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Vormetric, a Thales company and a leader in enterprise data protection for physical, virtual, big data and cloud environments, announced in conjunction with Wakefield the results of its survey about Americans’ use of internet-connected devices (sometimes called the Internet of Things or IoT), and their concerns about the hacking of these devices. The survey revealed participants most fear the hacking of their cars (61%) and home security cameras (also 61%). Other top findings include:
- 52% thought a virtual personal assistant such as Amazon Echo would be vulnerable to hacking
- 45% were concerned about the potential to hack smartwatchest
- While medical IoT security has received much attention, medical monitors register with less than a quarter of respondents (20%) and tie with refrigerators (also 20%); these devices are followed by fitness trackers (18%), thermostats (14%) and lightbulbs (9%)
Low ratings for the risk of hacking for some of these devices may simply reflect lack of knowledge about how dangerous the information collected could be in the wrong hands. A smart thermostat or lightbulb, for instance, can tell when people are at home – thereby opening up the possibility of theft when absent. A hacked medical monitoring device could become life threatening. In addition, any inadequately secured IoT device has the potential to compromise home computer systems through a home network connection.
“Consumers don’t seem to recognize the amount of sensitive data that these devices collect,” said Tina Stewart, VP of marketing at Vormetric. “Consider fitness trackers. These generate a continuous stream of location and health data that can pinpoint where a person is at all times when wearing the device. There are already manycases in the courts where Fitbit data is being used to corroborate testimony and check on people’s whereabouts. It’s important that people take the time to investigate the data security of their IoT devices. After all, personal and financial health could be at stake.”
Although still considered an emerging area, Americans are eagerly adopting IoT technologies. Almost half of the respondents polled are using internet-connected devices, with boomers (46%) lagging behind millennials (56%). The most popular devices already in use are:
- Autos (24%)
- Wearable fitness trackers (18%)
- Home security cameras or similar devices (9%)
- Thermostats (8%)
- Lightbulbs (7%)
- Smartwatches (7%)
“Given the exponential growth in the number and type of IoT devices, security should now be top of mind,” saidPeter Galvin, chief marketing officer of Thales e-Security. “From our experience, we’ve found that forward thinking companies are protecting themselves and their customers by ensuring that their IoT devices can be trusted, and access to the data generated controlled with encryption throughout its lifecycle – on the device, in transit as well as where stored and analyzed.”
For more information on how Thales helps organizations deliver digital trust across connected devices, applications and platforms, read about how Samsung is using Thales solutions to solve IoT security problemshere.
The Vormetric Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+ in July 2016, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
Please visit: www.vormetric.com for more information and news.


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Promotional clothing lines are a serious marketing opportunity for brands. Need proof? Consider the latest iteration that was unveiled this week in California.
Fast fashion retail chain Forever 21 and fast food chain Taco Bell have teamed up to launch the limited-edition Forever 21 x Taco Bell Collection, which officially hit the apparel retailer’s website and select brick-and-mortar stores this week. It debuted at a fashion show in Los Angeles on Tuesday and was announced on Taco Bell’s Instagram with the hashtag #F21xTacoBell.
Among the apparel pickings are cropped hoodies with the food chain’s iconic bell logo, graphic T-shirts, shiny metallic anorak jackets, and even colorful bodysuits that mimic Taco Bell’s hot sauce packets, featuring slogans like “Fire! Don’t Wait Up.” There are also youth T-shirt, hoodie and jacket options, along with iPhone cases. The men’s styles (including an anorak jacket with major color-blocking) are already sold out.
Taco Bell says the unconventional offerings are a serious part of its marketing strategy, which has focused on social media and millennial-centric branding in recent years.
“We really took pains to make this a legitimate collection that is relevant and fun and modern,” Marisa Thalberg, Taco Bell’s CMO, said in a statement. “We’ve seen our fans get individually creative in expressing their love for Taco Bell through fashion, and we believe this collection with Forever 21 is going to be everything they would expect from us in extending the Taco Bell lifestyle to fashion: original, affordable, creative, a little quirky and definitely fun.”
Taco Bell, which operates 7,000 locations across the U.S., is no stranger to branded merch. At the food chain’s online Taco Shop, fans can shop graphic T-shirts, hoodies, jewelry, notebooks, pencils and phone cases. One of its first forays into the fashion world was in 2014, through a partnership with Los Angeles-based streetwear brand The Hundreds to offer custom socks. And in 2016, Taco Bell opened a brick-and-mortar Taco Shop in Las Vegas, which sells apparel, towels, bikinis and swim trunks, caps, tie-dyed T-shirts, taco-shaped pillows and more.
In general, fast food fashion and branded merchandise are having a moment. Pizza Hut, owned by Taco Bell parent company Yum Brands, released a Hut Swag line in 2016, featuring items like snapback caps and T-shirts with slogans, such as “My Pizza My Life.” Another Yum brand, KFC opened the KFC Ltd. ecommerce store earlier this year, offering sweatshirts, T-shirts, socks, jewelry, scarves, lapel pins and pillowcases. And this summer, McDonald’s unveiled a playful Big Mac collection featuring pajamas and pillows, among other items.
Additionally, it seems tacos in particular have major branding power. The Fresno Grizzlies, a minor league baseball team, rechristen the team as the Tacos once a week during the season, with special Taco-emblazoned jerseys and caps. The name originated from Californians’ long-time affinity for taco trucks. “It definitely targets a younger crowd,” Sam Hansen, director of marketing for the Fresno Grizzlies, told Advantages magazine earlier this year. “Or at least that was the intention – I’ve noticed a lot of older people starting to wear Tacos jerseys and hats.”

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- Articles tagged "dream defenders"
Dream Defenders, a 3D animated series made by Singaporean studio Tiny Island, is going to premiere on Hulu and Hulu Plus this summer. We chat with David Kwok, managing director of Tiny Island Productions, on how the series came to be and the challenges of making a successful animated series.
- GoPower has a 15,000mAh power bank for your MacBook
- Apple is reportedly exploring how to charge an electric car
- Microsoft rumored to be launching new Xbox TV streaming devices and Xbox consoles
- Foxconn lays off 60,000 factory workers, replaces them with robots
- Microsoft cuts 1,850 jobs to streamline smartphone business
- Chinese firm to sell the world's first bendable smartphone by year-end
- Xiaomi's Mi Drone is the world's first modular consumer drone
- PSA: There's no such thing as WhatsApp Gold


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The global market for gas sensors was valued at USD 1,664.8 million in 2012 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period from 2012 to 2018 and reach USD 2,328.3 million by 2018.
A Coriolis mass flow sensor includes a flow tube, a light source, and a light pipe having a light inlet situated to receive light from the light source and a light outlet for emitting light received from the light source.
An open coaxial re-entrant microwave sensor has been used for the non-invasive and continuous monitoring of the sol–gel transition of physical gels characterized by different gelation mechanisms, solvents, compositions, and stabilities.
Onset Computer, makers of the Mac-based HOBO U30 Remote Monitoring System and HOBO Station products, on Monday announced a new Barometric Pressure Smart Sensor for use with those systems. It costs $249.
Detecting carbon dioxide emissions has always been a little hit and miss when it comes to larger areas: the sensor technology we currently have isn’t well-suited to large areas, and it’s extremely expensive.
Samsung has been focusing on health in its mobile devices for the last few years. With the Galaxy S 4, the company first introduced S Health for fitness and diet tracking, though it was pretty basic at the time.
Samsung recently launched their latest salvo in the smartphone wars, the Galaxy S4. Most tech writers couldn't decide whether they’d rather be bored by the phone or pan its ridiculous Broadway-style launch
Samsung next biggest phablet offering in the Galaxy Note series of handsets is still pending. However, going by the kind of rumors and leaks we are seeing for it, it won't be long before the device is made final for fans.
Some Technologies - a leading manufacturer of evidential breath alcohol testers and passive alcohol screening devices, is pleased to announce an Automatic Calibration, Gas Management and Record Keeping Station for Portable Breath Alcohol Testers.
In this study, an InGaP/GaAs heterojunction phototransistor (HPT) and a GaAs solar cell were monolithically integrated into an HPT epitaxial wafer, and the battery-free operation of the HPT was demonstrated for energy harvesting.
The market report, titled Advanced CO2 Sensor Market 2016, is an analytical research done by QY Market Research study based on the Advanced CO2 Sensor market, which analyzes the competitive framework of the Advanced CO2 Sensor industry worldwide.
The 'Global and Chinese Alcohol Tester Industry, 2016 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Alcohol Tester industry with a focus on the Chinese market.


