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It was the “Fashion Star” mentors turn to shine on NBC this week as Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, and John Varvatos helped steer the remaining eight contestants in the right direction by showing them the ropes and assigning the garment each of them would make.
Kara Laricks and Ross Bennett were the first pair to show their clothes. Varvatos, Bennett’s mentor, told him to step away from his structured tailoring and make a “chic, elegant” dress. The two could not agree on materials when they went shopping and Bennett’s refusal to take Varvatos’s fabric advice probably led to his demise. The snide Bennett continually mocked Laricks’s design (Richie told her to make a women’s suit), which had a slight drop crotch. “I just don’t see her style of clothing in America anywhere,” he said. (He obviously hasn’t been to New York lately — we just saw a few people dressed in similar looks last night.)
Come catwalk time, karma nipped Bennett in the butt. His dresses, one of which Varvatos called “Little House on the Prairie,” failed to catch anyone’s eye. Laricks’s suits were a hit, and Simpson even said, “My crush has been on Ross but now it’s on you.” Take that, Bennett! After Macy’s and H&M didn’t buy Laricks’s suits, Varvatos had to interject. “This suit that Kara did is so new, you guys have to take another look here,” he told the buyers. “Come on, you’re crazy for not buying this. That is such a strong piece.” Saks Fifth Avenue’s Teron Schaefer finally went for the kill, bidding an impressive $100,000 as he triumphantly raised his fist in the air before turning it into — a peace sign! (Works for us.)
The next pair to go up, Sarah Parrott and Nzimiro Oputa, failed to garner any buys. Parrott presented a baggy frock that was supposed to be an elegant dress, and Oputa showed a fitted men’s suit. “I need you to stand so deep in the ground and say, yeah, these are my designs and I feel so proud of them,” Richie told the always-second-guessing-herself Parrott. “And I don’t feel that from you.” Even though Oputa’s ensemble was fashion forward, the added stitching and details he put on – against Varvatos’s advice – were the reason the buyers said they didn’t move. Did you learn your lesson guys? Listen to Varvatos, or else. (We couldn’t help but wonder if he consults with the buyers beforehand).
Richie got a little raunchy as the cameras turned to the next duo. “You’re a big cocktease,” she told Ronnie Escalante, while picking through fabrics. “It’s time for you to be a full-blown slut.” Um, okay. Escalante and Orly Shani showed next, with the buyers going crazy over Shani’s column dress. Saks and H&M both stopped at $70,000, but Shani went with H&M because she had yet to sell to them. Escalante’s sleek one-shoulder floor-length gown was picked up by Macy’s for $50,000, showing that he had indeed taken Richie’s oddly-stated analogy to heart.
Luciana Scarabello and Nikki Poulos showcased their garments last. Scarabello’s structured dresses were lovely and she selected the right prints – H&M snapped them up, making Scarabello the first designer to have been bought by all three retailers. What a comeback! Poulos, on the other hand, was unimaginative, simply chopping off length of one of the many vintage-inspired long dresses she’s created during the competition to make the short garment that Richie assigned to her.
So who was spared and who was let go? The mentors saved Oputo, and rightfully so, as we think he’s the most talented out of the foursome who didn’t sell. “I won’t let you down,” he promised. The buyers opted to cut Parrott, since she only sold at H&M. We were disappointed and hoped she would hit more homeruns. For somebody who has never worked in fashion, the girl proved that she has an eye. Somebody, hire her! Only H&M’s purchases were sold out as of this morning, confirming the theory that lower prices make the items more appealing.


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Proper preparation and a good location allowed Five Peaks to help thousands of people affected by Hurricane Harvey when it hit Houston and its surrounding areas earlier this month.
Last year, the Muskegon, Michigan-based company opened a 9-acre storage area in Waco, Texas, to store holding tanks, stand-alone sinks and portable restrooms. After Hurricane Harvey hit, those supplies are easily routed to their customers, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, says Ryan Harris, national sales manager for Five Peaks.
“With hurricanes, there is time to prepare. You know a storm will likely hit a certain area, and you can prepare your inventory,” he says. “After the storm hits, you can then deploy what is needed.”
Related: Music Venue and Restroom Users Applaud Ross Ambrose and His Team
Holding tanks and portable sinks are normally requested first, followed by portable restrooms.
“We expanded into Texas since it is already a strong market for our business,” he says. “It is also closer to areas where some hurricanes hit and supplies like this are needed.”
Five Peaks first made contact with FEMA following Hurricane Katrina, which devastated parts of Louisiana and Texas in 2005. FEMA was looking for portable restroom operators to supply vital items following storms. Harris says Five Peaks went through a bidding process so it could be added to a preferred list of vendors.
Related: An Irish Festival Poses Major Challenges for a Restroom Service Crew
When a disaster strikes, FEMA contacts vendors asking what they can provide and at what cost. Once a company works with FEMA a couple times and officials are familiar with offerings and pricing, the agency may automatically call.
“We have been a huge help to the Houston area — not only in supplying FEMA, but also our regular clients who are there,” Harris says.
Holding tanks, stand-alone sinks and portable restrooms weren’t the only products provided by Five Peaks. The company is owned by KL Outdoor/GSC Technologies, the world’s largest maker of kayaks. Walmart approached KL Outdoor/GSC Technologies about donating 2,000 kayaks and johnboats to areas hit by Hurricane Harvey so they could be used in rescue operations or to help people visit their flooded homes.
Related: Quality Portable Sanitation Is Critical to the Success of a Farm Fair
“Residents can use the kayaks and johnboats to easily navigate where they need to. Plus, there is storage space available if they take it to their home and need to come back with a few items,” Harris says. “We are thankful Walmart approached us about doing this.”
When hurricanes hit other parts of the country, such as when Hurricane Irma hit parts of Florida, Five Peaks will send inventory from either its Waco yard or Michigan headquarters. It takes about the same amount of time to move the items from either location to Florida, Harris says.
“When storms hit, we are ready to go and assist our custom operators and FEMA with what they need to help the people affected.”

domain: news


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Nigel Bogle, the global boss and co-founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, has said that the agency landscape is too crowded and too competitive to set up shop on Australian shores.
The advertising legend behind one of the world’s top creative shops told Mumbrella that while he had considered a move to Australia – even without having a client locally – “there are already too many good agencies” to make a move work.
BBH is run as a micro-network, with offices in key territories such as London, São Paulo, New York and Singapore covering the regions for clients such as Unilever, Johnnie Walker, Dulux, Sprite and British Airways.
“We take a hub approach, and Australia can be served from outside the market,” he said. BBH has produced global campaigns for the likes of British Airways, which run in Australia but are created in London.
BBH landed its first grand prix of the week at Cannes, winning in the Creative Effectiveness category for Unilever deodorant brand Axe, known locally as Lynx.
“It feels like we’re in Australia already – so many of our people are now at Austrailan agencies,” Bogle said. Among BBH alumni are Warren Brown and Matthew Melhuish, the B and M in BMF.


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“Good design is never just about creating a good-looking package,” says Murray Hunter, founder and director of Design+Industry. “One-third of our 50 staff are designers, the other two-thirds are engineers with highly specialised capabilities. The design team pushes the tech team to optimise appearance while the engineering teams feed back into the design process to maximise the delivery of technical excellence.”
Hunter’s multi-award winning agency practises what the newly formed Australian Design Council (ADC) preaches. A distant echo of the UK Design Council installed by Winston Churchill’s government to support Britain’s post-war economic recovery, the ADC’s main aim is to advocate for the integration of design-led innovation across industry.
Sectors include clean energy, space, medical products and resources technology – as identified by the federal government as part of its Modern Manufacturing Strategy.
“The need to diversify our economy and the industries which underpin Australia’s national prosperity has been accelerated by the impacts of COVID-19,” states its manifesto, signed by the likes of Andrew Liveris, the former DowDuPont executive who helped shape manufacturing policy for Barack Obama then Donald Trump, and has been tapped by the Morrison government for the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission.
The council believes that “a design mindset” will underpin effective diversification of the economy and help develop new areas of competitive advantage.
“We’re focused on getting design embedded in product and service pipelines from the very beginning of the process,” says another signatory, Sam Bucolo, head of design, strategy and leadership at Meat & Livestock Australia. “It’s not just about sprinkling design magic over a product at the end of the process to add perceived value.”
Likewise, council member Catherine Livingstone, who is chairman of the Commonwealth Bank and chancellor of the University of Technology Sydney – one of the nation’s foremost industrial design schools – reckons design is more than “nice, pretty, shiny things”.
“It’s true that you can look at something and say, yes, that’s beautiful design,” says Livingstone. “But we’ve moved on from bright, shiny things to products with purpose.”
Fear not, this resistance to nice, pretty and shiny is not an advocacy for design that is unpleasant, ugly and dull. Rather, it’s a welcome reset of the misconception that design is all about surface style.
In fact, since the advent of industrial production, the most successful designs have always been those in which utility and beauty co-exist in ways that are not just novel but enduring. A Thonet No. 14 bentwood chair, for instance, which harnessed steam technology in the 1850s to form timber into what would become the first furniture produced in series. Or Marcel Breuer’s Model B3 armchair (aka the Wassily), the first piece of furniture made from tubular steel, then at the cutting edge of industrial innovation.
Design+Industry, which has offices in Melbourne and Sydney, produces ground-breaking tech delivered in beautifully innovative formats. Such as a portable therapy exoskeleton that brings movement to a paralysed hand.
Or a 3D bioprinter that builds hydrogel scaffolds to mimic the cell matrix of cancer patients, allowing researchers to conduct extensive non-invasive experiments. And a drone-mounted device that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure variable distances to the Earth.
All were developed in partnership with a start-up. Each won a Good Design Award in its year of release (respectively 2017, 2019, 2020). In fact, in its 33 years of existence Design+Industry has won some 200 awards, including a Time magazine Best Inventions of 2020 accolade for the IQbuds2 MAX hearing-bud platform developed for Perth-based audio wearables company Nuheara.
“We develop usability and operability opportunities to introduce better experience and points of innovation,” says Hunter. “The sort of thing that builds successful brands.”
The sort of thing that also, according to the ADC manifesto, can turn “comparative advantage” into “competitive advantage”.
“There are things we are really good at; the idea is that we become great at them,” says Brandon Gien, executive director of the ADC and chairman of the annual Good Design Awards.
“We’re trying to position design impacts across the entire process: from R&D, to product design for manufacturing, through to supply chain, the service model, right through to customer experience. This is a major moment for the local design industry to impact globally.”
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SteamVR and its OpenVR API is designed to be an open standard to utilized by a variety of users and companies, though until now HTC’s Vive headset has been the only headset on the market to use both the OpenVR API and Steam’s SteamVR/Lighthouse tracking technology.
Valve’s Joe Ludwig has confirmed that over 500 companies have signed up to use Valve’s Lighthouse motion tracking technology, with some of these companies working on their own HMDs. Which means that in the near future we may see a variety of VR headsets which utilize the same tracking technology and can be used with the same collection of VR accessories, which is a great thing for PC gamers.
Valve also announced that soon they will be creating a new production line for their SteamVR/HTC Vive Base Stations, which will utilize a new design which will provide the same level of accuracy but with much lower manufacturing costs. So once these new VR headsets in production the price of the HTC Vive and future SteamVR headsets could be decreased quite a bit, and more people can afford it.


