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Sellion debuts Eat My Lignans marketing campaign
PROVIDENCE, R.I. Sellion recently kicked off an advertising and marketing campaign called Eat My Lignans in support of the national launch of their Imvia Flax Seed Lignans line of products.
“Not many people know what a lignan is or why they should be taking them,” stated Bill Feaster, Sellion president. “The objective of our campaign is to first capture consumer’s attention and then make them aware of the amazing health and wellness benefits of lignans.”
The Eat My Lignans campaign will be supported through national print advertising, infomercials, local market advertorials, on-line creative and in-store events, Feaster said.
Lignans are found primarily in fruits, grains, berries and vegetables but are especially abundant in the hulls of flax seeds. Lignans are well known as phytoestrogens and powerful antioxidants. There are a number of studies supporting the benefits of lignans to help lower risks of certain cancers, improve breast and prostate health, and support for symptoms of menopause including hot flashes.
Matrixx launches Xcid exclusively at Wal-Mart
PHOENIX Matrixx entered the digestives space exclusively with Wal-Mart last week with its launch of Xcid, Carl Johnson, president and chief executive officer, told analysts attending the Roth Capital Partners 20th Annual OC Growth Stock Conference on Wednesday.
The product contains two active ingredients—calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide—and is formulated as a rich and creamy formula that’s similar to a dessert-like mousse, Johnson said. “Consumer research has [found] there’s a five-to-one preference for our product versus existing tablets like Tums or existing liquids like Maloxx.”
Wal-Mart will have the brand exclusively for the first several months as Matrixx better gauges the potential for the product, Johnson said. “We probably are thinking today it’s somewhere between a $5 million and $10 million opportunity for the company, but we’ll know better after we have a few months of sales data with Wal-Mart. But obviously when you get the No. 1 retailer in the United States excited about it, that gets us excited and optimistic that this will be a good addition to the company.”
Reckitt Benckiser debuts two products in European markets
SLOUGH, England As a possible taste as to what innovation Reckitt Benckiser will bring to the U.S. market with its Boots Healthcare brands, Reckitt last week announced the launch of two healthcare products to be introduced into its European markets.
The first is a convenience version of its liquid heartburn reliever Gaviscon—Gaviscon Liquid Sachets. “Consumers genuinely think that the liquid is better than the tabs … but normally when you’re on the go they typically use tablets,” commented Bart Becht, Reckitt Benckiser chief executive officer, in a conference call with analysts last week. “They would like to use the liquid but they can’t because that is not an on-the-go format. … So what we’re providing is liquid sachets,” he said, where a consumer can tear off the top of the pouch and drink one dose. “That’s going to market as we speak.”
The second product launch is a fast-acting ibuprofen pain reliever Nurofen Express. “Nurofen Express is already launched in the U.K. and is now going to get gradually rolled-out to markets,” Becht said. “Clearly there’s a regulatory process so this will take several years just to be clear before it will be fully rolled-out … [but] this product provides the pain relief twice as fast as standard ibuprofen products.”
Reckitt Benckiser executives have not yet confirmed that they will launch their entire platform of Boots Healthcare products into the U.S. market—it’s too soon following the acquisition of Adams Respiratory, they’ve said—but the fact that Adams affords Reckitt Benckiser an established entry into the U.S. healthcare market was one of the selling points in acquiring Adams, Becht explained. “What’s the benefit [of the Adams acquisition]? It clearly provides a healthcare infrastructure in the U.S. which is the largest consumer healthcare market in the world. … It was very strategic for us as a company because it’s one of the few targets that allows us to get a healthcare infrastructure in the U.S., which we don’t have. And to build that organically is extremely difficult and costly.”


