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The CEO of oOh!media says the company is not worried at all about the challenge JCDecaux will present if its proposed acquisition of rival APN Outdoor is approved.
Speaking to B&T, Brendon Cook said oOh!media is “very happy” to compete against a much bigger JCDecaux.
“We’ve done it for years, and we’re very happy to compete against the merged entity, and so we don’t see anything changing from our point of view,” he said.
“We’re not intimidated by anybody. We know what we’ve got to do, we’re good at what we do, and we’ll do it.”
Cook wouldn’t buy in to talking about a plan B if the Adshel acquisition didn’t eventuate.
He said the ACCC has done a lot to understand the industry since casting doubt over the planned oOh!media and APN Outdoor merger, which went cold last year.
“With Adshel, we’re not diminishing competition. We’re talking about products we don’t operate in being street furniture and rail. The products behave differently in the way they work at the property end and at the advertiser end,” Cook explained.
Despite oOh!’s recent M&A appetite, Cook said it hadn’t considered partnering up with other media companies beyond the out-of-home patch.
“We haven’t thought about other media. We believe out of home’s got a tremendous future and we’re expecting to grow as an industry, and that’s our focus,” he said.
“We’ve only got six per cent of the media pie, but we believe we should be at 10 per cent as an industry.”
And you can’t blame oOh! for not looking at opportunities outside the OOH industry, with the company announcing earlier this week some solid revenue and profit growth for the first half of 2018.
Domain’s chief marketing officer (CMO), Rebecca Darley, said that without Tealium’s customer data platform (CDP), her business would not have been able to achieve the personalised marketing success that has made it one of the leaders in data-driven marketing in Australia. Speaking at an exclusive breakfast event hosted by B&T at Sydney’s swish harbourside restaurant, […]
Man of Many in partnership with NBC Universal, stages an atmosphere of elegance for Sydney premiere of ‘Argylle’ film. Independent lifestyle publication digital publication, Man of Many, has shown its innovative approach to event management in the premiere of ‘Argylle’ at Hoyts Cinema in Sydney’s entertainment quatre. Over 400 guests were included in the films […]


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Sunday the 13th of May is the big day this year. Mother’s Day that is. So how best to demonstrate the enormity of your love
Chinese-based ZTE smartphones (Australian site here) could be drastically affected by a US crackdown on technology exports to it for seven years.
Data stealing apps (in Android and iOS) require permissions way beyond what is needed to do their job. They are stealing your data to sell
German-based Security Research Labs (SRL) has found a patch gap in Android. That means cyber attackers can get access to many devices. Don’t panic –
GadgetGuy featured on Channel 7 Sunrise with a range of smart living devices including a TV that becomes a piece of art, Embrace a smart
GadgetGuy’s managing editor has been using Google Lens to identify animals and flowers. Impressive. But I am not yet convinced – especially when it comes to
LG will brand all its AI-driven appliances including a new G7 smartphone as ThinQ. ThinQ covers home appliances for the home, laundry and kitchen and
iFixit has completed the teardown on the Huawei P20 Pro and says it is jam-packed full of technology including three rear cameras and a massive
Huawei has done the notch right on its new dual camera P20 and triple camera P20 Pro. It will also have a new Porsche Design
Samsung Pay now has the four major banks – NAB, Westpac, ANZ and Commonwealth accepting Visa credit or debit card payments. All you need is
Alcatel will preinstall Family Zone, a unique and innovative cloud-based ecosystem that enables parents to set enforceable internet and device access policies across any device
Google Assistant can check live scores, match results, upcoming fixtures, and ladders for their favourite footy codes, including AFL, NRL, and Australian Rugby.
The new Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ have achieved speeds of more than 1 gigabit per second (1Gbps) on Telstra’s 4GX network.
Android loyalty reached 91% in Q4, 2017 – only 9% of users indicating they would consider a switch to iOS. By comparison, iOS users reached
Samsung estimates it will sell 43 million Galaxy S9 and S9+ this year. That is only two million more than the Galaxy S8 and S8+.

domain: news


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The Google-owned YouTube is reportedly eyeing the launch of an unlimited movies subscription service, going head-to-head with LoveFilm and Netflix.
According to the New York Post, Google has been in talks with the major Hollywood studios for months, and aims to launch the streaming service firstly in Europe, before expanding to the US.
The service would put YouTube in direct competition with LoveFilm - the British company acquired by Amazon last month - in Europe, and up against subscription giant Netflix in the US.
Google is thought to have set aside up to $100m (£62.3m) for agreeing content deals with the studios and other content providers, as it seeks to broaden YouTube's revenue potential.
One Hollywood executive said: "Google is going to be launching channels in Europe and will launch a subscription video on-demand service. They are going to spend $100 million on content."
The new strategy is being spearheaded by Robert Kyncl, Google's entertainment chief who joined the search engine giant from Netflix with a mission to drive YouTube into the streaming market.
However, Google will face a tough job convincing some Hollywood executives about its new strategy. Viacom, owner of the Paramount studio, is still pursuing a legal appeal against a verdict in Google's favour over a recent copyright case.
Another executive suggested that Google must make some bolder statements on internet piracy before it can really convince the studios to free up their rights.
Google is keen to transform YouTube into an entertainment platform for users to share short-form videos, but also access TV shows and movies.
In the UK, the site already offers ad supported content from Channel 4 and Channel 5, along with programming from various other providers.
Last October, Google launched the Google TV service in the US, a new digital TV platform that aims to blend television and the internet into a "seamless entertainment experience".


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Over at Samsung's headquarters, the senior vice president of its Mobile Communications Division has gone on record saying that businesses will soon be snapping up tablet computers. In the interview, Lee Don Joo recounted the same old industries that ...
Like Hollywood's Academy Awards, the Top500 list of supercomputers is dutifully watched by high-performance computing (HPC) participants and observers, even as they vocally doubt its fidelity to excellence.
In the next few months, Jeff Letasse, vice president of IT for Conceptus, will hand out more than 220 iPads to every salesperson in the company. He plans to wean them off of their trusty laptops and PDAs, with the hope of never having to buy another ...
ViewSonic is trying to cash in on the growing excitement around tablets by offering cash back for buyers who trade in their laptops for new ViewPad tablets.
Not content to gobble up smartphone market share, the Android operating system is poised to capture 15 per cent of the tablet market in 2011, according to IMS Research.
Hewlett-Packard today announced videoconferencing for desktops, laptops and conference rooms to complement its high-end, studio-based Halo videoconferencing line.
Dell Wednesday announced its first endpoint encryption product, along with the possibility of factory installation on certain Dell PCs.
Microsoft doesn't earn billions of dollars every month by giving away its software. But even Microsoft is no stranger to offering freebies in a bid to increase customer loyalty.
After over 10 years of active participation in the honeypot community, I was surprised not to have heard of MicroSolved's HoneyPoint Security Server before I started planning this roundup. HoneyPoint runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, and offers s...
When it comes to power-efficient computing, CPUs are weighed down by too many legacy features to outperform GPUs (graphics processing units) in executing common tasks in parallel, said the chief scientist for the GPU vendor Nvidia.
An Oracle lawsuit filed last week could serve as a cautionary message to hardware partners that wish to do business with the vendor: Secure your buildings.
While tech companies are trying to outdo each other in data center design and energy efficiency, small businesses still can find choosing a data center a tough proposition. Entrusting your company's data and valuable information to someone else needs...
The Dell Inspiron Duo tablet (or is it a netbook?) will be officially released November 23, CNET says, citing "industry sources familiar with the launch plans."
Got files you want to share in the cloud? There are lots of free options.
Lenovo Monday released an ultraportable with the weight of a netbook and the power of a laptop. The Lenovo IdeaPad U260 sports luxurious trim, and is aimed at consumers as interested in fashion as much as they are functionality.
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Advertising aspirants who are looking to eat, breathe and sleep advertising — literally — may want to look no further than Havas Boondoggle’s internship program.
The Amsterdam-based agency is using Airbnb as a recruiting tool, asking aspiring interns to submit their portfolios via the platform. Those who are chosen for the one- to two-week program will get to stay in the agency’s lofty office space for an affordable 10 euros a night.
In exchange for having a cheap place to crash, the interns will work during the day. The only house rules: don’t drink all the beer in the mini fridge, don’t feed the pet Chihuahua and don’t bring the party home. The agency is hoping that its unusual method will attract interns from across the globe that are not only creative but also worldly.
“If you want to make it in the industry, you have to eat, breathe and sleep advertising — so why not offer them that option?” asked Sander Tacx, CEO at Havas Boondoggle Amsterdam. “And the people who look for a place to stay at Airbnb tend to have the same profile we were looking for. They are adventurous and open-minded, the qualities we want in our interns.”
Since launching Wednesday, the intern program has received more than 50 applications from South Korea to Switzerland. It hopes to have several teams of interns across several weeks, rather than a single team over the course of a few months.
“It’s work and fun and a sneak peek into how an ad agency runs for them, as well as a sneak peek for us into, let’s say, what the Argentinian work sensibility is like,” said Menno Schipper, creative director at Havas Boondoggle Amsterdam. “We want to be able to learn from as many of them as possible.”
During their stay, the chosen interns will work with the Havas Boondoggle staff on projects and briefs for its clients, including the likes of PSA Peugeot Citroën, Heinz and Disneyland Paris. While the program is geared toward creative interns at present, the agency hopes to extend it to the accounts and strategy departments in the future.
“We expect the program to continue till at least the end of the year,” said Tacx. “Or at least till Airbnb lets us.”
Image courtesy of Havas Boondoggle Amsterdam.
The Rundown: Meta to put new ads all over Facebook and Instagram, including on user profiles
Meta is launching new ad formats this quarter, which are hoping to capitalize off of readers' appetite for discovery.
Productivity app Notion goes global with OOH efforts
As productivity app Notion expands its business, it is ramping up global OOH efforts to get in front of shoppers across the world.
Member ExclusiveDigiday+ Research: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube valued by brands and agencies, but ad spend lags — especially on TikTok
Brands and agencies are in alignment in terms of how confident they are that social media drives marketing success, but a significant gap exits between how they allocate marketing budgets on those platforms.
SponsoredWhy online search is foundational for a post-cookies environment
Derick Jaros, head of industry, commerce, Yext If there’s one definite thing about the past two years, it’s that consumer behavior changed significantly throughout the pandemic. From the shift to online-only life in early 2020 to the frantic Googling for new hours, policies, and stock updates in the first phase of reopening, consumers turned to […]
4A’s Marla Kaplowitz on 3 ways agencies can navigate the uncertain economy
The industry trade group is helping many agency members prepare their business for broader economic changes, from how to retain talent to honing their financial acumen.
Member ExclusiveMarketing Briefing: Marketers, agencies report it’s ‘the perfect storm’ as new business pitches slow
The second and third quarters of this year were slower than usual for pitches, according to agency execs, who said there's a sense of pullback across the board from marketers this year.