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When Apple issued financial guidance back on Nov. 1, the company told investors to expect revenue of between $89 billion and $93 billion for the first quarter of its fiscal 2019. At the midpoint of that range -- $91 billion -- Apple was guiding for a slight year-over-year increase in sales.
The company's revised guidance is, for lack of a better word, ugly. The company is now calling for revenue to come in at $84 billion -- missing the low end of its earlier guidance range by an eye-popping $5 billion and the midpoint by a hair-raising $7 billion.
Let's take a closer look at what drove that shortfall and what it means for Apple investors.
The main culprit? Greater China
In a letter signed by Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple explained that although it had "expected economic weakness in some emerging markets," that weakness "turned out to have a significantly greater impact than [Apple] had expected."
Indeed, Cook claimed that "most of our revenue shortfall to our guidance, and over 100 percent of our year-over-year worldwide revenue decline, occurred in Greater China across iPhone, Mac and iPad."
He then went on to cite a number of factors that drove the shortfall, including a slowing economy in Greater China (Cook said that "government-reported GDP growth during the September quarter was the second lowest in the last 25 years") and also stated that "the economic environment in China has been further impacted by rising trade tensions with the United States."
As evidence, Cook explained that "[as] the climate of mounting uncertainty weighed on financial markets, the effects appeared to reach consumers as well, with traffic to our retail stores and our channel partners in China declining as the quarter progressed."
And, in what looks like a bid to show that this isn't an Apple-specific issue, Cook claimed that "market data has shown that the contraction in Greater China's smartphone market has been particularly sharp."
It wasn't just Greater China, though. Cook explained that "in some developed markets, iPhone upgrades also were not as strong as we thought they would be." He continued:
While macroeconomic challenges in some markets were a key contributor to this trend, we believe there are other factors broadly impacting our iPhone performance, including consumers adapting to a world with fewer carrier subsidies, US dollar strength-related price increases, and some customers taking advantage of significantly reduced pricing for iPhone battery replacements.
It's an iPhone problem
Apple sells a wide range of products and an increasing number of services, but the bulk of its revenue still comes from the iPhone. Cook stated that "[lower] than anticipated iPhone revenue, primarily in Greater China, accounts for all of our revenue shortfall to guidance and for much more than our entire year-over-year revenue decline."
Indeed, as something of a consolation prize for investors, Cook added that "categories outside of iPhone (Services, Mac, iPad, Wearables/Home/Accessories) combined to grow almost 19 percent year-over-year."
Unfortunately for Apple and its shareholders, Apple's non-iPhone business -- the business that's apparently, in aggregate, doing so well -- made up just over 37% of the company's sales during its fiscal 2018. It's hard for those businesses to offset meaningful shortfalls in the company's core iPhone business.
There's a 2013 quote from Cook that's often used to minimize the credibility of negative supply chain reports:
I would suggest it's good to question the accuracy of any kind of rumor about build plans and also stress that even if a particular data point were factual, it would be impossible to accurately interpret the data point as to what it meant for our overall business because the supply chain is very complex. And we obviously have multiple sources for things, yields might vary, supplier performance can vary, the beginning inventory positions can vary. I mean, there's just an inordinate long list of things that would make any single data point not a great proxy for what's going on.
Although it's still important to carefully weigh every data point that you get, the reality is that there were a lot of data points that, in aggregate, made it clear that this iPhone product cycle wasn't going right. These included everything from news reports claiming that Apple had cut production of its latest iPhones all the way to sharp guidance revisions from key component makers.
The key takeaway, though, is this: Apple couldn't deliver on its financial guidance during what is supposed to be the peak quarter for its latest iPhones. What I expect to happen now is that analysts will broadly reduce their Apple financial estimates and price targets, and I wouldn't be surprised to see many analysts who have buy ratings on the stock move to the sidelines for, at least, the remainder of this iPhone product cycle.
Until Apple's iPhone business shows signs of stabilization, Apple stock might prove to be a frustrating investment.
Check out the latest Apple earnings call transcript.


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February 2, 2022
LEGISLATIVE SESSION BEGINS
The 2022 Minnesota legislature convened this week. An expected budget surplus of over $7 billion is likely to influence many conversations in St. Paul.
Key issues for many of the state’s agriculture groups include biofuels, infrastructure, supply chain issues, sustainability, workforce development, drought relief, meat processing and a strong ag budget.
Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association Executive Director Allison VanDerWal joined the Linder Farm Network to highlight the Cattlemen’s priorities for the session.
Minnesota Pork CEO Dave Preisler says issues for the pork industry include upgrading the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at the University of Minnesota, funding emergency planning and response at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Taxes are also a concern.
SUPPLY CHAIN STILL KINKED
Transportation and supply chain issues remain a drag on many sectors of the economy, including agriculture. Cost increases and availability of shipping containers are a major concern. Eric Wenberg, executive director of the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance says the situation had shown some improvement, but bottlenecks remain, especially for shippers in the Upper Midwest.
PARTNERSHIP AIMS TO REDUCE PORT BOTTLENECKS
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack this week announced a partnership between the USDA, the Department of Transportation, the port envoy, and the Port of Oakland. The partnership hope to facilitate a quicker pick up of empty shipping containers, provide access so those containers can be filled with agricultural products, and avoid the congestion that often occurs in the ports. Vilsack addressed the partnership at a roundtable discussion held by Agri-Pulse and the National Press Club.
SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER?
Punxsutawney Phil’s shadow may foretell six more weeks of winter, but data from the Minnesota State Climatology Office shows January 2022 was colder than a year ago. Climatologist Pete Boulay says much of the state was drier and colder than a year ago. As a result of varying snow cover and cold conditions, frost depths in most areas are deeper than they were at this point in 2021.
SOYBEANS RIDE SOUTH AMERICAN CONCERNS
Weather and harvest issues in South America continue to give support to soybean markets. Even though only a small percentage of the crop has been harvested, drought conditions in part of Brazil and too much rain in other regions has many analysts, including international ag trade consultant John Baize expecting the Brazilian soybean crop to be smaller than anticipated.
Farmers, ranchers and landowners can now sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), The General CRP signup will run until March 11, and the Grassland CRP signup will occur in April and May.
Producers and landowners enrolled 4.6 million acres into CRP signups in 2021, including 2.5 million acres in the largest Grassland CRP signup in history. There are currently 22.1 million acres enrolled, and FSA is aiming to reach the 25.5-million-acre cap statutorily set for fiscal year 2022.
USDA GRANT AWARDED
Minnesota State University, Mankato and three non-profit partners were awarded a $224,744 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to increase food, gardening and nutrition education for youth in underserved communities.
** Upcoming Events
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
February 1-3 Iowa Ag Expo, Des Moines
February 14-16 MN Pork Congress, Mankato
March 8-12 Commodity Classic, New Orleans
March 23-24 AURI New Uses Forum, Minneapolis
** Farm Fun Fact
The largest potato every grown, at least according to the Guinness Book of World Records, weighed in at 10 pounds, 14 ounces, a was grown in England in 2011. Fries, anyone?


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|Archives - October 2009|
|Thursday, October 01, 2009|
One specialty shoemaker is seeing a bump in business as Oregon’s diabetes rate spikes.
Bill Crary, owner of Crary Shoes in Portland, says requests for customized molding for diabetics now make up nearly two-thirds of his overall business. And Crary believes the reason is clear. “In the last four years we tripled in sales,” Crary says. “That’s all due to diabetes.”
The growing demand allowed the Crary family business to open a second location in Beaverton last December. Working with daughter Meredith and son Nathan, Crary says the company now employs 11 staff, including four shoemakers. He estimates he sees 40 to 50 diabetics weekly, with an average customized pair of shoes costing Medicare around $540.
According to a 2008 report by the Oregon Department of Human Services, diabetes in Oregon has jumped 35% in the past decade. ODHS notes that feet are particularly susceptible to diabetes complications because the disease causes a lack of circulation, which corresponds with neuropathy, and if not cared for properly, gangrene. The American Diabetic Association says more than 60% of all lower-limb non-traumatic amputations are caused by diabetes.
Industry experts say specialized footwear for diabetics is becoming more mainstream nationally as the number of people living with the disease grows. Joe McTernan of the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association says Medicare orders nationwide for “off-the-shelf” orthotic footwear increased by 50% between 2003 and 2007. Gordon Rabing, sales manager for Amfit, an orthotic products and service company based in Vancouver, Wash., says many traditional shoe companies now offer two or three stock models of diabetic shoes.
Brian Lagana, executive director of the Pedorthic Footwear Association, says that across the country companies such as Crary Shoes have not been hit as hard by the economic downturn as other industries, with diabetics a significant part of their patient base. “You can certainly see an upsurge in diabetic individuals being treated,” he says. “And we’re only going to see that increase in the foreseeable future.”
WILLIAM E. CRAWFORD
Monday, July 14, 2014
BY VIVIAN MCINERNY | OB BLOGGER
Some people think Amazon’s winking eye logo is starting to look like a hoodwink.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
BY TOM COX | OB BLOGGER
Tom Cox interviews Dr. Mark Goulston, author of Just Listen, Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
By Kim Moore | OB Editor
The 2015 survey launched this week. It is open to for-profit private and public companies that have at least 15 full- or part-time employees in Oregon.
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
BY LINDA BAKER | OB EDITOR
Scott Kveton, the CEO of Urban Airship is taking a leave of absence from the company. As the story continues to unfold, here’s our perspective on a few of the key players.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Oregon Business magazine won two silver awards for excellence in writing in the National American Society of Business Publication Editors Western region competition.
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
BY JESSICA RIDGWAY | OB WEB EDITOR
Dress for Success Oregon promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and career development tools.
Monday, July 07, 2014
BY TOM COX | OB BLOGGER
Named after the 2010 experiment by Thomas Ryan, "Robin Sages" are fake social media profiles designed to encourage linking and divulging valuable information.
|The Private 150: Bigger But Leaner|
|The Perfect Food|
|Powerlist: Staffing Firms|
|Taxis Uber Alles?|
|Yellen says job market hampered|
|Gap goes to India|
|Federal directive threatens Oregon health reforms|
|Massive drydock to arrive this weekend|
|Ashland "bait bike" stolen three times in one day|
|Trimet awards GlobeSherpa mobile app contract|
|Tiny houses to serve as affordable housing|
Vigilant enters a New Year with a new president.
How George Fox has become one of Oregon's largest private universities.
Forest Grove sees growth in the burgeoning food and beverage scene.
Fifty-one Lane Powell lawyers were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® (Best Lawyers) 2015; of those selected, 23 lawyers are from the Firm’s office in Portland, Oregon.
Barran Liebman is proud to announce that Andrew Schpak, a Partner of the firm, has been named Chair of the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division for the 2014-2015 bar year.
Vanessa Sturgeon and Miller Nash LLP were selected as leaders in encouraging female advancement.


