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It’s been just over four months since Europe’s tough brand-new privacy structure to enter into force. You might believe that little of substance has changed for large-scale tech’s data-hungry smooth operators since then — beyond firing out a motion of privacy plan inform spam, and putting up a fresh gather of acquiesce pop-ups that are just as aggressively lament for your data.
But don’t be clowned. This is the calm before the rain, in accordance with the European Union’s data protection supervisor, Giovanni Buttarelli, who says the laws and regulations is being systematically spurned on a number of figureheads right now — and that enforcement is coming.
” I’m expecting, before the end of the year, concrete results ,” he tells TechCrunch, chiming furious on every consumer’s behalf.
Though he chalks up some early wins for the General Data Protection Regulation( GDPR) too, suggesting its 72 hour infringe notification requirement is already bear result.
He too points to geopolitical draw, with privacy regulation rising up the policy agenda outside Europe — report, for example, California’s recently passed privacy regulation, which is not at all popular with tech whales, as having” a great deal of affinities to GDPR “; as well as memorandum” a new lust for a federal ordinance” in the U.S.
Yet he’s also once looking beyond GDPR — to the wider question of how European regulation needs to keep advancing is submitted in accordance with programme supremacy and its impacts on people.
Next May, on the remembrance of GDPR coming into force, Buttarelli says he will write a proclamation for a next-generation frame that foresees active collaboration between Europe’s privacy overseers and antitrust regulators. Which will probably send a shiver down the tech giant spine.
Notably, the Commission’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager — who has shown an stomach to take on big-hearted tech, and has so far fined Google twice( $2.7 BN for Google Shopping and staggering $ 5BN for Android ), and who is continuing to probe its business on a number of breasts while simultaneously eyeing other scaffolds’ usage of data — is scheduled to give a keynote at an annual privacy commissioners’ discussion that Buttarelli is co-hosting in Brussels later this month.
Her presence inklings at the opportunities offered by joint-working across historically detached regulatory silos that have nonetheless been showing increasingly overlapping pertains of late.
See, for example, Germany’s Federal Cartel Office alleging Facebook of using its size to strong-arm users into handing over data. And the French Competition Authority probing the online ad marketplace — aka Facebook and Google — and recognizing a raft of problematic actions. Last year the Italian Competition Authority likewise opened a sector inquiry into big data.
Traditional competition law theories of harm would need to be reworked to accommodate data-based anticompetitive handling — basically the idea that data restrains can bestow an biased competitive advantage if they cannot be matched. Which clearly isn’t the easiest stinging jellyfish to hammer to the wall. But Europe’s antitrust regulators are compensating increasing spirit to big-hearted data; appearing actively at whether and even how data advantages are exclusionary or exploitative.
In recent years, Vestager has been very public with her concerns about dominant tech pulpits and the big data they accrue as a consequence, saying, for example in 2016, that:” If a company’s employment of data is so bad for competition that it outweighs the benefits, we may have to step in to restore a level playing field .”
Buttarelli’s belief is that EU privacy regulators will be co-opted into that wider antitrust combat by” supportive and feeding” rival investigations in the future. A future that can be viewed right now, with the EC’s antitrust lens shaking around to zoom in on what Amazon is doing with shopkeeper data.
” Europe would like to speak with one voice , not only within data protection but by approaching this issue of digital gain, monopolies in a better acces — not per sectors ,” Buttarelli tells TechCrunch.
” Monopolies are quite recent. And hence once again, as it was the case with social networks, we have been surprised ,” he computes, when asked whether the law can hope to keep pace.” And hence the legal framework has been implemented in a way to do our best but it’s not in my view robust enough to consider all the related ramifications … So there is gap for other solution. But first joint enforcement and better co-operation is key .”
From a regulatory point of view, competition law is hampered by the length of time investigations take. A characteristic of the careful wield required to probe and prove out competitive impairments that’s nonetheless especially problematic set against the blistering pace of technological advances and interruption. The constitution here is very much the polar opposite of’ move fast and flout things’.
But on personal privacy front at least, there will be no 12 year wait for the first GDPR prosecutions, as Buttarelli observes was the case when Europe’s competition rules were originally set down in 1957′ s Treaty of Rome.
He says the newly formed European Data Protection Board( EDPB ), which is in charge of applying GDPR generally across the faction, is cooked on delivering results “much more quickly”. And so the first enforcements are penciled in for about one half a year after GDPR’ Day 1 ‘.
” I think that people are right to feel more impassioned about enforcement ,” he says.” We assure awareness and major problems linked to how the data is plowed — who the hell is systemic. There is also a question with regard to the business modeling , not only conformity culture.
” I’m expecting material firstly arises, in terms of implementation, before the end of this year .”
” No extorting”
Tens of thousands of consumers have already filed objections under Europe’s brand-new privacy government. The GDPR updates the EU’s longstanding data protection rules, raising suitable enforcement for the first time in the form of much larger fines for violations — to prevent privacy being the chip of the laws and regulations firms felt they could safely ignore.
The EDPB tells us that more than 42,230 grievances have been lodged across the alliance since the regulation began applying, on May 25. The timber is made up of the heads of EU Member State’s national personal data protection enterprises, with Buttarelli serving as its current secretariat.
” I did not appreciate the tsunami disaster of legalistic sees territory on the note of millions of users, written in an obscure speech, and many of them were completely futile, and in a borderline even with spamming, to ask for unnecessary agreements with a new privacy programme ,” he tells us.” Which, in a few occurrences, appear to be in full breach of the GDPR — is not merely in terms of spirit .”
He too declares himself” not surprised” about Facebook’s recent protection debacle — describing the massive new data infringement the company exposed on Friday as” business as usual” for the tech monster. And really for” all the tech whales” — nothing of whom he believes are making adequate investments in security.
” In periods of security interests there are much less investments than expected ,” he also says of Facebook exclusively.” Lot of investments about profiling people, about creating clusters, but much less in preserving the[ security] of communications. GDPR is a driver for a change — including with respect to security .”
Asked what systematic breach of the framework he’s seen even further, from his pan-EU omission statu, Buttarelli foregrounds the situation where assistance hustlers are relying on allow as their legal basis to collect consumer data — saying this must allow for a free choice.
Or” no coercing”, as he places it.
Facebook, for example, is not offering any of its consumers, even its customers in Europe, the option to opt out of targeted promote. Yet it rests on user authorization, mustered via dark pattern allow springs of its own scheme, to sanction its harvesting of personal data — claiming people are able to just stop using its services if they don’t agree to its ads.
It likewise claims to be GDPR compliant.
It’s pretty easy to realized the detach between those two positions.
” In the instances in which it is indispensable to build on assent it should be much more than in the past based on careful information; much more details, written in a extensive and simple-minded usage, available to an average consumer, and it should be really freely given — so no blackmailing ,” says Buttarelli , not mentioning any particular tech firms by refer as he reels off this list.” It should be really freely lifted, and without is hoped that the contract is terminated because of this.
” “Thats just not” submissive of at the least the minds of GDPR and, in a few clients, even of the existing legal framework .”
His statements — which chime with what we’ve heard before from privacy experts — hint the first motion of complaints filed by veteran European personal data protection activist and advocate, Max Schrems, via his shopper focused data protection non-profit noyb, will bear fruit. And could make tech whales to furnish a sincere opt-out of profiling.
The first noyb grumbles target so-called’ forced agree ‘, arguing that Facebook; Facebook-owned Instagram; Facebook-owned WhatsApp; and Google’s Android are operating non-compliant assent spurts in order to maintain processing Europeans’ personal data because they do not offer the aforementioned’ free choice’ opt-out of data collection.
Schrems likewise contends that this behavior is additionally questionable because reigning tech monstrous are gaining an dishonest advantage over small businesses — which simply cannot propel their force around in the same way to get what they lack. So that’s another activate being hurled in on the competitor front.
Discussing GDPR enforcement generally, Buttarelli confirms he expects to see financial penalties not just investigatory outcomes before its first year is out — so formerly DPAs have worked through the first phase of implementation( and got on top of their rising case ladens ).
Of course it will be up to regional personal data protection agencies to issue any punishments. But the EDPB and Buttarelli are the adhesive between Europe’s( currently) 28 national data protection authorities — playing a highly influential co-ordinating and steering role to ensure the regulation get regularly applied.
He doesn’t say exactly where be belief the first retributions will fall but notes a smorgasbord of issues that are being commonly complained about, saying:” Now we have an self-evident tend and even a heyday, in terms of complaints; different misdemeanours focusing peculiarly, but not only, on social media; big data transgress; privileges like right of access to information held; liberty to erasure .”
He shows his conviction of incoming fines by pointing to the recent example of the ICO’s interim report into Cambridge Analytica’s embezzlement of Facebook data, in July — when the UK agency said it intended to penalize Facebook the maximum possible( merely PS500k, because the infraction has just taken place before GDPR ).
A similarly deduced data misuse investigation under GDPR would almost certainly result in much larger penalties because the regulation allowed to be penalties of up to 4% of a company’s annual world-wide turnover.( So in Facebook’s case the maximum suddenly bags into the billions .)
The GDPR’s article 83 sets out general conditions for calculating penalizes — saying sanctions should be “effective, proportionate and dissuasive”; and they must take into account factors such as whether an infringement was purposeful or negligent; the categories of personal data altered; and how co-operative the data controller is as the data superintendent investigates.
For the security breach Facebook disclosed last week the EU’s regulatory omission process will involve an assessment of how negligent the company was; what response steps it made where reference is detected the transgres, including how it transmitted with data protection authorities and users; and how comprehensively it co-operatives with the DPC’s investigation.( In a not-so-great sign for Facebook the Irish DPC have so far been blamed its infraction notification for lacking detail ).
As well as estimating a data controller’s safety measure against GDPR guidelines, EU regulators can ” prescribe additional safeguards”, as Buttarelli introduces it. Which means enforcement is much more than only a fixed penalty; organizations can be required to change their processes and priorities extremely.
And that’s why Schrems’ forced agree ailments are so interesting.
Because a fine, even a large one, can be viewed by a company as revenue-heavy as Facebook as just another business cost to suck up as it impedes on truckin ‘. But GDPR’s follow on imposition drugs could force privacy constitution breakers to actively reshape their business practices to persist doing business in Europe.
And if personal privacy trouble with Facebook is that it’s forcing people-tracking ads on everyone, the answer is surely a edition of Facebook that does not require users to countenance privacy intrusive ad to abuse it. Other business modelings are available, including subscription.
But ads don’t have to be hostile to privacy. For example it’s possible to expose advertising without persistently profiling consumers — as, for example, pro-privacy search engine DuckDuckGo does. Other startups are exploring privacy-by-design on-device ad-targeting structures for extraditing targeted ads without needing to line useds. Alternatives to Facebook’s targeted ads surely dwell — and innovating in lock-step with privacy is clearly probable. Just ask Apple.
So — at least in theory — GDPR could push the social network behemoth to revise its entire business model.
Which would make even a $1.63 BN penalty the company could face from the consequences of Friday’s security breach pale into insignificance.
There’s a pucker here though. Buttarelli does not sound convinced that GDPR alone( even combined with the ePrivacy Regulation which is intended to update regulations governing digital communications but whose advancement has been blocked by strife and lobbying) is likely to be panacea enough to fix all privacy unfriendly business models that EU regulators are attending. Hence his note about a” question with regard to the business pattern “.
And also why he’s looking ahead and talking about the need to evolve the regulatory countryside — to enable seam labouring between traditionally discrete areas of regulation.
” We requirement structural rectifies to make the digital busines fairer for people ,” he says.” And therefore this is we’ve been successful in coaxing our colleagues of the Board to adopt a position on the intersection of consumer protection, competition rules and data protection. None of the independent regulators’ three spheres , not speaking about audio-visual deltas, can succeed in their sort of old fashioned approach.
” We necessary more interaction, we need more synergies, we need to look to the future of these sectoral legislations .”
People are targeted with material to stir them behave in one particular direction. To predict but also to react. “Thats just not” the kind of democracy we deserve. Giovanni Buttarelli, European Personal data protection Supervisor
The challenge posed by the web’s currently dominant privacy-hostile business simulates is also why, in a parallel line, Europe’s data protection supervisor is actively propagandizing to accelerate invention and debate around data moralities — to support efforts to steer business and business patterns in, well, a more humanitarian direction.
When we talk he highlights that Sir Tim Berners-Lee will be keynoting at the same European privacy seminar where Vestager will appear at — which has an overarching discourse chassis of” Debating Morals: Dignity and Respect in Data Driven Life” as its theme.
Accelerating innovation to support the development of more ethical business modelings is also clearly the Commission’s underlying hope and aim.
Berners-Lee, the founder of the World wide web, have become increasingly vociferou in his appraisal of how commercial attentions have come to reign the Internet by exploiting people’s personal data, including warning earlier this year that pulpit power is humbling the web as a personnel for good.
He has also exactly left his academic date place to focus on commercializing the pro-privacy, decentralized entanglement stage he’s been building at MIT for years — via a new startup, announced Inrupt.
Doubtless he’ll be telling the conference all about that.
” We are focusing on the solutions for the future ,” says Buttarelli on ethics.” There is a lot of discussion about people growing owners of their data, and’ personal data ‘, and we call that personal because there’s something to be respected , not sold. And on the contrary we ensure a lot of inequality in the tech life, and we believe that the legal framework can be of an assist. But will not demonstrate all the related answers to identify what is legally and technically feasible but morally fallacious .”
Also simply announced as another keynote speaker at the same consultation later this month: Apple’s CEO Tim Cook.
In a statement on Cook’s addition to the line-up, Buttarelli writes: “We are delighted that Tim has agreed to speak at the International Conference of Personal data protection and Privacy Commissioners. Tim has been a strong enunciate into the discussions around privacy, as the leader of a company which has made a clearly defined privacy location, we look forward to hearing his position. He connects an previously exquisite line up of keynote speakers and panellists who want to be part of a debate on engineering dishing humankind.”
So Europe’s big fight to rule the damage the health effects of big data just got another big gun behind it.
” Question is[ how do] we go beyond the simple those provisions of confidentiality, certificate, of data ,” Buttarelli persists.” Europe after such a successful stair[ with GDPR] is now going beyond the lawful and fair growth of personal data — we are recognizing a brand-new route of assessing sell power when the services delivered to someones are not mediated by a binary. And although competition law is still a potent instrument for regulation — it was invented to stop firms get so large-hearted — but I think together with our efforts on morals we would like now Europe to talk about the future of the current prevailing business models.
” I’m … worried about how these companies, in conformity with GDPR in a few bags, may muster so much better data as they can. In a few examples openly, in other privately. They can persistently monitor what people are doing online. They categorize too people. They profile them in a way which cannot be raced. So we have in our republics a lot of national laws in an anti-discrimination state but now parties are to be discriminated is dependent on how they behave online. So beings are targeted with material to stir them behave in one particular method. To prophesy but also to react. “Thats just not” the kind of republic we deserve. This is not our sentiment .”


