them will further depress investment and won’t prove to be good for working people or businesses. As for Prime Minister Theresa May, she’s noted that asking the public for a second vote would be a betrayal of the public’s trust.
Are you a merchant trying to find a reliable and experienced merchant services provider that can help you grow your business easily? Well, turn to a payment expert in the UK that can guarantee the most honest snapshot of companies at the time of writing to help you enjoy the cheapest merchant services.
Work with merchant services comparison company that can offer a free consultation, contract reviews, as well as rates, and fees. Be sure the company checks each processor’s integration process so to ensure you’re not ending up with extra payments that may be caused by misleading terminology, hidden costs, and deceptive sales tactics.
According to a recent survey of over 1.000 business leaders, they’re for a so-called People’s Vote. Their support for the vote is growing, with almost 3 out of 5 supporting the poll.
Author Bio: Payment industry expert Taylor Cole is a passionate merchant account expert who understands the complicated world of accepting credit and debit cards at your business. His understanding of the industry has helped thousands of business owners save money and time, as well as get the cheapest merchant services.


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These are either the best ever mockup images of the one and only Apple Tablet, or they’re the real deal. Either way, we’ve just spied newly “leaked” images of what is supposed to be the widely rumored and highly anticipated tablet device from Cupertino. The photos depict a seriously slim slate showing off its svelte frame as it sits atop of a MacBook Pro – possibly too convenient a photo opp, if you ask us.
The photos come from user interface “maker” Dustin Curtis’s Posterous page. If the name rings a bell, that’s because you probably remember his redesign of American Airlines’ AA.com website, which eventually got an AA employee fired over their commentary on Dustin’s website remake. The photos look real enough, and they match up to what Apple’s tablet looks like in our collective minds. But, to us, Dustin seems an unlikely candidate to have pre-release access to the Apple Tablet.
Still, these purported tablet images are too good to dismiss off-hand. Like we said, they’re either damn good or legit.
Apple is expected to unveil their tablet at the Jan. 27th launch event in San Francisco, so we’ll definitely know for sure how legit these pics actually are in a couple days.
What do you think? Real or just a really good fake?
[DustinCurtis via: Mashable]


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Travel website TripAdvisor has warned some customers they might receive spam after email details were stolen by hackers from its site.
It has been a hectic seven days on the security front with RSA's servers being breached, Play.com having to admit customer records had been hacked and now the TripAdvisor admission.
The travel specialist posted a warning on its website over the breach: "We discovered that an unauthorised third party has recently stolen part of TripAdvisor's member email list."
It added that it had, "identified the vulnerability, shut it down and are vigorously pursuing the matter with law enforcement."
But the attack comes just a couple of days after Play.com saw one of its third-party marketing suppliers hit by hackers and has raised the fears that customer emails are becoming increasingly vulnerable.
"Even though no passwords appear to have been stolen most people will not cheer at the prospect of even more Spam," said Paul Vlissidis, technical director at NGS Secure, part of NCC Group.
But he added that there was likely to be some implications for TripAdvisor following the attack.
"Individuals place trust in sharing their data via a website and this trust is often linked to the brand. Well known brands, such as this, being hacked undermines that trust," he said.


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(Pocket-lint) - The company well-known for making the Light L16 camera with 16 lenses and capable 81-megapixel images is now turning its attention onto phones. It is developing a new, multi-lens camera system that smartphone manufacturers can adopt for super high-end photo capture.
Light has already shown prototype devices, with both five and nine-lenses, that are capable of shooting pictures up to 64-megapixels.
However, even with that many lenses on the rear, The Washington Post reports that the prototype handset is no thicker that an iPhone X.
Having that many camera units also enables much better low light photography, claims Light. It also means that better depth perception can be utilised for better bokeh and the like.
The company also claims that it is close to turning the concept into a full consumer release, thanks to an investment partnership with Taiwanese phone maker Foxconn. The Post says that a full version will be announced later this year.
We don't have any other information at present but we doubt the final model with be in the "affordable" category. The Light L16 camera, for instance, costs £1,850.
There are less camera units on the phone equivalent but plenty of other tech inside. And you wouldn't want entry to mid-range phone spec on the back of such high-end photography tech.


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The Galaxy Note 7 was banned from planes because of the risk of overheating batteries. Samsung opened that door in January when it embarked on a mea culpa tour. Beyond spelling out the cause of the overheating problem in its popular phone, the company unveiled an eight-point battery check system it said surpassed industry practices, and it invited rivals to follow its model. The upcoming Galaxy S8 was among the first phones to go through the new process. "This is another opportunity to definitely increase the level of standard of excellence regarding lithium ion batteries, not just for Samsung, but throughout the entire industry," D.J. Koh, Samsung's mobile chief, said in an interview in January, touting the system as a potential global standard.
But two months after the introduction, what's the industry response? A collective shrug, Interviews with phone makers and carriers found that while all placed a high priority on safety, few would talk specifically about Samsung's new battery check process or the idea of adopting it for themselves, Many expressed confidence that the processes they had in place lovecases marble iphone 8 / 7 case - black reviews were already sufficient, Thanks to the Note 7, the explosive nature of lithium ion batteries is once again a fresh worry for consumers, Overheating batteries were behind all those hoverboards catching fire, and even temporarily delayed the rollout of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Apple, too, dealt with battery fires, even if it blamed the cause on external damage, For Samsung, the world's largest phone maker, the recall was one heck of a black eye..
That's not to say these others aren't quietly looking into the issue. "I'm sure the engineers will be looking at the info Samsung made public," said a spokesman for a high-profile phone maker who asked not to be identified. "I'm sure every [phone maker] will be doing the same."Just don't hold your breath for any public declarations of support for the Samsung way. A Samsung spokesman said the company began speaking with industry organizations in January and plans to continue sharing its findings from its battery research with the industry.
LG, Samsung's cross-town rival, has been the most vocal player, "We would rather lovecases marble iphone 8 / 7 case - black reviews learn from it, rather than enjoy it as competitors," LG Chief Technology Officer Skott Ahn said in an interview in January, For instance, LG emphasized a battery-puncture test that its newly unveiled G6 underwent, A company spokesman followed up and said that the company has been doing its own version of Samsung's eight-point check since before the Note 7 incident, LG has its own battery puncture test, Motorola, meanwhile, tests its batteries in its own labs and gets certification from third-party labs, "The internal Motorola testing provides an additional level beyond industry standards," said a company spokeswoman, adding that it conducts the same tests as Samsung, "We're glad to see other manufacturers also using these best practices."Apple and Huawei didn't respond to a request for comment..
Another phone maker said it took cues from wireless carriers, which score each vendor based on their performance during quality checks, according to an executive there who asked not to be named. The carriers themselves were hesitant to talk about Samsung and safety in the same sentence. "We are going to ask handset makers to validate that all the testing they do is in compliance with all safety standards." AT&T Chief Technology Officer John Donovan said in an interview in February. "Absolutely we're sensitive, given the recent issues."It's easy to understand why companies may be gun-shy when talking about this issue. After all, exploding phones could prove harmful to consumers -- a nightmare scenario. Another issue is the sheer amount of resources it would take to guarantee the safety of products.