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July 31, 2008
By The Eagle, Bryan, Texas
Jul. 31--Eagle photo/Stuart Villanueva Robert Forsthoff grows tomatoes along with other vegetables on his land near Kurten to sell at the Independent Growers Market. Buy a printComing straight out of Santa Fe, N.M. -- a city where it's hard not to find locally grown, organic produce -- restaurateur Nathan Barkman said he was a little surprised by the local selection.
Despite being located in "Aggieland," pickings were slim for the Republic Steakhouse co-owner.
"Here we are near Texas A&M University, in the middle of the agriculture center for the country, and basically my chef and me are driving our pick-up trucks out to Conroe and Brenham," Barkman said.
But in the time the restaurant has been open -- nearly a year and a half -- Barkman said local offerings have improved some.
Last year, Brazos Valley-grown fruits and vegetables had a statewide economic impact of $8.2 million, according to statistics collected by Texas AgriLife Extension Service researchers.
That number pales greatly in comparison to the area's top five exports -- beef, broilers, hay, cotton and nursery plants -- which re-circulate in the economy to create an impact of just more than $1 billion.
Still, Marco Palma, assistant professor and economist for the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, said demand for locally grown produce will continue to increase. In turn, he said, supplies of those products will soon follow.
Palma is finalizing a report on consumer trends in response to direct advertising as they relate to farmers markets.
"You have consumers now who are willing to pay a little more for products they perceive to be different, or produced in such a way that isn't harmful," Palma said.
Amid news reports of tainted spinach and tomatoes, consumers are beginning to eye locally grown produce even more, Palma said.
That's good news for farmers looking to sell directly to consumers, regardless of whether they are doing so through the various farmers markets, community supported agriculture formats or so-called "pick-your-own" farms.
"These days the farmer not only has to be good at growing their own products. Many of these people have been doing this for generations and generations," he said. "Now they also have to become marketers."
When the average farmer stands only to make a 9-cent margin on a $3 box of cereal sold in the grocery store, Palma said it makes sense for them to try to capture a larger profit by selling direct.
Brazos Valley farmers are capturing those margins in a number of ways.
Farmers markets, one of the most widely known direct grower-to-consumer formats, have been in the immediate Bryan-College Station area for almost 30 years.
The area is served by two markets -- the Brazos Valley Farmers' Market Association and the Independent Growers Market.
The Brazos Valley Farmers' Market Association, the larger of the two, sets up from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays at the Brazos County Health Department and 4-7 p.m. Wednesdays at College Station Central Park. It's been in existence since around 1980.
"Our market's grown in the number of people producing, but these producers are mostly small-scale producers," said Patrick Gendron, president of the farmers market association. "It's hard to make a living farming. It's a gamble every season."
For most involved with the market, farming is a second job -- a shift from the market's participation in the past, said Gendron, a Bryan lawyer. However, one or two of the market's farmers still are full-time growers.
Lawrence DeZavala has farmed about 15 acres in Easterly, a small community in Robertson County, for more than 30 years. Each year his farm, Sand Pit Enterprises, boasts grapes, blueberries and blackberries.
An amateur wine maker, 82-year-old DeZavala said he started his farm so he could make wine out of his home. Since then, he and his wife Rachel have sold their fruit to retailers and directly to consumers through the farmers market.
"I think the farmers market is an outstanding enterprise that is available to folks to move their excess produce if they don't have a source," he said. "Some farms around here have contracts with H-E-B, but the market really fills a need. It gives folks an opportunity to get first-class products into their homes at a reasonable price."
DeZavala declined to discuss his specific revenue from the market, saying he started his farm because he enjoys the work.
One recent boon to the Brazos Valley Farmers Market Association market has been WIC vouchers. The Brazos Valley Community Action Agency for the first time ever issued five $2 vouchers for the market to each of its 4,300 clients in February, WIC Director Kay Jarrett said.
The federally funded WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program provides nutrition education and vouchers for healthy foods to low-income families.
Jarrett said the local farmers market was one of a few statewide that met the size requirements to participate in the WIC voucher program. Participants in the market had to apply and undergo training on how to accept the WIC vouchers.
"We feel like this is such a good program for everybody involved," Jarrett said. "It benefits the WIC participants because they are learning what fresh fruits and vegetables are available in our area, and the farmers are great about telling them how to cook them."
WIC participants will be able to redeem the vouchers through the end of September for any fresh fruit or vegetable sold at the markets.
Gendron said WIC client redemption of the vouchers has been somewhat low so far, but he expects the numbers to pick up. Jarrett said she did not have redemption numbers available.
Meanwhile, the Independent Growers Market -- a group that grows to include two or three farmers during the regular growing season -- is convening 7-11 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays in the Sons of Hermann Lodge parking lot, at 1104 West William Joel Bryan Parkway in Bryan.
The market is comprised of full-time farmers, like organizer Robert Forsthoff, a Kurten-area farmer who grows vegetables on three quarters of an acre and Josie Milberger, who raises vegetables on an acre in the same area.
"I love what I grow," said Forsthoff, who has run cattle and farmed on his property for nearly a decade. "I can't buy in the store what I can raise. To me, it's all the difference in the world."
Though Forsthoff said he only pulls in a third or less of his income from the farmers market, he said he enjoys gardening. The farmer said he is trying to start an orchard.
Community-Supported Agriculture, farms that allow consumers to assume a portion of the financial risk of their operations, now also dot the Brazos Valley landscape -- though they are still relatively few in number.
"From an economic standpoint, farming is the riskiest thing to invest in from the perspective of agriculture," said Brad Stufflebeam, owner of the seven-year-old Home Sweet Farm in Brenham. "By working together with our community through the CSA program, we're assured that economically, we can survive year by year."
In return for their financial "share," clients of a CSA get a portion of a farm's production on a regular basis. However that portion -- and whether they are able to receive it -- is linked to the farm's ability to produce a crop.
"The weather's been getting so much more extreme that it's putting agriculture at a greater risk," Stufflebeam said. "We've actually done very well this year, considering the drought."
To help minimize risk to consumers, the Stufflebeams plant a wide variety of crops each year.
But Stufflebeam said he would like to minimize risk further by forming a regional CSA involving multiple farmers.
Vicki Miller of Long Bean Farm in Bryan, a member of the farmers market, said she is starting a CSA for the first time in the fall, accepting only 15 to 20 families.
"The profit margin for a CSA is so much better than it is for a farmers market," she said. "I can go to a farmers market and sell my vegetables. After I've picked them the night before, I may or may not have good attendance at the farmers market."
With the CSA format, she will have customers who have prepaid for her produce, so she knows she will be paid for her work.
Though Stufflebeam said he has been re-investing profits back into his farm, he expects Home Sweet Farm will be profitable in a few years.
The CSA farm operates on 12 acres in Brenham and has recently expanded, leasing 110 acres at another Brenham location. The farm periodically hosts market days, in which it allows other farmers and Texas food producers to come to Brenham and sell a variety of products.
Stufflebeam said several Central Texas farms are able to gross between $25,000 and $28,000 an acre under a CSA format.
A handful of farmers who sell at the area's farmers markets also operate pick-your-own farms.
Pick-your-owns allow customers, often on a limited basis, to pick their own fruits or vegetables, usually paying a lower per-pound cost for the privilege.
The format lets farmers save on labor and fuel costs.
DeZavala said he periodically allows customers to come on site to pick berries in his orchard, to the extent that he hasn't participated in the farmers markets in recent weeks.
"Still, some customers want us to pick the berries for them, and that's an extra charge," DeZavala said. "We have to limit that."
To see more of The Eagle or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.theeagle.com/.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Eagle, Bryan, Texas
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