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Facebook parent company Meta has not had an easy time of it since Mark Zuckerberg launched it back in November 2021.
The tech corporation’s metaverse concept has still not taken off, while its long-serving executive Sheryl Sandberg announced she would be leaving in June 2022. The WhatsApp owner has also recently faced criticism from Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian over the way it runs Instagram, and has also risked the ire of gamers by hiking the price of its Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headset.
Meta had its first ever fall in sales over the previous financial quarter. Now, the company has announced that profits have halfed once more.
So why is Meta losing out - and how has this bad news affected its stock price? Here’s what you need to know.
Why did Meta earnings fall?
In figures revealed by the technology company on 27 October 2022, Met posted a decrease in profits and sales. Slaes shrank by 4% in the three month period to September, while profits halved.
The tough economic situation was further deepened by the analysis that the latest valuation is set to wipe around $78billion off od the company’s market value. This is likely to happen if the losses hold.
Meta has blamed the poorer performance on companies cutting advertising budgets amid a tough economic situation worldwide. Additionally, the company has seen competition from the likes of TikTok and resistance from external factors such as Apple’s privacy settings on targeted adverts.
It comes after Meta released its financial results for the second quarter of 2022 on Wednesday 27 July. They showed that the company’s overall revenues fell back 1% ($255 million or £210 million) to $28.8bn (£23.7 billion) when comparing the three months to June 2022 with the same period in 2021.
This was the first-ever quarterly sales decline for Meta, formerly known as Facebook. Total revenue is how much money a business generates from all of its activities before expenses, such as salaries, and taxes are taken away.
What’s left after all of these things have been taken away from the overall sales figure is called net profit. This figure determines how much money a company can use to invest in itself and hand out in bonuses, or keep in the bank. These too fell in the quarter - declining 36% to $6.7 billion (£5.5 billion).
In part, these results were caused by a decline in the average price-per-advert, which decreased 14% year-on-year. Meta said it believed this decline had come as a result of the current economic uncertainty around the world.
What did Mark Zuckerberg say about Meta results?
Commenting on the record for the third quarter, Mets founder Mark Zuckerberg, said that the company faced some “near-term challenges”. He also gave clues to the company scaling down to become a “smaller organisation” in the next year, potentially paving the way for job cuts and savings in the company.
He said: “There are a lot of things going on right now in the business and in the world. We’re going to resolve each of these things... I think those who are patient and invest with us will end up being rewarded.”
What is Meta stock price?
As of 27 October 2022 and at the time of writing, Meta stock was trading at $100.03 per share.


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- 23rd October 2019
- Posted by: ifedayo
- Category: news
Mouka, the nation’s leading mattress and other bedding products manufacturer signaled off activities marking its 60th anniversary in Nigeria on Monday, restating its commitment to quality products in order to maintain its market share leadership.
Mr. Raymond Murphy. Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, CEO of the company explained to journalists in Lagos that “the last 60 years has been a long and successful journey for Mouka,” adding that the company has built an enduring brand in the last six decades.
He described Mouka as a truly indigenous company as it is staffed by about 801 employees, with him being the only expatriate.
The company, he stressed, also has over 300 distributors, some of whom are second generation distributors who have been with the company for over 40 years. Murphy also praised the shareholders of the company for giving quality and wholesome support to the company over the years.
“This is a big milestone for us. At 60, we are the market share leader in the foam and beddings sector. Recent research, according to some marketing professionals whom I met on my last trip to Dubai also attest to the fact that Mouka is not only the leader in Nigeria, but also in Africa and the Middle East,” he said.
Ahead of the 60th anniversary, Mouka, was last week, endorsed by the Nigeria Association of Orthopaedic Manual Therapists (NAOMT).
The endorsement comes on the back of consistency in quality delivery and innovative mattress production, which have characterised the brand’s market path in Nigeria.
National President of the association, Dr. Onigbinde Ayodele, described the endorsement of Mouka as an offshoot of a detailed assessment of the brand’s orthopaedic mattresses.
Before the endorsement, It has also been a harvest of laurels for Mouka. For instance, the foremost foam manufacturing company, was last month recognized by the National Employers Consultative Association (NECA) for safe work environment.
This is anchored on its 2018 Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) audit exercise following what the Association described as an exceptional performance by the indigenous manufacturer.
Before the NECA recognition, the foremost indigenous mattress and foam products manufacturer, has been recognised twice by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), in the group’s Companies to Inspire Africa report.
Mouka was listed in the – LSEG’s companies to Inspire Africa2019 report after it made the 2017 inaugural edition. Speaking, Chief Executive Officer, Mouka, said the foam company had to work earnestly to consolidate its performance in the sector to make the list of companies to inspire Africa for the second consecutive edition.
To be included in the list, companies need to be privately held, and show an excellent rate of growth and potential to power African development.
Mouka was recognised alongside 360 companies from 32 countries across the continent represented in this year’s report, boasting an incredibly impressive average compound annual growth rate of 46 per cent, up from 16 percent in 2017.
The foundation for Mouka was laid 60 years ago in the historic city of Kano when the scion of the Faiz Moukarim family started the Moukarim Metalwood factory to manufacture furniture and iron beds.
Since then, Mouka has gone into manufacturing of foam and spring mattresses, as well as other bedding products at its three production facilities across Nigeria.
The company has also developed an extensive distribution network with more than 1,000 branded sales outlets nationwide.


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Posts tagged with "Food crisis"
Tag: Food crisis
FAO calls for investments in agriculture
April 13, 2017
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called for critical investments in agriculture and climate change relief to address the crisis in Africa’s strife-torn...
108 Million People In The World Face Severe Food Insecurity –...
April 1, 2017
Despite international efforts to address food insecurity, around 108 million people in the world were severely food insecure in 2016, a dramatic increase compared...
Innovative cassava peel processing factories launched in Nigeria
June 19, 2017
The Green Alternative: Nigeria’s Agriculture Promotion Policy 2016-2020 Document
June 18, 2017
Arla Foods launches Global Innovation Centre
June 17, 2017
How Government plans to boost Nigerian economy with Agriculture
March 24, 2016
Cassava Summit – Nigeria is missing out in $5bn per annum...
September 22, 2016
Holland set to build world’s first floating farm
June 2, 2016
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Telewest Broadband Simplifies Pricing
# Nov 4, 11:06 AM by Mick
Telewest broadband is to make its broadband prices more understandable by seperating it from other products such as telco and TV packages. Telewest’s 256k package, for example is now £17.99 when bought on its own.
Telewest previously offered savings if customers took out other products such as telephone or digital TV. But if customers just wanted a solo broadband package, e.g. blueyonder entry level 256K speed tier, the price was £19.99 a month.
But now prices have been simplified and customers can now get the following speed tiers at the following prices per month.
256Kb – £17.99
750Kb – £25
1.5Mb – £35
3Mb – £50


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Signable Press Page Media Coverage – Write For Us
Welcome to the Signable Press Page, here you’ll find our media features and contact information. We post weekly on our blog with original and guest-written articles on the future of business, electronic software advancements in a range of industries and legal changes to eSignatures across the globe.
Our guidelines below detail what topics and tone we usually publish on our blog, so it’s a good idea to read them before you email us.
Signable in the press!
100% of Credit Unions* say digitalisation is changing the industry for the better.
91%* say digital loan agreements have boosted acceptance times.
And companies are quickly realizing the benefits. The number of worldwide eSignature transactions jumped from 89 million in 2012 to 754 million in 2017. That’s a lot of contracts.
Digital onboarding improves productivity by 54% studies show
With the movement of many companies towards faster, more effective digital solutions, it’s no wonder digital onboarding is changing the way we integrate new employees.
Originally conceived as a side-project during a slow and snowy January, a way to make document signing more efficient, Bristol-based company Domo soon found their software creation was proving a hit with clients.
Fast forward to today and Signable is now a full-time venture that has passed the £1 million mark in annual revenue.
37% of companies think going digital will help productivity and a whole host of other benefits, so, now is the time to take the plunge and adapt not only to the current situation but also make a change for the future of the company.
“The future (and even the present) is digital. If you aren’t digital, your competitors definitely will be. The benefits that ‘going digital’ gives you, in terms of efficiency and cost savings, means it’s just a matter of time until digital is just the way of doing business, if not already.”
It sounds like a given, but the quicker you can deliver your product to the customer, the more likely they’ll buy from you again. So if you make your sales funnel as fast as possible, you’ll close more valued deals. Once the customer is ready to commit, you need to quickly, but formally secure the deal.
Contact the press team:
For Guest Writing please email your topic ideas and published examples of your work to Gia.


