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The U.S. FDA’s enforcement regarding products related to the COVID-19 pandemic has picked up steam recently, but the U.S. Federal trade commission (FTC) is also involved in this enforcement arena. Leonard Gordon, a partner at Venable LLP’s New York office, told BioWorld that while the FTC and FDA missions seem to overlap, the FTC primarily targets unsupportable advertising claims rather than product labeling, a particularly relevant area in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FTC has issued a number of warning letters to makers of a variety of product types, including a letter to a manufacturer of a face brush promoted for the capacity to “fight off coronavirus.” The FTC website lists a number of solo FTC warnings and joint FDA/FTC warnings, providing some insight into the functional overlap between the two agencies.
Gordon said the FTC relies on many of the same sources for complaints as the FDA, such as consumers and a company’s competitors, but that it also does its own surveillance. “I’m sure there’s a team of lawyers” at the FTC conducting web searches to root out phony cure claims, he said, adding that state attorneys general may also forward items to the FTC that fall into the agency’s wheelhouse.
The FTC is more geared to address strict advertising than the FDA, which at times will hit a device maker’s website promotions as an extension of product labeling, but Gordon said the FDA may have to go through the Department of Justice to prosecute offenders. Conversely, the FTC ordinarily relies on lawsuits, given that it is primarily directed to pursue violations that fall under civil rather than criminal code.
Outlandish claims suggest outlaw sponsor
Gordon said the egregiousness of the advertised claims seems to be a trigger for FTC enforcement action, adding that the agency has sent out a large volume of letters recommending that the target cease and desist its violative behavior. The FTC can sue administratively and obtain an injunction in federal court, and can seek disgorgement of profits. However, those pleas for disgorgement of profits do not always fall on receptive ears.
The agency has several statutory authorities, including a number not directly related to product promotion, including a provision under the Defense Production Act of 1950. Section 708 of the DPA requires FTC and the DoJ to develop and execute plans for monitoring any voluntary production agreements undertaken pursuant to the DPA. However, two members of the U.S. Senate recently urged FTC chairman Joseph Simons to allow the agency to “provide clear public guidance into its power” to address price gouging, although they also posed the question of whether the agency has any explicit authority to do so under the agency’s scope of “deceptive acts or practices.”
“A lot of times, the FTC will demand substantiation” of an advertisers claims before taking action, Gordon said, and sometimes the agency simply drops the matter at that stage. In some instances, the two parties will settle out of court but if the advertised claims are really aggressive, and there’s a risk of harm, FTC will pursue immediate action, he said.
“They talk to each other a lot,” Gordon said of the FTC and the FDA, and at times, resource allocation is a factor in determining which agency will take a case. “You have to make sure you have the science to back up your claims,” he continued, adding that if the claims are clinically substantiated, the resolution may come simply by presenting the agency with the underlying data. The FTC standard here may sound a lot like the FDA standard in the sense that the terminology used to describe that evidentiary standard is usually “valid scientific evidence,” and Gordon noted that this is usually interpreted by the FTC as evidence that experts in that field would deem adequate.
Nonetheless, Gordon said, the FTC sometimes seems to decide case-by-case what constitutes valid scientific evidence, so advertisers are encouraged to generate evidence that passes the sniff test.
‘Reasonable consumer standard’ recited in vain
There are at times some disagreements among the FTC commissioners about the scope of relief when the sponsor can demonstrate the product has some value, Gordon said. He pointed to the FTC determination in a case against Neurometrix Inc., of Waltham, Mass., as an example of dissent on the part of the five FTC commissioners. The FTC announced in early March that it had come to terms with Neurometrix over the company’s claim that its Quell device can treat pain throughout the body when placed below the knee. The agency said the company has been promoting the transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TENS) device as a clinically proven method of providing widespread chronic pain relief, and that the company had claimed it had an FDA clearance for that indication.
The $4 million judgment had to be paid within 30 days of the decision, but the FTC said the company is also on the hook for another $4.5 million in foreign licensing payments as well. While the overall decision was unanimous, commissioner Christine Wilson dissented in part on the point of whether the evidence provided by the company substantiates the claim that the TENS device “can provide some non-localized pain relief.”
Wilson further disputed the notion that consumers necessarily extrapolated the advertisement regarding FDA clearance to the company’s claim regarding non-localized pain relief. She said that the evidence was insufficient for her to conclude that “a reasonable consumer would reach this net impression.”


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Interview by Gregory Furgala
CRFN took a moment to chat with the Nightclub & Bar Show’s Jeremiah Batucan, who moderated the bar roundtable discussion at the 2019 Canadian Restaurant & Bar Show. Batucan shared his insight into the bar and nightclub scene, sharing details from the NC&B’s 2019 Bar and Beverage Report and offering his take on what people — staff and customers both — want from a constantly evolving industry.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
CRFN: Can you explain what you do with the NC&B Show?
Jeremiah Batucan: I am the director of conference content and industry relations at the Nightclub & Bar Show, which aside from being a mouthful, means I’m focused on ensuring that the show’s education sessions, speakers and content is both timely and relevant to the challenges and opportunities of bars, nightclubs and restaurants and the way they’re approaching the nightclub scene. The second half of that is we’re obviously always trying to look for partnerships, mutual ways to work with partners, other event and media brands, and just trying to push this industry forward.
CRFN: What drew you to hospitality?
JB: I just think it comes down to being interested in people. I think everyone has an interesting story if you ask the right questions. I bartended all through college, and through all these other jobs I actually kept a job at the bar. It’s just getting to meet people every day and listen to their stories. It was always something that came to me naturally.
CRFN: How does that experience behind the bar inform what you do now?
JB: Almost to a fault, we try to make sure we have the right data. It’s based on what the numbers are telling us in terms of reception and feedback from our audience, and then pairing that with a little bit of gut. We try to avoid what I call the “hippo” — the highest-paid person’s opinion — just guiding us down a road.
With bartending, the day I turned 21, I became a bar manager. I was super slick with Excel. I love running through the numbers, and trying to figure out how to get my liquor costs below 20, 19 or 18 per cent, and everything I did was run through that, and I used the same principles when I worked with, say, a Marriott Hotel account.
“In the bigger markets, you see bartenders whose work isn’t just serving drinks, but social media and trying to be an ambassador”
CRFN: Since joining the Nightclub & Bar Show, what trends have you seen emerge in the bar and nightclub space?
JB: Some of it is a circle back to basics. In the bigger markets, you see bartenders whose work isn’t just serving drinks, but social media and trying to be an ambassador. But not every place is a big market, so what do you do when you’re a smaller town and just don’t have that kind of reach? What’s a way they can approach it? So a return to service is kind of number one.
Bar owners and bar operators aren’t hiring bartenders anymore, either. They’re hiring people with interesting stories and interesting backgrounds — people that are nice — because you can’t really train someone’s inner being and how they treat people, but you can train them to make drinks.
Unemployment in the U.S. is at an all-time low, so staff retention is hard. I just read that the average turnover for young staff is a month or two, so how can you train and cultivate a new environment or culture when they’re only lasting that long? It’s a constant reminder of what most people are looking for in a job. They want to feel like they’re contributing in some way. The pay cheque is important, but they want to feel like part of a team and that they’re building something more.
CRFN: What trends do you see coming up?
JB: Food delivery is going to be huge. Some are forecasting that it’ll be at least 15 per cent of sales in the next few years, and when they’re taking 20–30 per cent of your margin, the restaurant is losing that. It’s also the foot traffic going into the restaurant — they can’t sell that extra drink, or that high profit margin beer or wine, so they’re losing on two fronts.
It’s exactly what I saw in the hotel space six to seven years ago with online travel agencies. Expedia, Priceline, and these huge mega accounts, are spending so much money. The hotels were giving the same percentage away to Expedia that restaurants are giving to DoorDash and UberEats, and they found they couldn’t pull it back because they made a monster so big that, if they weren’t on these sites, your hotel was going to be a lot emptier than you’d like. But the airlines never gave in. For booking online, the airlines would give a few dollars, whereas hotels were giving hundreds of dollars or 20–30 per cent, and I see the same thing happening with Uber Eats.
“It’s all about ‘me,’ and people want things to be frictionless”
CRFN: What’s having the biggest impact on the industry?
JB: Technology can be huge. Social media and its impact on our psychology, and just this generation as a whole. It’s all about “me,” and people want things to be frictionless.
How do you pull someone in? You have people that are more socially awkward because they spend so much time in these digital channels rather than interacting in person. When you look at self-serve systems, mobile payment tabs or going to a handheld tablet and punching in a beer, and the waiter drops it off — they could’ve just come over first and asked, “Hey, how’re you doing? What’re you drinking today?” Instead, it feels very cold. What’s the real purpose of going to a bar if you don’t interact with the staff and each other?
There are some good things, though. I was just at a bar in Atlanta called Drafts and Dogs, and they do really cool cocktails on tap and offer really unique concoctions — I couldn’t even tell they were poured on draft. From a labour management standpoint, they save a tonne of cost not having to hire a bartender. It’s a win-win for the consumer and the business, and we might see more of that. That’s where technology could be a good thing. But again, technology hampers human interaction and social experience of most things in the world, and there’s no place more social than a bar.
CRFN: What do you want to tell people that are on the fence about going to the 2019 Nightclub & Bar Show?
JB: This year, we have more than 70 education sessions, everything from social media to bartending operations, we have six different workshops, we have marketing strategies that are guaranteed to drive your business. And it’s all in one. There’s no place where you can get this much education with that much product selection from walking around our trade show floor and understand what’s going on. That’s the biggest takeaway. It’s not just the education, not just the experience — this has it all, and it has it all packed in three days. And we’re going to make as much of it available to our attendees. It’s a constantly changing business, and if you’re not staying ahead, it’s hard to stay relevant.