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Thanks to electronic filing, we can do most of our tax business nowadays without a trip to the post office to get a stamped postmark for our return filings. But not everybody e-files, and some filings still have to go by paper.
A few years ago, the IRS broke its old tradition and agreed to accept some private delivery service postmarks as good for the “timely-mailed, timely-filed” rule — the rule that says that if you get it mailed by the filing deadline, it doesn’t matter when it shows up at the IRS. But an Illinois couple yesterday learned the hard way that not all private delivery options are created equal. They used FedEx “Express Saver Third business day” service to mail a petition to the Tax Court. That turned out to be a false move. From the Tax Court opinion (my emphasis and links):
In Notice 2004-83, 2004-2 C.B. 1030 (2004 notice), the Commissioner updated the list of companies and classes of delivery service that constitute designated private delivery services for purposes of section 7502. Thus, effective January 1, 2005, and insofar as FedEx is concerned, the list of designated private delivery services was as follows: FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx Standard Overnight, FedEx 2 Day, FedEx International Priority, and FedEx International First. The 2004 notice expressly states that FedEx is not designated with respect to any type of delivery service not expressly identified. Thus, “Express Saver Third business day” service is not a designated private delivery service.
The petition didn’t arrive in time, and the taxpayers lose their chance to fight their case in Tax Court. They now have to pay up and sue for a refund in District Court or the Court of Claims.
The moral? Private delivery postmarks can be a life-saver, especially with 24-hour Fed-Ex/Kinkos late hours in this age of postal service cutbacks. But if you use them, be sure you use one of the designated services. And Jiffy Express isn’t one of them.
Oh, and the IRS should be more liberal in designating qualifying private delivery services as the US Postal Service totters. You shouldn’t have to use the high-priced spread.
The TaxProf has more.


text: Noida: The Noida authority, on Friday, launched a mobile app for LED street light grievance redressal. The mobile application was launched by Noida authority’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ritu Maheshwari.As per a senior authority official, people can register complaint of any non-functioning street light in their area through the app. “The application is available on google play store as well as apple store by the name ‘Noida Smart LED Light’. A person can register their complaint of non-functioning street light in their area through the app which will be replaced within 48 hours. A dedicated control room has also been set up to monitor the complaints. Through the new system, the authority wants to ensure women safety and will curb petty crimes like snatching that occur mostly at dark spots,” said a senior Noida authority officer. The authority has a tie-up with TATA projects limited to change 74, 000 street lights in Noida with much efficient and power saving LED lights. “Around 64, 850 street lights in Noida have been converted into LED while rest will be changed soon,” the officer added.


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SOME parents are taking the collecting very, very seriously. On eBay, the disc considered ‘rare’ are selling for up to $800 so kids can complete their set.
She is one of the youngest Brits ever killed in a terror attack
A DARLING Downs doctor has come under fire for a Facebook post
Council say the new rules are designed to stamp out puppy farming
A record number of girls have braved the shave at a Toowoomba school
Hotted up old bombs set to raise funds for prostate cancer
Want to cook something different? Try Hawaiian-inspired sushi bowls
Roses stolen on eve of Mother's day
DOMINO’S has revealed what irks its pizza customers the most and even stopped work for an hour in all stores to tell staff what annoys buyers.
Recipe highlights comfort food
Radish and mango combo an entertainer's delight
Try this dessert that is so 'in' right now
Cumquats come into their own in preserves
1) Stop mixing wasabi into your soy sauce, you animal
Tipping in Australia: To leave or not leave a tip?
MOST of us think of summer when it comes to entertaining outdoors.
Wallpaper has made a huge comeback in home decor
The 6-year-old was rushed to Gladstone Hospital on the weekend.
What are the best ways to buy for long-term style?
THEY need space, sunshine, and fertile, slightly acidic, well-drained soil. They grow pretty quickly - you will be harvesting potatoes in three or four months.
Enormous snake devours lunch in backyard to shock of homeowner
The traditional Mother's Day flower is the chrysanthemum.
World Naked Gardening Day will have green thumbs strip this weekend
Cleaning up after a big weather event
Learn more about the Flanders poppy
How to grow tulips at home
Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island has all the colour you want in a weekend or week-long getaway
A spectacular wilderness awaits about two hours from Brisbane
From super liners to barges, get on board the cruise trend
“It has never been this cheap in the history of ever."
Seniors News takes up the battle for the "older generation".
The says the policy is in fact still under consideration
“Sorry for being unable to sit still in an office."
SEVEN Year Switch’s Stacey told a fib about her sex life. When the lie found its way back to her boyfriend, there was hell to pay.
Crowe and Terri Irwin have been dodging dating rumours for years now
Why the critics have got Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur all wrong.
"We saw blood on people when we got outside."
NOBODY expected much of John Wick when it was released in 2014.
The entertainment industry is in shock after attack on concert
REBEL Wilson's career destroyed by grubby campaign, court hears.
Homemade zany leggings draw attention from around the globe
Being on the pageant circuit wasn’t glamorous and it wasn’t easy
Women are having surgery to mimic their 'bottom icons'
Representation a welcome sight at fashion week
Hartz turnz 70 in July, and still enjoys wearing a bikini
The only thing this “weapon” is going to kill your bank balance
Winter hair doesn't have to be dull
LG, better known for its top selling televisions, has announced the release of the LG K8 smartphone in Australia.
Artists put aside paints and brushes for Procreate app on iPad Pro
German retailer revamping its 470 stores around Australia
Community laps up online initiative to cut out middle man
LG and Samsung shape up in the battle for supremacy
The next big craze capturing teens’ attention
iPhone sales drop amid hype about new phone
A major recruitment drive for executives has begun at Ipswich Hospital.
Dyslexia isn't getting in the way of learning for one nurse.
Bikini turned Krystal's life around
It's not often a Hollywood A-lister is eclipsed by a businessman
Why you should know your chronotype
New complaints lodged
Toxicity can occur even at doses lower than the recommended max dose
AUSTRALIA needs to consider whether policies should be developed to encourage disadvantaged families to have fewer children, a Queensland academic says.
Seriously, do not try this at home.
"It looked like a real category 5 s*** storm blew thru her room."
"He made me feel uncomfortable but I didn’t know why, then."
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It is a “really sick” possibility, according to his family
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She discusses the reality of sex work and what men really want
Coast mum's pride hit by daughter's need to marry abroad
One lucky Mackay couple managed to beat the odds of online dating.


text: State Reps Jason Perillo, R-113, and Ben McGorty, R-122, joined with fellow Republicans and five Democrats in opposing a new mileage tax on trucks that use Connecticut\u2019s highways. The new legislation will create a per-mile tax on trucks that will increase based on gross tonnage. Trucks weighing 26,000 to 28,000 pounds will pay $0.025 per mile and vehicles weighing more than 80,000 pounds will pay $0.175 per mile. Revenue will be directed to the Special Transportation Fund. \u201cLet's set the record straight,\u201d Perillo said. \u201cThis new tax on trucks will lead directly to increased prices at the grocery store, Walmart, Target and all large and small retailers. I\u2019m not quite sure how driving up the price of milk and eggs and vegetables is good for anyone, but state Democrats seem to be OK with that." Perillo said that Republicans took steps to shore up the Special Transportation Fund during the last budget cycle by earmarking revenue from the new car sales tax for investment in the state's infrastructure. "Clearly that didn't hold up well, because Democrats found a way around the lockbox by diverting those dedicated dollars to the general fund, rending the lockbox ineffective, and the STF nearly insolvent,\u201d Perillo said. \u201cIt was just a tactic to raise taxes, and unfortunately, it worked.\u201d McGorty said the true cost of transportation projects in the state continues to go unaddressed. \u201cConnecticut\u2019s costly labor mandates multiply the time and cost of every mile of new or repaired surface on Route 8 and other major arteries,\u201d he said. \u201cUntil and unless we address the underlying cost of Project Labor Agreements and the structural problems within the STF, this new tax will fix nothing.\u201d Shelton\u2019s representatives said Republicans had offered an amendment that would transfer $320 million in annual motor vehicle-related sales tax revenue from the general fund to the STF. That revenue would include motor vehicle sales, the rental car surcharge, the transportation services sales tax and the sales of motor vehicle parts. The amendment failed along party lines. Democrats who worried about the bill's impact on dairy farms in their districts passed an amendment to exempt the industry, Perillo said, adding that Republicans offered another amendment to exempt trucks used for retail or wholesale food delivery, agricultural commodities, or farm supplies. Majority Democrats also rejected that amendment in a 90 to 57 vote. Democrats passed the truck tax along party lines in an 88 to 59 vote. The bill awaits Gov. Ned Lamont's signature.