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18-month-old toddler dies after standing mirror falls on her at Jewel Changi fashion store
A toddler's death at Jewel Changi Airport has shocked Singapore...
News of a toddler’s death at Jewel Changi Airport has shocked Singapore. The 18-month-old child died after a full-length standing mirror fell on her, at the Urban Revivo fashion store on 23 August 2019.
Toddler’s death at Jewel Changi fashion store shocks Singapore
According to news reports, the child (identified by Lianhe Wanbao as Lai Jiaxin), and her family were due to fly home to Xiamen, China, on the day of the tragedy. The incident took place around 3 hours before their 3 pm flight.
It has now been reported that the mirror was knocked over by other children who were playing at that time. The mirror fell on the toddler who was standing in front of it.
(CCTV has captured the incident, but the footage hasn’t been released.)
SCDF responded to the medical emergency at 12.33pm, and first aid was administered before the paramedics arrived. The little child was unconscious when she was rushed to Changi General Hospital. She was soon pronounced dead.
Her body was cremated on 25 August 2019 at the Mandai Crematorium. Before that, prayers were conducted at the Urban Revivo store in the presence of her mother and other family members.
As of Sunday, 25 August, the Urban Revivo store remains closed.
For the info, there are 3 Urban Revivo outlets in Singapore – at Jewel Changi Airport, Plaza Singapura and Raffles City.
Employees at their other stores have been cautioned to check on their standing mirrors, and to ensure that they are secure.
One employee from their Raffles City outlet has been quoted as saying, “The standing mirrors here are attached to the clothing racks so they are very stable. I think the ones at Jewel are free standing.”
We at theAsianparent express our heartfelt condolences to the family of this little child, who went away too soon.

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Never-before-heard audio tapes of John Lennon warming up during the making of the Double Fantasy album have reportedly surfaced.
The website Lennontapes.com has begun selling the 13-minute recording, which it claims was tracked on 19 August 1980, at The Hit Factory in New York City.
The snippets that we heard appear to be authentic. They contain Lennon warming up in the sound booth on covers that were possibly recorded by never released: Bobby Darin's Dream Lover, the doo-wop classic Stay and Elvis Presley's hit Mystery Train.
Although the rights to the audio would presumably belong to Yoko Ono, Lennontapes is selling the recording. To hear snippets and read the backstory, click here.


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The NFL’s coveted Sunday Ticket officially has a new home, with Google’s YouTube announcing Thursday that starting with the 2023 season all of the league’s out-of-market Sunday afternoon games will be exclusively available in the U.S. on vMVPD YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels.
The multi-year deal puts to rest the long running question of where the Sunday Ticket would land, and confirms Wednesday reports that Google was closing in on clinching the sports rights. Amazon and Apple had been other contenders vying for rights to the popular football game package, with the latter once seen as the frontrunner but apparently bowing out earlier in the week leaving e-commerce giant Amazon as the remaining challenger. Amazon already has rights to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football, which started streaming on Prime Video this fall.
The NFL Sunday Ticket will be available as an add-on package for live streaming TV service YouTube TV (which as a vMVPD is more akin to a traditional pay TV service, offering over 100 channels), as well as standalone a-la-carte on YouTube Primetime Channels. YouTube Primetime Channels is a subscription streaming aggregator service that YouTube recently launched, allowing viewers to subscribe, manage and watch premium subscriptions directly from the YouTube platform and app, currently with over 30 channels.
YouTube hasn’t yet disclosed how much it will charge for the add-on and a-la-carte options.
As part of the expanded relationship, an agreement for YouTube TV to carry the NFL Network and NFL RedZone has also been extended.
With YouTube’s deal completed for Sunday Ticket, viewers will be able to see all out-of-market Sunday regular-season NFL games broadcast on Fox and CBS. YouTube said the partnership will give fans greater access to NFL Sunday Ticket while also leveraging YouTube’s technology and product innovation, with updated features and functionality to be disclosed ahead of the 2023 season.
“YouTube has long been a home for football fans, whether they’re streaming live games, keeping up with their home team, or watching the best plays in highlights,” said Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, in a statement. “Through this expanded partnership with the NFL, viewers will now also be able to experience the game they love in compelling and innovative ways through YouTube TV or YouTube Primetime Channels.”
In announcing the deal, NFL Commissioner pointed to a desire to increase digital distribution of the league’s games.
"We’re excited to bring NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels and usher in a new era of how fans across the United States watch and follow the NFL," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement. "For a number of years we have been focused on increased digital distribution of our games and this partnership is yet another example of us looking towards the future and building the next generation of NFL fans."
The NFL Sunday Ticket debuted in 1994 and has been distributed by satellite provider DirecTV ever since. DirecTV has currently been paying $1.5 billion per year for the package, and various reports have suggested new rights would likely be valued much higher, potentially at $2.5 billion annually. YouTube didn’t officially disclose terms, including price or length, for the multi-year deal, but the WSJ reported YouTube will pay an average annual price of roughly $2 billion for seven years.
YouTube said it will work together with the NFL to figure out additional ways to distribute Sunday Ticket in places like bars and restaurants. After Amazon Prime nabbed Thursday Night Football rights, the company inked a multi-year deal with DirecTV to bring TNF games to 300,000 commercial locations and venues through the satellite provider’s DirecTV for business service.
Engaging a younger and broader audiences for NFL games looks to be a key aim for the league through its partnership with YouTube, including internationally (although Sunday Ticket rights are for the U.S.)
The official NFL channel on YouTube in 2015 and on Thursday YouTube said that as part of the new agreement the partners have a broader commitment to engage the NFL’s international fanbase, including increased content on the NFL channel, creation of an NFL International show on YouTube, and forming a creator content program for select top YouTube creators globally.
"As the ways fans enjoy NFL football evolve in a changing media landscape, partnerships with innovators like YouTube will ensure that more games are available to more fans, said Robert Kraft, Owner of the New England Patriots and Chairman of the NFL’s Media Committee. “This partnership will grow our game for future generations and allow them to follow their favorite sport.”