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In terms of recent fashion success stories, few come close to rivaling that of Rihanna’s FENTY tie-up with PUMA. Since taking over as the sportswear brand’s creative director in 2014, not only has the singer took the brand into haute, extroverted fashion territory, but she’s also been responsible for skyrocketing
sales figures, mainly in part to her gold dust sneaker releases.
Last February, Rihanna unveiled her debut, Japanese street culture inspired PUMA FENTY collection at NYFW to much fanfare and was expected to follow suit with the sophomore spring collection this year. Attendees were left disappointed, then, when rumors began to abound that, rather than the Big Apple, RiRi would instead be showcasing the collection in Paris. Today, those rumors are confirmed.
In a press release published by Vogue, Rihanna strongly hinted at a shift from last year’s heavy monochromatic look, saying:
“I approached this season very differently and felt the theme and concept was best suited for one of my favorite cities, Paris.”
As well as a new runway look, the setting of the show is also said to be more intimate and “very different from from a traditional runway show format.”
The show takes place on September 28 at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. GMT +2, and those not lucky enough to attend can watch a live-stream exclusively on TIDAL (you can still tune in even if you aren’t signed up to the service).


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For a while now rumours have been floating around the internet about the next generation of Nokia Lumia phones. The main discussion has been surrounding the high-end. To give the flagship a more premium feel Nokia have been said to be making it from Aluminium. It is also meant to be called “Catwalk” which I hope is a codename and they continue with their current numerical naming convention.
Here are the pictures, which show various trays and sockets as well as what seems to be a new design. The main points here are the Micro USB port appears to be at the top and it also has the three pogo pins on the backplate for wireless charging.
Spec wise this next generation Lumia the Catwalk isn’t drastically improved over the existing flagship the Lumia 920. It is rumoured to have 4.5” display, an S4 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 16GB of memory instead of the current 32GB, a 2000mAh battery and an 8.7MP OIS camera with LED Flash.
Personally I think this is going to be a great device and hopefully it will be what Nokia unveil on May 15th. There is also a rumoured device to have an improved camera and Xenon flash, which hopefully will appear soon.


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Thousands of Utahns are carrying a potentially valuable medical card - for which they paid $20 - that local law officers maintain is virtually worthless.
It's a Med-Alert card, a plastic identification card the size of a driver's license that reveals such emergency medical information as blood type and pressure, allergies and medications taken."The idea around the card is when a person is sick, injured or dying, emergency medical and hospital personnel would have medical history readily available to them," said John Blundell, West Valley fire marshal.
"We are not knocking it; we think it's a potentially viable program."
But Blundell said the card is worthless in its present form - at least in Utah.
The Med-Alert card is not the same as Medic Alert, best known for the bracelet that lists a few medical details and provides a toll-free number for more information..
The individual's medical history on the Med-Alert card is printed on a piece of microfiche. Because the information is greatly reduced in size, it's impossible to read unless placed under a microfiche reader, which is a very small, unusual magnifying glass sold by that company.
The basic problem, Blundell said, is that local medical emergency agencies don't have readers.
"One hospital said we might be able to find a low-power microscope, but that's the best thing we can do," Blundell said. "Yet people are making millions of dollars on this card."
One person has been arrested in connection with selling the cards.
Edward Brandenburg pleaded no contest to charges of soliciting without a business license and impersonating a public servant. He appeared Friday in the West Valley Circuit Court before Judge Tyrone E. Medley to answer to the charges, both class B misdemeanors. He will be sentenced Nov. 13.
Blundell Friday called a press conference to warn Utahns against buying Med-Alert cards - not because their sale is illegal, but because no one can read the information outlined on the cards.
"It's a good program, but until someone provides all the medical services microfiche readers, these cards are worthless."
Other such cards also being sold in Utah cost less but may be worth much more.
The Medi-Card ID, another wallet-size card that contains important medical information on microfilm, can be read without magnification by simply holding it up to the light.
Conditions such as hypertension, drug allergies, diabetes, as well as who to call in case of an emergency are listed.
It sells for $9. A business license is required to sell it.
According to Medi-Card ID promotion literature, some aggressive sellers have made net incomes of $80,000 a month.
The sale of that card is available by buying into a marketing plan developed by Dr. William J. Savran out of Jamaica Estates, N.Y.
According to Blundell, Med-Alert Inc. is marketed out of Marinette, Wis.
"It's been sold in the area for the past couple of years. Many people are selling it, but we don't know how many or who."


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McDonald’s Singapore has partnered with cryptocurrency platform Bandwagon Labs and local NFT creator ‘The Hidden Walls’ to unveil digital Grimace collectibles. These tokens are special in that they can be minted at no cost but cannot be traded or sold.
“Introducing the Grimace Digital Collectible – a collection of 2,000 unique Grimaces minted via the McDonald’s app! He’s cool, cute and totally purple,”
shared McDonald’s Singapore on social media, marking the conclusion of an initial access giveaway for minting.
Beginning August 31, these collectibles can be accessed solely via the McDonald’s Singapore app, as noted by Bandwagon. For minting, users must link their Digital Collectibles wallet through MetaMask or web3auth, then select ‘mint now’. Decrypt, referencing a McDonald’s spokesperson, revealed that these NFTs would be generated using Polygon.
NFTevening has labeled these NFTs as soulbound tokens. While freely accessible to everyone, these digital tokens cannot be sold or exchanged in secondary markets. Each account is restricted to a single redemption.
Drina Chee, Senior Director of Marketing & Digital Customer Experience at McDonald’s Singapore, expressed enthusiasm about this initiative, remarking:
“[We are] excited to bring Grimace closer to our fans through these unique digital collectibles,” transforming this renowned figure “from nostalgic memories to love for all generations.”
The Grimace Shake
A recognizable figure in McDonald’s lore, Grimace, introduced in 1972, is a lovable, muppet-esque character. A recent TikTok trend featuring the Grimace Shake, where participants simulate tragic ends after sipping the berry-infused beverage, often incorporating paranormal or demonic elements, has unintentionally promoted the mascot.
Marketing-Interactive, quoting McDonald’s, mentioned this NFT effort highlights McDonald’s Singapore’s commitment to pioneering innovation.
In other McDonald’s NFT ventures, McDonald’s Hong Kong joined forces with Ethereum-based game The Sandbox in July, establishing McNuggets Land for the Chicken McNuggets’ 40th anniversary. Last year, McDonald’s France showcased digital artworks of their iconic dishes with the ‘McDoNFT’ tag. Shortly after, the brand revealed an NFT series for its 31-year milestone in China, while the US division commemorated the McRib’s 40th anniversary with exclusive NFTs.


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More disgruntled customers have been tweeting about an apparent disruption to card payments and online banking at NatWest.
Natwest whole system is down! No ATM's, no online banking and cards WILL be declined. Just found that out the hard way. Pls RT
No food in the house so I go to get money out, no cashpoint works. Go online to use Just Eat, no service works. Thanks a bunch @natwest
More top news
Warwickshire Police are currently dealing with an "ongoing incident" at Bermuda Park, Nuneaton.
The Labour leader has called the Norwich South MP's remark "completely unacceptable" and says Clive Lewis has personally apologised to him.
Jamie Harron, was arrested in July over the incident in which he said he put his hand on a man's hip to avoid spilling a drink in a bar.


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Exclusive: Easy Slider Is Opening A Brick-and-Mortar Restaurant In Deep Ellum, Possibly By Winter.
The burger lists in this town — and there are tons of them — are all flawed.
I think the institutional anti-mobilism of the food industry is to blame, personally. It’s the only possible explanation as to why so few of these lists ever even bother to mention the Easy Slider crew and its disproportionately delectable handheld burgers. Ask anyone with working tastebuds and even the slightest progressive food service stance; they’ll tell you that these Davids can — and do — stand toe-to-toe with any Dallas burger Goliath.
Alas, the man can keep Easy Slider down no longer: Last month, Easy Slider co-owners Caroline Perini and Miley Holmes signed a lease with Deep Ellum property management company 42 Real Estate to open up shop in the currently vacant confines of 2701 Main Street, just catty corner from Pecan Lodge.
This is pretty epic news, you guys! But, also, it follows form with Easy Slider’s trajectory. After launching its first truck onto the Dallas-Fort Worth streets in December 2011, Holmes and Perini christened a second truck in November 2012 and, more recently, added a third truck in September 2014 so as to keep up with demands for such EST-specific creations as the Sweet & Lowdown and the Nutty Pig. A brick-and-mortar location is just a logical next step.
“It was either a fourth truck or a restaurant,” Perini says of the move, which she admits falls in line with Easy Slider’s earliest ambitions. “The first idea was always a restaurant. Then we just fell in love with the food truck concept.”
Opening up shop in Deep Ellum — in the former home of an old book-binding company, right next to the also-en-route barbershop-cum-speakeasy High & Tight — affords Perini and Holmes the chance to give that initial dream a go, even as they plan to continue operating their trucks across the region just as they have been. The formula won’t change much at the restaurant, either: Sliders will still dominate the lunch, dinner and, yes, late-night (as late as 3 or 4 a.m., Perini says) menus — although they’ll be joined here by new “southern-inspired bar snacks” and a full bar. Plans for the spot, which could seat as many as 70 inside, also call for an outdoor patio that could seat another 70 and a design that follows Easy Slider’s already-in-place vintage Americana design theme.
Perhaps, though, that’s all getting a little ahead of the ball. Construction has yet to start on the space. Perini says that should be beginning in the coming months, though. Tentatively, she and Holmes are aiming for a late 2015/early 2016 opening.
“Once the fall starts to roll, I hope it’ll be a fast process,” she says.
That makes, well, all of us, I guess.


