text:
As the cost of living and holiday accommodation soars, travellers keen for a reprieve this summer are ditching the beach for a "more affordable" bush getaway.
- Expensive beach front accommodation is turning families to holidays in west and southern Queensland
- It's an unseasonably busy school holidays for caravan parks out west
- Country tourism providers say they offer a traditional style family holiday
At Steven Keating's Chinchilla campsite, about 300 kilometres west of Brisbane, it is unusually busy .
"It's [Christmas] usually a quiet period, but I think people are looking forward to the experience we have to offer," he said.
"The lead-up to Christmas and the weeks after are looking quite good."
The campground, which overlooks a creek full of rushing water thanks to a year of rain, has activities including kayaking, farm visits and a smoked meat cookout.
Mr Keating said cheap experiences out west were in abundance.
"Chinchilla is on the map now, " he said.
"It's not just a place you pass through anymore."
Price is driving factor
Southern Queensland Country Tourism chief executive Peter Homan said there was a slight dip in the popularity of western Queensland holidays during November, but hotels, motels and caravan parks were now 95 per cent full across the Darling Downs and south-west.
He said the cost of living crisis had travellers favouring a cheaper, "more reasonable" holiday closer to home this summer.
"Price is driving a lot of holiday intentions at the moment," he said.
"Whether it be flying interstate or flying overseas, it's so expensive at the moment, and accommodation is incredibly expensive compared to what it was 12 months ago."
At the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, a powered campsite over the Christmas period can set a traveller back by more than $100 a night, compared with $30 a night on the Darling and Western Downs.
Mr Homan said prices reflected a few key issues in the sector.
"The cost to operate have gone up immensely, but they've also got problems with staffing still," he said.
"A lot of operators are running at 70 per cent or 80 per cent because they just don't have the staff to clean the rooms."
Bring 'grandma and the family pet'
It's an issue that's working in the favour of smaller country caravan park owners like Gerald Searle at Crows Nest, 45 kilometres north of Toowoomba.
"A lot of families do struggle with that pricing [of coastal parks]," he said.
"There's no doubt the coast is heavily booked now, and prices are really up there. The country still offers less than two hours from Brisbane, and we are good value."
Many rural holiday destinations have modern facilities and swimming pools, but Mr Searle said there was a perception that they were not as entertaining for travellers in summer compared with coastal competitors.
"The traditional, country-style holiday is like the ones people used to have," he said.
"It's economical. You can bring the tent, the caravan, Grandma and the family pet.
"We've got water flowing through in the swimming holes, national parks, good old-fashioned holidays. They can come up with their mountain bikes and the country fresh air."


text:
Sydney, Australia — SAP and its partners are making an $8 million investment in the Australian economy with the largest single vendor event in the country in November 2001. Bucking the trend of plummeting revenue and lukewarm attendance at previous IT events, SAPPHIRE 2001, the flagship SAP event for customers and partners, has generated $A1.6 million in sponsorship sales within 24 hours.
The sales exceeded SAP sponsorships targets and prompted the creation of a larger exhibition and additional sponsorship options to accommodate business partners.
“SAP and its partners are committed to creating significant value for each customer by creating the best environment for knowledge transfer, networking and entertainment at the lowest possible cost to each attendee,” said Len Augustine, marketing director SAP Australia & New Zealand.
This year an added attraction is running Tech Ed in the region for the first time, which is aimed at software and systems developers who have an opportunity to participate in hands-on tutorials, according to Augustine.
In addition, SAPPHIRE has a line up of speakers and topics that is a combination of e-business and technology, mainly dedicated to CRM (Customer Relationship Management), SCM (Supply Chain Management), Portals, PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) and BI (Business Intelligence). The positive response and high level of interest in Sapphire 2001 comes in stark contrast to the slow down being experienced by many IT companies. SAP, the largest provider of e-business software solutions reported a 24 percent increase in revenue for the second quarter of financial year 2001.
SAPPHIRE is an annual SAP user conference that attracts the best minds in business and technology under one roof. This year’s event will bring international and local speakers from SAP, its business partners and SAP users. Some of the speakers include Henning Kagermann, co-chairman and CEO of SAP, Shai Agassi, head of SAP Portals and Les Hayman, SAP regional president for Asia Pacific.
SAPPHIRE 2001 will be held in Brisbane from 18-21 November. SAP Australia expects between 2,500 – 3,000 attendees at SAPPHIRE 2001. IBM Australia, a major sponsor of SAPPHIRE 2001, will provide all the computer hardware to demonstrate SAP solutions at the conference.

domain: news


text:
Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 3, Palestinian and solidarity activists organized over 150 demonstrations, spanning more than 100 cities, 30 countries and six continents, against Hewlett Packard Co., based in Palo Alto, Calif.
The week of action, coordinated by the International Boycott HP Network and the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, was the largest mobilization of the BDS movement since its founding in 2005.
HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise split last year, but continue to share interlocking branding, governance, infrastructure, supply chains and technology.
Both also hold extensive contracts with the Israeli government, providing services to its checkpoints, military, population registry, prisons and settlements.
HP companies run the Israeli Navy’s information technology infrastructure used to maintain Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and to manage the population and checkpoint systems that segregate Palestinians and control their movement.
They have also supplied all personal computers purchased by the Israeli military since 2009 — in the immediate aftermath of killing over 1,400 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip — and provide central servers, printers and other systems to Israeli prisons.
Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network organized one of the first actions in New York City, drawing dozens to a protest outside the Best Buy store in Union Square on Nov. 25. Known as “Black Friday,” it is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year.
On Nov. 26, a United Kingdom-wide day of action, activists held 30 demonstrations across England, northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, ahead of a central protest held three days later at HP Enterprise’s “Discover 2016” trade fair at its opening in London.
Other events unfolded throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East, as well as in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Kenya, India and Australia.
The actions included the erection of a mock “apartheid wall” in Osaka, Japan; demonstrations at public university libraries in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; a rally and the distribution of campaign materials in Khartoum, Sudan; and the stickering of HP products and launch of a campus boycott campaign by students under occupation in Jerusalem, Palestine.
The effort received a significant boost on its eighth day as British-Danish security conglomerate G4S, another major target of the BDS movement, announced on Dec. 2 that it had finalized a deal to sell its Israeli unit and end most operations in the country.
Elsewhere, a conference on “Ethics and Social Responsibility in Information Technology” in Milan, Italy, ousted HP from its program. And in Derry, northern Ireland, five district councillors announced they were returning HP products issued by the council.
The HP boycott also saw immediate gains, as the Peace United Church of Christ in Santa Cruz, Calif., voted Dec. 6 to become the “first HP-free church” in the United States.
As the campaign continues, its organizers ask supporters to sign a pledge at bit.ly/boycotthp to boycott HP products until the companies end their support for Israel.
Samidoun in New York City will hold its next protest of HP at the Best Buy in Union Square, East 14th Street and 4th Avenue, starting at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16.
For more information and announcements, visit Samidoun’s website at samidoun.net and subscribe to its newsletter at eepurl.com/XFJr9.
Catron is a member of Al-Awda New York: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition and an organizer with Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.