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When we founded ExchangeRight, we decided to focus on recession-resilient tenants with investment-grade credit in the necessity-based retail and healthcare industries. We could not have chosen a better asset class to protect the capital that investors have entrusted to us during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the Coronavirus crisis, grocery stores, pharmacies, dollar stores, and other necessity retail and healthcare tenants are the only companies allowed to remain open and accessible across a growing number of areas throughout the United States.
During this time of economic uncertainty, ExchangeRight’s tenants remain responsible for all lease obligations, including rental payments, taxes, insurance, and other operating expenses. Not only are our tenants remaining open while many others are forcibly closed, but they are also experiencing record-breaking demand for their products and services during this difficult period.
Moreover, many of these same tenants are drawing on powerful logistics and distribution networks to help America fight the Coronavirus while providing the basic necessities and healthcare services that we need as a country.
We want to share just some of the encouraging news about our tenants, how they are responding to the crisis, and how they are well-positioned to serve the American people throughout the coming weeks and months.
“Dollar General wants to provide these at-risk customers with the ability to purchase the items they need and want at the beginning of each day to avoid busier and more crowded shopping periods.”
“The company recently collaborated with industry partners as well as healthcare administrators to provide access to government-run COVID-19 testing facilities.”
“Kroger’s policy is a good short term response to the current wave of panic we are facing across the U.S. and more retailers are likely to follow suit.”
Our thoughts and prayers extend to all who have been and continue to be, impacted by this crisis.


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CLERMONT-FERRAND, France, May 2, 2019 /3BL Media/-- On behalf of the Consortium, Carbios, (Euronext Growth Paris: ALCRB), a company pioneering new, bio-industrial solutions to reinvent the lifecycle of plastic and textile polymers,and L’Oréal, worldwide beauty leader, are pleased to announce a major partnership with Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe.
With the scale and reach of its agricultural sourcing, PepsiCo wants to help farmers across its global supply chain become more sustainable. This is especially true of female farmers, who face significant barriers in what is increasingly being called the “crop gap.”
PepsiCo has launched an initiative to promote recycling across Latin America and the Caribbean. The company will use consumer incentives and a rewards program in the hopes of increasing recycling; the program, “Recycling with a Purpose,” will be expanded to 10 countries in Latin America over the next two years, the company says.
PURCHASE, N.Y., March 22, 2019 /3BL Media/ - PepsiCo announced today that it has helped more than 22 million people in underserved communities around the world gain access to safe water since 2006. In the last year alone, PepsiCo and its partners expanded access for more than 6 million people, indicating the company is on track to exceed its goal to support a total of 25 million people with safe water access by 2025.
We’ve partnered with CARE to launch a global campaign that gives a platform to five women farmers in India, Egypt, Guatemala, Poland and the United States to tell their stories about the challenges they face, like so many women throughout the world. Through their stories, we hope to start a conversation about why it’s important to work together towards finding solutions to close the Crop Gap.
Watch these women’s stories, and vote for the film that moved you the most. By voting, you’ll receive a code for a $25 USD credit to use on Kiva.org*.
PURCHASE, N.Y., January 18, 2019 /3BL Media/ -- PepsiCo, one of the world's leading food and beverage companies, and The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN), a nonprofit organization that develops and supports food banks in more than 30 countries, delivered more than 85 million servings of fresh food to communities in need in 2018 as part of their partnership to strengthen food banks around the world.
NEW YORK and SINGAPORE, November 5, 2018 /3BL Media/ -- Circulate Capital, the investment management firm dedicated to incubating and financing companies and infrastructure that prevent ocean plastic, today announced that it expects to receive US$90 million in funding for its strategy to combat ocean plastic from several of the world's leading consumer packaged goods and chemical companies, including PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PE
PURCHASE, N.Y., November 2, 2018 /3BL Media/ -- As part of its sustainable plastics vision, PepsiCo, Inc. (PepsiCo) today announced a new goal to strive to use 25 percent recycled content in its plastic packaging by 2025.
PepsiCo will fund startups to learn how they do business and stay on top of the hottest food trends.
The company announced on Thursday that it is launching a North American accelerator program to help food and beverage startups grow.
The six-month program, Nutrition Greenhouse, gives ten startups $20,000 each and matches them with a mentor from Pepsi. The mentors will offer guidance on strategy, fundraising, product development, supply chain management and more.
At the end of the program, a winner will receive an additional $100,000.
PURCHASE, N.Y., September 6, 2018 /3BL Media/ - PepsiCo announced today the launch of its Nutrition Greenhouse accelerator program in North America, an innovation initiative designed to discover and support emerging brands in the food and beverage sector. The North American program follows the launch of PepsiCo's Nutrition Greenhouse in Europe, now in its second year. In 2017, eight start-ups in the European program delivered an estimated combined sales growth of over €10 million – a fourfold increase throughout the duration of the 6-month program.