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DPD has relocated its Nottingham depot to a newly built distribution centre on Blenheim Park Road. The 60,000-square-foot site has been purpose-built to “cover a more optimum delivery area”, accommodating 133 new delivery routes and creating 209 new jobs.
The delivery company is also opening a new 54,207-square-foot facility in Barking, serving 149 new delivery routes around East London and the M25, and creating up to 175 new jobs.
The new facilities are designed to support growth predicted for parcel volume through to 2025.
“Investment in new locations, larger, purpose-built depots and our new, larger [distribution centres] make a huge difference to our operational efficiency,” said Dwain McDonald, CEO of DPD. “Nottingham gives us room to carry on growing, while gaining a new location within the M25 gives our drivers better access to major road networks, helping to improve mileage, journey times and CO2 emissions.”
McDonald added: “Our business has grown rapidly in the last few years due to the popularity of our innovative services which put consumers in control of their own delivery. The new facilities at Nottingham and Barking are the latest in our ongoing investment in our infrastructure and will help us continue to deliver a first-class service to businesses, online retailers and their customers for years to come.”
(Source: Post & Parcel)


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Arco helps secure supply of 140m face masks
As businesses are beginning to reopen, following the government announcement that lockdown measures will start to ease slightly, many employers and employees are concerned a about guidelines should be met and the measures they need to put in place to comply and to fully protect their people.
A snap poll by SHP on Monday found that only 9% of people are preparing to return to work, but 36% don’t feel safe doing so. With an expectation that where social distancing is not possible, the use of face coverings may be required in order to decrease the risk of transmission of infection from the wearer to others.
Last week, Arco announced that it has secured a supply of 40m Type II masks and 90m Type IIR masks, which are in the process of being delivered to its National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Hull. A series of 20 trucks have been arriving in a carefully timed schedule to deliver the first 19m masks and work has begun inside the newly extended building to get orders out of the door, to customers across the country as quickly as possible.
Throughout the pandemic, Arco has been supplying the NHS, ambulance services, local authorities and other public health bodies in the UK and has made a significant contribution to support the UK supply chain for critical equipment. Last month, Arco Marketing Director Adam Young joined SHP’s live webinar, part of Safety & Health Expo Digital Week, to discuss the work Arco has been undertaking during the pandemic and to provide advice on Sourcing PPE during COVID-19. The session is available to listen to, on-demand, here.
Expert advice sheets
To assist practitioners with ensuring a safe return to the workplace. the company has developed a set of expert advice sheets. The ‘toolkit’ is aligned with Government advice and covers topics such as Managing Risk, Cleaning the Workplace, Working Safely During Coronavirus and PPE – what to wear and how to use it.
It’s important that the right type of respiratory protection is specified for the job, to ensure that the higher levels of protective equipment are issued only where necessary and critical supplies are not diverted from where they are needed most. Arco’s freely available guidance offers expert advice on when to specify a respirator or a mask, selecting the right Type II mask, plus a set of guides and FAQs for end users.
Arco says it is deeply concerned about the quantity of non-compliant products that are now on the UK market, many of which have fake test certification and do not meet UK standards. These products could potentially put workers at risk, rather than protect them. With its own independently accredited product testing lab on site, Arco is positioned to advise on fake and counterfeit products that are finding their way into the marketplace. The company is using its deep technical knowledge on product quality and conformity to assist the OPSS and Trading Standards in their effort to keep non-compliant products out of the supply chain.
Get your free ticket to Safety & Health Expo: 12-14 July 2021, ExCel London
Safety & Health Expo, is getting ready to welcome the health and safety profession back to ExCeL, London from 12-14 July 2021, making it the first face-to-face event for occupational health, safety and wellbeing professionals since the pandemic. Whether you’re searching for products, wanting to extend your network or working to stay ahead of news, trends & best practice, Safety & Health Expo can help you by connecting you to the entire profession.


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With reports of layoffs and shutdowns, “skepticism” is growing across the startup ecosystem, warns The New York Times.
But will there be another “dot-com bust” as there was two decades ago?
Maybe, The Times warns.
“The pullback will probably not be as severe as the dot-com bust in the early 2000s, when dozens of unprofitable internet firms failed. Today, venture capitalists and other investors still have large pools of money to invest. And certain types of start-ups — like those that make tech for businesses and that typically have steady sales — continue raising large sums of money,” warns Erin Griffith.
“But in an industry known for irrational optimism, skepticism now abounds.”


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By Paul R. La Monica, CNN Business
Stocks were lower in a volatile session Friday. A solid jobs report was not enough to fully convince investors to look for bargains following Thursday’s more-than-1,000-point plunge.
The Dow was down a little more than 200 points in late-morning trading, after plummeting more than 500 points shortly after the opening bell.
Nike was one of the biggest drags on the blue chips, falling nearly 4%. Nike rival Adidas issued a lousy earnings report Friday because of weakness in China. Nike competitor Under Armour also plunged 25% following weak results.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also tumbled slightly Friday. All three indexes are flat for the week.
The Dow may fall for the sixth consecutive week, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are looking to avoid a five-week losing streak. The stock market is now at its lowest point for the year.
“It’s a crazy time,” said Scott Lepene, co-chair of Thompson Hine. “The market is reacting as if we are in a recession. We may not have bottomed out just yet.”
Still, investors did prop up some stocks that reported good earnings. Shares of Square owner Block were higher thanks to strong results for its Cash App. Food delivery service DoorDash was up nearly 4% following its earnings.
Consumers still appear to be in reasonably healthy financial shape, despite worries about inflation. That’s helping to lift pockets of the market and economy.
“The jobs report was robust and indicative of strong demand,” said Joe Davis, global chief economist with Vanguard. Davis added that employment in the services sector is particularly tight, which will likely lead to more upward pressure on wages and higher interest rates from the Fed.
“inflation is still uncomfortably high,” Davis said.
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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Wireless mobile data transmission technologies have been revolutionizing the world of consumer electronics over the past decade and the American consumer has had a rapacious appetite for it. A study of mobile usage data conducted between July and September of 2014 found that U.S. cellular subscribers gobbled up an average of 1.8 gigabytes (GB) of cellular data per month, according to mobile analytics provider Mobidia. Some subscribers go well beyond that, consuming as much as 10GB of mobile data per month, especially when looking at data transmitted through Wi-Fi networks.
The thirst for wireless mobile data services won’t slow down any day soon according to networking development company Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO). A global mobile data traffic forecast issued by the San Jose-based tech company indicates that data traffic around the world increased by 74 percent during 2015 alone. The 3.7 exabytes (or 3.7 billion GB) of data transmitted each month represented a 4,000-fold increase over the past 10 years and a nearly 400-million-fold increase in 15 years, when mobile networks were carrying less than 10GB of cellular data per month. Cisco’s forecast indicates that global mobile data traffic will increase by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 53 percent through 2020, when mobile data traffic should hit 30.56 exabytes per month.
That level of data traffic, however, is not something that can be realized with the currently available wireless spectrum, or range of radio frequencies which has been set aside by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for wireless communications. The wireless spectrum is already a very crowded space, as the FCC’s Spectrum Dashboard will show readers. The dashboard, which covers radio frequencies all the way down to 225 megahertz (MHz) and up to 3700 MHz, shows how a great majority of radio frequency spectrum is divided up between radio, satellite, television, phone, radar and amateur use as well as broadband and fixed wireless.
In March 2010, the FCC issued a National Broadband Plan which called for freeing up an additional 500 MHz of wireless spectrum and making it available for broadband services by 2020, up from the 50 MHz of spectrum range available for broadband at that time. It is in this environment of a greatly increased consumer demand for broadband spectrum that the FCC has recently begun an incentive auction which aims to divert wireless radio spectrum away from holders willing to part with their spectrum, especially television stations, and then getting those frequencies into the hands of mobile broadband providers.
The incentive auction being conducted by the FCC is a two-part process. First, at the end of May, the agency began conducting a reverse auction which sought 126 MHz of relinquished broadcast spectrum rights. In this auction, the FCC offered payment to multiple sellers for relinquishing spectrum and reduced its offer incrementally. A selling price in such an auction is reached when enough prospective sellers drop out as the offered payment is dropped. The second phase of the spectrum auction is a forward auction offering new 600 MHz band flexible-use licenses to broadband providers.
The selling prices initially offered by the FCC could wind up being a huge payday for some TV broadcasters. Online technology publication The Verge reported that a New York City-based affiliate of Telemundo was offered an initial selling price of $900 million by the FCC. Despite the large amount of money being offered to those holding spectrum in the television realm, it’s expected that the auction, when completed, could generate net values anywhere from $25 billion up to $50 billion.
Major telecom providers were certainly optimistic about what the auction could do for their ability to provide American consumers with mobile broadband services. The chief executive of German-based Deutsche Telekom (ETR:DTE), which owns 65 percent of the U.S. telecom provider T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS), has reportedly commented that T-Mobile customers can expect to see results in improved wireless networks resulting from the auction by the end of 2016. On May 12th, the FCC published a notice which indicated that it had received 99 complete applications from companies who want to participate in the forward auction part of the process.
Most of the applicants taking part in the forward auction are recognizable names in the telecom realm, including T-Mobile, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T (NYSE:T). However, The Wall Street Journal reported in early April about 30 applications of the total 104 applications, both complete and incomplete, which were filed by individuals without corporate ties. One of the individual bidders in the auction is James Hulce, who The Wall Street Journal reports is a 20-year-old man from Wisconsin. An e-mail interview with Hulce conducted by media and technology publication Media Consult indicated that Hulce, who had wanted to operate a telecom company, saw this as the last time that low-band spectrum might be made available for any wireless providers in the next decade.
Although most of the coverage of the FCC’s two-part spectrum auction has focused on the likely positive outcomes, some questions have been raised as to the usefulness of the particular band of spectrum being offered, in light of coming developments of telecommunications technologies. Reports on analysis of the spectrum auction coming from Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) analysts indicates that, although the low-end radio frequencies being offered in the 600 MHz range travel farther and penetrate obstacles better than high-end frequencies, it’s those higher frequencies which do a better job of transmitting more data over a short distance. This makes high MHz radio frequencies better suited for urban environments where dense pockets of consumers are hungry for data-rich services. As the world inches closer towards the coming of 5G wireless networks, which will require higher frequencies ranging from 6 gigahertz (GHz) up to 66 GHz, lower frequencies could become less valuable in time.
This is not the first spectrum auction conducted by the FCC; the agency has been conducting auctions for licenses on wireless spectrum since 1994. According to news reports, this does seem to be the most active spectrum auction period the FCC has ever conducted. The Wall Street Journal reports that no previous FCC auction had attracted more than nine individual applications, although that doesn’t include corporate applications. FCC records on past auctions indicate that the most licenses issued in one auction were the 15,514 licenses in a paging auction conducted between October and December of 2001. The highest level of net winning bids came in early 2015 after a two-and-a-half month Advanced Wireless Services auction took in more than $41 billion in winning bids.


