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Wohlers Associates, Inc. is widely regarded as one of the leading consulting firms in the 3D printing industry, having 27 years of experience and worked with 150 investment companies and 240 client organizations in 24 countries. And, every year, the firm hosts the Annual Wohlers Conference at the enormous EuroMold show in Frankfurt, Germany, where they elucidate the important trends taking place in the world of 3D printing. This year’s conference is titled “The Truth Behind the Additive Manufacturing Supply Chain”, in which a series of industry experts will be presenting a thorough examination of the major players in the field supplying 3D printers, materials, and services around the globe.
In recognition of the fact that major brands and corporations have already implemented or are exploring the use of 3D printing in their operations – including Amazon, Google, GE, Boeing, Airbus, HP, Microsoft, UPS, and more – the show will look at just how far 3D printing has come since its inception in the 80s and how much further it has to go. Principal consultant and president of Wohlers Associates, Terry Wohlers, says of the 3D printing industry, “It is not as evolved as it may seem. Investment is at an all-time high, and it will certainly help, but enormous hurdles must be overcome.” To which, the CEO of DEMAT, the company that organizes EuroMold, Dr.-Ing. Eberhard Döring adds, “EuroMold exhibitors are presented with vast opportunities in additive manufacturing. However, so much work needs to be done. EuroMold is the perfect place to discuss problems and solutions, negotiate partnerships, and initiate new projects that can make a difference.”
Specialists from Australia, Europe, Asia, and North America, will present a breadth of 3D printing knowledge and experience at this year’s conference, providing a great opportunity for EuroMold’s over 50,000 international visitors, as they visit the manufacturing event’s more than 1,000 exhibitors. Included on the speaker’s list include representatives from Airbus, HP, Siemens AG, and more. For more information about EuroMold, visit their website here and, to learn more about Wohlers Associates, click here.


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California state grants aimed at multiplying electric vehicle chargers have proved helpful for many EV drivers in the Bay Area over the past couple years. But not everyone is reaping the benefits at home.
With at least 11,500 plug-in electric vehicles in the Bay Area, EV owners are bristling at being unplugged or having to unplug other idle, fully charged cars. It begs the question: what should EV charging etiquette be?
Tesla Motors unveiled the Model X in February, remaining on the forefront of the electric car market. Many competing electric car companies have filed for bankruptcy or gone out of business.
Electric and hybrid cars remain more expensive than their gasoline counterparts, but this year, governments and corporations are working to make alternative fuel vehicles more popular and easier to own.
Kleenspeed is best known for its undefeated electric race car. Now, the company aims to create an efficient, affordable electric vehicle that can become the must-have car of 2020.

domain: news


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As expected, Gionee launched its latest device Elife E8 in India at an event held today in New Delhi as coded in the invitations sent by the company for the launch event. The device was revealed in China in June and Gionee was silent on the questions regarding the release of it in India. The Gionee Elife E8 has been released at a price of Rs. 34,999 and it will be exclusively available on Snapdeal from 12th October.
Talking about the flagship, it sports a 6 inch AMOLED [...]


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The customers are still opening their wallets, and using the cards.
Results posted by American Express on Wednesday (April 18) showed numbers that topped the Street. The key driver, of course, was customer spending amid a buoyant U.S. economy.
The growth in card metrics disclosed by the company echo other earnings reported by banks, including Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase, which also showed traction in card spending.
Overall customer spend was up 3 percent year over year in the United States, and gained 7 percent globally. The company added 3.5 million cards in the latest quarter.
That growth helped to propel revenues, measured net of interest expense, to $9.7 billion, better than the Street at $9.4 billion. Net income of $1.86 topped estimates of $1.71.
Loans made in the quarter to the card’s customer base were up 16 percent, reaching $75.8 billion. Yield on those loans came in at 10.8 percent, the company said in supplemental materials, up from 10.3 percent in the prior year’s period.
Discount revenues, tied to fees that are charged by the card giant to merchants (aka swipe fees), were up 9 percent to $5.9 billion. The swipe fee percentage rate was 2.37 percent, down about six basis points from last year.
As noted by Bloomberg, the loan growth has some costs attached, as provisions for credit losses were up 35 percent to $775 million, though that tally was less than the Street’s expected $809 million. Net charge-off rates were 1.6 percent, compared to 1.7 percent last year.
Showing some expense growth in a competitive environment, expenses were up 9 percent to $6.9 billion, reflecting higher rewards, which were $2.35 billion, up 14 percent year on year, with points redeemed for travel and lodging up 3.8 percent from the fourth quarter.
During the conference call with analysts, CFO Jeffrey Campbell noted that increased consumer confidence had marked the quarter – along, of course, with increased spending.


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New Year's Day saw a "rare occurrence" in West Wilson County when a bomb threat was called into Gander Mountain in Mt. Juliet.
It was around 10:58 a.m., said Mt. Juliet Police Lt. Tyler Chandler.
He said both the police and fire channels were notfied by management and immediately responded to the scene.
Chandler told The Wilson Post about 10 people were in the store at the time of the threat.
"Management did a great job ensuring the store was evacuated, and they worked well with officers at the scene," he said.
Officers and K-9 units searched the store for over an hour and deemed it safe. Detectives will continue to investigate to determine the identity of the caller who made the threat.
"A bomb threat is a rare occurrence," Chandler said. "But they do happen from time to time."
The last time a bomb threat was called into Mt. Juliet was March 2016 at the Wal-Mart. It proved to be a nationwide incident as the threats were received at Wal-Mart stores across the country.
If someone is caught calling in a threat, penalties can be serious with charges from the district attorney's office.
Chandler said he had no idea why Gander was targeted for this false threat.
Writer Laurie Everett can be reached at email@example.com


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The Met Gala, the major annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute, was supposed to take place on Monday, May 4. Canceled due to the pandemic, the event known as “fashion’s biggest night out” has been postponed to October 29. But that did not deter all the people who celebrated online yesterday with their own homebound outfits.
For the first time, the Met’s social media accounts and Vogue‘s gala roundups spotlighted everyday people (including small children and also pets) dressing up and imitating celebrity getups from the past. The results, which you can peruse at #metgalachallenge on Instagram, are impressive — revealing that you don’t really need to spend thousands of dollars to make an eye-catching, designer-esque dress (with some crafting gowns out of newspaper, and crowns from crackers and Q-tips).
Twitter also had its own celebration, “High Fashion Twitter Met Gala.” The initiative had begun well before the gala was canceled. Back in November, Aria Olson, a prescient 19-year-old student at the University of Michigan, spearheaded the idea of an online Met Gala, garnering the participation of over 800 people. Yesterday, they all posted their own outfits that they’d been brainstorming and designing for months, responding to this year’s gala theme, “About Time: Fashion and Duration.” Also on-theme, there was a fundraising component — participants were encouraged to donate money to the International Medical Corps.
About Time: Fashion & Duration. A look that blends the attributes of the Victorian era with that of the 1960’s mod movement – showcasing the beauty of blending historical periods with such differing sensibilities.#HFMetGala2020 @HFMetGala pic.twitter.com/JV4GimTcJP
— s. (@manicvalentino) May 4, 2020
The October gala will maintain the same theme, so it’s no surprise that the celebrity attendees are keeping their own outfits a secret — with the exception of Katy Perry, who posted a picture of a corset that she would’ve worn over her pregnant belly (apparently an homage to Madonna in Gaultier).
What began as a benefit in 1948 as a midnight dinner, which guests could attend for 50 dollars, has since become an extravaganza of $35,000 a ticket (tables range from $200,000 to $300,000). These changes largely took place when Anna Wintour — artistic director of Condé Nast, editor-in-chief of Vogue, and a Met Trustee — started presiding over the gala in 1995. Attendance is invite-only, and have been recently capped at around 550 people. In 2019, the gala raised a record $15 million.
In late April, the Metropolitan Museum of Art estimated a total of $150 million in losses due to the pandemic. A benefit in the fall will undoubtedly be helpful, though all money is reserved for the Costume Institute.
In the meantime, we can find enjoyment and hope in the creative spirit of all the people who continued to party on in the gala of their own making.
Walt Disney built his media empire animating fairy tales; he did not start making films set in a Nazi-occupied Europe by choice.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye features a riveting performance from Jessica Chastain, but proves less interesting than the documentary it’s based on.
In The Contest of the Fruits, the art collective Slavs and Tatars investigates language, politics, religion, humor, resilience, and resistance in a pluralistic world.
Rafał Milach sharply documents three international border walls and how they impact our sense of identity and memory.
Protesters splashed paint on the entryway of the Museum of Modern Art in Midtown, Manhattan.
Seven artists and curators, including Dona Nelson, the featured artist for this year’s Tim Hamill Visiting Artist Lecture, are giving public talks at BU School of Visual Arts.


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HayPost offering weekly mail and cargo services between Armenia and Europe
HayPost is now carrying out regular scheduled mail and cargo transportation services between Armenia and Europe. In a statement published on the HayPost website on 29 September, the company said: “The new service is meant to expand the connectivity of Armenia, by means of weekly mail and cargo transportations from Yerevan to the hub in Frankfurt and vice versa. This innovative reliable, fast and secure service facilitates the process of export and import of products to and from Armenia, enabling the Armenian companies to expand their business. At the same time, the new service will help to dramatically increase the volumes of the online commerce in Armenia.
“In order to provide the new service, HayPost introduced 2 brand-new Mercedes-Benz Actros 2530 GigaSpace 6×4 trucks with 530 horsepower, with the capacity to carry 27 tonnes of cargo each one, and with their extra fuel tanks they have a range of 4,500 km with no refueling.”


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With the number of wireless devices (327 M) exceeding the number of people (312 M) in the US by 25 million, it is little wonder that the pay phone will join the growing list of products (cameras, GPS sets, netbooks) that are being rendered obsolete by the ubiquitous computing devices. More here: Verizon Disconnects From Most Of Its Pay Phones
What’s next for the growing list of obsolete products? Just about anything that still requires coins are sinking fast – vending machines and parking meters that haven’t been converted will soon be. And as Near Field Communications becomes a common feature on smartphones it won’t be long before there will be little need for carrying cash, coins, credit or debit cards. Who knew that when they talked about computer’s driving a paperless future, it was the future of paper money that was bleak!