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Croatia’s largest supermarket chain accepts cryptos
The supermarket's online store will now accept nine cryptos
Konzum, Croatia's largest supermarket chain, is now allowing customers to pay for goods using cryptocurrencies on their online store.
This now means shoppers can buy groceries, hygiene and household items using cryptos as well as other items from the other 12,000 products in the supermarket’s online store.
It is also possible to buy cryptos from Konzum’s online store “free of charge”.
The supermarket chain can now accept cryptos online as it is working in cooperation with Electrocoin and its PayCek system, the first Croatian payment processor for cryptos.
The online store will now accept nine cryptos, bitcoin (BTC), ethereum (ETH), bitcoin cash (BCH), EOS, DAI, ripple (XRP), stellar (XLM), tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC).
Crypto payments made “simple”
Once the customer has come to the end of their product selection, they will be able to choose the crypto payment option if they wish to do so.
After they have picked which crypto they have decided to pay in, a QR code and payment address will be generated. Once the customer scans the QR code, they can pay with the crypto they have selected.
A confirmation email sent by PayCek will then be sent to the customer and Konzum will send an invoice for the products.
As cryptos are known to be volatile, the PayCek system will “guarantee the buyer a fixed exchange rate equivalent in time to initiate the transaction, sufficient for its successful execution at no additional charge”.
Konzum always monitors global trends
Uroš Kalinić, member of the management board of Konzum for Finance and IT, said: “The introduction of cryptocurrency payments is another indicator that Konzum is constantly monitoring global trends, introducing innovations and setting the standard in the retail sector. As the largest retail chain in Croatia, which in its almost 65-year history is a continuous leader in the domestic market in terms of business results and technological achievements, we are proud to be leaders in another area that is rapidly developing and dictating the future.
“We continue to invest in the development of innovations and technologies in order to remain the first choice for our customers and as a next-generation retail chain to provide a premium shopping experience.”


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Summer is around the corner and it’s harder to hide all those bulges and wobbly bits under a summer dress or white t-shirt!
Most women would say that they have a stubborn little pocket of fat that no diet or extreme exercise plan can budge. Whether it’s Inner-thigh fullness, bingo wings, back-fat, double chin or post-pregnancy muffin tops it’s been impossible to shift – until Cooltech arrived!
Recent figures out of America reveal that fat freezing, a non-invasive alternative to liposuction, is now the third most popular non-surgical procedure, coming in behind dermal fillers and Botox. The procedure has seen a 24.7 percent rise in one year, partly because there are no needles,
incision or downtime. You can freeze your fat in your lunch hour.
Fat freezing, scientifically known as cryolipolysis, isn’t a new technology. It was first approved by the FDA in 2010.
The Skin Rejuvenation Clinic were the first in Christchurch to offer this fat freezing technology and have been struggling ever since to keep up with the demand of clients wanting to get their fat ice-blasted off at $600 an area.
“The technology is incredible. You chill the problem area down to -8℃ which causes the fat cells to die and then they are removed by your body’s own clean up system that removes dead cells ,” explains Dr Brigid. “But it’s the walk-in, walk-out nature of the treatment which makes it so attractive to our
“It’s not painful and clients can read a book or do some work on the laptop while the fat is being frozen away, and then head back to the office.” There’s up to a 30 percent reduction to fat in the area that is treated – those fat cells are GONE – that means it’s harder to put the weight back on in that
area. It essentially changes the shape of the body. The magical machine in question is called Cooltech and it’s set to revolutionise fat-freezing, enabling women to speedily contour their body shape but without the risks of going under the knife.