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The Savanna Comics Choice Comedy Awards in partnership with Savanna are back and these are some of your winners to the 11th installment of…
We can taste the iPhone 5 now. It’s been a long time coming, but 2012 could be the year of Apple’s latest masterpiece. The Gear favours the iPhone 5 and has long been reporting on rumours that have leaked from camp Apple. Below is everything you need to know about the upcoming iPhone 5.
Next-gen iPhone ripped open, pictured, shamed — 10 August
It can only be speculated whether these parts are real, but they all fit together very nicely, don’t they?
A thinner battery could mean a slimmer phone and possibly greater battery performance. Both very good things.
9to5mac.com ran an iOS 6 emulator, tested the new scaling properties of iOS 6 and came up with some awesome proof-of-concept screenshots.
Twitter may be a good source of info in some circumstances, and the price sounds like a reasonable estimate.
Will it? Apple is holding an event on that date, whether its the iPhone, we don’t know. But it seems very likely.
This is the next-gen iPhone 5, maybe — 30 July
All of the most recent mockups look like this, but Apple could still be keeping the final design to themselves.
iPhone 5 to launch 21 September — 24 July
This has been proven correct, at least to the point that Apple is indeed holding an event on the 12th.
This smaller dock connector has found its way onto all the mockups pof the new iPhone. It is even on the Mini iPad mockups. Is it real?
The first leaked images of the front of the new iPhone. The mockups haven’t changed since, so these might still be accurate.
iPhone 5 launching August 7? — 17 July
Okay, so we know that this is wrong. The actual confirmed date being September 12th for an Apple event, and hopefully for the new iPhone.
The sellers of the iPhone 5 say that the product will land in Hong Kong first with a price of 5088 (US$798) to 6688 yuan (US$1049). China seems to be jumping the gun a little bit here.
The Swiss Army iPhone 5 — 25 June
Not really a leak, more of a wishlist of what the ideal iPhone should be. Zippo lighter in a smartphone? Yes please.
iPhone 5 pics leak onto the web — 18 June
In our opinion, these pictures are the best looking concept shots of the iPhone 5 yet. The phone looks legit but with all rumours, there’s a heavy chance that these are rendered shots. Anyway, it’s still nice to look at.
A little bit of design speak, some word on Apple’s Airdrop and a few more hot, sexy concept shots. Dig in.
3D maps and more — 1 June
What became a rumour is now true, thanks to iOS 6. We say goodbye to Google Maps and welcome in full 3D mapping plus loads more.
iPhone 5’s metal backing plate — 30 May
Now this is keeping it real. Shots of the metal backing plate of the iPhone 5 leaked out and seem congruous with the rumoured design of Apple’s newest darling.
A 3.95-inch display? — 22 May
We hope this one is true. Apple’s kept the screen size of the iPhone range locked in at 3.5-inches for yonks now. A slight bump in screen size is definitively in the works.
Or is it a 4-inch screen? — 17 May
A gambling man could bet even money on a bigger screen. Whether it’s 4-inches or 3.95-inches is anyone’s guess.
A flexy fantastic OLED screen — 16 May
Let’s chalk this up to a “maybe”. At this point though, Apple isn’t going to go full-Samsung and mess with its non-flexing Retina Display screen.
Crazy iPhone 5 concept shots — 7 May
Does what it says on the tin. These are the craziest concept shots of the iPhone 5 yet. The minds of the creative are warped indeed.
Awesome iPhone 5 concept video — 24 April
Now this, we love. It’s one of the best videos of a concept iPhone 5 and makes us beg Apple to make this a reality.
Even more concept pics — 24 February
These were some of the first concept shots to hit the Web. And damn, do these pics rock, and rock hard.
iPhone 5 for Q4 2012? — 22 February
This seems pretty spot-on. Apple’s gone and launched it’s new iPad ages ago now, with the iPhone 5 aiming for a Christmas launch (with some luck). If that doesn’t whet your whistle, try this tasty rumour.
iPhone 5 by design — 10 October 2011
What goes into the iPhone 5? What are the technologies we can expect? This little tidbit of information should set you on the right path.
Jailbreak iOS 6 beta! — 20 June
Oh yes. It’s barely even a newborn and iOS 6 has been broken. Here’s how it’s done.
iOS 6, all you need to know — 12 June
A top 10 of the best iOS 6 features to look forward too.
If you can’t wait for iOS 6, then mod an iPhone with these time-saving jailbreaking tips and tweaks.


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The lack of a consolidated desktop and CRM application is the most glaring hole in the contact centre industry, according to observers.
Speaking at the Customer Connect contact centre forum in Sydney, Dimension Data global CEO Andrew Briggs said contact centres will be unable to fully automate processes unless operators have an "easy to use desktop [CRM] that allows them to store and access information" across all customer "fronting" points.
Specifically, Briggs said centres need a CRM which allows operators to immediately access and input customer information, resolve and document conflicts, and lodge and forward data between customer access points.
"If managers sit in the operator seat they will realize the issue is not about the number of systems, it's about rapid access to the right information which allows you to identify sales opportunities," Briggs said.
"Improvement starts by managing everything as one holistic program with an aggregate view of all [customer access points] and consideration for interdependencies.
Only one delegate from about 80 - representing banks, state government agencies and enterprises - responded when asked by Briggs if they have deployed a "well constructed" desktop system in their contact centre. He said such a system would extend cross-selling and up-selling opportunities, reduce costs and, most importantly, improve customer service.
However, Briggs added that there are no silver bullets, noting that good governance requires solid process management. He cited statistics which revealed that contact centre operators spend 13 percent of their time idle, 61 percent occupied with customer service, and 14 percent training.
About 25 percent of the conference delegates said they have proper process documentation which Briggs says is essential for outsourcing, scheduling and reporting, and mobility.
"Quality outsourcing relies on quality process documentation above issues with language and culture," Briggs said, adding that most criticism is targeted at process management rather than technology.
Genesys global customer experience manager Vicki Shields said contact centres build a false sense of security around customer service levels because it is their focal point.
She said some 80 percent of businesses falsely believe they deliver superior customer service, while only 8 percent of their customers agree.
"A good customer experience will give you the edge because it can't be replicated, unlike technology," Shields said.
She said good customer service will remove silos, boost employee morale, and assert the strategic advantage of the contact centre to the business.


