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NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2019 — Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ) today announced it will host an Investor Day in New York City on Thursday, March 14, 2019, beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. The event will feature presentations by company executives on Assurant’s long-term strategy and financial objectives.
In-person attendance is by invitation only. A live webcast and archived replay of the presentations will be available through the Investor Relations section of Assurant's website at www.assurant.com. Slides of the presentations will be posted for viewing shortly before the event begins.
Assurant, Inc. (NYSE: AIZ) is a global provider of risk management solutions, protecting where consumers live and the goods they buy. A Fortune 500 company, Assurant focuses on the housing and lifestyle markets, and is among the market leaders in mobile device protection and related services; extended service contracts; vehicle protection products; pre-funded funeral insurance; renters insurance; and lender-placed homeowners insurance. Assurant has a market presence in 21 countries, while its Assurant Foundation works to support and improve communities. Learn more at assurant.com or on Twitter @AssurantNews.
Senior Vice President, Enterprise Communication
Investor Relations Contact:
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations
Director, Investor Relations


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During a podcast interview on Kinda Funny Games, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer openly acknowledged that Xbox cannot emerge victorious in the “console war” against competitors Nintendo and Sony through conventional strategies.
The 55-year-old executive dismissed the notion that players from Sony or Nintendo would readily switch sides based on highly anticipated games, deeming such a belief as naive.
“It’s just not true that if we go off and build great games, all of a sudden you’re going to see console share shift in some dramatic way,”
Spencer said, adding: “We lost the worst generation to lose in the Xbox One.”
Spencer diminished the notion that Xbox could surpass its rivals solely by developing games, emphasizing that this approach does not align with the experiences of most individuals.
“We’re not in the business of out-consoling Sony or out-consoling Nintendo. There isn’t really a great solution for us,” Spencer said.
The executive stated that Xbox’s focus would be directed towards Game Pass, Xcloud, and ensuring seamless compatibility of its games across various devices.
“I see a lot of pundits out there that want to go back to a time when we all had cartridges and discs, and every new generation was a clean slate, and you could switch the whole console share,” Spencer said.
“That’s just not the world that we are in today. There is no world where Starfield is an 11 out of 10 and people are selling their P5s. That’s just not going to happen.”

domain: news


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As we get closer to the release of the long awaited iPhone 7, it seems one change we can expect is the placing of two cameras on the rear of the phone.
Alongside an apparent space for two cameras, the photo also shows a gap at the bottom of the case for a Smart Connector.
While this is far from official confirmation from Apple, it lends further credence to rumours the new model will have both these features.
The dual camera set up has been long speculated, but was believed to only feature on the iPhone 7 Plus.
As for the rumoured Smart Connector? Its potential uses are less obvious, but the port on the iPad Pro lets you connect a Smart Keyboard.
It may be a way to connect headphones, with rumours the port for those is being removed from the iPhone 7 design.
There's also been some speculation about a cumbersome adapter to allow the use of headphones with the new handsets.
Enough details to whet our appetites until Apple reveal more official details later this year.


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Maker Mask Teams with pi-top to Share Lessons on 3D Printing Respirator Masks
- By Dian Schaffhauser
new nonprofit maker organization is working with a company that
creates computer kits to encourage people to make respirators for
their communities. Maker
has come up with lessons on how to make what it calls National
Institutes of Health (NIH)-approved, open-source 3D printable masks.
has begun rolling out videos and lesson plans that show how to do it.
one of the masks takes about four hours, according to Maker Mask, and
offers the equivalent lifetime use of 300 N95 masks.
Mask, funded by the RPrime
was recently launched to provide guidance to people who want to do
something useful during the COVID-19 pandemic: 3D print
respirator-quality masks. pi-top sells kits with parts to enable
students to build a programmable computing device. Educators can use
the kits to teach STEAM skills. It launched in 2014 when its two
founders created the first 3D-printed laptop computer.
Maker Mask Initiative is a grassroots response to the COVID-19 crisis
and it's an all hands-on-deck effort that can also empower motivated
kids to be part of the solution," said Jonathan Roberts, leader
of the Maker Mask Initiative and co-founder of RPrime, in a
statement. "It's wonderful that pi-top is taking this
opportunity to teach kids valuable skills and allowing them to make a
real contribution to supporting the front-line workers, who are the
true heroes of this COVID-19 crisis."
videos will be published on
the pi-top website.
Maker Mask itself also offers videos
explaining how to create the masks and provides details on the
of the mask
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.


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Chevrolet ad will stop airing after Ford, Toyota, Honda challenge
A new Chevrolet commercial claiming the General Motors Co. brand is more reliable than Ford, Honda and Toyota has stopped airing nationally and will stop appearing in local markets after those three competitors challenged the ad's comparison assertions, The Detroit News has learned.
Ford, Honda and Toyota confirmed they each challenged the 60-second TV spot, which aired in Metro Detroit during the North American International Auto Show. Its title: "Chevy Surprises Competitive Owners When It Comes To Reliability."
A lawyer for one of the three automakers who challenged the ad sent an email to GM's legal counsel this month demanding that the automaker stop making the reliability comparison claims in its advertising campaign, according to sources familiar with the correspondence. GM was given until 5 p.m. Jan. 14 to respond to the demands.
In a verbal response, a lawyer for GM told a counterpart at one of the rival automakers that Chevrolet is moving in a different marketing direction as it ramps up its campaign for the new Silverado pickup trucks, the sources said. And the GM lawyer added that the ad already had stopped airing nationally, with plans to remove the commercial from local markets in the coming weeks, the sources said.
"Chevrolet stands by the reliability claim and the ad remains in the brand’s toolbox but we have decided to take it out of the regular rotation at this time to launch new Silverado creative," Chevrolet said in an emailed statement to The News. "We have not altered our marketing campaign because of any concerns with the accuracy of our ad content."
The ad is still posted on Chevrolet's YouTube page. Ford and Toyota, however, say GM told them that the ad would be pulled after the two automakers complained.
"Through discussions with GM, we were informed they decided to pull the ad," said Toyota spokeswoman Karen Nielsen. Honda declined to comment beyond confirming its concerns.
Chevrolet has agreed to stop airing the advertisement altogether, though it is still appearing heavily in Metro Detroit, Ford spokesman Mike Levine said. "We’d like to see that happen immediately."
The ad, which started airing this month, uses the "Real People" premise Chevrolet has used for more than three years to claim that a "recent nationwide survey" found Chevrolet to be a more reliable brand than Toyota, Honda and Ford — three of the bow-tie brand's biggest competitors.
The reliability claim in Chevrolet's commercial, which was scrutinized last week by Jalopnik, is based on a survey of 2015 model-year vehicles commissioned by Chevrolet and completed by Paris-based market research firm Ipsos Group S.A. Fine print at the bottom of Chevy's reliability ad directs viewers to ChevyReliability.com for more information on the survey.
That website redirects to a one-page document that says Ipsos surveyed owners of 2015 model-year Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac owners versus owners of "competitive brands." The research firm sent 840,979 "non-sponsored" letters to targeted owners and received 48,679 completed surveys.
The definition of reliability, Chevrolet says in the document, "is the percentage of vehicle owners who reported they have not repaired or replaced any vehicle components in the past 12 months (excluding fluids, filters and those related to accident/collision)."
Consumer Reports, which surveys its readers every year for a reliability study, found in 2018 that Toyota was the second most-reliable brand after its sister brand, Lexus. Honda finished 15th and Ford finished 18th. All three brands were ahead of Chevrolet at 23rd.
But J.D. Power's 2018 dependability rankings, which are more similar to the study Chevy commissioned for its reliability ad in that it looks at 2015 model year vehicles, ranked Chevrolet above Toyota, Honda and Ford.
As Chevrolet's reliability ad comes off the air, the brand is rolling out a massive campaign for its all-new 2019 Silverado pick up truck, which debuted last year at the Detroit auto show.


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GCIP-SA Alumnus Wins the 2018 South African Chivas Venture
2017 Finalist of the GCIP-SA, Clement Mokoenene (Vehicle Energy Harvesting Systems) was announced the winner of the South African Chivas Venture competition, winning R350 000 towards his business.
A judging panel consisting of Lucas Radebe, Unathi Msengana and Stafford Massie selected Mokoenene from among 5 social entrepreneurs for his electricity generation solution, which utilises the pressure created by cars on a roads surface to generate electricity.
Among the Five Finalists of the 2018 Chivas Venture was 2015 GCIP-SA Semi-Finalist team, Solar Turtle, represented in the Chivas Venture by Lungelwa Tyali, COO and co-founder of Solar Turtle.
Clement will now attend a week-long accelerator programme at Oxford University and will then represent South Africa at the global finale of the Chivas Venture 2018 in Amsterdam, in May. He will compete against 28 other country winners for a share of US$1-million.
Vehicle Energy Harvesting Systems has also been nominated for the Innovative Technology of the Year Award 2018. The award will acknowledge a business that has achieved commercial success from advanced technology, research or developing products, services or solutions relevant to the energy or water sectors. The winner will be announced at the African Utility Week 2018 Industry Awards.
GCIP-SA Alumnus wins the African Entrepreneurship Award for Education
Louise Williamson, (Sustainability Professionals) winner of the GCIP-SA Impact for Social Innovation Award in 2016, has been announced as one of 12 winners of the 2017 African Entrepreneurship Award! Louise was awarded US$100,000 as the winner of the Education category.
She joined 40 other entrepreneurs from 19 countries from the continent in Casablanca, Morocco, during the second week of December 2017 for the Presidential Round of the award. During their time in Morocco the finalists underwent individualised training and received mentorship by global experts before pitching their businesses to a ‘Presidential Jury’ of business leaders and entrepreneurs who have scaled businesses on five continents.
Louise’s innovation, the fuel-efficient Mashesha Syngas Stoves, use biomass/wood fuel for large-scale cooking. (The fuel consumption of the Mashesha stoves is half that normally required for cooking on open fires.) The stoves are also much safer, reducing smoke through its use of a closed gasification process for combustion.
The criteria for each stage were: an idea that is most needed in the region (Round one), an idea most likely to succeed across Africa (Round two), an idea that could potentially be the most significant and sustainable in Africa (Round three) and an idea that will have the most plausible and probable impact (Presidential Round).
GCIP-SA Alumnus to represent South Africa at the 2018 FINE Festival
2016 Winner of the Youth Team Award, Sandiswa Qayi (AET Hotspot) was selected to represent South Africa at the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in India 2018!
AET Hotspot has also been nominated for the Innovative Technology of the Year Award 2018, to be announced at the African Utilities Week 2018.