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Cisco Systems and Google will give digital-video-recorder pioneer TiVo lump-sum payments totaling US$490 million as part of a deal that will end the companies' litigation over patents for set-top technology.
A conservative activist has filed a lawsuit against U.S. President Barack Obama, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. National Security Agency after news reports that the NSA has been collecting the phone records of a large number of Verizon C...
Microsoft and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation have taken aim at a botnet network based on malware called Citadel that is held responsible for stealing people's online banking information and personal identities.
Nearly three dozen computer scientists have signed off on a court brief opposing Oracle's effort to copyright its Java APIs, a move they say would hold back the computer industry and deny affordable technology to end users.
Apple has agreed to pay US$53 million to settle a class-action suit in connection with warranties for its iPhone and iPod touch devices.
Oracle and managed services provider ServiceKey have come to a proposed settlement of an intellectual-property lawsuit Oracle filed against the company last year.
Operators of two alleged tech support scams that charged consumers hundreds of dollars to supposedly fix their computers have settled charges from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
Privacy laws protecting bank account holders are more important than providing information to aid in copyright enforcement, according to a Dutch court ruling this week.
An appeals court in Mexico has overturned an approximately US$2.7 billion judgment against Yahoo and Yahoo Mexico in a breach-of-contract suit concerning online directories.
Embedded YouTube videos don't infringe copyright under current German law, but they could violate European rules, the German Federal Court of Justice said on Thursday.
Google has to remove search suggestions from autocomplete in Germany if the results are offensive, the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe ruled Tuesday.
San Francisco killed its cellphone radiation warning law on Tuesday by agreeing to settle a lawsuit by the mobile industry group CTIA.
An appeals court has rejected SAP's attempt to overturn a US$345 million judgment awarded to Versata Software, which had brought a patent-infringement case against the software maker.
Salesforce.com, a pillow manufacturer and an employee of the pillow maker are caught up in a complex three-way legal battle, with a US$125,000 American Express bill and an allegedly failed software implementation at the center of the dispute.
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One of the largest and most complex automotive safety recalls in history just got bigger. The New Year got underway with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announcing a further expansion of the Takata air bag recall, which has already affected an estimated 34 million vehicles in the U.S.
The Takata air bag recall began in May 2016 based on previous reports of air bags malfunctioning. The problem stems from a chemical used in the air bag inflator to create rapid deployment during a motor vehicle accident. According to news reports, the chemical can deteriorate in hot, humid environments, burning too fast and causing a metal canister to explode, sending shrapnel into the vehicle cabin. NHTSA, which is managing the Takata air bag recall, has added approximately 3.3 million more vehicles to the list.
Is your car among them?
The latest Takata air bag recall expansion covers frontal air bags in 2009, 2010, and 2013 vehicles made by a long list of motor vehicle manufacturers. They include Audi, BMW, Daimler Vans, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Jaguar-Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, and Toyota.
The multiyear recall has been so expansive that the air bag manufacturer couldn’t keep up with the demand for replacement airbags. News reports state more than 20 people have been killed around the world and at least 120 injured by the faulty Takata air bag inflators.
Automakers have been slow to replace the airbags, even though Takata has been recalling them since as far back as 2001. Estimates suggest less than half the vehicles with faulty air bags driving on our roads today have had the necessary Takata recall work completed. That is a sobering thought, as motorists depend on their vehicles’ air bags to prevent injury or death in the event of a motor vehicle crash — not cause injury or worse.
Maryland drivers, if you have a car model year 2009, 2010 or 2013 made by any one of the above manufacturers (or if you haven’t checked before), check out the NHTSA webpages below to see if your vehicle is on the recall list. Manufacturers are required to replace the air bags for free, but be forewarned: there could be a long wait. Currently automobiles in states with hot temperatures and high humidity are receiving priority for the replacement air bags. NHTSA is monitoring the progress of automakers in replacing all defective air bags in all vehicles affected.
Related Maryland Injury Attorney Article:
Takata air bags recall expands to 3.3 million vehicles
CBSNews.com Jan. 7, 2018


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China manufacturing hubs see less profitsFebruary 11th, 2012 - 7:45 am ICT by IANS
Beijing, Feb 11 (IANS) Rising manufacturing costs and weak external demand for China-made goods have dented the profits of industrial hubs in southeast China.
Industrial output in Guangdong surged 20.9 percent year-on-year in 2011, but industrial profits rose by only 2.4 percent, down sharply from over 30 percent annual growth in 2010, Xinhua reported Friday quoting the provincial statistics bureau.
In Zhejiang, industrial profits rose 9.9 percent year-on-year, 37.4 percentage points lower than the growth pace in 2010, officials said.
Small and micro-enterprises on the Yangtze river and Pearl river deltas and the economic belt surrounding the Bohai Sea were also squeezed by the credit crunch, rises in costs, and declines in orders, according to a survey by e-commerce group Alibaba and Peking University’s National School of Development.
These enterprises have urged the government to tame inflation to reduce the impact of the increase in material and labour costs on profitability, and also cut taxes to reduce their operation burden.
- Christmas toy makers in China in dire straits - Dec 25, 2010
- China's industrial profit goes up in 2011 (Lead) - Feb 03, 2012
- Major Chinese industrial companies' profits drop - Mar 27, 2012
- Chinese aviation industry profits shrink - May 08, 2012
- China's industrial production slows in October - Nov 09, 2011
- China's crude steel output went up in 2011 - Jan 23, 2012
- Chinese shipping aims for global leadership - Mar 13, 2012
- 'China's foreign trade outlook grim' (Lead) - May 15, 2012
- Industrial profits growth slows in China - Dec 27, 2011
- China's Q2 GDP growth slows (Lead) - Jul 13, 2012
- China's inflation rate rebounds - Sep 09, 2012
- China's industrial profit goes up in 2011 - Feb 03, 2012
- China July exports slow down - Aug 10, 2012
- China's industrial output up 13.3 percent in November - Dec 11, 2010
- Listed Chinese companies see narrowing profits - Apr 23, 2012
Tags: alibaba, bohai sea, china manufacturing, commerce group, credit crunch, e commerce group, economic belt, growth pace, industrial hubs, labour costs, micro enterprises, pearl river, peking university, provincial statistics, river deltas, southeast china, statistics bureau, xinhua, yangtze river, zhejiang


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Photos: Lost popular attractions in Orlando
Veterans Day is Sunday and there are many restaurants and companies who thank our veterans by providing them with discounts or a free meal. For additional events and non-food discounts, visit The Military Wallet.
Free food for those who have served or are serving. More discounts available at The Military Wallet.
The Senate on Tuesday unanimously confirmed Robert McDonald, a former corporate CEO and an ex-Army officer, as the next Veterans Affairs secretary.


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Don’t miss Commerceweek, February 28–29 in NYC, to explore the technology and trends fueling commerce. Get strategic insights from leaders at The New York Times Advertising, Turo, TikTok and more. Register.
Today, Spot.IM, SimilarWeb and AdClarity released data showing that digital publishers are leaving around $30 million “on the table” by not optimizing social interaction on their website. The report is spearheaded by Spot.IM, a company that helps publishers create communities on their websites with their free code; Time Out uses the platform around its content.
They found that:
- SimilarWeb’s website rankings identified 30 highly-ranking digital publishers, and its analytics platform provided advanced data for the online performance of each site.


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Discount chain Poundland has admitted that buying its lossmaking rival 99p Stores has hit sales just when the existing chain was already being battered by a slump in the number of high street shoppers.
The £55m takeover of the rival chain was delayed by a six-month investigation by the competition regulator during which time 99p Stores lost its credit insurance, which meant the retailer was cut off by many suppliers, leaving it with empty shelves.
“We expected 99p Stores to be in poor shape and we weren’t disappointed,” said Poundland’s chief executive, Jim McCarthy. The Competition and Markets Authority finally gave the deal the all-clear last autumn but the holdup saw 1,000 staff quit 99p Stores, McCarthy said.
To stem losses from 99p Stores’ 251 shops, Poundland was forced to condense the planned 15-month refurbishment programme into four months. The job will now be finished by the end of this month. At the same time the main Poundland chain was hit by a drop in footfall on high streets around the country and a fierce price war among the major supermarkets.
McCarthy said the rapid overhaul meant it had to second 70 head office staff and store managers, while the extra stock required put pressure on availability in Poundland stores that sell everything from washing powder to bags of sweets and batteries. Like-for-like sales have slumped 4.9% over the last six months.
“We had a much poorer performance on availability until it settled down to a normal pattern,” explained McCarthy of the headache involved in a deal that increased its footprint by 56% overnight. “In some cases we had too much stock and others too little. This was an asset deal and we expected it to be in bad shape but it was worse than we expected it to be. We had just under 1,000 vacancies in the stores, as faced with uncertainty, people had gone to get a job somewhere else.”
In the wake of the upheaval Poundland said it was slowing the rate of store openings in the new financial year. It still expects to meet City forecasts of a pre-tax profit, before 99p Stores trading losses, of £39m in the year to 27 March. However, analysts were worried about the deterioration in trading, and the shares lost 3%.
Stifel analyst James Collins was concerned about the loss of momentum. “Management continues to cite disruption from the 99p Stores conversion programme and a tough retail market,” he said. “Both are valid reasons to believe that trading could improve over time, but there are structural pressures on the Poundland proposition that will not ease.”