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The Town of Westfield and Volta Industries, Inc. (Volta Charging), an industry leader in commerce-centric electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, partnered to install six electric vehicle charging stations in strategic locations throughout Westfield at no cost to the town, providing residents, local employees and visitors with the ability to charge their EVs for free.
“The six Volta charging stations are an innovative addition to Westfield’s economic development efforts while supporting our commitment to sustainability,” said Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle. “In supporting the emerging EV market, we are leaning into the green economy to help drive our post-COVID economic recovery. These charging stations will provide convenience and additional incentive to shop in Downtown Westfield.”
Furthering efforts to establish a local green economy, the Town of Westfield anticipates the addition of several new businesses along North Avenue focused on sustainability – including a Karma Automotive Dealership, and Redi-farms, a hydroponic vertical farm to provide year-round locally grown produce to the community.
“Volta Charging’s mission is to make electric vehicle charging accessible, and we applaud Westfield in bringing this infrastructure to its residents,” said Scott Mercer, founder and CEO of Volta Charging. “We are thrilled to work with Westfield to reach its sustainability goals, help provide charging to its residents and assist local businesses with Volta Charging’s marketing capabilities. It’s a win-win for the local economy and residents as we look towards an electrified future.”
Two charging stations are located in Lot 4 (behind Baron’s Drug Store), two in Lot 1 (at Trader Joe’s) and two in Lot 2 (near the Fire Department). Volta Charging absorbs the electricity usage and installation costs, with standard parking fees for the use of the spaces still applying to those charging their vehicles.
Volta Charging’s EV charging business model is unique to the market. Centered around evolving spending habits caused by the move to electric vehicles, Volta Charging is transforming the fueling infrastructure by building charging networks in locations where drivers already spend their time and money, including grocery stores, pharmacies and other retail locations. Volta’s charging stations feature large eye-catching digital displays that function as a sophisticated media network, providing brands a way to reach shoppers moments before they enter a store. These sponsor-supported charging stations provide energy to customers who are able to plug in their vehicles where and when they shop. Volta Charging’s business partners who choose to have Volta charging stations installed report an increase in spend, dwell time and engagement on site. Currently located in 23 states and over 200 municipalities, Volta Charging’s approach has gained significant acceptance and penetration in the market.
Volta Charging recently partnered with Bergen County when it installed charging stations at the Bergen County Zoo in 2020.
To access more business news, visit NJB News Now.


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Malaysia Digital Week 2022 (MDW2022), organised by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the nation’s lead digital economy agency, returns in its fourth edition at the Connexion Conference & Event Centre, Bangsar South, from 11-14th October 2022.
Among the internationally-renowned lineup of speakers at the event include Lord Ed Vaizey, United Kingdom’s longest-serving former Government Culture and Digital Minister, Thomas Trikasih Lembong, Indonesia’s former Minister of Trade, and Winston Wenyan Ma, High-Tech Investor, Digital Economy Author, New York University Adjunct Professor. The event will also feature a host of other prominent and leading captains of the industry and other thought leaders.
Aligned with the recently-launched national strategic initiative, Malaysia Digital (MD), MDW2022 will help to drive MDEC’s goal to strengthen the nation’s position as the Digital Hub of ASEAN.
The premier digital tech conference in Malaysia will spotlight digitalisation of the nine tech focus sectors as identified under Malaysia Digital. It will feature power-packed and insightful conversations, discussions and keynotes around technology trends, case studies, progressive digital investment policy and regulatory frameworks.
Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Tpr. Annuar bin Haji Musa, Minister of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia (K-KOMM) said, “As the nation’s recognised digital investment promotion agency, MDEC will be working to catalyse the growth of the digital ecosystem and secure continued investments from technology companies through strategic initiatives. MDW 2022 will foster stronger relations and engagement with digital investment stakeholders from across the region. We are also looking forward to learning from the innovative ways industry players are using technology to shape an inclusive and equitable digital economy.”
In keeping with emerging corporate trends, MDEC is set to make several key announcements in enhancing Malaysia’s proposition as a prime destination for digital investments. In partnership with Huawei, a white paper entitled “Malaysia: Towards Becoming ASEAN’s Digital Capital” is set to be unveiled. The paper will identify Malaysia’s key strengths and opportunities, both internally and around the region as well as outline the building blocks for Malaysia to achieve this vision and the synthesis of numerous plans to elevate Malaysia into becoming a regional powerhouse for the digital economy.
Ts. Mahadhir Aziz, CEO of MDEC, said, “MDW2022 will provide us with the perfect platform to present Malaysia’s key digital capability and capacity propositions. Not only that, we are looking forward to expanding our horizons, engaging in conversations and exchange of ideas throughout the event, as we look further catalyse and accelerate the growth of the digital economy in line with the goals of Malaysia Digital (MD).”
The Ministry of Communications and Multimedia is expected to share the latest development on the National Data Sharing Policy (NDSP) which will enable data accessibility, increase data availability in the ecosystem and encourage data usage to foster the country in becoming a data-driven nation.
Through the week-long event, participants will be able to explore investment opportunities, gain valuable market access and insights, network with industry captains within the local tech ecosystem as well as seek collaborations with industry partners.
MDW 2022 is part of MDEC’s continuous efforts to drive digital investments (Foreign Direct Investments and Domestic Direct Investments) towards achieving RM50 billion worth of investment and creating 50,000 jobs by the year 2025.
Go to https://mdec.my/mdw/ to register for a complimentary (physical/virtual) seat.


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Alexa tripled its user base from May 2016 to May 2017 while Siri lost 15% of its users
According to Verto Analytics, Siri lost users from May 2016 to May 2017
What a year it has been for some of the AI personal assistants. Amazon's Alexa went from obscurity to the big time. Starting tomorrow, HTC U11 users in the U.S., U.K. and Germany will be able to use the EdgeSense app in the Google Play Store to set up Alexa on the U11. EdgeSense will allow you to have Amazon's AI assistant load up with a quick squeeze of the phone. Alexa can also be found on the Huawei Mate 9.
Verto Analytics tracked 20,000 AI assistants in the U.S. from May 2016 to May 2017. During that period, the number of monthly Siri users actually declined 7.3 million on a monthly basis. The average number of sessions with Siri per month/per user dropped from 14 to 5. Meanwhile, the number of monthly Alexa users rose 325% on a year-to-year basis. The number of sessions that the average user had with Alexa each month rose from 6 to 16 for the year ended May 2017.
The study has found that assistants primarily used on mobile handsets like Siri and S Voice are losing popularity (although Cortana goes against that trend). Personal assistants that focus on home based computing, like Alexa and Google Home, gained users in the 12-months that ended last May. Alexa and Cortana more than tripled their respective bases to 2.6 million users and 700,000 users respectively.
Interestingly, the study found that more women than men use personal assistants (54% of users are of the fairer sex). And the average super personal assistant user, who uses the feature more than twice as often as others, is a 52-year old woman using personal assistants 1.5 hours per month. Assistant use peaks at 10am and 1pm each day, and climbs from 2pm to 7pm before slowing down for the evening.
While Siri remains the most popular assistant in this survey, you might have noticed that Google Search is not included. Verto was only measuring the use of Google and its competitors for assistant-type tasks on mobile.


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Bamburi Cement: How we clinched SGR supplies deal
Bamburi Cement has a tight grip on the country’s cement market, and according to country CEO Bruno Pescheux, the firm is not about to relinquish its position as the country’s largest producer.
This is part of the reason the company was willing to change its standards to secure a supplier deal with China Road and Bridge Corporation, the contractor for the standard gauge railway (SGR) project.
Mr Pescheux added that his firm — a subsidiary of France’s Lafarge, one of the world’s largest suppliers of building materials — is secure enough in its investments to face off competition from Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, who has in the past announced plans to put up a cement plant in Kenya.
And while the CEO was willing to talk about plenty, he said he could not comment on whether Lafarge’s stake in East African Portland Cement amounts to a conflict of interest.
How did you get the deal to supply cement for the SGR project?
“The Chinese said, ‘We know Bamburi, they produce cement of good quality and quantity’.
But they wanted products that would comply with Chinese standards. Bamburi also has its standards. We were, therefore, forced to change our standards. We did not want to lose the market to imports, so we adopted their standards.
How has the SGR project added to your bottom line or market share?
What we should not forget is that this project is supplied with Kenyan cement. This was not obvious at the very beginning, but at least now, the cement is manufactured and produced in Kenya.
This means that the taxes that I am paying are more now than before as I am selling more. It also means that I have employed more people for maintenance and repair — we cannot afford to leave the plant idle for a few days.
It has also had a positive effect on the company’s financial performance, and we have increased our size because we did not want to lose what is the core of our business, which is the customer base of the company. We could have lost market share if we had allowed the cement to be imported.


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White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow has confirmed Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with top U.S. officials as trade talks continue in Beijing.
As top trade negotiators prepare to travel to China this week to continue talks, the White House is shedding some light about an anticipated summit between President Trump and his Chinese counterpart.
In what could be a blow to reaching a trade deal, a new report is claiming President Trump is highly unlikely to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping before the 90-day tariff truce is over.
A new bombshell report is indicating that President Trump’s aggressive trade strategy on China could result in a historic new agreement.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is declining an offer to testify about how the government shutdown has affected the economy.
A high-level trade meeting between the U.S. and China is set to take place in less than two-weeks.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders recently reaffirmed the Trump administration’s economic stance, dismissing claims the partial government shutdown will severely hurt the economy.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin defends the decision to lift sanctions on Russian companies linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
It appears trade talks between the U.S. and China are going well as reports suggest the two sides are getting closer on settling their differences.