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internet logo 88.
(photo credit: )
The market for online shopping sites in Israel heated up this week when Internet portal Walla launched two new services for the local market: auction site WallaBuy, billed as the Israeli version of international giant eBay, and WallaPay, an epayment solution modeled after Paypal in the US.
WallaBuy CEO Uri Nadler said the site would make Walla the first major player to offer a consumer-to-consumer (C2C) marketplace in Hebrew. Although a number of English sites offer C2C shopping in the form of online virtual communities, Nadler doesn't consider them competitors.
"Those sites are usually just message boards or e-mail lists, while this is a full e-commerce site," Nadler said.
Inside Walla's system, users can create shopping accounts linked to their bank accounts, so that payments can be executed easily over the Internet. Shoppers can bid on items for sale, with the money automatically transferred to the buyer once the seller confirms receipt. Products also can be delivered by UPS for an extra fee.
Walla had attempted to launch a similar site in 2000, but Nadler said the market wasn't mature enough to sustain it at that time.
"People were a lot less confident buying things online then," he noted.
Now, however, online purchases from retailers and resellers are growing steadily in Israel, with an estimated NIS 1.5 billion in transactions done via the Internet last year. That, along with Walla's popularity and the new e-payment mechanism, will ensure greater success this time, he said.
Walla expects the site to generate NIS 300 million in annual revenues within three years, and reach profitability within two years. Sellers will be charged a six percent commission on every sale and, after an introductory period, will also pay NIS 3 for every item offered, as well as a registration fee.
The WallaPay system, like Paypal, is designed to make online shopping easier throughout Israel. Currently, adding credit card processing is a costly process for web retailers. Walla-Pay will allow anyone to process payments easily, with users needing to create only one master account.
WallaPay was created as a separate business unit from other Walla sites, and will be used for multiple upcoming projects, Nadler noted.
WallaBuy should not be confused with retail shopping sites, or shopping comparison sites like Zap and Shopping.com that can help a shopper locate the best prices online, Nadler stressed.
"There are no other major Hebrew sites facilitating sales between individuals in Israel," he said.
While some may consider the introduction of an "Israeli eBay" (WallaBuy is not affilliated with eBay) as a watershed event for the local economy, Englishspeakers have long benefited from grassroots online communities that allow users to exchange information about events, jobs, services, and numerous other topics in addition to buying and selling items.
The largest and most popular of these is Janglo, which has more than 9,000 members in the Jerusalem area and handles more than 3,500 messages a month. Many Anglo-heavy neighborhoods now have similar email lists of their own, some with several hundred members.
Israbid, an English site, already has attempted to replicate eBay's success in Israel launching its portal last September.
"Israel is the perfect market to launch an auction site, because everybody here knows everybody, and people are always looking for the best deal," said Israbid's founder, Nachum Kligman.
Because "the Hebrew market is very different," Kligman believes his site will not compete directly with WallaBuy.
The writer is the founder of Janglo
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Trade surplus exceeds US$1 billion in Q1
10:24 | 07/04/2014 Trade
(VEN) - According to the General Statistical Office, Vietnamese export revenues reached US$33.346 billion in the first quarter of this year and import revenues US$32.339 billion resulting in a trade surplus of more than US$1 billion.
Peru wants to expand ties with Vietnam
11:34 | 06/04/2014 Trade
(VEN) - Peru highly appreciated potential for business cooperation with Vietnamese partners, particularly now that Vietnam is a member of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). The fact that Peru opened its embassy in Vietnam in 2013 showed that the government of Peru wanted to further boost its ties with Vietnam. In the short run Peru would realize a variety of plans to tighten bilateral cooperative relations, particularly in trade and investment, Luis Tsuboyama, Charge d'Affaires of Peru in Vietnam, told Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh during a meeting on April 2 in Hanoi.
New step to support EU companies in Vietnam
09:33 | 06/04/2014 Trade
(VEN) - The EU-Vietnam Business Network (EVBN), the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (Eurocham) and the CCIFV (French Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam) have just made new step to support EU companies in Vietnam by inaugurating their joint offices in Ho Chi Minh City.
RoK, the largest investor in Vietnam in Q1
10:36 | 05/04/2014 Trade
(VEN) - Statistics from the Ministry of Planning and Investment showed that with US$534.2 million accounting for 26.1 percent of total new foreign direct investment (FDI) capital, the Republic of Korea (RoK) led 28 countries and territories investing in Vietnam in the first quarter of this year.
Vietnamese goods brought to rural areas
10:08 | 03/04/2014 Trade
(VEN) - Government promotional support and expanded distribution chains were some of important measures applied to help Vietnamese goods penetrate rural areas more easily.
Saudi Arabia-Vietnam trade to reach US$2.5 billion
09:21 | 02/04/2014 Trade
(VEN) - Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Duong Quang said that the two countries would strive to reach bilateral trade turnover of US$2.5 billion in 2016 in a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Economy and Planning Ahmed H.Salad on March 25 in Hanoi.
Trade surplus reaches US$1.01 billion
14:45 | 01/04/2014 Trade
(VEN) - The General Department of Customs said that despite a trade deficit of about US$279 million in the first half of this March, Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of US$1.01 billion with the world by March 15, 2014.


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Some of the best quotes from the tech industry this week
How one startup is using ‘hub & spoke model’ to provide affordable high quality learning services for children in Kenyan slums
Derek Paterson thinks the Commodore 64 is an absolute classic.
Marco Veremis, CEO & Co-founder of Upstream, shares his company’s latest research on mobile commerce in developing markets
We catch-up with Francis White from AliveCor about proactive heart health and how Kardia Mobile has been picked up by the UK’s NHS
New research from Ricoh reveals nearly 70% of young workers stay later than necessary in the office to appear to be working harder.
We catch-up with Cecilia Olliveira data manager of new Brazilian Cross-Fire app
Adam Meyer, chief security strategist at SurfWatch Labs shares his views
Dr Jessica Barker explains why human nature makes us easy to trick.
Big Tech’s lobbying spend is down significantly compared to last year.
Chris Morrison, CEO of Transparency-One, explains how graph databases can provide supply chain transparency to help mitigate the rise of substandard food
Phil Muncaster reports on China and beyond


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Finding a cheap used car is becoming harder and harder these days. People are still buying cars, just not new ones. As local deals get scarce, buyers are forced to go further away from their home towns to find reliable and affordable used vehicles. It's a good thing vehicle carriers are there to help them out.
Instead of hopping on a plane or train to pick up a car bought online, used car buyers are finding affordable vehicle carriers to bring the car home. The shrinking economy has brought down volume, so car hauling rates are also down. This lets buyers find the best deal, anywhere in the country, and have a vehicle carrier deliver the car to their doors.
The shortage is affecting dealerships as well. Auto dealers say cars are getting scarce because of the government Cash for Clunkers program and fewer trade ins. In the down economy, drivers are only buying a car out of absolute necessity. As a result, used car prices are up about $1,000 over last year. Some vehicles are nearly impossible to find, such as GMC pickup trucks that are only available for excessive prices.
Dealers are having difficulty even keeping lots stocked and are turning to the Internet to find used cars they can sell on their lots. The used car market is all that keeps some dealerships in business since new-car franchises have been terminated by many major car manufacturers. Dealers can buy at online auction and just press a button for a vehicle carrier to give him a shipping quote.


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** Thanks To thstone for the tip **
The Associated Press has learned that Toyota is sending new gas pedal systems to car factories rather than dealerships who want the parts to take care of millions of customers whose pedals may stick.
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons confirms information in a company e-mail obtained by the AP that says parts were shipped to factories. Lyons says that's how the company normally distributes parts.
But some dealers say they should get the parts first because they now have no way to fix the pedals on any of the 4.2 million recalled vehicles affecting eight U.S. models.
2011 BMW 335iS Photo Gallery
2011 BMW 5-Series Photo Gallery
2010 Detroit Auto Show Photo Gallery