domain: news


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Today, we’re revealing more information about what customers, trainees, and small companies can anticipate from both Microsoft 365 and Office 2021 on October 5,2021 Microsoft 365 is the very best method to get access to the current apps and functions that assist you remain efficient, safeguarded, and linked. Plus, it’s the very best worth– in addition to
Microsoft Productivity Score and customized experiences– here’s what’s brand-new to Microsoft 365 in October
As I assess an action-packed couple of weeks, I’m struck by just how much work has actually progressed in these previous months. And I understand our clients feel it too. After rapidly relocating to remote and hybrid work designs this spring, companies are now looking for sustainable methods to assist individuals work together, be efficient, and prioritize their wellness
From Microsoft Teams to Fluid Framework– here’s what’s brand-new and coming quickly to Microsoft 365
At Build today, we’re revealing numerous brand-new abilities that you can utilize to make your apps more incorporated, effective, and user-friendly.
From brand-new Microsoft Teams experiences to the brand new Project Cortex– here’s what’s coming quickly to Microsoft 365
Today, at the Microsoft Ignite conference in Orlando, Florida, we revealed brand-new Microsoft 365 developments. From brand-new Microsoft Teams improvements to the very first brand-new service we’ve released considering that Teams, we have a lot to show you!
Using the power of Microsoft 365– the world’s performance cloud– the brand-new Microsoft Project is created to be both easy and effective, so anybody can begin rapidly and take control of any task right now.


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Millennial-targeting multi-platform production company Defy Media announced today that it is partnering with prolific TV production company 3 Ball Entertainment (“Bar Rescue,” “Extreme Weight Loss”) to develop and produce original programming for Defy’s channels, which include Smosh, Screen Junkies, humor site Break and men’s lifestyle destination Made Man.
The first product of the deal is “How It’s Destroyed,” an original concept developed by 3 Ball Entertainment that will air later this year on Defy’s AWEme channel, home to such series as “Man At Arms” and “Super Fan Builds,” which has nearly 5 million subscribers.
“How It’s Destroyed” will demonstrate how the world’s most complicated pieces of machinery, such as biological weapons, satellites and retired submarines, are disposed of.
Defy already produces 72 shows in-house, airing across 20 video platforms. Its channels reach over 65 million YouTube subscribers and have earned more than 100 million social followers.
“We’re extremely focused on incubating programming for compelling digital channels that resonate with the appetite of younger viewers,” said DJ Nurre, EVP of programming and development for 3 Ball Entertainment, in a statement. “Working with leading partners like Defy, whose massive expertise in short-form has garnered a loyal and growing fan base, represents an incredible opportunity for 3 Ball as we broaden our digital footprint.”
This deal comes on the heels of a recent restructuring and expansion of Defy’s television and OTT development division, which is now overseen by Jared Hoffman and Chris Pollack, who report to Defy’s chief content officer Barry Blumberg.