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Bitcoin Price Prediction: “New All-Time Highs By Early Next Year”.
While Bitcoin ongoing its increase to a brand new 2020 high, 1 analyst indicates this isn’t the peak price however, as the benchmark cryptocurrency is found poised to attain a brand new all-time high by 2021.
In a tweet, CEO, macro trader, and Raoul Pal of Real Vision, stated with Bitcoin’s recent ascent, these day there are only 2 resistances that remains for it to break — $14,000 plus the outdated all time high of around $20,000.
The $14,000 level was the weekly resistance Bitcoin attempted but failed to break 12 months which is previous. It had also been the real month close of Bitcoin in 2017; $20,000 was the degree that Bitcoin tried to break in 2017. It peaked at approximately $19,700 within the point in time.
The monthly and weekly charts these days recommend there’s extra room for Bitcoin to boost.
The relative strength signal (RSI) was by now at eighty when Bitcoin Price Today attempted to break up $14,000 very last 12 months. An RSI of eighty implies great overbought levels. Within the time of this writing, Bitcoin is at $13,800 but RSI is at seventy one, and that is already in overbought territory but there’s still room for a growth.
In the once a month chart, when Bitcoin shut at $14,000 throughout 2017, the RSI was at 97, suggesting intense overbought levels. The RSI has become from sixty nine, recommending a further probability of a growth.
A brand new all time high means Bitcoin needs to be up 50 % from the present levels by January next year, Cointelegraph claimed.
Bitcoin Wallet has recently gained from a string of news that is good. Square, an economic organization with Bitcoin advocate Jack Dorsey as the CEO of its, invested fifty dolars million into Bitcoin. PayPal Holdings also recently announced that it’ll shortly enable its 346 million buyers to buy and sell cryptocurrency within its PayPal and Venmo platforms. On Tuesday, reports mentioned Singapore-based bank DBS was deciding to build a cryptocurrency exchange and custody services for digital assets.


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People who own electric cars could soon benefit from cheaper energy, as a result of so-called flexible charging.
Regulator Ofgem has announced plans to encourage owners to recharge cars at times when electricity is cheaper.
That could be in an off-peak period, or it could be at times when plenty of renewable energy is being generated.
So even though early evening is a peak time for energy use – making electricity expensive – hot or windy weather might bring the cost down.
Cheaper “time of day” tariffs are already available to 11 million homes in the UK that have smart meters installed.
As a result, some consumers are able to have free electricity at weekends, for example.
The system of flexible – or smart – charging would also be able to accommodate a 60% increase in the number of electric cars wanting to use the grid.
Ofgem said that all consumers would benefit from the more efficient use of resources, as it could prevent new power stations having to be built.
“Our reforms will help more users charge their electric vehicles and save them money,” said Jonathan Brearly, Ofgem’s director of systems and networks.
“The proposals we have announced today will also harness the benefits of electric vehicles and other new technologies to help manage the energy system and keep costs down for all consumers.”
The use of electric vehicles as batteries could help lower the cost of electricity for everyone, by feeding energy back into the grid when it is most needed.
Car owners could be paid for the electricity they have stored, in periods when demand is high.
To benefit from the new tariffs, electric car owners would need to have a smart meter, as well as a smart charger for their vehicle.
Ofgem will now consult on the plans with interested parties.


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A recent study showed that most streamers were lagging anywhere from 50 seconds to one minute from the actual game between the Rams and the Bengals.
Guitar Hero Twitch streamer Frif says it took him "at least 400 hours" to get a perfect score on the 19-minute track.
The new "Guardians of the Galaxy" game will include licensed music, prompting Twitch and YouTube streamers to wonder if they will be hit with DCMA takedowns for broadcasting the game.
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"Until recently, Twitch held a monopoly on most of the top live streamers. Now that this is changing," Ashray Urs, head of product at Streamlabs, tells Newsweek.
With 200,000 followers on Twitch and millions of YouTube views, Kitboga is known for "scambaiting" tech support scammers.
The social network lost its rights to Thursday night NFL games this year.
The proliferation of smartphones may mean the time is ripe for a livestreaming phenomenon.


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You’re an analyst on Peloton’s marketing team, a home fitness unicorn that just dropped a slick new holiday ad. Coffee in hand, you return from Thanksgiving break to an out-of-hand inbox due to an unexpected and inexplicable Twitter backlash that’s blowing up your phone.
You watch helplessly as your company’s valuation drops $1.5 billion.
The CMO wants your analysis within the hour. How did this happen?
This week, Yonder’s CEO Jonathon Morgan and Director of Customer Success Melissa Lipscomb hosted a webinar that answers precisely this question. The answer is relevant both to Peloton and to any brand concerned about public perception and consumer sentiment.
Click play below to watch the webinar. Here’s the TL;DR:
- The internet is run by power groups online called factions. They are the invisible forces driving viral stories and online narratives.
- Not all narratives are created equal: many are fringe agendas made to appear mainstream, and many are artificially engineered.
- Factions have the power to co-opt brand platforms to tell their own story.
- Social media analytics must go beyond tracking mentions and engagement.
- A complete analytical toolkit requires new indicators that track behavior, coordination, and movement — not just volume or velocity.
- With the right toolkit, brands can get advance notice of an emerging narrative, plan a response to protect reputation, and stay ahead of the news cycle.
The Coordination That Shapes Culture
Peloton’s story is all too familiar to brands everywhere.
Maybe your company has inadvertently been caught up in controversy because of a former executive’s ill-advised Tweet. She’s long gone, and her political stance doesn’t reflect your brand’s values, but demand has plummeted and you’re left wondering how to shore up dismal sales numbers.
Or perhaps business has been growing steadily until a heretofore unknown YouTuber released a video complaining that your product is harmful and should be taken off the market. Nevermind that these claims are unsubstantiated, malicious hearsay motivated by brand takedown rather than transparency. The video has already been shared by hundreds of bloggers and journalists are calling you for comment.
The fact is, 60 percent of Americans choose or boycott a brand based on its societal values, and fake online narratives spread 10 times faster than the truth.
A New Landscape of Online Conversation
How do specious online narratives migrate from little-known accounts in the nether corners of the internet into the mainstream, and swiftly shift conventional wisdom? This phenomenon has not been well understood in the past.
Motivated, passionate voices tend to be more extreme and provocative — and therefore, more shareable — than their moderate and less exciting counterparts. Simply by being loud and noticeable, these groups often fool journalists into reading a fringe narrative as broadly representative of public sentiment.
Just as often, the sheer amount of viral conversation acts as a barometer for the level of interest or consensus on a given topic. This assumption ignores the fact that a large number of viral narratives are artificially engineered. That’s right — they are not even real, but they still get counted.
We call these groups factions, the invisible forces driving conversation — and persuasion — on the internet.
But it’s hard to understand something that you can’t see. The internet needs new metrics to demystify faction-driven narratives by tracking behavior. In other words, we need to look at coordination, and movement, not just volume.
The modern analytics toolkit captures engagement on the whole, spotting in-the-moment trends and treating all users and content as equal and authentic. While providing a critical piece of the picture, these platforms are not designed to uncover the hidden patterns of online conversations and predict what is going to trend when.
To complete the picture, brands require insight into origin, motivation, and trajectory, the essential inputs needed to protect brand reputation in a rapidly-evolving cultural context.
At Yonder, we’ve been studying these hidden structures of the modern information ecosystem for the past four years. And we’ve uncovered some common features of faction behavior:
- Factions consist of hyperactive social groups that cohere around shared values, interests, behavior, and conversations. They bond over what they love or hate, and they are loud.
- Because factions are highly motivated and invested in their firmly-held belief systems, their very behavior plays into the inherent mechanics of social media and the modern internet, which rewards virality and engagement.
- By leveraging the nature of the social web, factions amplify and spread their narratives faster than brands can draft, approve, and roll out a messaging campaign, capturing a disproportionate share of voice online.
- Factions have the power to hijack high-profile brand narratives to spread their own ideologies and point of view into the mainstream.
- Brands find themselves unwillingly roped into bewildering narratives they did not foresee, craft, or even understand.
Consumer perception of a brand’s value used to be shaped by paid campaigns. That’s no longer the case. Consumers now buy into a brand based on how online culture shapes their idea of the brand, and brand managers are not the sole arbiters of their company’s position in popular culture.
Gone are the days when a company can buy an expensive ad targeting a demographic of upwardly-mobile, health-conscious young women without taking into account beliefs and value systems. Consumers congregate around common passions and ideologies, not age, gender, and income groups.
Where Yonder Narrative Comes In
Factions are not an internet bug; they are a feature of human nature. Humans have always organized themselves into factions — social groupings that coalesce around shared values, interests, and convictions.
There is nothing inherently nefarious about it! As social creatures, we evolved to associate with like-minded people whose preferences, biases, and points of view mirror our own. It’s how we advance as a species and pass on our genes.
The reach and velocity of information transfer on the internet, however, give factions new power to amplify their voices and inject their beliefs into the mainstream. Brands that ignore factions leave their reputations exposed to narrative manipulation.
Towards a More Authentic Internet Where Brands Can Be Real
Back to you, bewildered Peloton brand analyst!
Over a week and a half elapsed between the launch of the ill-fated holiday ad and the start of viral backlash against it. What if, in that time, you had received an alert on this emerging narrative before it became viral? What if you could identify the “Patient Zero” who originated the narrative, understand how it traveled between factions, and give your communications teams advance notice of an upcoming media hit? Could your brand have been better prepared to respond to or even shorten the entire newscycle?
We built Yonder Narrative to arm brands with the intelligence they need to navigate a faction-driven internet. We track approximately 400 distinct online factions, and that list is constantly being expanded and refined to keep pace with conversations that are shaping public sentiment. By tracking how narratives move across the faction universe and measuring the “distance” between distinct factions that are discussing the same topic, we can predict which narratives are likely to make a leap into the mainstream and escalate into a viral phenomenon.
When brands aren’t scared of the internet, they can be themselves, connect with their audiences on their own terms, and contribute to a more authentic online ecosystem.