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CRYPTO INDEX SERIES
CIS Gazette 2/Nov/2020
A summary of the weeks news & events in the Crypto/Blockchain world
Baby steps in digital payment
JP Morgan Chase has begun commercially testing its digital currency, JPM Coin, for use in cross-border payments by a large technology client. In beginning the testing phase, JPMorgan also decided to create a new business to house its blockchain and digital currency efforts called Onyx. The goal would be to have banks confirm payments have the proper account information and regulatory format before they are sent, preventing expensive rejections.
The Global Head of Wholesale Payments, JPMorgan Chase said that they are launching Onyx because they believe a strong change on commercialisation of those technologies, moving from research and development to something that can become a real business.
JPMorgan's move could encourage greater interest in digital currencies. Cryptocurrencies enjoyed a great deal of attention lately when PayPal announced that users could soon buy, hold, and sell crypto directly from their PayPal accounts.(1)
The European Commission shot down a petition to have a special fund that receives tax contributions from all European digital currency nodes and compensates victims of fraud, hacks, and theft. The petition was submitted earlier this year and it was proposed the creation of a fund that would receive a small contribution from each node in Europe, 0.00001 cents per euro. This fund would compensate victims of digital currency fraud, theft, and extortion in Europe.
The Commission pointed to the recent proposal on digital assets regulation in the European Union which it believes will protect European users. In addition, the region already has the 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD5) that creates legal certainty for users. The Commission also pointed out that it will be making more substantive changes to the anti-money laundering framework in 2021.(2)
Cryptocurrency users in India will be able to visit physical bank branches for crypto banking services as well as learn about cryptocurrency investing. This is due to a partnership between crypto banking platform Cashaa and The United Multistate Credit Co. Operative Society (United), as part of Cashaa’s expansion plan in India. Initially account holders will be able to buy and sell bitcoin (BTC), cashaa (CAS), ethereum (ETH), binance (BNB), bitcoin cash (BCH), EOS, litecoin (LTC) and ripple (XRP) in cash or with the account balance in Indian rupees. By increasing the exposure to emerging technologies, joint venture aims to rapidly expand to over 100 physical branches by 2021, employing thousands of skilled professionals in India. (3)
Coinbase has announced that US customers can now join the waitlist for its Coinbase Card, a debit Visa card that allows customers to spend cryptocurrency anywhere Visa cards are accepted. Coinbase claims it is “the easiest, quickest way to spend your crypto worldwide.” Previously, the card was only available in Europe.
There are several debit cards around the world that allow you to spend. But many platforms require you to load funds onto the card to spend them. The Coinbase Card eliminates the middleman, instead pulling funds directly from your Coinbase account. Other cards are limited to one or a few currencies; the Coinbase Card supports more than 30, according to the company and converts everything to US dollars before completing purchases and ATM withdrawals. There is an optional reward program as well which is only available to US customers for now. The customers can choose to earn 4 percent back in Stellar Lumen or 1 percent back in bitcoin. There is no issuance fee. In Coinbase’s app, you will be able to keep track of recent transactions and rewards earnings. You can manage your rewards currency there, as well as the currency you are spending with.(4)
Singapore’s largest lender DBS is launching a digital currency exchange allowing both institutional and retail customers to trade cryptocurrencies against multiple fiats. Apart from crypto trading services, the bank will additionally offer proprietary crypto custodian services and security token offerings. Through DBS Digital Exchange, SMEs and large corporates alike can also tap on a Security Token platform to raise capital efficiently through the digitisation of their securities and assets, enabling issuers to reach a wider base of investors that might not traditionally have access to such tokens.(5)
LATEST CIS GAZETTE ISSUES


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Amazon may no longer be the only game in town when it comes to aggregators and the online retailers they acquire. Several recent deals by startup aggregators indicate that Shopify is the up-and-coming M&A e-commerce platform. This trend may suggest that demand for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) businesses has reached a saturation point and that competing platforms offer more opportunity.
Cases in point:
Opontia, an e-commerce aggregator that has raised $62 million in two investment rounds since its launch in June 2021, is planning to use the money to acquire small E-commerce brands outside the U.S. that use Amazon or Shopify. The company is initially targeting companies in Poland and Turkey that use either platform. Its long-term focus is on Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
According to TechCrunch, “unlike the more prominent players, Opontia pursues an omnichannel model instead of a singular model targeting primarily FBA businesses.” Co-founder and co-CEO Manfred Meyer told the website that the company is “building a house of brands” that “focuses on marketplaces, website, Shopify and social commerce.”
“What we’re doing is building a setup where you can serve all the customers directly, not only on the Amazon marketplace,” Meyer said. “We give the founder an attractive exit, while also giving them a share in the future growth in the profit of the brand as we scale them rapidly.”
Per this article, the company is looking to acquire 20 more brands across Eastern and Central Europe and the Middle East over the next six months.
OpenStore recently raised $75 million to raise its valuation to $750 million just since its launch in March 2021. It’s now “the leader in the Shopify ecosystem,” one of its investors told Forbes. As of November, the Miami-based company had acquired about a dozen e-commerce merchants, ranging from jewelry to frozen food.
“OpenStore hopes to leverage its technology and superior resources to bolster the sales of the acquired product lines, eventually combining them under one e-commerce brand,” Forbes said. “The merchants fully sell their business; they cash out completely.” The company is headed by Keith Rabois, whom Forbes described as “a PayPal mafia member and the former COO of Square who also co-founded Opendoor, today a $13 billion market-cap business that similarly applies technology to automate flipping homes.”
Jack Abraham, co-founder of Atomic, one of OpenStore’s investors, told Forbes that “80% of surveyed smaller sellers on Shopify were open to acquisition.”
The Stable, a Minneapolis-based consumer brand agency, in December acquired BVA and Zehner, two California-based agencies that specialize in direct-to-consumer retailers that sell on the Shopify platform.
“Founded in 2013, BVA’s clients included Black Rifle Coffee, Chubbies, Red Bull, and Untuckit,” the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported. “Meanwhile, Zehner has launched over 100 Shopify sites for global brands such as Fiji Water, Johnson & Johnson, and Stamps.com.”
“With these two acquisitions, we are now best positioned to help brands activate across all channels for where the world of retail is now and in the future,” Chad Hetherington, CEO and Co-Founder of The Stable, said. The company now employs more than 500 people at its Minneapolis headquarters and several other cities. It also recently bought Walmart’s consulting agency, The Retail Firm.
Ecommerce Brands “is one of the newest consumer brand aggregators to emerge in a crowded space and aims to integrate with Cart.com to support the backend needs of brands as they scale,” TechCrunch also reported. The Atlanta-based company was launched in September 2021 and is headed by founder and CEO Mark Bickenbach, former business unit president of The Home Depot and CFO of its website, and board chairman Jim Jacobsen, former CEO of RTIC Outdoors and co-founder of Cart.com.
Ecommerce Brands “plans to acquire direct-to-consumer brands, integrate them on Cart.com and grow them in revenue and profitability, something that previously would have only been done on marketplaces,” Bickenbach told the website.
“Direct-to-consumer brands are limited in a number of ways, including scaling their operations and technology,” he said. “They run on thinner margins and focus on a single channel, so if you are trying to cover the fixed costs of business, putting money across channels is hard to do. That is where we see the opportunity to take a business—add the technology and let the operators deal with running a business.”
While Amazon remains the 800-pound gorilla in the e-commerce space, these recent deals by newcomers indicate that there is plenty of room for companies that operate on other platforms and that aggregators are shifting more of their investment dollars to them. It’s no longer an Amazon-or-nothing game.
What does Shopify have going for it?
Retailers can completely customize their Shopify store, with branding and customer relationship building opportunities, and can drive traffic from Google and social media—mainly Instagram—more fluently than they can on Amazon. As a result, they have the potential to earn better margins on Shopify.
However, from the aggregator’s point of view, it’s less easy to have a single playbook to scale the various companies they acquire. The more Shopify opportunities you have, the more marketing campaigns you need to do, but if the marketing campaigns are not streamlined, it can increase your costs, outweighing the benefits of scaling on Shopify’s platform. However, this doesn’t seem to be deterring the aggregators mentioned here.
Additional e-commerce platforms we believe aggregators may start to target in M&A acquisitions in the coming months include BigCommerce and Magento.
About FOCUS Investment Banking LLC
With more than three decades of experience, FOCUS Investment Banking is a trusted name in M&A advisory services worldwide. FOCUS works to understand each client’s strategic and financial objectives, craft the best plan to achieve these goals, and deliver success. Whether helping to sell, buy, or raise capital, FOCUS strives to maximize the value of every transaction to the benefit of its clients.
The FOCUS Investment Banking Process works. In our long history as a firm we have developed a core strategy to analyze and approach the market to find an ideal candidate to best meet the client’s needs. We engage clients as peers and understand the technical and operational nuances of the client’s business as well as those of the M&A process. We lead and execute every deal from start to finish, ensuring our disciplined Buyer Auction will deliver the highest valuation