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Elon Musk, speaking on Bloomberg TV, said "a lot" of people canceled orders for Tesla's Model S following a scathing New York Times review."It probably affected us to the tune of tens of millions, to the order of $100 million, so it's not trivial," Musk said. "I would say that refers more to the valuation of the company. It wasn't as though there were 1,000 cancellations just due to … Read more
For those not ready to jump feet-first into the electric-vehicle pool, the 2013 Ford C-Max Energi offers a toe-dipping experience, a chance to check the water temperature before committing to the deep dive. And after experiencing the C-Max Energi, any reservations about electric cars should be erased.
The C-Max Energi is a variant of Ford's C-Max Hybrid, a funky European-derived car abounding in sheer practicality. In our testing, the C-Max Hybrid achieved consistent low-40s fuel economy, while offering a large amount of versatile interior space.
Due to a larger lithium ion battery pack, the C-Max Energi sacrifices some of … Read more
When McLaren showed off its P1 supercar as a concept at last year's Paris Motor Show, I predicted it would have a similar engine to McLaren's other car, the MP4-12C. Turns out I was half right.
McLaren announced that the P1, which receives its production debut at the International Motor Show in Geneva the first week of March, will host not only a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V-8, but an electric drive motor as well.
Tesla's post says that New York Times environmental reporter John Broder misrepresented the Model S' performance. Broder argues that he was simply following advice from Tesla personnel during the drive.
Tesla, the electric car maker, has made good on its promise of releasing logs connected to the contested New York Times' review of its Model S.
In the review, published Sunday, the Times' John Broder criticized the Model S for range issues and for problems in low-temperature environments. Tesla's founder and CEO, Elon Musk, has wasted no time trying to discredit the review, claiming that Broder's account of what happened was not factual.
Here's a brief list of issues Musk gleaned from the logs:Despite Broder saying that he called a flatbed truck after the Model S … Read more
This week saw a war of words between Tesla's supporters, lead by CEO Elon Musk, and New York Times' environmental reporter John M. Broder. The issue in contention was the range of the Model S electric car during a typical East Coast winter, as detailed by Broder in the article "Stalled Out on Tesla's Electric Highway."
Broder's article could be taken as an indictment against the practicality of the Model S, but reading his account closely, I did not see anything that went outside of how I would expect an electric car to behave.
Finding … Read more
Tesla's CEO Elon Musk has become incensed over a news article critical of the all-electric car that was published in The New York Times last week.
"I do not think this is a he said, she said situation," Musk told Bloomberg West in an interview today. "It is really black and white. The facts are the facts."
The tussle got started after New York Times reporter John Broder wrote an article about taking the Tesla Model S out on a test drive in the East Coast's freezing weather. He claimed that the car couldn'… Read more
Drivers of Ford's new plug-in hybrid vehicles, the Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi, will not only get to view their vehicles' state of charge and other information from their smartphones, but also get to see the nearest available charging station. Ford partnered with Plugshare.com, which shows the location and gives real-time information for electric vehicle charging stations.
The MyFord Mobile app currently works with the Focus Electric, letting owners schedule remote charging and preheat the car. Ford's two new hybrid plug-in vehicles will also get the benefits of the MyFord Mobile app.
The addition of Plugshare.com'… Read more
When we reviewed the Tesla Model S, we came away very impressed by the driving character and the cabin electronics, but some features, common on other high-end or electric cars, were missing. Tesla made up for one of those features by making a smartphone app available that will let Model S owners view their battery levels.
These types of apps have become common for electric cars; Ford offers MyFord Mobile for the Focus Electric and Honda has its HondaLink EV for the Fit EV. The electric car includes a mobile data connection, which owners can use to view everything from … Read more
The days of bragging about a car stereo's wattage may be coming to an end. Bose has developed a new audio system for the Nissan Leaf that focuses on reduced electricity usage. The new system will be available as an option on 2013 models.
As current battery technology limits electric-vehicle range, automakers look for savings in auxiliary systems, and get rid of niceties such as power-adjustable seats. Bose's proposition for the Leaf is that you can still have good sound quality without a hugely powerful amp.
Six speakers and a subwoofer make up the loudspeaker part of the … Read more


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Published in Graphics
Radeon HD 7990 coming in April
Dual chip, shortly after GTX680
We managed to confirm what many have been talking about for a while. AMD is working hard to launch the last of its Southern Islands cards and this time the card comes with two GPUs on it.
The card is codenamed New Zealand and it will launch shortly after Kepler, Nvidia’s new 28nm based GK104, or GeForce GTX 680 comes to market.
AMD is waiting to see the final performance of the GTX 680 and launch a counter attack with Radeon HD 7990 as early as April. There is no solid date at this time, but it should not take that long to see the card in the market.
It will be expensive once it launches, but we also heard that Nvidia has its own dual GK104 card ready to counter attack.


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China’s Rare-Earth Elements Export Control Gambit Backfires?
Posted by Cheryl Rutledge on 4/29/2013 3:27:16 PM
By John L. Dobra i
Rare-Earth Elements (REE’s), it turns out, are not really all that rare, it is just that until engineers starting finding
uses for them in cell phones, windmills, lithium batteries, and other electronics applications, mining companies were not
particularly interested in looking for them. Expanded use of REE’s in the past decade has changed this and created
opportunities for mining companies, and, it turns out, for mercantilist bureaucrats in China.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal – Asia, “Postcards From the Rare-Earth Front” by Joseph Sternberg suggests that China’s mercantilist meddling may be backfiring but to the benefit of REE consumers. In response to increased demand, China’s REE reserves expanded rapidly because, according to Sternberg, “(t)he metals are relatively easier to access in China, and China's unregulated wild-cat mines don't need to pass on any environmental mitigation costs to their customers abroad.”
With this advantage Chinese REE miners have accumulated over 90% of the world’s REE reserves, and Chinese manufacturers
use 65% of world annual supply. Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on their mineral rents, in 2010 China sharply curtailed
REE exports hoping to lure manufacturers using REE’s to China. The idea behind this brainstorm, according to Sternberg (and
others) was that “… limits on exports … suggests the goal has been to move the economy up the manufacturing value chain by
encouraging foreign companies to locate high-tech production in China.”
But mercantilism (or sometimes known as “industrial policy”) is a tricky thing. Sternberg notes that “(s)cientists in
Tokyo last week announced they have identified new deposits of so-called rare-earth metals some six kilometers below the
ocean surface. These metals—hard to extract and useful for high-tech applications from smart-phones to hybrid cars to wind
turbines—will not be easy or cheap to retrieve. But the rich concentrations found in the seabed silt promise a plentiful
supply once the technology is developed to get to them.” According to other sources, the Japanese discovery is 6.8 million metric tonnes. Compare that to current world annual production of about 110,000 metric tonnes. The Japanese discovery represents 62 years of consumption at current levels and has a grade 30 times higher than Chinese mines.
And, there’s more, Molycorp is increasing its production to 40,000 metric tonnes per year in 2013 to account for more
than 36% of current world supply from its mine in Mountain Pass, California. REE’s are being discovered in British Columbia,
the Caribbean, Greenland, Tasmania and who knows where else. On top of this, according to Sternberg, Honda has “…announced
it has developed a new method for recycling rare-earth elements used in the batteries of hybrid cars. The company says it has
been able to obtain the minerals at a 99% purity level, similar to buying them fresh from the ground. Although some media
reports imply the process is slightly more expensive, the cost difference is said not to be prohibitive. Honda now will
explore ways to commercialize the process.”
So, it turns out, REE are not that rare after all. The ingenuity of people operating through markets will result in a
Chinese mercantilist backfire.
iDirector, Natural Resouce Industry Institute and
Associate Professor of Economics
University of Nevada
Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
Reno, NV 89557
WSJ, Business Asia, March 27, 2013, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324685104578385630806226760.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopBucket, (link may require a subscription).