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CEO panel discussion at the Digital Governance Summit at IIMB. (L-R) Anand Kripalu, CEO & Managing Director,
United Spirits Limited; Prof. Ram Nidumolu, Founder & MD, AIM, and Shiv Shivakumar, Chairman & CEO, PepsiCo India.
Dr. Ajay Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT and head of the Digital India Initiative of the Government of India, says India will soon have clean data especially with Adhaar becoming a de facto digital identification for every Indian.
This clean data could throw up surprises. The most likely one is the population data, which he says he won’t be surprised if India had already over taken China as the most populous nation many months ago.
He said the two-year old Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, has already saved the government an astounding
Rs. 50,000 crore. He expects much more saving and efficiency when all government’s procurement is done online. Now, only 60 goods are sourced online. The electronic national agriculture mandi (market) could do the same.
The central government’s strategy – don’t automate, transform – with its digital programs and payment apps such as BHIM and UPI (United Payments Interface) is paying rich dividends.
Shiv Shivakumar, Chairman & CEO – India Region at Pepsico
- Why of a company’s reason for existence is more important today rather than what is the reason for existence of the company
- Trust in a product or a company is more important than the truth. In the pre-digital world trust and truth were seen as independent
- Until now consumer was the king but only now, with social media, she has a voice. Firms that ignore this voice and don’t respond in real time stand to lose big time
- Not till long ago, a CEO was responsible for around 10 KPI (key performance indicators). With digital it is around 60. Everything a firm does is measured
- In the digital world, like in cricket, where everyone should field well for a team to win, everyone in a firm should be good
- Digital is uniting organizational silos
- Learning agility leads to strategic agility. This will determine future success
- Earn the license to be part of the society every morning in the digital world
Anand Kripalu, CEO & MD, United Spirits Limited
- Governance is about doing the right thing. Long term success of alcohol business depends on whether we are ethical marketers
- The liquor industry in India has missed a big systemic clean up opportunity because the government chose not to include it in the
GST list. There is no political will for doing that. Transparency would
have removed gratification
- We cannot control most of our touch points physically any more.
The fact that every employee is generating content and speaking about brands everywhere, suddenly the touch points are becoming huge
- Discussions in brick-and-mortar companies about digital is still nascent. We still have not made the leap into a digital business. We are still not in the zone of transforming the business
- CEOs should provide a compelling vision to transform the business
- Hipbar – start-up bar in the cloud – could disrupt the traditional business. USL has invested in this start-up. It’s a bit of science and a lot of punt
- With digital becoming all pervasive, ability to build reputation will become harder and harder
- It is important to get agile and structured. We deed the dexterity at the same time
- Humility to change and follow if anyone has better idea is important
Digital Governance Demystified!
If not done properly, companies face the risk of becoming
In his white paper, Prof. Ram Nidumolu, founder and MD of Academy for Innovation and Management, Bangalore (www.academyaim.com), suggests that getting serious about corporate digital transformation mean getting serious about corporate digital governance.
Digital governance (DG) is not the same as IT governance which involves ERP and CRM. It is “effective management and control of digital assets that are internet-based and have emerged recently such as social media, mobile, cloud, analytics, internet of things (IOT), wearable computing, etc. Without DG in place, digital transformation are going to be scattered, uncoordinated, and unlikely to be aligned with business strategies and objectives.”
Prof. Nidumolu adds: “The biggest and most dangerous risk of all is when emerging digital capabilities can make existing business models irrelevant. The rise of online retail in India and the threat it poses to brick-and-mortar retail is only the most prominent tip of an iceberg that will wreck established businesses that don’t monitor if their business is in need of revamping. This monitoring and management of change too is an important aspect of corporate digital governance.”
Benefits of Digital Governance
- Business and digital priorities get better aligned
- Investments in digital technologies and capabilities are used more efficiently
- Decision making is better defined with regard to responsibility and accountability and conforms to standards, policies and regulations
- Digitally-enabled products and services are produced and delivered more effectively
- The customer experience with the digital products and services is improved
- Capabilities of value chain partners are better leveraged
- Reputational risks of digital firestorms are pre-empted or contained
Watch Panel Discussion Here


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“My views on leadership have changed quite substantially over the years,” begins Mikela Fenech Pace, whose professional background has included extensive diplomatic service with the Government and joining Malta’s leading response team to the 2011 Libya crisis. “Over time and through my various roles, I have redefined what leadership means to me, moving away from the prescriptive model to a more personalised and unique approach. What has changed is my definition of success.”
When it comes to whether a founder CEO is always the company’s right leader, Mikela believes that it depends on the individual. “I have never believed in ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers when looking at individuals,” she affirms. “The word ‘founder’ comes with a plethora of attachment issues and emotions that cannot and should not be pushed aside. In an ideal scenario, any founder CEO – or CEO, for that matter – should be working to make themselves redundant in their job, as this is the only way they can foster a culture of development, growth and innovation across their company. A crucial factor will always remain the ability to identify the next generation of leaders that share the same passion and understanding of the business as the founder.
“However, a founder CEO may find it difficult to let go or to keep up with the pace required for expansion or change. And if they do recognise the need to remain curious, keep a check on the impact of their leadership style on those around them, and have the courage to manage change, then they may well be the right person to lead the future of a company.”
The need for customer-centric approaches fuelled by AI adoption were pinpointed as key factors in enabling businesses to succeed in ...
Former CEO Pierre Mattocks will remain as Chair of the Board of the company.
He replaces Jose Ramon Alegre, who resigned from the position at the start of 2024.
The UK-based study highlights that businesses need to manage digital workplace hazards alongside other risks such as psychosocial and physical ...


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Keywords Studios has announced that it has acquired two new companies, Waste Creative, a digital creative marketing agency, and Wicked Witch, a development studio.
Waste Creative provides various creative production services to many clients across the mobile gaming space such as Nintendo, Supercell, and Riot Games. Wicked Witch is a work-for-hire developer for large publishers, and has worked with Riot Games and Microsoft in the past.
Keywords Studios will pay up to £9.8 million ($12.9 million) for Waste Creative, including the team of 70 staff that currently works there. This is comprised of initial consideration of £2.2 million ($2.9 million), and an additional £7.6 million ($10 million), which is dependent on the company’s performance over the next three years. The company will continue to be led by Co-Founders Visar Statovci and Mike Petricevic, maintaining the structure and leadership built up over the years.
The acquisition for Wicked Witch sees Keywords Studios buying through Tantalus Media, which Keywords had previously invested in. Keywords Studios will pay £4.9 million ($6.5 million), and acquire the studio and all 73 employees that work there.
Wicked Witch expressed how excited it was to be joining Keywords, which will allow it to accelerate its plans for growth and become much more of a player in the industry. Waste Creative echoed this sentiment, adding that it can now provide even better services to meet the needs of its clients over time.
Both of these companies fulfill an important role in the games industry that’s only becoming more important. Work-for-hire developers and marketing services are essential to getting games finished in time and into the eyes of those who want to play them.
The services these two companies cover include marketing a game to the right people and getting betas out on time, ensuring that the brand image is right, and much more. All of which helps a game succeed, even against Triple-A developers. The combination of offering the services of both companies at once will be a huge asset to any company, and now that’s possible through Keywords Studios, which can create a package encasing both.


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Matsushita, better known as Panasonic here in the United
States, is recalling 6,000 notebook batteries due to possible overheating. Although nowhere near the scope
of the 4.1 million
batteries recalled by Dell and the 1.8 million units
recalled by Apple, the recall comes as a time when notebook manufacturers
increased scrutiny over the safety of their battery packs.
A representative for Matsushita declined to comment on the
manufacturer of the affected batteries, but did note that they were not produced by
Sony. From Reuters:
spokesman said that when a notebook PC using the battery in question had been
accidentally dropped on the floor or suffered any other strong impact, there
was a chance that a tiny metal spring used in the battery pack could fall off
on to battery cells, causing overheating.
The recall only affects Japanese-marker notebooks produced
between the April 2005 and May 2005. We should also note that no injuries or
cases of notebooks catching fire have been reported.


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November 27, 2012
Photo by Elaine Rackley
There were only three stuffed toys in the Toys for Tots box at the Lovejoy Publix grocery store.
Stories this photo appears in:
Official says national level doing well
The Toys for Tots campaign is about to swing into full gear for some communities across the country. However, in Lovejoy, things are looking a little scarce.