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Steer clear of driver’s license phone scam, Ga. officials warn
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Georgia Department of Driver Services is warning about a phone scam that asks people to provide their driver’s license details and pay a fee to reinstate their license.
The caller claims to be from the Department of Driver Services. Instead, the call is part of a common voice phishing scam designed to steal personal information and money.
DDS employees do not contact customers to ask for personal or confidential information such as driver’s license or Social Security numbers via telephone, email or text.
Anyone who gets one of these calls should consider it a scam to steal your identity.
When the agency calls or emails customers, it is a return phone call based on action initiated by the customer such as a request to speak to a licensing agent or an email confirmation from utilizing online services.
Customers can quickly verify the status of their license on the DDS website at this secure link https://dds.drives.ga.gov/_/by.
Voice and computer phishing scammers use tactics to trick victims into handing over their personal or financial information. They usually try to scare people by saying there’s a looming expiration date, legal matter or unpaid fee that can have dire consequences.
Visit www.dds.georgia.gov for compete licensing and testing information.
Copyright 2021 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.


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Toyota named Koji Sato as its new president, CEO, and working officer Thursday, changing third-generation chief govt Akio Toyoda — who will grow to be board chairman.
The Japanese automotive large, at the moment the world’s top-selling automaker, mentioned in an announcement that the adjustments to its govt construction shall be efficient from April 1.
Toyoda, 66, grew to become Toyota’s youngest president in 2009, because the agency returned to its household foundations after the worldwide monetary crash.
He is the grandson of firm founder Kiichiro Toyoda. His father Shoichiro Toyoda additionally led Toyota within the Eighties and 90s.
After a bumpy begin on the helm, he grew to become often called a charismatic chief tasked with navigating a interval of main upheaval for the auto business.
He steered the group by means of a quality-control scandal that noticed him apologise earlier than the US Congress, and provide chain chaos attributable to Japan’s 2011 quake and tsunami.
More not too long ago, he has labored to strengthen Toyota’s ambitions in the important thing electrical car sector.
Incoming president Sato, 53, was beforehand the corporate’s chief branding officer, and president of its luxurious Lexus model.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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Wipro Sacks Over 450 Freshers Over Poor Performance


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Wellous has put in place multi-pronged expansion plans after sealing a US$270 million merger deal with Nasdaq-listed Kairous Acquisition Corporation Limited.
The Malaysia-based company has a rising presence in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Andy Tan, co-founder and CEO of Wellous, told NutraIngredients-Asia that the firm would focus on market expansion, product innovation, and upgrading of IT infrastructure post-merger.
Australian plant-based formula firm Sprout Organic is making its debut in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, and at the same time, plans to tap on the growth opportunities in APAC’s dairy-free infant formula market.
Sprout Organic specialises in organic, plant-based infant formula and snacks for kids. Its products are distributed in Australia and New Zealand, both on-shelf in over 1,000 stores and via e-commerce.
The firm told us that it would be expanding to Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, especially when the latter has been witnessing a higher-than-global-average birth rate and a growing middle class.
Listing products on cross-border e-commerce marketplaces is a common way that overseas firms use to enter the China market, but one Singapore firm is also exploring a novel way of cracking the country - such as working with a major petrol station company.
Last year, Singapore start-up HQ Gano, which specialises in Lingzhi (Ganoderma lucidum), set foot on the Chinese market by selling its product on Easy Joy, the cross-border e-commerce platform of Sinopec – Beijing-headquartered petroleum and chemical corporation.
The firm also sells its product, HQ Lingzhi capsules – priced at over RMB$300 (US$43) for a box of 30 capsules – via its circle of friends in China.
Dig deep: Junlebao launches nutrition science strategy to enhance science of infant, healthy ageing products
Junlebao Dairy Group has launched its Nutrition Science Strategy, aiming to strengthen the science behind its products, as well as to identify novel functional ingredients.
For example, in the area of infant nutrition, the company will delve into early science, such as the study of human breast milk components, and work with universities to discover new components from mother’s breastmilk, Celia Ning, director at Junlebao Dairy Group’s Nutrition Research Institute, told us.
More research will also be conducted on nutrition for middle-aged and older consumers, such as conducting clinical trials on the firm’s product formulation.
Competing with the big guys: Thai uni spin-off to launch locally formulated supplement into US and China
A Thai firm is on a mission to boost the overseas profile of the industry by launching its blood sugar-regulating product in the world’s two largest economies – the US and China.
By June this year, Orient Innovation hopes to introduce its one and only SKU – a softgel supplement marketed as Caminia – into both US and China.
Established by entrepreneur Vichai Kemtongkum, Orient Innovation was set up in 2019 to commercialise a supplement formulated and trialled by scientists from Mahidol University.


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“October 32 should be a national calendar day,” says cult sandwich chain Quiznos.
- To support the movement and celebrate the new day, Quiznos is offering fans a free sub with a $10 purchase on October 32nd, 2023*.
- Quiznos Spongmonkeys are requesting all to join the movement to make Oct 32 come true
DENVER, Oct. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Iconic sandwich chain Quiznos is today calling for the creation of a new calendar day – October 32nd – to support the Spongmonkeys’ demand for a recovery day after Halloween, their favorite holiday.
To honor the movement, Quiznos will offer fans a free 8″ sub in the US (or 9″ sub in Canada) on October 32, with a $10 purchase. To get in on this free sub offer and join the movement to make October 32 come true, fans must download and sign up for the Quiznos Toasty Points app or be an existing member.
The Spongmonkeys are small, affectionate and friendly creatures who love subs, road trips, and Halloween As they go all out, every year on Halloween, on a 24-hour trick-or-treating marathon, the Spongmonkeys want to use the extra day to recover from the dramatic celebration.
October 32 would give everyone (not just Spongmonkeys) a chance to recover after a heavy day of trick-or-treating, bobbing for apples, and costume parties lasting long into the night on Halloween. It would also memorialize the Quiznos’ Spongmonkeys, who recently returned from peoples’ nightmares to the airwaves with their debut single.
Quiznos is picking up this campaign on the stern insistence of the Spongmonkeys, its chaotic mascots who love nothing more than the subs, roadtrips and Halloween.
The Spongmonkeys commented, “We love the subs and we love Halloween. Celebrating until the cows come home is part of any Spongmonkey’s DNA. We party, we trick-or-treat, we wear our toasty sub costumes, and because we also love October, we want it extended by one day. October 32 is our dream, so let’s make it a reality.”
Speaking about the logistics, the Spongmonkeys said, “We see October 32 as a national recovery day – simple. We’ll just delay November 1 by a day so other great holidays, such as National Calzone Day and International Pet Groomer Appreciation Day would still be celebrated, just postponed by a day.
Quiznos CMO Brent Philip commented, “The Gregorian calendar was last changed in 1582, more than a century before the Earl of Sandwich was born. In the years since we’ve perfected the sandwich but the calendar has stayed the same. This year we want to change that.”
“We’re doing this on the strict instructions of our Spongmonkey mascots, who adore Halloween and would like the following day off to recover. To honor them we will be celebrating October 32nd across our restaurants this year, even if the government doesn’t recognize it. Come in and enjoy a free sub with any $10 spend.”
“We’ve already got months with 28 days, 29 days, 30 days, and 31 days. Why not 32?”
* Free Sub offer will occur on November 1 in the event the call fails to change the calendar.
Based in Denver, Colorado, REGO Restaurant Group is a fast-casual restaurant platform backed by High Bluff Capital Partners. Quiznos was purchased by High Bluff Capital Partners in 2018.
In 2022, Quiznos began franchising again for the first time in over a decade. Since then, agreements for nearly 100 restaurants have been completed with multiple multi-unit franchisees.
The new Quiznos 2.0 operating models have been in development for three years. The first new restaurants have expanded menus made possible by new cooking equipment.
Quiznos announced a partnership with BCubed manufacturing in 2022 allowing franchisees to obtain pre-fabricated restaurants that can be built in a quick and cost-effective manner.
Founded in 1981, Denver-based Quiznos is a chain restaurant designed for today’s busy consumers who are looking for a high-quality, tasty, freshly prepared alternative to traditional fast-food restaurants. With locations across the United States and 32 countries, Quiznos is one of the world’s premier quick-service restaurant chains and pioneer of the toasted sandwich. Quiznos restaurants offer creative, chef-inspired sandwiches, subs and salads using premium ingredients. Rewarding fans through Quiznos loyalty app, Toasty Points, guests can earn and redeem points for free Quiznos menu items at participating locations. For more information, please visit quiznos.com/loyalty or www.quiznos.com, connect with Quiznos on Facebook or follow on Twitter or Instagram. For those interested in owning an iconic sub franchise, visit https://ownaquiznos.com/.
Contact: [email protected]
Originally published at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quiznos-calls-for-october-32-to-become-a-new-calendar-day-301965693.html
Images courtesy of https://pixabay.com


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Motorola has always been able to adapt to whatever the smartphone market is doing, and deliver an Android device that functions on multiple fronts. While companies like Samsung, LG and HTC are busy hyping their flagship models for 2015 – Motorola has quietly sat back, and now introduced a smartphone that could challenge and dominate the middle-of-the-road smartphone users. Today, the company introduced the Moto E, which has some increasingly exciting specifications – with a price tag that will fit into almost any smartphone user’s budget.
The Motorola Moto E enters the market with a 4.5-inch display and 4G LTE capability here in the United States. Under the hood, the device will boast a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, with 1GB of RAM. The device will be running Android 5.0 Lollipop, which is somewhat of a surprise for a budget phone, but nonetheless, a very exciting note to add to this phone. The Moto E has an impressive battery that measures in at 2390mAh, and the device does come with 8GB of internal storage. That being said, while the cameras on the device will not be overly impressive, the other function that the device brings to the table is noteworthy. A 5MP rear-facing camera and a VGA front-facing shooter combine to be underwhelming, but something certainly that can be overlooked.
This is the second generation of the Moto E, and Motorola pointed out that this smartphone was designed to last all day, and to be a phone that can withstand a decent amount of work on it. Meaning, you will not be reaching for your charger halfway through your workday, or looking for an outlet during your lunch break. That being said though, it does fall short in some categories, but as many have pointed out, for a budget phone that will only cost $149.99 without contract – it really is an incredibly fair price and value. Right now, the device can only be purchased on the Motorola website, but Verizon is said to be working on releasing the device for their carrier in the very near future.