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Everything Wired.com Knows about the Nintendo Conferences
Wired has written up everything they know about the Nintendo Conferences Oct. 2-3. Ã‚Â Check out the article to stay up to date. Ã‚Â You’ve only got 1 hour left before they start in Japan.
Tomorrow in Japan, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata will give a presentation to media and investors. Hours later, executives from Nintendo of America will hold an event for U.S. media in San Francisco.
Bloomberg says that the Japan event will begin at 1:30 p.m., meaning a start time of 9:30 p.m. Pacific. So I’ll still be awake and will be watching the Internets with interest for any news. Then it’ll be time to grab a few hours of sleep before tomorrow’s early morning start time for the American event. What’s going to happen at these? Here’s what the ‘tubes are shouting about.
As Nikkei reported Sunday, Nintendo is likely to announce a new model of Nintendo DS that features a camera and music playback functions. Certainly, if Nintendo does announce this in Japan, Nintendo of America will have to address the issue. Whether it simply acknowledges its existence but say that it has no plans for a U.S. release, or go whole hog and give it a release date and let us try it out, is up in the air.
Square Enix has just announced that it will ship the next Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles game on Wii and Nintendo DS simultaneously, this January. Certainly this could be part of the presentation, especially as it has more general implications for the Wii/DS relationship beyond simply being a new game.
Bloomberg’s story attempted to find some new details but ended up overreaching, saying in its headline and lead paragraph that Nintendo “may” introduce new accessories for Wii. But when you actually look for supporting evidence of that in the story, you see that it’s just speculation from analysts who point to Nintendo’s success with products like Wii Fit as a reason it might introduce a new accessory. So that’s pure guesswork.
Kevin Gifford reports on 1up that Hudson is still planning to release its Joysound karaoke application for Wii this year in Japan, which will let Wii owners log in to the karaoke company’s vast network of songs and stream the karaoke videos directly to their living rooms. It’s certainly an interesting way to compete with Singstar and Lips — junk the gameplay, concentrate on the karaoke only, and thereby increase your “playable” song list to hundreds of thousands of different tunes. Again, since this has broader general implications, it’s ideal for the Japan conference.
Speaking of speculation and guesswork, who’s up for another crazy rumor? Gamekyo says in no uncertain terms that Nintendo will announce the return of “an old franchise that everyone has been waiting for.” IGN has said, leading up to E3, that Kid Icarus for Wii definitely exists. Could this be its unveiling? Certainly this would mean more to the assembled U.S. audience of hardcore gamers than it would to Japanese investors. Again: total crazy rumor, take with an entire shaker of salt.
But I would expect the vast majority of the news to take place during the Tokyo conference. The primary focus of the media summit in the U.S. is to let us get hands-on with… games. Probably Wii Music and Animal Crossing, for sure. And I have it on pretty good authority that upcoming WiiWare games will also be there. Other than that, we’ll all find out together.


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The chief govt of the world’s largest crypto trade platform by quantity is warning traders that Ethereum’s (ETH) transition to proof-of-stake will doubtless sprint their expectations in a method.
In a brand new interview with CNBC, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao says that merchants anticipating the merge to have a direct impression on the ETH ecosystem will probably be disenchanted, particularly in the event that they imagine drastically decrease fuel charges will probably be immediately applied.
“Many folks have very excessive short-term expectations for the merge, they assume [that] Ethereum fuel charges will drop from $10 per transaction to $0.02 in a single day. That’s almost definitely not going to occur. It’s a protracted course of.
The Ethereum improve takes a number of levels over a number of months or years, however it’s a excellent growth although, it’s progress in the fitting route and it’s robust innovation. The merge will occur at the moment or tomorrow, however Ethereum’s fuel charges won’t drop instantly.”
According to Zhao, who’s the world’s wealthiest crypto billionaire, additional upgrades for ETH sooner or later will convey it nearer to what folks had been anticipating from the merge.
“But when the other upgrades like sharding kick in, that’s when we expect those fees to drop, which is a fantastic development for the industry.”
Ethereum’s transition from a proof-of-work consensus mechanism to a proof-of-stake has already gone dwell at time of writing, inflicting ETH’s price to barely dip.
ETH is presently altering palms for $1,506, a 6.4% lower over the last 24 hours and a 15.2% drop from its seven-day excessive of $1,777.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl aren’t funding recommendation. Investors 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 danger, and any loses you might incur are your accountability. The Daily Hodl doesn’t suggest the shopping for or promoting of any cryptocurrencies or digital belongings, neither is The Daily Hodl an funding advisor. Please word that The Daily Hodl participates in online marketing.
Featured Image: Shutterstock/DomCritelli


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A recent survey says 80% of Europeans would be prepared to change their purchasing habits and buy more environmentally-friendly products, but many feel they lack information and distrust manufacturers’ environmental claims. The European Commission Survey on the “Attitudes of Europeans towards building the single market for green products” indicates that more than three-quarters of respondents are willing to pay more for environmentally-friendly products if they were confident the products are truly environmentally-friendly (77%). Slightly more than half of EU citizens feel informed (55%) on the environmental impacts of products they buy and use.
Certainly, EU policy makers and citizens want to see more green products on shelves, but this survey shows that most of the people are confused by green claims and don’t trust them. That’s not good for consumers, and it is not rewarding those companies that are really making an effort. That’s why the EU Commission is working with companies and other stakeholders to develop the credible information consumers are looking for when they buy products. This will help open up new opportunities for innovation and investment in the green economy.
Continue reading ETICAMBIENTE® BLOG POST: “Most of Europeans Concerned on the Environmental Impact of Products” and engage in the conversation by submitting your comments »


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Blog: SABMiller's video naughty
Olly Wehring | 28 May 2014
Check out this nifty piece of video from SABMiller, in which the brewer offers the highlights of its full-year results, which were released last week.
One question springs to mind, though: Why does the clip fail to mention the 4% decrease in net sales for the 12 months to the end of March?
Another day, another drinks executive stepping down "to explore new opportunities". Usually, this is code for "is leaving to join one of our competitors in a slightly better-paid position". But, with ...
It seems even 250-year-old Cognac houses want to be like Google these days....
It's not even available on pre-order yet, but Apple's latest piece of kit has already got a breathalyser app....
just-drinks is now closed for the Easter weekend....
Last year was tough for The Coca-Cola Co. So staff in Atlanta won't be pleased to read that Pepsi has overtaken Diet Coke as the no. 2 soda brand in the US. ...
- Is Diageo on the Brink of a Brain Drain?
- SABMiller edges Diageo as beer trumps spirits
- Comment - Heineken's move for Pivovarna Lasko
- Will Keurig Kold come to Coca-Cola Co's Rescue?
- Focus - SABMiller's FY Sales Performance by Region
- Rémy Cointreau eyes recovery after Q4 bounceback
- Carlsberg exec joins Diageo as Africa chief steps
- Bacardi cuts jobs at Global Brands unit
- Diageo targets Millennials with DeLeon ads
- Belvedere unveils executive team


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Voters in the state of California will decide in November whether to adopt an initiative, Proposition 37, that will require many food products, with certain broad exemptions, to disclose the presence of genetically engineered (GE) ingredients. Because the law will apply to herbal and other dietary supplements, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) included an article on the law and its possible impact on the trade in the September edition of the AHPA Report.
In addition, the newsletter's October edition will feature guest articles by representatives of California Right To Know, who will present a view on why Proposition 37 should be supported, and an opposing view from the No On 37 campaign that will discuss why this initiative should be voted down.
"AHPA has been out in front on this issue for many years, having adopted a position in 2007 to express support for labeling of consumer goods to identify genetically engineered herbal ingredients," said Michael McGuffin, AHPA's president and author of the September article. "While there are numerous AHPA members who have communicated strong support for extending this voluntary membership policy to a mandatory legal requirement, others do not agree that such labeling should be required. AHPA has therefore refrained from either endorsing or opposing this California initiative and believes that the best role we can play is to educate the industry on the details of this law."
McGuffin's article provides a succinct description of the initiative, pointing out such features as specific new labeling requirements, as well as the mechanisms in the law for establishing exemptions. The article also notes that the law would empower private plaintiffs to bring actions against food and supplement companies and to collect "reasonable attorney's fees and all reasonable costs incurred in investigating and prosecuting the action as determined by the court."
The full text of the initiative is available in California's Official Voter Information Guide (starting on page 110), and the Attorney General's summary and analysis is available on the secretary of state's website.
 Formally known as the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act. Exemptions would be established, for example, for animals that are fed GE foods; alcoholic beverages, even if made from GE ingredients; and food served in restaurants, including fast food restaurants that serve foods that are products of GE. On the other hand, both dietary supplement companies and retailers who sell non-exempt products would need to comply with the law, which would go into effect on July 1, 2014.


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Toronto (December 20, 2002)- Consumers can now compare their auto insurance company's claim settlement performance on a new interactive section of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario's (FSCO) website.
With the release of the 2002 Claims Satisfaction Survey, consumers will be able to compare how their auto insurance company did in terms of timeliness, knowledge, helpfulness, fairness and expertise with other companies.
According to the 2002 Claims Satisfaction Survey, 86 per cent of Ontario motorists were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the service they received when they filed a claim with their insurer.
Previous surveys only asked customers about their overall level of satisfaction. Consumers can now compare, electronically, the performance of their insurer with other companies or the average of all companies that were surveyed.
Ann Bythell, Insurance Ombudsman at FSCO says that the more information a consumer has, the better the choices they will make when it comes to insuring their automobiles. "Purchasing an automobile insurance policy should be based on more factors than just price. Consumers are purchasing protection and they need to be sure the protection they are buying is right for them." To assist consumers in purchasing insurance, FSCO also produces a publication entitled "Shopping for Car Insurance" which is available on FSCO's website.
This is the fifth year for the survey and the results show that the level of customer satisfaction has generally increased every year. The survey, which ranks 46 companies and the Facility Association has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 per cent 19 times out of 20.
To obtain a copy of the survey, the booklet or to check the claims satisfaction performance of a particular company, go to FSCO's website, www.claimsurvey.com or call 1-800-668-0128.
For more information
Brian Donlevy, Information Officer


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Burberry has shifted its catwalk calendar to align with retail deliveries.
The luxury brand will host two combined men’s and women’s catwalk shows each year, with “seasonless” collections that are available for consumers to buy immediately after the events, rather than its existing four annual shows that fit in with a conventional retail buying calendar.
The change will take effect in September at London Fashion Week. Burberry will no longer show at London Collections Men but will retain a presence there.
The new collections will be referred to as February and September rather than traditional spring/summer and autumn/winter to appeal to a global consumer base.
”The changes we are making will allow us to build a closer connection between the experience that we create with our runway shows and the moment when people can physically explore the collections for themselves,” said chief executive and chief creative officer Christopher Bailey.
“Our shows have been evolving to close this gap for some time. From live streams to ordering straight from the runway to live social media campaigns, this is the latest step in a creative process that will continue to evolve.”
As part of the new calendar, store windows, point of sale material and advertising campaigns will display the new collections immediately after the shows.
British designers welcomed proposals to change the format of the biannual fashion weeks, which could allow them to become more consumer-focused earlier this month.