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|By PR Newswire||
|January 10, 2013 04:29 PM EST||
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As cash-strapped consumers sell their gold to pay for everyday necessities, complaints against gold dealers have risen. Among the worst offenders according to a recent tally on the Better Business Bureau's website, BBB.org, are cash for gold companies advertising heavily on television. One company received 119 complaints in the previous 36 months. Another received 81. Complaints range from pricing discrepancies and misleading advertising to customer service issues and claims for lost shipments.
"Not every Internet gold buyer is dishonest," says Michael H. Gusky, whose company, GoldFellow.com has served over 250,000 customers and is rated A+ by the BBB.
A 30 plus-year gold jewelry industry veteran, Gusky was invited to appear on an episode of last season's America's Money Class with Suze Orman to help teach consumers how to sell gold.
"GoldFellow.com was created to provide consumers a safe, competitive and easy method to sell unwanted gold, sterling silver, platinum and diamonds," says Gusky.
He attributes his company's success and rapid growth to a higher level of trust achieved through his company's transparent business practices and higher payments.
"The owners of GoldFellow® are the most honest and ethical dealers I have had the pleasure to do business with," says Carla Stern who first tried to sell her unwanted jewelry to two other Internet gold buyers. "GoldFellow® paid me $1,800 for the same package I had sent to a highly advertised on TV and Internet dealer, who tried to pay me only $310," explains Stern.
Gusky is not surprised by Stern's experience.
"We could spend our money on commercials – or we could put the cash in our customer's pockets. We prefer to pay the customer higher prices," he says.
According to Gusky, the way gold is valued causes confusion. In a phone survey conducted by the company, consumers reported the primary obstacles to selling their unwanted gold jewelry was uncertainty about their gold's true value and unfamiliar weight units like pennyweight (dwt), gram and troy ounce.
"We realized we'd been communicating our pricing in the wrong language," explains Gusky. "As consumer advocates, we'd focused on educating the public and built an informative website but we needed to find a way to illustrate gold value so it could be more easily understood."
To complement its online payment schedule, GoldFellow® created the interactive Gold Payments Gallery which displays photos of actual jewelry the company purchased along with the item's karat, weight stated in both grams and pennyweight and price paid.
"Customers tell me they like looking through the photos and finding items similar to those they want to sell," reports Mary Hamilton, a customer support manager who has worked for Gusky since 1987. "They say the photos help them understand what to expect for their own jewelry and really appreciate our honesty."
According to the company's website, www.GoldFellow.com, GoldFellow® posts and updates its payment schedule daily, provides every customer with free, insured FedEx® shipping and posts the customer's itemized settlement offer in a password protected environment where it must be reviewed and accepted before they are paid.
"Do your homework before you sell your gold," cautions Gusky.
Gusky recommends always checking potential gold buyers out with the Better Business Bureau. Look for accredited companies with A+ rating and few or no unresolved complaints. Ask several gold buyers how much they would pay you for one single pennyweight of 14 karat gold when selling less than one ounce, and then compare prices.
"And for goodness sake, never drop your valuables in a regular mailbox, warns Gusky. "There's no record or proof that it has been mailed - and it may not be fully insured. Read the terms and conditions on the gold buyer's website."
Gusky, and his wife Robin, who is also active in the company, earned their reputation over 30 years in the gold jewelry business. Their previous company grew to become the largest karat gold jewelry manufacturer in America, culminating with a sale to Warren Buffett's, Berkshire-Hathaway in 2007.
SYS-CON Events announced today that HPM Networks will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. For 20 years, HPM Networks has been integrating technology solutions that solve complex business challenges. HPM Networks has designed solutions for both SMB and enterprise customers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Aug. 31, 2015 11:30 AM EDT Reads: 881
SYS-CON Events announced today that Micron Technology, Inc., a global leader in advanced semiconductor systems, will exhibit at the 17th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Micron’s broad portfolio of high-performance memory technologies – including DRAM, NAND and NOR Flash – is the basis for solid state drives, modules, multichip packages and other system solutions. Backed by more than 35 years of tech...
Aug. 31, 2015 11:15 AM EDT Reads: 224
As more intelligent IoT applications shift into gear, they’re merging into the ever-increasing traffic flow of the Internet. It won’t be long before we experience bottlenecks, as IoT traffic peaks during rush hours. Organizations that are unprepared will find themselves by the side of the road unable to cross back into the fast lane. As billions of new devices begin to communicate and exchange data – will your infrastructure be scalable enough to handle this new interconnected world?
Aug. 31, 2015 11:00 AM EDT Reads: 159
SYS-CON Events announced today the Containers & Microservices Bootcamp, being held November 3-4, 2015, in conjunction with 17th Cloud Expo, @ThingsExpo, and @DevOpsSummit at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. This is your chance to get started with the latest technology in the industry. Combined with real-world scenarios and use cases, the Containers and Microservices Bootcamp, led by Janakiram MSV, a Microsoft Regional Director, will include presentations as well as hands-on...
Aug. 31, 2015 10:45 AM EDT Reads: 279
Through WebRTC, audio and video communications are being embedded more easily than ever into applications, helping carriers, enterprises and independent software vendors deliver greater functionality to their end users. With today’s business world increasingly focused on outcomes, users’ growing calls for ease of use, and businesses craving smarter, tighter integration, what’s the next step in delivering a richer, more immersive experience? That richer, more fully integrated experience comes ab...
Aug. 31, 2015 10:30 AM EDT Reads: 631
Cloud and datacenter migration innovator AppZero has joined the Microsoft Enterprise Cloud Alliance Program. AppZero is a fast, flexible way to move Windows Server applications from any source machine – physical or virtual – to any destination server, in any cloud or datacenter, using its patented container technology. AppZero’s container is also called a Virtual Application Appliance (VAA). To facilitate Microsoft Azure onboarding, AppZero has two purpose-built offerings: AppZero SP for Azure,...
Aug. 31, 2015 10:15 AM EDT Reads: 178
SYS-CON Events announced today that Pythian, a global IT services company specializing in helping companies leverage disruptive technologies to optimize revenue-generating systems, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 17th Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 3–5, 2015, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Founded in 1997, Pythian is a global IT services company that helps companies compete by adopting disruptive technologies such as cloud, Big Data, advance...
Aug. 31, 2015 10:15 AM EDT Reads: 294
eCube Systems has released NXTmonitor, a full featured application orchestration solution. NXTmonitor, which inherited the code base of NXTminder, has been extended to support multi-discipline processes and will act as a DevOps utility in a heterogeneous enterprise environment. Previously, NXTminder was packaged with NXTera middleware to configure and manage Entera and NXTera RPC servers. “Since we are widening the focus of this solution to DevOps, we felt the need to change the name to NXTmon...
Aug. 31, 2015 10:08 AM EDT
In today's digital world, change is the one constant. Disruptive innovations like cloud, mobility, social media, and the Internet of Things have reshaped the market and set new standards in customer expectations. To remain competitive, businesses must tap the potential of emerging technologies and markets through the rapid release of new products and services. However, the rigid and siloed structures of traditional IT platforms and processes are slowing them down – resulting in lengthy delivery ...
Aug. 31, 2015 09:45 AM EDT Reads: 586
Contrary to mainstream media attention, the multiple possibilities of how consumer IoT will transform our everyday lives aren’t the only angle of this headline-gaining trend. There’s a huge opportunity for “industrial IoT” and “Smart Cities” to impact the world in the same capacity – especially during critical situations. For example, a community water dam that needs to release water can leverage embedded critical communications logic to alert the appropriate individuals, on the right device, as...
Aug. 31, 2015 09:40 AM EDT
In his session at @ThingsExpo, Lee Williams, a producer of the first smartphones and tablets, will talk about how he is now applying his experience in mobile technology to the design and development of the next generation of Environmental and Sustainability Services at ETwater. He will explain how M2M controllers work through wirelessly connected remote controls; and specifically delve into a retrofit option that reverse-engineers control codes of existing conventional controller systems so the...
Aug. 31, 2015 09:30 AM EDT Reads: 122
This Enterprise Strategy Group lab validation report of the NEC Express5800/R320 server with Intel® Xeon® processor presents the benefits of 99.999% uptime NEC fault-tolerant servers that lower overall virtualized server total cost of ownership. This report also includes survey data on the significant costs associated with system outages impacting enterprise and web applications. Click Here to Download Report Now!
Aug. 31, 2015 08:30 AM EDT Reads: 201
U.S. companies are desperately trying to recruit and hire skilled software engineers and developers, but there is simply not enough quality talent to go around. Tiempo Development is a nearshore software development company. Our headquarters are in AZ, but we are a pioneer and leader in outsourcing to Mexico, based on our three software development centers there. We have a proven process and we are experts at providing our customers with powerful solutions. We transform ideas into reality.
Aug. 31, 2015 07:45 AM EDT Reads: 533
Skeuomorphism usually means retaining existing design cues in something new that doesn’t actually need them. However, the concept of skeuomorphism can be thought of as relating more broadly to applying existing patterns to new technologies that, in fact, cry out for new approaches. In his session at DevOps Summit, Gordon Haff, Senior Cloud Strategy Marketing and Evangelism Manager at Red Hat, discussed why containers should be paired with new architectural practices such as microservices rathe...
Aug. 31, 2015 06:00 AM EDT Reads: 393
Whether you like it or not, DevOps is on track for a remarkable alliance with security. The SEC didn’t approve the merger. And your boss hasn’t heard anything about it. Yet, this unruly triumvirate will soon dominate and deliver DevSecOps faster, cheaper, better, and on an unprecedented scale. In his session at DevOps Summit, Frank Bunger, VP of Customer Success at ScriptRock, will discuss how this cathartic moment will propel the DevOps movement from such stuff as dreams are made on to a prac...
Aug. 31, 2015 04:00 AM EDT Reads: 225


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We sent an email to the VP of group corporate communications in TM to get a status update on what caused the 30 minute nationwide outage of all its broadband services including sister company’s Celcom broadband service.
We didn’t get a reply.
Instead tucked in an obscure corner of their website, TM has put up a short and condescendingly generic announcement apologising to its subscribers for the service outage. Not a single sentence in the announcement even attempted to vaguely explain what had cause the outage.
What it does mention is that “restoration works are already in progress and services in some areas have been restored in stages“. In addition to that, “TM is currently monitoring the situation and will make further announcements on the progress of the restoration works“.
The announcement didn’t indicate any timeline upon which TM hopes to complete the “restoration work“.
Once again the nation’s self proclaimed number one broadband provider has kept its over one million subscribers in the dark.
Here’s what other Streamyx subscribers are saying… #StreamyxSucks
Dear TM, more than an apology, we all deserve an explanation.
(Update 1134hrs 16042010) Got a reply from TM. They said that they will continue provide updates via announcements on TM website. Here’s the latest announcement, TM says broadband services have been fully restored and measures have been put in place to ensure that service is not interupted.
Based on what we know, we’re pretty sure the outage is beyond a DNS failure and could be something else. What it is,TM won’t tell us.
Although there have been reports that service has been restored about half an hour after the outage was detected, TM states that restoration process is still ongoing in stages.
We’ve resquested an official response from the group corporate communication deparment on TM on this outage and will update you as soon as we hear from them.
Our public Twitter timeline is lighting up like the 4th of July right now.
Massive complaints on Streamxy and
HSBB UniFi subscribers not able to connect to the Internet. Apparently TM‘s broadband service was down as early as 1730hrs
We can’t verify is this is a nationwide outage or if it is multiple instances of isolated casses but by the sheer number of complaints we’re seeing it looks like it is a major outage.
Updates as we get them.
(Update 1759hrs 15042010) Getting reports that Celcom broadband is down too.
(Update 1821hrs 15042010) TM replied via Twitter that “they have escalated the issue to the relevant parties and will update accordingly“. We shall wait diligently for those updates. Stay tuned!
(Update 1821hrs 15042010) Looks like this will be our final update on the Streamyx and UniFi HSBB outage. Twitter timeline reporting both services are up including Celcom. From our estimates, it looks like the nation’s largest broadband provider was out of commission for over 30 minutes.
Even if the service was down for a seamingly short period, the question is, what caused the outage and has enough measures been pun in place to prevent it from happening again?
30 minutes can mean a lot of money for businesses that rely on TM for their Internet. Not to mention the number of Celcom broadband users who were also affected.


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New York City companies are hunting for scarce hotel rooms to shelter employees facing a threatened LIRR strike next week, hospitality executives say, and at least one Queens hotel is courting commuters with a "Railway Strike Package" that includes an after-work Long Island Iced Tea.
Kathleen Duffy, spokeswoman for NYC Marriott Hotels, with more than 5,000 rooms across all company brands in the city, said corporate clients are inquiring about rooms after Sunday's 12:01 a.m. Long Island Rail Road strike deadline, but that space is tight.
"Even if there wasn't a strike, our hotels are running extremely high occupancy next week," she said, citing tourism and business events. "We do have some rooms, but we're not holding them unless they're booking."
Matt Zolbe, director of sales and marketing at the 1,400-room Waldorf Astoria in midtown, said business clients were inquiring, but were holding off on booking rooms. Jeffrey Reich-Hale, director of sales and marketing at the Wyndham Garden Long Island City Manhattan View, said the hotel was on track to be booked solid from Sunday through Saturday, though it was unclear if the surge was related to the possible strike. Room availability also was limited next week at the Conrad New York, a luxury hotel in the Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. group near Wall Street, according to reservation agents.
Christopher Heywood, a spokesman for NYC & Company, the city's tourism agency, said the hotel occupancy percentage typically hovers from the high 80s into the 90s this time of year.
The Z NYC Hotel in Long Island City is offering its "Strike Package" -- including the after-work drink, a morning bagel and cream cheese, and a complimentary shuttle to the subway or Manhattan's East Side -- to commuters who can present an LIRR ticket at check-in. The promotion, which starts at $225 a night, would run for the duration of a strike.
As of Wednesday afternoon, occupancy at the boutique hotel, which relies mostly on domestic and international leisure travelers, was running at 71 percent for Sunday and 88 percent for Monday.
"Why not make our guests feel relaxed during this incredibly stressful time?" Lisa Gneo, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, said of the promotion.
At Wall Street firms, where regulators demand ironclad business continuity, hotels are viewed as one option for ensuring smooth functioning.
A Goldman Sachs Group Inc. spokeswoman said that in the event of a strike, the financial services firm would consider a variety of choices, including housing employees in hotels if necessary.