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(Bloomberg) – Bitcoin’s dominance over the total market value of the cryptocurrency is declining as its next biggest rival, Ether, reaches $ 3,000, suggesting room for more than one winner among digital tokens as the sector develops.
The largest digital currency now accounts for about 46% of the total crypto market value of $ 2.3 trillion, compared to about 70% at the beginning of the year, according to tracker CoinGecko. The second-ranked ether is up to 15%, and a group of others who do not fall into the top few have doubled their share over the same period to 36%.
Bitcoin remains the largest cryptocurrency, but momentum on other tokens is attracting growing interest, such as Ether, which broke $ 3,000 for the first time on Monday after quadrupled this year. Proponents of crypto argue that investors feel more comfortable with different tokens, while critics argue that the sector may be captivated by stimulus-driven mania.
“Ethereum is on the rise and doesn̵
The current market share distribution also reflects the April shake-up in the cryptocurrency sector. Bitcoin has not yet recovered all the land it lost after falling from a record in mid-April of nearly $ 64,870.
The list of cryptocurrencies Coinbase Global Inc. in the US since last month is the latest sign of how more investors are perceiving the sector despite the risks of high levels of instability and expanding regulatory scrutiny.
The air is currently in the spotlight. The upgrade of the connected blockchain Ethereum, as well as the popularity of the network for financial services and cryptocurrencies are among the factors cited for the rally.
Evercore ISI strategist Rich Ross has set a $ 3,900 target for the token. Ether rose 2.8 percent to $ 3,052 at 1:05 p.m. in Hong Kong on Monday.
Other cryptocurrencies also jumped. The price of Binance Coin has risen by 3.460% in the last 12 months, according to CoinGecko. Dogecoin, a symbol that began as a joke in 2013 but is now a social media favorite, advertised by people like Elon Musk, has increased by 15,000% to a market value of about $ 50 billion.
(Market updates in the eighth paragraph.)
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
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© 2021 Bloomberg LP


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Shares of Tupperware (TUP) - Get Report were up nearly 3% Tuesday after the company said first-quarter results would be ahead of expectations, due in part to strong operations in Europe and Latin America.
The maker of food storage products said it now expects to earn 21 cents to 24 cents a share, which includes a gain of 1 to 2 cents a share from land development.
Analysts had expected the company to earn 12 cents a share in the first quarter. A year ago, Tupperware earned $6.4 million, or 11 cents a share, on sales of $272 million.
Tupperware expects first-quarter sales in Europe to be up almost 20%, including the impact of foreign exchange, and rise in the low-single digits in local currency, driven by a midteen percentage increase in sales force and average active sales force size.
The company also expects profit to rise more than 20%, including the impact of foreign exchange, and to climb by the high-single digits in local currency. Tupperware pointed to the better results in Europe as particularly strong given lower business-to-business sales in the current year, while also reflecting strong product demand at the end of the quarter, which may hurt second-quarter ordering.
In addition, Tupperware raised its full-year EPS expectations by 3 cents to $1.23 to $1.33, reflecting actual foreign currency exchange rates in the first quarter and current rates for the remainder of the year. Europe and Latin America are performing better than expected, the company said, but this is offset by North America, where the anticipated recovery may take longer than previously anticipated.
Tupperware's shares were up recently 52 cents to $18.70.


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Michelin brought its popular series of restaurant guides to Florida for the first time in November 2021, at the behest of Visit Florida, and they’ve been adding to their reviews each year, and the 2024 additions were just announced.
And it’s very clear that Michelin loves the recent omakase wave that Orlando has been riding since mid-2023.
First up is Zaru (Instagram | Website), a new Japanese udon shop that opened in August 2023 that we first told you about HERE. Michelin noted its “upbeat playlist” and “attractive dining room” as well as its “chewy noodles” made with wheat sourced from Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture. Zaru is located in the under-redevelopment Tien Hung Market in the Mills 50 District.
Sushi Saint (Instagram | Website), a new 12-seat temaki bar that opened in December 2023 on the edge of the Creative Village in Parramore, also made the list. This shouldn’t be a surprise since it’s owned by Michelin-recognized Chef Michael Collantes of Soseki in Winter Park. They serve a curated menu of small bites and nori handrolls alongside sake-based cocktails and in-house brewed craft beers.
Natsu Omakase (Instagram | Website), located at 777 N. Orange Avenue [GMap] in Orlando’s North Quarter/Uptown neighborhood got a nod for its ten-seat dining room which hosts just two seatings each night.
Camille (Instagram | Website), the French-Vietnamese-inspired pop-up that started in the catering kitchen in East End Market before opening a fancy storefront at 4962 New Broad Street [GMap] in Baldwin Park scored a mention. Chef Tung Phan’s sweet potato brioche with gold chocolate ice cream and Vietnamese coffee sauce got a special nod for excellence.
Chuan Fu (Instagram | Website), a new concept by the owners of Chuan Lu Garden (Website), opened in the former home of Orlando Meats at 1035 Orlando Avenue [GMap], just last year. The Szechuan-focused menu serves up family-style classics that will have you smiling through the sweat.