text:
Search Results: 38
Pantheon Macroeconomics aims to be the premier provider of unbiased, independent macroeconomic intelligence to financial market professionals around the world.
Sorry, but our website is best viewed on a device with a screen width greater than 320px. You can contact us at: email@example.com.
38 matches for " president xi":
President Xi Jinping yesterday reiterated China's commitment to reform and the opening of its economy at a highly-anticipated speech at the Boao forum.
China's FX reserves fell to $3,134B in February, from $3,161B in January, after a year of gains.
The Chinese Communist Party looks set to repeal Presidential term limits, meaning that Xi Jinping likely intends to stay on beyond 2023.
In this Monitor, befitting these uncertain times, we set out the decision tree facing Chinese policymakers.
China's government overshot its deficit target last year, and probably will overshoot it by at least as much this year
Major central banks in Asia, particularly those operating in export-oriented economies, have recently been pinning their future policy moves on the prospects of a specific industry, namely semiconductors.
Nothing is done until it's done, and, in the case of Sino-U.S. trade talks, even if a deal is reached, the new normal is that tensions will be bubbling in the background.
After three days of jaw-dropping actions from President Trump, the position seems to be this: The U.S. will apply 15% tariffs on imported Chinese consumer goods, rather than the previously promised 10%, effective in two stages on September 1 and December 15.
CPI inflation last Friday gave Japanese policymakers a break from the run of bad data, jumping to 0.9% in April, from 0.5% in March.
A trade deal with China is in sight. President Trump tweeted Sunday that the planned increase in tariffs on $200B of Chinese imports to 25% from 10%, due March 1, has been deferred--no date was specified-- in light of the "substantial progress" in the talks.
The agreement between Presidents Trump and Xi at the G20 is a deferment of disaster rather than a fundamental rebuilding of the trading relationship between the U.S. and China.
GDP growth in India slowed sharply in the first quarter of the year, as expected--see here--opening the door for the RBI to cut interest rates further at its policy announcement tomorrow.
Late last year, China said it would scrap residency restrictions for cities with populations less than three million, while the rules for those of three-to-five million will be relaxed.
China was in lockdown ahead of the 70th Anniversary last week, as is typical around important political events.
The key data originally scheduled for today--ADP employment and the ISM non-manufacturing survey, and the revised Q3 productivity and unit labor costs-- have been pushed to Thursday because the federal government will be closed for the National Day of Mourning for president George H. W. Bush.
Following the much-anticipated meeting between Presidents Xi and Trump over the weekend, the U.S. will now leave existing tariffs on $200B of Chinese goods at 10%, rather than increasing the rate to 25% in January, as previously slated.
The end of China's Party Congress can feel like an endless exercise in reading the tea leaves.
After a week--yes, a whole week!--with no significant new developments in the trade war with China--it's worth stepping back and asking a couple of fundamental questions, which might give us some clues as to what will happen over the months ahead.
Chinese industrial profits continue to surge, rising 27.7% year-over-year in September, up from 24.0% in August.
The trade war with China is a macroeconomic event, whose implications for economic growth and inflation can be estimated and measured using straightforward standard macroeconomic tools and data.
It is often argued that the average weekly earnings--AWE--figures exaggerate the severity of the squeeze on households' incomes.
The National People's Congress yesterday announced a sweeping restructuring of Party/State architecture.
Yesterday, China finally retaliated against Mr. Trump's Friday tariff hikes, promising to increase tariffs on around $60B-worth of U.S. goods.
Japanese headline PPI inflation will edge higher in coming months as last year's rise in oil prices feeds through. But inflation in manufacturing goods, excluding processing, is microscopic and should soon roll over as pipeline pressures wane.
While we were out, most of the action was on the political front, while the economic data mostly were unexciting.
The outcome of the Trump-Xi meeting at the G20 summit was as good as we expected.
Since the protests in Hong Kong began, we've become increasingly convinced that China is backing away from a comprehensive trade deal with Mr. Trump.
Korea's preliminary GDP report for Q3 will be released tomorrow.
Markets are caught in a trade loop.
We've had pushback from readers over our take on the likelihood of a trade deal with China in the near future.
Japanese policymakers will have been scouring yesterday's data for signs that the trade situation is improving.
Data on air quality in China provide some useful insights into the economic disruptions--or lack thereof--caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus from Wuhan and the government's aggressive containment measures.
On the face of it, BoJ policy seems to be to change none of the settings and let things unfold, hoping that the trade war doesn't escalate, that China's recovery gets underway soon, and that semiconductor sales pick up in the second half.
The truce in trade relations between the U.S. and China, agreed at the G20, is good news for LatAm, at least for now.
Evidence in support of our view that the U.S. industrial slowdown is ending continues to mount, though nothing is yet definitive and the re-escalation of the trade war is a threat of uncertain magnitude to the incipient upturn.
China's investment slowdown went from worrying to frightening in October. Last week's fixed asset investment ex-rural numbers showed that year- to-date spending grew by 5.2% year-over-year in October, marking a further slowdown from 5.4% in the year to September.
President Xi Jinping started China's Party Congress yesterday with a speech setting out the priorities for the next five years.
In his opening speech at the Party Congress, President Xi received warm applause for his comment that houses are "for living in, not for speculation".
pantheon macroeconomics, pantheon, macroeconomic, macroeconomics, independent analysis, independent macroeconomic research, independent, analysis, research, economic intelligence, economy, economic, economics, economists, , Ian Shepherdson, financial market, macro research, independent macro research


text:
Following on from the recent launch of Metronet (UK)’s wholesale platform, the ISP has now agreed a partnership with wholesale voice and data communications provider Entanet for its wireless connectivity services.
Metronet (UK)’s wholesale wireless platform provides partners with an advanced alternative to fibre in the ground. The platform fills the large gap that traditional providers have been unable to, with major benefits including; reduced lead times, quicker revenue and no excess construction charges. Businesses today need and want Internet connectivity readily available to them as soon as possible. Partners using Metronet (UK)’s wholesale offering can give their customers access to wireless connectivity in half the time of traditional fibre technology.
According to Entanet’s Sales Director, Stephen Barclay, the new partnership with Metronet (UK) represents an important milestone for its channel partners: “In today’s business market, customers place enormous importance on the availability of their connectivity. This is especially true where they’re implementing a solution to new offices, or significantly upgrading their service to accommodate growing bandwidth requirements. In these instances, timing is everything, and the impact of delays and excess construction charges can seriously damage their project. Through our partnership with Metronet (UK), channel partners can deliver a cost effective working solution to a customer fast, whether it be as a primary or interim connection.”
The partnership further enhances the long-standing relationship between Entanet and Metronet (UK) and allows Entanet to distribute industry leading connectivity solutions to their customers across the UK.
“Our existing relationship with Metronet (UK) as a partner for our connectivity services has already proven to be very successful, and it’s great that we’re able to take their services in return in a way that adds real value to our other partners selling into the business market” said Barclay.
Andy Tatlock, Head of Channel Sales at Metronet (UK) said, “It is fantastic to welcome on board another partner to our wholesale platform. Our wholesale wireless offering liberates our partners from the typical constraints, limitations and lethargic nature of traditional Ethernet carriers. We offer a truly alternative service which will help reduce Entanet’s time to revenue and their customers will really benefit from our wireless solutions.”


text:
Amazon's newest patent application paints a pretty disturbing picture for the future of doorbells. According to the paperwork, the company's facial recognition software wouldn't just be licensed to law enforcement agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify potential criminals, but used to scan the eyeballs of anyone who walks by your front door.
The nightmarish concept is made possible through Ring, a camera doorbell company that was purchased by the e-commerce giant this year. The application, which outlines a product capable of identifying passersby and sending an image of their likeness to law enforcement, is drawing ire from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The organization published a lengthy blogpost on Wednesday detailing how the product works and why you should be alarmed. It joins a growing outcry against the company's technology that includes its own employees and shareholders and the entire Black Congressional Congress.
More From Popular Mechanics
Basically, Ring would be equipped with facial scanning software—similar to Amazon's proprietary Rekognition program—which matches "suspicious" people with mugshots in police databases.
As the ACLU's Jacob Snow writes, it sets a precedent for a "dangerous future," where due process could easily be replaced by a technology that's repeatedly been proven dubious when subjected to scientific scrutiny. That should be familiar to Amazon, which had to retire its resume-reading AI earlier this year due to its tendency to favor men over women.
The application describes a system that the police can use to match the faces of people walking by a doorbell camera with a photo database of persons they deem “suspicious.” Likewise, homeowners can also add photos of “suspicious” people into the system and then the doorbell’s facial recognition program will scan anyone passing their home. In either case, if a match occurs, the person’s face can be automatically sent to law enforcement, and the police could arrive in minutes.
If anything, the ACLU's screed is just part of the growing opprobrium towards Amazon's plans to make facial-recognition technology an everyday occurrence. On Wednesday, company executives were showered with boos by protesters at a New York City Council meeting that addressed its growing relationship with law enforcement as well as its proposed second headquarters to be located in Long Island City, Queens.
Though Amazon has remained steadfast in its commitment to provide the powerful tech to law enforcement agencies that could potentially abuse it, it's clear the company faces an uphill battle in the court of public opinion.


text:
For the first time in nearly two decades, Activision may skip an annual release date for a mainline Call of Duty game. However, a smaller title could still be released. Additionally, Activision said Call of Duty will receive “new premium content” in 2023.
Maybe there will be paid DLC coming soon or a smaller spin-off game, but when it comes to the main series, players will have to wait until 2024 when players will most likely get a Black game. Ops, because footage was reportedly datamined from this game earlier this year.
It could be a blessing in disguise. Later this year, Activision has already confirmed the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 release date for October 28th. This game will be a sequel to the 2019 game, not a remake of the 2009 title of the same name. Then later this year will be the launch of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. Maybe taking a year off will give the studio time to create something really spectacular and also build some hype around the game. Maybe this year off will also give Sony time to make a game, because the company is concerned, saying the acquisition of Activision Blizzard could entice Call of Duty fans to switch to Xbox.
To note: Activision Blizzard is still being investigated by the State of California for serious harassment charges. CEO Bobby Kotick allegedly knew of such actions within his company – and committed some of them himself – and protected the perpetrators from the consequences.
No Aspen, news editor
Aspen is an avid gamer currently residing in Japan. She is more drawn to the narrative design of games and is a big fan of player choice in games. If Aspen doesn’t play games, she most definitely writes about them.


text:
Google rolls out generative AI to Search in Africa
The new technology can unlock entirely new types of questions that Search could not previously answer.
Simply put, SGE is a new generative AI experience in Search to help you get even more from a single search. Photo: iStock
With new breakthroughs in generative artificial intelligence (AI), starting today, Google has rolled out its Search Generative Experience (SGE) in sub-Saharan Africa as an opt-in experiment in Search Labs.
This AI-powered experience, which is available in English, will expand to new locations and several Spanish-speaking nations, including those in the US.
Google is reimagining what a search engine can do and is bringing the new capabilities to Search in a bold and responsible way.
Simply put, SGE is a new generative AI experience in Search to help you get even more from a single search.
The search giant said the new technology can unlock entirely new types of questions that Search could not previously answer and transform the way information is organised in Search to help people sort through and make sense of what’s out there.
Wambui Kinya, General Manager for Search in Africa, said Google’s vision for Search continues to be rounded in the company’s mission of organising the world’s information and making it universally accessible.
“Over the past 25 years, we’ve been devoted to science and craft of building an incredible search engine. We have built a quality experience you can rely on while also developing completely new ways to ask questions powered by AI.”
Improving Search with generative AI
With SGE’s generative AI capabilities in Search, people will see an AI-powered overview of key information to consider, with links to dig deeper. For anyone who has ever been overwhelmed by the amount of information online, this will help them find answers more quickly.
For instance, with a question like “Does honey ever spoil?” Normally, you might break this question down into smaller ones, sort through the vast amount of information available, and then start to piece things together yourself. With generative AI, Search can do some of that heavy lifting.
SGE first delivers an overview, and beneath this, users will see suggested next steps where they can simply tap a query like “What is the oldest honey ever eaten?”, or type in a specific follow-up question. This conversational experience enables people to intuitively learn more about the topic they’re exploring.
Context will be carried over from question to question to help people more naturally continue their exploration.
Voices and sources
Google said it designed these new experiences to highlight and drive attention to content on the web, making it easy for people to dive deeper into the topic they’re learning about.
“With SGE, Google is showing more links and links to a wider range of sources on the results page, creating new opportunities for content to be discovered.”
Google said while Search ads will continue to appear in dedicated ad slots throughout the page, it will feature clear and transparent ad labels with the “Sponsored” label in bold black text.
Kinya said with new generative AI capabilities in Search, Google is now taking more of the work out of searching.
We’re imagining a supercharged Search that does the heavy lifting for you, so you’ll be able to understand a topic faster, uncover new viewpoints and insights, and get things done more easily.
Kinya said safety is one of Google’s top concerns when bringing any new feature to Search and with new technologies like Gen AI.
“We put a lot of care and attention on how to do this in a responsible way. One of the insights we discovered during the evaluation process was the more fluent and well-written the responses were, the more people trusted the content, even when the content offered inaccurate and non-sensical output, often referred to as hallucinations.
“We will continue to improve the quality of the responses through fine-tuning with human feedback,” said Kinya.
Google is bringing SGE as an experiment in Search Labs, available on Chrome desktop and the latest version of the Google App on Android and iOS.
Access via Chrome desktop is available today, and access through the Google app will be enabled over the coming week – people can opt in to try it out and share feedback directly with the teams working on it.
Simply tap the Labs icon in the Google app or Chrome desktop and visit labs.google.com/search to learn more.