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Yesterday’s US consumer price index report beat forecasts on the year-over-year headline rate, printing at 8.5% vs. estimates of 8.4%. On a monthly basis, the expected increase was just shy of the forecasts and it was this parameter which the market initially decided to focus upon. The reaction saw equities and US bonds lifted higher while the greenback nudged lower. The concept around this initial move was that inflation has potentially peaked and now the slow decline back towards more acceptable levels could begin.
However, this theme soon ran out of steam as reality kicked in. Participants reverted to the notion that consumers are being squeezed even harder at a time when wages are simply not keeping up with price rises. Stock markets reversed while the buck found fresh bids pushing the GBPUSD rate back down to $1.30.
Today’s economic calendar sees UK inflation data as well as a Bank of Canada interest rate decision where the central bank is widely expected to double rates from 0.50% up to 1%.
Written by Viv Savani. 6:20am, April 13th 2022
The details expressed in this market report are for information purposes only and are not intended as a solicitation for funds or a recommendation to trade. Cornhill International Payments limited accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damages suffered through any act or omission taken as a result of reading or interpreting any of the above information.


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Latest Sleep disorders Stories
New Sleep Health Index(TM) Reveals Snapshot of General Population WASHINGTON, Dec.
Low-quality sleep caused by sleep apnea can have all kinds of negative health effects, and a new study has found a connection between sleep apnea and biomarkers for dementia.
BOSTON, Dec. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, December 12, 2014 Human Design Medical, LLC (HDM) announced its Z1 Auto(TM) CPAP, which makes a quantum leap forward in CPAP therapy.
ReportsnReports.com offers "North American Sleep Apnea Devices Market" global research report in its store. DALLAS, Dec.
Online CPAP mask, machine, accessories and supplies retailer, CheapCPAPSupplies.com, has redone their site to help patients find the best CPAP equipment at the lowest possible price.
Pro Player Health Alliance promoting awareness and testing for obstructive sleep apnea has pushed treatments to record growth. Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) December 04,
Newest Offerings in Air Solutions Connected Care Platform, Advance Patient Care and Streamline Workflows for Providers SAN DIEGO, Dec.
Trial Initiated in Response to a FDA Pediatric Written Request to Study Xyrem in Children and Adolescents DUBLIN, Dec.
$30,000 Grant to Dr. Thomas Scammell Supports Ongoing Search for Narcolepsy Cure WORCESTER, Mass., Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wake Up Narcolepsy, Inc.
DailyGossip.org reviews the TMJ No More program, a new method that promises to teach sufferers how to overcome TMJ disorders naturally. Denver,Colorado (PRWEB)


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Headlines Tagged with Pipes — 527 headlines found
This will never stand. It is too stupid, too ridiculous and, frankly, too dangerous.... Let's hope the new Congress will pass a law reining in the FDA in their attempt to ban cigars and pipes from America, or the courts will side with small businesses an
Dec 13, 2016 Reason Magazine
added Dec 14, 2016 17:02
“After a thorough and detailed legal review, we are challenging this unlawful regulatory action in federal court to protect the statutory and constitutional rights of our industry and its members,” said Mark Purcell, ceo of the IPCPR at the time of the f
Dec 10, 2016 HalfWheel
added Dec 10, 2016 18:02
During 2000–2015, total combustible tobacco consumption decreased 33.5%...it was not possible to assess consumption of other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, hookah, or dissolvable tobacco, because federal taxes are not reported for those produc
Dec 9, 2016 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
added Dec 14, 2016 21:33
Xcaliber International, the leading manufacturer of 4th tier tobacco products, is pleased to announce the completion of a major addition to its manufacturing facility in Pryor, OK.
Dec 1, 2016 PR Newswire
added Dec 2, 2016 04:26
“We want an across-the-board ban on all flavours, across-the-board protection for all workers from second-hand smoke, and we want the legislation implemented in its entirety,” said Les Hagen, director of the advocacy group Action on Smoking and Health.
Nov 30, 2016 Edmonton (Alberta) Journal (ca)
added Dec 1, 2016 11:09
A letter Monday from the Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta to Health Minister Sarah Hoffman asks why the NDP Government continues to put off full implementation of the Tobacco and Smoking Reduction Act, passed three years ago by the Progressive Conservat
Nov 23, 2016 rabble.ca
added Nov 28, 2016 01:22
A German tobacco glass pipe maker on Oct. 11 filed suit in California federal court against a retail smoke shop, claiming that the shop has sold and continues to sell counterfeit products made by the pipe maker without its express permission (Sream Inc. v
Oct 13, 2016 Lexis Nexis
added Oct 13, 2016 21:12
In “Du Iz Tak?,” ...Carson Ellis has created a fantastic microcosm... (not to mention pipe-smoking roly-polies).
Oct 9, 2016 New York Times
added Oct 7, 2016 20:55
Miss Peregrine (a delightful Eva Green), welcomes him to 1943 with mad eyes and a Sherlock-sized pipe that she likes to clench between her pretty teeth...rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned).
Sep 30, 2016 New York Times
added Oct 7, 2016 23:05
There’s a nice pipe-smoking turn by Eva Green as Miss Peregrine (although like all smokers in the movies, she abandons her habit after the first few scenes)
Sep 29, 2016 The Guardian (uk)
added Oct 7, 2016 20:58