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Unquestionably, one of the most anxiously anticipated business announcements for 2018 continues to be which North American city Amazon will choose as the site of its $5 billion, eventual 50,000-employee HQ2. One reason why the ecommerce giant needs a HQ2 is that the company has outgrown its 8.1 million-square-foot Seattle HQ1, and there’s simply not enough land left in that city to expand.
That begs the question, can’t Amazon just build up? There are not giant swaths of land available in major cities like New York or Boston, either. But that doesn’t stop businesses from expanding. The answer to the question is, yes Amazon could build up. It’s choosing not to, because going horizontal (ie: building “landscrapers” instead of skyscrapers) is a growing trend in office design.
Big Names are Championing This Trend
Apple’s 175-acre, 12,000-employee Cupertino, CA, spaceship-inspired Apple Park campus doesn’t just house employees, it also houses its own Visitor Center, complete with shopping and dining opportunities. Amazon’s current downtown Seattle campus has a 40,000-plant tropical forest where employees can commune with nature. Google’s planned 4,000-employee London headquarters will include a swimming pool and running track, in addition to other amenities.
These companies have chosen campus like workspaces that cover vast areas, rather than skyscrapers with the company expanding between many floors.
Another reason why this trend is primarily confined to the biggest companies is that creating a campus-style workplace only makes sense if a company’s workforce is large enough to justify that. Creating multiple buildings over multiple acres wouldn’t be financially feasible for a company employing fewer than 100 employees; or fewer than 1,000.
Why More Companies are Concluding Building Out is Better than Building Up?
This landscraper trend is driven by the same thing that drives so many other office-design trends: the desire to promote a collaborative work environment. When employees are encouraged to interact in the office and outside the office – while walking from one building to another in a campus setting, there’s more of an opportunity for innovation. When accounting is located on the 16th floor (and has its own break room, restrooms, etc.) and customer service is located on the 8th floor, there’s little opportunity to mix and mingle in an organic way. This mixing and mingling leads to conversations, and ideas, that wouldn’t otherwise occur.
Additionally, building out rather than up removes the sense of a corporate hierarchy and is less likely to lead to a toxic “us versus them” culture that pits one department against another. From a construction standpoint, having plenty of horizontal space to work with is far less constrictive than having a finite vertical footprint to work with.
The huge campus-style workplaces of Google, Apple, Amazon and other major corporations aren’t possible for most small to mid-sized companies – or even for very large companies in cities with limited space, like New York. However, in 2018 more organizations will do what they can to emulate these campus to the degree its possible. This may mean opting for spaces with larger floor plans on a single building level so they can avoid splitting employees up between floors.


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Home Depot Inc., the largest U.S. home-improvement retailer, posted second-quarter profit that topped analysts' estimates and raised its forecast for the year as sales of seasonal merchandise rebounded. The shares gained.
Net income in the three months through Aug. 3 rose 14 percent to $2.05 billion, or $1.52 a share, from $1.8 billion, or $1.24, a year earlier, the Atlanta-based company said today in a statement. The average of 25 analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg was $1.44.
Chief Executive Officer Frank Blake has focused Home Depot on boosting sales from existing locations and investing in e-commerce, rather than opening new stores. Second-quarter revenue gained 5.7 percent to $23.8 billion, topping analysts' average estimate of $23.6 billion, helped by improved weather and rising home prices that are spurring consumers to spend on renovations.
Profit this year will be $4.52 a share, including the benefit of share repurchases, Home Depot said. The company had forecast $4.42.
Home Depot rose 3.3 percent to $86.35 at 6:36 a.m. in New York. The shares gained 11 percent in the 12 months through yesterday. That compares with a 15 percent advance for Lowe's Cos. and a 19 percent increase for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.
A harsh winter and late spring this year delayed purchases of seasonal items such as landscaping materials, hurting Home Depot's results in the first quarter. Sales in those categories rebounded in the second quarter, Blake said in today's statement.
Same-store sales, considered an important measure of performance because only established stores are counted, rose 5.8 percent. Analysts expected a gain of 4.4 percent, according to Consensus Metrix.
Rising housing prices have prompted consumers to spend more on their homes, helping both Home Depot and Lowe's Cos., which reports second-quarter results tomorrow.
While values have been consistently gaining for more than two years, the growth slowed to a 4.4 percent advance last quarter from an increase of 8.3 percent in the first quarter, according to the National Association of Realtors. Price appreciation is moderating as more properties are listed for sale and buyer demand slows, the group said.
Limited availability of credit, sluggish wage gains and higher interest rates are also proving to be obstacles to the continued housing recovery. Pending sales of previously owned homes fell 1.1 percent in June, the realtors group said last month.
Home Depot said it had about 409.7 million customer transactions in the quarter and that the average purchase increased 1.8 percent to $58.43.
Home Depot has bought back $3.5 billion in shares this year and said it will repurchase another $3.5 billion over the remainder of the year.
To contact the reporter on this story: Matt Townsend in New York at mtownsend9bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7bloomberg.net Kevin Orland, Kim McLaughlin


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Taking forward the momentum of the Government's flagship "Digital India" program, aimed at transforming the nation into a digitally empowered society and enhancing the state of Governance in the country, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce ... EFYTimes.com, 4 days ago
2 images for "pankaj mohindroo"
BHUBANESWAR: Mobile phone industry is beginning to show interest in Odisha with the Government keen to play a proactive role in developing the State as a major mobile phone manufacturing hub in the country. The State Government has started ...New Indian Express, 2 weeks ago
Odisha may emerge as the manufacturing hub of mobile handsets and associated components with its proposed electronics manufacturing cluster (EMC) drawing the attention of manufacturers. The Indian Cellular Association (ICA), the apex body of the ...Business Standard India, 2 weeks ago
HYDERABAD: An estimated 7.2 lakh mobiles are sold every day across the country or approximately 65 million every quarter. Telangana is one of the largest mobile handset markets and the state government intends to cash in on this potential. There's ...New Indian Express, 2 weeks ago
0 MUMBAI, INDIA: The antagonism at the borders aside, China has willingly jumped the fray to enable PM Narendra Modi realize his Smart Bharat vision. For this, the Taiwan Institute for Information Industry recently signed a Memorandum of ...Cyber India Online, 1 month ago
Indian Cellular Association has signed a MoU with the Institute for Information Industry, Taiwan to give further boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Smart Bharat. Institute for Information Industry (III) Taiwan the global leader in ...EFYTimes.com, 1 month ago ICA Signs MoU with Taiwan Communications Today, 1 month ago
New Delhi, June 22 (IANS) The Indian Cellular Association (ICA) on Monday said it has signed an agreement with Taiwan's Institute for Information Industry (III) to co-operate in various fields including the National Optical Fibre Network, smart ...Chennai Online, 1 month ago
More from: , Daijiworldcom...and 2 other sources
Of late, mobile handset makers are making a beeline for a share in the over Rs 1 lakh crore worth potential the industry offers. Senior officials of Taiwan-based electronics contract manufacturing company Foxconn have been criss-crossing the country ...New Indian Express, 1 month ago FOXCONN TECHNOLOGY : Mobile Handset Makers Make Smart Moves 4 Traders, 1 month ago
Micromax subsidiary Yu Televentures has announced that the next batch of its phones will be made in India. (Photo: Shruti Dhapola) Spurred by Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's call to Make in India , most Indian mobile phone manufacturers, who ...Financial Express, 1 month ago Bit by bit: The Make-in-India advantage Financial Express, 1 month ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China may boost manufacturing of mobile handsets, its parts, components and accessories in India: Pankaj Mohindroo, ICA Connect-World, 2 months ago Modi's visit will boost production of cell phones in India:ICA Deccan Herald, 2 months ago
Working on thin margins and scarce human resources, indigenous handset manufacturers are toying with the idea of setting up a hub in Hyderabad to build a strong ecosystem. They have started scouting for suitable land in one of the three electronic ...Hindu Business Line, 1 month ago Mobile manufacturers plan hub in Hyderabad Business Standard India, 1 month ago India's Mobile Phone Makers Woo Chinese ... EFYTimes.com, 2 months ago
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To celebrate five decades of service, Cayman Airways has launched a competition on its Facebook and Instagram pages, asking followers to share their favourite Cayman Airways moments to be in with a chance of winning travel vouchers and the Grand Prize of a round trip for two to any Cayman Airways gateway.
The idea behind the nostalgic competition is for Cayman Airways customers to reflect on the national carrier’s fifty years of service and to share photo memories which were made possible because of Cayman Airways.
Following a successful Instagram launch last year, Cayman Airways has recognised the impact of social media with its lively and engaged online customer base.
“We’re really excited about running this competition as part of the ongoing celebrations for our national airline’s 50th Anniversary,” said Mrs. Olivia Scott-Ramirez, Cayman Airways’ Marketing and Public Relations Manager. “Cayman Airways has been such an important part of so many great memories and milestones for our customers – from honeymoons and family vacations, to university trips and magical getaways near and far.”
“We’ve had almost 200 entries already. It gives us great pride to see so many local and international followers interacting with Cayman Airways over social media and we wanted to give something back to our loyal fans and followers. This is one of the largest competitions we have run recently at Cayman Airways, and we’re really enjoying going through and reflecting on everyone’s old memories.”
Entrants are asked to post a photograph of their favourite memory involving Cayman Airways. A weekly winner will be drawn each week for a period of four weeks and a Grand Prize winner will be announced at the end of the competition. The competition is now live and will end Friday 24th September.
For a chance to win, follow @CaymanAirways on Instagram or Facebook, upload your Cayman Airways memory and use the hashtag #HappyAnniversaryKX to be automatically entered. Terms and conditions apply and can be found at www.caymanairways.com/KX50ContestTandC


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The company said it would reconsider a go-private deal after the holidays.
At Nordstrom Local, shoppers can have a glass of wine and get a manicure while a personal stylist does all the heavy lifting.
From Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and more.
The retailer’s comparable sales also declined 1.3 percent.
The retailer’s profit and comparable sales were better than expected.
All retail-investor eyes are on department stores this week.
The buzzy bargain extravaganza ends Sunday.
Take advantage of these deals while they last — the sale ends Aug. 6.