text: David Riddiford has been appointed as the new chief executive officer for Trollbeads UK, just weeks after the Danish jewellery announced the acquisition of its UK distributor, Fable Trading.\r\n\r\nRiddiford, who was formerly chief executive for Links of London globally and Folli Follie in the UK, is currently non-executive director at ethical fashion firm People Tree and department store Jarrold Norwich.\r\n\r\nEarlier in his career, in the late 1990s, he was buying director at Selfridges before becoming president of the Lane Crawford Department store group in Hong Kong, and then the CEO of Arnotts in Dublin.\r\n\r\nDeparting Trollbeads CEO, Jan Stig Anderson, said: \u201cDavid has the experience to develop Trollbeads\u2019 major potential in the UK jewellery market and he will be the driving force in growing our business here. We are delighted to welcome him to this important role in our organisation.\u201d\r\n\r\nAccepting the new role, Riddiford said: \u201cTrollbeads has an excellent foundation in the UK. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the brand forward and to focus on the originality and versatility of the collections. There are huge opportunities in the UK market for Trollbeads and I\u2019m looking forward to establishing strong relationships with existing customers and to developing new links and prospects.\u201d\r\n\r\nSince Trollbeads first began marketing its jewellery outside of Denmark in the early 2000\u2019s, the company has expanded its distribution to include more than 35 countries. In most countries distribution is handled by independent local distributors, but in the US, Scandinavia, and now the UK, distribution is handled by Trollbeads subsidiaries.


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No fees will be charged by Samsung to card issuers making use of its new Samsung Pay service in Korea, Business Korea reports, “to help dominate the rapidly-growing mobile payments market”. Samsung’s revenue plan for the US “is still unknown”, the report adds, “but an industry source said that the company is unlikely to charge fees in the US in light of its decision in Korea”.
- UK consumers warm to face verification at the point of sale
- Heart scan biometrics could let computers continuously monitor logged in users
- New iPhones and Apple Watch to support NFC-F for FeliCa payments around the world
- Swarovski lets shoppers make payments in VR
- Cambridge academics report on cryptocurrency market status


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Ford has weathered its share of issues when it comes to the return of the legendary Ford Bronco. The launch of the anxiously awaited 2021 Ford Bronco was hampered by COVID and then the chip shortage. Since August, the shipments of the incredibly popular SUV were stopped because of an issue with the hardtops. Ford now believes it has the issue resolved.
The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Ford will begin shipping replacement hardtops to dealers as soon as this coming week. The dealers will then be able to contact the people who have already taken delivery of their new 2021 Bronco, so they can have the hardtop replaced.
Ford will also be able to resume production of the 2021 Ford Broncos with the new hardtop roofs. The delays have been hard on both Ford and its dealers. Customers are miffed by the delays and the initial quality issue.
The Problem with the Initial Bronco Hardtop
In July, Ford announced that problems were being reported with the Bronco’s hardtops that were exposed to extreme heat and humidity. The weather was changing the hardtop's appearance. The hardtops are built by Webasto, a Ford Motor supplier. Ford upper management was so angry about the issues that it announced, in August, that the company would replace all of the hardtops. However, Ford had to wait until the supplier could fix the problems, test and validate the new roofs and then produce them. There are thousands of customers that have already taken delivery waiting for the replacement roofs. There are also thousands of 2021 Broncos already partially built waiting for the hardtops so they can be sent to fill customer orders.
Ford Acknowledges Need To Move Some Builds
My colleague Marc Stern reported in August that the problems with the hardtops are forcing Ford to delay some of its planned production of the red-hot Bronco.
“Those customers still awaiting delivery of their Broncos will be notified of their delivery dates in the coming months. Ford may move some deliveries from the 2021 model year to 2022.
"As a result of continued roof challenges, we will be producing fewer 2021 model year Bronco vehicles than initially planned," Ford said in an online Bronco forum.”
Ford will contact customers when tops are ready to be installed. As of now, it is expected that the replacement hardtops will be sent to dealers so they can switch out the hardtops.
Follow Mary Conway at @maryconwaymedia and send her car news tips for future stories.


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Dancehall artiste Alkaline Top Prize album takes the number one spot on the sales-driven US Current Reggae Albums chart with an impressive 1,527 copies sold in its first week.
This doubles the 741 copies that his previous effort, 2016’s New Level Unlocked, sold in its opening week.
Top Prize debuts at number two on the streaming- and sales-driven Billboard Reggae Albums chart. The set released by Autobam Records on May 14, has 14 songs including the previous hit Ocean Wave, Maniac, Hostage, and Nuh Trust Mankind.
The album also features on other Billboard charts including Top Current Album Sales (number 56) and Heatseekers Albums (number 19). For the first time, Alkaline debuts at number 37 on the publication’s Emerging Artists Chart.
Here’s a breakdown of Alkaline’s first week sales figures. Total Album Sales streaming and sales combined 2,957; Song Sales 638; Track equivalent albums (TEA) 64; Audio Streaming 1,623,382; Video Streaming 355,103; and, Total (stream equivalent albums) SEA Audio 1,366.
Skillbeng also makes moves on the Billboard charts as the remix of Crocodile Teeth with rapper Nicki Minaj debuts at 100 on the Hot 100 chart. The song enters Digital Song Sales chart at 43 and is 182 on Billboard‘s Global 200.
This is the first time in four years that a Jamaican has entered the Billboard Hot 100. The last time this occurred was in April 2017 with Sean Paul’s guest appearance on Enrique Iglesias’s Subeme La Radio.


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RFMD sees WiMAX demand outstripped by 2011
by Andy Extance
US power amplifier (PA) powerhouse RF Micro Devices (RFMD) expects that although production of WiMAX base stations and handset modules is already gathering pace, it will be eclipsed by “UTRAN LTE” (Long Term Evolution of the 3G UMTS protocol), which will be seen in handsets from 2009.
Nokia has now announced plans to bring WiMAX handsets to market in 2008, while Samsung and Motorola are also developing phones for US carrier Sprint, forcing PA makers to sit up and pay attention.
In its analysis, RFMD predicts that the industry will make 13.5 million WiMAX enabled handsets annually by 2011, in comparison to 63.5 million handsets for LTE, according to the Greensboro, NC, company's managing director of strategic marketing, Alastair Upton.
Upton indicated that there were still a few challenges to be faced in the mobile WiMAX area by the “handover protocol” required to support handsets moving between cells covered by adjacent base-stations.
The transmission power amplification required to achieve the performance linearity the standard demands is also a concern, particularly with regard to power consumption of handsets.
“WiMAX in laptops makes sense, because people are used to charging them as they work, but in a handset the power consumption is critical so a lot of attention has to be paid to the power amplifier efficiency,” Upton said.
Whilst Michels shares Upton s opinions about transmit power issues, he outlined how Anadigics would tackle the problem.
“Early participation in the first mobile WiMAX products, such as PC cards and desktop CPEs, will be important for us to establish a foothold in this market,” Michels explained.
“Following that, Anadigics needs to have the ability to offer solutions for handset applications as well.”
RFMD s cautious approach on WiMAX might see it out-of-step with one of its top customers.
Although Upton was only able to say that RFMD would have WiMAX amplifiers in handsets “in 2008”, Nokia has announced plans to bring its first WiMAX-enabled mobile device to market “in early 2008”.
Michels said: “Anadigics expects to have WiMAX radios available in mobile handsets as early as mid-2008,” leaving the question of who is supplying Nokia's WiMAX PAs, as with so many other areas of the technology, open to debate and speculation.
Andy Extance is a reporter at compoundsemiconductor.net.


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Quest Radio, TV light up Delta region
20 November 2016 State
After careful assessment of Delta State and its brand architecture, an entrepreneur, The Managing Director of Honeywaves Communications Investment Limited, Gregory Edor, said the reason for his establishment of Quest Radio and Quest TV stations is to positively reconstruct the narratives of the oil producing state, in addition to offer platform for products marketing and entertainment.
Edor made this known in an interview with Business Day when he and his team were in Lagos for an interactive session with creative and media buying agencies. He said that Deltans are successful businessmen and women in different fields but regretted that the state did not have a broadcasting media with huge investment and far reach like Quest that would represent Delta, its people and market products to the region.
“Our objective is to project Delta from within the state rather than projecting it from outside. Another objective is to expose different brands to Delta people and its environs through the radio and the TV stations and provide jobs for Nigerians”
Read the full interview here.


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Images of a new unannounced Motorola handset have surfaced on the net. The new phone is running Android 2.1 with MOTOBLUR and comes with a series of quite interesting specifications.
The Motorola Twist comes with a 2.8 inch QVGA touchscreen display, quad-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA 850 / 1900 connectivity. As mentioned above, the phone is running Android 2.1 and comes with MotoBlur 1.5.
The phone also comes with WiFi connectivity, GPS support, Bluetooth 2.1, a 3.5mm headset jack, HTML browsers with multi-touch capability and a 3 megapixel camera. It is powered by a 700MHz TI OMAP processor and comes with 256MB RAM and 512MB ROM. The phone is also equipped with a microSD memory card slot.
The Motorola Twist is not officially announced but the guys at Ubergizmo speculate that it may be released on June 10 on AT&T.