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Google Bids And Wins Russia’s Begun
Context ads firm ZAO Begun joined Google after the search advertising company purchased it from parent firm Rambler Media for $140 million.
Google will make a stronger play for the Russian Internet audience for contextual online advertising. The company announced the purchase of Begun this morning.
Rapid growth of the search ad business in Russia served as the motivation. With shares of Google’s stock underperforming the major indexes in 2008, the need for international growth became paramount for Google’s leadership.
Begun’s advertisers should see their marketing appear on Google’s network of sites, while Google expands the reach of its advertising into Begun’s network. Begun has been in operation for six years, giving it plenty of time to build up local expertise with sales and its networks.
Despite its American roots and origins, Google’s bread and butter revenue stream comes more from outside the US than within. During their Q2 2008 earnings call, Google said 52 percent of revenue for that quarter, $2.8 billion, came from international business.
Although Google reported total revenue of $5.37 billion for Q2 2008, earnings missed Wall Street estimates, with the usual punishment coming as investors fled in after hours trading. Shares dropped almost 8 percent after market close, making the need for international growth all the more important.


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Harley-Davidson Inc. plans to shift some production of its iconic motorcycles out of the U.S. in response to retaliatory European Union tariffs, as President Donald Trump’s trade war ripples back to American companies.
Each motorcycle will cost an average of $2,200 extra after the European Union raised its tariff on imported U.S. bikes to 31 percent from 6 percent on June 22, the Milwaukee-based manufacturer said Monday in a regulatory filing. That’s expected to add up to a burden of $90 million to $100 million annually, which Harley-Davidson will absorb rather than pass extra costs on to customers.
In the meantime, it’s planning to increase production in international plants over the next 18 months. While it’s committed to making motorcycles in the U.S., it has no other choice in a market where it sold almost 40,000 bikes last year. Besides its U.S. plants, Harley-Davidson maintains manufacturing facilities in Australia, Brazil, India and Thailand, according to its website.
“Increasing international production to alleviate the EU tariff burden is not the company’s preference, but represents the only sustainable option to make its motorcycles accessible to customers in the EU and maintain a viable business in Europe,” the company said.
The shares dropped 2.7 percent to $43 in early U.S. trading.
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Ukrainian Household Prices Fall Further in Oct
Ukrainian residential consumers will pay 4.9% less this month for their gas than in September, state gas supplier Naftogaz said in an October 16 statement. The latest cut to hryvnias 4,273/'000 m3 means household users are now paying 32% less than they were in April, according to the company.
Ukraine regulates household gas tariffs under a formula linked partially to market rates with a two-month lag. Despite a sharp increase in European wholesale gas prices since the summer, it said, tariffs have continued to fall.
The formula-based rate for gas is lower than the price offered for gas supplies from Ukraine’s storage facilities, of hryvnias 4,874/'000 m3. As the price rises seasonally, storage will become more attractive.
Ukraine boasts a ten-year record gas storage volume of around 21bn m3, under Russian measurements. The facilities are still less than 70% full though.


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The nation's favorite entrepreneur, Jamie Laing and his team of Candy Kittens approached Cubiqdesign to create a new look for their freestanding display units (FSDUs). The point of sale was set to be the centre piece of the store designs with a visually impactful design but was also practical for the consumer to use.
The point of sale unit proposed could hold between four to eight stockkeeping units (SKUs) with the ability for extra storage. The sweetie tins were designed to hold the four SKUs the consumer could choose from. To sit on brand, a clean and bold design theme was used whilst themed around the Candy Kittens' existing core elements.


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Fleet World’s five-minute industry briefing: This week’s top stories
This week’s top fleet industry stories…
- New Kia Soul EV brings extra power and range - Kia has unveiled its second-generation Soul EV, which launches in 2019 and will bring increased power and range. For more of the latest industry news, click ... Read More »
- 2018 Fleet Heroes Awards winners revealed - Fleets including local authorities, public sector organisations and distribution firms have secured recognition for their work in advancing ultra low emission vehicle take-up at this year’s ... Read More »
- Still life for company cars, says fleet expert - Company cars still have a vital role to play for businesses, despite rising costs, but it has never been more important for fleet managers to understand ... Read More »
- Nine in 10 fleets plan to go electric in next decade - The majority of fleets are looking to go electric in the next 10 years, driven by rising government pressure as well as advances in technology. For ... Read More »
- Thatcham names new chief executive - Thatcham Research has appointed Jonathan Hewett as chief executive, succeeding Peter Shaw who stepped down earlier this year. For more of the latest industry news, click ... Read More »
- Nottingham air quality plan gets government green light - Nottingham is to progress schemes to clean up air pollution in the city without charging vehicles after securing approval from the Government. For more of the ... Read More »
- First Drive: Suzuki Jimny - Don’t be fooled by the cute styling, Suzuki’s tough Jimny means business. By Alex Grant. For more of the latest industry news, click here.
- Andrew Cope joins Fleetondemand as executive chairman - Fleet and mobility technology firm Fleetondemand has appointed well-known industry figure Andrew Cope as its executive chairman. For more of the latest industry news, click here.
For more of the latest industry news, click here.


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We’re getting closer and closer to the moment many Android users have been waiting for: The arrival of the OnePlus 3, the next “flagship killer” coming from the now-famous Chinese startup. The device launches in mid-June, and for the first time in three years, there’s not going to be an annoying invite system to buy it – at least according to current reports.
A few days ago we saw the full specs list and final design of the OnePlus 3, in documentation published on TENAA, the Chinese communications regulator, and a new report seems to reveal the incredibly affordable pricing structure of the 2016 OnePlus flagship.
According to sources from China who talked to MobiPicker, OnePlus will have four distinct options for buyers, offering them two RAM choices (4GB or 6GB) and two storage options (32GB and 64GB). Here are the pricing details:
- OnePlus 3 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage: $349 (CNY 2299)
- OnePlus 3 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage: $379 (CNY 2499)
- OnePlus 3 6GB of RAM, 32GB of storage: $409 (CNY 2699)
- OnePlus 3 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage: $425 (CNY 2799)
No matter how you look at it, the OnePlus 3 looks like one of the best Android flagship smartphones you can buy this year, especially considering its cheap pricing. Sure, OnePlus has not confirmed them yet, but considering the pricing structure of previous releases, it certainly makes sense to assume the OnePlus 3 will also be an incredible bargain.
A second report says that OnePlus has no less than one million OnePlus 3 units ready to go on June 15. The news comes from a prolific leakster from China who’s apparently familiar with the local smartphone landscape.
However, 1,000 lucky buyers will be able to buy the handset without even seeing it. The limited edition goes on sale on June 6th, and will cost $455 (2,999CNY) — OnePlus actually announced this “blind” buying promo on its website. However, that’s no indication of the final cost of the handset, nor is it clear what buyers will be getting for that price.