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Treasure Island Media Releases Liam Cole's 'Man-Cunt'
SAN FRANCISCO — “Man-Cunt,” the latest from London-based director Liam Cole, is now available exclusively on the company's website in DVD and Download-to-Own (DTO) formats.
The film features seven action-packed scenes including one-on-one, three-way and more, all filmed in the UK.
For more information visit TreasureIslandMedia.com.
Retail business partners can expect “Man-Cunt” to be released to New Barbary Coast Distribution (NBCD) in early spring.


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People wear protective face masks outside of a McDonald & # 39; s location in New York City.
Noam Galai | Getty Images
McDonald & # 39; s will be running coronavirus safety reviews of its restaurants for the next six weeks amid health experts fear that Covid fatigue is adding to the record number of new cases in the US.
The 7-day average of the new Covid-19 cases was over 131,400 on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University. According to a CNBC analysis, the rate of new daily infections has increased 32% compared to the same time last week.
The surge in infections has led some states and communities to announce tighter restrictions ahead of the holiday season. For example, New York State has introduced a nightly curfew at 10 p.m. for indoor and outdoor dining. Some places, like McDonald & # 39; s hometown of Chicago, have again banned indoor eating.
McDonald & # 39; s will be conducting one visit per franchisee, according to an internal notice to US operators that was viewed by CNBC. The ratings were created in collaboration with the franchisee's management. Charlie Strong, McDonald’s US Chief Field Officer, Mark Salebra, Chairman of the National Franchisee Leadership Alliance, and Tracy Johnstone, Franchisee, wrote the letter.
The inspections assess how a franchisee is performing the "five most important operating minima". Once the work is done, the franchisees must ensure that the rest of their locations also follow best practices. The goal is to complete all visits by December 31st.
Salebra and Johnstone also emphasized the importance of using devices to enable contactless payment and enable social distancing in the kitchen.
"We will conclude by reminding the system that our actions will be very closely monitored by consumers, crew members and other external stakeholders," the letter said.
The fast food giant has been charged on multiple occasions for failing to adequately protect the company's franchisees from contracting the virus. In one case, a judge in Chicago found that McDonald & # 39; s was not negligent, but had to better train its employees in social distancing and the correct wearing of masks.
McDonald & # 39; s U.S. President Joe Erlinger wrote in a Medium post published Friday that the chain will hold multiple roundtable discussions to discuss its Covid-19 prevention practices with others in the industry.
"This is an area where we don't see anyone as a competitor. The more an organization of our size and scale can share what we've learned, the more we can help make everyone safer," he said.
Erlinger also said the infection rate at McDonald's restaurants is lower than that of the general US population, but the company is aiming to eliminate new cases. He asked employees to report suspicious cases via the chain's Covid hotline.
"After all, the success of McDonald's – just like the success of Walmart, Apple, Starbucks or any other US-based company – depends on us all getting back to a normal version as soon as possible," he wrote.
McDonald & # 39; s shares were virtually unchanged on Friday afternoon. The stock, valued at $ 164 billion, is up 7% this year.


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Google today is more formally taking the wraps off its internal incubator, Area 120, with the launch of a dedicated website, alongside the launch of one of the program’s more interesting projects to date: a way to advertise within VR. The new experiment, which is simply called Advr, involves a cube-like ad format which allows video ads to run in a 3D/VR environment.
Area 120 was launched at Google in March, 2016, as a way to retain entrepreneurial-minded talent at the company, as well as give teams the ability to test new ideas that could eventually become Google products, or be integrated with existing products.
That hasn’t happened yet, as the R&D program is still fairly new.
For more you can check 3D Animation Agency


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Despite rising sales, Tesla Motors has posted its 11th consecutive quarterly loss. The electric carmaker announced it would release a lower-priced Model 3 sedan in late 2017.
The Palo Alto-based electric car manufacturer reported a fourth quarter loss of $320 million (283.6 million euros) as revenue rose 27 percent to $1.2 billion, bringing yearly revenue to $4 billion with a loss of $889 million last year.
Tesla's stock, which has been battered by 40 percent this year, rose 9 percent in after-hours trading to $157 despite the poor earnings. The boost came from the announcement that its lower-priced Model 3 sedan would be unveiled in March and have a scheduled production start at the end of 2017.
The $35,000 sedan is about half the price of the Model S, a luxury vehicle, that has seen sales rise 76 percent in the fourth quarter to 17,272. Last year the company delivered 50,000 of the Model S, a jump of 60 percent from 2014.
Tesla's shares had fallen in recent days as investors voiced concern over delays of the Model S.
A shareholder letter said the company is seeing "growing worldwide demand for Tesla vehicles, supported by record production" and expects to deliver 80,000 to 90,000 Model S and Model X vehicles this year.
Tesla's new Model X SUV suffered difficulties ramping up production, but the company said it would deliver 1,000 SUVs per week by the second quarter. The price tag is $130,000.
The company is also making investments in battery technology and vehicle production.
"Achieving these results in 2016 should leave us well positioned for 2017, when we plan to launch Model 3 and take another significant step towards our mission of accelerating the world's transition to sustainable transportation," the company said in a letter.
cw/sms (AFP, AP)


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WELCOME TO The WHEELS REPORT
Feature market insights and perspectives from top C-Level executives, elite technology influencers and thought leaders from your company here. This signature initiative has garnered immense support...
Tive | December 17, 2021
Tive, a leading real-time in-transit visibility provider, today announced a new strategic partnership with Blue Yonder, a leading digital supply chain and omni-commerce fulfillment platform provider. By integrating data and insights from Blue Yonder's transportation management solution and Luminate™ Control Tower, this partnership provides mutual customers with insights beyond shipment locations and conditions that deliver a better end-consumer experience.
businesswire | April 18, 2023
Core & Main Inc. a leader in advancing reliable infrastructure with local service, nationwide, has closed its acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Midwest Pipe Supply Inc., a distributor of drainage and waterworks products located in Clear Lake, Iowa.
“With its strong reputation, dedicated team and reliable local presence, we believe Midwest Pipe Supply will bring Core & Main a significant opportunity to expand our drainage and waterworks reach in Iowa,&...
Coles | February 18, 2020
Uncertainty over equipment delays coming out of China. Australian grocery and liquor giant Coles has cautioned that its giant supply chain transformation could be hit by equipment delivery delays because the coronavirus in China, though the digitally-powered transformation slated to shave $1 billion is still officially on track – for the time being. Speaking to Coles’ 2020 half-year results, chief financial officer Leah Weckert said that while Coles had “further progressed paym...
prweb | May 02, 2023
Outrider, the pioneer in autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, announced the release of automated trailer inventory capabilities for distribution yards. Part of the Outrider System, this patent-pending trailer inventory technology provides real-time tracking of trailers and containers in yards. With this enhanced visibility into asset and freight locations, logistics-dependent enterprises will increase the efficiency of their yard operations.
Large distribution yards cont...
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- WHITE PAPERS
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — John Schnatter, founder of Papa John's International, helped celebrate the opening of the 15th Papa John's restaurant in Shanghai yesterday. According to a news release, the most unique feature of the restaurant is its dine-in component, something not seen in the chain's U.S. system.
"This is my first trip to China, and I have to tell you, I'm amazed," said Schnatter. "The restaurant we opened yesterday in Shanghai is the nicest restaurant in the Papa John's system. Of course it is a dine-in restaurant. They do business differently here, which means, we do business differently here."
Delivering food to someone's home isn't an automatic proposition, Schnatter said. It's the product of building relationships with customers at the dine-in level first, he said.
Currently there are 20 Papa John's in China; the company wants 250 units there in five years.
Topics: Papa John's