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For several years now, the EVO Championship Series has been the go-to event to watch the world’s greatest fighting combatants go at it in a number of video games, including Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition and Mortal Kombat. This year is no exception, as the EVO 2013 event has just gotten underway in Las Vegas, Nevada.
EVO will be live streaming the event all weekend through its Twitch.tv channel, where you can see everyone from young kids to the mighty Justin Wong mix it up in such games as the ones mentioned above, as well as Super Smash Bros. Melee and the newly added Injustice: Gods Among Us, WB Games’ thrilling DC Comics-licensed brawler. The full EVO 2013 streaming schedule can be found here.
Drop by and tune in. Who knows? You just might learn a thing or two.


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Not happy with your expensive iPhone and wondered if it’s possible to run any other operating system on your iPhone, maybe, how to install Android on an iPhone or Linux for iPhones?
Android phones can be rooted, and iPhones can be jailbroken to unlock new features, but so far, it’s been close to impossible to get Android running on iPhones, given the mobile device hardware constraints and software limitations.
However, it’s now possible to smoothly run Android on an iPhone—thanks to a new initiative, dubbed Project Sandcastle.
Undertaken by cybersecurity startup Corellium, Project Sandcastle is the consequence of a 13-year-long developmental effort to port Android to iOS and as well as demonstrate that Apple’s much-vaunted security barriers can indeed be compromised.
“Where sandboxes set limits and boundaries, sandcastles provide an opportunity to create something new from the limitless bounds of your imagination,” the project website says. “The iPhone restricts users to operate inside a sandbox. But when you buy an iPhone, you own the iPhone hardware.”
“Android for the iPhone gives you the freedom to run a different operating system on that hardware. Android for the iPhone has many exciting practical applications, from forensics research to dual-booting ephemeral devices to combatting e-waste.”
For now, only a handful of devices, the iPhone 7, the iPhone 7 Plus, and the iPod Touch, are capable of running a customized version of Android, which comes installed with OpenLauncher and the secure Signal messaging app.
Even then, there’re a lot of restrictions, including no support for audio output, cellular modem, Bluetooth, and camera, to name a few, as shown in the chart below.
All of this is only to say that Project Sandcastle is very much a work in progress.
It was initially released last November and works on the iPhone 5s to iPhone X, running iOS 12.3 and newer versions.
images from Hacker News


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Remembering recently visits during the 1980’s to the then Glaxo company in Greenford-London, the Glaxo factory was built (in an art-deco design) in the 1930’s, and represented very much the birth of the modern pharmaceutical industry in the United Kingdom. I was told during my visit that the Glaxo factory was originally a milk powder producer, and that during the Second World War, the factory at Greenford was pressed into manufacturing penicillin products to help the war effort. Glaxo obviously took this opportunity presented by the war, and went on to become a pharmaceutical super power within the industry. In the meantime GlaxoSmithKline have now moved out of the Greenford site and the site now awaiting sale and redevelopment. The latest news is old Glaxo factory is going to become an apartment complex, that’s progress!!
This got me thinking about how both companies and industries evolve. There is a definite life cycle both in a company and the surrounding pharma-sector. We are only too aware of this in Ireland at the moment where some of our manufacturing companies are currently experiencing the patent cliff on a number of their products with the accompanying drop in sales. The modern industry here was initially built around the advent of the blockbuster drug but has quickly had to adapt what it does due to the demise of some of these successful products due to patent expiry and also manufacturing competition from other countries. From being very much gone from having a pharma industry based around the manufacture of bulk ingredients, the sector has looked for opportunities to both move down stream and evolve. So we have the addition of formulation manufacture to some of the bulk ingredients plants. Many of the formulations and products included hard to handle materials and complex manufacturing. But again, many countries now offer this type of production, so again we had to look further into the manufacture of biologics and new biotechnology products. Ireland has successfully attracted companies such as Amgen, Genzyme, Weyth Biotech (now Pfizer), Janssen Biotech, Biomarin, Alexion and Regeneron. The move from small to large molecule synthesis and formulation is well under way!! As both companies and the sector grows, Ireland is also developing an accompanying pharma service sector. This is represented by such companies as Alkermes, PPD, TopChem, Almac and Icon. They deliver chemical and biological development skills right across the life time of a drug product from discovery chemistry through to manufacture and distribution. These service companies need skills and knowledge in how to communicate globally effectively with sponsors/clients and deliver projects and development on time. It is not just anymore a case of being a toll manufacturer of bulk ingredients operating from a recipe developed elsewhere. Now service companies find themselves at the heart of a worldwide development process both in clinical development but also at the manufacturing stage.
The future? This must involve discovering and bringing to market new drugs and medicines here in Ireland. Central to this effort, the government has been developing and supporting centres of research excellence at the Universities and also putting money into organisations such as the excellent National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT). This is exactly the type of government intervention that is needed and will help support the evolution of a research based industry in future years.
For further information of companies mentioned in this blog please go to www.pharmaservicesdirectory.com


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Bank of China Group and Standard Chartered Bank, two of the largest financial institutions operating in Hong Kong, launched a Visa Cash experiment there last week.
The banks described the program, Prime Visa Cash, as Asia's first "open" stored-value, chip-based card project.
Each bank will sell through its branch network 100,000 cards with face value of 200 Hong Kong dollars, the equivalent of U.S. $26.
Those cards are disposable, but as the pilot progresses, the banks plan to issue reloadable cards. A full rollout is expected by July 1997.
More than 1,000 Hong Kong merchants - including fast-food chains, video shops, bookstores, and department stores - have signed on to accept the payment cards. Some terminals have been activated; more are being installed.
Ten more Visa member banks have indicated a desire to join the program, with special interest in adding the Visa Cash function to existing credit or debit cards, the card association said. The program may spread to Macao and southern China.
The British colony, which reverts to Chinese ownership next year, had already shown signs of becoming a smart card hotbed. Its largest bank, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp., is one of 17 owners of the competing Mondex International group. Hongkong and Shanghai is preparing Mondex trials in several Asian countries.


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Rakuten, which also owns the Canadian e-reader Kobo, said the purchase would allow it to expand its digital content into emerging markets.
Viber, which is based in Cyprus, has 300 million registered users.
“This acquisition is a totally new strategy that will take Rakuten to a different level,” said Rakuten’s chief executive Hiroshi Mikitani.
“Developing this messaging system on our own would have been impossible, ” he added.
He suggested that Rakuten users might be able to use Viber’s instant messages to contact an online store while considering a purchase.
Viber’s chief executive and founder, Talmon Marco, said: “This combination presents an amazing opportunity for Viber to enhance our rapid user growth in both existing and new markets.
“Sharing similar aspirations with Rakuten, our vision is to be the world’s number one communications platform, and our combination with Rakuten is an important step in that direction.”
Rakuten has been on a buying spree over the past couple of years – purchasing Europe-based video-on-demand company Wuaki.tv in 2012, the Singaporean online TV and film streaming Viki last year and a stake in the online scrapbook site Pinterest.
Viber is particularly big in the Middle East. Its founder, Mr Marco, was the chief information officer of Israel’s Defence Forces and the company’s research and development centre is still based in Israel, although its head office is in Cyprus.
The US, Russia and Australia are also among its biggest markets.
Viber competes with other messaging apps such as Whatsapp, WeChat and Line.
Ian Maude, internet analyst at Enders Analysis, expects more deals in the sector.
“This is a very congested market place, with lots of growth potential,” he said.
He pointed out that social messaging apps tend to be used a lot by younger people, many of whom do not use email, so for a company such as Rakuten it gives them an opportunity to promote other products, such as games, to that generation.


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The European Union (EU) Office in Ghana has denied claims that it intended to ban Ghana cocoa from accessing its market, which accounts for 80% of cocoa export from the world’s second-largest producer.
Last week, there was widespread reportage in the Ghanaian media on the subject following a Facebook post by the West African country’s Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah.
“In Europe, there is a new legislation that could soon make Ghanaian cocoa and coffee unexportable to many international markets,” stated the Information Minister.
He added that earlier that week in Brussels, “I had the privilege to chair a 2-day forum on ‘the future of Ghanaian cocoa and coffee value chains in the face of this new EU legislation.'”
Oppong-Nkrumah however assured Ghana’s Embassy in Belgium “has also commenced work on realigning Ghanaian and European interests in cocoa and coffee.”
“Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire need to act quickly to secure the industry while meeting the interests of European markets else millions of households and our entire economies could be significantly affected soon,” he warned.
Reacting in a tweet, The European Union Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaarly, downplayed the assertions, explaining the EU’s upcoming legislation “would be used as an opportunity to improve the quality of cocoa from Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.”
There is no EU ban on Ghanaian cocoa. On the contrary, we want more. The EU regulation would be used as an opportunity to improve the quality of cocoa from Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. And we are helping these two countries to meet sustainability expectations. @konkrumah @moigovgh https://t.co/ktNcgvOQNa pic.twitter.com/RenYdHMl6t
— European Union Ghana (@EuropeInGhana) October 4, 2022
Later in a speech read for him by the Director at the EU Office in Ghana, Celine Madsen Prud’homme at the Dutch Embassy-organised Orange Cocoa Day, he dismissed any intentions to ban cocoa beans from Ghana.
“As my ambassador said earlier, there will be no ban. All countries considered high risk will be able to continue selling their products in the EU market provided producers can demonstrate that products are legal and free from deforestation” NorvanReports quoted Prud’homme.
“There is no ban on Ghana’s cocoa. On the contrary, we want more of Ghana’s cocoa, and we are in support of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire amongst all of the producers who meet these requirements,” she emphasised.
The European Commission in November 2021 tabled a proposed legislation before the Union parliament that will enforce regulation on certain imported products on its market.
The products deemed to be associated with deforestation and human rights abuses, namely cattle, wood, oil palm, soy, cocoa and coffee.
Meanwhile, the EU Ambassador in Ghana, Irchad Razaarly, on Thursday 6 October 2022, paid a courtesy call to Information Minister Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah in an effort to clarify matters.
- Africa Bags 13 Nominations for 2023 Cacao of Excellence Awards - November 28, 2023
- Cocoa OPEC Now Set to Admit New Members - November 23, 2023
- Global Cashew Demand Driving Nature Loss in Ivory Coast - November 22, 2023