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In synch" advertising campaign
is aiming to rebrand the United States' fourth-largest property/casualty insurer.
The combined effort of the AICPA's and state societies' advertising campaigns
certainly will result in broader reach and more frequent messages among those who use or buy CPAs' services.
Music is such an integral part of Louisiana's culture, it was a logical choice to position it as the basis of our advertising campaign
The deal was part of the ONDCP's $1 billion, five-year anti-drug advertising campaign
approved by Congress in 1997.
Hoover's reported statement falsely alleged that Royal's motion for an order to stop the advertising campaign
was denied on May 17.
Aflac's advertising campaign
is funded with savings recovered from improvements in technology and other efficiencies.
The state parties played almost no role in deciding on the details of this arrangement and were simply used as vehicles for the Democratic National Committee to funnel more money than directly allowed on an advertising campaign
promoting the president's re-election, according to the interviews and documents.
hosting the tournament for the first time, and the marriage of this legendary music with our global advertising campaign
Reynolds admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to release internal marketing documents about the advertising campaign
This advertising campaign
re-establishes California's presence in key western markets and helps sustain the $54 billion in revenues and over 730,000 jobs which tourism provides to California's economy.
They're all "getting what they want at McDonald's today" -- and beginning April 12, these celebrities will show how in a new television advertising campaign
The print advertising campaign
is mainly comprised of national daily newspapers and magazines.
Baby Bee Bright Corporation, (Pink Sheets:BBGT), developer of a unique prenatal learning system, announced today that the company launched an aggressive electronic advertising campaign
for its prenatal education system and associated accessory product line.
TSM|MediaEffect, the first-of-its-kind mobile advertising campaign
brand awareness and effectiveness research survey, was made available in September.
Spot Runner breaks down those barriers by providing jewelry retailers with a simple and affordable turnkey tool to implement a highly effective local TV advertising campaign


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Employees of German car manufacturer Porsche at the factory in Germany. Reuters/ File
Germany set out plans to create a government committee to step in quickly to protect companies against foreign takeovers, a sign of concern about China and others acquiring its technology.
By category, production of machine tools were up 27.6 per cent on the month, intermediate goods stagnated at 0.1 per cent and consumer goods were up slightly at 1.4 per cent, the Destatis official statistics agency said.
German business morale fell to its lowest level since November 2014 in June, a survey showed on Monday, adding weight to expectations that Europe’s largest economy contracted in the second quarter.
Germany’s spluttering economy returned to growth in the first quarter as consumers spent more freely and construction activity picked up, but the government said the outlook remained clouded by trade disputes. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.4% quarter-on-quarter,
Eduard Heger, Prime Minister of Slovakia, has recently visited the Dubai Smart Police Station (SPS) at Expo 2020, which provides policing service to visitors
As part of the Women’s World Majlis initiative, one of many key activities at the Women’s Pavilion in Expo 2020, the UAE Gender Balance Council in collaboration with Women’s Pavilion
The 41st GITEX Technology Week has witnessed a huge number of business agreement and the launch of new technologies as the event concluded on Thursday in Dubai.


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franciscan center family thrift store
4430 Coldwater Road
Corner of Getz & West Jefferson
925 E Coliseum Blvd.
Email The Family Thrift Stores here.
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Proceeds from the new store at the corner of Getz Road and Jefferson Boulevard will benefit the center's ministries, which operate a food bank and provide sack lunches and personal hygiene and medicine cabinet items for those in need.
The store joins the center's Family Thrift flagship store at 925 Coliseum Blvd. E. That store opened about five years ago.
Tony Ley, the center's executive director, said the new store has had “a soft opening” and has been seeing growth every day.
The new store will provide “another convenient way for the public to support our programs” at 1015 E. Maple Grove Ave., he said.
Mostly volunteer workers “have transformed 12,000 square feet into another destination for quality, gently used clothing and household goods,” he said.
Like the Coliseum Boulevard store, this store will have a spot for dropping off donations. Drop-off will be open 24 hours a day, Ley said.
“Our biggest message is that donations stay local to help local families,” he added, noting that 40 percent to 50 percent of the center's income comes through sales of donated items. The rest comes from private monetary donations and fundraising.
About 150 customers visit the existing store each day it's open, Ley said.
The new store building was at one time a Gold's Gym. The entrance is off Getz Road. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Donations of furniture are accepted, and pick-up of large items is available if possible, Ley said. Those seeking to donate may call 260-699-2955, he said.


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Every minute, about 1 million plastic bottles are bought around the world. In 2016 480 billion were sold and this is expected to increase to 583.3 billion by 2021. Many of these are not recycled and end up into the sea, endangering its biodiversity and us all.
The Borough Council of Causeway Coast and Glens, awarded with a number of Blue Flags in the season 2019, has recently launched the ‘H2O on the Go’ project, that aims at fighting plastic pollution in the sea.
The message that ‘H2O on the Go’ wants to deliver is to drink more tap water and use reusable bottles also outside home, raising beach visitors’ awareness on single-use plastic and its impact on the oceans.
Businesses and other outlets across Causeway Coast and Glens are encouraged to take part into the scheme. These will be promoting and offering free refilling of water bottles to reduce the amount of single use plastic bottles in circulation. The location and names of the participating businesses are accessible through the Council’s website www.causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk, so as to allow visitors to include a water refill point when planning their visits to the beaches of the area.
The Blue Flag programme in Northern Ireland is managed by our member organisation ‘Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’. You can visit their website here: https://www.keepnorthernirelandbeautiful.org/cgi-bin/greeting?instanceID=1


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Video websites such as YouTube may be forced to pay more to artists and record labels to avoid “exploitation of content” under plans to shake up European copyright law.
The European Commission (EC) proposals would also require platforms to deploy technology that can detect songs or videos which have been requested for removal by rights holders.
YouTube has been widely criticised by the music industry for failing to “value the music that creates business and traffic for the service”.
The new proposals – which also aim to protect newspapers and magazines for the first time – were put forward during EC president Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the Union speech in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
Mr Juncker said: “I want journalists, publishers and authors to be paid fairly for their work, whether it is made in studios or living rooms, whether it is disseminated offline or online, whether it is published via a copying machine or commercially hyperlinked on the web.”
The draft directive “aims to reinforce the position of right holders to negotiate and be remunerated for the online exploitation of their content on video-sharing platforms such as YouTube or Dailymotion”.
The reforms would also oblige publishers and producers to be transparent about profits made from an artists’ work.
Google-owned YouTube makes money by selling video advertising and splitting profits between rights owners.
Earlier this week, a report published by UK Music on the state of the British music industry hit out at YouTube and the digital streaming industry.
In the report, UK Music chairman Andy Heath said revenues from ad-funded digital services “effectively devalue our music behind protectionist and out dated legislation”.
However, the EC digital single market plans – which are the result of two years of public consultation – were roundly criticised by internet rights campaign group OpenMedia.
Digital rights specialist for OpenMedia, Ruth Coustick-Deal, said the plans would “weaken the foundation of the open internet”.
She added: “The Commission decided to ignore this public feedback and EU citizens are now looking at some of the worst copyright rules in the world.”