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Apr 8, 2021 (Bloomberg)
The reopening is a much-anticipated boon to a hard-hit state that relies heavily on tourism, and to a fuel market that saw demand plunge during the pandemic. But the gasoline price spike also shows the inflation risks for the economy.
In San Francisco’s cash market, where refiners and retailers trade the motor fuel, the premium on gasoline for April delivery rose by 2 cents to 12 cents a gallon above New York futures on Thursday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That’s the highest since Jan. 7. The cash-market price is rising in Los Angeles, too.
Cash market increases typically are passed to consumers after the fuel is moved down the supply chain.
At the pump, the average price in the state has risen 18 cents in the last month to $3.93 a gallon on Thursday, according to the AAA auto club. The average last topped $4 on Nov. 14, 2019, AAA spokesman Jeff Spring said.
Demand already had been increasing with Californians traveling more before Newsom’s announcement, said John Faulstich, oil analyst at Stillwater Associates in Irvine, California.
Fuel prices across the country have risen with crude’s rally this year, but supplies are tighter in California.
Last week, the West Coast and New England were the only U.S. regions to see gasoline inventory fall, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. West Coast stockpiles, reflected mostly by California, fell by 547,000 barrels to 30.9 million barrels.
The price hikes may limit driver appetite for gasoline, said Robert Yawger, head of the futures division at Mizuho Securities. At psychological levels like $4, gasoline will be blamed for inflation, “and you just accelerate clean energy development,” he said.


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The world has already experienced the awesome power of technology that was previously only showcased in films and books. Virtual reality and augmented reality are the future. It is looking bright as companies scramble to develop the best VR and AR devices. Microsoft announced the HoloLens in January; a wearable, holographic computer that allows you to overlay 2D and 3D objects in your real-life working or living space. It has already been proven that it is making the working environment very functional.
When the HoloLens was released, it demonstrated the possibilities of 3D engineering and industrial design. Users have noted, however, that it can be quite limiting to view 3D objects on a relatively small, flat-screen rather than using an entire workspace for 3D projects. Garin Gardener from Autodesk stated that they started working with Microsoft late last year to start a new joint venture called FreeForm. The goal of this joint venture was to build a proof of concept with Fusion360 and HoloLens. The possibilities of use for the everyday designer and engineer would also be explored so that the device can be used to its full potential.
Gardener said that working in mixed reality is more than just having a holographic 3D model in front of you. It also alters the way you interact with data, customers, and the environment. To fully grasp the extent of the HoloLens, Gardener and his team spent a few months building dozens of prototypes and testing different scenarios in a mixed reality environment. They explored different ways to make work areas infinite in terms of space especially by using open areas overlayed with holographic objects. They explored how users could collaborate in the holographic space as well as during the creating and editing process.
According to Gardener, they were amazed at the opportunities and all the other benefits that stemmed from the FreeForm project. He admitted, that one of the challenges of this project is trying to explain the experience in words or even in pictures. The team can’t give everyone a physical experience or description of what they can expect. The team did create a video that gives the user an idea of how a mechanical engineer and an industrial designer could do in a shared holographic space which is a huge step in the development of the project.
Even though the video shows excellent collaboration and potential when it comes to problem-solving, it seems as if this type of working environment is still a few years away from reality. For now, the joint venture between HoloLens and Fusion360 is still in development. Having said that, the future of holographic computing is not out of reach. Gardener stated that he and his team are excited to be working on the possibilities of the future and developing new technology that could change the way we work, design, create, and collaborate forever.
Gardener, Garin:adsknews.autodesk.com 30 November 2015.


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Authorities asked grape producers to register in Vine and Wine Register
13:57 | 16.01.2023 Category: Economic
Chisinau, 16 Jan. /MOLDPRES/- Failure to register in the Vine and Wine Register could attract administrative sanctions and prevent the sale of grapes for wine production, as well as access to obtaining certain types of subsidies. This was discussed at late last week at a meeting organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry together with the National Office of Vine and Wine.
Winegrowers and winemakers were urged to submit registration applications and declarations online on the website: www.rvv.gov.md. "Any interested person can access the public section of the rvv.gov.md web page to familiarize themselves with the statistics in the wine field. The option is available to filter the information about registered wineries and vineyards (by destination, variety, area, locality, etc.). Thus, the economic agents in the field can find out the real situation regarding the areas of vines and can effectively plan their production potential", explained the relevant ministry.
"We urge the grape producers to conclude contracts with the processors in advance, in order to avoid possible problems with the commercialization of the production at the peak of the season", Minister of Agriculture Vladimir Bolea said.
The Vine and Wine Register of the Republic of Moldova is a system that ensures the transparency of the entire technological process, from commodity grapes to the distribution of the finished product, the record of the assortment of grape varieties, the age of plantations, being offered opportunities for cooperation with grape processors.


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MDC's strategy is to stake out a position similar to Interpublic Group of Cos., Omnicom Group and other holding companies that have bought lineups of large, multinational consumer agencies. MDC's plan is to become an international holding company for smaller agencies in business-to-business, integrated marketing communications and specialty marketing.
In the deal with Colle & McVoy, MDC agreed to pay $19 million for an 80% stake in the business-to-business agency, whose clients include Caterpillar, Pfizer Animal Health and 3M Co. Colle & McVoy's management, which forecast revenue of $25 million for this year, retains a 20% interest.
MDC, which has been on a recent spending spree in the U.S., calls the 80-20 ownership setup a "perpetual partnership."
For MDC, which generates the bulk of its revenue from its stamp, airline ticket and other secure-transaction printing businesses, the acquisition of agencies by its communications and marketing services division is an attempt to diversify its revenue.
MDC plans to take the division public in "the next year or two," said the company's president- CEO, Miles Nadal.
MDC's perpetual partnership strategy attempts to counteract the inherent uncertainty present in acquiring an ad agency, whose business is based on relationships. The loss of one key employee or a single large account can devastate an agency's performance almost overnight.
"We believe very much in maintaining the good will of the human assets that go up and down the elevator," Mr. Nadal said. "If they're not vested in the success of the company, the ability to retain key people is diminished."
The perpetual partnership philosophy, which is designed to preserve and reward entrepreneurial behavior in the acquired companies, is a major reason Jim Bergeson, Colle & McVoy's chairman-CEO, supported the deal. He said the agency had turned down many previous offers from other suitors.
"It was appealing to us from a standpoint that MDC is truly a holding company," Mr. Bergeson said. "They don't want to run our business on a day-to-day basis. They're very hands-off. Their model of perpetual partnership is unique in the industry. It's a much more appealing way to get access to the capital that we need to grow our business."
MDC's plan to build a global network of integrated marketing communications agencies also appealed to Mr. Bergeson and Colle & McVoy. MDC now owns 19 agencies, 15 in Canada and four in the U.S.
The other U.S. companies, all of which were acquired in the past eight months, are: Margeotes/Fertitta & Partners, a New York-based consumer agency; Cybersight, a Portland, Ore.-based Internet marketing firm; and Source Marketing, a Westport, Conn.-based sales promotion agency and consultancy.
MDC plans to acquire more marketing firms this year.
"We will look in Europe," Mr. Nadal said. "We will look in Asia. We will look in Latin America. We will look in Eastern Europe."
The goal is to allow even the relatively small agencies in the network to serve international clients and compete globally, Mr. Bergeson said.


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Dunedin RSA is warning of a ``bad taste'' scam in which tickets for the Anzac Revue are being sold at dramatically inflated prices.
The Dunedin RSA Choir is performing its revue in the Dunedin Town Hall on Anzac Day.
An adult ticket on the ticketmaster website costs $25 plus service fees.
On the Viagogo.com website tickets cost up to $73.89, plus fees.
Dunedin Returned and Services Association president Lox Kellas said the scam of inflating ticket prices nearly three times was ``bad taste''.
The RSA national headquarters had alerted him about the scam, he said.
On the website, ticket buyers had to pay in a foreign currency, he said.
The website was processing transactions in Czech koruna yesterday.
Choir bass Graham Nicholls said people had been calling him for advice on where to buy tickets and he told them ticketmaster, The Regent box office or at the door at the Dunedin Town Hall on the performance night.
Consumer NZ announced yesterday it was investigating ticket resellers, such as Viagogo.
Complaints about ticket resellers had been on the rise, Consumer NZ chief executive Sue Chetwin said.
``We've heard reports of tickets being sold on resale sites in New Zealand for up to 20 times their face value.
``Customers also routinely report being stung by steep fees on these sites,'' she said.
An Auckland woman paid $1000 for VIP tickets to see Adele but later found she had been sold stall seats worth $100.
Consumer NZ invited anyone who had bought a ticket through a resale site to complete its online survey on its website.
Ms Chetwin said Consumer wanted examples of:
- Exorbitant or inflated ticket prices.
- Fake tickets.
- Seats not being as described.
- Access denied to venues.
- Tickets not being delivered.
- High fees.
- Incorrect credit card charges.
- Poor customer service.
Results would be used to identify problems in the ticket resale market and what was needed to protect consumers.
Australian consumer group Choice and United Kingdom consumer watchdog Which? were also participating in the research.
Reselling sites had come under scrutiny from the Competition and Markets Authority in the United Kingdom, Ms Chetwin said.
The authority opened an investigation into suspected breaches of United Kingdom consumer protection law by resellers in December last year.
Issues identified include the adequacy of information disclosed by the sites.
Viagogo did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.