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Orion has invested in recycling carbon black
PIX: Orion S.A.
Orion S.A. will present its first circular specialty carbon black for polymer applications at the 2023 Compounding World Expo North America from Nov. 15 – 16 in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Current customers confirm that the new circular black is performing as well as regular specialty carbon blacks,” said Kevin Milks, Orion marketing manager, Polymers and Batteries.
“We’re looking to partner with our customers to understand their needs and develop grades to meet their specific performance requirements.”
Also at the Expo, Orion will present carbon blacks that improve performance by modifying rheology and imparting UV-resistance as well as conductivity characteristics.
Orion follows a sustainability approach based on developing solutions for customers as they adapt to three key mega-trends: the circular economy, electrification and decarbonization.
“Orion is invested in and committed to recycling carbon black and successfully producing specialty circular grades without compromising performance,” said Jennifer Stroh, Orion director of sales and marketing.
Emphasizing Orion’s competitive advantage, she noted the company produced its first grade from renewable oils, PRINTEX Nature, more than 10 years ago and continues to lead in producing sustainable carbon blacks.
Milks added Orion is actively undertaking partnerships to provide carbon black for wire-and-cable, injection molding and other polymer applications that support the country’s growing market for electric vehicles.
Register Now to Attend ChemConnect 2023 on Friday, 13th October 2023, Mumbai
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Planning documents obtained by the Chicago Tribune reveal Apple’s spectacular plans for a new flagship store on the north bank of the Chicago River. Fittingly for the city which was home to Frank Lloyd Wright, the design echoes the Midwestern Prairie Style buildings created by the famous architect.
Apple confirmed the plans to the Tribune, which reports that they have already been granted approval, with a formal presentation set to ‘rubber-stamp’ the decision on Thursday …
Soon-to-be-unveiled plans for the store call for a glass-sheathed temple of computing near the historic Michigan Avenue bridge and grand flights of stairs that will cascade from street level to the walkway along the Chicago River’s north bank […]
The proposal will replace a vacant food court at the 401 N. Michigan Ave. office building with a 20,000-square-foot store that overlooks the river and its flotillas of architectural tour boats.
The roof will be reinforced with carbon-fiber, providing shade to the exterior and “will blur the line between interior and exterior space.” Apple told the Tribune that the company wants to begin construction next year.
There are currently two Apple Stores in the center of the city, the current flagship close by at 679 North Michigan Avenue, with three other stores a little further out. Check out the full set of renders over at the Chicago Tribune.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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The Nissan LEAF is Ireland’s best-selling electric vehicle and the undisputed leader in its segment with 532 new car buyers making it their car of choice during the first three months of the 191 sales period.
The result underlines a massive surge in demand for the Nissan LEAF at a time when the number of electric car registrations in Ireland this year have already surpassed the total number of EVs registered for the whole of 2018.
Nissan has now sold four times as many Nissan LEAF cars as it did during the same sales period last year with sales increasing from 105 units to 532 units year-on-year to account for a staggering 406% increase in sales.
The popularity of the Nissan LEAF is also underscored by the fact that is now the best-selling electric vehicle across sixteen counties including counties Cork, Clare, Carlow, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Kerry, Limerick, Louth, Laois, Monaghan, Mayo, Offaly, Sligo, Waterford and Wexford.
“The demand for the Nissan LEAF throughout the first three months of the year has been astonishing. Motorists are making the switch to zero emissions EV driving and the Nissan LEAF is clearly their car of choice,” said James McCarthy, CEO of Nissan Ireland.
“Nissan dealers sold 789 Nissan LEAFs in 2018. They are on track to eclipse that record over the coming months because the Nissan LEAF is an all-round winner for families who want to reduce their carbon footprint and to save the environment by making the switch to electric driving,” he added.
“The exceptional demand for Nissan LEAF is being driven by a number of factors. Customers recognise the value that driving LEAF offers but the spacious interior and ample boot space have made it easy for families to make the switch to EV and to continue to enjoy driving a car that meets all of their needs as a family,” said Mr McCarthy.
“The increased range of the new Nissan LEAF and the fact that it is 100% electric has given consumers the confidence to look beyond driving a conventional car or hybrid. There is a growing awareness that the car can save them money and that they are a least €2,000 a year better off for driving one, which is a huge saving for any family,” he continued.
The soon to be launched new 62kWh Nissan LEAF is certain to attract even more attention from consumers with the new model delivering up to 385 kilometres of zero emissions driving on a single charge.
In addition to higher battery capacity, the new Nissan LEAF will continue to offer dynamic new styling and advanced technologies including Pro PILOT and the Nissan e-Pedal function, which allows drivers to start from a standstill, accelerate and brake and even bring the car to a controlled stop by using the throttle pedal.
The success of the Nissan LEAF mirrors the sales trajectory and success of the Nissan Qashqai as Ireland’s best-selling cross-over of all time having sold over 50,000 units since its launch just over 10 years ago.
The Nissan Qashqai was also Ireland’s best-selling car during the first three months of the 191 sales period in counties Dublin, Cavan, Clare, Galway, Limerick, Louth, Offaly and Roscommon.
2,460 new buyers have made it their car of choice this year, reinforcing its position as an undisputed leader in its segment.


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Federico marchetti, ceo, yook net a porter
To say Federico Marchetti has had a busy year is an understatement. Months after the merger of Italy’s Yoox Group and the UK’s Net-a-Porter Group, Marchetti embarked on a significant restructuring of the business. He split Yoox Net-a-Porter Group into three divisions, resulting in the promotion of Alison Loehnis (number 47) to president of in-season business, Luca Martines to president of the group’s off-season business and Paolo Mascio as president of the group’s 40 online flagship stores.
In July, Marchetti unveiled an ambitious five-year growth plan for YNAP Group. The business is aiming to grow annual net revenues by 17% to 20% at constant exchange rates, compared with annual forecast growth for the online luxury market of 15%. It will achieve this through a focus on mobile, growth in the Middle East and the US, an improved product offer and more emphasis on own label.


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This year’s National Farmers Market Week is August 6-12, and Illinois Farmers Market Association (ILFMA) joins markets from across the country in celebrating the positive impacts farmers markets have. Farmers markets provide access to delicious, nutritious locally produced food, support local producers, and help sustain and build resilient local food economies.
August is the perfect month to visit your local farmers market or discover a new one that you have heard great things about — whether you are a market regular or just want to learn more.
It’s perfect because this is the peak growing season throughout Illinois. If you love sweet corn (Illinois’ state vegetable!); big juicy field tomatoes; peaches, plums, and other luscious fruit; the ubiquitous zucchini; and dozens of other favorite food items, don’t miss this opportunity to buy the best. Keep your eyes peeled for interesting produce items that you haven’t tried (if you’re not sure what to do with them, your farmer/vendor will be happy to help).
And don’t forget that many markets feature meat, eggs, prepared foods such as pickles, hot sauces and fruit preserves made locally, and there often are delicious breads and other baked goods for sale.
This year, the Farmers Market Week campaign is centered around the essential role that farmers markets play in the food system.
ILFMA says, “The benefits of buying local are many, including health, preservation of farmland, and most of all, sustaining the economic vitality of the community. Celebrate all things local and shop at your local Farmers Market, an essential, safe, resilient, and especially tasty place to feed your family!”
Many farmers markets around the state accept SNAP/Illinois LINK and participate in the Link Match program, which doubles the value of Link purchases for additional fresh fruits and vegetables. For a downloadable list of participating farmers markets go to https://www.ilfma.org/find-a-market/
To mark Farmers Market Week, our monthly Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois article highlights three markets near the southern end of Illinois: The Farmer’s Market of Carbondale; Marion Farmers Market; and LEAF Food Hub, an online farmers market serving the region.
The Farmer’s Market of Carbondale was launched in 1975, making it one of the longest running farmers markets in Illinois. And Ann Stahlheber has been part of the market almost since its beginning, as a produce vendor and, for the past dozen or so years, as the market manager.
The Carbondale market was started as a result of a community effort to persuade people to go into vegetable farming to earn a living and restore the land while expanding access to healthy local food.
The market, which has had several different locations over the years, is in the parking lot of Westowne Shopping Centre, 2001 W. Main St. In Carbondale. Its hours are Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The Carbondale market has 35-40 vendors on a given week, with all the staples (vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, dairy, etc.); minimally processed packaged food products; baked goods; native plants; herbs; flowers of all types; and a rotating lineup of artisans and craftspeople.
And the way Stahlheber describes the atmosphere will resonate with farmers market regulars anywhere.
“It always seems friendly, always seems happy. It always seems like people are spending time not only shopping for their produce for the week, but visiting old friends, seeing people they haven’t seen in a while, and catching up with local news. We have coffee, baked goods, and music often. So it’s just a real nice atmosphere,” Stahlheber said.
Marion Farmers Market Manager Jeanne Brumleve — like Ann Stahlheber in Carbondale — is a farmer herself. She said her dual role ensures that she is closely in touch with the challenges and opportunities that the other market farmers face.
She married into her husband’s produce farm family in Cobden, located about 30 miles southwest of Marion, 22 years ago. For the first few years after, the couple sold crops through distribution channels, but determined they could get a better price selling direct to consumers at the Marion market. They quickly went all in and now sell nearly all their products at farmers markets.
Field tomatoes are one of their farm’s trademark products, so much so that Brumleve gained the moniker of “The Tomato Lady.”
Brumleve did not start out with the goal of managing the Marion market, but five years ago, took over the role and is proud of the market’s recent vitality.
“It has grown substantially with the changes in cottage food laws, some of the products that are now available. We have vendors with fresh beef, pork, eggs, cheese, olive oils that have been flavor infused, sourdough breads, fruit and vegetables of every type, plants, trees, shrubs, eggs… It’s just enjoyable to meet different vendors and from all backgrounds… It’s just a rewarding job,” Brumleve said.
The market is located at 507 West Main Street in downtown Marion and is open Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. It does not have room for a lot of craftspeople at its downtown Main Street location, but they do keep open a few spaces in which artisans can alternate. “It also keeps the market fresh by having just a rotation of different items at the market,” Brumleve said.
Although Marion is a relatively small city with a population a bit under 17,000, its farmers market succeeds at holding two weekly sessions. Brumleve attributes that in part to the market’s location in the parking lot of a senior citizen center that serves meals Mondays through Fridays.
“Some of our patrons don’t come into town on weekends, and so [the Wednesday market provides] the opportunity to get fresh fruits and vegetables… then we found that we started getting customers that work in Marion Monday through Friday, but maybe live elsewhere,” Brumleve noted.
LEAF Food Hub
LEAF (Little Egypt Alliance of Farmers) Food Hub is a shining example of an online farmers market.
LEAF serves six counties in far southern Illinois. It is a broad expanse where many residents lack easy access to healthy, nutritious, locally produced food and where the only local grocery option is a Dollar General store.
LEAF enables consumers to place online orders in any given week. The orders are brought to the drop site chosen by the customer — there are a total of 12 sites — or can pay a fee and have deliveries brought directly to them if they live in some of the region’s more populous areas (Carbondale, Makanda, Carterville, Cobden, Herrin and Marion).
Here is how Elicia Moore, operations manager at the food hub, explained the process:
“We have farmers all over Southern Illinois and we also have a couple over in Missouri. We have over 25 vendors now, and we’re growing.
“Our customers can shop during our order period, from Friday at noon to Tuesday at 8 p.m. We pack everything up on Thursday afternoons, and then we have people that deliver to the pickup locations. We do offer home delivery in some regions as well; if me or one of the farmers or producers live in that region then we can deliver to that area.”
Click here to visit the LEAF website to learn more and to place an order if you live in the Southern Illinois service area.
LEAF Food Hub also tables at the Vine Street Market in O’Fallon, an Illinois suburb of St. Louis.
LEAF Food Hub accepts electronic payments from participants in the federal SNAP/Illinois LINK food assistance programs, and also participates in Link Match, which \doubles the value of Link purchases for additional fresh fruits and vegetables.
LEAF’s commitment to food access has also resulted in a collaboration with Food Works, a Carbondale-based nonprofit that is being converted into a 16-foot refrigerated truck into a mobile market.
“People can just shop at the mobile market, like they would at a farmers market,” Moore said. “But you can drive the truck anywhere, the truck will be taken all throughout southern Illinois. I think that they’re planning on stopping at several locations per day.”
She continued, “That’s going to be really amazing for our mission and FoodWorks mission to get that healthy food out to the people who need it. We’re going to be able to take the food to those small areas that may or may not have a grocery store, just have Dollar General that doesn’t have fresh produce or pasture raised meats, things like that.”
Moore concluded, “So that is going to be really exciting,” a sentiment with which Buy Fresh Buy LocaI Illinois whole-heartedly agrees.
Find a Farmers Market Near You
The following is just a small sample of the hundreds of excellent farmers markets across Illinois. To find more, please click the button below to access the Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois Directory.
Old Capitol Farmers Market (Springfield)
The Lincoln Park Farmers Market (Chicago)
Urbana Market at the Square (Urbana)
Vine Street Market (O’Fallon)
Woodstock Farmers Market (Woodstock)
Get Listed with Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois
Are you a farm, farmers market, farm-to-table restaurant, or grocery store that sells local products purchased directly from local farms? Get listed in Illinois’ most trusted guide to local food. Your listing is absolutely free. Buy Fresh Buy Local Illinois is a local foods marketing project led by a coalition of organizations across the state working to promote local farms and food businesses like yours. Get listed and start reaching new customers today!