text:
‘Unscrupulous’ sellers of overpriced masks may face charges, warns DTI
MANILA, Philippines — Businesses and individuals taking advantage of the public’s urgent need of masks may face charges, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned Monday.
DTI said it already dispatched teams to monitor and check on the price of N95 masks, which reportedly soared to as high as P200 each from its usual price of P25 to P30. Demand for N95 masks surged after Taal Volcano spewed a giant column of ash and steam on Sunday afternoon, causing extensive ashfall that reached as far as Metro Manila and some provinces in northern Luzon a few hours later.
The Department of Health has earlier cautioned the public of possible health risks due to exposure to volcanic ash.
DTI issued the warning after receiving complaints that prices of N95 masks unduly increased following the Taal Volcano’s phreatic eruption or steam-driven explosion. Volcanic activity continues in Taal as of this posting.
“It has been reported that some retailers have jacked-up their prices of face masks and gas masks, taking advantage of the surge in demand of these products due to the recent eruption of Taal Volcano,” DTI said.
“DTI will not hesitate to file administrative and criminal charges against unscrupulous business entities and individuals, who capitalize on the consumers’ urgent need for their own profit.”
“Those found to have unreasonably increased their prices for gas masks, face masks and other similar items, which act is tantamount to profiteering, shall be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law,” it added.
DTI said prices of manufactured basic necessities and prime commodities should remain unchanged as of the published September 31, 2019, DTI Suggested Retail Price Bulletin.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has placed Taal Volcano under Alert Level 4, which means that “hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days.” Taal Volcano is the second most active volcano in the country.


text:
published by: Admin
Insurers Express Reservations About CII’s Digitizing Orders
Most insurance companies have stopped issuing personal auto policies, following orders from the Central Insurance company of Iran (CII) to digitize their operations in this category. But it has given rise to new concerns in the sales network affiliated to insurance companies.
The CII, as regulator of the industry, last week told insurance firms to transfer the process of sale, renewal, and issuance claims of personal auto policies to an online platform.
Kindly share this story:


text:
Yours Clothing, the UK’s fastest growing plus-size fashion retailer is excited to announce that its menswear brand, BadRhino, will expand its brand presence by opening two standalone menswear stores in June. These will be the very first BadRhino stores for the brand, the first opening in Skegness, Lincolnshire and the second in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Both stores will be situated in the main high street shopping areas.
The opening of the standalone stores is a new venture for the menswear fashion brand. After the success of showcasing the menswear range in 50 Yours Clothing stores across the UK, customer demand has indicated the desire to see the full BadRhino product range in standalone stores. The strategy is to grow the brand significantly over the next year with new store openings and third-party stockist deals with ASOS, Zalando, Tesco and other leading retailers.
BadRhino is best known for its wide range of casual, affordable men’s fashion with its refined offering going up to 8XL; including shirts, polos, denim and everyday wardrobe basics. The full range is also offered in ‘Tall’ fit which features longer length trousers up to a length 36, extra body length and longer sleeves across all styles.
The first BadRhino store to open will be in Skegness on Friday 29 June and the Great Yarmouth store will open just one day later. The store openings will create a number of new jobs in the local area. Both stores will open at 10am by brand ambassador Terry Hollands, one of Britain’s strongest men. Terry will be in-store doing meet and greets and handing out surprise giveaways to celebrate the new store openings.
BadRhino is actively looking for additional stores across the UK and plans are in place to open another standalone store this year.
Retail director Karen Luton said: “We look forward to offering an exceptional BadRhino experience to both new and existing customers with our two new standalone menswear stores. It is a very exciting time for the business and our newly recruited store teams.”


text:
Today, Huawei announced a new achievement for the Mate series devices and confirmed that the Mate devices shipment collectively reached 100 million units.
The Chinese tech maker celebrated this moment with the launch of the Huawei Mate 60 Pro without an unveiling event. The company has introduced this new flagship phone under the “Pioneer Program”. This program simply allows customers to get the upcoming flagship in advance.
Huawei said that since its release in 2013, the Mate series smartphones have been loved by consumers around the world. It created one miracle after another in the development of Huawei’s high-end mobile phones.
“The cumulative shipment of Huawei Mate series mobile phones reached 100 million units, which is a major milestone in the development of China’s high-end mobile phone brand.” wrote the company in its Pioneer Program launch.
On the other hand, the Huawei Mate 60 Pro unveiling has surprised us to the core but the company may have an official unveiling later on. Ahead of that, it’s a better way to celebrate new shipments as Huawei is taking a new direction for the smartphone lineup.


text:
One blockbuster hit would have made all the extravagance at least seem worthwhile. Under Mickey Schulhof's pampering hand, Sony Corp. of America execs had two corporate jets, fresh flowers laid on each day (by an inhouse florist, of course) and a glitzy headquarters sushi bar with an artificial stream running through it. What they didn't have was a "Jurassic Park." And in the end Sony's U.S. president and his profligate studio chief, Peter Guber, never recovered from the string of megabombs that swamped their few box-office successes like "Sleepless in Seattle" in red ink. So when Schulhof announced his resignation last week just a step ahead of Tokyo's ax, the only real surprise was that it took his Japanese bosses so long.
Why now? Why not a year ago, when Sony announced a $8.2 billion write-off of its Hollywood assets, a devastating admission that its 1989 "invasion" of Tinseltown had turned into full retreat? Even then, Schulhof couldn't seem to break his spending habits. After forking out half a billion dollars in 1990 to hire Guber and Jon Peters, two flamboyant producers who had never run a studio, he spent hundreds of millions more on golden parachutes to send them packing. Schulhofs efforts to "synergize" fell almost as flat as Sony's movies. The disappointing "Last Action Hero," for instance, didn't much help sales of the Sony cellular phone and Mini-Disc players featured in it.
The likeliest explanation for Schulhofs overlong stay at Sony is that this is, after all, a Japanese company. Wall Street's cult of quarterly profit-gazing has not yet made it to Tokyo, where loyalty still counts for something. Schulhof, a physicist by training, had soldiered hard for Sony for 21 years and scored numerous successes, like the 1987 purchase of CBS records, before his descent into Hollywood hell. He was also a protege of Sony's legendary founder, Akio Morita, and his successor Norio Ohga. But Morita suffered a stroke and resigned last November, and eight months ago Ohga became chairman, a largely ceremonial position in Japan. He named Nobuyuki Idei, no special friend of Schulhof's, to succeed him as presi-dent. "Until then Mickey had two angels named Morita and Ohga," says an industry analyst. "Afterward you could have gotten rid of him anytime."
Idei apparently decided Schulhof played no part in his new vision of Sony: a leaner company somewhat less entranced by entertainment software and more in tune with its hardware roots. In particular Idei has forged into PCs, chips and online technologies. Sony recently announced a surprisingly strong second-quarter operating income of $607 million, largely thanks to its revived electronics businesses. This shift in emphasis seems to have hurt Schulhof, who told reporters that his relations with Tokyo had degenerated from warm nightly phone calls from Morita and Ohga to dry memos issued by Idei. "What this really represents is Mr. Idei coming to power," John Malone, chairman of Tele-Communications Inc. and a key player in media mergers, told NEWSWEEK.
Idei, a cosmopolitan former PR man, may also feel more comfortable than his predecessor overseeing Sony's U.S. operations without Schulhof. On Friday, he announced he would make "regular trips to the U.S." to take charge of Sony America's reconfigured executive committee, which will now include Alan Levine, head of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Carl Yankowski and Tommy Mottola, presidents of the electronics and music divisions respectively. Idei also anointed executive VP Jeff Sagansky, whom Schulhof had wishfully hired as "synergy czar," as overall strategist under him.
There may be another, more calculated reason behind Schulhof's departure now: a bid to further spruce up Sony America's books for a U.S. stock offering. With initial public offerings and market prices at record highs, that's an enticing prospect. Schulhof, who had pushed that strategy, apparently became part of the housecleaning himself. Tokyo may have abided Schulhof's free-spending reputation, but Wall Street wouldn't. At a briefing last month, Idei hinted at an IPO when he described Sony's strategy as "localized globalization." Taking Sony America public might help discipline it, he implied, but added that this was still premature.
Some analysts also played down the idea. They suggested that with Idei seeking to set up shop on the Infobahn, he'll want to control as much content (read: Sony's entertainment businesses) as possible. Still, ff Sony has learned anything in the past six years, it is that you don't need to fully own content to have a piece of the action. That's what Sony's rival Matsushita decided last June when it sold its MCA studio to Seagram's, but kept a 20 percent chunk. Says TCI's Malone, who himself has sniffed around Sony properties, "I've never seen that owning a movie studio long term has made anybody any money -- except the guys who make the movies." .Tell Mickey Schulhof about it.