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The first post-Christmas readings from the holiday shopping season suggest consumers spent at a healthy clip, as Amazon.com Inc. said online orders hit a new high and Tiffany & Co. reported an increase in overall sales.
Industry consultants have predicted decent holiday retail sales, buoyed by a robust U.S. economy and low unemployment.
The shift online reflects a reshaping of the retail industry, with department stores struggling to attract shoppers, while others are using their digital platforms to grab market share. Online sales rose 18.8% from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve, compared with growth of 1.2% for in-store sales, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse.
Amazon described the 2019 holiday season as record-breaking for the company, saying billions of items were ordered on the site and “tens of millions” of Amazon devices were purchased world-wide.
The news lifted Amazon’s shares 4.5%, to $1,868.77, its largest single-day percentage increase since January.
The online retailer said Thursday that some of its best-selling products this holiday season were the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote and the Echo Show 5.
Amazon said its most popular departments in the U.S. were toys, fashion, home and beauty, with more than half a billion total items ordered.
Amazon’s statement continued its annual tradition of issuing a news release the day after Christmas touting its holiday sales. The releases generally contain little comparable data to enable any meaningful analysis of the financial impact for Amazon.
Tiffany said total sales rose for the holiday shopping season despite challenges in Hong Kong and Japan. The jeweler on Thursday said global sales rose about 1% to 3% from Nov. 1 through Christmas Eve compared with the same stretch last year.
Japan proved to be a weak area for Tiffany during the period, with sales falling 12% to 14% after excluding the effects of currency fluctuations. The company believes a recent increase in a consumption tax hurt results there, Chief Executive Alessandro Bogliolo said.
Mainland China drove the business during the holiday period, with Tiffany seeing a double-digit sales increase there, offset by declines in Hong Kong, Mr. Bogliolo said.
Tensions between pro-democracy protesters and police have risen of late in Hong Kong, after a period of relative calm.
On Christmas Eve, police used tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse protesters who had gathered near the city’s harbor area.
Other protests were held at Hong Kong shopping malls.
Overall, sales in Tiffany’s Asia-Pacific region, which includes greater China, increased 7% to 9% after accounting for currency movements.
Sales in the Americas rose 2% to 4%.
Europe was stronger, with Tiffany reporting a sales gain of 3% to 5% for the period.
The European luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA plans to acquire Tiffany in a deal valued at $16.2 billion.
Shares of New York-based Tiffany ended up little changed on Thursday, closing at $133.62.
Amazon said its independent third-party sellers—mostly small and medium-size businesses—surpassed a billion items sold world-wide, with unit sales setting a record on double-digit growth from a year earlier.
In one week alone, more than 5 million new customers started free trials or became paid members of its Prime program, the company said.
It didn’t give the breakdown between new paying members and those doing free trials.
It said Prime members ordered more than double the number of grocery items this holiday season compared with last year.
The company also said it added more than 250,000 full- and part-time seasonal roles this holiday season across its global network.
The Seattle-based company said it now employs 750,000 people world-wide.
The retail industry’s increased number of online sales is expected to lead to more returns being handled by the delivery companies.
United Parcel Service Inc. said Thursday that it expects to process 1.9 million return packages on Jan. 2, up 26% increase from the previous year.


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Marfood USA Continues Partnership to Support Deployed U.S. Troops
Marfood USA — a Taylor, Mich.-based manufacturer of national brand and store brand beef jerky — announced that through its Pemmican Brand Operation Gratitude promotion, the company made a sizable donation of Pemmican beef jerky to deployed U.S. troops for the second consecutive year.
For every bag of Pemmican 3.25-ounce Beef Jerky shoppers bought between Memorial Day and Independence Day, Marfood matched the purchase. In total, the company said it donated more than $20,000 worth of Pemmican Flex-Pack Beef Jerky to Operation Gratitude to include in care packages deployed to military personnel in the fourth quarter of the year.
Operation Gratitude is a volunteer-based organization that sends personal care packages and letters to U.S. Military Troops deployed in harms way, Marfood said. Its mission is to put a smile on a service members face and express the appreciation and support of the American people.
“Pemmican is excited that we were able to once again show our gratitude for our U.S. Troops,” said Nakia Watkins, marketing manager, Marfood. “We are grateful to have partner organizations such as Operation Gratitude to help Pemmican and its shoppers give back to the men and women who risk their lives for our freedom every day.”


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But does the official inflation rate mean the cost of living has only gone up 1.1%? Only if you don't count food and energy, which the government excludes as too volatile.
Jake Weber, editor of the Casey Report, has produced a chart that shows how much prices have risen for things people actually buy, year over year to October, 2010.
On average, our basic food costs have increased by an incredible 48% over the last year (measured by wheat, corn, oats, and canola prices). From the price at the pump to heating your stove, energy costs are up 23% on average (heating oil, gasoline, natural gas). A little protein at dinner is now 39% higher (beef and pork), and your morning cup of coffee with a little sugar has risen by 36% since last October. . . .
It is because stashing wheat and cotton in the garage is an impractical way to protect purchasing power that investors are increasingly looking to protect themselves with the monetary metals – a trend that is now very much in motion.


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Bug-iversary Alert! Tomorrow is the 20-year anniversary of the “crash” of the AT&T Long Distance Network. On January 15, 1990 faulty software was installed on the AT&T Electronic Switching System (Number 4 ESS): a one-line bug incapacitated the entire system, disabling switches throughout half the network.
Known as one of the most serious telecom bugs in history, more than 75 million calls were not connected during 9 hours, an estimated $60 million loss.
Dennis Burke of California Polytechnic said it best: “The Jan. 1990 incident showed how bugs in self-healing software can bring down healthy systems, and the difficulty of detecting obscure load- and time-dependent defects in software.”
Speaking of “load defects,” AT&T — after signing up to be exclusive U.S. provider of iPhone service — has recently come under fire for the quality of its network coverage. Businessweek‘s top headlines read:
- An AT&T Mystery: Abrupt New York iPhone Shutdown
- AT&T Mulls Plans to Deal with iPhone Data Demand
- Can AT&T Meet iPhone Network Demands?
In light of this bug-iversary, I can’t help but wonder if more testing should have been done before AT&T took on the massive data demands of modern 3G smartphones? What do you think?


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Workers have a slew of priorities when it comes to the parameters of their jobs. About a third, 29% want more flexible work hours, according to Monster's 2024 Work Watch Report. About a fifth, 22%, want more remote work flexibility, 20% want more paid vacation time and 21% want more fitness stipends and mental health services.
Some companies are already doing right by their employees. Job search site Glassdoor recently released its Best Places to Work report, including a list of the 100 best large companies to work for based on current and previous employee reviews.
Among the top 100, some industries were represented more than others. Glassdoor looked at which came up the most to decipher the best industries to work for as well. Here are their top four industries, including examples of jobs and how much they pay.
There were 31 tech companies on the list, crowning the industry as the best one to work for overall.
"Tech has historically invested in the employee experience and it's a job that generally pays well," says Daniel Zhao, lead economist at Glassdoor. It "has good work life balance and also offers the ability to work on interesting products that are very salient today."
The industry has dropped in popularity — last year 41 tech companies showed up on the list. That could be because the industry isn't "swimming in money the way that it was 5, 10 years ago," says Zhao, and perhaps because so many tech companies have had significant layoffs in the last few years.
Still, "STEM professions continue to be in high demand, with significant growth projected between 2022 and 2032," says Cassandra Happe, analyst at WalletHub.
Companies on the list: NVIDIA, Procore Technologies, VMWare
A senior fullstack engineer at NVIDIA makes $144,000-$224,250 per year, according to a recent listing.
Consultants advise organizations on the best course of action for their businesses. There were 12 consulting companies on Glassdoor's list, including its No. 1 organization to work for overall, Bain & Company.
Companies in this industry "tend to offer really good career opportunities," says Zhao. "They are a great stepping stone for people looking to start their careers."
Companies on the list: McKinsey & Company, Booz Allen Hamilton, Huron Consulting Group
An expert consultant position at Bain & Company is currently offering $108,500-$127,500.
Jobs in finance include those at banks, insurance companies, mortgage lenders and so on. There were 11 finance companies on Glassdoor's list.
Employees of these kinds of companies "talk about great compensation packages, from base pay all the way down through benefits and perks," says Zhao, "as well as really strong career opportunities." Jobs can also be "fairly stable and secure," he says.
Companies on the list: Fidelity Investments, Mastercard, Fannie Mae
A data science associate at Fidelity Investments can make $85,000-$179,000 per year.
There were 10 retail companies on Glassdoor's list. That may be surprising as retail companies are not always known for their stellar pay and benefits, especially when it comes to entry-level jobs.
"I would say that the standout companies in retail really excel," says Zhao about those on the list. One valued component that retail companies can offer is flexibility like letting workers "take certain shifts so that they can go home or go and pick up their kids from school."
Companies on the list: Trader Joe's, Nike, Lululemon
A community specialist at Lululemon makes $20.50-$23.58 per hour.
If you're interested in making a switch to a new industry, remember that "your skills tend to be more transferable than you might think," says Zhao.
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Premier Brad Wall wants Saskatchewan people to share their views on whether it is a good idea to privatize public liquor stores.
Grant Devine's Progressive Conservative government, in which Brad Wall was a ministerial assistant, decided in 1989 to sell the assets of the publicly owned Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan.
The looming debate on whether to sell off government-owned liquor stores is going to be an interesting study not only of Saskatchewan politics but also of Premier Brad Wall.
Enoch is director of the Saskatchewan office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
I read with interest about private liquor stores and the cry, "don't sell the Crowns."
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is floating for discussion the idea of mixing up the province's retail liquor market by privatizing provincially owned stores.
In mid-August, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) sent letters to many Canadians asking them to pay their 2014 income tax early. Most of those who received the request are retired and self-employed individuals. They were reminded to pay quarterly tax instalments on Sept. 15 and Dec. 15.


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Somerset County Conducting Online Auction
Somerset County Freeholder Peter Palmer, purchasing division liaison, invites residents to take advantage of the upcoming Somerset County online auction of surplus property. The auction will start at 9 a.m. Monday, May 12, and will begin closing at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 18.
The eclectic mix of items to be sold includes a 1996 Lexus, pickup trucks, vans and other vehicles; public works equipment; file cabinets; a solar control message board; drafting table; and laminator.
A list of auction items, along with terms and conditions of sale, is available at bit.ly/SCOnlineAuction. The Internet auction website is www.USGovBid.com. Photos of items are expected to be posted on the US GovBid site by May 12.
Items may be inspected Friday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday, May 17, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South County Public Works Facility, located at 410 Roycefield Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844.
All property will be sold as-is, where-is; there is no buyer’s premium. Payment is due within 24 hours of notification and items must be removed by 3 p.m. Friday, May 30. The buyer is responsible for all loading and transporting of property.