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New Farm Stand in Southlake!
We’re excited to announce that we’re partnering with Camp Gladiator to open a NEW co-op style produce farm stand in Southlake! The first pickup at the new location will be Saturday, November 5th.
Our New Southlake Farm Stand Location:
St. John’s Baptist Church
800 S. Kimball Ave
Southlake , TX 76092 (Map)
Pickup time: 9:30am-11:30am (starting Sat, November 5th and every other Saturday)
If you’d like to join and start getting produce at our new Southlake location, please sign up here. if you’re already a member and want to change to the Southlake location, please email us at email@example.com.


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Dogecoin Jumps Over 20% Thanks To Twitter-Fueled Rally
Coinbase Market Cap Drops Below Dogecoin
Expert Price Breakdown: The Truth Behind Dogecoin (DOGE), Shiba Inu (SHIB), Pepe (PEPE) Upcoming Trends
Explore expert insights on the future of meme coins: Dogecoin (DOGE), Shiba Inu (SHIB), and PEPE. From price predictions to strategic moves and controversies, get the in-depth analysis on where these tokens are headed in the crypto market.
Dogecoin Posts Stunning Rally As Elon Musk Takes Over Twitter
Musk has previously floated the idea of allowing users to pay for features on Twitter using the meme cryptocurrency.
Elon Musk’s The Boring Company To Allow Users To Pay For A Ride With Dogecoin
Elon Musk’s The Boring Company has announced a new way of allowing customers to pay for rides on Loop, its Las Vegas tra...
“Dogecoin Pyramid Scheme”: Elon Musk Sued For $258B
Billionaire CEO Elon Musk has been sued for $258 billion by a disgruntled investor over alleged claims of running a pyra...
Dogecoin Payments Go Live On Tesla, Sends DOGE Surging
Tesla has announced that it has begun accepting payments in DOGE in its online shop, which means customers will be able...
Meme.com is Gearing Up for a Big Bang After its $6 Million Investment
Meme.com is eyeing to gain traction in the highly lucrative NFT space by providing a robust platform for users to explor...
Number of DOGE Traders Exceed Bitcoin’s, says KuCoin CEO
The recent frenzy surrounding trading of the DOGE memecoin has surpassed the volumes of trade of Bitcoin and even some F...


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Jada Toys'™ Chub City® line of tricked out rides with attitude receives a promotional boost in February when Burger King Corporation launches a worldwide Kids Meal program featuring four toys derived from the hip and edgy character and vehicle-based brand.
Chub City, one of the nation's hottest toy lines, is the brainchild of leading die-cast and radio control manufacturer Jada Toys. The toy line is currently supported by Wal-Mart, Toys"R"Us, Target, Kmart, and K•B Toys, among others, and is on 11,000 shelves globally.
Starting Feb. 12, participating BURGER KING® restaurants will spotlight the four Chub City premiums, while supplies last, in a worldwide campaign that is expected to reach millions of restaurant guests across the globe. The featured toys include a "Street Ride," "Rollin SUV," "Shift Launcher," and "Pedal Launcher," each to be accompanied by colorful decals which allow kids to customize their Chub City toy.
The Chub City promotion at BURGER KING® restaurants will be driven through an extensive marketing program that includes 15-second television spots, downloads at www.bk.com/myway
(live 2/12/07), in-restaurant merchandising and inclusion in the BURGER KING® Adventures newsletter.
"Since its debut, Chub City has been recognized as one of the freshest properties out in the marketplace," said Marlene Cuesta, Vice President of Licensing for Jada Toys. "With licensees already on board we are very excited to take Chub City to the next level by expanding the product line and continuing to grow our licensee partners."


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How can governments fight inflation?
We talk to Paul Krugman, the Nobel prize-winning economist, about how to respond to rising consumer prices, and whether a recession can be avoided
Consumer prices across the rich world are rising by more than 9% year on year, the highest rate since the 1980s. Paul Krugman, the Nobel prize-winning economist, talks to host Anne McElvoy and Henry Curr, The Economist’s economics editor, about how governments and central banks should respond. We also ask if a recession can be avoided, and whether the era of big government spending is over. Runtime: 28 min
Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: www.economist.com/podcastoffer
Our weekly podcast on democracy in America
Also on the daily podcast: An interview with Ukraine’s first lady, and the origins of the Black Death


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Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal complicates Big Tech regulation
Microsoft's surprise $68 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard is adding a fresh twist to the heated debate over which tech companies have monopolies that need to be reined in.
The big picture: The deal could force a question the company has happily ducked for a decade: whether its size and power make it just as deserving of regulatory scrutiny as its Big Tech rivals.
Why it matters: Regulators have finite resources and will have to prioritize which companies and deals they want to contest.
Flashback: Microsoft, of course, spent years fighting a Justice Department antitrust suit two decades ago — but in the most recent wave, regulators have largely focused on Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook.
Between the lines: Microsoft will argue that, in the mobile age, Apple and Google hold a dominant market position with their tight control over mobile app stores.
- For game developers and others, though, Microsoft may well look like the firm whose grip over some parts of the consolidating gaming world is too tight.
The key question is how the regulators at the Federal Trade Commission and other agencies, who will ultimately decide whether the deal can go forward, choose to define the markets it affects.
Of note: On Tuesday the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission announced the start of a process that will ultimately result in rewritten merger guidelines, which could translate as more hurdles for large deals.
- The agencies are seeking public comment on modernizing enforcement of antitrust laws around mergers, with a focus on whether previous guidelines leave out certain aspects of competition.
- One focus of the agencies' questions: whether guidelines should be different for digital markets.
- Neither agency is commenting specifically on the Microsoft-Activision deal.
Be smart: A good antitrust case, or a decision to block a deal, isn't determined by people's feelings or a company's size. It's about whether a company has, or with acquisitions could gain, undue control over a relevant market.
- "It's important to remember that a large dollar value doesn’t always mean competitive concerns, just as a small deal can raise antitrust problems," says Daniel Francis, the former deputy director of the FTC Bureau of Competition.
- "The agencies will look closely at whether the Microsoft-Activision deal threatens to create market power or eliminate competitive pressure in any market," Francis told Axios.
Microsoft is counting on the fact that even with the deal, it will have less than 15% of video game industry revenue, trailing both Tencent and Sony. But regulators may choose not to look at the broad "gaming" market as a whole, and instead distinguish between mobile, console, PC and cloud gaming.
- The Microsoft deal will certainly strengthen Microsoft's position in console gaming. But Microsoft trails Sony and Nintendo there, and mobile is growing faster, potentially overshadowing concerns over console strength.
Between the lines: Microsoft hasn't entirely escaped the latest tech antitrust surge, with some critics raising concerns about its move to integrate Teams into Office and Windows.
- "It is not yet clear whether regulators will seek to restrict Microsoft’s activity in the same way they are seeking to restrict the activity of other Big Tech firms," New Street Research said in a note Tuesday. "This acquisition will shed light on that issue."
What they're saying: Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), whose office has been pushing tighter regulation of other Big Tech companies, says conversations with Microsoft were "encouraging," while noting the deal still faces agency review.
- "They've suggested that they're going to emphasize access to titles and competition in the marketplace as well as the individual gaming experience," Buck said in a statement.
Public Citizen is calling for regulators to quash the deal.
- "Microsoft, one of the biggest of the Big Tech companies, is shamelessly gobbling up a competitor to try to strengthen its market position," said Alex Harman, the group's competition policy advocate. "If Microsoft wants to bet on the 'metaverse,' it should invest in new technology, not swallow up a competitor."