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Well before noon Friday the line
outside the white tent stretched down Bay Street in the heart of Toronto’s financial district. Inside the tent, people enjoyed a free lunch of baby kale salad, grilled asparagus, chicken satay and prime rib burger. There was Rocky Road and Skyr ice cream bars for dessert.
It was all served up by Loblaw for its 2nd Eat Together Day, part of a larger marketing campaign for its President’s Choice line that encourages people to share meals together.
When the #EatTogether campaign launched in late 2016, the emphasis was on the benefits of eating with friends and family. This year, Loblaw put the focus on sharing meals (and in particular, lunch) with co-workers—thus the picnic in the epicentre of Canada’s proverbial rat race.
“A lot of you, if you didn’t come here today, you might have been eating by yourself somewhere, maybe in your office,” said Sarah Davis, president of Loblaw Companies Ltd., who stopped by and enjoyed her lunch with Garry Senecal, Loblaw’s chief customer officer. As Canada’s largest food company, Loblaw stores and vendors across the country are encouraging people to eat together, she explained.
As cause marketing efforts go, #EatTogether certainly fits well with the PC brand, tapping into the idea that food is elemental to the human experience, and enjoying food with others raises up that experience.
Loblaw backed up efforts for Eat Together Day with research from the U.K. that shows eating alone is more strongly associated with unhappiness than any other factor except mental illness. Loblaw conducted its own research about workplace eating habits and found 43% of respondents eat alone at work every day, though 74% believe eating with others improves workplace relationships and 57% said eating with colleagues makes them feel happier.
READ: President’s Choice activation looks to foster meaningful moments
Loblaw organized hundreds of similar BBQ lunches nationally across most of its banners Friday, promoting the day with a special #EatTogether website which included this welcome message: “It’s at the table where we can turn a house into a home, a stranger into a friend, and a village into a community. But more than anything, eating together simply connects us. And our world can use a little more connection right now.”
The site included seven short videos of people talking about important relationships and shared food moments, a map of Eat Together events across the country, and a number of PC recipes meant to “inspire” people for their own #EatTogether event.
This year’s focus on the workplace picked up steam early this year with a video that received more than 2.5 million views. That video juxtaposed the joys of shared meals with loved ones against the bleak solitude of a sandwich in front of computer in an office.


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HYPEBEAST 100: The innovators from all realms of creativity in the spotlight.
With in-depth interviews, focused features and fashion-forward editorials, our print publication features long-form coverage of the topics valued by readers.
Explore and be inspired by the latest women's fashion news and trends.
Japanese imprint nanamica has teamed up with Johnson Woolen Mills once again, to put out a small
nanamica has teamed up with heritage American woolen manufacturer Johnson Woolen Mills on a small
In a preview of Burton’s 2010 fall/winter collection, the snowboard company teams up with
Johnson Woolen Mills and BEAMS hook-up in the creation of a series of backpacks. The design
A collection of Johnson Woolen Mills’ bag collection is seen here as it features a number of
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As a 3-year-old child, Moises Agami remembers having fun on Clearwater Beach. “The beach, the corn dogs, gathering sand dollars, the seagulls and the Fort Harrison,” recalls the Mexican businessman.
His family, all devout Scientologists, have been coming to Clearwater for many years. He still travels regularly between Clearwater and Mexico where he manages several international corporations. “I am an entrepreneur,” says Agami, who has 5,000 employees throughout his various companies. “I took my first company public when I was 24. Since then, I’ve created many businesses from automotive electronics (3,000 employees), personal care (1,000 employees), health clinics, even bottled water. However, since 2008, I have been focused on real estate development.”
He is a major investor in downtown Clearwater—including the former AmSouth Bank building on the corner of Osceola and Cleveland, which was repurposed into The SkyView condominiums. Agami sees much potential in downtown Clearwater. Looking at the city with a bird’s-eye view, he calls the district a “blank slate” on the brink of a renaissance:
“What I like most about Clearwater is obviously Flag! However, it is a very safe city, filled with friendly neighborhoods, it’s calm, peaceful, has good food and I absolutely love its sunsets—best in the world,” he says.
According to his website, Agami’s development company, Valor Capital, was formed by a team of entrepreneurs passionate about creating world-class real estate developments. The company’s principal focus has been Clearwater, Florida, and future areas of interest are the rest of the Gulf Coast, North Carolina and Texas.
Agami says he wants to see a business boom in downtown Clearwater. “I hope to set an example to other entrepreneurs and developers, showing them the tremendous potential Clearwater has and encouraging them to take the leap and invest in Clearwater.”


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On the surface, Apple Pay should make bankers quake. Apple is not required to be a bank in order to offer banking services — which, let’s be honest, includes payments. So why aren’t bankers panicking? The video below, which features Mark Curran, payment technology services director at Lloyds Banking Group, andRead More
Post Tagged with: "Gartner"
To get past the hype, look at technology shipments to see which way the IT winds are blowing. Gartner, the technology research house, recently forecasted that shipments of PCs, ultramobiles, tablets, and mobile phones will increase 5.9% in 2013 to a combined total of 2.35 billion units. But there is a story withinRead More
New analytics service that monitors transaction usage, as well as performance characteristics from users, devices, and hosts, and then pushes that data via the user interface and an API.


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AT&T (T) now has 7.9 million subscribers who purchased both DirecTV satellite and unlimited wireless data service. It's a number that cable TV giant Comcast (CMCSA) could be eyeballing as it mulls whether to buy a wireless service provider such as T-Mobile US (TMUS) or Sprint (S), analysts say.
AT&T acquired DirecTV Group for $49 billion in July, 2015. In early 2016, AT&T began selling unlimited wireless data plans but only to customers that also buy the DirecTV satellite service.
T-Mobile US and Sprint both sell unlimited data packages but without pay-TV plans while Verizon Communications (VZ) does not.
AT&T had 3 million bundled DirecTV/unlimited data wireless subscribers at the end of Q1, over 5 million in Q2, and 6.7 million in Q3. The number rose to 7.9 million in the December quarter.
"The bundle helps lock in AT&T customers," Oppenheimer analyst Tim Horan told IBD.
The 7.9 million bundled DirecTV subscribers represent roughly 14% of AT&T's smartphone customer base, says John Hodulik, a UBS analyst.
IBD'S TAKE: Netflix, steel maker Nucor, Quanta Services and Broadcom are on IBD's Leaderboard, which follows top stocks from their work on forming bases, through their breakouts, to their post-breakout action, up to the point where they start topping.
AT&T also says it has signed up 200,000 subscribers for its Internet-based, DirecTV Now video streaming service.
"Early trends, including the 7.9 million subscribers, suggest AT&T is effectively cross-selling products," said Hodulik, in a report. One question, though, is how many of the nearly 8 million subscribers are new to AT&T as opposed to existing ones that opted-in on the unlimited data/pay TV offer.
Amy Yong, analyst at Macquarie Security, says AT&T's strategy works either way. "Their bundling strategy provides a differentiated product set, which can control churn," she said in an email.
Comcast plans to launch a wireless service in mid-2017 by leasing network capacity from Verizon. Comcast on its Q4 earnings call Thursday said it has a "good relationship" with Verizon.
Some analysts say that Comcast ultimately will need "owner-economics" to make wireless services more profitable.
AT&T late Wednesday reported in-line Q4 earnings of 66 cents as revenue slipped 0.2% to $42.04 billion, slightly below views. AT&T lost 67,000 postpaid wireless phone customers.
AT&T closed 0.9% higher on the stock market today. Comcast advanced 2.8%, hitting a fresh record high. Verizon Communications, which reportedly is mulling a buy of Charter Communications (CHTR), fell 1.3%. T-Mobile gained 4.3% while Sprint advanced 2.6%.


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Stories Tagged 'Vegetables'
Average wholesale prices of vegetables dropped up to 24 percent due to an adequate supply of seasonal produce. Prices of vegetables such as tomato small, potato red and white, onion, cabbage, green peas and broccoli are down.full story »
The government has decided to find a way to eliminate the layers of middlemen in the vegetable trade as their involvement has led to high prices for consumers. A committee has been formed to make a study and prepare a report.full story »
The Department of Commerce, Supply & Protection of Consumers has begun selling the seized vegetables with the support of police. The department seized the vegetables brought from Lalitpur and Bara after the traders failed to submit receipt and document of the vegetables. full story »
Vegetable import has continued unabated in the far-western Nepali district of Kailali despite higher production of the green produce. The district imports around 30,000 tonnes of vegetables worth around Rs500 million per year from India. A big chunk of these vegetables enter the country through Gauriphanta customs point. full story »
A hailstorm that lasted for five days destroyed more than 20 million worth of vegetables, crops and fruits in various parts of Parbat district, said the District Agricultural Development Office.full story »
Prices of most vegetables have dropped due to increased production helped by good rainfall. full story »


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The takeover of Sky by Comcast is sure to mean changes but details so far are only rumours. Comcast will need a return on their enormous investment, where they outbid Fox/Disney. Staff will need union support as change comes.
Sky Retail – the part of the firm that has stalls in shopping centres – has made huge changes to pay and bonuses – and removed all its store manager posts at a stroke. Those affected had pay cut, were refused redundancy, and not even allowed a formal grievance. Employment Tribunal cases have been lodged. Many staff believe this is preparation for closing down Sky Retail.