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September 24, 2006
Every chief executive wants to be a chairman and CEO. It matters little what leads to this rite of passage because he or she will always accept it. Mark Hurd, CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co., has added chairman of the board to his title. Besides enlarging the sign on his office, there will be one fewer set of eyes peering over his shoulder. As the world now knows, HP Chairwoman Patricia Dunn has left that post because of fallout from an inquiry she ordered into a director's...


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Pintard says country can become self-sufficient in eggs
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard today unveiled the government’s agriculture and marine resources emergency food production plan as part of its effort to strengthen food and nutrition security in the country amid the COVID-19 crisis.
According to Pintard, the government will undertake several initiatives to help local producers.
Some of the initiatives the government is looking to roll-out include provision of farm inputs; land clearing initiative; reestablishing the backyard gardening initiative; and making hydroponic systems and shade/greenhouses available to a range of producers including young farmers and backyard gardeners.
Pintard also told Parliament that The Bahamas can become self sufficient in egg production.
The current plan calls for the purchase of 343 hydroponic systems at a cost of $343,00; 10,000 backyard gardening kits at a cost of $240,000; and for the introduction of a program to intensify egg production estimated at $376,217.
“This measure requires $1,626,939.70 million dollars,” said Pintard.
The plan reflects the full participation of the Bahamas Agriculture and Industrial Corporation (BAIC), The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI and the Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority (BASHSFA).
It is based on the ‘Food Drum’ produced by the Ministry of Health, which indicates the dietary intake of the major food groups.
Pintard said: “There are seven main groups: vegetables, fruit, grains/starchy vegetables, meat/dairy, fats, sugars and sweeteners and legumes/ peas and beans. Additionally, the MAMR has identified fourteen sensitive product’s. These products were subject to import restrictions based on domestic production and due to their importance to the incomes of farmers, there are efforts to increase the production of these products.
“The plan also used the most readily available information on the current distribution of the population which was the 2017 Election Boundary Report.
“The report was used to determine the annual food needs of the population if there is a closure of the border for imports. An estimate of the volume of food needed is outlined in Annex I.”
Pintard said that in order to accelerate food production, the focus needs to be on strengthening the production systems of existing farmers.
He said this can be done through: the provision of inputs; making hydroponic systems and shade/greenhouses available to a range of producers including young farmers and backyard gardeners; and establishing layer production units to targeted producers in all communities that would provide a source of protein.
Other measures include re-establishing the backyard gardening program; supporting the Food Technology and Safety Laboratory to provide food processing training and advice on post-harvest storage of targeted crops; strengthening the Feed Mill to provide livestock feed; requesting the Ministry of Health’s advice on nutritional value on targeted agricultural commodities, and calculating guaranteed prices and cost for targeted commodities.
Pintard noted that his ministry intends to assist farmers across the country by providing clearing of farm land beginning first in those islands devastated by Hurricane Dorian (Abaco and Grand Bahama).
“We have plans to assist nineteen in Grand Bahama and forty on Abaco at a total cost of some four hundred and seventy-nine thousand six hundred dollars. The remaining funds allocated for this initiated will be shared with the other farmers throughout the Bahama,” said Pintard.
He also noted that after consultation with industry stakeholders, several issues related to the fishing sector arose.It was noted that while there may be a run on canned fisheries products such as tuna, mackerel, sardine, as well as luxury fishery products such as salmon and cod in food stores, fresh and frozen local fish will still be available to Bahamians and that traditionally and culturally, many Bahamians consume fish during certain times of the year.
“Additionally, while fish may be available to residents its price may be prohibitive, which is and has been the view of consumers over the years mainly in New Providence. It is also my ministry’s intention to introduce a Fishers Market similar to that of the Farmer Market,” said Pintard.


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Dossiere, will be showcased at the Public Sector Innovation Show, demonstrating the distribution, integration and collaboration benefits of the app for Government.
We are proud to secure our place on the Deloitte Tech 500 fastest growing technology companies in APAC.
The coveted award for forward thinking and innovative technology companies.
We’re excited to announce that the iPhone app we designed and developed for Brisbane Airport has won the Interactive Media Awards ‘Best in Class’ Award in the category ‘Airline’.
Speedwell becomes Australia’s first Certified Znode Solution Partner of leading ecommerce platform Znode
Premier Campbell Newman recently published a joint Media release discussing Tourism and Events Queensland’s (TEQ) newly launched Visitor Information Centre (VIC) application.