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- LCRX puts up a solid QTR and slightly soft guidance
- China Concerns weigh on future but COVID remains driver
- Memory spend could be better & help offset China
Solid September Quarter
Lam reported Non GAAP EPS of $5.67 versus $5.19 street and Revenues of $3.18B which was $70M better than street expectations. Lam obviously does … Read More
The semiconductor equipment market grew 37.3% in 2017 on the heels of capex spend by memory companies in order to increase bit capacity and move to more sophisticated products with smaller nanometer dimensions. Unfortunately these companies overspent resulting in excessive oversupply of memory chips. As memory prices started… Read More
Semiconductor equipment vendor ranking, which didn’t change much between 2016 and 2017, is undergoing a makeover, as Lam Research, ASML, and Tokyo Electron (TEL) are switching places and top-ranked Applied Materials is getting closer to losing its number one ranking.
Since the 1990s, Applied Materials has been the market leader… Read More
The stock market hates uncertainty most of all. In the absence of the known, the market will assume the worst or close to it. Right now there is a lot of uncertainty that continues to have more downside beta than upside beta. Everybody we spoke to at Semicon wakes up in the morning wondering what tweet was sent at 5AM that will impact their… Read More
As we have been warning for months the China trade issue continues to grow and accelerate. As we are approaching the June 30th cliff (when export sanctions will be announced) it seems as if the administration has given the industry a kick so we fly even further. The US will also restrict Chinese investment in US tech companies. The … Read More
This time it is between the suppliers of semiconductor manufacturing equipments. And they are among the top ranked global peers. Applied Materials Inc., holding the numero uno position in sales of chip manufacturing equipments in 2012, agreed to acquire Tokyo Electron Ltd, the third in that ranking. Gary Dickerson of Applied… Read More
The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11[SUP]th[/SUP], 2011 will have far reaching ramifications around the world for years to come. People have asked me how this disaster will affect the semiconductor industry so I will try and summarize it in this blog.
First the foundries:
According to TSMC: … Read More


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Historically, blockchains accumulate value at the base protocol layer as opposed to the application layer. Despite all the turmoil that characterised the year 2020, the crypto community enjoyed the so-called ‘DeFi summer’, with these layer-2 chains attracting huge investments and paying out great rewards to how to protect cryptocurrency on exchange hackin users. The Bernstein analysts write that the improved scalability of these chains has made DeFi much more accessible and affordable, citing the use of rollups as a key booster for the DeFi sector. Pradipta Mukherjee is a business reporter and has worked for Bloomberg News and Business Standard in India.
What is the fastest leading indicator?
The STC indicator is a forward-looking, leading indicator, that generates faster, more accurate signals than earlier indicators, such as the MACD because it considers both time (cycles) and moving averages.
His interests lie in Bitcoin security, open-source systems, network effects and the intersection between economics and cryptography. Billionaire investor David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, one of the largest investment firms, shared his cryptocurrency outlook in an interview with CNBC Thursday. Like McHenry, Smith mentioned that the reports lost sight of opportunities and moved their attention to crypto risks, skipping a chance to offer suggestions for promoting innovation in the industry. A fact sheet describing the steps taken to regulate the cryptocurrency industry was made public by the White House on Friday. Despite prior requests for a uniform regulatory framework, stakeholders in the industry have criticized the recently implemented plan, pointing out its many flaws. Despite Bitcoin’s poor performance year-to-date, McGlone has recently reiterated he believes that the price of the flagship cryptocurrency will hit the $100,000 mark.
Remarks made by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on 26 August caused the market to plummet further, causing Bitcoin and many other coins to close the month with double-digit price declines. We do not give personalized investment advice or other financial advice. The information on this website is subject to change without notice. Some or all of the information on this website may become ethereum flips bitcoins node count outdated, or it may be or become incomplete or inaccurate. We may, but are not obligated to, update any outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate information. DigiDaigaku is slated to be the first game to pioneer Limit Break’s “free-to-own” game model, but further details have yet to be released (apparently, the company’s CEO Gabriel Leydon wants to keep things under wraps for now).
Believes that blockchain and cryptocurrencies have a potential to transform the world in the future in many of its aspects. ‘Hodls’ major cryptocurrencies and has written for multiple crypto media outlets. After a Golden Cross appeared on the XRP chart, he expects XRP to close daily trading above the resistance line of $0.41, adding that after, that the coin may be expected to head toward $0.471. Pseudonymous founder of AltCryptoTalk, @AltCryptoGems, has also shared that he sees XRP’s course as bullish. He has mentioned that the coin has been holding above the support marked on the chart and broke above the symmetrical triangle, which he talked about during the previous XRP update. The exchange had planned to be taken public in a deal with a special purpose acquisition company, Far Peak Acquisition.
Crypto Signals Summary
In fact, even institutional investors are seeing signs of recovery in the cryptocurrency space. Justin crafts insightful data-driven stories on finance, banking, and digital assets. His reports were cited by many influential outlets globally like Forbes, Financial Times, CNBC, Bloomberg, Business Insider, Nasdaq.com, Investing.com, Reuters, among others.
The bank will be able to borrow $100M worth of DAI tokens, with the option of this credit line going up to $1B over the next 12 months. Crypto valuations have been down 70% since their high of 2021, in line with the overall US securities market. But perhaps we should see the increasing correlation of crypto markets with the US stock market as an indication of the maturity that the crypto sector has gained since the last crypto winter. Instead, they see the future of crypto in new tokens that are designed to offer real tech applications and long-term value accumulation. “More sustainable token designs will bring back retail interest in investing in application tokens,” the authors noted. The Bernstein list also highlights the fact that rollups, Ethereum layer-2 platforms that process transactions off the main network, have seen considerable growth in active users and on-chain liquidity.
The U.S. is ramping up crypto regulatory measures
On its own, using your NFTs as profile pictures on dated social media sites is pretty underwhelming, but it shows the direction companies like Meta and Twitter are moving in. Additionally, allowing NFTs on social media is a huge opportunity to expose a whole new segment of the Internet to NFTs—and ultimately crypto. Not to be outdone, Meta has since launched NFT integrations of its own, starting with an Instagram rollout in 100 countries earlier this month, and following up with a Facebook expansion just yesterday. Although details are still scarce, it’s assumed that the social media giant will let users hook up to the blockchain similarly to its Instagram integration, which currently supports Ethereum, Polygon, and Flow NFTs. Four-digit ENS domains, colloquially known as the “10k Club,” have nearly tripled in ETH terms since April. The cheapest four-digit domains currently set buyers back around 1.43 ETH ($2,259), while the more exclusive three-digit domains now sit at an eye-watering 31 ETH floor.
How do you know if a stock is bullish?
A black or filled candlestick means the closing price for the period was less than the opening price; hence, it is bearish and indicates selling pressure. Meanwhile, a white or hollow candlestick means that the closing price was greater than the opening price. This is bullish and shows buying pressure.
Play-to-earn crypto gaming, which rewards players with tokens, could evolve into a much more profitable play-to-own model, wherein players can use NFTs to certify ownership of valuable game items. The Bernstein team notes how “crypto games will have their own unique culture… Over a million NFT avatars will become playable characters across multiple interoperable crypto games”. In support of this notion, the authors note how many talented individuals are migrating from the traditional gaming industry to Web3 gaming companies. At the time of this publication, XRP is trading 89.42% below that historic peak.
CitiBank Launches “Digital Assets Group” Crypto Services
The system also clearly indicates the expected price path going forward, based on machine learning algorithms that crunched thousands of past situations. Get the 5-minute newsletter keeping 75K+ crypto innovators in the loop. Get the 5-minute newsletter keeping 73K+ crypto innovators in the loop. Over the past few days, XRP has been making powerful attempts to regain some of its losses, making two rises of more than 22% and 23% each.
Six months ago, the same people told us that if we opened up a crypto mining store in Qatar, we would go to jail the next day,” he said. According to him, crypto mining machines can now be legally imported into all six GCC countries. This is often understood as a bullish signal because investors typically move assets off of exchanges when they 12 best practices for cloud adoption bmc software blogs are simply interested in holding the asset . This change in sentiment can also be seen in an 11% rise in the digital asset market between June 29 and July 26, despite recording a 56% downtrend year-to-date. Susquehanna International Group, a quantitative trading firm and market maker, invested $10M in KuCoin, a Singapore-based crypto exchange.
“We are working on a hybrid crypto farm in Abu Dhabi powered by solar at day, grid at night,” CryptoMiners’ CEO Nasser El Agha told Al-Monitor. The Dubai-headquartered crypto mining service provider cooperates with an undisclosed British company to launch the Gulf’s “first company-scale solar-crypto farm” by December 2022. It is a proof of concept intended to be ultimately taken to the market, specifically to agricultural farms wishing to generate extra income through crypto mining. Stablecoin outflows to personal wallets from exchanges occur when investors are looking to protect the dollar value of their assets; this is often the case during periods of downward price movements across the crypto space.
- Unleash a regulated exchange with multibillion-dollar liquidity contributions from the Bullish Treasury.
- As a result of a fall in demand on the network, there has been a drop in the percentage of fees in total block rewards.
- According to Downing, the strength of Ethereum is net positive for the long-term health of the digital asset space.
- “Liquid cooling helps to overclock — boost mining machines performance — and sustain equipment for much longer than traditional air cooling,” said miner Ameri.
- Indeed, the CoinMarketCap cryptocurrency community estimates that VET will trade at an average of $0.048 by August 31.


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Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:
Lower Res: Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will launch a cheaper version of the iPhone in June or July, MacRumors notes. The less expensive iPhone, aimed at emerging markets, will not feature the high-resolution Retina touchscreens that have been available on all iPhones since the iPhone 4. The prediction comes from an RBC Capital Markets analyst, who says the cheaper iPhone will have a 4-inch screen similar to the iPhone 5, but will ditch the iPhone 5’s aluminum and glass casing in favor of plastic. By adopting a lower-resolution screen, Apple will trim the costs of making the phone, lowering its price and boosting margins. The new report runs counter to other analysts, who say the cheaper iPhone will feature a Retina screen. The RBC analyst also forecasts the launch of the iPhone 5S this summer.
New Rule: Apple has notified app developers that they must configure app submissions to work with the screen sizes of all Apple devices, CNET notes. New apps and updates to existing apps will have to be compatible with the iPhone 5’s 4-inch screen by May 1. Some developers have excluded the new screen size from older apps originally designed for earlier versions of the iPhone that featured a 3.5-inch screen. Apps that fail to comply with the rule will not be approved for the App Store. Apple has previously insisted that app developers design apps to work with its high-resolution Retina displays.
Added Scrutiny: Apple is facing an anti-trust investigation by the European Union over the way it distributes iPhones and iPads, Reuters notes. Sources say that several carriers had made informal complaints about Apple’s demand that they subsidize iPhone sales. Apple’s iPhone marketing requirements also provoked some criticism. A spokesperson for the European Commission, the EU’s main regulatory body, admitted that no formal complaints about Apple had been received, but said the Commission was “actively monitoring developments in this market.” The commission said it would act to protect consumers from anti-competitive behavior.
For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.