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Apple’s iPhone 5c went live for pre-order at 12:00 PST on Friday
morning. And as of now, thousands have placed preorders from Apple’s
retail partners as well as directly. For most of it till now, the
supplies have managed to survive.
When the iPhone 5 was launched, it was only a matter of hours when
shipping times slipped on models, but iPhone 5c’s models remain
available even 10 hours after the preorder launch.
Hong Kong suppliers dropped the shipping time to 1-2 weeks while Canadian Apple store says ‘ships between 9/20 and 9/24’.
One of the big four U.S. carriers Sprint says that the device may
take two weeks to ship due to high demand. The most popular variant
looks like the yellow iPhone 5c 16 GB model, which is sold out at most
As for the price, the 16 GB iPhone 5c is being sold on most of the
carriers with a two-year contract at $99, while the 32 GB is being sold
for $199. The unlocked versions are $549 and $649 respectively.
For those who don’t know, the iPhone 5s isn’t available for preorders
and will arrive in retail and online stores on September 20th. This is
the first time Apple launched two handsets at a single time.
Which iPhone 5c model impresses you? Feel free to leave comments.


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Windows 10X has been officially dropped and Microsoft says that it will instead use some of its features in upcoming Windows versions. The official confirmation of Windows 10X being cancelled comes a few days after a report claimed that its resources were being shifted to other Windows 10 versions. Microsoft shared the development in the blog post about Windows 10 updates. Windows 10X was meant to function on dual-screen devices and foldable PCs and was originally planned for a 2020 release. It was to be an alternative to Google’s Chrome OS.
Last week, a report citing people familiar with the matter had claimed that Windows 10X will not be shipped this year either, and it may “likely never arrive.” Instead, some Windows 10X features were said to trickle down to Windows 10. Now, Microsoft has confirmed this through a Windows 10 21H1 feature update blog post. The company says that Windows 10X should not be confined to a subset of customers as the original intention with Windows 10X was for it to work on dual-screen and foldable PCs. Microsoft adds that it has decided to use the technology of Windows 10X in more ways and serve more customers, which means it will integrate its features in other Windows editions and Microsoft products.RELATED: Four New Faces From Karnataka Inducted Into PM Modi's Ministry
“We concluded that the 10X technology shouldn’t just be confined to a subset of customers. Instead of bringing a product called Windows 10X to market in 2021 like we originally intended, we are leveraging learnings from our journey thus far and accelerating the integration of key foundational 10X technology into other parts of Windows and products at the company,” the blog post reads.
Microsoft says that some of these features have been implemented into Windows Insider preview buildsThe story is not over.. Such as a new app container technology that it is integrating into Microsoft Defender Application Guard, enhanced Voice Typing experience, and a modernised touch keyboard.


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Convenience helps Geest to £16m
The public's desire for supermarket coleslaw, mixed salad with cherry tomatoes and diced peppers is helping food supplier Geest keep profits ahead despite price deflation.
Since 1995 when it ditched bananas, the group has concentrated on making pre-prepared food and ready-meals and avoided increasingly unfashionable frozen foods.
In the first half year to 1 July, sales of fresh foods grew 19%, beating a fresh prepared market that grew by 12% and outpacing price deflation of 1%. This helped Geest to an operating profit increase of 14% to £16m, in line with expectations.
But finance director Mark Pullen said if the fuel crisis went on much longer it may start hitting Geest's ability to produce. 'Obviously fresh food has to be delivered every day,' he said. 'As I speak now, we haven't been affected but it is too early to say what might happen.'
After one-off gains last year from the disposal of two Dutch subsidiaries, pre-tax profits fell 18%. The interim dividend is lifted 13% to 6p.
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Anti-gay groups: Virginia to introduce "mandatory gay adoption"
And now repeat style: my son aged 13 Luca, believed that divorce is my fault, and all the world's problems is indeed, my mistake--the statement true. In June that caused an explosion in my house I sent him to live with his father. April 2011
Ayer: Do you Yahoo?
Later in the meeting, compress, "when Luca associate Board approve sending another message to Moulin?" bontbriand wrote on 4 March letter to Moulin siliktmine "permission" to submit a proposal of $ 3.4 million, ritolid. April 2011
Chrysler will lose $10000 on every Fiat 500 EV it sells, CEO says
Says CEO Chrysler Fiat, Chrysler Group LLC, Sergio martcioni will lose more than $ 10,000 for each 500 Fiat operate on batteries, and sell. Won this striking heavy financial. April 2011
Jobs Report Signals Improving Economy
WASHINGTONâ ? "the u.s. economy continued to add jobs in March, pushing the unemployment rate to its lowest level in two years and provide the latest signs of improvement in the economy. The US employment report to 216000 posts. April 2011
Jobless Claims Edge Lower, Factory Orders Fall
The number of us workers making new claims for unemployment benefits last week rose declined, suggesting labor market continues to recover despite rising energy prices and the potential for supply chain problems. April 2011
The Rez Second Self And Luca tickets in
8x10 Club on
Saturday May 16, 2009.
Luca tour 2015 - See it Before it's sold out!
We are completely certain if we say that Luca concert 2015 is an amazing musician that carries pleasure to souls of supporters anywhere they are for example Baltimore; therefore, it's common now that this musician's concert tickets primarily for 2015 live performances taking place in 8x10 Club are pricey.


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Does Pinterest Work for Business?
- As of February, Pinterest had 25 million users. (Business Insider)
- As of September, Pinterest has 70 million users.
- Pinterest shoppers are spending significantly more per checkout averaging between $140-$180 per order compared with consistent $80 and $60 orders for Facebook and Twitter shoppers, respectively. (Rich Relevance)
- U.S. consumers who use Pinterest follow an average of 9.3 retailers on the site. (Shop.org)
- Pinterest accounts for 25 percent of retail referral traffic. (Rich Relevance)
- Pinterest is now the third most popular social network in the US in terms of traffic.
- There are more than 200,000 active Pinterest users in the UK.
- 29% of UK users are in the highest income bracket.
Pinterest Case Study: Jewelry Retailer Boticca
- Jewellery retailer Boticca found that after integrating âpinningâ buttons across its website, Pinterest became its number one social referrer, assisting roughly 10% of sales, compared to 7% from Facebook.
- Furthermore, Boticca found that Pinterest users spend more than twice as much as Facebook users ($180 vs. $85), and the site drives higher numbers of new customers. 86% of visits from Pinterest are new to Boticca compared to 57% from Facebook.
Is Pinterest Good for Business? (econsultancy.com)
- 25% of Fortune Global 100 companies have Pinterest accounts.
- Pinterest pins with prices get 36% more likes than those without.
- 43% of Pinterest members agree that they use Pinterest to âassociate with retailers or brands with which I identifyâ, compared to just 24% of Facebook users who agree to the same use with Facebook.
- According to a study by Convertro, Pinterest represented 17.4% of social media revenue for e-commerce sites in April 2012, up from just 1.2% in Q2 2011. The data was taken from 40 of its clients, most of which are top 500 internet retailers.
- According to a Bizrate report 69% of online consumers who visit Pinterest have found an item theyâve purchased or wanted to purchase as compared to only 40% of online consumers who visit Facebook.
- The survey, which interviewed 7,431 online buyers from August 9 to 17 2012, also found that significantly more online consumers agree that Pinterest is a place to âget inspiration on what to buyâ and âhelp keep track of or collect things I like.â
Here’s an infographic by Wishpond illustrating how users interact on Pinterest:
Pinterest for Traffic
Without a doubt, Pinterest is the best choice for business owners who want to build traffic to a business website.
At Pinterest, you can create a business account without first creating a personal account.


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After achieving success, Copper Branch wants to take itself to the next level.
Some restaurants say they offer healthy food, but have not made the commitment that Copper Branch has. “Copper Branch was founded on the idea that food that empowers our body and planet should always be made accessible and delicious, and expanded to a mainstream consumer,” Director of Marketing Andrew Infantino says.
Based in Dorval, Québec, Copper Branch operates a chain of fast-casual restaurants that feature a 100 percent plant-based menu. His father and the founder of the company, Rio Infantino, had a passion for healthy foods in his daily routine and felt the market lacked a chain that offered such a menu that was easily accessible to consumers.
“Our intention was to be a global chain,” Andrew Infantino says, adding that Copper Branch today has 40 locations across Canada, as well as several locations in the United States and France.
Copper Branch also sets itself apart from competitors by the way it communicates its brand. “We’re vegan, but we tend to not even use the word ‘vegan,’” he says, noting that its locations “attract more of a mainstream consumer simply looking to eat more of a wholesome diet.”
As part of Copper Branch’s commitment to being healthy, “We work with nutritionists and culinary chefs,” Infantino says, noting that its cuisine features micronutrients and superfood, organic and non-GMO ingredients as well.
“We have a well-rounded menu,” he continues, adding that some of its popular items include its Aztec power bowl, which features non-GMO basil olive oil dressing, oven-baked sweet potato, corn and mango salsa, spiced non-GMO black beans, guacamole, vegan sour cream, lettuce, beets and carrots.
He also highlights its burgers and sandwiches, including a Shiitake Teriyaki sandwich, made with Shiitake mushrooms. “The way we prepare it makes it very meaty, almost like chicken,” he says.
Copper Branch also serves all-natural beverages such as organic kombuchas, flavored waters, organic coffees and teas, as well as sides that include oven-baked potatoes, and buffalo tofu wings. “The way we prepare them is incredible in their taste and texture,” he says.
The restaurant also introduces new products every quarter. “Most recently, we had a Burrito Branchero,” Infantino says, adding that the product is wrapped in organic spelt.
The Next Level
Although Copper Branch has enjoyed substantial growth, “There is a lot of work to be done,” Infantino says. “It feels like we’re just getting started in terms of the real challenges ahead.” These include improving its evaluation methods for locations and franchisees. “We have to continue to find great people to join our corporation,” he says, noting that this will help take the company to the next level. “We really just want to progress forward and have better technology in the system.”
When evaluating franchisees, Copper Branch looks for “a passion for the food, the brand and this plant-based movement,” Infantino says, adding that they also need to be present within their operations. “We’re looking for owner/operators.”
The Right Time
Infantino is proud of Copper Branch and how it has grown. “I get a lot of complements on the branding, the mission and timing,” he says. “People say, ’It’s the right time for something like this to take off.’ But we still have a lot to do in terms of who we want to be.”
This will see the company grow the number of stores it has across the United States and Canada. “It is incredibly exciting,” he says, adding that Copper Branch plans to have 60 locations by end of 2019. “We’ll definitely achieve that and probably even more.”