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Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D will be released in November, according to a report.
A source told retail publication MCV that the title will miss its expected summer release date but will be available in time for Christmas.
It will launch alongside other Konami titles Silent Hill: Downpour and PES 2012 in the third quarter of this calendar year.
First released in 2004 on PlayStation 2, the third game in the Metal Gear Solid series is a prequel featuring Big Boss as a playable character.
The 3DS version will include higher resolution textures, support for 3D visuals and other platform specific additions.


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Trojan announced last weekend that they have released a line of pre-owned condoms in packs of three to save customers money.
Local independent recycling companies go through trash with a fine tooth comb and save any and all used condoms that are found in their facilities where they are then sent to a Trojan Reuse Facility.
These economy condoms are washed three separate times, back to back and finally sanitized before they are relubricated and packaged for re sale.
We will machine test each condom just like we would with a brand new condom right off the line. Several times a day we put a break in regular production to run the reused condoms to be repackaged.
Since this line has been available to the public there has been an increase in pregnancy from couples who have used the product but has yet to be linked to the reusable protection.
*Woken News is a satirical news website and our articles are strictly for entertainment purposes. Explore our “About” page for more information.


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The four-decade-old, Arlington-born Lebanese Taverna is launching a new membership service, providing customers with a “Chef’s Tasting” menu or a curated selection of Lebanese wines at home every month.
“This is a way to share our culture, like the things we do at home, the snacks that we eat, and the things that my parents used to make,” co-owner Grace Abi-Najm Shea tells ARLnow. “This is kind of deconstructing the food and the culture from the restaurant and bringing it to your home.”
The rotating offerings will highlight “some of the more authentic and under-explored parts of our menu,” the website notes. This could include stuffed rolled cabbage, shanklesh (Lebanese cheese balls), or okra and lamb stew.
“This is for the person who’s willing to be adventurous,” Shea says.
The wine membership (called “A Lebanese Wine Tour”) includes options for two, four, or six bottles a month and will have wines from “old, historic vineyards to new up-and-coming wineries.”
The first food and wine membership boxes will be available for pick-up or delivery starting later this month, Dec. 16.
Lebanese Taverna’s first location opened in 1979 in Arlington’s Westover neighborhood and remains a staple of the community’s commercial strip. The restaurant was founded by immigrants Tanios and Marie Abi-Najm, who had come to the U.S. to flee the civil war in their home country of Lebanon.
Since then the restaurant has expanded to more than a dozen locations in Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., including different concepts like the fast-casual Lebtav, which has a location in Ballston. The original Westover restaurant at 5900 Washington Blvd remains at the heart of the company, which is now run by the five Abi-Najm siblings, including Grace.
She says the last 20 months, which saw dining rooms shuttered and a rise in takeout and delivery, have been a “roller coaster” and have made it clear that the family needs to adapt to a new reality for restaurants, Shea said.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the word pivot a thousand times, but restaurants have to find different ways to get their products to their customers and find new customers,” Shea says.
The membership idea was born out of the success the family has seen with the Lebanese Taverna Market at 4400 Old Dominion Road near Waverly Hills, where customers are able to take home dishes, snacks, and wines.
Throughout the pandemic Arlington has remained a stronghold for Lebanese Taverna, Shea said, noting that quick service and takeout business have remained particularly strong here. Locations outside of the county saw bigger drops in business.
“In Arlington, they have watched us grow up. They have a special place in our heart and I think we have a special place in their heart,” said Shea. While talking, she got a little choked up.
“Arlington has been our biggest cheerleader since day one,” Shea said.
Overall, Lebanese Taverna is at about 80% to 90% of pre-pandemic sales, she notes.
Despite tough times, the restaurant and the family has continued to help charitable causes they believe in. Last summer, Lebanese Taverna spearheaded a fundraising drive to support relief efforts in Lebanon after an explosion in Beirut killed hundreds and injured thousands. Over $150,000 was raised through those efforts, Shea says.
This past August, the family also helped raise money for Lebanese citizens to assist with their fuel and electricity needs. Around the same time, the restaurant worked with the World Central Kitchen to provide meals for Afghan refugees.
Shea is encouraged by the continued return to normalcy with sales returning closer to pre-pandemic levels and cooking classes at the Lebanese Taverna Market coming back in January. But she remains concerned about the future due to the newly-announced variant and the already-here cold weather limiting outdoor dining.
“As good as I feel about where we are today is as scared as I am about tomorrow,” she says.
Meanwhile, Shea and her family will keep serving Arlingtonians flavors of their home country, whether it’s inside a restaurant or at home, as they have been for more than 40 years.
“My whole family is so passionate about our culture, our food, our cuisine,” she says. “We are looking forward to giving customers something a bit different than the restaurant experience.”
The snow falling in Arlington is providing a wintry ambiance — but little accumulation to speak of so far. That may change tonight as temperatures fall and roads are expected…
A community fundraising campaign is helping Green Valley’s New District Brewing Company purchase its own canning equipment.
Revisit the beer world of 2021 as Beermonger discusses a few of the top beers of 2021 and what to expect from 2022.
Plans and a possible construction timeline for the proposed Silver Diner redevelopment in Clarendon are crystallizing. Late last month, property owner TCS Realty Associates and developer Donohoe Cos. filed their…