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Last year, some members of the dairy industry thought it hip to be in square packaging. But Dean Foods, Inc. is taking a more circuitous route. Its Land O’Lakes brand sour cream and cottage cheese products are appearing on retailer shelves throughout the upper Midwest in curved packaging.
A pet peeve for some dog owners is not being able to feed their pets a warm meal. But that problem is being addressed with a heated, moist supplement for dry food in a package familiar to the world of single-serve soups, pastas and snacks.
Sustainability is a consumer trend that is transforming the packaging industry. The top three concerns in relation to beverage packaging include recycling or landfilling, renewable resources and energy, said Erin Reynolds, marketing director at Evergreen Packaging, at last year’s Sustainable Packaging Forum in St. Petersburg, FL.
A fully integrated weigh scale and bag packaging system designed specifically for fresh and frozen fruit is a new development resulting from a partnership between Automated Packaging Systems and BBC Technologies.


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extracts from PCHR weekly report 30/6 - 6/7/2011:
Israeli warplanes attacked a number of civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip.
A store of fodders was bombarded and a number of civilian facilities were damaged.
Tuesday, 05 July 2011
At approximately 23:30, Israeli warplanes fired a missile at a number of activists of the Palestinian resistance near a 1,000-squre-meter store of fodders belonging to Isma’il Helmi al-Najjar in the east of Gaza City. The missile hit the store and damaged it. Three activists were also lightly wounded. Additionally, a nearby tire workshop belonging to the Dughmosh family and a house belonging to Hafez ‘Aashour Dughmosh were damaged.


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WATCH: Store employees fight with customer at Steve Madden store
A determined customer gets into a fight with store employees at a shoe store in Florida
Posted at 5:52 AM, Dec 30, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-30 08:57:38-05
A fight between shoe store employees and a determined customer was caught on camera at a South Florida mall.
It happened at a Steve Madden store
Customer reportedly a tourist from Switzerland
The store was offering post-Christmas bargains
Fight turns physical between employees, woman
Caught on camera by local sports talk show host
READ FULL STORY
Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Although recent high-profile data breaches have been in the retail sector, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies have even worse cybersecurity practices.
While high-profile data breaches at companies like Neiman Marcus and Target gained attention in the last 6 months, the healthcare industry is at even larger risk.
According to a new analysis by BitSight Technologies, health industry groups in the S&P 500 have worse security practices than companies in the finance, utilities, and retail sectors. Both the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors had a high volume of security incidents and slow response times from April 2013 through March 2014.
“Based on our analysis, it is clear that organizations that treat cyber security as a strategic issue perform better than those that view it as a tactical one,” Stephen Boyer, BitSight co-founder and chief technology officer, said in a statement. “This partially explains the superior Security Ratings of financial institutions and electric utilities in the S&P 500 compared to retailers and healthcare companies.”
BitSight Security Ratings range from 250 to 900—higher ratings equal higher security performance. The average rating in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry was 660, just below retail’s 685 and far below utilities’ 751 and finances’ 765.
The healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors had the largest percent increase in the number of security incidents during the April 2013 to March 2014 time period, according to the report. Furthermore, the average event lasted 5.3 days, which is longer than any other industry.
“In our recent assessment of medical devices used in clinics and hospital around the country, weak encryption, lack of key management, poor authentication and authorization protocols, and insecure communications were all common findings,” Chandu Ketkar, technical manager at Cigital, said in a statement. “These gaps in security can lead to a compromise in data confidentiality and integrity. When sensitive data is compromised, it can not only create risks for patients, but also expose health care providers and device manufacturers to regulatory and business risks.”
Data breaches in the healthcare industry are taken very seriously, particularly in the wake of the new HIPAA Omnibus Rule. For instance, WellPoint was penalized $1.7 million for inadequate protection of members’ information. Penalties are tallied on a per person, per day basis.