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OTTAWA—The Bank of Canada raised interest rates on Wednesday by a quarter point and said it would now pause to assess the economic impact from sharply higher borrowing costs.
The Bank of Canada increased its target for the overnight rate to 4.50% from 4.25%, or the highest level in over 15 years. More important, the Bank of Canada is one of the first central banks among major developed-world economies to declare that it is done for now raising interest rates in the quest to bring inflation down from historically high levels. Central banks are trying to balance the risks between raising rates too aggressively and triggering a deep recession, and raising rates at too tepid a pace and allowing inflation expectations to remain elevated.
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What Do We Know About Edible Cannabis?
In today’s legal marijuana market, there is more than just a typical joint to get high. There are cookies, gummies, weed-infused drinks and more. But, there are few studies available in the United States that examine the long-term effects of these different products.
Edibles are nothing new. Ancient Chinese emperors used to brew cannabis-infused teas. But, the products are evolving and as more states legalize recreational marijuana, more people are trying them out.
Paul Huhnke is the director of cultivation for HCI Alternatives, a medical marijuana dispensary in Springfield and the metro east. He tells patients who want to eat marijuana instead of smoke it to “start low and slow.”
“There’s a little bit of a time release,” he said. “I usually tell people if you’re buying from a dispensary, it’s good to give yourself about an hour to fully integrate into your system and then you can determine where you want to go from there. You can always add more, it’s harder to take it away.”
Huhnke said some believe edibles are way to ease into marijuana, but that’s not the case. He said people should try smoking it first. That way people are able to get an idea of the correct dose they need, because it metabolizes differently in everyone.
THC levels in edibles are measured in milligrams. THC is the psychoactive component found in marijuana that gives users a high.
“A lot of our chocolate bars are 100 mg in a chocolate bar, but 10 individual pieces,” he said. “Or you’ll get a can of chocolate covered coffee beans or chocolate covered blueberry bites and each one will be dosed where the entire package will be 100mg.”
Huhnke said a lot of first-time users overconsume edibles because it does take some time for the user to feel the full effects. In doing so, they end up feeling “uncomfortable.” But, Huhnke said patients wouldn’t be at risk of any serious health complications. In fact, his simple remedy: eat a sandwich.
The health effects of edibles haven’t really been studied, though. Dr. Robert Wallace from the University of Iowa was a part of a committee that examined some of the research that’s out about cannabis and health, but it didn’t include anything about edibles specifically.
“It’s a legitimate question as to whether the pharmalogic and health effects of cannabis delivered in food is different than that when delivered when it’s smoked or vaped or, you know, other ways you can get it,” said Wallace. “But we didn’t study that and my sense is there’s not a lot of literature on that at this point.”
Users may be able to taste a little marijuana in their chocolate bar, but it looks and smells just like candy. This can be enticing. Not just to adults, but kids and animals too. Wallace said there have been calls to poison control centers across the nation where children ate some of the product and have gotten sick.
This is also a concern for law enforcement.
“It’s a big problem to detect because it is in a lot of products,” said Ed Wojcicki, the director of the Illinois Chiefs of Police. “I’ve actually heard somebody say, maybe we should ban all products that can be appealing to children.”
While Wojcicki said banning edibles is a nice thought, he said it would be too hard to legislate and patrol. The group is opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana. Even though the sponsors of the measure say no one will be able to get high in public, he says edibles create a new landscape.
“You wouldn’t know all the products that marijuana is in, especially edibles,” said Wojcicki. “It would be impossible to see in public view or plain view, so when you ask how this could be enforced, we don’t really know.”
Illinois does have a legal limit of THC, like it does with blood alcohol level. It’s 5 nanograms per milliliter in the blood. But, there is no reliable device to test for it right now. The Carol Stream Police Department began piloting a device that allows police officers to test THC levels through saliva. The department says each kit to collect the fluid costs up to $50 each. Each local department would ideally have a couple of these kits for each officer, if they were proven successful.
Brian Cluever, the traffic sergeant for the department, said he could not comment on how well the tests worked because they have not used them in the field. They will begin using them in traffic stops in a couple weeks on a voluntary basis. Cluever said the saliva tests have not gone through proper legal avenues to be used in civil or criminal court yet.
There are standard sobriety tests, which can help detect if someone is driving impaired. But, law enforcement says edibles, and cannabis in general, make things more difficult.


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Just as there is a glimmer of hope that cruise lines might soon be allowed to resume sailing in UK waters, Guernsey goes and does a Canada, banning cruise ships for the rest of 2021.
Its reason – to protect residents from Covid – makes sense. Or it would if the island was also outlawing holidaymakers arriving by air or ferry for the rest of the year. But no. The Visit Guernsey website assures such visitors they will be “greeted with open arms” once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
Coincidentally, the cruise ban came just after P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises revealed they were ditching overseas sailings this summer, promising instead short breaks and week-long voyages in UK waters. The message from Guernsey is loud and clear: Keep away.
Can this be the same Guernsey that in 2017 boasted it was the UK’s most popular port of call, was “delighted” that more and more cruise ships were piling in (79 in 2019, bringing 115,000 passengers, they crowed) and wanted me to pop over to see what wonders awaited cruisers?
I didn’t need to. Guernsey was the only ‘abroad’ I knew growing up and I have been a fan ever since. But you can go off a place.
Cruise ships have been at anchor for a year, banned from sailing despite safety protocols that knock spots off what most other industries are doing (including only allowing passengers ashore on organised excursions, which is not ideal but a temporary measure that makes cruise ship visitors much safer than other tourists). Thousands of crew have had to survive with no income in all that time, and don’t get me started on all the other people – land-based staff, travel agents, port staff, catering companies – whose livelihoods have been decimated by the government’s response to this pandemic.
With hopes pinned on the Government’s newly-formed Global Travel Taskforce finally allowing ships to restart, in UK waters at least, this is not the time for Fortress Guernsey to pull up the drawbridge. So much for ‘we’re all in this together’.
I wonder what all the island’s restaurateurs, guides and coach drivers think about their lords and masters pulling the plug on cruises. In 2019, cruisers poured almost £4 million into the island’s coffers through excursions or meals ashore (which contrary to popular belief, cruisers do splash out on). That’s a sizeable chunk of income gone.
What makes this decision all the more barmy is that it comes as infections and deaths on the mainland plummet and the bulk of those at risk from catching Covid have been jabbed. By the time cruise ships are allowed to get going (which cannot be before May 17 anyway, and will almost certainly be later as it takes time to get a ship ready to sail), most of the adult population of the UK will have been vaccinated and so, if the numbers continue apace, will the islanders. It might not mean zero-Covid, but even those desperately seeking new variants to scare us witless concede we have to live with this bug.
Guernsey’s tourism chiefs say they look forward to bringing back cruise in 2022. So they are happy to ditch cruise lines in their hour of need, but will have them back when they deem it to be OK?
I know what my response to that would be, especially as Poole, Torquay, Falmouth and Plymouth are all waiting in the wings, waiting to steal Guernsey’s crown. “We are cruise ready, willing and able to welcome passengers back – and an ideal alternative to Guernsey,” Poole’s port director Captain Brian Murphy told me.
Amanda Lumley from Destination Plymouth said they will be “very happy” to welcome back cruisers once ships are allowed to restart. The city is not a big player in the cruise industry, but watch this space. It can take ships big and small, has history, shopping, and beaches, wild moors and National Trust properties galore on its doorstep.
“We know there is demand for Plymouth and have developed exciting new cruise ship excursions,” Lumley said.
Roll over Guernsey. That is the can-do spirit cruising needs right now.


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CHINA’S BITE OF THE BIG APPLE
New York City saw a record number of visitors from China in 2014, with Chinese tourist arrivals having jumped 20.9 percent from the previous year, according to NYC & Company, New York’s official marketing and tourism organization.
“With the visas (between both countries) having been extended from one to 10 years, New York City is now even more accessible to Chinese visitors. We are well on our way to 1 million annual Chinese visitors,” said President and CEO of NYC & Company Fred Dixon during a news conference in Shanghai on July 9 to promote one of the most popular cities in the United States.
Visitors from China were also the third largest group, behind only the UK and Brazil. Of the 56.4 million people who visited the Big Apple last year, 809,000 of them came from China, and this figure is expected to increase again. New York City is expecting to welcome 58.1 million visitors this year, including more than 932,000 from China. Dixon added that the city is planning to add about 124,000 more hotel rooms within the next three years to cope with the rising tourist arrivals.
The US is among the most popular outbound destinations for Chinese travelers. Based on a July 9 report by the China Tourism Academy, the US is also the country that Chinese travelers are most satisfied with in the second quarter of 2015.
According to NYC & Company’s 2013 research data, New York’s Chinese visitors — approximately 58 percent of whom are leisure travelers — spent an average of $3,591 per person per trip.
While most Chinese visitors to New York City usually travel in groups or with families, Dixon expects the number of fully independent travelers to become more popular in the future and revealed that NYC & Company is working on a new travel program specially designed to attract such Chinese travelers, with more details to be announced later this year.
Chinese visitors are also beginning to explore New York to a greater extent, instead of sticking to traditional attractions such as Wall Street, the Statue of Liberty and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where China is already the top international source for visitors. Shopping is the most popular activity for Chinese leisure travelers in New York, followed by sightseeing, art gallery and museum visiting and fine dining.
The news conference in Shanghai also highlighted the latest developments in the city, such as the One World Observatory and the Whitney Museum of American Art — which were unveiled in May this year — and the New York Wheel and Empire Outlets which will open within the next two years.
The latest NYCGO Insider Guide was also rolled out during the event. The guide, which showcases neighborhood attractions throughout New York’s five boroughs, taps onto one of today’s biggest travel trends of living like a local.


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It looks like Volkswagen really wants to put the whole diesel mess behind them as they work to give the Volkswagen Golf a new set of engines for the 2017 models.
According to Motoring, the 2017 Volkswagen Golf will be coming in with three new engine. A 1.5-liter petrol engine as well as a 1.5-liter diesel engine that will be based on the 1.6 liter TDI engine but smaller. There is also a small 1 liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine
While Volkswagen has confirmed that they will be offering these new engines, they also added that the new engines will not be offered right from the start. According to Herbert Diess, the Chief Executive of Volkswagen, the engines will be arriving later because it is more expensive to produce and they want to bring it in only when the time is right.
The engines will all come with a uniform cylinder capacity size of 500cc which means that can all be made at the same production line.