text:
Olivia Culpo showed her 4.7 million Instagram followers how to make cloth face masks look stylish in her latest upload. On Friday, the 28-year-old model shared a photo set that showed her rocking an array of masks from her new collection, one of which was paired with an outfit that included an ab-baring shirt.
Olivia's post promoted her charitable fashion endeavor, More Than A Mask. The former Miss Universe is selling reusable face masks to raise funds for nonprofit organizations that are providing help to those in need amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the caption, she also revealed that sales are currently benefiting Feeding America, and the sale of just one mask will provide 100 meals to those in need.
In a series of five photos, Olivia gave her fans some ideas on how to incorporate her fashion masks into their wardrobes. She wore her hair parted to the side and slicked back in each shot, helping keep the focus on her protective facial accessories.
The first mask Olivia was pictured wearing looked like it was constructed out of denim in a light wash. The model fittingly paired the facial covering with a Canadian tuxedo. Her denim jacket and high-waisted blue jeans were a slightly darker shade of blue than her mask. She wore her jacket with the sleeves rolled up and the buttons undone, which revealed that she was wearing a white T-shirt underneath it. She had rolled up the bottom of the shirt to show off her sculpted stomach muscles and trim waistline.In her second snap, Olivia rocked a neon yellow mask with a cozy sweater that was the exact same eye-catching color. Her third look was a sophisticated all-black ensemble with a matching mask. She wore a scoop-neck T-shirt with skinny jeans, ankle boots, and a cross-body bag with silver hardware.
Olivia's fourth outfit included a white ribbed tank top with a crew neck. She paired this garment with a hot pink mask. The lower half of her ensemble, however, wasn't pictured.
The model's final slide was another photo of her denim look.
Olivia received an outpouring of love in the comments section of her post, including a sweet remark from her boyfriend, NFL star Christian McCaffrey.
"Boss. Proud of you," the Carolina Panthers running back wrote.
Other commenters praised Olivia for doing her part to help those who are suffering, and a few fans remarked on how she still looks amazing with half of her face covered.
"I admire that you're donating all profits to help communities across the US," read one response to her post.
"You are beautiful with masks," another admirer wrote.
"I can still feel the lip pout through the mask," quipped a third commenter.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Olivia shared a few mask-free modeling pictures with her fans yesterday, but they were throwback photos.


text:
CADBURY is launching its first new chocolate since the £26million salmonella scare that hammered sales this summer.
A "no added sugar" Highlights bar is hitting the shops this week, backed by a radio PR campaign.
It's the first of a series of new products the Dairy Milk giant hopes will win back shoppers. A dark chocolate flake is also on the cards.
A spokesman said: "We're sure Highlights will prove a hit."
Sales plunged 14 per cent after the firm alerted food chiefs to traces of salmonella in seven products at the end of June.
A survey last week showed it was still Britain's third-biggest brand - behind Kellogg's and Heinz.


text:
Carmaker BMW takes aim at supply chain emissions in China
German carmaker BMW has announced it wants to reduce supply chain CO2 emissions in China by 20 percent from 2019 levels by 2030, reports news agency dpa. “Many people believe that the biggest source of emissions is the car. But looking at the whole cycle, the supply chain leaves the biggest carbon footprint,” said Jochen Goller, CEO of BMW Group Region China. The 20 percent target must be considered ambitious, according to Goller, because the shift to electromobility and conversion to battery production is actually expected to lead to a 40 percent increase in production emissions if nothing is done. “Firstly, we don't want to accept this increase, secondly, we want to go below it,” he said.
The German government recently introduced a supply chain law which aims to ensure human rights and the protection of the environment in production along global supply chains. In the future, large German companies will be responsible for ensuring that their suppliers comply with sustainability and human rights standards or face fines and exclusion from public projects.


text:
Self-driving tech start-up Pony.ai announced Thursday it plans to mass produce autonomous driving trucks with equipment manufacturing giant Sany Heavy Industry.
BEIJING — Self-driving tech start-up Pony.ai announced Thursday it plans to mass produce autonomous driving trucks in China with equipment manufacturing giant Sany Heavy Industry.
Annual production is set to reach about 10,000 trucks “within a few years,” according to a press release. Small-scale deliveries are set to begin this year and next, with mass production due to start in 2024.
The trucks are slated to come with “Level 4” autonomous driving technology, which would allow full self-driving on highways and urban roads, according to Pony.ai. “L4” is part of an industry classification system that designates full self-driving under specific conditions.
Under current rules in China, the robotrucks won’t be able to operate fully autonomously.
Pony.ai said it only has testing permits in Beijing and Guangzhou for autonomous trucks. But the company said it expects to operate L4 trucks in China as regulations develop.
Some, but not all, of the planned trucks will be “new energy vehicles,” a category that includes electric vehicles.
Pony.ai declined Thursday to share additional information about cost per truck and whether the trucks would only be available in China.
Sany has offices globally, while Pony.ai also operates in the U.S. The robotruck mass production deal is part of a strategic joint venture between Pony.ai and Sany Heavy Truck, a Sany subsidiary.
Analysts generally expect robotrucks to take off more quickly than robotaxis due to the more uniform nature of truck routes along highways. Daily truck drives typically last for hours versus far shorter taxi rides.


text:
Don't miss the latest stories
A Foldable, All-In-One Device That Merges Phone, Camera & Tablet?
By Dorothy Tan, 08 Jan 2013
Product designer Claudia Copersito has created an interesting concept for an all-in-one device that merges the functions of a smartphone, camera and tablet.
The foldable device—which is the size of a regular wallet—would include a 12.1 megapixel camera, a microphone and a speaker for calls, and opens up to tablet size for widescreen viewing of video content.
Each of the three panel screens can also be used to perform different tasks, allowing users to multi-task with ease.
A potentially great alternative to lugging around separate devices, the 'Wallet' is still a concept as the designer does not yet have access to a screen flexible and light enough.
Nonetheless, this offers us a glimpse of what the future could hold with regards to mobile digital gadgetry.
[via Yanko Design]
More related news
Also check out these recent news


text:
British watch brand Minute & Azimut has secured three new retailers in the UK, adding to its newly established retailer network.
Sarah Beth Jewellers in Essex, The Pommier in London and Watch Town in London are the first three retailers to take on the brand’s Bisham watch collection. A carefully curated selection has been provided to each retailer, says the brand.
The Minute & Azimut team plan to work closely with the individual retailers, providing a full programme of social media promotions and marketing material. Various social media posts have already been activated and much more is planned for the coming weeks.
Nick Underwood sales manager Minute & Azimut said: “Minute & Azimut has come a long way in a short time. The growth to include retailers in our journey is the next step in our development from start-up to established watch company. To be welcomed by these retailers is a great complement and we look forward to working with them today and in the future.”


text:
Honda Van Recall 2020
Incorrect instrument panel control module software can cause the.
Honda van recall 2020. If you are. August 4 2020 at 11 34 am. This website provides information about safety recalls announced in the past 15 calendar years. Detroit honda is recalling 241 000 odyssey minivans in the u s.
Honda recalls 1 6m vans suvs in 4 different u s. Honda american honda motor co is recalling certain 2018 2020 odyssey 2019 2020 passport and 2019 2021 pilot vehicles. All safety recall repairs are free at authorized honda dealers. Older recalls are not included.
The recall covers ex l touring and elite minivans from the 2018 through 2020. The 2019 2021 pilot 2019 2020 passport and 2019 2020 odyssey are affected by the third recall which has to do with more rearview camera woes. Kraftstoffverbrauch jazz 2019 in l 100 km. Read detroit honda is recalling over 1 6 million minivans and suvs in the u s.
News world report. The largest recall covers nearly 608 000 odysseys from 2018 to 2020 the 2019 and 2020 passport and the 2019 through 2021 pilot. Best minivan for families. To fix a wiring problem that could cause a fire.
The odyssey took home the coveted best buy of the year award in the minivan category for the third year in a row. Kraftstoffverbrauch honda modelle in l 100 km. D b kraftstoffverbrauch jazz hybrid in l 100 km. To fix problems that include faulty backup camera displays malfunctioning dashboard.
For additional recall assistance click the ask dave by honda button. Detroit ap honda is recalling over 1 6 million minivans and. Best minivan for families. The recall is for.
4 2020 timer 1 min. Honda said the two cameras of the two suvs and the. Honda says critical dashboard functions such as the speedometer. News world report.
- Kia Optima Ex 2020
- Kia K3 2020 Giá Lăn Bánh
- Kia Oval T20 2020
- Kia Optima 2020 Price In South Africa
- Kia Niro Phev 2020 Specs
- Kia Soul 2020 Review Reddit
- Jet Jaguar Endless Nights 2020
- Kia Lineup 2020 Prices
- Kia Sedona Ex 2020
- Kia Classic Pro Am 2020
- Kia Forte Ex Premium 2020
- Kia Ceed 2020 Interior
- Kia Optima Phev 2019 Vs 2020
- Kia Pegas 2020 Price
- Kia Ceed Gt Line S 2020
- Jeep Wrangler Price In India 2020 Top Model
- Jeep Wrangler Price In Kerala 2020
- Kia Cerato Gt 2020
- Kia Seltos X Line 2020 Awd Suv
- Kfz Steuer Mitsubishi Outlander Plug In Hybrid 2020