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Orange to use Walkman phone, promote diva Aguilera
LONDON, Mar 4 (Reuters) Mobile phone operator Orangesaid on Friday it would roll out Sony Ericsson's new Walkman phones across Europe in a venture that includes a sponsorship deal with pop diva Christina Aguilera.
Orange, owned by France Telecom, is betting heavily on services such as music and video downloads as the industry seeks other sources of income, with voice call revenues under pressure from rising competition and falling prices.
The agreement covers Orange's entire European reach, including Britain, France, Spain, the Netherlands and other countries. Sony Ericsson is a joint venture between Japanese electronics conglomerate Sony Corp. and Sweden's Ericsson.
The sponsorship deal with Aguilera, an artist with record company Sony BMG -- another Sony joint venture, with German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG -- includes a nine-month marketing campaign for the Grammy Award winner's upcoming single, album and European tour.
Orange customers will be given access to exclusive re-mixes, ringtones and videos. The company had 71 million customers in 17 countries at the end of 2005, with France and the UK its biggest markets.
''Music is a key strategic priority for Orange in 2006,'' said Frank Boulben, Orange's executive vice president for brand consumer marketing.
Orange also said the Sony Ericsson Walkman W810i and W300i phones would be customised to work with its Signature framework, which attempts to offer consumers a consistent way of using its service regardless of the handset maker.
REUTERS SD BS1922


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For most people, buying a home is by far the biggest purchase they will ever make. But when it comes to deciding whether they are getting their money’s worth, Israelis are far more likely to turn to the Internet than seek a professional valuation – and that could spell trouble.
In a survey of homebuyers conducted by the Teleseker Institute for the yad2 classified ads website, 53.5% of respondents said they used “online listings for house prices, which they compared to asking prices for similar apartments.” Some 53% marked “websites” as their source of information, while 45.2% said they tapped “information from friends and family” and 25.1% said they asked “neighbors living close by.” The online survey included 505 people, 435 of whom reported that they had purchased a home in the preceding six months.
The two options least chosen were “a property appraiser,” which was selected by only 18.7% of the respondents, and “the Tax Authority,” with just 8.1%.
Not surprisingly, real estate appraisers warn this is a dangerous way to evaluate a property.
“The survey shows that the public still believes it knows everything, but many people have been hurt this way,” says Ohad Danus, the chairman of the Real Estate Appraisers Association in Israel. “We’re talking about the biggest and most costly investment ordinary people ever make in their lives. It’s astonishing that people will spend 500 shekels [$132] testing a car they want to buy for 30,000 shekels but in purchasing a home for more than a million shekels they don’t feel there’s any need to do the same.”
How do you explain that?
“The reason is that when people buy an apartment they feel they’re buying something solid and tangible – a floor, a ceiling, four walls – and what can be wrong with walls? However, ultimately people get hurt by information they didn’t have about the property, things that can significantly reduce its value and that could only have been detected by a professional.”
The cost of retaining an appraiser for an ordinary home ranges from 1,500 to 5,000 shekels, depending on how complicated the job is. Danus says that the Appraisers Association has tried to introduce legislation that would enforce some minimal appraisal as part of any purchase, just as a lawyer is required for signing a bill of sale of a property.
“Politicians understood the need, but have been reluctant to promote legislation that would increase even further the price of purchasing a house,” he says. “The problem is that saving the appraisal fees can end up costing much more down the line. The survey results showing that only 19% of buyers were assisted by an appraiser shows there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.”
“I’m surprised people don’t use appraisers more often,” says Lior Roth, head of Misgav Real Estate. “I would have expected that someone investing 1.5 or 2 million shekels, a typical price in the most desirable locations, would invest a few more shekels in understanding what kind of property he’s buying and what its price should actually be.”
Roth says the cavalier attitude toward home appraisals extends to other areas of home buying. “At big construction sites, where a large number of developers are selling apartments, most customers won’t go to all the sales offices. In a big area with seven or eight such offices, most of them will go to three at most. In contrast, buyers who are not Israeli-born – from the former Soviet Union or immigrants from France or the United States – are much more thorough when buying a home. They’ll carefully compare all the builders, often showing up with charts and carefully taken notes. As a rule, the average Israeli doesn’t have the patience,” he says.
Checking prices in online listings and real estate websites, the most popular choices in the survey, is easy while the online real estate database operated by the Tax Authority has a comprehensive listing of every home sold in Israel but it is very user-unfriendly. But Roni Cohen, director of Eldar Real Estate Marketing, warns that online lists often contain serious mistakes.
“Customers arrive with a lot of information they’ve gleaned from the Internet. They know the relevant price range, the advantages and disadvantages of each neighborhood in relation to schools and transportation — and that’s wonderful. The problem lies in the quality of the information they get concerning sales in the area,” he says. “The online listings are based on information that’s on the Tax Authority website, which is problematic. There are often typos on it and even when the information is entered correctly there is no information about items such as parking or terms of payment, which can also affect the price of the property.”
Yavin Gal-Mor, CEO of the yad2 website, says the site now provides users with higher quality information than in the past. At first, the website was mainly a platform for advertising apartments for sale or rent but now “you can check the history of transactions made in any apartment building, as well as the typical price level in a given area, to the neighborhood’s characteristics.”
Gil-Mor proposes using a new tool that has been developed at the website, called the yad2 index, but admitted that most visitors to the site don’t take advantage of the more sophisticated tools. Only 20.8% of people searching for apartments on yad2 have used the index, he notes. “I’d like to see a higher proportion of people delving deeper into the data, rather than just looking at the asking price.”
Gil-Mor admits that online ads and websites cannot serve as a buyer’s sole source of information. “Even though we try to offer users the highest quality information, the Tax Authority database we use provides only limited information. It focuses on prices, so that only average prices can be deduced from the data. For any given transaction there are missing data or data presented in an unorganized fashion.”
The most salient feature of the yad2 index is that it provides the size of the home.
“In some sales it’s listed by square meters registered at the Land Registry and in others it is based on registration for property tax purposes. In some cases a terrace or part of common areas in the building are included in the figure while in others they aren’t. Each method of measurement gives completely different results and the Tax Authority doesn’t have a consistent policy in this matter. That is why I don’t see our service as providing a price list, but as presenting an index. We help buyers understand what the level of prices in that area should be,” says Gal-Mor.


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The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether the planned acquisition of Telefónica Ireland by Hutchison 3G UK (H3G) is in line with the EU Merger Regulation. Both companies provide mobile telephony services in Ireland. The Commission has concerns that the transaction may reduce competition in the markets for retail mobile telephony and for wholesale access and call origination in Ireland. The opening of an in-depth inquiry does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation. The Commission now has 90 working days, until 24 March 2014, to take a decision. The Commission’s initial market investigation indicated that the proposed acquisition may substantially lessen competition in the retail mobile telephony market in Ireland where Three Ireland, a subsidiary of H3G, and Telefónica Ireland currently compete with each other.
The transaction would combine two of the four mobile networks in Ireland and create a player of similar size to the currently largest operator, Vodafone. The Commission has concerns that the transaction would remove an important competitive force and change the merged entity’s incentive to exert significant competitive pressure on the remaining competitors. The Commission also has concerns that the transaction would reduce the merged entity’s incentive to continue a network sharing agreement with Eircom, which could hamper Eircom’s ability to compete effectively after the merger. Here to read more.


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The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has entered a partnership with STR Global, as part of PATA’s new strategic direction to “Build the Business” for members.
PATA members will benefit by receiving access to accommodation sector indicators that will enable better decision making.
STR Global is the recognised leader in providing accurate, actionable information and analysis to the lodging industry.
PATA members will now have access to key business indicators including room supply, the development pipeline, occupancy rates, average daily rate (ADR), and revenue per available room (RevPAR) right across Asia Pacific.
PATA interim chief executive Bill Calderwood and STR Global Managing Director Elizabeth Randall signed the agreement in April at the PATA 60th Anniversary and Conference in Beijing.
The partnership officially starts this month.
Calderwood said the partnership would be extremely significant in the development of PATA’s TIGA (tourism intelligence graphic architecture) platform that provides on-demand business information to PATA members.
Randall added: “With the increasing importance of Asia Pacific for the hospitality industry, we are partnering with PATA to share our expertise on hotel performance and hotel supply with PATA members.
“Our data puts a clear spotlight on the hotel industry and provides the basis for informed decision-making.”
By using STR Global data, PATA members using the TIGA platform will get a comprehensive picture of the hotel and lodging sector in Asia Pacific.


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Mixamo has announced that a collection of its animations and 3D characters are now available for free in Unreal Engine 4.3.
Mixamo have launched Fuse 1.0 on Steam, bringing an entirely new level of 3D character modding to the Steam community.
Dynamic Lighting Gameplay with UE4 and Enlighten using Blueprints
Geomerics have posted a detailed article on how they used Unreal Engine together with Enlighten.
Unreal Engine - Showcase
This compilation video shows off some of the games built wih Unreal Engine technology.