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Even Dolly Parton is a fan. The RV lifestyle has long been a lure for those looking to hit the open road while bringing a bit of home with them, and Parton, who commented on her love for RVs on a Late Night with David Letterman episode, is just one of many who long to head out to the highway. In Edmonton, interest in that lifestyle, even in a slower economy, is still quite strong, according to the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association of Alberta, with the recent Edmonton RV Expo and Sale show drawing around 28,000 people.
Even Dolly Parton is a fan.
The RV lifestyle has long been a lure for those looking to hit the open road while bringing a bit of home with them, and Parton, who commented on her love for RVs on a Late Night with David Letterman episode, is just one of many who long to head out on the highway. In Edmonton, interest in that lifestyle, even in a slower economy, is still quite strong, according to the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association of Alberta, with the recent Edmonton RV Expo and Sale show drawing around 28,000 people.
“About 21 per cent of households in Alberta own an RV, the highest proportion in Canada,” said Dan Merkowsky, executive vice president of the RVDA of Alberta.
But while buying an RV definitely has its pros, one con for those who want to pamper their new vehicle could be the question of where do you park it? If you’re an Edmonton homeowner you can only park your RV — if you’re parking on a city street between April 1 and October 31 — immediately beside your residence and for no more than 72 consecutive hours. Further, RVs cannot be stored on city streets between November 1 and March 31. If you actively use your RV between November 1 and March 31, the same 72-hour parking limit applies.
“I’ve worked with a couple of clients in recent years where it has been a bit of an issue when they have larger RVs,” said realtor Steve Sedgwick, with Royal LePage Noralta. “It’s challenging to find a property with room to park it within Edmonton’s city limits. Most of those people have been shopping for a property in the metro area, and what they find is there are a lot more acreage or rural options available, but they typically reject that option due to the maintenance obligations that come with a property of that style.”
That doesn’t mean you can’t find an Edmonton home that will work for RVs or have covered garages able to accommodate the larger vehicles, added Sedgwick, who was voted best realtor in Edmonton for 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 in the Best of Edmonton Awards.
“Within the city there are still properties like this that come to market. They can be found sporadically throughout the city and with a wide range of price points, but it is quite uncommon to find covered RV parking,” said Sedgwick. “They don’t come up often in the resale market. Demand for that type of property feature is higher than the supply. There’s always a list of people waiting for that type of property, and if it’s priced appropriately it’s going to sell quickly.”
Arrive at Allard
Susan Johnson calls it an untapped market.
“We feel that it is a market that is underserved,” said Johnson, area manager for Bedrock Homes’ new Arrive at Allard development, explaining the thinking behind the southwest Edmonton project that will allow RV owners to park their vehicles indoors. “This is a market where they’re probably already in their dream home. The reason they’re looking into this is because the RV has become part of their lifestyle and they want their protected (parking) space nearby to store it.”
Arrive at Allard, which is still in its early stages, is a condominium bungalow project that is expected to be completed by late spring or early summer 2017. Eighteen duplexes and one-single family unit will be built with RVers in mind. The condos, which range in price from $575,000 to about $800,000, all include two-car garages and an up-to-50-foot-long RV garage with 14-foot high garage doors. Depending on the model selected — there are four styles to choose from — square footage starts at 1,176 and goes to 1,292, with the possibility of adding 800-plus sq. ft. by having the basement finished.
The homes, said Johnson, are not too large, as Bedrock took into account that buyers are likely to be travelling for a good portion of the year. As they are condos, landscaping and snow removal is taken care of. As for the finishes, Johnson said, “just because this is all about RV parking, it doesn’t mean you can’t do your home up fancy.” Expect higher-end finishes, 10-foot ceilings on the main floor, a backyard deck, and a choice of upgrades to take the home to an even higher level.
But it’s the RV-related features that just might seal the deal. For the duplexes, the RV garages are located in the centre of each building unit, meaning that the actual duplex living space is twice as far apart than that of a typical new single-family home. There’s also 30- and 50-amp panels you can connect your RV to, an automatic venting system, and sewer dump systems.
Don’t have an RV but still tempted? Johnson said the bungalows are also ideal for other outdoor toys, such as boats, ATVs, or even smaller car collections. Arrive at Allard will also include oversized vehicle parking for owners’ friends who visit with their RVs.
From high to low
If money isn’t an option, a two-storey Sturgeon County home was recently listed for a shade under $2 million. Not only did the house come with 6,000 square feet of living space, it also has an RV bay and more than 5,000 square feet of garage space that can fit at least 23 cars. At the other end of the spectrum, RV owners can just opt for outdoor parking in an RV park.
“There’s a reason RV storage is so prolific around Edmonton,” said Sedgwick. “It is because lot of RV owners don’t have a property that’s good for storage.”
Merkowsky said RV storage lots tend to charge prices that range from $40 to $80 per month. “There are a lot around,” added Merkowsky. “The trick is to find one close to your home.”
But other possibilities do exist.
“The most attractive properties for consumers when it comes to that characteristic [RV parking] is to end up looking for established properties in older neighbourhoods,” said Sedgwick, noting that buyers should not just look at adding RV parking but at finding a home they really like as well. “Some of the challenges then become do you have mature growth trees, and do you have to get it ready, as not a lot of people want to take out mature growth trees.”
While Bedrock’s Johnson said that baby boomers and snowbirds have primarily expressed an interest in the Arrive at Allard development, the RVDA says RV demographics are shifting.
“What we’ve seen at our (consumer) shows over the last three years is that the demographic is getting younger,” said Merkowsky.
Even though it’s baby boomers who are buying the larger motorhomes — with prices ranging from $100,000 to $400,000 — and it’s buyers aged 40-55 who are opting for a fifth wheel (24-foot to 40-foot trailers that require a truck to pull them) there’s also interest from a younger crowd.
“People in the late 20s and early 30s are buying starter RVs. These are 15-foot to 25-foot pull-type RVs — trailers that are more adaptable to being pulled by an SUV,” said Merkowsky, noting that the RV industry outlook, while currently down, remains strong.
“We had seven years of growth to about 16,000 new units (sales) a year until the economy dipped in 2015,” said Merkowsky. “From an industry perspective we’re not concerned about a down year or two, and the industry is now showing signs of growth.”
If that’s the case, Arrive at Allard may have company in Edmonton’s new home market in the not-too-distant future. And, according to Johnson, Bedrock is already considering the possibility of additional developments similar to Arrive.