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UK-based Codemasters has aggressive plans for its Malaysia studio
By Goh Thean Eu August 15, 2016
- Currently has about 40 employees, aiming for 80 over next few months
- Looking at e-sports opportunity, believes content will still be king
CODEMASTERS Software Co Ltd, one of the oldest videogames developers in the United Kingdom, is embarking on an aggressive expansion plan this year, aiming double the size of its team in Kuala Lumpur over the next few months.
The decision comes in the wake of Codemasters’ April acquisition of Evolution Studios, the company behind racing franchises such as Driveclub and MotorSport.
Reliance Entertainment, via its 60%-owned Codemasters, had bought Evolution Studios for an undisclosed sum after then owner Sony Computer Entertainment had decided to close it down.
According to Codemasters vice president of development creative services Stephen Root, since taking on Evolution Studios, there are a number of projects that both teams have in production and another franchise that Codemasters wants to bring back that are “all coming at once.”
“Hence, we have set a very aggressive expansion plan for our KL studio,” he told Digital News Asia (DNA) in Kuala Lumpur (KL) recently.
Codemasters had set up its MSC Malaysia-status subsidiary back in 2006. The British company, which specialises in racing simulation games, currently has about 40 employees in its KL studio, most of them designers and artists.
These artists are responsible for designing the cars as well as the environments in the company’s games – from the racetracks, to the billboards and tyre barriers on the racetracks or off-road rally courses.
Root said the KL team may be taking on more responsibilities. “We are looking into extending our ability into user interface and more character animation work,” he said.
Codemasters Accelerator Programme
Root said he is also aiming for 75% of Codemasters’ workforce to be Malaysian.
Over the past few years, the company has been training graduates and those relatively new to the industry via its Codemasters Accelerator Programme and other training initiatives.
It is also working closely with stakeholders such as universities as well as government agencies like the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) of the Prime Minister’s Department and InvestKL, on growing the local talent pool.
Pemandu is in charge of the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP), which aspires to see Malaysia become a high-income nation by 2020. InvestKL, also an ETP initiative , is tasked with attracting and facilitating foreign multinational investments into greater KL and the Klang Valley areas.
So far, Codemasters’ specialised programmes have shown encouraging results, Root claimed.
“We did an analysis over a period of four to five years, and more than 95% of the people who have gone through the Codemasters Accelerator Programme are all employed.
“That is a very good statistic,” he said.
Moving into e-sports, expanding platforms
Like many videogames developers, Codemasters is also looking into penetrating the e-sports segment.
“We are currently looking at the possibility of bringing one of our off-road titles into the e-sports arena,” said Root (pic above). “It is an area we find very fascinating.”
Codemasters is in talks with some of the “key e-sports players,” he added.
Today, games are played across multiple platforms – consoles, personal computers, mobile phones, portable gaming devices, and more. Which platform is going to win the game?
“It is very difficult to predict. I think there is a place for all of them,” said Root, adding that companies like Sony and Microsoft Corp will continue pushing game console technology.
Furthermore, videogame consoles are seeing new styles of gaming, including virtual reality (VR). Many games developers and hardware companies are looking into VR, which is certainly picking up momentum.
“If you find the killer game or killer app, it [VR] will explode,” said Root.
But how is Codemasters, a relatively small studio, going to compete with giants like Electronic Arts and Activision over the next decade?
“I think it is a matter of working out what your gaming strengths are, and then matching them with the hardware platform – whether it is virtual reality, e-sports, mobile or console,” said Root.
“However, we would need to be a bit more careful about what we do with our portfolio – we are not a big company which can afford to take on more bets,” he conceded.
“Ultimately, I think the focus should still be on building great games and giving gamers a good experience.
“After all, platforms are just a medium to play on. I believe great content will eventually win out,” he added.
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K+S AG, Europe’s largest potash supplier, forecast a “significant” profit drop this year as prices for the crop nutrient and some salts remain lower. The stock fell the most in six months.
“We are assuming that we have reached a certain bottoming out of prices internationally that allows us to remain profitable,” Chief Executive Officer Norbert Steiner said of potash today at a press conference in Frankfurt. He forecast a “moderate” sales decline this year.
K+S, based in Kassel, Germany, has started a 500 million- euro ($697 million) savings program and yesterday proposed a dividend cut of 82 percent to counter falling prices. The breakup of an industry cartel in mid-2013 led to a ramp-up in production of the commodity product and prompted a 24 percent price drop within six months.