text:
UK Stoical As Consumer Confidence Holds Steady For May After Recent Rises.
Written by GFK NOP
10 Jun 2009
GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index stays level at -27, only slightly better than the level seen this time last year.
Confidence in “personal finances” over the next 12 months has risen two points to -1; just higher than it was this time last year.
Expectations for the “general economy” over the next 12 months drop by one, but are still far better than this time last year.
Rachael Joy in the Consumer Confidence team at GfK NOP commented:
“After rising since February, the GfK NOP Consumer Confidence index has held steady at -27 this month. This is still very low historically, but is at least standing firm in the face of continuing depressed markets and May’s warnings of a possible pandemic. Worries about job losses and harder times are still very much alive – recent GfK NOP research shows that a quarter of the UK are concerned they may lose their job, and nearly half said they have concerns about maintaining their lifestyle – but the UK appears to be stoical about the continuing economic situation.”
UK Consumer Confidence Measures – May 2009
The overall index score this month remained at -27, two points higher than this time last year. The annual moving average also remains at the same level as last month, -33.
Personal Financial Situation
The index measuring changes in personal finances during the last year has dropped by one point to a score of -19; this is eight points lower than this time last year.
The forecast for personal finances over the next year continues to improve and has risen two points to a score of -1. This is three points higher than May ’08.
General Economic Situation
The measure for the general economic situation of the country during the last twelve months has dropped by two points to –79; this is twenty-one points lower than this time last year.
Expectations for the general economic situation over the next twelve months have fallen by one point to -16; but still twenty-three points higher than May ’08.
Climate for Major Purchases
The major purchases measure has remained at the same level with a score of -22; this is now ten points higher than this time last year.
The ‘now is a good time to save’ Index, has risen one point to -16, but is still a massive forty-one points lower than May ’08.
About GfK NOP Ltd
GfK NOP Ltd is part of the GfK Group and a market leading research agency in the UK and internationally.
It is a renowned supplier of market data, trends and insight to both public and private sectors, providing industry specialists, best-in-field research design, methodologies and analytics for qualitative, quantitative, ethnographic, omnibus and online research services.
For further information, please visit our website: www.gfknop.com
Last Updated ( 10 Jun 2009 )


text:
Things are finally shaping up for the relocation of Southwater Post Office to the nearby Londis store on the Worthing Road.
Following the successful consultation on the relocation in January 2013, the Londis has been going through major buildings works since last October to provide a larger store and site the Post Office within.
To complete the final building works and a full refit, the Londis closed from Monday, March 17 and will reopen on the 4th April with the Post Office opening Monday, April 7.
This relocation follows the decision by David Lawrence, the current sub post master of the Southwater Post office located in Lintot Square, to voluntarily surrender the Post Office on a new programme being offered by the Post Office Ltd.
The Post Office under their network transformation project will transfer half of their network to new Post Office ‘Local’ or ‘Main’ models. This involves delivering Post Office Services over the retail counter in stores and represents a significant change to the way Post Office has previously operated.
The programme centres around the modernisation of the Post Office Services that want to extend their offering to the public over longer trading hours and in case from early morning to late at night, and in line with convenience offering.
The Londis store secured planning permission last year to extend the current store and enable the Post Office is to be sited within the larger and fully redeveloped store. One of the key concerns on the relocation was car parking and the Londis has pointed out that the Cock Inn has generally allowed Londis customer’s sensible short-term use of their car park.
The nearby Southwater Surgery car park also has 21 parking bays for public use. There is also planning permission pending to secure formalised parking outside the Londis including a disabled parking bay.
David Lawrence said: “I am very excited about the relocation of the Post Office to Londis because not only will it enable customers to use Post Office services 7 days a week with extended hours, but it will also allow me to continue trading in my existing shop, with a new trading name selling toys, sweets, stationery, and also adding new products including hardware and household goods.”
The Londis store and its proprietors, Ramesh and Nim Shingadia have been operating their nationally recognised award winning store in Southwater for over 31 years. The store has received several national awards including the prestigious Londis store of the Year 2010.
Ramesh and Nim Shingadia commented:“We have been serving the community in Southwater since 1983. At that time, the Southwater Brickwork chimney was in place and Cedar Drive was a big field.
“We have seen tremendous changes in the village over the time. We see the store and Post office development as the next step change in serving a growing village in the future. We have the next generation that is now engaged in the business to take it forward”.
The store is now being managed by their son, Alpesh Shingadia.
Alpesh Shingadia, 22, commented: “We started the building works in early October and progressed well but had two major challenges over the course of the construction. One was to keep the store open for as long as possible to service our customer. The second was the builder having to work in the heavy winter rains that was persistent and relentless.
“We had other challenges including finding an old well under the floor boards and issues with a very old building, but we are now in the final leg of the construction before the store refit.
“We look to close for just over two weeks to enable the builders to complete his internal works before the store is fully refitted. We hope to open the store on the 4th April, with the Post Office counters operating from 7th April and a grand launch on the 12th April. We will continue with our news delivery service during the closure.”
Alpesh further commented on the relocation of the Post office: “David has excellent staff running the Post Office that will be relocating with the Post Office. We are extending and modernising the store and the house the Post Office nicely within the store.
“With the longer convenience hours that we currently offer, it means that the Post office will be open for service longer and also 7 days a week. This fits in with the new style of the Post Office Local concept and will offer our customers great service.”
Southwater Post Office and the Londis Store are committed to working together and to reassure the all customers that there is no loss of service in the proposed relocation and the eventual transfer of the Post Office will be seamless and positive for Southwater.
Londis Southwater and Post Office are holding a grand celebration on April 12 to celebrate the launch. It includes a fun day with bouncy castle, face painting, raffles and other charity events. Watch out for further details.


text:
Windows lover now started expecting to something new and unique with the forthcoming Windows 9, last week only we have got some leaked images of Windows 9, and according to the next major version of Windows is supposed to be released in Spring to Summer 2015, in about a year’s time.
There has been many clues along the way, and now the Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has confirmed that the next coming version of Windows will be the one that mixture of both Windows Phone into Windows.
At the Microsoft Quarterly earning, he said,
[quote]“We will streamline the next version of Windows from 3 operating system into one single converged operating system for screens of all sizes. We will unify our stores, commerce and developer platforms to drive a more coherent user experience and a broader developer opportunity. We look forward to sharing our more about out next major wave of Windows enhancements in the coming months.”[/quote]
And also he added that the OS will have a users interface which scales across all screen sizes. Which is absent in current Windows 8.1, there is restrictions that you must have device with the display resolution more than 1024×768, (You can use Desktop but live tile app you can’t).
The news suggests we may see a basic change in the UI of the next major version of Windows Phone coming next year, and that the fundamental differences in features and usability between Windows and Windows Phone may go away e.g. that if Windows supports Bluetooth keyboards, Windows Phone should also.
How do our readers feel about this news? Let us know below.


text:
Narrow your search
Humans are as "Earth-changing as a meteor strike," says a researcher who has proposed a new start date for the so-called Anthropocene, or "human epoch."
Commentary: The Samsung Gear S2 watch will be round. But it will need a lot more than that to stand out in the smartwatch jungle.
Sony is busy polishing up the PS4, its next-gen PlayStation. But when will it launch, and what can it do? Find out in our complete guide.
A gaming site reckons it knows the name of the next PlayStation, as well as details regarding the console itself.
Sony's PS4 will have voice controls and facial recognition, but you'll have to shell out £55 for an accessory.
A feature that lets you play games before they've finished downloading will debut on a PS3 game in a couple of weeks, ahead of the PS4.
Sony is looking for a speech recognition expert to work in its PlayStation division, prompting rumours of a voice-controlled PS4.
The Android-powered console is winging its way to homes now, if you laid down some cash early, that is.
The ex-chief executive will step down in June, to pursue some mysterious new opportunities he didn't divulge.
The downloading service will be a big part of the PlayStation 4, and could offer PS3 games for the console, too.