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The Birmingham-based book retailer's net loss was 13 cents per diluted share, compared with a net loss of 22 cents per diluted share in first-quarter 2011. Net sales for the company increased to $113.1 million in the first quarter, a 10.5 percent increase over the $102.4 million reported during the same peÂriod last year.
Terrance Finley, who became CEO of Books-A-Million in March, said at the company's annual stockholders meeting Tuesday morning in HomeÂwood that growth in the compaÂny's digital business has been slower than expected. In an earnings call with analysts TuesÂday afternoon, Finley said sales of books and merchandise reÂlated to "The Hunger Games" was a highlight for the quarter, as were sales related to "Fifty Shades of Grey."
On the earnings call, Harsha Gowda of BlueShore Capital asked about a special commitÂtee created by Books-A-MilÂlion's board of directors earlier this month to evaluate a buyout offer proposed April 28 by the family of chairman and former CEO Clyde Anderson.
Gowda said that given the "brighter future" Books-A-MilÂlion seems to be entering, the proposed price for the acquisiÂtion seems to be "substantially lower" than it should be.
Under the deal, shareholders would receive $3.05 in cash for each Books-A-Million share. The Anderson family already has a 53 percent stake in the company. In the proposal, the Anderson family said the comÂpany is valued at nearly $49 milÂlion.
"I really hope that the (AnderÂson) family takes that into deep consideration," Gowda said on the call.
Books-A-Million stock closed Tuesday at $3.06 a share, down 1 cent.


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Kanye, Guns N’ Roses Post Slow Debut-Week Sales
While mainstream media is touting that the Black Friday weekend started the holiday selling season with a bang, music merchandisers certainly didn’t have that experience.
Music sales were down anywhere from 10% to 30% and hit albums released for Black Friday didn’t perform up to expectations, according to merchants contacted by Billboard. Sources say Kanye West’s “808s & Heartbreak” will sell in the range of 425,000-450,000 units, significantly down from 700,000-975,000 units previously projected.
Guns N’ Roses’ “Chinese Democracy” is expected to clock in at 250,000-260,000, which is also down from expectations that it would sell anywhere from 300,000-784,000 units. Last week Beyonce’s latest album “I Am Sasha Fierce” was projected to sell 700,000-1,000,000 million units and sold a respectable 482,000 units.
While some press reports show across-the-board retail weekend sales up 7%, music merchandisers point out that in order to accurately measure the holiday, it should be measured the week containing Black Friday this year, which was the last week in November, versus last year when the day fell in the third week of the month.


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Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is a MOBA title
It is no surprise that the mobile MOBA game, Mobile Legends: Bang Boom, has been a commercial success in its native SEA region, but the esports game has struggled in North America. The M3 North America Qualifier had just 19.819 viewers, which is not much when compared to the other MLBB esports tournaments in the SEA region.
Despite its comparatively small size, MLBB is a very accessible MOBA game. With over 39 different fearless heroes, players will find a role to match their playstyle. Whether you prefer Assassin, Mage, Support, Warrior, Marksman, or Tank, Overwatch has something for you. You can even play the game in a 5v5 or 1v1 mode, and there is also a game mode called ‘MVP’ that lets you play your favorite character in this battle mode.
It’s popular in SEA region
Mobile esports are rarely as competitive as the MLBB, a new MOBA game that is hugely popular in Southeast Asia. Riot Games even sued the developer of MLBB for stealing its idea for the game. But despite the suit, mobile gaming is proving that handheld devices are capable of delivering competitive gaming to the masses. Western esports are geared toward consoles, and while mobile gaming has its place in the western esports community, it has made itself more accessible to players in developing nations.
The MLBB has two franchise leagues, MPL Indonesia and MPL Philippines, and is breaking audience records all the time. In season nine, the Indonesian league garnered 2.8 million viewers, and PUBG Mobile has also announced plans to experiment with franchises in SEA. However, these are only two examples of why mobile gaming is becoming increasingly popular outside of the west.
It’s growing in MENA region
It may seem surprising to some, but the popularity of MLBB in other regions of the world has surprised many western fans of esports. For one thing, the MLBB Southeast Asia Cup (MSC) 2022 reached a peak audience of 2.8 million viewers – a high number compared to other mobile gaming competitions in the SEA region. Another reason why this esports event is doing so well is because it’s available for a variety of mobile platforms.
While Western mobile games are increasingly becoming the top games in the world, MLBB continues to break viewership records in emerging markets. Two of its franchised leagues, MPL Philippines and MPL Indonesia, regularly break viewership records. In fact, season nine of the league had a peak viewership of 2.8 million. The success of MLBB has spawned other franchised leagues in emerging markets like Indonesia. PUBG Mobile has recently announced their intention to try out franchising in SEA.
It’s competing with other esports titles
MLBB is a popular esport that has exploded in popularity in recent years. The game has earned nearly a billion dollars worldwide, which makes it the most popular mobile game of its genre. In addition, it’s a fast-growing franchise, with the likes of PUBG Mobile, CS:GO, and Overwatch continuing to grow in popularity. And it’s not just the players who are enjoying the game, either. Fans of the game in the Philippines can experience a real-life MLB experience by joining the SEA league.
While the MLBB world championships are highly popular, the leagues are small and competition-based. The first league was called MLBB Southeast Asia Cup, and it achieved peak viewership of 2.8 million viewers. This popularity is reflected in the MLBB’s new esports system, with regional leagues determining the top teams. However, the game has also faced legal issues resulting from accusations of stealing from popular esports titles such as League of Legends and Wild Rift.


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Amazon postpones Southeast Asia launch
The news comes as Alibaba launches their platform in Singapore
Plans to launch Amazon ecommerce services in Singapore in the first quarter of the year have been pushed back to “later this year,” reports TechCrunch.
The delay comes just as Alibaba’s Southeast Asia partner Lazada launched a Singapore-dedicated Taobao website this week.
TechCrunch also speculated that, following the addition of 100 staff members in Australia, Amazon may end up launching Down Under before getting up and running in Singapore.


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Ajaypal Banga, the CEO of Mastercard, blasted cryptocurrencies for the duration of the “New India Lecture” at the Indian Consulate earlier this week, The Times of India experiences Thursday, July 26. Banga explained anonymous, non-condition-issued cryptocurrencies as “junk,” mainly because their costs can fluctuate “wildly” and therefore they do not “deserve” to be deemed a medium of exchange.
Speaking at a series of lectures hosted by the Indian Consulate in partnership with the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Discussion board (USISPF), the India-born CEO and president of the multinational fiscal services giant Mastercard reportedly explained the following:
“I imagine cryptocurrency is junk….The strategy of an anonymized currency produced by people today who have to mine it, the price of which can fluctuate wildly –– that to me is not the way that any medium of trade deserves to be regarded as as a medium of exchange.”
This is not the initial time that Ajaypal Banga refers to cryptocurrencies as “junk,” as he experienced by now produced the very same evaluation in Oct of final yr, lashing out at all electronic currencies that are not “government mandated.”
Continuing on the subject matter of anonymity, Banga referred to the new indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) of 12 Russian officials for allegedly employing cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) to exciting “interference” in the country’s 2016 presidential elections. According to Mastercard’s CEO, the Russian intelligence officers selected Bitcoin simply because of the anonymity it gives:
“Why civil culture would like to put a snake in its yard and assume that somehow the snake will only bite my neighbor, I really don’t get it.”
According to The Periods of India, Banga also appeared concerned by the statistic that 95 p.c of all unlawful transactions on the dark world wide web marketplaces are conducted with the use of cryptocurrency.
Even though perhaps as a great deal as 44 percent of all Bitcoin transactions are involved with unlawful exercise, the “vast majority” of illicit buys are however made with the much more standard resources, these types of as funds, in accordance to a Cointelegraph report from March this yr.
Inspite of Mastercard CEO’s adverse stance on cryptocurrencies, the business seems fascinated in their fundamental blockchain technology, obtaining filed a selection of patents in the previous year that make use of the tech for payments.
In May possibly of this calendar year, Mastercard described a drop in its quarterly expansion thanks to a decline in the amount of persons who use its playing cards to purchase cryptocurrencies.


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Despite Sony’s optimism upon the release of its rebooted “Ghostbusters” movie back in July, it’s looking more and more unlikely that the film will get a sequel.
When the all-female reboot hit theaters, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution said of a sequel, “While nothing has been officially announced yet, there’s no doubt in my mind it will happen.”
However, the financials of the situation make that difficult. “Ghostbusters” has earned south of $180 million at the global box office, including $117 million domestic, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While the film has yet to open in a few markets (France, Japan, Mexico), it seems unlikely that it will reach $225 million. Considering the film’s inflated $144 million production budget and significant marketing costs, Sony needed to reach at least $300 million to make a small profit.
All told, Sony is looking at a $70 million loss for “Ghostbusters.” While it isn’t the only studio to fall flat in this summer’s weak summer season, that kind of underperformance doesn’t bode well for the future of “Ghostbusters.”
“Ghostubsters is on ice until further notice,” box-office analyst Jeff Bock said. “I just can’t fathom the creative talents behind it — [Paul] Feig, [Melissa] McCarthy, [Kristen] Wiig, etc. — slogging out another one when the reception to the first one was so mediocre.”
Sony is shrugging off the potential loss in public, claiming that additional revenue streams such as merchandising and theme park rides are helping with the bottom line.
“This loss calculation is way off,” Sony’s rep said. “With multiple revenue streams, including consumer products, gaming, location-based entertainment, continued international rollout, and huge third-party promotional partnerships that mitigated costs, the bottom line, even before co-financing, is not remotely close to that number.”