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Sept. 14--EasyJet has launched a service that will allow passengers to book long-haul trips via its website.
The booking platform -- Worldwide by EasyJet -- will allow its customers to connect with long-haul flights operated by other airlines in one go, rather than individually.
Budget long-haul airline Norwegian, which offers cheap flights to North America, and low-cost Canadian airline WestJet have teamed up with EasyJet for the launch.
Passengers will, for example, be able to book a flight from Belfast to Buenos Aires through EasyJet, flying from Belfast to Gatwick with EasyJet and from Gatwick to Buenos Aires with Norwegian or Toronto with WestJet.
When passengers land at Gatwick they will go to their next flight via the airport's GatwickConnects scheme.
The service allows passengers to pick up their bags and drop them off at a transfer desk before going through security for their next flight.
EasyJet is the first low-cost airline to offer this kind of scheme, as it seeks to muscle in on the market for connections at hub airports. Peter Duffy, EasyJet's chief commercial officer, said it would now be cheaper for passengers who must use expensive legacy carriers for long trips.
Carolyn McCall, chief executive, said: 'Long-haul carriers have been asking to work with EasyJet for some time. The new technology platform has now allowed us to do so.' The move also increases pressure on British Airways at Gatwick, RBC analyst Damian Brewer said, where it lacks the short-haul feed for its intercontinental routes.
Duffy said: 'The way we have designed Worldwide by EasyJet means we can profitably access a major new pool of customers without undermining EasyJet's operating model and punctuality. We know there is a real customer demand for making flight connections on EasyJet easier.'
He added: 'This will open up lots of new competition for long-haul travel and will drive prices down.'
EasyJet said it will also start to sell stand-alone tickets from other partner airlines.
Loganair tickets will be available on its website from next month.
EasyJet said it was also in advanced talks with Middle East and Far East carriers who are also looking to use its Worldwide platform.
WHERE YOU CAN FLY TO
÷ Changi Airport, Singapore
÷ Ministro Pistarini International Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina
÷ LAX airport, Los Angeles
÷ Calgary Airport, Alberta, Canada
÷ Pearson International airport, Toronto
÷ John F Kennedy International Airport, New York
(c)2017 the Daily Mail (London)
Visit the Daily Mail (London) at www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
© Tribune Content Agency, source Regional News


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Is there a gadget to avoid recession?
Fortis Investments is one such believer and is telling its clients that they are currently in the second down phase. That implies a rebound is coming, but Fortis is not ready to say when. Not anytime soon, is all it suggests.
One quick gauge of a country’s economy, meanwhile, is to drop into a popular shopping area and see what people are doing. Purely subjectively, a visit last week to two malls in the United States — in Maryland and Virginia — suggested things are pretty bad.
Fewer shoppers than usual, very few carrying actual purchases — the bag test — and sales on at just about every shop.
One exception: traffic at one Apple Store was heavy enough that customers wanting to enter were queueing behind a rope outside.
Perhaps gadgets will save the world?
(Reuters photo: waiting in line to buy Apple’s new iPhone 3G a day before it goes on sale in New York, July 10, 2008)


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Feeding infants rice cereals as first foods is taking a new hit from researchers and organizations alike, and now a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics adds to the growing chorus that rice be scaled back or put off altogether. This is because, as researchers report, infants who are fed rice cereal have much higher arsenic levels, and the long-term effects of exposure to arsenic in food are yet to be determined. Just this month, the FDA proposed a limit of 100 parts per billion for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal. Rice is especially popular as a first food because it is so rarely an allergen, but rice grains are also especially good at absorbing arsenic, which naturally occurs in soil and water, reports ABC News. Meanwhile, the FDA reports that as a percentage of body weight, infants get three times as much rice as adults, primarily in the form of cereal.
The researchers examined the diets of 759 infants and found that 80% were introduced to rice in their first year. Compared to babies with no rice in their diets, those who were fed rice cereal had more than three times the level of arsenic in their urine. "We were surprised by the number of infants consuming rice products," one of the researchers tells NPR, which notes that the FDA suggests trying oats, wheat, or barley as a first food, while the American Academy of Pediatricians says that a wide variety of foods will decrease a baby's exposure to arsenic from rice, including finely chopped meats and vegetable purees. Gerber, for its part, reports that in early 2016 it began to source its rice exclusively from California, which has been shown to grow the rice with the lowest arsenic levels in the country. But it reminds consumers that some arsenic is simply unavoidable in a wide range of healthy foods. (Scientists say one cooking method removes half the arsenic in rice.)


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Sony officially announces the forthcoming launch of its brand new studio known as ForwardWorks, a mobile game development division set in Tokyo, Japan.
According to an official press release from Sony, the tech firm is set to begin operations of its freshly minted mobile game development studio, ForwardWorks, on April 1, 2016, and it will also be changing its full company name to Sony Interactive Entertainment. Although the multinational didn’t confirm this to be the case, the organization is ostensibly revamping its branding in order to accommodate the new mobile game division.
Sony’s initial plans for ForwardWorks is to court fans who use “smart devices” — that is, products with Android and iOS operating systems — in Japanese and Asian markets by producing mobile games using PlayStation-exclusive intellectual properties. However, the company has yet to divulge specifically which titles will be ported under the subsidiary’s umbrella.
ForwardWorks is set to begin business with ¥10 million in capital, which roughly translates to almost $89,000, and will have its board of directors headed up by president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Andrew House, along with SIE Japan / Asia president Atsushi Morita. Regarding the mobile development subdivision’s mission, a snippet from Sony’s announcement reads:
“ForwardWorks will leverage the intellectual property of the numerous PlayStation dedicated software titles and its gaming characters. . . . The company will aim to deliver users with opportunity to casually enjoy full-fledged game titles in the new filed [sic] of the smart device market.”
As many gaming fans may be aware, this isn’t Sony’s first time foraying into mobile gaming. Back in 2012, in fact, the company tried its hand at making cross-compatible titles for Android devices and PS Vita with the PlayStation Mobile initiative. Unfortunately, even after producing popular titles such as Lemmings, Alien Breed, and Super Crate Box, Sony failed to successfully keep the venture afloat after a dearth of interest from developers and fans alike, and the company closed the effort last year.
With other major platform-holders jumping into the smartphone market — Nintendo’s DeNa partnership to make games for smartphones and tablets started this year, for instance — it’s obvious Sony wants a piece of the pie as well. After all, once the Big N announced its decision to dip into the mobile gaming trade, its stocks rose after the announcement. Even so, the most important thing for both Sony and Nintendo to do while porting its titles for Android and iOS devices is to make quality games. Sure, a God of War title or a Super Mario Bros. release for tablets and smartphones looks decent enough on paper, but if the final product is poorly executed, what were once viable brands could go on to be seen as tarnished in the eyes of fans.
What do you think about Sony’s opening of ForwardWorks? Do you believe the company is moving in the right direction, or is it possible that the tech firm’s push into the medium will fail to launch yet again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Sony‘s next major video game release is the Naughty Dog-developed Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which is set to release on May 10, 2016, exclusively for PlayStation 4.


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Investment firm acquires Ply Gem
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), a New York based investment firm, has acquired building products manufacturer Ply Gem Holdings.
Under terms of the deal, CD&R acquired all of the outstanding shares of Ply Gem common stock in a go-private transaction valued at approximately $2.4 billion. Ply Gem’s board of directors unanimously approved the agreement, which provides a payment of $21.64 per share in cash to all holders of Ply Gem common stock. The cash purchase price represents a premium of approximately 20% over Ply Gem’s closing stock price on January 30, 2018.
CD&R has also entered into an agreement to acquire Atrium Windows & Doors. The manufacturer will be combined with Ply Gem to create an exterior building products company with total revenue of more than $2.4 billion in 2017. Terms of the Atrium deal were not disclosed.
Both transactions are expected to close in the second quarter of 2018, CD&R said.
The new Ply Gem will continue to be headquartered in Cary, N.C., with Ply Gem chairman and CEO Gary Robinette continuing to serve as lead executive. John Krenicki, a CD&R operating partner and former vice chairman of General Electric Company, will become lead director of the Ply Gem board, CD&R said.
For its third quarter 2017, Ply Gem reported net sales increased 6.5% to $564.7 million. The company also reported a net income of $27.5 million.
Ply Gem’s product lines include windows and patio doors, vinyl and aluminum siding and accessories, designer accents, cellular PVC trim and mouldings, vinyl fencing and railing, stone veneer, roofing, and gutterware products, used in both new construction and home repair and remodeling.
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Lowe’s Canada to hire 7,000 associates
With its busiest season drawing nearer, Lowe’s Canada said it plans to recruit and hire more than 7,000 employees.
Positions include full-time, part-time, and seasonal positions, which will be added to Lowe’s Canada’s current workforce of more than 25,000 employees.
The move will include the company’s first-ever “National Hiring Day” on Feb. 24. The event will take place at Lowe’s, RONA, or Réno-Dépôt corporate store across Canada. Lowe’s said management will be onsite to accept applications and conduct on-the-spot interviews. Candidates can also apply online at any time.
"Lowe's Canada is bigger than a business: it's a family. When you join Lowe's Canada , you enter a multi-banner company with multiple career advancement opportunities, and you become part of a supportive network of caring, inspiring team members committed to making you feel like you belong," said Marc Macdonald , Lowe’s Canada senior vp human resources. "If growing with a Canadian leader and helping people love where they live appeals to you, now is a great time to join us."
Available part-time and full-time positions include service and support managers, customer service associates, cashiers, stockers, boom truck drivers, and sales specialists. Available in-store seasonal positions include cashiers, lawn and garden associates, stockers, assemblers of outdoor products, and loaders.
Lowe's and its related businesses operate or service more than 2,370 home improvement and hardware stores and employ over 290,000 people. Based in Boucherville, Quebec, Lowe's Canadian business, together with its wholly owned subsidiary, RONA inc., operates or services more than 630 corporate and independent affiliate dealer stores in a number of complementary formats including the Lowe's, RONA, Réno-Dépôt, Marcil, Dick's Lumber, and Ace banners.
Don’t overreach, says ladder group
Missing the last step and overreaching were the two most cited issues as the cause for ladder accidents, according to a study completed by the American Ladder Institute (ALI) in 2016. Close behind were failure to use three points of contact and using the wrong ladder for the job. These cited causes of ladder accidents can be easily avoided by taking the following precautionary actions prior to using a ladder:
• Select the right type and size of ladder.
• Set up the ladder correctly.
• Inspect the ladder for damage and wear.
• Use the ladder correctly.
"Most ladder-related accidents can be easily prevented with the proper education, precautionary actions, and safer, more innovative equipment," said Ryan Moss, President of ALI and CEO of Little Giant Ladders. "The American Ladder Institute provides a number of free resources and education that can help you stay safe and get the job done in the most effective way. You can reduce injuries and fatalities! Join us this coming March for National Ladder Safety Month and make ladder safety a priority for your people."
ALI is also encouraging use of #LadderSafetyMonth on social media. Spread the message of ladder safety while showcasing your brand by becoming a sponsor – view the prospectus for information on sponsorship opportunities. National Ladder Safety Month is proudly sponsored by the International Masonry Institute and the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied and Craftworkers.
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"Call of Duty" developer Treyarch Studio will be talking about their first person shooting game "Call of Duty: Zombies" on Wednesday at the upcoming DICE Summit in Las Vegas.
Treyarch Studios tweeted about it on Tuesday, saying, "Countdown to Zero Hour. Stay tuned for livestream info regarding Wednesday's presentation. #DICE #Zombies."
The studio also posted about it on Facebook, saying, "The countdown is on … two days until Zero Hour when Studio Head Mark Lamia will present 'Treyarch's Zombies: Following the Fun to Win Hearts … and Brains' at DICE."
"Call of Duty: Zombies" was first released in November 2009 to the iOS. It is a spinoff of the original "Call of Duty" series and was based on the "Zombies" mode featured in "Call of Duty: World at War" released in 2008.
Despite fans' excitement over the panel, it's unlikely that Treyarch will be introducing a new game though, as the studio usually announced new "Call of Duty" games in May, and not in February.
Rather, the panel is said to be about the development process behind the "Zombies" mode, as well as its impact with the franchise and with the fans.
As fans are aware, since Treyarch first introduced the game mode to "World at War," it was positively received and other Activision studios have picked up on the idea, such as the "Exo Zombies" introduced in Sledgehammer Games' "Call of Duty: Advanced Wars."
Considering the mode's popularity, some fans may no doubt be interested to know how the studio developed the idea for it and built it up into what they now see in "Call of Duty."
The DICE Summit, which stands for Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain, will be held from Feb. 3 to 5 in Las Vegas. It is an annual event held for executives and developers to discuss the production of games and the business side of the gaming industry.