text:
You don't have to be a movie star to have a passionate fan-base, and you don't have to obey the old rules of advertising either
Last year, the American clothing brand Hanes gave up on long-time celebrity spokesperson Michael Jordan in their drive to promote male underwear.
Instead, they turned to a young man named Logan Paul to create a series of short videos.
What does Paul have that the basketball star doesn't? About eight million followers on Vine, the six-second video channel, that's what. The clips he made for the brand have been played more than 30 million times - undoubtedly by those hard-to-reach younger audiences.
Increasingly, brands that want to cultivate a relationship with a younger demographic are turning to entertainers such as Logan Paul. These Snapchat stars, Instagramers and Viners are becoming vital brand ambassadors. And in the process they're earning a fortune. Some can charge more than €100,000 per sponsored Vine.
But you can't just shoehorn display ads into social channels - so how should advertisers approach working with the heroes of these new channels?
Niche is one company that thinks it has the answer. It pairs Vine and Instagram stars with brands and advertisers and was bought by Twitter earlier this year for €28m.
"Advertising on new apps requires specialised content, custom strategies and new approaches tailored for each individual platform," says Niche co-founder Rob Fishman.
"You don't have to obey the old rules of advertising, especially when it comes to formats and segmentations.
"Each channel comes with its own set of challenges and rewards. Users consume content differently on each - just think about how Vine is made up. It consists entirely of short, looping videos, whereas Twitter has a larger media ecosystem that includes images, long and short-form video, interactive cards, GIFs and more."
Fishman cites the #BendTheRules campaign for HP touchscreen laptops as a great case study in brands working with a new generation of spokespeople on these new channels. Viners such as Zach King, Robby Ayala and Brodie Smith filmed themselves doing magic tricks, breaking laptops and performing frisbee trick shots respectively.
"This is a great example of how Niche creators are partnering with brands to really push the boundaries of marketing and create exciting, engaging campaigns that span channels," says Fishman.
"It became the very first TV commercial that was made entirely out of Vines."
VaynerMedia is another agency that helps companies tell their stories with a new generation of spokespeople.
"Anything that is not contextual to the platform will look like a fish out of water," says Gary Vaynerchuk, VaynerMedia's CEO and co-founder. "It won't work. People need to focus on the context just as much as the content itself.
"They have to understand a few things. One: time is their biggest asset. Two: mobile is the priority right now. And three: nobody wants to be sold to when there is currently a huge amount of cynicism around brands. Brands need to start providing value rather than simply advertising. The landscape is now about entertainment and utility, not just impressions."
Creating something that's authentic and entertaining is key. But marketers should also feel free to think outside the box. Campaigns built on pigeon-holing personalities may not fly.
"A lot of celebrities or tastemakers have many sides to their personality," says Vaynerchuk. "Some marketers make the most obvious links right away in these cases. For example, get a rapper if you're doing an urban brand. We have to stop being lazy and realise that there are layers to brands and people.
"There are many more connection points to be made than the cliched ones we are seeing in the marketplace today."
Vaynerchuk cautions advertisers against getting distracted by false metrics that are a proxy for real success. Marketers need to focus on sales, not likes, loops, shares and views.
"Marketing on social media always needs to have a business objective," he says. "I am sure that there is a lot of content being put out right now that is helping people sell their products and services, but I can't see those direct results because the transaction ultimately happens behind the scenes."
Fishman believes that these new channels give increased opportunity to charismatic storytellers, performers and artists.
"New social channels have given birth to a new type of celebrity," he says. "You don't have to be a TV or movie star to have a passionate fan-base any longer. Social platforms like Vine and Twitter have broken down the barriers and given anyone with a smartphone and internet connection the ability to speak to the world."
One important consideration is how much longevity a Vine, Instagram or Snapchat artist will manage to wring out. Are they the faces of a short-term fad, or the vanguard of a conveyor belt of talent for careers across the media spectrum?
"It's impossible to predict popularity," says Fishman. "That's up to the fans to decide. But we believe that if creators continue offering content that is engaging and inspiring, their audience will only grow. Many of our creators have signed record deals, appeared in TV or film, but social media is still their home base."
Vaynerchuk agrees. "It will be no different than Hollywood," he says. "If you've got the talent, you can last for ever. If you're a one-trick pony, you'll last just a moment in time."
Sunday Indo Business


text:
‘Flappy Bird’ soars to the top by infuriating everyone
MANILA, Philippines — Try and try until you succeed, or in the case of “Flappy Bird,” flap and flap until you hit a green pipe and die.
To some, it's one among thousands of mindless mobile games. To others, it's a test of patience and willpower. However you look at it though, one thing is certain, Flappy Bird is soaring and nothing is stopping it.
This excruciatingly simple game is the unprecedented number one app in the world at the moment, overtaking other more familiar apps such as Snapchat, Skype, and Candy Crush Saga. With over 10 million downloads on the Android platform alone, Flappy Bird has come a long way since its launch in May of 2013.
The premise seems simple enough - navigate a flapping bird through a path blocked by obstacles. Players tap the screen to move the bird up and down while avoiding Mario-inspired pipes. Points are awarded for every pipe survived. Medals are awarded as proof of superior bird-flapping.
However, it’s not as easy as it looks. Maneuvering the clueless bird across the screen is absurdly difficult. A certain rhythm in tapping is needed to pass the earliest of obstacles, and it gets increasingly harder as the bird travels forward.
"Thank you Lord for this great achievement today! Im so proud of my self! " tweeted Comedian Vice Ganda with a screen shot of his two points on Flappy Bird. This sentiment is echoed by millions of bird-flappers across the globe.
Despite the game’s extreme difficulty and inane design, analysts explained that the game’s rise to popularity is due to Flappy Bird’s "shareability." After each unsuccessful attempt, players have to option to share their scores on social media platforms. “Basically, the game is so senselessly difficult that you need to tell everyone you know about it,” writes the Huffington Post.
“Perhaps it's just a high score leaderboard thing, as you can share your (pathetically low) number with your friends to show off,” said Yahoo!’s Ben Silverman.
Filipinos took to social media to share scores, tips, and frustrations. On Twitter, #FlappyBird is a trending topic.
Whether to brag about reaching double digit-points or to vent, netizens took the game from obscurity to viral phenomenon via social media and word of mouth.
This was a case of organic marketing, according to Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen. "I didn’t use any promotion methods," he said in an interview with tech blog Chocolate Lab Apps. “I have no resources to do anything else besides uploading the game. The popularity could [just] be…luck.”
The game can be downloaded for free on the App Store and Google Play. Windows Phone users should be able to flap with iOS and Android users soon, according to Nguyen. — Rappler.com


text:
Australian rock’n’roll outlaws Rose Tattoo played Under The Southern Stars festival at Hastings Foreshore Reserve along Western Port Bay on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula on Saturday 12 March 2022. The iconic Aussie pub rock band was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame back in 2006.
Led by 74-year-old mainstay vocalist Angry Anderson, the current lineup of the band includes Bob Spencer (The Angels, Skyhooks, Choirboys) on guitar, Mark Evans (AC/DC) on bass, Paul Demarco on drums, and Mick Arnold on slide guitar. The Tatts released their eighth studio album Outlaws in 2020 – a re-recording of their 1978 self-titled debut with additional tracks.
Paul Miles is a rock photographer specializing in live music photography, who captures the true spirit of rock’n’roll in action by many of the world’s greatest performers. Over the years, he has shot a vast array of rock music photography: from gigs in world-famous clubs like the Apollo in Harlem and the Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, to iconic arenas like New York City’s Madison Square Garden and Australia’s MCG, as well as in retail stores Barnes & Noble, Apple, and John Varvatos CBGBs.


text:
Dubai: 24K gold likely to trade between Dh221 and Dh230
Gold unlikely to see significant downside this week, say commodity analysts
Gold prices are expected to trade in range-bound over the next two months hovering between $1,675 and $1,900 per ounce, according to commodity analysts.
Spot gold price last closed at $1,787.53 per ounce, up 0.66 per cent.
In the UAE, the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group data showed 24K trading at Dh216.5 per gram, 22K at Dh203.25, 21K at Dh194.0 and 18K at Dh166.25 on Sunday morning,
The precious metal's prices have been looking towards the US Federal Reserve over the last few weeks concerning its monetary policy.
“The strong US jobs report was not a big negative for gold. The most significant job additions happened in leisure and hospitality, sectors where wages and inflation gains are thought to be transitory. This factor will help the US Federal Reserve delay the interest rate hikes and tighten the policy,” said Arun Leslie John, chief market analyst, Century Financial.
John said for the next two months, the international gold spot price will likely be range-bound from $1,675 to $1,900 per ounce. “This week, 24K UAE gold prices will probably touch Dh230 per gram while support is at Dh221.50,” he added.
In the long term, John sees gold rallies are likely to be capped as the Fed will likely start the tapering process by the beginning of next year, raising short-term yields.
Last week Fed Governor Christopher Waller stated that he favours scaling back asset purchases sooner than expected.
Naeem Aslam, the chief market analyst at London-based AVA Trade, said although gold price moved lower on the back of the US non-farm payroll (NFP) data, a large number of investors have already started to price a hawkish stance. “This means that we may not see any significant downside move in the gold prices over this week,” he added.
Julphar previously held a 40% stake in the pharmaceutical wholesaler... READ MORE
In evident signs of recovery in the UAE’s tourism sector, Abu... READ MORE
Online food delivery and q-commerce platform, talabat, has announced... READ MORE
Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs,... READ MORE
The country's western coast has been inundated by torrential rains... READ MORE
Due to changes in moon sightings, however, the UAE will not observe a ... READ MORE
The message suggests that scammers can access information like... READ MORE
Sumit Nagal is the lone tennis hope for India now READ MORE


text:
- Business of Brands
- 2 min read
Reviewers' identity should be shared with biz owners to curb fake reviews on e-commerce sites: FHRAI
Every review with an identified customer and an identified transaction should form the basis of customer reviews, especially in the case of services since reviews in the domain are already 'subjective' in nature, FHRAI Vice President Gurbaxish Singh Kohli asserted.
"One of the biggest concerns for the industry has been the lack of traceability of the reviewer, which makes it almost impossible to authenticate their review/opinion. Reviews of anonymous people end up creating a false impression which misleads the potential guests," Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) Vice President Gurbaxish Singh Kohli wrote.
In order to keep fake reviewers at bay, he said, "It is pertinent that the identity of every customer who is writing a review is shared if not with viewers, certainly with business owners, with clear provisions of traceability of the origin of the review."
Every review with an identified customer and an identified transaction should form the basis of customer reviews, especially in the case of services since reviews in the domain are already 'subjective' in nature, Kohli asserted.
On the need to treat goods and services separately under the proposed guidelines, he said, "...it is necessary that even if some of the guidelines are similar, they should always be defined and read differently."
According to Kohli, the framework should "clearly distinguish between goods and services, with separate set of regulations for both, as the nature, measures, standards and principles of both the transactions are completely different from each other".
He also suggested the setting up of a body to regulate the conduct of online portals, including online travel aggregators and food service aggregators allowing fake, paid, biased or unverified customer reviews.
In May, the Centre had said the Department of Consumer Affairs would develop a framework to keep check over fake reviews on e-commerce websites.