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The Labor Department said on Thursday that it would release its report on September employment on Tuesday, as it provided a fresh schedule for some economic data that had been postponed due to a partial government shutdown.
It also said it would release the consumer price index for September on Oct. 30 and the producer price index for September on Oct. 29.
In addition, the department said it was delaying the release of the employment report covering October until Nov. 8. It was previously scheduled for release on Nov. 1.
In its last monthly employment report, the Labor Department said 169,000 jobs were added to nonfarm payrolls in August and the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.3 percent.
The 16-day government shutdown delayed the release of about a dozen economic reports.
The Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis, which compiles the gross domestic product and retail sales reports, among others, are expected to publish a revised data calendar in the next couple of days, a spokesman said.
While delays in publishing the data likely inconvenienced financial market players, there is a silver lining, especially for retail sales and nonfarm payrolls data where respondents do not always complete the government surveys on time.
"The releases may even be of better quality," said Laura Rosner, a U.S. economist at BNP Paribas in New York, noting that delays in releasing the retail sales report during a government shutdown in 1995 and 1996 had allowed for the inclusion of late responses from retailers.
"The fact that it was delayed meant that more late responses were able to be included, so the data was more complete than had it been published earlier in the month."
But the statistical agencies will need to tackle trickier questions about how to handle the backlog without jeopardizing the quality of reports they would normally be working on now.
Concerns are already being raised that the shutdown may compromise the quality of consumer inflation data and the nation's unemployment rate for October.
The inflation report is based on prices collected through the month and relies on visits to shops and supermarkets. But the BLS will not have prices for at least the first half of the month given the shutdown.
Even if field visits resumed on Thursday, they would still not have enough sample to compile a comprehensive report.
Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland warned that the shutdown could impact on the accuracy of the monthly consumer price index estimates until next May.
"Since the CPI price collection relies upon field staff visiting shops, some of the October data will never be collected," said Randal Verbrugge, a senior research economist at the Cleveland Fed. "As a result, the November CPI release, which is based upon October data, will have a much bigger standard error due to the smaller sample."
Given that not all prices are collected every month, the error will not be quickly reversed.
"In fact, these repercussions do not end until May of 2014," said Verbrugge. "However, year-over-year inflation estimates will continue to be quite reliable."
Other economists said the October inflation report could be scrapped altogether.
There is also a cloud over October's unemployment rate. The household survey from which the jobless rate is derived was supposed to have been carried out last week, when the government was still shut.
Unlike the payrolls data, which is based on a survey of employers, staff from the Census Bureau make calls to households to come up with the data to construct the unemployment rate.
According to Keith Hall, a former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Labor Department's main statistical arm, the staff could still make the calls, as they did in November 1995. He cautioned, however, that the response rate might be low, although he did not think there would be a significant impact on the data.


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GAF Energy, a Standard Industries company that is leading the charge for solar-integrated roofing shingles in North America, has installed a 500 kW solar system of its own atop the company’s R&D and manufacturing center in San Jose.
The new system will generate more than 750,000 kWh of solar energy at the 112,000 sq ft facility which produces the company’s Timberline Solar shingles. Introduced a year ago, Timberline Solar features the world’s first nailable solar shingle and is the only roof system to directly integrate solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials.
“We’re utilizing solar energy to produce Timberline Solar, not just because it’s the right thing to do for the planet, but also because it’s the right business decision, ” said Martin DeBono, president of GAF Energy. “We believe that the future of energy is solar roofs, produced in American manufacturing facilities that are fueled by solar power. We’re putting our vision of energy from every roof into practice with our own roof here in San Jose.”
GAF Energy announced the buildout of its San Jose facility in 2021 and began assembling Timberline Solar there last year. Since its launch in January 2022, the Timberline solar product has received dozens of awards, including from CES, TIME, Fast Company, Popular Science, Green Builder, Good Housekeeping and the National Association of Home Builders.
To meet growing demand, GAF Energy is significantly increasing its Timberline Solar manufacturing capacity with the construction of a second manufacturing facility located in Georgetown, Texas.
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Exhibitions and Trade Fairs (ETF) has been appointed to manage the next two AUSPACK trade exhibitions in 2015 and 2017; after a hugely successful 2013 show.
According to Mr Mark Dingley, Chairman of the APPMA, who solely owns and operates AUSPACK, announcing the reappointment of ETF to manage the next two trade exhibitions highlights ETF’s successful delivery of the 2013 exhibition.
“The APPMA are delighted to continue our partnership with the team at ETF to market and deliver AUSPACK 2015 and 2017. This is due, in no small part, to the huge success of AUSPACK PLUS 2013,” Mr Dingley said.
“AUSPACK PLUS 2013 achieved a record number of exhibitors and the highest number of visits in Sydney for over a decade. It was pleasing to see an unprecedented level of optimism by exhibitors and visitors at the 2013 show, which was echoed in positive post show feedback about number and quality of enquiries received. Excitingly we have already received a great deal of interest in exhibiting at AUSPACK 2015 which will be held from the 24th to the 27th of March at the Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre.” he said.
Gary Daly, Managing Director of ETF is proud of the strength and dedication of the team; a key factor in securing the future shows.
“Led by Event Manager, Luke Kasprzak, the team really owned this show, and the team’s energy and passion were a major contributor to ETF securing the management of AUSPACK PLUS for the next four years.”
When asked about the renewal of the contract, Luke Kasprzak said “ETF is delighted to continue our relationship with APPMA. The success of the 2013 show was really tied to knowing the market, listening to what it wants and providing the right platform for business, education and networking”.
Owned and presented by the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA), AUSPACK is Australia’s largest packaging and processing machinery trade exhibition attracting national and international exhibitors and buyers.


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Struggling to stand out – the identity challenge facing automotive brands
The perceived difference between the top car brands and their challengers is lessening, according to new research. Focused wholly on US consumers’ brand perception, rather than automotive quality, the research highlights the challenges facing auto industry companies in differentiating their offering.
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Social media giant Facebook has made an announcement that the platform will soon start “building and testing new advertiser topic exclusion controls.”
This was announced by Facebook on Friday, January 29, 2021.
Furthermore, as stated in the announcement, the new advertiser topic exclusion controls will be tested with a small group of advertisers.
According to Facebook, the said, “controls will help to address concerns advertisers have of their ads appearing in News Feed next to certain topics based on their brand suitability preferences.” And the platform is planning to test that allows an advertiser to select a topic.
With the selection, this would help the platform on how they will show the advertisement on Facebook which included the News Feed.
Here’s a a sample stated in the announcement
A children’s toy company may want to avoid content related to a new crime show, so they could select the “Crime and Tragedy” topic.
“This product development as well as testing and learning in News Feed will take much of the year,” Facebook added.


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If sources are to be believed announcement date of Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is all here. And
Chinese phone maker Miezu has unveiled its new flagship smartphone Meizu M6T in Chinese
Many of today’s smart-device developers are focused on making their products as mobile
Thanks to these tons of to-do list apps, that smartphones don’t have to bear the blame
Smartphone maker Motorola is gearing up to announce its Moto G6 line up very soon. The announcement
Huawei has unveiled a new smartphone Honor 7C in China. The phone, as reports emerge, is
Tech giant Huawei took to the underway Mobile World Congress 2018 (MWC) to announce its
CES is no longer called the Consumer Electronics Show – it’s just known by the abbreviation.
There have been noisy rumors that HMD’s next flagship will be packed with Penta-lens system.
Recently, HMD’s next flagship Nokia 7 plus has surfaced with some of its possible specifications.
At MWC 2018 this month, LG could unveil some of its AI based devices, specially the new


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Charging into a green future
SeaWalk Mobility is changing the way we travel, as a European importer and seller of electric buses
100% electric solutions
This year, European Cruise Service has prepared their fleet of EB80 minibuses for the cruise season in Bergen. Read the full article from Bergensavisen here!


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That’s because, according to a new report by the ENERGY STAR program, LED bulbs will become the dominant light bulb technology within the next three years.
Once thought to be a lighting technology only for early adopters willing to pay top dollar, LED bulbs are now a possibility for the average consumer, with prices hovering around $2 a bulb or less in many areas. Using less energy, the bulbs pay for themselves in a matter of months and can save households $50 to $100 per year in utility costs.
LED bulbs are expected to see widespread adoption by 2020 in significant part because of utility programs continuing to rebate the bulbs and educate consumers about the energy-efficient options that are available.
Despite the tremendous savings opportunity, many Americans have yet to experience the LED difference in their own homes. Less than 30 percent of U.S. light bulb sales in 2016 were LED, and according to a report by the business research firm ORC International, most consumers have little knowledge about the various light bulb options available to them. The average American home has approximately 50 light sockets, and about 60 percent of them still contain an inefficient bulb. So the opportunities for energy savings are huge.
The Good News
LED bulbs that have earned the government-backed ENERGY STAR label are independently certified, undergoing extensive testing to ensure that they perform as promised, saving energy, delivering on brightness and working the way you expect.
Such bulbs use 70 to 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last at least 15 times longer. The ENERGY STAR program believes that as more Americans learn about the benefits of this technology, they will see the light and join the LED revolution.
Learn More -For further bright ideas about lighting and saving, go to www.energystar.gov/bulbrevolution.


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St. Augustine of Hippo said “the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”—-which is somewhat unfair to people who can’t travel because of financial or physical reasons. Georama wants to help them with its virtual-reality travel platform, which offers live guided tours in high-definition video. The startup, which already has an enterprise service, launched its consumer site today in Disrupt’s Startup Alley.
Online travel agencies have revolutionized the tourist industry and Georama now wants to do the same for online tours by becoming “the destination for virtual travel.”
The startup has been around since 2012, when TechCrunch first profiled it. Back then, it was a map-based travel search site, but founder Nihal Advani says he learned out the hard way how tough it is to compete in the online travel planning industry. So Georama decided to focus instead on tours for people who can’t travel long distances, but still have wanderlust.
Its B2B platform’s clients includes several educational institutions, including colleges that want to offer campus tours to international students, and Lurie Children’s Hospital, which takes its young patients on virtual trips to zoos, museums, and other fun places.
Georama’s consumer site functions as a marketplace for guides, who schedule tours and take stabilized HD streaming videos with Georama’s Android app (currently in private beta), wearable cameras like GoPro, and some 360-degree cameras. Tours are free to view, but users pay to ask questions or make requests, like asking guides to check out certain landmarks.
To be sure, there are already services that have high-quality online tours, like Arounder. For real-time tours, apps like Meerkat and Periscope are also potential competitors. Advani says Georama differentiates with its software, which uses low latency so people in areas with poor network coverage can still see HD quality live video, as well as its focus on becoming compatible with as many virtual reality headsets as possible.
Georama’s consumer site currently has 30 guides in cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Istanbul, Seoul, Milan, and Copenhagen. For more information, check out their tour schedule.