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In the first quarter, it sold 3 million tablets with Windows
The number of sold Surface tablets – one of the mysteries of Microsoft, which has steadfastly refused to disclose specific figures, but according to the latest report of the Agency Strategy Analytics, in the first quarter of 2013 in total has sold about 3 million tablets running the operating system from Microsoft.
Of course, this number includes devices from other manufacturers, but the company’s tablet from Redmond, probably constitute the greater part of sales.
In addition, in the same report they say that in the beginning of this year the market share of Windows tablets increased from 0% to 7.5%. On top of this market is still holding the Apple with its iPad, but Android tablets overcome the gap with the leader.
Meanwhile, soon Microsoft will launch Surface Pro in 25 new countries, which will affect the statistics. It is unlikely that the tablets with Windows will exceed the share of its competitors with Android and iOS, but it would definitely be their worthy opponents.
: Phone Arena


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Starbucks bows to vegan pressure and stops using crushed insects for dye in drinks
- Dye will be replaced with a tomato extract
Starbucks is to stop using colouring made from crushed beetles as it bows to pressure from vegetarian customers.
The coffee giant has been using the colouring derived from cochineal insects in its strawberry frappuccinos and smoothies as deserts including the raspberry swirl cake.
However following an online campaign asking for the ingredient to be removed, it will be replaced with lycopene, a tomato extract.
Pink drink: Insects have been swapped for tomato extract to bring this pink colour to Starbucks' strawberry frappuccino
More than 6,500 people signed a petition on Change.org, calling for the colouring to be removed, which campaigners claim is not vegan-friendly, safe for those following a kosher diet and undesirable for those ‘who don’t want crushed bugs in their designer drink’.
'After a thorough, yet fastidious, evaluation, I am pleased to report that we are reformulating the affected products to assure the highest quality possible,' Cliff Burrows, president of Starbucks U.S., wrote in a blog post.
Frightening matter: Cochineal insects are usually sourced from Mexico and South America before being dried out and crushed for use
He added that Starbucks ‘fell short’ of customer expectations.
Starbucks is to phase out its use in U.S. stores by June. It said it had been using the ingredient in its aim to move away from artificial dyes.
Ground up cochineal beetles is a commonly used Food and Drug Administration-approved food colouring.
Daelyn Fortney, who started the petition, claims it takes 70,000 of the cochineal beetles to produce one pound of the red dye.
All natural: Cochineal insects are used in many jams, alcoholic beverages and foods to get that rich pink colour often seen in strawberry products
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Konica Minolta revealed, at the end of January 2018, an important market update for its AccurioJet KM-1 inkjet digital press, which was commercially launched at drupa in 2016.
Articles in Category: Digital Print
Andheri East based Imaginarium, a leader in 3D printing and advanced manufacturing technology, recently showcased India’s first commercial HP 3D Printer—the HP Jet Fusion 3D 4200 printing solution—at its the art additive manufacturing facility.
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Chennai’s PM Digital Products, headed by P Chellappan, has recently invested in and installed binding and cutting machines from Horizon. The first machine is the BQ-270V perfect book binder, which is a fully


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Oxford Molecular on course for small profit this year
Drug development software group Oxford Molecular is on course for a small profit this year said chief executive Tony Marchington, who today reported almost-doubled losses of £4.18 million for the six months to end-June. Oxford's second half has traditionally been better than its first. All its costs are incurred in a period when revenues are only one-third of the full year's.
Next month former Tetra finance director Lawrence Steingold will take up the same position at Oxford.
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A $35 million year-over-year spike in revenue, combined with a firm grasp on the public sector market has helped earn Micro Logic this year’s Newcomer Award for the CDN Top 100 Solutions Provider 2017.
The company has gone through what Rene Auger describes as a natural evolution since it first began operating in the business IT market.
“We’ve gone from a business to consumer, to a volume-centric organization as a reseller,” says the company’s vice-president of business development, adding they transitioned into a managed service provider role three years ago.
Micro Logic opened a new office in Montreal last year, which Auger says greatly contributed to the company’s 2017 success. The company’s annual revenue was “well-over” $100,000,000 after its fiscal year, which ended in April, he adds.
- Micro Logic has 130 employees, with approximately 100 technicians and computer specialists.
- The company created Project Cirrus, a suite of cloud services, which makes it possible to migrate servers and data to one of Canada’s most modern data centres in Quebec City, Montreal or Ottawa.
- Projet Cirrus Cloud services are based in TierIII data centers.
- Its cloud vendors include Office 365, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services.
Micro Logic is well-versed in not only cloud, but hyper convergence technology and virtualization, said Auger.
“There’s a lot of customers in mid-sized businesses doing a lot of thinking about data centre transformation,” he says. “They’re looking to move away from the traditional IT infrastructure.”
The public sector, specifically government, education and health care services, is familiar territory for Micro Logic, but for several years the company has found itself pushing further into the private sector. The transition hasn’t thrown Micro Logic off its game, but Auger says it has broadened their understanding of how tech savvy businesses really are.
“I think it’s surprising how few organizations are cloud aware,” he explains. “In some cases, they jumped into cloud years ago, and now they’re asking themselves why they did that.”
Now, Micro Logic has a healthy mix of both private and public sector customers that the company will look to expand throughout 2018. Auger says the public sector is still where most of their customers come from.
Cloud is a no-brainer in today’s world, he adds, and it’s been important for Micro Logic to maintain a high level of trust with the local market that has stuck with them since the 80’s.
“For a long time, we were a Quebec City-centric organization that focused its market very locally. But we’re starting to spread out now,” says Auger. “We’re looking to gain that additional recognition.”


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Indiana Lawmakers Propose $150 Annual Fee for Electric Cars
May join 10 other states that impose electric car fees
The Indiana House Republicans wants electric vehicle owners to help pay for road repairs and have proposed a $150 annual fee for electric vehicles registered in Indiana. If implemented, Indiana will join 10 other states (Wyoming, Colorado, Virginia, Nebraska, Missouri, Washington, North Carolina, Idaho, Georgia, and Michigan) that already impose fees on electric vehicles.
The bill, submitted by Rep. Ed Soliday, would also impose a $15 annual fee for all registered vehicles in Indiana. That means electric vehicle owners would pay a total fee of $165 per year, reports ABC affiliate RTV6. The proposed electric vehicle fee would not apply to owners of hybrid vehicles. In addition to the increase in fees, the bill would increase the gas tax by 10 cents per gallon.
Your average Indiana driver driving a gasoline-powered car will pay about $63 more per year if this bill passes. The new legislation would cost electric car owners an extra $213 per year, however.
Since electric vehicles do not use gas, they do not contribute to the gas tax that helps in maintaining public roads and highways. Legislators believe that special fees on these types of vehicles will make up for this lost revenue.
Electric car advocates will argue that these new fees might dissuade some people from buying electric cars. Additionally, given the fact that there are local incentive programs and a $7,500 federal tax credit in place to promote the adoption of electric vehicles, these fees might seem counterproductive to that mission.
But fees like this don't have to be so hard to swallow, and can even be designed to benefit EV owners. According to Green Car Reports, Colorado legislators worked with electric-car advocates to create a system in which revenue from fees goes toward two separate funds, one for infrastructure and one for public charging stations.
Do you think such fees are necessary? Are they fair to EV drivers? Tell us in the comments below.