text:
Alan Wake set to reemerge
We've heard incredibly little on Remedy's eagerly awaited cinematic-sandbox action title Alan Wake, the 360 exclusive having slipped off the radar in the last year or so.
The new title could be about to take a dramatic step back into the limelight however, a Finnish games site revealing that a trailer for the game will be shown at the premier of the new Max Payne flick in Finland.
More over, the site in question claim they have fresh news on the game, which will be published tomorrow.
Alan Wake was supposed to be out in 2007, but Remedy's opus has taken rather longer than it might have been hoped. Still, we're hopeful of news on this very soon.


text:
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will be the largest free trade agreement in the world. The deal aims to increase trade between the EU and the US through the opening of various markets that are currently closed or restricted by tariffs or regulations. This includes everything from chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and energy to food, drinks and clothing.
Together, the US and EU trade for EUR22 trillion annually. This is almost half the total in the world. If knock-on effects are taken into account, the opening of trade could increase global GDP by as much as 0.6% per year. The effects will be even greater if permanent trade barriers such as taxes and customs are removed.
Businesses in the EU and US pay tariffs for their products to be sold on each other’s market. TTIP will eliminate these. TTIP would also reduce the costs of duplication when businesses are required to meet US and EU standards that are often similar but different.
It has been debatable how much revenue the deal would bring to certain economies. According to estimates, a TTIP agreement could grow the EU’s economy by up to EUR120 billion (0.5% GDP) and that of the US by EUR95 billion (0.4% GDP). Both sides emphasize the importance of opening up new markets to their domestic manufacturers. The EU would gain access to 300m American customers and vice versa.
What is the potential of the free trade agreement between the USA and the EU? The full potential of a free trade agreement between the USA and the EU will only be revealed after the deal has been concluded.
What’s at stake?
Two of the biggest obstacles to TTIP are the sensitive business areas that border on public policy.
Public Services and Procurement
In both Europe and America, public authorities are the largest consumers. In the EU, they spend about EUR2 trillion per year. This is equivalent to around 19% of GDP in the EU. US Federal spending on procurement is about US$500 billion a year. Both sides want equal access to the market.
There are concerns in the UK that the NHS could be put at risk by US competition. Both UK Ministers and the European Commission have guaranteed that TTIP will not affect NHS services.
Energy Markets and Renewable Sectors
It is estimated that this market exceeds EUR950 billion annually. TTIP is expected to increase competition and liquidity in the energy sector, which will benefit both EU and US consumers. The TTIP talks on renewable energy sources are focusing on shale gas. This could help US companies, who are already a few generations ahead of their EU competitors.
The most ambitious goal of TTIP would be to establish global standards for manufacturing products. Both the EU and the US stand to gain from progress made towards these objectives.
The adoption of common standards and authorization procedures will be beneficial to certain sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and chemicals. EU firms and the EU pharmaceutical sector are expected to gain advantages over their US competitors. However, these advantages can be easily offset by the public expenditures on health and processes that relate to the intellectual rights of specialized medicines.
The US and EU differ in their standards for food safety. Critics claim that EU regulations are stricter on GM crops and pesticides, as well as food additives. Critics say TTIP will allow cheaper but lower-quality foods to enter the EU market.
Protests against the TTIP in different EU countries have not been without controversy. EPA/Wolfgang Kumm
Democracy & Transparency
TTIP talks have been criticized for their lack of transparency. Discussions are held behind closed doors and in the strictest secrecy.
TTIP contains provisions to introduce “investor-state disputes settlement.” It would give companies the right to sue foreign governments over unfair treatment that is harmful to their profit. Critics claim that this undermines the democracy of large companies by giving them power to influence government policies.
TTIP, as a massive trade agreement, is still awaiting many details. The negotiations began in 2013, but at least the US is determined to complete the remaining rounds before the current presidency. The European Council and European Parliament both have to agree on the result of the negotiations in the EU. Separately, the deal must be ratified in each of the 28 EU member countries’ national parliaments.


text:
The Chinese “Golden Week” holiday last week resulted in minimal trading in fine wine, with Bordeaux seeing a slight decline in its share of trade.
The judging for the sixth Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition has begun with the pan-Asian panel tasting wines, spirits and sake.
A “superlot” of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has become the most expensive auction lot ever, selling for over HK$12 million (£1m) in Hong Kong.
The head sommelier of the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, Hubert Chabot, talks about ambition and his holiday plans.
A few snapshots of the on-going pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong
Lunch and Champagne tastings gave way to the disruption of road blocks and the protestors of Occupy Central this week in Hong Kong.
Explore a new side of Champagne this Golden Week holiday with one (or more) of these grower Champagnes.
Hong Kong sommeliers have voiced their opinion that an increasingly sophisticated Champagne drinking market in Hong Kong has opened the door for grower Champagnes.
Hong Kong importer and distributor, Imperatrice, showcased its portfolio of grower Champagnes to the trade and consumers at a packed pair of tastings at the Grand Hyatt.
Fine wine merchant Justerini & Brooks has appointed Cellina Chan as its new head of sales in Hong Kong.
© 2014 Union Press Ltd | Unit 122, 30 Great Guildford Street, London SE1 0HS, UK | Registered in England and Wales No. 03606414 | Tel: +44 (0)20 7803 2420


text:
A very appealing reward component has been introduced into the ride-hailing business in Nigeria by a new entrant, Hyride, a brand of TopMode Technology Company Ltd., which offers ride-hailing transport services. The drivers are given good legroom to earn money while the riders earn points/cashback that can be used on their next ride.
This is in addition to the company’s prioritising the security and safety of both the drivers and riders, who can tap panic buttons that are wired to the company’s control room, as well as to their family members or trusted friends.
Hyride is an indigenous first÷rate technology company with international partners. Prospective riders can book a ride now after downloading the app from Apple and Google play store.
According to the Chairman/Managing Director of Topmode Technology Company, Edward Anugwom, “Hyride was founded as a startup that aimed to tackle ride-hailing problems in Nigeria by creating safety, lowest commission to drivers and accessibility for passengers in using ride hailing service through Hyride’s platform. Therefore, the brand concept does not only aim for making profit, but also for resolving a social issue on ride-hailing services for both drivers and passengers as drivers face a problem of making insufficient money and hatred on their jobs, as well as the safety concern of passengers in using ride hailing service in Nigeria.
“Secondly, Hyride business makes a good impact on society in terms of job creation and engagement to the digital economy, such as a cashless transaction since according to Hyride social impact and responsibility from it started in Nigeria on June 6, 2022 depicts that Hyride platform provides employment opportunities for some drivers and supports them to have a better livelihood.”
How the panic button works/incentives
The app has emergency/panic buttons that drivers and riders can use whenever they feel threatened, and the alarm is connected to their families and company’s control stations. The alert system identifies their last location to ensure the safety of all.
Hyride plans to integrate with companies and there is a special corporate package for this collaboration.
Anugwom said, “We brought a very good application to help both the drivers and riders. “The drivers can earn money and the riders can have a safe and convenient ride.
“On account of the challenges the drivers are having in terms of insecurity, we have decided to bring a technology that would help the drivers and riders priotise their safety and security.
“This is why we are different from other ride hailing companies in Nigeria.”
He said they give a lot of incentives to their drivers to motivate them at all times. “We have daily, weekly, monthly motivations,” explaining that “when riders pay with debit cards for trips, they get a cashback for that very ride. A certain percentage will be returned to their wallet and they can use it to make payment on their next trip. They also earn some reward points into their wallet when they ride and they can redeem it and make payment on their next trip.”
Hyride is now operational in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Calabar, and their are immediate plans to move on to Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo and Delta states. “We are moving as fast as we can to improve the lives of drivers in Nigeria.”
The drivers and riders are profiled using a very tight process and strict criteria to ensure everyone is safe, Anugwom said.


text:
Holiday pay ruling on commission payments will hit wage bills for business owners
Business owners must include commission payments when calculating holiday pay for staff, an Employment Tribunal has ruled.
It said UK law must reflect a decision from the European Court of Justice last year, which said the payments should be accounted for in holiday pay calculations if a worker’s total pay usually includes them. It has been standard practice in the UK to exclude commission when calculating holiday pay.
Time to relax? Business owners must include commission payments when calculating holiday pay for staff, an Employment Tribunal has ruled
Hilary Hall, chief executive of the National Hairdressers’ Federation, said: ‘It’s good news that a resolution has been reached. But it will push up wage bills for business owners who have not taken commissions into account.’
Most watched Money videos
- Volvo's new system that will monitor if motorists are drunk
- Technology improves road safety with intelligent speed assistance
- Take a look at the new £32,000 Range Rover Evoque in Greece
- The R8 is Audi's fastest and most powerful car yet
- The newly revamped Jaguar XE sports saloon with improved features
- Everything you need to know about the Jaguar XE sports saloon
- The New Toyota Camry Hybrid with special 'nanoe technology¿
- Is UK commercial property an investment ripe for returns?
- Youtility's guide in how to use their app to manage your bills
- Step-by-step guide to John Lewis & Partners Whole Home Wi-Fi Add On
- Why has Brexit chaos not dented the UK stock market?
- Promo video shows the stylish interior of the new Peugeot 2018


text:
Scheduled for May 7-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the National Hardware Show promises to be bigger and better than ever this year with enhanced product categories, exciting educational offerings and limitless networking opportunities.
"Each year, we solicit feedback from attendees and exhibitors at the show, and we also travel throughout the industry to gather input about how to make the show better," National Hardware Show vice president of attendee programs Sonya Ruff Jarvis said in a statement. "We have made a number of enhancements to the show this year as a direct result of the feedback we have received and we are incredibly excited about how the industry is responding."
Jarvis said the show has sold more than 98 percent of its available floor space.
"We are extremely pleased with the response we are getting from the exhibitors," she said. "We will have a fantastic representation of manufacturers from across all the categories at the show, ranging from companies that are new to the industry to a large contingent of bellwether brands."
For information, visit www.nationalhardwareshow.com.