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In light of the Omicron variant and at the urging of public-health experts, the CDC has updated its mask guidelines. The agency’s new standards stress that fabric masks are the least protective against COVID-19, whereas well-fitting N95, KN95, and KF94 masks — which use special nonwoven materials with an electric charge to block tiny aerosol particles — do a much better job of stopping the virus’s spread. Of course, any mask is better than no mask, but since this article was last updated in January 2021, we’ve talked to doctors, scientists, and public-health experts to help you find the best and most protective of the bunch. So whether you’re looking for a comfortable N95 you can wear on a plane, a child-size KF94, KN95 masks your teenager can wear to school, or advice on double masking, we can help.
Masks now come in a vast array of materials and constructions. More choice is, of course, a positive, but since many of us are new to mask-wearing, the sudden influx of options can also occasionally make it challenging to determine which is the best one (fashion aside) from your collection to wear in any given situation.
Whether you’re going to the grocery store or on the subway, both of the doctors we spoke to — Dr. Scott Segal, chairman of anesthesiology at Wake Forest Baptist Health, and Dr. Aaron Glatt, the chair of medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau and a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America — agree that the best mask is one that is worn correctly, meaning tightly covering your entire mouth and nose without being suffocating. “You don’t want big gaps around the sides or the top or the bottom because the whole point is to keep small droplets coming out of your mouth or nose from reaching somebody else,” explains Dr. Segal, who points out that the public-health rationale behind wearing a mask is to protect others from your respiratory droplets, in the event that you’re presymptomatic or asymptomatic for the coronavirus.
In addition to fit, both doctors agree that the best masks are multilayered; Dr. Segal, who is studying the protective effects of different fabric masks on the wearer, says that multiple layers of thicker, tightly woven quilting cotton, or a layer of thinner cotton plus an inner layer of flannel, are the most effective at filtering out small virus-size particles.
Though we already tested 32 fabric face masks according to efficacy and overall fit, there are more out there (and counting). So, here, we’ve consulted with doctors and folks who’ve worn masks in a bunch of different situations — from pop-up restaurants to the dentist’s office — about the best masks for each of them.
On the subway
Both of the essential workers whom we spoke with — a foster-care case manager and grocery-store employee — mention that they prefer to wear surgical masks on the subway. Jason Weiner, a membership coordinator at the Park Slope Food Co-op who has been commuting about a half-hour on the subway to work throughout the pandemic, wears a surgical mask and face shield on the subway in order “to stay as protected as possible and keep myself and those I come in contact with safe.” Though neither doctor we spoke to “routinely recommends” wearing N95 respirator masks, they don’t discourage the use of medical-grade masks in riskier nonmedical environments, including a crowded subway where not everyone is masked. “If you’re going to have to be in a high-risk environment, something like the subway, with lots of other people in a relatively closely confined area, perhaps for a prolonged period of time, then mask effectiveness might really play a difference in protecting you,” explains Dr. Segal, who “couldn’t argue” with someone wearing an N95 in such a situation but encourages folks not to divert supplies away from health-care providers when stocks are low. Dr. Glatt agrees that it’s “not wrong” to wear an N95 in that kind of situation but still “wouldn’t recommend it routinely.”
On an airplane
Although the duration of airplane travel is usually longer than a trip on the subway, both the doctors we spoke to say that flights aren’t necessarily riskier — depending on the social-distancing measures onboard — because airplanes are usually better aerated, and there are more regulations in place for ensuring that everyone onboard is masked. “The air is filtered reasonably frequently on the plane; you’re not facing other people directly; and everybody’s wearing a mask. So I have not heard about major outbreaks that have been traced back to airplanes,” says Dr. Segal, adding that the mask you wear on an airplane should be especially comfortable, since you’ll likely be wearing it for a long duration of time. When Mia Leimkuhler, Strategist newsletter editor, flew from Philadelphia to Montreal a few weeks ago, she wore a Baggu fabric mask for the entire four hours of traveling (door to Uber to plane to home), save for a sip of water in the airport. “The cotton is sturdy but totally breathable and really comfortable, and the tying apparatus meant I was less likely to futz with the mask,” she says, adding that the lack of ear loops also meant she could wear her over-ear headphones on the plane.
As schools across the country grapple with reopening, classrooms pose a risk for teachers this fall. In addition to the challenge of getting children to wear a face mask in the first place, teachers “may be in close proximity with students for a prolonged period of time, which increases the risk for everybody,” explains Dr. Segal, who differentiates this level of risk from that of crossing paths with somebody in an indoor grocery store for a few seconds. Everyone in the New York City public-school system will be required to wear a mask at school this year, and Connay Bratton, a special-education music teacher in Queens, will also be expected to wear more full-body protective equipment, like a face shield, when in close contact with her students — some of whom need help going to the bathroom or have behaviors that aren’t conducive to social distancing. Dr. Glatt agrees that for teachers who are in close contact with students (especially if they’re unmasked), wearing “goggles or a face shield to cover your eyes, in addition to a mask, is reasonable.” Although Bratton hopes that the state or city provides her with this gear, she doesn’t know if they’ll be able to because of budget cuts, in which case she’s planning to wear the 100% Human Everlane mask as well. “I like how it fits my entire mouth and chin area and doesn’t slip,” she says, adding that her Vegamour mask (which comes with the purchase of the brand’s hand sanitizer) has adjustable ear strings and also fits well.
At the office
Anna Kalm, an employment-development associate at the reentry-services organization Getting Out and Staying Out, returned to her office in June and has been wearing fabric masks from Sisters PPE (emblazoned with her organization’s logo) ever since. “They’re soft but still breathable,” she says, adding that the multilayered masks are good for an air-conditioned workplace because they are a bit “warmer” than typical cotton T-shirt material. The doctors we spoke to say that wearing a well-fitting fabric mask in most workplaces should be sufficient, assuming there’s some degree of air circulation as well as consistent mask-wearing and social-distancing measures in place.
At the grocery store
Although trips to the grocery store have become more stressful during the coronavirus, the doctors we spoke to agree that, barring crowds of unmasked shoppers, a fabric mask is sufficient protective gear. During the pandemic, Weiner was on the committee responsible for outfitting Park Slope Food Co-op employees with protective gear, and he helped secure Hanes cotton masks for all full-time and temporary staff, including Anya Shiferson. “They’re quite snug on the face but breathable,” says Shiferson, who is a temporary staff member during the pandemic. “I thought it looked boring, so I dyed it with beets and turmeric,” she adds. Weiner himself likes the fabric masks made by a Co-op member, or those from Diop, a Black-owned brand making masks inspired by mud cloth, which we’ve said “fit tightly, without being constricting, and passed the light test.”
At the hairdresser
Although you might be in closer proximity to your hairdresser than anyone in a grocery store, most hair salons are less densely occupied right now, since cities have set standards for reopening. At Sabine’s Hallway Natural Hair Salon — where there are only three people in the salon at a time — owner Sabine Bellevue keeps disposable masks on hand for her clients because she doesn’t want to dirty their masks during a coloring treatment. During the day, Bellevue herself often wears a fabric mask emblazoned with her salon’s logo from a promotional company, which has a minimum order quantity of 48 masks ($3.99 a piece). “It’s comfortable around the ear, and our days are maybe ten or 12 hours long, so having on a mask that long, you really want it to be comfortable,” she says, adding that she’s only able to see four clients per day, since each appointment takes time and she sanitizes for a half-hour in between. When Dr. Segal got his haircut recently, he wore a “high-quality fabric mask” that was donated by his local sewing community, adding, “I practice what I preach and try to save medical masks for the medical areas.”
At the dentist
It’s not possible to wear a mask at the dentist, which is why “you’re hoping that the dentist is wearing appropriate protective equipment — to protect you as well as them” in that scenario, explains Dr. Glatt. When Strategist writer Lauren Ro recently went to her dentist, she wore her Buck Mason mask (which also comes doctor approved) and says that the dental hygienist wore two surgical masks and a face shield during the cleaning, adding that the office also had a bunch of other safety measures in place, including air filtration and a reception barrier.
At an outdoor restaurant or coffee shop
The food-industry professionals we spoke with said they preferred to wear medical-grade surgical masks while at work. At Cravo, a Portuguese concept pop-up restaurant that’s appeared across the city — from the Gibson in Williamsburg to Dame Summer Club on the Lower East Side — chef and co-owner Nick Slemko (alongside Chris Dos Reis) says they wear disposable masks for sanitary considerations. “Once you’re serving the public at any level, you need to be extra cautious and aware, and we need to hold ourselves more accountable than the average person, especially since we’re making a space for people to congregate,” he says, explaining that the team wears surgical masks on their trips to Portuguese markets, while prepping the food, and during service. Though Slemko also has a now-sold-out Anti Social Social Club mask (which is still available on eBay for $50), he found that it was harder to be more aware of washing it, adding, “First, people need to start wearing masks in general and then be more conscious to keep whatever mask they’re wearing clean and sanitary.” Similarly, Alfonso Wright, co-owner of Brooklyn Tea, says that any time his team is around customers, they usually opt for surgical masks, or fabric masks that were distributed by the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID. As an outdoor diner, remember to tip extra and bring your fabric mask — our resident kitchen and dining expert, Strategist writer Nikita Richardson, last wore her Hedley & Bennett mask (which gives money back to ensuring that front-line workers have proper PPE) to eat a “beautiful” meal of “a drippy rotisserie-chicken sandwich, French fries, and three glasses of wine” at the Fly. “I wear my mask up until I’ve been seated and then I feel like I have permission to take it off,” she explains, adding that she also wears it when going inside to order food or drinks or use the bathroom. When it comes to other outdoor-dining safety measures, Dr. Glatt adds, “I wouldn’t recommend people eat near others, at the same table, as others who aren’t in their bubble [pod], it’s a potential risk.”
At a small, socially distanced outdoor event
Since aeration is better outside, the doctors we spoke to agree that “the same social interaction is certainly riskier indoors than it is outdoors,” as Dr. Segal puts it, adding that, while social distancing and mask-wearing while close to others is still advisable outside, “we think that the degree of protection required is a little bit less outdoors.” When Mike Del Moro, a booking producer on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, married his husband, Alec Vlahos, in a socially distanced ceremony with eight immediate family members, they both wore masks designed by his mother-in-law. “She’d already been making masks for health-care workers, since my husband is an OB/GYN, and for the ceremony, she made masks for everybody. She made us ones that said “Mr.” and “Mr.,” and it was a really nice touch — obviously, not an ideal situation getting married during a pandemic, but a little thing like that goes a long way in making a moment feel special,” he says. Since then, on the few occasions during which Del Moro has attended other outdoor, socially distanced events, like a friend’s 30th-birthday party, he likes to wear his pride-themed mask from Henry, which “is easy to put on and off and very breathable. The main outer layer is almost porous looking, but the piece that goes against your nose and mouth has a filter,” he explains, adding that it’s important to him to save medical masks for medical workers and to try and wear something “that’s a little more aesthetically pleasing.”
When Strategist senior writer Karen Iorio Adelson asked a handful of runners about the best masks to wear while running outside, nearly all of them recommended a neck gaiter, but a recent study revealed that these “gaiter-type neck fleeces” are worse than wearing no mask at all: They produce and leave a larger number of small respiratory droplets in the air than what is produced when wearing no mask at all. That’s why Adelson also recommends this double-layered, breathable mask from BOA, which is specifically made for running. (Del Moro notes that he wears his breathable Henry mask while running, since it “hangs around my neck, and I can easily slip it over my nose when I’m near people.”) “If you’re outdoors, at a distance, you probably don’t need to wear a mask; if you’re within six feet, I would say to still wear a mask,” echoes Dr. Glatt.
Nailah Blades, founder of Color Outside, an organization that promotes outdoor exploration among women of color, opts for this “comfortable, adjustable” mask from Eddie Bauer, which has room for a filter, when she’s hiking around others. “It doesn’t make you uncomfortable” she says, noting that the mask is breathable, which Dr. Segal agrees is especially important because “you’re going to breathe harder, so breathability is important to ensure that you wear it while exercising outdoors” (when you’re near others).
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.


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Two metaverse gaming altcoins are rallying in a giant approach whilst the remainder of the markets cool off.
Each Everdome (DOME) and Metahero (HERO) have been on hearth since Everdome formally went dwell on February eighth.
The Everdome sport affords the world’s first hyper-realistic metaverse surroundings the place customers will be capable of purchase or hire property, place adverts for real-life services, and promote objects within the market.
Everdome gained practically 400% from its launch value of $0.019, peaking at $0.093 earlier than correcting to $0.076. That marks an total 300% acquire for the #171 ranked crypto asset.
The challenge says in a tweet that DOME’s buying and selling quantity is surging on the OKX buying and selling platform.
“On the tenth day following the launch of Everdome, we’ve spared no time in making a reputation.
DOME sits #3 on OKX for buying and selling quantity at $150M…”
In line with the Everdome website,
“Everdome will present a vacation spot for Metahero’s outstanding tech to dwell, work together and flourish… to a completely ubiquitous Web3 expertise.”
Metahero additionally had a pleasant rally again in December as news of its revolutionary 3D-scanning expertise began making waves. The sport partnered with Wolf Studio to create hyper-realistic avatars of individuals in order that gamers can truly add digital variations of themselves into the gaming surroundings.
Metahero is constructed on the Binance Good Chain and likewise implements non-fungible token (NFT) sensible contracts as a part of the sport’s ecosystem and performance.
In its newest value surge, Metahero rose 88.2% from $0.051 to $0.096, though the #165 cryptocurrency is down barely and now buying and selling for $0.088.
Everdome just lately tweeted a pattern demonstrating the slick look of in-game footage.
🔥February eighth our voyage to the #metaverse begins, kicked off by the launch of Everdome’s token, DOME.
— Everdome (@Everdome_io) February 6, 2022
The challenge additionally shared that Arabian Enterprise journal wrote a featured piece on each Everdome and Metahero.
“Everdome hits the entrance cowl of Arabian Enterprise, the main investor and enterprise journal within the Center East.
Arabian Enterprise reaches a group that has already proven curiosity sooner or later success of Everdome and Metahero.”
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Every day Hodl aren’t funding recommendation. Traders ought to do their due diligence earlier than making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital belongings. Please be suggested that your transfers and trades are at your individual threat, and any loses it’s possible you’ll incur are your duty. The Every day Hodl doesn’t advocate the shopping for or promoting of any cryptocurrencies or digital belongings, neither is The Every day Hodl an funding advisor. Please word that The Every day Hodl participates in internet online affiliate marketing.
Featured Picture: Shutterstock/Kartavaya Olya/Sensvector


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The European Commission will outline on Thursday different options for taxing digital companies as the 28-nation bloc seeks to raise money from an industry that it says provides less than it should to public coffers.
The commission plan, a draft of which was obtained by Bloomberg, comes the week after European Union finance ministers discussed how to adjust levies for companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Facebook Inc. in a way that better reflects their economic activity and ensures they pay their fair share.
The commission’s options include inserting digital taxation rules into the general international framework for corporations; an “equalization tax” on turnover; a withholding tax on digital “transactors”; or a levy on the revenues generated from advertising or the provision of digital services.
As digital companies make up a larger share of business done in Europe, the EU is struggling to adapt its tax policies to better address these non-traditional firms. While international companies pay an average tax rate of 23.2 percent, digital companies pay just 10.1 percent, according to the commission paper.
The battle has intensified since the commission last year ordered Apple Inc. to pay as much as 13 billion euros ($15.6 billion) plus interest in back taxes, saying Dublin illegally slashed the iPhone maker’s obligations to woo the company to Ireland. Apple and the Irish government are fighting the decision. In another case, Alphabet Inc.’s Google in July won its battle against a 1.12 billion-euro French tax bill after a court rejected claims the search-engine giant abused loopholes to avoid paying its fair share.
But even though momentum has picked up across the EU to tackle this issue, some of the finance ministers meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, last week said it should be dealt with at a global level instead. Any opposition will affect the ultimate legislation since the bloc requires unanimity among its 28 members to implement tax policies.
Still, the commission paper says that if no such global consensus can be found, the EU should proceed alone with a new way to tax these companies.
“In the absence of adequate global progress, EU solutions should be advanced within the single market and the commission stands ready to present the appropriate legislative proposals,” it says.