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WAYNE, N.J.—JVC Professional Products Co., announced Raycom Media recently purchased 165 GY-HM650 ProHD mobile news cameras for local ENG, and plans to adopt the new ProHD Broadcaster server across its news stations for managing live HD field reports from the cameras. The company began purchasing GY-HM650 cameras last year, and now has more than 300 for its ENG operations.
Raycom Media owns or provides services for 53 stations in 37 markets in 18 states, including 32 stations that produce local news. According to Dave Folsom, Raycom Media vice president and CTO, nearly all the news stations will be standardized on the JVC camcorders by the end of the year. “We are also increasing the number of hours of news and Web/mobile streaming at all our stations, which will in turn require even more cameras going forward,” he said.
When equipped with a 4G LTE modem connected to the back of the camera via USB or a mobile hotspot, the GY-HM650’s dual-codec technology allows shooters to stream live HD video back to the station for live reports while continuing to record footage to solid-state memory cards. Folsom said Raycom stations are using the built-in streaming capabilities to improve newsgathering and increase their live presence.
Reactions to the GY-HM650 cameras from Raycom shooters have been very positive, with high marks for its picture quality and sensitivity, as well as its compact form factor for “run-and-gun” applications. The HD camera features three, 12-bit CMOS sensors and a built-in Fujinon wide angle 23x zoom lens with auto-focus, optical image stabilizer, and manual controls.
The new ProHD Broadcaster server powered by Zixi is the central component to JVC’s new Professional Streaming Services. Available as a physical server or cloud-based solution, Broadcaster receives live HD video from the GY-HM650 (with a free firmware upgrade scheduled for release in May), as well as the new GY-HM850 and GY-HM890 shoulder-mount ProHD cameras. It transcodes the signal for a variety of delivery platforms, manages signals for distribution through its built-in matrix switcher, and provides reliable content delivery for broadcast or the Web.
Raycom plans to add ProHD Broadcasters to all its news stations to coordinate live transmissions from its GY-HM650 cameras. “These servers will allow us to manage all the camera’s live capabilities across our whole enterprise,” Folsom said. “With many of our markets being adjacent to each other, cameras in one market can provide news coverage easily for another with this management tool. The use of this server ensures the broadcast quality through its embedded Zixi technology.”
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The UAW's failed attempt to organize a Nissan plant and charges of conspiracy between union and Fiat Chrysler officials have put the UAW in a vulnerable position.
Stay or go? Barra's Trump dilemma
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Chased by Challenger, Chevy to evaluate Camaro build options; Ford: No training center probe needed; Nissan helps EV owners cash in by plugging in; The man behind the bar.
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Asus has won critical praise for its early tablets, including the quad-core Transformer Prime TF201 that was released last year and the new quad-core Transformer Pad TF300T that will be available in some U.S. retail stores next week.
And it continues to improve its place in the crowded market -- moving into the Top 5 list of suppliers for the first time in 2011, according to the latest research from IDC. Asus ranked fifth in tablet shipments in both the U.S. and world in 2011 with a 2.3% share of the U.S. tablet market and a 2.5% share of the worldwide market.
Apple's iPad was at the top of both lists.
Though Asus still lags somewhat behind the market leaders, its influence on the market is clearly on the rise and coud move it further up the tablet list, analysts say.
For instance, along with launching an array of powerful higher-priced new tablets, Asus reported to be Google's choice to supply a low-priced $200 device said to be called Google Play. The Google tablet would run Ice Cream Sandwich and a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, reports say.
The reports suggest Google is looking to launch the new tablet at its Google I/O developer conference in late June.
If Google does pick Asus to make its low-cost tablet, it would be bypassing a company it has agreed to acquire -- Motorola Mobility. That $12.5 billion deal has been held up by the Chinese government.
Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at IDC, said he's heard from reliable sources that Google will be tapping Asus for Google Play, but doesn't know if the device could be co-branded with Asus or what it will look like.
Play is expected to be a 7-in. tablet, so it would be hard to pair it with a full keyboard as Asus has done with the 10.1-in Transformer Prime and Pad models, O'Donnell added.
"Asus is known for being innovative and willing to try a lot of things," he said. "They are still not a household name, but have come a long way."
Asus is also expected to be heavily involved in producing devices based on future Android rollouts, including Android 5.0, also known as Jelly Bean. Android 5.0 is expected to launch in the fall of 2012.
The Taiwanese company says the activity around it befits the name ASUS, derived from the last four letters of Pegasus, the winged horse in Greek mythology.
Despite its aspirations, analysts say there could be problems ahead for Asus and other Android tablet makers who prefer to make devices based on the pure open-source Google Android rather than creating a customized version, like the Android-based operating systems that run Amazon's Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook.
Forrester Research this week concluded that by 2015, sales of mostly content-consumption devices devices running proprietary versions of Android will surpass sales of pure Android-based tablets.
Frank Gillett, a Forrester analyst, said he expects Asus to find more success selling budget devices like the Google Play than premium-priced hardware like the Asus Transformer Prime. The latter device sports a $499 price tag for a 32GB version, and $150 more for a keyboard dock.
"It looks harder for Asus to grab market position with premium [tablet] hardware," Gillett said in an interview. "All the Asian OEM's will pursue the budget market," he added, since those low-cost devices will sell better in emerging markets.
Gillett said it makes sense for Google to produce a tablet with Asus because of the hardware maker's reputation for quality. "If you know Asus for its quality, the hardware will move," he said.
IDC analyst Tom Mainelli agreed that pure-play Android tablets like those made by Asus will face trouble competing with tablets running proprietary Android implementations.
"The success of low-priced tablets running custom Android versions (like the Kindle Fire and Nook Color and Nook Tablet) will make life increasingly difficult for pure-play Android tablet vendors that are caught between Apple's high-end dominance and these products' capture of the low end," Mainelli wrote in a report released this month.
"The impact of Google continuing to tinker with its ecosystem (the move to Play) and the rumors of its own low-priced tablet are hard to gauge at the moment," he added.
Whatever happens to Asus and Google with tablets, their biggest competitor will remain Apple's $499-plus iPad through 2016, both IDC and Forrester have forecast.
Many players are vying for a partial share of iPad's potential market. "A lot of people want to get in on what Apple kicked off with the iPad," Gillett said.
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen, or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed . His e-mail address is firstname.lastname@example.org.
Read more about mobile and wireless in Computerworld's Mobile and Wireless Topic Center.
This story, "Asus, Fifth and Rising in Tablet Market" was originally published by Computerworld.


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On The Record With Jose Antonio Fernandez Carbajal
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Jose Antonio Fernandez Carbajal, chairman and CEO of FEMSA, a Mexico-based beverage company, discusses the challenges of Latin America’s emerging markets: global availability of managerial talent; the importance of cost control and pricing power; global difference in risk management; and intellectual property protection. According to Carbajal, believes the presence of businesses in new markets like Asia, China, India, or even Russia, requires new skills, including the ability to navigate various cultures.


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Government Outlaws Discounts?
Portland, Ore.—Can the government protect you from cheap fares and innovative service merely to shield politically connected businesses from competition?
That is the question the Institute for Justice and its clients want answered in a federal lawsuit filed today in Portland, Ore, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Their lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Portland’s limousine and sedan regulations, which punish small limo and sedan companies that offer discounted rides through online deal sites like Groupon.com.
In 2009, the city passed a law requiring a $50 minimum fare for limousine and sedan rides to or from Portland International Airport. The law imposes a city-wide minimum fare that requires limos and sedans to charge at least 35 percent more than what taxis would charge for the same route and imposes a minimum wait time of at least one hour before customers can be picked up.
“These laws amount to nothing more than naked economic protectionism; they are designed to protect the profits of Portland’s taxicab companies, and now they are being enforced at everyone else’s expense,” said Institute for Justice Attorney Wesley Hottot, which represents the plaintiffs. “Portland’s minimum-fare law and minimum wait time have nothing to do with protecting the riding public. They have everything to do with protecting the city’s taxicab companies from competition and driving up prices for consumers.”
Portland’s Revenue Bureau recently targeted two limo and sedan companies—Towncar.com and Fiesta Limousine, both of which joined IJ to file suit against the city—for offering promotional fares on the daily deal website Groupon.com. When the companies offered their customers $32 one-way trips to the airport, city enforcers immediately threatened them with a combined $895,000 in fines and suspension of their operating permits. The companies canceled the promotions and refunded their customers.
“Nationwide, minimum fares are being pushed by politically powerful taxicab companies at the expense of both limousine companies and the riding public,” explained IJ attorney Jeanette Petersen, who also represents the plaintiffs in the case. “Unfortunately, Portland gave in to special interests and passed these laws just to make the city’s taxicab companies richer. That is not only wrong, it is unconstitutional.”
Nine other jurisdictions nationwide have adopted minimum fares for limo and sedan service, including Nashville, Tenn., where the Institute for Justice is currently suing the city in federal court over its new $45 minimum fare. Like the law in Nashville, Portland’s minimum fare and minimum wait time were pushed into law by transportation businesses that sought to squeeze more money out of consumers.
“We had 630 Portlanders who bought our Groupon deal,” explained Mike Porter, who runs Towncar.com. “They wanted to experience our service at an affordable price, and that should be their choice. The city responded by threatening to put me out of business for charging my customers too little. How is that good for consumers?”
Hottot said, “This case is about protecting our clients’ economic liberty—the constitutional right to earn an honest living free from unreasonable government interference.”
Hottot concluded, “All our clients want is to be left alone to attract new customers with competitive pricing, online discounts and prompt service. No government should stand in the way of that.”


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It's been dubbed Happy Monday - the day Britain finally shakes off its post-Christmas hangover.
After the frustration of the long winter, January 31 will be the first happy day of 2011, experts say.
It comes as many people get their first pay cheque of the year and begin to shop around for breaks.
Bookings at outdoors holiday specialist Thomson Al Fresco rose 56 per cent in January 2010.
Dr David Holmes, of Manchester University, said: "We are buoyed by money and having a holiday to look forward to."