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Veggie, meat prices unlikely to drop till festivities end
Kathmandu, September 30
This year’s Dashain and Tihar festivals are likely to be costly affairs for consumers, as prices of vegetables and meat are unlikely to drop until the festive season is over.
As per the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board, the average price of red potatoes is Rs 75 per kg, Rs 15 more than a month ago; a kg of green beans costs Rs 140, sword beans Rs 110 per kg, bitter gourd Rs 120 per kg and bottle gourd, luffa gourd, green pumpkin and okra cost Rs 90 per kg. A month back, prices of green beans, sword beans and bitter gourd were Rs 70 per kg, Rs 90 per kg and Rs 60 a kg, respectively, while bottle gourd, luffa gourd, green pumpkin and okra were priced at Rs 60 per kg, Rs 50 per kg, Rs 60 per kg and Rs 80 per kg, respectively.
Spinach that used to cost around Rs 70 per kg a month ago costs anything between Rs 110 and Rs 210 a kg these days. The price of mushroom has reached Rs 190 per kg from Rs 70 a kg in a month.
Above all, the price of onion has risen at an alarming rate in the domestic market, shooting up daily. Just a month back onion used to cost Rs 70 per kg, but today it had touched Rs 140 per kg; it cost Rs 110 a kg yesterday.
“Onions imported from India cater to 90 per cent of the demand in the country and at present onion is expensive in India itself,” explained Khom Prasad Ghimire, president of the Federation of Fruits and Vegetables Entrepreneurs. “As the production of onions in India has declined sharply this year, its price has risen substantially across the border,” he said.
Moreover, India banned export of onions on Sunday citing the soaring price. This will be another reason for onion price hike during this festive season, Ghimire added.
“Talking of other vegetables, not only has their production dropped in the country, but imports have also been sluggish. The low availability is surely going to affect prices,” he said. He added that vegetable prices are unlikely to dip for another month.
The price of meat is also unlikely to go down during the festivals. Due to the government’s strict quarantine check on imported livestock, goat import has declined in the last few months causing shortage of mutton in the market. “Local production alone cannot meet market demand, especially during festivals. More than half of our market demand is dependent on imported products,” said Deepak Thapa, former president of Nepal Livestock Traders Association.
Due to shortage of goats, the price of mutton is likely to reach Rs 1,500 per kg in the coming days, Thapa added. Currently, mutton costs Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,300 a kg. “Although goats and mountain goats are available easily, the supply is unlikely to meet the festive demand,” he said, “Even though the government has promised to ease the situation, no initiative has been taken yet.”
He, however, said market share of local goats had increased this year. “Earlier, local goats used to meet 20 per cent of demand during festivals. However, this year the share has increased to 45 per cent,” Thapa said. According to him, around 50,000 to 55,000 goats and mountain goats are consumed in Kathmandu valley during the festive season.


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Düsseldorf According to Tesla, anyone who orders a Model Y in Germany has to wait at least four, if not six, months. This is not only annoying, buyers could miss out on the long-established state subsidy for electric vehicles. They are only available this year at this level, the date of delivery counts.
Things are very different in China at the moment. There, the electric car manufacturer has now cut the waiting time for the Model Y in half. Chinese customers should have the vehicle at their doorstep in four weeks at the earliest and eight weeks at the latest.
The reason for the rapid delivery is the expansion of the factory in Shanghai, which was completed in July. 22,000 Model Y and 3 roll off the assembly line there every week. The German factory in Grünheide currently only manages about 1000.
After Tesla had to struggle with quality and service problems in the important market last year, the group went on the offensive in China. Company boss Elon Musk landed a coup: He was the first foreigner to publish an article in a government-affiliated magazine.
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On three pages, Musk describes his future visions of sustainable energy, electric cars or Mars colonization and presents three of his companies: Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink. “A PR triumph,” writes the South China Morning Post newspaper, citing a blogger who attests to Musk’s “pro-communist mindset.”
Accordingly, the article met with little love in the USA. The essay appeared in China Cyberspace. The magazine is published by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the People’s Republic’s top Internet censorship agency. Meanwhile, Musk is calling for more freedom of expression in the United States, for example through fewer content rules for the short message service Twitter.
A delicate maneuver, which in times of growing tensions between the USA and China can lead to consequences. “If Musk doesn’t sit before a US Congressional inquiry and be questioned about his ties with China in a year, I’ll be blown away,” Kendra Schaefer, an expert at the Trivium China consultancy, told Bloomberg.
Musk’s charm offensive makes sense from an economic perspective. China is the world’s largest sales market. Experts estimate that six million electric cars will be sold there this year. Last year, Tesla achieved more than a quarter of its total sales in the People’s Republic with 13.8 billion dollars. In 2019, this share was just under three billion dollars and just over eleven percent.
China is becoming even more important for Tesla
The importance of good relations with Beijing is evident these days. For example, Tesla, along with Chinese manufacturer Saic, is asking for more electricity for their suppliers who are struggling at their factories in Sichuan, southwest China. A similar situation occurred a year ago when suppliers like Eson Precision Engineering or Pegatron had to shut down production due to coal shortages and power outages.
>> Read also: The China twilight: the country has changed so dramatically
Such failures hit Tesla hard. After the expansion, the Shanghai plant will be able to produce more than a million vehicles a year, far dwarfing the previous plant in Fremont, California, which produced 650,000 vehicles. Grünheide and Austin will also only be able to produce 500,000 electric cars in the previously planned plan.
In addition, time is of the essence, market share is at stake. Tesla can hardly save itself from orders, especially with the Model Y. But competitors like VW or Stellantis are pushing into the market. There are also numerous new brands such as Nio, Xpeng and BYD in China.
More: New Tesla plants in Grünheide and Texas “burn billions of dollars”


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If you own a T-Mobile-branded Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) today could just be your lucky day as the operator has just started rolling out the much-anticipated Android 4.4.4 KitKat update to all its LTE variants of the slate currently located in the United States.
With today being the day that the Note 4 is launching in the United States officially, and T-Mobile customers who pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 getting a nice surprise earlier this week when they started receiving their orders, users on the uncarrier network are seeing a minor update pop up. The 65MB update looks to fix performance problems and increase battery performance. The carrier’s web site has nothing yet regarding details on the new update but if you’re on T-Mobile and have a Note 4, you should see a notification pop up. If not you can manually check for the update in the settings menu.
source: T-Mo News
With Google’s official release of the Nexus 6 earlier today, buyers may be trying to figure out whether it will be available on their network. The good news for customers on the five major U.S. carriers is that Google is going to make the Nexus 6 available on all of those networks with the initial release. The networks include AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless. This is a welcome change in strategy from Google as they try to get the latest Nexus smartphone into the hands of as many users as possible. The biggest impediment could end up being the price, which at $649 off-contract, puts it right up there with other high-end devices. By not backing off on specs and the corresponding cost of the unit, Google is also employing a new strategy compared to previous releases.
In July, French telecommunications giant Iliad expressed interest to purchase a majority stake in T-Mobile. The offer at that time was roughly $15 billion for 56.6%. Recently, Iliad upped that number to take 67% at $36 per share. It was going all-in to get its foot into the United States wireless industry.
It all comes to an end today because T-Mobile’s parent, Deutsche Telekom, has “refused” to entertain the new offer. Iliad has announced its pursuit of T-Mobile is over and will move on. In somewhat of a jab at Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile, Iliad said in a press release that it will “continue its profitable growth policy as it has been conducted over the last 15 years in the interest of subscribers, employees and shareholders.”
This means that the door is still open for SoftBank to hop in and merge Sprint with T-Mobile.
As expected, Verizon won’t be the only U.S. carrier to offer Sony’s Xperia Z3 (Xperia Z3v for Verizon) flagship phone. T-Mobile just officially announced that Sony’s latest and greatest will be available at participating stores and online starting October 29. Pricing will be $0 down with 24 monthly payments of $26.25 each.
Now if you happen to be a little anxious, you can pre-order the phone starting October 15 at 12:00am PDT. According to T-Mobile’s press release, customers who pre-order “could” receive their phones before the national launch.
We have the full presser after the break.
Alex Wiesen, a lead manager with Google’s Google Voice team, announced today that MMS support within Google Voice is now live for almost 100 North American based carriers. To the dismay of many people, the list of carriers that gave the go ahead to roll out this update does not include Verizon. Customers on AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile in the U.S. as well as Rogers, Bell Canada and Telus in Canada will have this new option available to them.
T-Mobile earlier announced the Sony Xperia Z3 will be joining their portfolio some time this fall. Although the timing was a bit nebulous, it appears the official release may be imminent. This is considerably faster than the timeline for prior Sony devices to come to the U.S. market. T-Mobile has been the only U.S. carrier to show interest in offering Sony devices to their customers, but in the past the release has typically lagged behind other markets by several months. Part of the reason for the faster release this time around could be the accolades Sony’s latest flagship received during IFA 2014.
The rollout of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in the U.S. market continues with carriers announcing availability dates and pricing for the device on their network. The latest to join the ranks is T-Mobile as they have opened their system to take pre-orders with an indicated shipping date of October 17th. T-Mobile’s full retail price for the smartphone is $749.76. Alternatively, buyers can put no money down and pay for the device over 24 months for $31.24 per month if they have excellent credit. T-Mobile is the third carrier to announce details for the Galaxy Note 4 on their network following AT&T and Verizon.
If you are ready to place your pre-order with T-Mobile, hit the source link below.
Today, ZTE announced a new device with a massive display that will be available exclusively through T-Mobile. The ZMAX is a mid-range handset with a 5.7-inch display. To keep costs down, the resolution of the display is 1280×720 and the processor inside is the Snapdragon 400. The standout of the ZMAX is its battery life. It can last two days on average thanks to a 3400mAh battery.
Everything else about the ZMAX is reasonable and completely capable. An 8MP camera capable of recording 1080p video is on the back and a 1.6MP camera sits on the front. The internal storage is 16GB and ZTE included a microSD card slot. Also, it ships with Android 4.4 KitKat.
The ZTE ZMAX will arrive online and at T-Mobile stores on September 24 for $10.50 per month for twenty-four months. MetroPCS will follow in carrying the ZMAX later this year.
Hit the break for the full press release.
T-Mobile hosted the Un-carrier 7.0 event today bringing what they are calling “Wi-Fi Un-leashed.” Wi-Fi Unleashed brings Wi-Fi calling and texting to every Simple Choice customer, and they are including it on every smartphone they sell. What happens if you don’t have a phone that is Wi-Fi calling and texting capable? Well assuming you’re already a T-Mobile customer, they are offering you an exclusive enrollment window in JUMP!, which is their upgrade program.
If you don’t have a wireless router, or your current one sucks, T-Mobile will give you one made by ASUS called a T-Mobile Personal CellSpot. It has a unique patent-pending technology that prioritizes voice calls for HD voice.