text:
Meat Consumption Leads to Global Warming
The growing demand for meat is affecting our global temperatures.
Dear Future President,
I am concerned about the affects that come from the consumption of meat, and more specifically beef. There are currently 1.5 billion cattle in the world and the number is only growing. Livestock alone are responsible for 18% of greenhouse gases which cause global warming. That is more than all forms of transportation combined such as cars and planes. According to Independent.co.uk, livestock produces 100 types of polluted gases which contribute to more than two thirds of ammonia around the world.
The process of raising the cows is what makes the greenhouse gases. The fuel used to make fertilizer for the cows cause 9% of carbon dioxide emissions, which is the most common greenhouse gas. The manure and wind from the cows also contribute a lot to global warming. The manure contains methane which warms the Earth 20 times faster than carbon dioxide. All of these factors add to the growing climate and it will greatly affect the ecosystem.
The population is growing at a very fast rate. With the population growing, there will be a lot more meat consumption. Countries that were once poor are now getting richer and are now able to buy a lot more food than before which would increase the demand of meat. The population will increase to over 9 billion people by the time of 2050 according to prb.org. Overall population growth isn't that good because countries that are growing the fastest aren't very rich so the kids won't have many options for their future and it will be rough living conditions for them. Countries like India and Bangladesh are growing, but they're also very dense in population and there isn’t enough space for them to live and eventually if the population keeps going up, there would be many side effects. Stopping the growing population would be hard so the easier option would be stopping the over consumption of meat.
Meat consumption led to global warming. Due to global warming, the ocean levels are rising faster than usual and there is more precipitation around the world. Animals have been dying or relocating in the north and south poles because of the melting ice caps. If the trend of global warming continues, many things will increase. By the end of the century, the sea levels are expected to rise from 7 up to 23 inches. That change will make natural disasters like hurricanes and other storms stronger. Also an article from national geographic stated that disease would be able to spread easier, such as malaria from mosquitoes.
I am not saying people should go vegetarian, but I believe people should stop eating so much meat. One way is to farm less cows and raise the price of beef to make people not want to buy it as much. This would probably make a considerable difference and people would most likely only eat it on occasions. The only downside would be that livestock farmers would get less income, but since they take less land for animals and grow vegetables instead, it could even it out. Also since the price of meat would be higher, an alternative food would be vegetables making the sale on those higher. Farmers wouldn't have to use as much of their food to feed the cows and other livestock leading to even more profit.
The lack of meat would also create a lack of protein in your diet, but this would increase sales on other protein-filled foods. The protein alternatives would become a good business and more people would buy from it so this could create more jobs for a better economy.
In conclusion, I believe reducing the amount of meat consumption would lead to many great things. Global warming would be slowed and more animals would be able to thrive. It could create more jobs for protein alternatives and the farmers who were livestock farmers would still have a job growing crops because that will be the cheaper choice for food. The ocean levels wouldn't be as high as well. Cows are one of the biggest factors in greenhouse gases and eating less meat could make a big difference.


text:
The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) offers holiday shopping tips to help consumers protect themselves from substandard or even hazardous counterfeit toys, electronics, cosmetics and other products.
IPR Center partners Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and The Toy Association are teaming up to ensure consumers can make educated decisions when searching for the best deals this season.
Counterfeit goods not only cheat the consumer with substandard and potentially hazardous products, but the websites used can also put shoppers at risk of having their personal and financial data stolen for other nefarious purposes. Online shopping is particularly vulnerable to scams that trick the user into buying counterfeit and pirated goods.
Among the tips the IPR Center is providing for holiday shopping:
Source: New toolkit helps consumers avoid scams while holiday shopping | ICE
Open an Account


text:
Mask advocates raged at popular West Coast burger chain In-N-Out, after the company banned mask-wearing for employees in five states.
The policy will start August 14, according to a leaked memo, and will affect employees in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas and Colorado. Stores in California and Oregon, which have laws preventing employers from banning masks, are exempt from the new policy.
The In-N-Out memo said the decision was intended to improve customer service by showing off employee’s smiles. Exemptions would be given to employees who had a “valid medical note.”
Even if approved, the employee must wear “a company-provided N-95 mask,” per the memo unless the employee’s doctor says otherwise.
Mask advocates complained about the new policy on social media, and encouraged their followers to contact the company’s customer service line to voice their opposition.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center scientist Dr. Lucky Tran, who shared the leaked employee memo on Twitter, slammed the policy as “discriminatory” and “harmful.”
You can send In-N-Out Burger a comment about their discriminatory policy banning masks here: https://t.co/GXFsBbzgMZ
— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) July 14, 2023
“Please remember to call In-N-Out and tell them that their ban on wearing masks is harmful,” she tweeted.
Please remember to call In-N-Out and tell them that their ban on wearing masks is harmful. They are taking calls and sending feedback to management. It’s really easy to to do, and you get right through to someone without any wait.
☎ Call this number ➡ 1-800-786-1000 pic.twitter.com/hOs4C6A3VB
— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) July 15, 2023
Epidemiologist Dr. Eric-Feigl-Ding also warned others to “avoid” the burger chain.
Burger 🍔 joint to avoid- In N Out.
In-N-Out employees in five US states will no longer be allowed to wear masks as part of new company guidelines. Employees would need to get a doctor’s note if they do, explaining why. https://t.co/ElpdFsbRd6
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 19, 2023
Some Twitter users gave a more blunt response to the mask ban.
Independent journalist Walker Bragman cursed at the burger chain while writing them off as “a weird, culty right-wing company anyway.”
“Well, f–k In-N-Out Burger then,” he tweeted.
“In-N-Out Burger doesn’t give a s—t if you’ve got an immune compromised family member at home. Or if you yourself are immune compromised,” another liberal tweeted. “Triggered by masks. F—k off In-n-Out. I do not care if I go into a business and someone is wearing a mask.”
Another Twitter user announced she was “too upset” about the mask policy to put her thoughts into words.
I wrote 3 different responses and erased them all. I’m too upset to appropriately put my thoughts into words.
But I will, because the employees of in-n-out burger deserve our support. https://t.co/oDt33hqu1g
— Dr. Theresa Chapple (@Theresa_Chapple) July 17, 2023
“I wrote 3 different responses and erased them all. I’m too upset to appropriately put my thoughts into words. But I will, because the employees of in-n-out burger deserve our support,” she tweeted.
California, In-N-Out’s home state, was one of the strictest states in the nation on enforcing masking policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the fall of 2021, the city of San Francisco temporarily shut down an In-N-Out restaurant that refused to follow a mandate forcing customers to prove they were vaccinated against the coronavirus.
In-N-Out did not return a request for comment.


text:
NEW YORK (WABC) -- There is a warning for avocado lovers from federal officials.
The US Food and Drug Administration is advising people to wash avocados before eating them, even though they don't eat the skin.
The FDA said the only way to prevent bacteria and dirt from transferring from the peel to the insides is to wash the skins thoroughly before prepping.
According to the government, one in five avocados test positive for a bacteria that causes listeria infections.
The FDA also recommends scrubbing the avocado peel with a produce brush, then drying it with a paper towel.


text:
Despite a pretty successful launch, Palm’s Pre arrived too late to pull the company out of the red. The Sunnyvale-based company posted its fourth quarter fiscal earnings yesterday, reporting a net loss of $105 million – or $.78 per diluted share. This continues an unfortunate trend for the company, which saw a $43.4 million loss in the year ago quarter.
Palm shies away from any in-depth figures regarding the Pre, but it does claim to have collectively shipped 351,000 smartphones during the fourth fiscal quarter. This is up 6% from the third quarter, and a year over year decline in shipments of 62%. The company’s total revenue for the 2009 fiscal year was $86.8 million, with a gross profit of $20.1 million and a gross margin of 23.1%.
Palm’s chairman and CEO, Jon Rubinstein, sees the launch of webOS and Pre as a significant milestone, one that has “reentered” the company into the race. He recognizes that there is more to accomplish, but feels that the groundwork is laid for a “very promising future.”


text:
Samsung Rumored To Launch 110-inch 4K LED TV At CES 2013
South Korean technology giant Samsung is set to launch its biggest TV set ever, a full 110-inches, according to reports.
Korean site MK News says officials have told it that the ultra-high definition (UHD) TV will be unveiled at CES 2013 in Las Vegas next month.
"At the next year's CES to be open on January 8 in Las Vegas, the US, Samsung will have its 110-inch UHD TV on display," MK News quotes a Samsung official as saying. "Not to mention ultra-sized screen, our UHD TV will boast the best-ever definition and design that you haven't experienced before."
If the rumors are true, then the TV set will be a full 35 inches bigger than Samsung's current top-end offering of 75 inches, which became commercially available in July. However, the current size-record for commercially available TV screen goes to LG for its 84-inch set.These sets are known as 4K LED screens - because they offer four times the resolution of current 1080p HD TV screens. Samsung's TV set is said to be a whopping 3840 x 2160 pixels.
Another brand, U.S.-based Westinghouse, has also promised to showcase a 110-inch set at CES 2013, as one of the two largest 4K LED televisions in the world.
These UHD TVs, along with OLED (organic light emitting diode) TVs, will be emerging as one of next generation of TV models. However, OLED's remain rare for large screen displays and are being commercialized for smaller devices such as smartphones and tablets.