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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — If you receive Social Security payments and you get a letter saying your monthly check is being deposited into a new account, don’t ignore it.
It could signal that your check has been stolen — by thieves who pilfer your personal information first, then use it when they contact Social Security and pretend to be you.
Since 2011, authorities have been tracking a nationwide scam that diverts Social Security Administration checks from seniors by rerouting monthly payments using direct deposit systems at financial institutions.
Social Security’s Office of Inspector General has logged 144 complaints from residents in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties that their direct deposits have been stolen, according to Jonathan L. Lasher, assistant inspector general for external relations.
In January, the agency had recorded 29,000 reports of questionable direct deposit changes to a beneficiary’s record, Lasher said. But that doesn’t mean every complaint represents a fraud victim, he said. Some changes or attempted changes resulted from duplications or errors.
Thieves perpetrating these schemes are often organized, elusive and extremely tough to catch.
Social Security’s Inspector General Patrick P. O’Carroll, who in September testified before a U.S. House subcommittee, called direct deposit scams a “serious challenge for the agency and its beneficiaries.”
Scammers typically gain the name, bank account number and sometimes Social Security numbers of victims through phony lottery and sweepstakes schemes using the telephone and sometimes email. Some phone scams involve criminals impersonating an official with the IRS, Medicare or Federal Emergency Management Agency who try to extract personal information from unsuspecting seniors.
O’Carroll said last year federal agents tracked one criminal group with roots in Jamaica that “reached across the United States.”
“Suspects have predominantly targeted older citizens’ personally identifiable information through various methods of social engineering, such as telemarketing and lottery schemes,” O’Carroll testified.
Federal officials say once thieves gain a victim’s personal information, they use it to pose as the beneficiary to contact Social Security by phone, mail and the Internet to reroute checks to a financial account the thief controls. Funds often are diverted to prepaid debit cards that come with a bank account and routing number.
To their detriment, some seniors are ignoring a letter sent by Social Security that announces a change to their direct deposit payments has been received and was being implemented “as requested.”
However, the “request” to redirect a deposit was all part of the fraud, many seniors discover, generated by whoever obtained enough personal information to impersonate a legitimate beneficiary.
Prepaid debit cards
O’Carroll in September told Congress beneficiaries can redirect their benefits to a prepaid debit card by using any of Social Security’s direct deposit change methods, including the phone and Internet.
Because debit cards can be purchased at retail stores or online, O’Carroll has urged the U.S. Treasury to develop unique routing numbers for prepaid debit cards.
“These cards are particularly tempting tools for benefit thieves,” O’Carroll testified in September.
According to Brian Ruby, with the public relations firm ICR in Norwalk, Conn., Green Dot Corp. is the program manager for Wal-Mart’s MoneyCard prepaid debit card issued by GE Capital Retail Bank. Green Dot also issues its own prepaid debit cards under the names “Green Dot Prepaid Visa” cards and “Green Dot Prepaid MasterCard” cards, which are issued by Green Dot Bank and are sold at 60,000 retail stores nationwide such as CVS and Walgreens.
In a statement from Green Dot Corp., which Ruby emailed to Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, the company said it uses “stringent and highly robust” identity verification systems and technologies.
“We have partnered with the (U.S.) Treasury and the Social Security Administration to help minimize the risks to the financial system posed by identity thieves,” Green Dot stated. “Despite these efforts, we are aware that identity thieves are constantly becoming more sophisticated in the tactics they deploy to obtain the information used to defraud individuals, the government and the banking system.”
Stopping the Scam
Miami-based U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer said South Florida and the Treasure Coast have seen a sharp increase in stolen identity crimes, including the Social Security direct deposit scam, mortgage and tax refund fraud. He said in 2011 Florida recorded the highest identity theft rate in the country, logging 178 complaints per 100,000 residents.
Ferrer noted the 2012 federal case of Jakisha Fergus and Natalie Underwood, who were convicted in West Palm Beach of acquiring stolen Social Security numbers to reroute benefit checks to Direct Express debit cards issued by Social Security.
“When law enforcement searched the defendants’


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E-commerce operators in Nigeria have expressed their dissatisfaction over what they described as heavy restrictions by state governments and law enforcement officials.
According to them, at a time when global players in the e-Commerce sector have seen the peculiarities of their operations come to the fore in helping governments and people in other climes observe social distancing and stay in supply of essential items without leaving their homes, the Nigerian e-Commerce sector was instead buckling under the weight of heavy of government restrictions on deliverables.
The Nigerian e-Commerce operators who compared their local operations with that of global operators, said e-Commerce giants in other climes such as Amazon and Alibaba, for instance, have played important roles in the fight against COVID-19 in other parts of the world, working in concert with the government in helping people ensure social distancing through wholesome adoption of online and contact-less shopping.
They, however, said investigations revealed a sorry tale of huge pains and frustrations among e-Commerce players in Nigeria, in stark contrast to what obtains elsewhere.
According to them, research showed that in a number of countries and even in Africa, e-Commerce players have been supported and encouraged by the government in the fight against COVID-19.
They said the Nigerian government and some state governors have not only failed in openly backing the operations of e-Commerce players as an essential ally in the COVID-19 crisis, but a situation where security operatives are frustrating the operations of e-Commerce companies due to the ongoing lockdown and border closures has further worsened matters.
A source at Konga, who spoke on condition of anonymity provided some insights into the situation.
According to the source, ‘‘E-commerce is a cost-intensive venture all over the world, one which relies on a number of very expensive applications, which must be constantly paid for. Konga, for instance, is burning a lot of cash to keep the business going and employing thousands of Nigerians directly and indirectly. “Yet, we are taking huge losses in meeting the commitments to our customers, many of whom rely on us for essential deliveries. Our merchants, who we also rely on us in meeting the numerous online orders, cannot open their shops due to the lockdown.
“These merchants are individuals who have all being trained on essential safety procedures such as wearing masks, gloves and social distancing and, as such, pose little infection risk. In addition, we have to endure undue delays in the course of reaching the customers. For instance, a truck making essential intra-state deliveries is often delayed for a minimum of six days, thereby causing huge pains for the company and consumers.’’


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While, the company claimed that it has sold over one billion cups of tea to consumers across 117 countries including geographies such as the US, India, and Russia.
“We believe in their vision of creating an omnichannel experience given the existing international appeal of their products and look forward to assisting them in their expansion plan leveraging our strong experience and connects,” Neelesh Bhatnagar, CEO of NB Ventures, said.
Teabox is an online tea shop that delivers, every single day, the freshest Indian teas from estates in Darjeeling, Assam, and the Nilgiris as well as freshest teas from Nepal to tea lovers everywhere.
While, founded in 2016, NB Ventures, based out of Dubai, is an early-stage venture fund and has funded over 30 startups so far.
These startups are spread across geographies like US, GCC, India, and France across key sectors including health and beauty, logistics, education, and sustainability.
“This funding has capacitated us to raise a significant amount for our future growth prospects and we are even more upbeat about the opportunities in front of us and are looking to build our expertise accordingly,” Kausshal Dugarr, founder and CEO of Teabox, said.
Teabox recently opened an experiential store at the Bengaluru International Airport and plans on opening a few more in the coming months.
The company claims that the tea leaves used in their product are sourced from over 120 estates across India and Nepal.
The company said that it has an in-house tea tasting panel with a cumulative experience of 100 years of picking teas for their texture, colour, scent, and purity. It is this panel that decides which tea gets on the Teabox catalogue.


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IND Vs SA | 3rd Test Oct 19, 2019
IND 224/3 (58.0)
Latest News on Instagram On Android
Showing of 0 - 10 from 7 results
Instagram On Android - Total results - 7
Aug 15, 2019
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Apr 07, 2012
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