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TOKYO, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Japanese stocks edged up in subdued trading on Monday morning as a rebound in global crude oil prices helped offset the country’s disappointing November production and retail figures.
The Nikkei share average advanced 0.2 percent to 18,813.73 in thin midmorning trade.
“Disappointing production and retail figures have crushed the chances of any sort of photo-finish for the Nikkei this year,” said Martin King, co-managing director at Tyton Capital Advisors.
“But oil holding in the high 30s will provide some welcome respite for energy companies at year-end and see the index close out 2015 in 19,000 point territory.”
U.S. crude gained last week thanks to falling inventories, reduced drilling and the lifting of a ban on most U.S. crude exports, moving crude oil prices away from multi-year lows.
Data released on Monday morning showed that Japan’s retail sales for November shrunk by 1 percent from the previous year, slightly more than the 0.6 percent decline predicted by a Reuters poll.
Preliminary industrial output figures for November showed a 1 percent decline from the previous month, versus the 0.6 percent predicted by a Reuters poll.
Sharp Corp shares jumped 8.2 percent after Kyodo reported Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, also known as Foxconn, proposed buying the struggling display maker for around 300 billion yen ($2.49 billion) on condition that its top management be revamped.
Department store operator Takashimaya Co Ltd gained 2.7 percent by midmorning. It reported strong quarterly profits after the market closed on Friday.
NEC Corp rose 2.7 percent after announcing on Friday that it would promote a veteran senior executive as its next CEO.
The broader Topix rose 0.5 percent to 1,524.15 and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 gained 0.5 percent to 13,754.96. ($1 = 120.3900 yen) (Editing by Richard Borsuk)


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Chinese social media and gaming magnate Tencent, together with South Korean gaming firm Netmarble Corp and private equity fund MBK Partners, is forming a consortium to bid for the company behind South Korea’s video game publisher Nexon, the Korea Economic Daily newspaper reported on Thursday.
Kim Jung-ju, the founder of Nexon — the largest gaming company in South Korea, plans to sell a 98.64% stake in NXC Corp held by himself and related parties including his wife, the newspaper reported in January. NXC, founded in 1989 with a valuation of approximately US$9 billion, is the holding company of Nexon.
Netmarble said in late January that it would form a consortium to bid for Nexon. Tencent, the world’s largest gaming company by revenue, has a 17.66% stake in Netmarble.
Netmarble and Tencent are expected to join the preliminary bid scheduled for February 21 as strategic partners to exercise ownership. MBK Partners, South Korea’s largest private equity firm with about US$15 billion in assets under management, will participate in the consortium as a financial investor, Seoul-based English newspaper The Korea Herald reported on Friday.
Tencent owns the exclusive license to operate Nexon’s multiplayer PC video game Dungeon & Fighter in China.
Other potential bidders include internet giant Kakao, Carlyle Group, KKR & Co., TPG Capital, Bain Capital, and Silver Lake Partners. Kakao, in which Tencent has a 6.7% stake, has not unveiled its plans for forming a consortium.
The upcoming bid of Nexon comes as Tencent saw the cloud of uncertainty over one of its main revenue sources being removed. The company received its first new game license after a nine-month freeze by Chinese regulators. Its game license was among a list of 95 approved titles published by the State Administration of Press and Publications (SAPP) in late January, marking the fourth round of game approvals since the government resumed granting new licenses in December 2018.


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Dsquared2 is gearing up for its launch in the children’s wear arena.
The Milan-based brand has signed a five-year licensing agreement with Brave Kid, the children’s wear manufacturer under Renzo Rosso’s Only the Brave Group umbrella, for the production and distribution of Dsquared2’s first junior line.
The entry, which will be designed by the brand’s creative directors, Dean and Dan Caten, and which will include apparel and accessories for boys and girls from newborn to 14 years old, will launch with the spring 2014 collection.
Peter Kim's Los Angeles-based premium denim line has always had its finger on the pulse of youth. This season, novelty is back in a way reminiscent of early Aughts, with studs, lace-ups, racing waxed denim and more. For more highlights if some of the key brands at the Vegas trade shows, go to WWD.com. #wwdfashion (📷: Patrick Gray; Styles by @thealexbadia; Story by @karihamanaka and @marcy_wwd)
"I was driving back on Saturday afternoon from the beach, and I just saw this sign saying 'Skydiving for $95.' And I was like, I can't not sky dive for $95," says Tom Bateman about a moment in Hawaii while shooting "Snatched." #wwdeye (📷: @vsteves; Interview by @ktauer; Styled by @thealexbadia)


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Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has suspended all operations in Russia, halting home entertainment releases such as Spider-Man: There’s no way homeand temporarily blocked access to the anime streaming service, Crunchyroll, according to a report from Diversity. The move will also halt all TV distribution contracts in the country.
“We stand with the many businesses around the world that have now suspended their business in Russia and support the humanitarian efforts currently underway in Ukraine and the surrounding region,” said SPE CEO. Tony Vinciquerra said in an email to employees Diversity. “We have also paused planned home entertainment releases, including ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and any future TV distribution deals. And just this morning, Crunchyroll suspended its anime streaming service in Russia.”
Sony, which owns the anime streaming service Funimation, bought Crunchyroll last August and later announced that they would merge both services – A process has begun. As pointed out by ComicBook.coma translated message on Crunchyroll’s Russian website says it is “forced to suspend its operations in Russia” and notes that users will not be charged for their subscriptions while the service is inefficient in the country. Funimation is available not available in Russia.
Sony pulled Morbius and other theatrical releases in the future from Russia last month, with Sony ownership PlayStation suspends all sales and deliveries back home earlier this week. Sony’s music division has announced that closed its operations in Russia on Thursday.
In addition to Sony, entertainment giants including television, movies, and games have also reduced revenue and services from Russia, including Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, Universal, Netflixand rather some main game company.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/12/22974228/sony-halts-crunchyroll-theatrical-releases-russia-ukraine Sony pulls Crunchyroll, home entertainment release from Russia


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Making a case for the use of artificial intelligence in brands’ customer experience programs.
In observance of International Fraud Awareness Week, Sitel Group and CallMiner partnered to conduct this survey which set out to identify consumer concerns around fraud, habits and channel preferences for communicating with brands/companies and perceptions around the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and speech technology by brands to prevent fraud.
How comfortable are your customers with your brand?
- Almost all Americans (92%) think the risk of fraud is increasing in our day-to-day activities
- The majority of Americans (65%) would not feel comfortable making a purchase via a smart assistant like Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa
- More than half of Americans (55%) would not continue doing business with a brand if they found out that brand does not use technology (e.g., artificial intelligence) to monitor for fraudulent activity on their accounts


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(Reuters) - Gymboree Group Inc, a U.S. retailer of infant and children’s clothing, is considering closing more than half of its approximately 900 stores, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The move would be a setback for Gymboree after it emerged from bankruptcy last year. It was one of the few brick-and-mortar retailers that managed to escape liquidation in a wave of bankruptcies that swept the sector, amid the rise of online shopping.
Gymboree has hired consulting firm Berkley Research Group LLC to assist it in evaluating options, which could include filing for bankruptcy again, the sources said. Berkley Research Group will also help cut costs and analyze the mall-based chain’s leases, the people said.
This effort could help determine Gymboree’s future. Without the cooperation of landlords willing to give rent breaks, struggling retailers are often forced to file for bankruptcy as a way to get out of their store leases.
The sources asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Gymboree declined to comment, while Berkley Research Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
San Francisco-based Gymboree filed for bankruptcy in June 2017. Through that process, it cut its debt by $1 billion, and closed one-quarter of its shops. It emerged from bankruptcy in September 2017 with debt that included an $85 million term loan and $200 million revolving credit line.
Gymboree's former lenders, a group including distressed-debt oriented hedge funds Searchlight Capital Partners LP and Brigade Capital Management LP, as well as private equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC APO.N, now own the company.
In addition to Gymboree, the chain has the Janie and Jack and Crazy 8 brands.
More than 20 U.S. retailers have filed for bankruptcy since the beginning of 2017, as e-commerce giants such as Amazon.com IncAMZN.O surged in popularity. Sears Holdings Corp SHLDQ.PK filed for bankruptcy in October, while Toys R Us Inc decided to close down earlier this year.
Like its peers, Gymboree is now at the most critical time of the year for its business, as shoppers stock up for the holidays. Sales at brick-and-mortar stores declined in the shopping period right after last week’s U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, while more consumers made purchases from their smartphone.
To boost sales after it emerged from bankruptcy, Gymboree revamped its brands earlier this year, highlighting new graphic tees and outerwear. The retailer also launched an app focused on its tees.
Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in New York; Editing by Frances Kerry
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Samsung Galaxy C10 with dual cameras in Rose Gold colour leaked
Amsung will soon launch its first smartphone with two cameras. We know that Samsung is working to bring the successor to the Fire Resistance Note 7 titled Galaxy Note 8 in real life. Apart from that, the South Korean smartphone maker is also working on another smartphone, which would be the Samsung Galaxy C10. We do not know much about the Galaxy C10 at present, apart from the fact that it can be installed with two cameras.
If the rumors turn out to be true, Samsung Galaxy C10 will probably be the first smartphone phone maker in South Korea to offer two cameras. It should be remembered that the rumors previously disclosed in Note 8 to come also show the arrival of two chambers. That said, Samsung, if you rely on speculation, probably highlights a lot of adaptation to the new trend of dual camera.
This is not a negligible fact that dual camera is the new trend that is that most smartphone manufacturers have been. The recently announced Xiaomi 6 comes with exactly the same camera settings. Now Samsung is probably ready to embrace the trend and lead the race. We say that when the news filtered makes the next Samsung Galaxy C10 shows the arrival of two cameras. Galaxy Note 8 is also rumored to be the establishment of two sports cameras. However, this information is only rumored and should be taken with a pinch of salt until officials have announced devices.
The press returns to Samsung Galaxy C10 to come were shared in Weibo, and are shown for the first time by Android titles. The picture shows only the top half of the back of the phone unfinished. In addition to showing the double camera in all its splendor, it also shows that the power button is placed on the right side of the unit. The leak also provides a guide for the Galaxy C10 announced in pink. However, Samsung can also advertise various color combinations.
Earlier leaks suggest that Samsung Galaxy C10 can be equipped with a dual LED flash, which should be placed between the two rear chambers. As of now, no further details on the smartphone have been revealed
In addition to C10, Samsung is also working on Galaxy Note 8 and Note 7 reconditioned, to be known Note 7R. Rumors suggest, in terms of specs, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which will be announced, will display a 6.3-inch screen and will also include a two-camera configuration such as the C10. In addition, the smart phone must include a CIS dual-camera 12-megapixel wide-angle and 13 megapixel telephoto. Rumors indicate that even Note 8 is compatible with 3X optical zoom, comes with two 6P lenses and supports dual OI