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China’s month-long environmental inspections of five provinces housing industrial hubs have prompted independent refineries and some petrochemical plants to either reduce operating rates or shut production.
On 25 August-2 September, the country’s environment watchdog – the Ministry of Environment and Ecology (MEE) – dispatched working groups to Jilin (northeast), Shandong (east), Hubei (central), Guangdong (south) and Sichuan (southwest), to check on the provinces’ compliance with environmental regulations.
China’s second round of crackdown on non-compliant industries across more than 30 provinces started in July 2019.
Petrochemicals are categorized among high-polluting industries.
Several independent refineries in the eastern province of Shandong have cut run rates by as much as 40%, while two of them with a combined capacity of 4.2m tonnes/year have shut operation.
On the other hand, major refineries operated by Chinese petrochemical giant Sinopec – such as those in Maoming, Zhanjiang, Zibo, Wuhan – continue normal operations.
Provincial environment authorities typically order closure of polluting or high-emission factories ahead of the arrival of MEE inspectors.
For example, Zibo-based Jianlan Chemical was ordered to shut its two 2-ethylhexanol (2-EH) plants in Shandong on 24 August, two days before government inspectors arrived, a company source said.
The plants, which have a combined capacity of 210,000 tonne/year, will not be restarted until the month-long inspection is over, the source said.
Production of propylene oxide (PO), epoxy resin, acetic acid and downstream, fertilizer, coal-based methanol, among others, will all be affected, industry sources said.
In Shandong, a number of PO producers have reduced operating loads by an average of 20-30% since last week, and may not resume normal operations in the short term, industry sources said, as the sector faces a major sewage-disposal issue.
Coal-chemical plants, particularly coking facilities, have mostly reduced run rates, market sources said.
There is a tendency for some factories to under-report data on production and actual capacity to government authorities, to meet emission requirements, industry sources said.
The MEE cited a fertilizer producer in Shandong which underreported its ammonia and urea capacities by a third; while noting that in Jilin, Guangdong, Sichuan and Hubei, illegal disposals of wastes and sewages are polluting water and land.
In view of this, more rigorous cross-data checks are expected in the new round of inspections, with those found in violation facing heavy fines.
“Many tire producers have to shut recently because of the environment issue and this has caused sharp price fall of rubber,” said Zhang Junfeng, senior analyst at brokerage China Merchant Securities.
Natural rubber prices at the Shanghai Futures Exchange have shed 2% in the first eight days of September.
Focus article by Fanny Zhang
BASF will build a commercial scale battery recycling black mass plant in Schwarzheide, Germany. This investment strengthens BASF’s cathode active materials (CAM) production and recycling hub in Schwarzheide. The site is an ideal location for the build-up of battery recycling activities given the presence of many EV car manufacturers and cell producers in Central Europe.
Clariant says it is reducing its number of businesses from five to three, by merging units, under a reorganization that is in line with the company’s purpose-led strategy and cultural transformation. The moves will position Clariant for long-term sustainable growth, the company says.
Chemicals & plastics industry has the most diversified end-use market across all manufacturing industries. The industry returned to growth in 2021 but a supply chain crunch prevented it from becoming stronger. The market is likely to stabilize in the second half of 2022 with a supply-demand balance.


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Record numbers of online shoppers looking for the best electronics and gadget buys are being let down by inadequate information and customer service provided online, according to a website customer service study from eService provider Transversal.
Nearly three quarters (70 per cent) of routine customer service and product questions are not being answered on leading consumer electronic websites.
Digital TVs, games consoles, GPS units, cameras and DVD players top the Christmas shopping lists and consumer electronics sales have already reached a record £16.8 billion.
The web is used as a primary research tool by the majority of consumers even if the final purchase isn't made online. The inability to get fast, accurate information online will lose sales to competitors and increase costs as frustrated gadget buyers call or email contact centres.
Questions that failed to elicit an answer included; "What should I do if my unit requires service or repair?" making UK companies appear unconcerned with the fate of products and customers after a transaction has been made.
The frustration continues for customers forced to refer to other channels for information. On average, it took 35 hours for the ten consumer electronics manufacturers surveyed to respond to a simple email.
One company took six days to respond to a query and then failed to answer the question. This would result in last minute Christmas shoppers not getting answers until well into the New Year.
In addition, a fifth of companies shot themselves in the foot by refusing to answer questions from new customers, therefore, losing themselves potential Christmas sales.
The research also revealed a startling inconsistency between different websites as many companies are able to respond quickly to email, but the sector is let down by sites which comprehensively fail the inquisitive consumer.
Additionally, while many consumer electronics companies have invested in Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) pages and customer search facilities, they are simply not providing the answers that consumers are looking for.
The research was part of Transversal's annual survey of 100 leading organisations in the retail, banking, insurance, consumer electronics, utility and telecoms sectors. It aimed to measure online customer service by searching for answers to common sector-specific questions, both on websites and via email.


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Surging Unemployment In Travel Sector Likely to Make for Memorial Day Like No Other
WASHINGTON – Unemployment among the nation’s travel sector workers has reached 51% heading into the Memorial Day weekend, as Americans continue to refrain from resuming their normal lives in the face of the slowly easing coronavirus pandemic, according to data from the U.S. Travel Association.
In fact, in a statement, the association’s president and CEO Roger Dow offered a dire assessment — while the rest of the U.S. economy is mired in a recession, the travel industry “is already in a depression.”
He noted that in the past, the travel industry has proven its ability to lead a national economic recovery, citing the examples of the sector’s resilience after both the Sept. 11 2001, terrorist attacks and the global financial meltdown of 2008 and 2009.
“But to do that this time, travel-reliant businesses need to survive until a recovery can truly begin,” Dow said.
According to the association, businesses in the travel sector are struggling to retain employees because the structure of available relief from the federal government precludes many employers from taking advantage of it.
As a result, travel-related job losses due to the coronavirus represents 38% of all pandemic-related job losses through April — affecting nearly 10 million Americans.
From a historical perspective, the coronavirus has been far harder on the economy than the 2001 terrorist attacks, the association said.
In the year following the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., travel spending declined $57 billion, representing a $133 billion economic loss.
This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, travel spending is expected to decline $519 billion, representing $1.2 trillion in economic losses.
Before the pandemic, the travel industry contributed approximately $2.6 trillion to the U.S. economy, and supported an estimated 15.8 million jobs, according to the association.
Despite these statistics, there is reason to be encouraged about the future.
On Tuesday, White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx told reporters the latest data on the pandemic shows declines in new cases of the virus, hospitalizations and deaths across all but a few areas of the United States.
Speaking at the White House, Birx said clinical, laboratory data and surveillance data from across the country shows that new hospitalizations have dropped by 50% in the last 30 days, and deaths continue to decrease week over week.
“All states have dropped under 20% test positive, and New York has gone from over 45% test positive just 30 days ago, to under 10% test positive,” Birx said, adding, “These types of declines are being seen across the board except in a few areas.”
The three exceptions are Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles.
Birx said the three cities are being closely monitored to “understand where precisely the new cases are coming from and how to prevent new infections.”
The most recent analysis by Tourism Economics, which is producing a week-by-week analysis and forecast of travel spending, found that national weekly travel spending rose to $2.9 billion last week, a reflection of states easing their coronavirus lockdown measures.
Also, in the week ending May 9, the travel industry portion of the economy witnessed its second-consecutive week of expansion since the start of the pandemic.
Despite that growth, the numbers are still 87% below last year’s levels, representing a $19 billion loss.
Four states have witnessed losses of over 90% in their travel-related revenue, and Hawaii and Washington, D.C. endured yet another week of declines exceeding 95%.
All, told, Tourism Economics found, declines in travel spending have caused a loss of $20.3 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue since March 1.
To help restore the industry and help right the economy, the U.S. Travel Association has developed a series of recommendations for lawmakers to consider, when, and if they do finally sit down to negotiate a new coronavirus relief bill.
These include, among other things, amending the original CARES Act bill to enable destination marketing organizations to receive Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program loans, increase maximum loan amounts and flexibility, and extend the covered period through 2020.
They’d also like to see Congress incentivize a safe restart of the travel economy by creating a temporary travel tax credit, allowing businesses to fully deduct food and entertainment expenses, and enacting tax measures to help revitalize U.S. trade shows and exhibitions.
The group is also asking that $10 billion in Economic Development Administration grants be provided to destination marketing organizations and small businesses to promote healthy travel practices and encourage visitation to businesses, attractions and communities where it’s safe travel.
The association would also like to see additional federal funding allocated to COVID-19 testing and laboratory capacity, and an expansion of the federal role in the White House “Testing Blueprint” to help states deploy consistent approaches to contact tracing, data collection and privacy protections.
Lastly, the group is calling on Congress to provide a “limited, temporary and immediate safe harbor for businesses that follow proper health and safety guidelines to protect against COVID-19.”
“This is a top priority for businesses to safely reopen in a way that protects the health of their employees and customers,” the association said.
In The News
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to a new low point since... Read More
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to a new low point since the pandemic erupted, evidence that layoffs are declining as companies hold onto workers. Unemployment claims dropped 6,000 to 290,000 last week, the third straight drop, the... Read More
WASHINGTON -- While economists warned about disruptions to the U.S. supply chain, Chuck Fowke told a congressional panel Wednesday about... Read More
WASHINGTON -- While economists warned about disruptions to the U.S. supply chain, Chuck Fowke told a congressional panel Wednesday about countertops. “If you can’t get the cabinets, you can’t put the countertops on,” Fowke said as he testified on behalf of the National Association of Home... Read More
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation at the wholesale level rose 8.6% in September compared to a year ago, the largest advance since the 12-month change was first calculated in 2010. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the monthly increase in its producer price index, which measures inflationary... Read More
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WASHINGTON -- In an ideal economy, the nation’s supply chains work something like this: raw materials, finished products and ready-to-assemble merchandise like cars and trucks flow into the nation’s ports. The largest of these ports, those blessed to sit on deep-water harbors, typically have rail tracks... Read More


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Registration takes less than 1 minute.
Businesses large and small and across many sectors share their views on the massive West Coast port cargo delays.
Fees are having "negative impact" on the fair, efficient and reliable movement of ocean cargo, according to a new report from the Federal Maritime Commission.
App has a range of other functions and is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
The recovery of congestion laden West Coast ports significantly impacted shipment volumes and expenditures, according to the latest Cass Freight Index Report.
The southeastern ports continued their blistering growth rate, both increasing throughput by over 13 percent for the month.
Maersk Group and Crowley Maritime say the new company, called Ardent, will be headquartered in Houston.