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http://mmajunkie.com “EA Sports MMA,” a soon-to-be-released rival title to the UFC and THQ’s bestselling “UFC Undisputed” franchise, will be a phenomenal game that could revolutionize the MMA-videogame industry.
That’s the word from MMA legend Ken Shamrock, who’s admittedly a bit biased since he’s in the EA Sports game.
Shamrock, who told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) he became “unglued” when he saw his likeness on a World Wrestling Federation figurine, said he’s even more excited about the highly anticipated videogame.
“I went down and had a meeting with those guys, and it was a really, really good meeting,” Shamrock said of EA Sports. “Those guys seem very, very professional.”
EA Sports releases the game, which is available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms, later this summer. And despite the “UFC 2009 Undisputed” game already selling 3.5 million copies and the 2010 version hitting stores in May, Shamrock thinks “EA Sports MMA” – which features many Strikeforce and DREAM fighters, as well as some early MMA stars – will have a big impact.
“I think when they come out with this game, I think it’s going to turn the MMA videogame world on its head,” Shamrock said. “I think it’s going to be a phenomenal game. It even sounds really exciting.”
Shamrock, of course, is excited to see his likeness in the game alongside those of Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, Gegard Mousasi, Cung Le, Gilbert Melendez, Frank Trigg and dozens of others, including Ken’s adoptive brother, Frank Shamrock.
Despite the UFC having a stronghold on the world’s top talent and featuring them in “UFC Undisputed,” EA Sports has put together a solid roster of other fighters.
Shamrock, who parlayed his early UFC dominance into a contract with the WWF (now known as the WWE), said a trip to the toy store gave him his first taste of merchandising fame.
“When I was in the WWF, I actually walked into a Toys’R’Us store when I was going Christmas shopping for my kids,” Shamrock said. “And I actually saw a doll of me on the shelf.
“I just went unglued. I was like, ‘That’s the coolest thing in the world.’ And it didn’t even look like me; it looked like Frankenstein.”
Of course, Shamrock is also happy to sign a contract with EA Sports to assure the videogame has “Ken Shamrock” and not a similar-looking character named something like “Ken Slam-rock.” Shamrock, who’s long had a big following in Japan thanks to his Pancrase and PRIDE fights, once learned that the country had comic books and cartoons based on him. He said they’d have his trademark garb – red trunks, red knee pads and red wrestling shoes – and even his hair, distinct jawline and muscular frame.
“But they said it’s something like Ken Slam-rock, not Ken Shamrock, and that it wasn’t me,” he said. “That way they said they didn’t have to pay me.”
For more on Shamrock, download Wednesday’s edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio. Also stay tuned to MMAjunkie.com for further recaps from his guest spot.
MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.


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An Alabama inventor is taking the role of David in suing technology Goliath Hewlett-Packard for alleged patent infringement in Internet kiosks.
Richard Mettke of Weaver, Alabama, filed the lawsuit in U.S. Federal District Court in that state against HP and its business partner, North Communications, which bills itself as an "end-to-end provider of everything from kiosk manufacturing and design to custom and off-the-shelf software solutions."
According to U.S. Patent No. 5,602,905, which was awarded to Mettke in February, an Internet kiosk is "a 'pay-as-you-use' communication terminal capable of interfacing with all major commercial online communications services (i.e., America Online, Prodigy, CompuServe, etc.). Users can receive a hard copy of any activity that they conduct from the terminal through the colocated printer. Payment of services will be made by credit card using a 'magnetic swipe' system included as part of the terminal system. Users will be charged for use of the system as well as normal telephone charges."
Many kiosks are free-standing units, such as those increasingly found in airports that let travelers send and receive email, browse the Web, or conduct other online business while waiting for flights.
Mettke filed the patent application for the Internet kiosk in January 1995. His attorney in the suit, Darin Duphorne of Houston law firm Tobor & Goldstein, said there are several small companies using the kiosks, but Mettke is going after Hewlett-Packard first.
"Most of the smaller companies have 10 or 20 structures in place," he noted. "Suing a large company first offers the exposure and sets an example for the smaller ones." He said winning the suit against HP also would afford Mettke the financial backing to go after the many smaller firms using the technology.
Duphorne said Mettke approached the PC equipment maker about a year before the company introduced its kiosk, offering it his technology. "[HP] told our client they weren't interested, that it didn't fit their business model," he added. "A year later, they introduced their own entry. Clearly, they were interested. It did fit their business model--they just didn't want to pay the licensing fee."
A spokeswoman for Hewlett-Packard confirmed that the company has been served with the suit but declined to comment further.
Duphorne conceded that Mettke is not well-known and perhaps didn't have enough credibility or clout to provide technology for the likes of HP. However, since Mettke does hold the patent, the attorney said Mettke is seeking what he sees as a "reasonable royalty."
"If the companies are successful at [implementing the kiosks], it could be a significant revenue maker for them," he added.
The damages sought in the suit have not been determined but will be "in the seven figures," based on how much revenue the company has gained and stands to gain in the future by using the kiosk technology, according to Duphorne.


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Starbucks and Arizona State University (ASU) are joining forces to create the ASU-Starbucks Center for the Future of People and the Planet – a new research and rapid innovation facility created to find new ways to design, build, and operate Starbucks stores.
“Over the last several years we have been reinventing Starbucks for our future and transforming the way we drive innovation at Starbucks,” says Kevin Johnson, Starbucks CEO.
“As we continuously focus on elevating the Starbucks Experience, introducing new and exciting beverage innovation, and reimagining customer experiences both in-store and through more personalised digital relationships, we constantly challenge ourselves to find new ways to give back more than we take, using our power at scale to create a better society in which we all live.”
Scheduled to open in December 2021 on ASU’s Tempe campus, the ASU-Starbucks Center will be built on the same principle as the Starbucks Tryer Center – bringing ideas to action – supported by ASU’s applied research and on-campus test store ecosystem. The Tryer Center, located on the bottom floor of the Starbucks Support Center in Seattle, is an incubation lab where employees can quickly test, learn, and adapt ideas for more rapid decision making. This space represents a mindset of innovation embraced across the organisation, which will further propagate at the ASU-Starbucks Center for the Future of People and the Planet.
“ASU and Starbucks are aligned in our missions to be of complete service to the communities we serve and build a better future for both people and the planet,” says ASU President Michael Crow.
“Through this new centre, ASU will provide unique value in terms of research and transdisciplinary expertise in order to collaborate with Starbucks to develop, test and validate strategies that can ultimately be scaled to stores and communities globally.”
Composed of a dedicated team of scientists, researchers, and support staff, including subject-matter experts from Starbucks and ASU, the centre’s objective is to positively impact the future of our planet.
ASU is a leader in transdisciplinary research on pathways towards a future that allows life to thrive on a healthy planet. The recently launched Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory is the focal point of these efforts and the home of the new centre. Initially, more than 15 faculty and staff from across the university will support the ASU-Starbucks Center activities. As the centre expands, its scope and capacity will increase leveraging ASU’s broad expertise and strength in innovation.
In the first year, the centre’s work will focus on:
- Greener Stores: The centre will build out and open source the Greener Stores program to continue to innovate solutions for Starbucks stores and to inspire others to design, build and operate portfolios of buildings that minimise environmental impacts throughout their life cycle. This includes developing a roadmap for Greener Stores education efforts, including a toolkit and learning library, to be made available for Starbucks stakeholders and other industry stakeholders via Starbucks Global Academy.
- Food and wellness: To empower customers to make the right choices for them and to promote environmental practices, the centre will explore alternative menu items, including plant-based offerings and protein sources. The centre will also develop tools and trainings to improve environmental impacts and opportunities for current and new products.
- Community betterment: In line with Starbucks commitment to creating a warm and welcoming environment, the centre will leverage the Third Place environment as a catalyst for positive change across local, national, and global communities. This includes inspiring partners (employees) to become “Community Champions” by offering training, support, and a community-development playbook to help enhance civic infrastructure and activity in their neighbourhoods.
- Innovation Test Stores: ASU’s four campuses in the Phoenix metro area offer nine licensed Starbucks stores, run by Aramark, that will act as innovation labs to test and evaluate strategies resulting from centre research. In-store testing will include new plant-based food and beverage offerings designed to reduce carbon intensity, strategies to improve recycling and circularity (including reusables), and new technologies including artificial intelligence and machine learning.