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Oh, sweet: Chocolate shop to open in mall
Published 12:25 pm Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Growing up, Lisa Nelson loved watching her grandmother make chocolate.
Napoli Chocolates, which Nelson hopes to open sometime in April in the former home of Claire’s Boutique and across from Vision World, will feature handmade German, Italian and Swiss chocolates and truffles, but will also have fudge, peanut brittle, gummies and other goodies. Customers can buy single servings, or purchase her creations by the pound.
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While the focus will be on local customers, the candy shop will also have a website, which will allow customers to place orders online to be shipped anywhere in the world.
Nelson said her grandmother owned a candy shop in Missouri, and now she’s using a lot of those same “old-school German recipes.”
“It’s something we’ve been batting around for awhile, but we just didn’t have the time or space available,” she said.
Nelson and her husband, Bob, have been busy lately. The longtime owners of the Restaurant Warehouse — a supply store for restaurants that burned down in August 2011 — opened the Kitchen Warehouse — a supply store for home-based customers — in September 2011, launched the restaurant Ole Barn BBQ in December 2011 and opened an arcade room called the Machine Shed in early January. All three ventures are in Oak Park Mall.
Lisa said she has received a lot of positive feedback for her most recent business.
“The response has just been phenomenal,” she said. “Austin has needed a candy store for awhile, and the response for the candy I’ve made so far is really good.”
Nelson said she has been perfecting her recipes, trying them out on her employees at Ole Barn BBQ, which she said went over really well.
Shan Kehret, marketing director for Oak Park Mall, said the chocolate shop will be a huge asset to the mall.
“It will be something fun for everyone to come out and treat themselves to homemade chocolate,” Kehret said. “It’s unique. If you want chocolate, that’s the place to come.”


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New York, USA – October 26th 2017
Jane Fonda attended the Women’s Media Center 2017 Women’s Media Awards
wearing a black wool gabardine stretch jacket with velvet and glitter trim detailing and a pair of black trousers,
from the ELIE SAAB Autumn-Winter 2017/18 ready-to-wear collection.
ELIE SAAB DRESSES FAN BINGBING
Pingyao, China – October 28th 2017
Fan Bingbing attended the Pingyao International Film Festival opening ceremony
wearing a deep green silk duchesse satin sleeveless gown, embellished with silk threads, sequins and crystals,
from the ELIE SAAB Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2017/18 collection.


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Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) tried to increase its subscription fees by a dollar and the stock is sown an almost 20%. Just a few days ago, people had very high hopes for the streaming service and now after a lackluster earnings report, panellists on CNBC were already talking about selling the company. Welcome to Wall Street!
Brian Kelly, founder and managing member of Brian Kelly Capital LLC, and CNBC Digital Senior Writer, John Jannarone were two such panellists who shared a rather glum outlook for Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX). Kelly was more drastic in his approach and said that the famous investor and Chairman of AXS TV, Mark Cuban, has it right, Netflix should sell itself.
“[…]On Netflix the only thing I agree with Cuban [Mark Cuban] on, is that they should sell this company. This is AOL, they should take AOL and merge it with Time Warner. Netflix should sell to Apple and go on. The business model is broken. If a dollar is a problem for your customers, you got a bad business model,” said Kelly.
Some investors might think that Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is on its way to expanding in international waters, which could provide a boost to the company’s subscribers number, but Jannarone didn’t see eye to eye with them.
The crux of the matter is that if a slight change in the subscriber fee can discourage customers then that means there are other options available for them, and Netflix’s content might not be the most sought out thing after all. Moreover, this could prove even more fatal for the company in the future as competition in the industry increases. Just recently HBO announced that it is going to be starting its very own platform like Netflix too.
“[…]I think that there are fundamental reasons to be worried about Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX). I talked to a couple of hedge fund managers last night, who shorted the stock and they said, look, the subscriber numbers, they really whiffed. I was bad. I mean they were talking about 1.3 million and it came out under a million,” remarked Jannarone.
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American Textile Co. has hired Brian Lehr as vice president of e-commerce and Doug Venuti as vice president of information technology, a new position for the company. The family-held producer of branded, private-label and white-label mattress protection products, pillows and bedding has headquarters in Duquesne, Pennsylvania.
The two new hires are guiding the company’s internal and external digital transformation, a news release said. Their addition supports a decade of growth as well as a recent, pandemic-driven surge in e-commerce, particularly in mattress protection products and weighted blankets.
Lehr has more than 15 years of sales and e-commerce leadership experience. He is responsible for overseeing and implementing American Textile’s e-commerce growth strategy across multiple channels.
Previously, Lehr managed the e-commerce team at American Licorice Co., where he drove significant growth, according to a news release.
He reports to Lance Ruttenberg, president and chief executive officer.
Venuti brings more than 20 years of information technology experience to his new role and is responsible for developing and executing IT solutions across all functional areas. His background includes stints with retailers Dick’s Sporting Goods and Talbots Inc. He reports to Carlo Morgano, senior vice president of IT.
“Consumers are continuously searching for products to help enhance their sleep hygiene and as a result we’re experiencing increased demand for our innovative products,“ Ruttenberg said. “Placing a priority on e-commerce and information technology will drive our overall vision to support our retail partners and meet the evolving needs of our consumers. Lehr and Venuti’s expertise will be vital to ensuring we deliver on this vision.”


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A young man in Ghana identified with the Facebook name, @Daniel Wilbon Sanni, has dropped a photo of a strange product he found in an Ideal Milk container.
In a post sighted on Daniel’s personal Facebook handle, the gentleman lamented that Nestle Ghana should come for the 4 Ideal Milk he bought and give him a refund.
But in a piece of related news, Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) says a recall of some batches of coagulated Ideal Milk and Carnation Milk products from Nestlé Ghana Ltd is underway following consumer complaints.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the FDA said it had undertaken a comprehensive regulator action to ascertain why customers’ milk were coagulated despite not being expired.
It said results from the analysis indicated that there was no microbial contamination of samples of and therefore no food safety issue with the said coagulated milk products from Nestlé.


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Fooditive introduces vegan casein
The company, through its fermentation process, has expanded from creating sweeteners to the development of a casein powder without the use of animals. Fooditive said the key to producing its vegan casein was to first understand the milk formula. This helped the team re-create an animal-free version of milk casein, by using fermentation and ensuring the process will be scalable for the food industry.
“Making healthy and affordable food for everyone means that we simply need to target every aspect of our diet, and animal-free products should definitely be a part of it. Delivering ingredients that have been produced sustainably is the main key to a long-lasting future that can support the growing human population,” said Moayad Abushokhedim, founder and CEO of Fooditive.
The goal of the company is to be able to deliver on the demand for milk in the coming years and to eradicate the downsides of factory farming, lactose, hormones, and antibiotics. We believe in making milk protein that’s a little better for everyone,” said Abushokhedim.
“We understand that the production of food-grade genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is subject to constant debate due to the combination of negative consumer perceptions and the distrust of conglomerates. Our aim is to change that by showing the food industry and the end consumers an innovative approach to create sustainable products,” said Niki Karatza, Fooditive product manager.
Fooditive said it believes this ingredient will be a game-changer in the food industry because it supports the next generation of milk while simultaneously delivering great taste. The ingredient is also versatile as it is suitable for applications from dairy milk formulations to yogurt, crèmes, and cheeses to get the melting characteristics.
The ingredient will be the first vegan casein available for applications in the food industry, and Fooditive said there is already an extensive list of food developers and food companies - some of them are big players in the dairy industry - subscribed to test the ingredient in their products. Fooditive plans to debut the vegan casein in 2022 in the market.
“We have been delighted that pioneers and experts in the dairy industry are interested in our vegan casein. We are very much looking forward to seeing the results in all the different applications and work towards revolutionizing the food industry together,” Abushokhedim said.