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Wages growth worst in a century
Real wages have continued to collapse with the latest data confirming Australia has suffered the worst real wage...READ MORE
The IPA has outlined the necessary considerations for accountants when weighing up their impending licensing decision.
“I don’t want to scare people but at the same time I sort of do,” was the message from the IPA’s executive general manager, advocacy and technical Vicki Stylianou at the 2015 National Congress, when she urged members to make sure they are prepared for the impending changes to the licensing regime.
Addressing the congress ahead of an information session by the Financial Ombudsmen’s Service, Ms Stylianou encouraged members to act now, but carefully consider all the options.
“There are still over 40 per cent of members, according to our latest survey, who haven’t decided what they’re going to do, so I urge you to make that decision,” Ms Stylianou said.
“In terms of deciding which way you’re going to go, a lot of it comes down to a business decision.
“It’s an opportunity to step back, look at your practice, look at your clients, look at your current situation but also look at your future direction, which way you want to go. What sort of work do you want to do? What sort of clients do you want to have?”
For those wishing to provide their clients any sort of financial services, Ms Stylianou said there
are three main options members should consider: obtaining a limited licence, becoming an authorised representative of a licence holder, or putting in place referral relationships.
Ms Stylianou cautioned members that it is a criminal offence to provide unlicensed financial services, and told attendees ASIC will be watching.
“ASIC may be already shadow shopping. You can pretty much guarantee after 2 July next year there will be shadow shopping that will catch people out.
“With accountants being new to the regime, I think they will be looking for some early scalps,” Ms Stylianou said. “I know some accountants are hoping it’s all going to go away but there is absolutely no sign whatsoever that it is going to. I know some people might be thinking they can just continue doing what they’re doing but it’s a completely new world order.”


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LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has ordered Family Fitness to stop collecting excessive cancellation fees after receiving 103 customer complaints since 2011.
Schuette announced the cease and desist order in a news release Wednesday. He said he’s told Family Fitness it must stop misleading members, making them think they must keep paying even after they’ve canceled their gym membership or personal training contract.
>>PDF: Cease and desist order
Schuette also warned the gym chain that his office would keep interviewing customers and either open a formal investigation or file a lawsuit against Family Fitness, which owns 14 centers in West Michigan.
“When consumers enter into contracts, the law requires that they be treated honestly and fairly,” Schuette said in the release. “Using the threat of enormous penalties as a way of keeping customers locked into membership agreements misleads consumers about their legal rights.”
The attorney general’s office said 48 of the 103 consumer complaints it received against Family Fitness were filed this year. Additional complaints can be filed with the attorney general’s office online or by calling 877.765.8388.
THREE YEARS OF CHARGES
In 2014, Grand Rapids resident Nicole Betterly signed up for a 30-day trial with the Family Fitness on Plainfield Avenue.
“I only went there a couple days. I canceled it right away, kind of had a verification, like, ‘Yup, you’re all good,'” Betterly said.
Fast forward to two months ago. When Betterly went to get a loan so she could buy a Jet Ski, she got a painful surprise.
“I went to my bank and they were kind of pulling my credit report and then all of sudden they discovered that I had like a $1,500 charge,” Betterly said.
She said Family Fitness has been charging her every month for the last three years. She said she was never sent a bill or any notice and no one ever called her. She didn’t have a credit or debit card on file, so those charges went to a collection agency.
When she reached out to Family Fitness to resolve the problem, she was given an email address to contact and says she never got a reply.
She acknowledged that she signed a document for the trial and didn’t read the fine print, but said she thinks there should be some responsibility on the company to let her know what she’s signing.
“Even if it was, ‘hey, you should’ve read the fine print, we don’t have to tell you that — even if that was the practice, it just seems like it would make for more sense to just tell people you’re contracting yourself to more than what we’re telling you right now, for one. And then for two, you know what, we’re going to try contact you to let you know all of a sudden there’s delinquent charges on your account,” Betterly said.
She did manage to get the problem resolved and her credit score is no longer in trouble.
COMPLAINTS TO BBB
The Better Business Bureau of West Michigan told 24 Hour News 8 that in the last three years, it has taken 137 complaints about Family Fitness.
“A few years ago, the Better Business Bureau issued a consumer alert about Family Fitness centers because there was a pattern of complaints we were getting from consumers that said that they were being told one thing by a salesperson and believing that to be true — about whether the contract would be upheld, how long they were responsible, how they could get out of their contract, those kinds of terms. And when it came down to it and they were ready to quit or they were moving or whatever it was, they were being held to the terms of a written agreement, and what the salesperson had reportedly said to them was nowhere in the contract they had signed,” BBB president and CEO Phil Catlett said.
“It is a violation of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act to willingly mislead as a representative of a business to a consumer and that’s what they consumers were claiming,” he added.
24 Hour News 8 first told you about similar problems with Family Fitness in 2012, when a woman contacted Target 8 saying Family Fitness illegally debited her bank account after she asked about a membership.
Catlett said at one point, Family Fitness had an F rating from the BBB, but it’s now up to a C because it hired an outside company to work with consumers and the BBB on its problems.
“An independent investigation really does need to be done to be handled appropriately, so I think it’s kind of early to talk about this place closing. I think it’s more of, let’s figure out what really happened and deal with it appropriately,” Catlett said.
RESPONSE FROM FAMILY FITNESS
24 Hour News 8 reached out to Family Fitness, which provided the following statement Wednesday:
“Family Fitness fully stands behind both the integrity and the validity of our contracts.
“Family Fitness Michigan will not mediate or share member information with broadcast or any social media organizations. We encourage any member who wishes to discuss their current agreement to reach out to our corporate office directly.
“We look forward to continuing to serve the tens of thousands of our customers who enjoy our fitness centers every day.”
The Jenison-based company also provided the following contact information for customers:
Family Fitness Corporate Office
Po Box 152 Jenison MI. 49429
WHAT TO DO BEFORE BUYING A GYM MEMBERSHIP
If you are considering joining a gym, the attorney general’s office has provided the following tips to protect yourself:
- Visit the location during times you would normally use the facility to evaluate the atmosphere.
- Carefully consider the cost of a membership and what it includes.
- Ask about the different membership contracts available. If a club closes, you may lose less money with a shorter contract.
- Examine any contract carefully before signing and make sure you understand the cancellation and refund policies.
- Keep a copy of any contract you sign.
- Shop around, ask friends and relatives for recommendations, check online reviews, and contact the Consumer Protection Division to find out if any complaints have been filed against the health club you are considering.
- Watch for red flags. If a club is advertising an unrealistically low price, be cautious.
***Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to Family Fare instead of Family Fitness in the headline. We regret the error, which has been corrected.***


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Japan supplies 70-80% of blu-ray DVD
discs used worldwide, with Sony the largest supplier of this kind.
The main point is to add a lot of value for the consumer," he said, adding that they were encouraged by sales of the Netflix-ready set-top boxes and Blu-ray DVD
said Tuesday it will release two Blu-ray DVD
recorder/player models, featuring a touch-sensitive remote controller and full high-definition specifications, on May 24.
Meanwhile, Samsung is shortly releasing a Blu-Ray DVD
Home Theatre that will start a trend for complete home solutions centred on this recent technology," explained Panjabi.
Woolworths will introduce a Blu-Ray DVD
chart in all its 820 stores from March, by which time it will only sell HD-DVDs online.
Canon's HR10 HD camera is at home alongside current cutting-edge home theatre systems and Blu-ray DVD
Despite a limited selection of available movies, the first Blu-ray DVD
player, Samsung's BD-P1000, arrived in stores in June with a price tag of $1,000.
He admitted stealing a Sony Blu-ray DVD
player from Sainsbury's on March 23.
TO celebrate the Blu-ray DVD
release of 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams we are giving away a copy of the film and a hi-tech player to watch it on.
a world-caliber supplier of electronic products, has successfully landed a big order from HP for blu-ray DVD
players, securing a strong growth drive for its sales in the second half of this year, according to company sources.
99; and a copy of Hitman on Blu-ray DVD
, pounds 24.
Dubai: The Blu-ray DVD
format is poised to win consumers in the UAE.
This will lend a fresh impetus to the sales of Blu-ray DVD
players as shoppers will need not ponder whether to opt for Toshiba's HD DVD-format products or not, some industry watchers said.
Sony's game console, Playstation3, will also include a Blu-ray DVD
drive when it goes on sale later this year.
NYSE:RLD), a leading global licensor of 3D technologies for cinema, consumer electronics and professional applications, to enhance the 3D technology in PowerDVD, the industry leading 3D, HD and Blu-ray DVD
player software application.


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VERO BEACH – A Target employee was caught stealing 2 rolls of quarters and 2 PlayStation gift cards all valued at $140.00, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
Tristen Keller, who worked as a cashier at the Target store, was arrested and charged with Retail Theft Sunday in Vero Beach.
A loss prevention officer for the Vero Beach store reviewed security footage taken from a camera and watched Keller steal 2 rolls of quarters from his cash register, the arrest affidavit said.
The officer then witnessed Keller ring up 2 PlayStation gift cards valued at $50.00 each at the register but failed to place any form of payment into the drawer, according to the report.
Keller then placed the gift cards into his front pants pocket.
More: Vero Beach Target Shopper Tells Parent ‘Hush Your Squeaker’
More: Vero Beach Woman Steals Birthday Presents For Son At Target
“While speaking with the suspect, he stated that he took 2 rolls of quarters from his cash register and he also said he scanned the PlayStation gift cards without paying for them,” the officer said.
Keller was transported to the Indian River County Jail for processing.
Arrests: All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The mugshots and arrest records published on SebastianDaily.com are not an indication of guilt, or evidence that an actual crime has been committed.
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