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ONGC alleges RIL deliberately extracted gas from its KG blocks.
ONGC has alleged that RIL in a “well-planned and deliberate strategy” produced about USD 1.4 billion worth of its gas over past six years and demanded that the Mukesh Ambani firm pay full compensation with 18 per cent interest.
HSBC’s Swiss, Dubai arms under lens for tax evasion by Indians.
Armed with “sufficient evidence”, Indian tax authorities have issued notices to global banking giant HSBC, warning of prosecution against its Swiss and Dubai arms for allegedly abetting tax evasion by four Indians and their families.
Apple CEO: US should withdraw demand for iPhone hack help.
Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said in an email to employees that the U.S. government should withdraw its demand that Apple help the FBI hack a locked iPhone used by a shooter in last year’s deadly shooting in San Bernardino, California.
Govt. to divest 5% in NTPC.
The government announced it will be divesting five per cent of its stake in NTPC through the offer-for-sale route. The sale is expected to garner Rs.5,029 crore at a floor price of Rs.122 per share. The stake sale is to be spread over two days, with institutional bidders getting to buy shares on Tuesday and retail investors on Wednesday.The retail investors have 20 per cent of the shares reserved for them.
No patents for standalone software.
Mere computer programmes those not in conjunction with a novel hardware will not be granted patent in India, according to the latest guidelines of the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM). The Office of CGPDTM supervises the working of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) laws in India.In the guidelines released on February 19, the CGPDTM agreed with a Parliamentary panel which had observed that computer programmes as such are not intended to be granted patent.
Ringing Bells to import first 50 lakh phones: Govt. official.
Ringing Bells will import the first 50 lakh units of its handset, a government official said following a meeting with the company’s promoter. The firm had earlier claimed that making devices in India would help it sell a smartphone for as little as Rs. 251.
India’s fiscal metrics to remain weaker than peers: Moody’s.
Days ahead of the Union Budget, Moody’s Investors Service said India’s fiscal metrics will remain weaker than its peers in the near term even if Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was to stick to fiscal consolidation roadmap. Mr. Jaitley in his Budget for 2016-17 will reveal if the credit-positive five-year trend of narrowing budget deficits — from 6.5 per cent of GDP in fiscal 2010 to 4.1 per cent in 2014-15 — will continue.
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Ashley Graham goes hell for leather as she hits the stage to speak at 92nd Street Y in New York City
, 2022-12-08 08:06:57,
Ashley Graham goes hell for leather as she hits the stage to speak at prestigious 92nd Street Y in New York City
Ashley Graham took the stage at the esteemed New York City cultural institution the 92nd Street Y to be interviewed Wednesday.
The 35-year-old model and body positivity icon was clad in Manhattan black, including a tight leather cocktail dress.
Wrapping herself in a black leather jacket that hung loosely in biker chic style, she balanced expertly on a towering pair of platform heels.
Strike a pose: Ashley Graham took the stage at the esteemed New York City cultural institution the 92nd Street Y to be interviewed Wednesday
Fern Mallis, the creator of what became New York Fashion Week, was on hand to interview the plus-size model about her impact on their industry.
Ashley is the latest guest on Fashion Icons, a series of conversations Fern has been hosting for the 92nd Street Y for over a decade.
Past guests have included such top-flight designers as Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs and the late Oscar De La Renta.
Another was the acclaimed photographer Arthur Elgort, who is nowadays better known as the father of West Side Story actor Ansel Elgort.
Smiling ear to ear: The 35-year-old model and body positivity…
To read the original article from news.google.com, Click here


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Food truck vendors wanted for plaza in Columbia Gardens in Kennewick
KENNEWICK, Wash. — The City and Port of Kennewick are looking for food truck vendors to fill six spots in its food truck plaza in the Columbia Gardens Artisan Village.
The port has been busing constructing what will be a food truck circle and two more wine tasting rooms for the village. It just recently started accepting applications from interested parties a couple weeks ago and extended the deadline to the end of the year.
Amber Hanchette is the Director of Real Estate for the Port of Kennewick. She said they will be picking diverse options for people to choose from.
“We’d like to see some variety down here,” Hanchette said. “We’d like to see some different menus but really it will kind of come down to who applies.”
Hanchette said they already have a committee in place to help pick which food trucks will be offered a spot in the plaza.
Anyone interested in applying for a spot in the food truck plaza can do so on the port’s website here.


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Pfizer Vaccine Receives Key FDA Panel Approval in US: A federal advisory panel on Thursday recommended the emergency use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the drug, kicking off a massive nationwide operation to get nearly three million doses of the vaccine to hospitals and drug stores across the country.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla applauded the panel’s decision. “We are pleased with the strong majority vote, and if the FDA issues an authorization, stand at the ready to bring this vaccine to people in the U.S. in an effort to help combat this devastating pandemic.”
The FDA, however, is not required to follow the panel’s advice. “After we receive recommendations, we will incorporate that into our decision,” Stephen Hahn, the agency’s commissioner, told CBS This Morning, calling the endorsement “nonbinding.”
Remember BREXIT? It has been over four years since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, and an agreement on the terms of the separation has yet to be finalized with year-end deadlines looming. The 28 member-nations in the EU must rewrite trade agreements with the UK—travel and border decisions, military obligations, and immigration issues. There is a strong possibility of a “no deal” BREXIT (leaving without agreements in place), per UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
While Johnson said the public and businesses needed to ready themselves for the prospect of no deal, he kept alive the prospect an accord could still be found. Britain left the EU in January and has since been in a transition period, with rules on trade, travel, and business unchanged. That ends on December 31. If by then there is no agreement to protect around $1 trillion in annual trade from tariffs and quotas, businesses on both sides will suffer. In a sign of potential disruption ahead, trucks heading towards the English port of Dover were stacked up for miles on Thursday, with Brexit stockpiling and pre-Christmas traffic blamed.
Check out this resource called The non-Brits’ guide to Brexit (because it affects you too) if you want to learn more.
Recovery Tracker Falls Off Over Thanksgiving: Amid a socially-distanced Thanksgiving, the US Recovery Tracker fell sharply in the final week of November, down 3.2ppts to 74.5. While such a reading would otherwise be extremely concerning, we caution that the drop was exacerbated by a seasonal pullback in employment and small-business activity.
Still, excluding the holiday effect, the recovery’s underlying dynamics are disappointing. The third COVID-19 wave has reached record proportions of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Mobility is contracting as cold weather and virus fear keep the country indoors, employment growth is softening, and demand is increasingly hesitant.
While the prospect for widespread vaccination allows us to be more optimistic about 2021, the current virus resurgence can still deal the economy a significant near-term blow. After an anticipated 3.4% contraction in 2020, we forecast GDP growth of 4.3% in 2021.
Windfall Profits and Deadly Risks: The Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institute shared interesting data about the ways various large retailers have responded to COVID-19 with increased compensation for workers as their own profits soared.
For most retail workers, hazard pay has been over for months and wages have returned to their pre-pandemic norm. It has been an average of 133 days since the retail workers in our analysis last received hazard pay. Retail workers at large drug store chains have gone the longest (243 days) on average since receiving hazard pay, and received the least amount ($300). Grocery workers follow, with a modest average COVID-19 compensation ($1,175) and more than 140 days on average since hazard pay ended.
From Victor Fiorillo of Philly Mag: “I’m pretty sure that prior to 2020, I had never been asked where to find awesome holiday light displays. But thanks to COVID and the fact that we’re all scrambling to find fun, safe things to do, it’s a question that keeps coming up. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a great answer. Until now. Enter Mike Kane and his ChristmasPrism app, which allows you to find local houses with primo Christmas light displays.”
The ChristmasPrism app was born out of fatherly necessity. Kane, a 36-year-old dad of an 11-month-old and a two-and-a-half-year-old, lives in Delco, where people take their holiday lights very seriously. And they start setting them up early.


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April 9, 2012
Contact: NCL Communications, (202) 835-3323, email@example.com
Washington, DC–The National Consumers League is saddened by the passing of a tireless leader in the workers rights movement, Mark Ayers, an AFL-CIO Vice President and President of the Building and Construction Trades Department. We mourn Mr. Ayers’ death as someone committed to bettering the lives of working families across the nation. As a US Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, Mr. Ayers took great pride in chairing the AFL-CIO’s Union Veterans Council, a group devoted to increasing veterans’ access to good jobs and quality health care. Our thoughts are with his family and friends and we honor a life devoted to fighting to restore the American dream to working families.
About the National Consumers League
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.