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WASHINGTON - About 60 percent of the largest U.S. meat plants failed to meet federal food safety regulations for preventing the E. coli bacteria in their products, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Tuesday.
With proposed record level funding for its food safety programs in fiscal 2004, USDA said it would begin imposing the "next generation of enforcement" on the U.S. meat industry as part of its "war against E. coli," Reuters reports.
"We are doing everything possible to prevent outbreaks of E. coli in the summer, certainly to prevent these large recalls that we've had," USDA Undersecretary Elsa Murano told reporters.
In September, the department ordered all U.S. beef slaughter and grinding plants to reexamine their food safety systems after inspectors discovered E. coli was more prevalent in meat than previously thought.
A preliminary review of these reassessments found 60 percent of 35 large meat plants not meeting federal food safety regulations.
"They were scientific and design issues and not direct food safety issues," said Garry McKee, administrator for USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. USDA said many plants could not verify that their food safety systems were adequate.
McKee said the department has notified the plants to fix the problem within 30 days. Meat companies are also being told add at least one safeguard in their food safety systems that will reduce the risk of E. coli.
The strain of bacteria causes an estimated 73,000 infections and 61 deaths in the United States each year, according to government data. It is destroyed when meat is cooked to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
The White House on Monday proposed an $899 million budget for food safety, hoping to repair its image after a series of massive meat recalls last year. The proposal includes funding to increase the number of meat inspectors to 7,680 and double the number of E. coli tests at ground beef plants.
USDA said about $18 million would be used to establish the Office of Food Security and Emergency Preparedness. It will coordinate with the Homeland Security Department and other federal agencies to prevent deliberate attacks against the U.S. food supply.


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During the Facebook F8 Developers conference, that started a couple of days ago in San Francisco, Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist for Oculus, pointed out several aspects that will play a crucial role in further development of the project. The main improvement directions for Fasebook's VR headset will be audio, haptics, visuals and tracking system.
The latest Crescent Bay prototype is the first version of the headset to feature built-in headphones, providing full immersion to virtual reality. Further versions of Oculus are promised to include an even better sound system to deliver audio experience of a higher quality, as some of those who managed to get their hands on Crescent Bay told of a poorer sound quality compared to high-end headphones combined with Oculus Rift (an earlier version of the headset without built-in speakers).
Oculus team is constantly working to improve the way you control the device. Previously, my colleague Vlad, told you about the introduction of hand-tracking, which will allow users not only to interact with virtual objects with their own hands, but make them feel these objects. However, this is not the only scope of work for the developers' team. Another awesome feature which is currently in development is a highly-precisive camera tracking system that is going to allow users to literally move around in virtual space; an experience similar to that of Microsoft HoloLens.
The visual counterpart is, probably, the aspect Oculus wants to improve most of all. At the moment the performance and visual quality of the games chiefly depend on the video card of a user's desktop computer. In future, however, Oculus team wants to improve the display and optics of the headset increasing the field of vision from 90 degrees to 280 degrees – like in real life.
The tasks are as challenging, as they are ambitious, but this is only natural when it comes to awesome technologies. So we wish the developers' team good luck and are looking forward to hearing more of Oculus.


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Xiaomi Mi 7, 8th anniversary edition phone to launch in May: Report
Xiaomi is gearing up to launch two smartphones at the end of May – Mi 7 and its 8th anniversary edition – according to a report on MyDrivers. It adds that the latter device will be the first Android smartphone to sport iPhone X-like 3D face recognition technology. The two phones will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, coupled with 8GB RAM.
Separately, a blogger in China Mocha RQ claims that the Mi 7 could not launch at all, instead Xiaomi’s upcoming device will be called Mi 8. The company is said to skip the ‘7’ moniker as it wants to align the name of its next flagship with its eighth anniversary. Of course, the information needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as Xiaomi announced at the Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii in December last year that the Mi 7 will be the company’s first smartphone to be powered by a Snapdragon 845 mobile processor.
Earlier this month, an official-looking poster revealing Mi 7 launch date as May 23, was leaked on China’s Weibo network. However, the image has not been officially shared from Xiaomi’s official Weibo account. The company has so far been silent on the subject of Mi 7’s launch. Xiaomi Mi 7 is the successor to last year’s Mi 6. The phone never made it to the Indian market. Instead, Xiaomi launched the Mi Mix 2 in India as its flagship phone.
According to other leaks, Mi 7 will come with an in-display fingerprint scanner with a notch design on the front. The display will be 5.65-inches in size with Full HD+ resolution, and will sport 16MP dual rear cameras and a bigger 4,000 mAh plus battery. It could also come with 3D facial recognition for unlocking the device. Reports have also pegged that the Mi 7 will come with wireless charging support.


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|Bid||0.00 x 0|
|Ask||0.00 x 0|
|Day's range||36.00 - 37.95|
|52-week range||36.00 - 131.90|
|PE ratio (TTM)||5.33|
|Forward dividend & yield||0.30 (0.78%)|
|1y target est||108.00|
HBO's medieval fantasy series "Game of Thrones" led nominations for the Emmy Awards on Thursday that spanned satire to the supernatural, but streaming service Netflix (Xetra: 552484 - news) knocked HBO off its 17-year pedestal as the network with the most nods.
Actors, writers and directors reacted with gratitude, pride, awe and happiness after being nominated for Emmy Awards, television's top awards, on Thursday. The following are reactions by statement and ...
ASOS (LSE: ASC.L - news) , the online fashion retailer popular among 20-somethings, has warned its full-year sales growth will be at the "lower end" of expectations. ASOS expects full-year sales growth to be "towards the lower end" of a 25% to 30% range. Despite missing the forecast, ASOS and rival Boohoo have benefited as consumers move away from traditional high street retailers in favour of shopping online.
British online fashion retailer ASOS (LSE: ASC.L - news) missed analysts' forecasts for sales growth in its latest trading period, saying it had reined in marketing efforts as it focused on ramping up warehousing space in Germany and the United States. Listed on London's junior AIM market, ASOS shares had risen 13 percent in the year to Wednesday's close, and the stock had been trading at 67 times forecast earnings, one of the highest multiples in the sector, giving little margin for error. ASOS, which sells fashion aimed at twentysomethings, said total retail sales rose 22 percent to 802.7 million pounds in the four months to June 30 - below analysts' average forecast for growth of 25.8 percent and the 27 percent growth it reported in the first half.
The U.S. trade deficit fell to a seven-month low in April as exports rose to a record high, lifted by an increase in shipments of industrial materials and soybeans. Wednesday's report from the Commerce Department was the latest sign of robust economic growth in the second quarter.
U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 set to erase all its losses from Tuesday as signs of easing political turmoil in Italy emerged. Italy's 5-Star Movement party made a renewed attempt to form a coalition government and called for eurosceptic economist Paolo Savona to withdraw his candidacy as economy minister. Fears about instability in Italy had sent investors scurrying to safety assets on Tuesday.
Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic said on Monday the U.S. economy is close to meeting the Fed's employment and inflation goals, with growth of around 2.5 percent expected this year. ...
The dollar rose to fresh 2018 highs on Monday while oil prices climbed to their highest since late 2014, driven by declining Venezuelan crude production and worries the United States could re-impose sanctions on Iran. The crude surge lifted energy stocks in Europe and on Wall Street, with European shares supported by strong results and gains in Nestle after the Swiss company agreed to pay $7.15 billion to Starbucks in a global coffee alliance.
Warren Buffett's manufactured housing unit Clayton Homes is borrowing the playbook of Berkshire Hathaway Inc (Sao Paolo: BERK34.SA - news) 's longtime chairman as it boosts its bet on a growing market for traditional site-built homes. Clayton entered the field in 2015, and has grown in larger markets such as Atlanta (BSE: ATLANTA.BO - news) , Charlotte, Denver and Nashville, and smaller markets including Salt Lake City and Birmingham, Alabama, marketing vice president Carl Hill said on Thursday.
U.S. regulators have expanded use of AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN - news) 's lung cancer drug Tagrisso to include initial treatment of patients with a specific genetic mutation, the company said on Wednesday. The latest Food and Drug Administration approval includes patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations as detected by an FDA-approved test. Tagrisso, also known as osimertinib, was already approved for use in patients whose lung cancer worsened after treatment with other EGFR therapies and who have developed a secondary mutation.
ASOS (LSE: ASC.L - news) said it would have to step up spending on technology and logistics to help maintain its lead in the online fashion pack, with the extra costs taking a toll on its elevated share price. ASOS said capex for the full year was now expected to be 230-250 million pounds, higher than the 200-220 million pounds it predicted in January. ASOS Chief Executive Nick Beighton said the company was trading strongly, with visits to its site exceeding 1 billion in the six months.
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hit a four-year high, the dollar rose and stocks fell on Wednesday in a rocky session after the Federal Reserve at its latest policy meeting showed more confidence in the need to keep raising interest rates. The Fed's more upbeat take on inflation, as seen in the minutes of the Jan. 30-31 policy meeting released on Wednesday, will likely further cement expectations that new Fed chief Jerome Powell will lead his colleagues in raising rates next month.
* U.S. Treasury 30-year yield hits highest since July 2015. NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The dollar index hit a fresh high after briefly turning negative and stocks gave back gains on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve's rate-setting committee, at its last policy meeting, showed more confidence in the need to keep raising interest rates. Its more upbeat take on inflation in the minutes of the Jan. 30-31 policy meeting will likely further cement expectations that new Fed chief Jerome Powell will lead his colleagues in raising interest rates next month.
LONDON/BERLIN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Being offered cash at the gate to take a later flight because of overbooking may become a rarity if technology being examined by major airlines such as British Airways, JetBlue and Qantas catches on. The forceful removal of a passenger from an overbooked United Airlines flight last year sparked an online backlash last year and U.S. carriers pledged to revise their policies. Many airlines still routinely overbook flights because a small number of passengers do not show up.
ATLANTA (BSE: ATLANTA.BO - news) , Jan 8 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve may only need to raise interest rates two times in 2018 given weak price pressures and possible loss of public confidence in the central bank's ability to hit a 2 percent inflation target, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic said on Monday. Bostic, a voter on interest rate policy this year, also added his voice to a group of Fed officials concerned that central bank action may "invert" the yield curve and make long-term rates lower than short-term ones, historically a signal of future recession.
WASHINGTON, Dec (Shanghai: 600875.SS - news) 19 (Reuters) - U.S. single-family homebuilding and permits surged to more than 10-year highs in November, in a hopeful sign for a housing market that has been hobbled by supply constraints. The bullish report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday followed a survey on Monday that showed confidence among homebuilders soaring to near an 18-1/2-year high in December. The Commerce Department said single-family homebuilding, which accounts for the largest share of the housing market, jumped 5.3 percent to a rate of 930,000 units.
An Amtrak high-speed train derailed from near the city of Takoma, Washington state, underscoring the need to update America's aging infrastructure
Passengers wait to go through security at the north terminal of the Hartsfield?Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia on May 17, 2016
Airline passengers will face delays and travel difficulties after Delta canceled 375 flights through its main Atlanta hub due to an early winter snowstorm hitting the Southern United States
Mounting pressure on Britain’s rent-to-own retailers has prompted the American backer of Perfect Home to kick off a review of options for its shareholding. Sky News understands that Aaron's, a New York Stock Exchange-listed hire-purchase group, has hired London-based Stephens Europe to advise it on its stake in Perfect Home. The move comes amid turmoil in the UK rent-to-own sector as its biggest players struggle to cope with more onerous regulation and signs of weakening consumer spending.
World stock markets edged higher and the dollar strengthened on Friday, buoyed by a round of U.S. economic data highlighted by the monthly payrolls report. Wall Street received a boost from a 3.33 percent gain in shares of Apple Inc, a day after the iPhone maker reported quarterly results.
GlaxoSmithKline received a boost for its oncology research on Thursday when an experimental drug for blood cancer received a "breakthrough" designation from U.S. regulators. The decision by the ...
WASHINGTON, Oct (Shenzhen: 000069.SZ - news) 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. economy expanded at a modest to moderate pace in September through early October despite the impact of hurricanes on some regions, the Federal Reserve said in its latest snapshot of the U.S. economy released on Wednesday, but there were still few signs of an acceleration in inflation. "Despite widespread labor tightness, the majority of districts reported only modest to moderate wage pressures," the U.S. central bank said in its Beige Book report of the economy, derived from talking to business contacts across the country. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit during the survey period and will have a negative effect on third-quarter economic growth, the Fed has said, although it expects the impact to be temporary.
WASHINGTON, Oct (Shenzhen: 000069.SZ - news) 18 (Reuters) - U.S. homebuilding fell to a one-year low in September as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma disrupted the construction of single-family homes in the South, suggesting housing probably remained a drag on economic growth in the third quarter. The report on Wednesday from the Commerce Department also showed a decline in building permits, raising concerns that the housing market recovery was stalling. Homebuilding and sales are well below their peaks before the housing bubble burst in 2006.
Metropolises across the United States are locked in a frenzied bidding war desperate to woo Amazon into favoring them as the site of the e-commerce giant's second headquarters