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The UK-newspaper “The Telegraph” recently wrote a review about a spa in Spain that offers Thai massage treatments:
the non-sporting centrepiece of InterContinental’s golf resort is a world away from the Spanish costas – a heady mix of Chinese silk, Asian antique furniture and Indian lanterns. The treatment list, however, is decidedly Thai-inspired. All therapists were trained at the Temple Pho, a specialist holistic Thai massage centre in Bangkok.
You can read more about it here.


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The Low End Theory
by A Tribe Called Quest remains one of the most under-appreciated hip-hop albums of all time. Critics love them, but Tribe has never had the mainstream recognition they deserved. Tribe frontman Q-Tip
has just announced his official partnership with Kanye West by signing to West's G.O.O.D. Music
label (along with Def Jam) to release his next solo album, The Last Zulu
, due out next year. According to Pitchfork
, Q-Tip has also worked with Kendrick Lamar and Fiona Apple in the studio for his upcoming works. We're ready to hear the fruits of this labor the second it's available.


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Central England Co-op has today signed the European Union’s new Code of Conduct on Responsible Business and Marketing Practices in an effort to work closely with partners to help improve food sustainability.
The Society, which has over 400 food stores and funeral homes across 16 counties, outlined a series of targets as part of the announcement as part of ongoing efforts to showcase its commitment.
These included a 90% carbon footprint reduction by 2030 and a 50% food waste reduction by 2025.
This comes on the back of Central England Co-op being named Leading Co-op of the Year by Co-operatives UK in part for its long-term environmental credentials.
Luke Olly, Energy and Environment Lead, said: “We are delighted to have signed up to the aspirational objectives of the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Business and Marketing Practices and are pleased to showcase our commitment by putting forward our own ambitious and tangible commitments.
“As a co-operative, we have a responsibility to champion sustainability for the good of our members, consumers and local communities. This drives our business strategy and commitments which we shape to deliver our vision of a responsible business.
“We believe that the transformation of our food system is an ambition requiring the participation of all stakeholders throughout the value chain and their close co-operation, which is why we shall engage in close coordination with our EU-level association Euro Coop for the effective promotion of high sustainability practices.
“We look forward to working closely with our EU partners to deliver this ambitious path to sustainable food systems.”
Debbie Robinson, Central England Co-op Chief Executive, is a Vice-President of the Euro Co-op.
Euro Co-op Secretary-General Todor Ivanov announced that Euro Coop and its many members have signed the EU Code of Conduct under the Farm to Fork Strategy.
He said: “Euro Co-op and our members fully endorse the Code’s aspirational objectives and today we step up to show leadership. Consumer co-operatives are sustainability frontrunners by way of innovation, investment and partnerships. We have continued to excel despite the raging pandemic.
“Our commitment to the co-op principles and values propels us to champion a better way of doing business for our consumer-members and the local communities. Being member-owned means care for the community is at the heart of our strategy, which guarantees a holistic approach to sustainability by which environmental and social priorities are embedded into our operations.
“The wide breadth of innovation and experience from pioneering the green transition are the basis of the ambitious and tangible commitments Euro Coop members will put forward as pledges, effective immediately, ranging from empowering consumers, fighting food waste, setting science-based climate targets, or supporting local producers.
“We are believers of co-operation and we stand ready to engage all stakeholders along the value chain in embracing higher sustainability performance. Policymakers’ role is crucial for providing an enabling environment so businesses could flourish and maximise their potential in attaining the EU Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy objectives. All food operators should be supported in making their contribution in line with their scale and business model or strategy. This is the beginning of a long journey and we are certain of our collective success.”
Central England Co-op’s eco commitment is already evident in some of the major milestones it has achieved in recent years.
- Reducing electricity usage by 51% since 2010
- Reducing natural gas usage by 58% since 2010
- Reducing refrigeration gas emissions by 69% since 2010
- New stores use as little as 50% less electricity
- Reducing food waste by 40% during the past three years from 2,445 tonnes in 2017 to 1,085 tonnes in 2020


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Back to School: Ed Tech and Student Commercial Surveillance
The pandemic created a shift to virtual schooling and online learning and resulted in an ed tech industry boom. Ed tech, or online educational services, continues to grow and evolve.
With the growth of the industry, children’s privacy issues have also heightened. The collection of children’s personal information in the school and ed tech context and the data’s use and monetization for commercial purposes continue to present concerning issues.
The Federal Trade Commission is the government’s consumer protection watchdog. Its authority includes enforcing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a law that aims to protect kids’ privacy online by regulating the collection of personal data for commercial purposes by web sites, including ed tech sites, that are targeted to children under 13 years of age. When a company fails to follow this law, the FTC can sue.
Recently, the FTC issued a Policy Statement putting ed tech companies on notice that it will be keeping a close eye on them to make sure they comply with their obligations under COPPA. In the Statement, the FTC stated that it will “scrutinize compliance” with all aspects of the law.
COPPA requires that ed tech websites provide notice of their information collection and use practices and obtain parental consent to the collection of children’s personal information. It also subjects ed tech providers to a prohibition against mandatory data collection, data use and retention prohibitions, and imposes security requirements.
To be in compliance ed tech providers must not condition participation in any activity on a child disclosing more info than is reasonably necessary for the child to participate in the activity. In addition, ed tech companies are limited in how they can use the personal info they collect from children: ed tech companies that collect personal info pursuant to school authorization may not use the info for any commercial purpose unrelated to the provision of the school-requested online service. They also must not retain children’s personal data longer than reasonably necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected (such as for a speculative future use). Finally, ed tech companies must have procedures in place to maintain the confidentiality, security, and integrity of children’s personal information.
In the virtual schooling/remote learning context, information collection and monitoring may occur for purposes beyond commercial surveillance: teachers view students’ online activity in real time, software blocks access to impermissible sites students try to visit, educators view inside students’ homes without family knowledge, student-teacher interactions are recorded, school-issued devices are tracked, etc. Parents and guardians should be aware of all of their school’s ed tech and remote learning privacy practices.
Parents and guardians should know that children do not have to give up their privacy by providing their personal information in exchange for doing their schoolwork or participating in remote learning. Commercial surveillance of children as the price for their education is not acceptable and the FTC will make sure that ed tech companies who act illegally will be taken to task.
The information contained in this column is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Any opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
By Gille Ann Rabbin, Esq., CIPP/US, CIPP/E


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In their annual SEC filings, Bank of America made it quite clear that they believe cryptocurrencies pose a serious threat to their business, as well as the banking system as a whole.
In fact earlier this month BofA, along with JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup, banned the use of credit cards in the purchase of cryptocurrencies, leading many to speculate that this action was tied directly towards competitive fears rather than as process to protect customers from potential frauds or scams.
Bank of America considers cryptocurrency a material risk to its business, public records reveal. The bank has made efforts to restrict its customers’ use of bitcoin and other virtual currencies.
In its annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the bank admitted cryptocurrency poses a competitive threat to its business on three separate occasions within the document. The bank said there is a risk that its customers could turn to cryptocurrencies adding that, “Clients may choose to conduct business with other market participants who engage in business or offer products in areas we deem speculative or risky, such as cryptocurrencies.”
Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase have banned purchases of cryptocurrency on their credit cards, starting February. Bank of America has also placed restrictions on its Merrill Lynch brokerage clients when it comes to bitcoin-related investments, the Financial Times reports. – Russia Today


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Today, in our latest installment of Unleash Your Style, it’s all about the Hollywood Heels.
Access Hollywood caught up with Queen Latifah, who helped decorate a pair of Stuart Weitzman heels for a celebrity shoe auction.
“They sort of design them, I put my name to them and it was all about raising money,” Latifah told Access.
Weitzman teamed with celebrities to design a stiletto for their annual charity auction, this year benefiting Ovarian Cancer Awareness and research.
Latifah wasn’t the only celebrity to stop by. Charlize Theron zipped it up with Zebra print for her pump, “Ugly Betty’s” Vanessa Williams worked the green texture on her shoe and Sharon Stone added some tail to her wild style.
As for whose shoe is doing the best,” Cancer activist and actress, Fran Drescher gave Access the skinny.
“The Oprah shoe is getting the highest bid right now,” she said.
So how much is Ms. O’s shoe going for? So far $1200!
The auction runs through Thursday at Stuart Weitzman’s website.
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