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Iconoculture acquired by The Corporate Executive Board Co.
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- Mark Reilly
- Staff Writer
Iconoculture, a consumer-trend research firm in based in Minneapolis, has been acquired by Corporate Executive Board Co.
Arlington, Va.-based Corporate Executive Board (Nasdaq: EXBD), which provides data analysis and advice on corporate functions, announced the deal as part of its first-quarter results late Monday.
In a conference call with analysts Tuesday, Thomas Monahan, chairman and CEO of the Corporate Executive Board, said, "Iconoculture’s rich data and insight about consumers [fill] a key gap in our strong sales and marketing practice area."
Iconoculture CEO Dan Frawley said the merger agreement was signed last Friday. It's not certain how the deal will change Iconoculture's local operations, but Monahan indicated in the conference call that Frawley will stay on.
Frawley said the deal included $18 million in cash upfront to Iconoculture investors, with potentially more later based on 2010 performance. Iconoculture had raised $12 million in venture capital over the years, with investments coming from firms such as Portage Capital, StarTec Investments and the Quatris Fund.
Read more from Frawley, along with the local outlook for Iconoculture, in Katharine Grayson's In Private blog, here
Founded in 1992 by Vickie Abrahamson and Mary Meehan, Iconoculture takes an anthropological approach to trend-spotting, studying the values that drive consumers to do what they do. It then sells that research to corporate customers. (Read an early profile of the firm here.)
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Walmart on Thursday reported second-quarter earnings and revenue that topped Wall Street estimates, boosted by an increase of both foot traffic and by strong online sales. However, shares trade down by about 2%.
America’s largest brick-and-mortar retailer said US comp sales rose 1.8% versus a year ago, making for the 12th straight quarter with positive results. Gross merchandise volume in its e-commerce unit — the value of everything sold online — surged by 67% year-over-year.
The company announced adjusted earnings of $US1.08 per share, edging out the Wall Street estimate by a penny. Revenue totaled $US123.36 billion, surpassing the $US122.84 billion that analysts were expecting.
Walmart raised the lower end of its full-year adjusted earnings forecast to $US4.30 to $US4.40 a share after initially anticipating $US4.20 to $US4.40. Analysts were expecting $US4.39.
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Could Dark Chocolate Improve Your Workouts?
Good news for dancers with a sweet tooth: New research may have just given you another reason to reach for dark chocolate. We already knew about the many dancer-friendly benefits of the treat, from improved heart health to stress reduction—but a recent study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that it may also boost endurance.
For the study, a group of eight cyclists ate 40 grams (about 1.5 squares) of chocolate each day for two weeks. Half received dark chocolate, while the other half received white chocolate (which contains little to no cocoa) as a control. The two groups then switched and repeated the experiment for another two weeks.
The results of several physical tests showed that the athletes who consumed dark chocolate used less oxygen while riding at a moderate pace, which signals increased endurance—and they covered more distance during a time trial. Why? The flavanols in dark chocolate are thought to increase the body’s production of nitric oxide, which reduces oxygen consumption.
Though the study was small, the results make a promising case for adding dark chocolate to your list of dance bag snacks. It just might come in handy during tough cardio workouts, or when you’re building up stamina for a long ballet.


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It is one of the largest food companies in the world with about $33 billion in sales, but one that has always managed to stay under the radar. Despite the low profile, most of Mars, Inc’s brands are household names, be it the Mars or M&M’s chocolate, Wrigley’s gum or its range of petcare products. Mars goes far on a sweet mission. Grant Reid, the president and CEO of Mars, Inc, believes that China is still the sweet spot in the company’s long-term plans, despite the slowing economy…Full Article: China Daily Nov 2015
- In September 2015, Mars Inc. invested US$15 million in the construction of a global food safety center in Beijing.
- We have been in China for a few decades and we have got 13,000 associates. We also have seven state-of-the-art factories. Rather, we have deep roots in China.
- In 2011, America’s Mars (via its Dove brand chocolate) had a 40% market share in mainland China. Following Mars was Nestle with an 11% share and Italy’s Ferrero Rocher with 9% share. In the rear of the pack were Cadbury and Hershey’s.


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Samsung's Galaxy S6 smartphone, expected to launch early next year, has been leaked on multiple occasions so far, and this time around - the anticipated flagship has been spotted in images and compared with the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy S5.
The new leaked images show the yet-to-be-announced Galaxy S6 sporting a metal build and a working display featuring an Android 5.0 Lollipop-styled lock screen. The front of the Galaxy S6 is seen with sleek bezels on the sides and even the frames appear to be made of metal. There is a Samsung logo branding above the display in the front panel while rear also houses one just below the primary camera. The rear panel may also feature a metallic finish, though the leaked images are of low-resolution and appear to have slightly distorted colours.
Another image shows the Galaxy S6 in a side-by-side comparison with its predecessors - the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5. The alleged wider Galaxy S6 seems to feature a bigger display, and is slightly taller than both the Galaxy S5 (which sports a 5.1-inch display) and Galaxy S4 (features 5-inch display).
On Monday, a report claimed that the Galaxy S6 was shipped to India this month for testing purposes and the smartphone featured a 5.5-inch display.
The purported images of the alleged Galaxy S6 have been posted by an Iranian blog Toranji (first picked by Phone Arena).
To refresh, the Samsung Galaxy S6 is rumoured to feature a 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7420 processor alongside Mali-T760 GPU and 3GB of RAM. Earlier this month, a possible variant of Samsung's Galaxy S6 was spotted on the AnTuTu benchmark site tipping some specifications.
Prior to this, a report citing an analyst claimed that Samsung's Galaxy S6 flagship will debut early next year at CES - and not MWC as expected previously.
We have already heard that the Samsung Galaxy S5 successor is codenamed Project Zero, and is reportedly being built from scratch.


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Opening a brand new takeaway and food delivery service just before a global pandemic couldn't have been a particularly easy ride.
But for Gemma Zaire and Jiulio Ellis, the opportunity to open Weston-super-Mare's only Italian takeaway was too good to turn down.
Giulio's on South Parade opened in early 2020, and has offered a thriving service to locals and tourists ever since.
Gemma and Jiulio's passion for Italian food is influenced by Jiulio's family heritage, which stretches all the way to Northern Italy.
The menu is heavily influenced by certain ingredients and styles of which are found specific to that area of Italy.
Gemma, who has lived in Weston her entire life, opened up Guilio's with the experience of Jiulio, who has run his own fish and chip shop on Ebdon Road for more than 10 years.
Being a takeaway only, the shop sees a heavy influx of food delivered to tourists who are visiting Weston on holiday.
Gemma said: "We tend to find our busiest days are Sunday, with our orders increasing a lot over the school holidays.
"We are available on JustEat and UberEats but use our own drivers. We often deliver to hotel rooms for people who are unable to make their own food".
The emphasis on fresh, healthy and sustainable meals is also vital.
Gemma added: "We pride ourselves on making everything from scratch. All meals are prepared fully in the kitchen from the moment they are ordered.
"We also offer unique eco-friendly craft packaging".
The menu is a blend of Italian specialities with a modern 21st century twist, from seafood linguine to homemade ravioli.
With tourism playing such a key role in Giulio's business, Gemma added that she welcomed the announcement that UNBOXED Festival would be arriving in Weston next summer.
The huge North Sea Rigging Platform that will be installed at the Tropicana is estimated to bring 200,000 visitors to the town, and perhaps even more during its building process.
The news could provide much needed relief for many businesses across the area who are expected to benefit from the extra customers.
Surprisingly, Giulio's is Weston-super-Mare's only takeaway specific Italian in the town, so there is even more reason to be optimistic.
Located at 10 South Parade, Giulio's is open Wednesday to Sunday. More information on opening hours can be found here.


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The power of content: Celebrating 25 years of Linda McCartney Foods
Wild Card and Wild West specialise in sourcing and creating brand stories, which generate content relevant to the national media agenda. In our omni-channel age, consumers search out and receive information across the full circle of media. To ensure a brand captures its target audience’s attention, messages must be delivered at every media touch point.
This logic was at the heart in our omni-channel campaign for Linda McCartney Foods to celebrate its 25th anniversary during National Vegetarian Week. It both delivered cut through and conveyed the impact the brand has made on meat-free eating through the years.
Wild Card created three key messages to work cohesively across online, print and social media.
- Linda McCartney Foods has been opening the doors to meat-free eating for the past 25 years.
- Linda McCartney made it easier for vegetarians to enjoy delicious, effortless meat free eating with the launch of her range.
- Linda McCartney pioneered the mainstream popularisation of meat-free eating.
A tool kit of content was created for media, including photography, video, trend research, audio vox pops, infographics, interview time with the McCartney family and celebrity quotes of support – from Kelly Osbourne to Joanna Lumley.
Tasked with communicating this anniversary to media and consumers alike, we implemented a two prong PR approach.
First we revisited the launch on the exact day the McCartney family introduced the brand at a press conference at the Savoy back in 1991, and used this as a teaser to engage with media leading up to Vegetarian Week (16th – 20th May).
Secondly, we leveraged the national week as a timely hook for media, providing new and current content. Both approaches required extensive press liaison, talent management and creative content direction.
Giving the story a newsworthy hook was key, so we commissioned a report to research the vegetarian landscape for the past 25 years and make predictions for 25 years into the future. Using our findings – that a quarter of Brits are set to go meat free by 2041 – we created an engaging infographic to support our news desk sell in.
Wild Card also created a short film including interviews with Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney and never before seen images – which was then edited into snackable content that appeared on both owned and earned channels.
187 million OTS (opportunities to see).
Mary McCartney interview on ITV’s This Morning, plus inclusion on the show’s social feeds with over 2.5million followers.
Coverage target: 45 vs 60 pieces of coverage appearing including national newspapers.
Key Learning: The Power of Content
A strong portfolio of multi channel content ensured blanket coverage across all media channels including social media. The media was offered collateral that could be used in print, online and the publication’s social channels.