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As CEO of Fenix Outdoor International AG, Alex Koska is responsible for Fjällräven, Hanwag, Primus, Brunton, and Royal Robbins, among others – these brands will also participate at the OutDoor by ISPO in 2019, Koska has announced to ISPO.com, as well as the retailer Globetrotter, which also belongs to Fenix.
“We will be at the trade fair and the platform in a big way with all of our brands and forces – because it is important and we believe that the industry needs a platform like this,” Koska said in an interview with ISPO.com.
ISPO.com: Mr. Koska, you followed the launch of the OutDoor by ISPO on site in Munich. What do you hope to see from the new concept that ISPO has presented to the industry?
Alex Koska, CEO Fenix Group: We now have the chance to make the outdoor sector even bigger, to give it a broader definition, and thus inspire more people with it. I would have been much happier if the move from Friedrichshafen to Munich had happened two years ago – then we would be two steps ahead now.
I think in the past two years, we lost a lot of time there as a huge dynamic in the market – even back then, it could have sent us off on a whole other level. So it’s that much more important that it is happening now and that we can tackle it in full force.
A 365-day platform – what do you think about this focus in the new OutDoor by ISPO concept?
The ISPO Group knows what they’re doing. It was evident in the presentation that ISPO has a lot of contact with consumers, the relevant media, and other relevant industries. They already have a well-established network that the outdoor industry can now benefit from.
Industry, consumers, and other interest groups in the outdoor business will now have to step up – and the new OutDoor by ISPO will create a entity to achieve this. And this entity must define what is relevant, what our core target group is interested in, and how we can inspire new clients. Here, too, Messe München is very good in its role. For example, they describe themselves as follows: we no longer just let out exhibition halls, we are also a business partner who brings together the industry, retailers, and consumers.
What do you think are the most important things that should happen until the first OutDoor by ISPO 2019?
It’s important to maintain a high level of interest from now until the first trade fair – for the industry and for retailers. That means that success stories have to appear every week or at least every month: who will be there, what other industries will be joining them, the halls need to be presented, and maybe even extended. I hope and am relying on one success story after another coming in. And, of course, the first trade fair will need to be the big success story.
The very first OutDoor by ISPO has to be an aha moment for the last doubters, where everyone who wasn’t there says afterwards: I really missed something, next time I’ll be there. My expectation is that the first show has to be so amazing that everyone is talking about it, not just in the industry but all over Europe.


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The construction sector remains a key market for Perkins and an area where our innovative developments in engine technology provide real value to customers and end users. With Perkins engines providing a common core platform for their machines, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can develop appropriate solutions for numerous markets in the most efficient way, supported by Perkins throughout their product lifecycle.
Construction has always been an important market for Perkins, and with the sector currently enjoying a period of sustained growth in key areas, the advantages of working with a world-class engine manufacturer have never been clearer.
OEMs recognise the Perkins brand as a guarantee of quality, performance, reliability and value across a wide spectrum of applications, while the global reach of our manufacturing, sales and support networks gives us a presence in their key markets.
“Construction is a critical market for us,” said Jaz Gill, Vice President global sales, marketing, service and parts. “We power key applications including hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, skidsteer loaders, dumpers, telehandlers, dozers, rock crushers, pavers and more.
“Our customers appreciate and value the deep expertise we bring to their projects – thanks to our rich heritage over more than 85 years – on how to install and integrate our engines into their machines to maximise performance.”
The construction sector is growing in several key areas including Western Europe, North America and China, and Perkins is very much part of that story. As well as our local manufacturing footprint, the Perkins representatives serving those regions live there and understand first-hand the specific challenges faced by OEMs.
Perkins is investing significantly in its global distribution channel capabilities through the Distributor Excellence programme. This initiative, launched about 18 months ago, is raising and maintaining performance all over the world. “It’s all about providing a consistently high standard of service to our end users,” said Jaz. “It just makes their lives easier.”
OEMs typically want to sell one machine with one engine into a variety of markets, said Jaz. With Perkins engines providing a common core platform, they can develop solutions and apply different emission technologies depending on the region they’re targeting.
Perkins industry-leading solutions for EU Stage V emissions standards are helping grow our presence with existing and new customers, he said.
Customers want increased efficiency out of their machines, and that applies equally to the engines that power them. The broad scope of Perkins engines, from the ultra-compact lightweight 400 Series through to the 2800 Series, are all engineered from real-world data to meet the real-world demands of the most challenging operating environments.
Our innovative Perkins® Syncro engines, featuring the new 2.8 and 3.6 litre platforms, have emerged as a key value proposition for customers in the construction market. Their superior power density enables OEMs to downsize from the traditional ‘1 litre per cylinder’ engines while maintaining – and improving – their machines’ performance in terms of noise, fuel consumption and transient response.
In designing our engines to meet Stage V standards, Perkins takes into account the ongoing challenge for customers of incorporating the necessary aftertreatment technology. “Our engines allow the packaging to be more straightforward,” said Jaz.
Over the years Perkins has significantly invested in hybrid engine research and development projects to ensure it adds real value to OEMs as they design the next generation of off-highway machines.
“For the construction sector, it’s not sufficient to simply carry over hybrid or electric technologies from other sectors such as truck, automobiles or marine,” said Jaz. “The duty cycles, operating conditions and packaging constraints for off-highway machines drive the need for specific configurations that are highly customised to the individual application.”
Through close technical collaboration with our OEMs, and using a huge amount of real field data, Perkins is developing solutions which are truly relevant to the construction sector. This close collaboration enables Perkins to save its OEMs time and money and accelerate their research and development programmes.
“We believe diesel technology will remain the key power source for the majority of machines we look to power for the next generation or two,” said Jaz. “By collaborating with us, OEMs can select the right solution for each application, whether that’s pure diesel or a hybrid. Our priority is to ensure we provide OEMs and their customers with construction machines that are more productive, quieter and have lower fuel consumption, whatever power solution they select.”
“It’s all about providing a consistently high standard of service to our end users. It just makes their lives easier.” – Jaz Gill, Vice President Perkins sales, marketing, service and parts.