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3 in 4 U.S. Households at Risk to Get Hacked Via Voice Assistants by 2025
Recent findings show that voice assistants can get hacked by using ultrasonic waves to imitate voice commands, according to Atlas VPN.
NEW YORK — According to the latest Atlas VPN research, 75% of households in the United States will have a voice-assisted speaker by 2025. Recent findings also show that voice assistants can get hacked by using ultrasonic waves to imitate voice commands.
Ultrasonic waves do not make a sound, which means that voice-assisted speakers can be hacked without alerting the owner, according Atlas VPN, provider of a free VPN app.
Currently, voice-assisted speakers can be found in approximately 40% of homes in the U.S. It is estimated that the U.S. smart speaker market will almost double by 2025. In 2014, the devices were being used in .5% of U.S. households.
In February, a team of researchers hacked voice assistants on 15 of 17 popular smartphones. They tested both Apple (Siri) and Android (Google Assistant) devices.
The main findings, cited in the Atlas VPN press release, were:
Firstly, ultrasound can travel through solid surfaces to activate voice assistants. The waves are able to move through metal, wood, silicone rubber, and glass. In the experiment, the actual device transmitting ultrasonic waves was under the table, completely undetectable.
Secondly, it is possible to hear what the assistant answers and to continue the interaction. To do so, the first command sent to the device turns down the volume to a minimum. Then, the assistant’s responses get drowned in the noise of a busy street or a cafe.
Yet, sensitive microphones can intercept and amplify the response sound. Hence, hackers could carry out the attack while the phone owner is completely unaware. Using this approach, researchers were able to read messages, take photos, and make calls on the victim’s device.
This raises security concerns, as some banks use message authentication to access the account. Overall, findings lead to many new hacking opportunities.
“The biggest issue with voice assistants,” says Rachel Welch, COO of Atlas VPN, “they are listening day and night. It is true that Siri or Google Assistant only answer when you mention their names. Yet, to detect when their names were mentioned, they have to listen continuously.”
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Ringing Bells a noida based Start-up Company to offer the worldâ€™s cheapest Smartphone, Freedom 251 for 251. But there is negative publicity in the media on the company in last 10 days.
So, the company decided to refund the amount paid by the customers for pre-booking the device. For payments having done, Ringing Bells used CCAvenue as the payment gateway on its website.
CCAvenue told that, it has started refunding 84 lakh worth 30,000 transactions made by 14,800 unique customers.
The payment of the Smartphones will be accepted by the company in Cash on delivery mode for all the 25 lakh bookings received by the company.
Vishwas Patel, CEP of Avenues India, the parent company of CCAvenuge said, â€œDue to negative publicity in media and scrutiny by the government, the merchant has asked us to refund all transactions.â€
The refunds of the customers have been already started and will end by Monday. And now the company will only use cash on delivery for payment.
The director of Ringing Bells, Mohit Goal said, â€œThere was a lot of negativity around us, so we have decided to take money from customers only after delivering phones to them. We are refunding the money to those who have paid for booking the phones, and giving them the option of cash on delivery.â€
Mohit Goel also claimed that company would be making a profit of Rs. 31 on each unit sold.
Goel also said â€œthe payment gateway companies CCAvenue and PayU Biz had sought the time till Wednesday to refund the customers money. And then we will send an email seeking confirmation for cash on delivery.â€
The CEO of PayU, Nitin Gupta said, â€œWe have their money, and unless they give us delivery details, we will not release the money to them.â€


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REV TO DISPLAY VEHICLES FROM ITS THREE FIRE TRUCK MANUFACTURERS
Show action heats up for REV Emergency Group this week. The REV division will showcase vehicles from all three of its fire truck manufacturers — E-ONE, KME and Ferrara — at the 2017 Fire-Rescue International Conference and Expo, running today to July 29 in Charlotte, N.C. As the sponsor of FRI’s July 27 grand opening event, REV Group and its fire brands will invite attendees to Booth 2500 for some Pit Stop Challenge tire-changing action and a chance to win the grand prize VIP Race Experience at the 2017 NASCAR Championship.
ABOUT THE PIT STOP CHALLENGE
Through its partnership with Team Penske, REV Group will display this season’s No. 22 REV-sponsored XFINITY Series race car during the show, while experts from Xcaliber Pit School will provide pit stop lessons and serve as judges during the tire changing competition, featuring teams of two attendees. Anyone can participate, and all challengers will receive a prize. The team that proves the most skillful will take home the VIP Race Experience grand prize, which includes:
ABOUT THE REV VEHICLES ON DISPLAY
REV Group is proud to showcase some of the top emergency vehicles from its fire brands during Fire Rescue International 2017 with company representatives on hand to answer questions. The lineup includes:
ABOUT FIRE RESCUE INTERNATIONAL 2017
FRI is the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC) premier event, providing fire and emergency services leaders with education and networking opportunities. For more than 140 years, IAFC has provided a forum for fire/ EMS leaders to collaborate on emerging topics and trends affecting today’s industry. The annual event features more than 400 exhibitors and draws more than 8,000 attendees. Last year’s show was named one of fastest growing shows with the Trade Show Executive’s Fast 50 Award. Fire-Rescue International also received the Top 250 Tradeshow Award, determined by square footage, show attendance and exhibitor participation.


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The (online) price of things in Australia
Now (well, last month), the Fairfax media claimed that Australians are paying much higher prices for fashion from overseas chains than they charge in their online stores too. Apparently, up to 35% more – although, looking at the unit prices, I wonder if that is before or after postage or delivery has been included.
- The [Copyright Society of Australia][csa] held a seminar on the report, the transcripts of which will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Copyright Reporter. ?


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Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, lectures at Herald Corp.’s 60th celebrations. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)
In today’s society and the ever more complex and volatile business world, design can provide creative solutions to tackle the complexities organizations face, according to Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO.
“Design has never been more influential in the world of business,” said Brown during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of Herald Corp. on Monday in Seoul.
In a 15-minute speech, Brown, a leading figure in design thinking, gave a quick preview of his lecture on design-led innovations, which he will give Tuesday as part of the Herald Design Forum.
“We need tools of design to solve problems in new ways whether it’s healthcare, education or fine art,” he said.
He introduced a survey of 100 CEOs around the world on corporate environment, who agreed that the business world has never been more complex.
“Companies rise and fall quickly than ever before because markets are volatile. Financial markets are volatile and technology is changing extremely quickly,” he said. “And the most important way to tackle the complexity is through creativity.”
Brown mentioned Toyota as a company that changed its production system to ensure quality in automobile manufacturing.
“A complex world can only be navigated by organizations that constantly create,” he noted.
Speed is another key factor to keep in mind in creating changes in the new era corporate organizations face.
“Somebody in the world is producing a new idea every minute,” he noted. “We can expect in the future, design innovation to be happening faster and faster and spreading more quickly,” he said.
The emergence of social media and the development of technologies are handing people the most creative tools to come up with new inventions and innovations.
Brown stressed that in that environment, one way to survive is through collaboration and partnerships with other companies and brands.
Creativity should also be encouraged inside of organizations as well.
“We will have to spend much of our time concerned with not only product, innovation and brand strategies, but also trying to enhance and enable the creative confidence of our organization,” he said. “Leaders will encourage creativity in their organizations so that they are adaptive enough to succeed in the 21st century.”
By Lee Woo-young


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Harry Drajpuch has been named the new president & CEO of Weber Logistics. Nick Weber, chairman of the third-party logistics and supply chain management company, made the announcement.
“Harry is a visionary leader, and he brings the perfect skill set to the role of president and CEO of Weber Logistics. We are honored to have him join the Weber team,” said Weber. “He truly understands what our customers need in terms of quality levels, technology, operations and customer service, and I am confident that Harry will exceed everyone’s expectations. Harry’s ability to take a vision and implement it, at every level of the organization, has made him a success. He will definitely complement Weber’s reputation for being an industry leader.”
Drajpuch joins Weber with more than 30 years of experience. He most recently served as COO of Kane is Able. He will be based out of company headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, CA.


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David Wang, Naples
Twenty years after its founding, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is nearing its goal of improving the livelihood of Florida’s tomato farm workers.
The majority of corporate tomato buyers — fast-food restaurants, food service companies and supermarket chains — have signed on to the Fair Food Program, which provides for life-changing financial and working condition benefits for farm workers. Walmart, America’s largest supermarket chain, recently joined as a partner.
Publix, with its roots in Florida’s agricultural fields, its fine community reputation and a justly deserved loyal customer following, has repeatedly refused to participate, even in dialogue.
Is it not time to ask why?
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