Earnings before interest, tax and some hedging transactions, or Ebit I, fell 18 percent to 656 million euros last year, the company said yesterday. Analysts are predicting a further 37 percent drop in profit to 411.4 million euros this year and an 8.4 percent decrease in revenue to 3.62 billion euros, according to a Bloomberg survey.
The shares retreated for a second day, declining as much as 7.3 percent, the steepest intraday fall since Sept. 17, after a 2.1 percent slide yesterday. The stock was down 6.2 percent at 22.99 euros as of 2:21 p.m. in Frankfurt. K+S has slumped 36 percent in the last 12 months for a market value of 4.4 billion euros.
Steiner said today a $4 billion development of the Legacy mine in Canada is on schedule, within budget and he doesn’t see the need to raise cash for the project by selling shares. The cash the company saves from cutting dividends will help pay for the development. K+S plans to spend about C$1 billion ($900 million) a year from 2014 to 2016 on the mine, Chief Financial Officer Burkhard Lohr said today.
The company will be forced to abandon its targeted corridor for net debt of 1 to 1.5 times operating profit in order to finance Legacy, Lohr said. K+S plans to return to its targets as soon as the mine starts operations. The first potash will be produced in summer 2016 and production will be ramped up the following year.
The company plans a dividend of 25 euro cents a share, a payout ratio of 11 percent based on 2013’s adjusted earnings after tax, the company said yesterday. K+S, which paid 1.40 euros the previous year, plans to return to a dividend policy of paying 40 percent to 50 percent “as soon as possible.”
Russian competitor OAO Uralkali exited an export sales venture with Belarus in July and boosted production, sending shares of potash producers down around the world, with K+S slumping 32 percent in two consecutive days.
“If I had to describe 2013 in just one word, it would be challenging,” Steiner said in a video on the company’s website. “Particularly July 30 wasn’t easy to handle. It’s with good reason that this day is often called the Black Tuesday of the worldwide potash industry.”
While the planned savings program over three years may result in job losses eventually, they won’t be immediate, Steiner said today. The bulk of the planned spending reductions will stem from material and process costs.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Checking in with Martenero
There’s something of a watch making revival happening right now in the U.S. and Martenero is right in the thick of it.
The New York based company was launched earlier this year by John Tarantino and Matt O’Dowd and I got to sit down with them recently to try on a few of their watches and chat about what they’re up to.
First though…The story of American watch manufacturing is really the story of the decline, and perhaps, the return of American manufacturing as a whole. Once, the U.S. was home to tons of watch factories like Waltham Watch Company in Massachusetts and Hamilton in Lancaster, PA. As watch making moved over seas, those companies closed or were consolidated and with them, almost all the experience and knowledge of watch making disappeared. But, a few new companies like Shinola, Throne, Weiss Watch Company and Martenero are bringing American watch making back, and it’s pretty great to to see.
Of course the holy grail for a few of these companies is an automatic movement that’s made in the U.S. For watch purists this will be a big moment when it happens, though I’m sure there will be tons of speculation about quality. While I think this would be pretty cool to see, right now it’s just basically out of the question. There isn’t a labor force skilled enough to pull off a U.S. made movement. And that’s ok.
Right now Martenero uses an automatic movement that’s made in Japan. The cases are made in China and all the parts are brought together and assembled here in New York. This allows them to offer a high quality automatic watch that is very reasonably-priced and also, most importantly, a level of customization that few other companies can offer.
The watches themselves are very handsome with a dial that gives a nod to the past while also looking very contemporary as well. It’s a modern watch for a modern man. I’m partial to the Ace but really love the “warning track” dial on the Founder.
Customers can go onto the Martenero site, pick a model then choose dials, hands and straps. Tarantino and O’Dowd showed me some new looks their working on as well, a 38mm case, new case colors and a few other dials too. I can’t share pictures but I can say I was really impressed with what I saw.
Both Tarantino and O’Dowd were watch industry outsiders when they got started and it’s pretty impressive how they’ve worked to build a company that has such huge potential to change the watch game here in the U.S.


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Abbey Logistics Group has appointed Motor Transport Hall of Fame resident David Batty to lead its engineering department. Former chief operations engineer of supermarket Somerfield, Batty joins the company with more than 40 years of industry experience. He was awarded the Motor Transport Award for Service to Industry in 2007, and earlier this year was inducted into the Scania-sponsored Motor Transport Hall of Fame. At Abbey, Batty will be responsible for the company’s maintenance depots across the country, and manage […]
JLP John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has committed to a zero-carbon commercial vehicle fleet by 2045, with an interim target of fully fossil-free vehicles by the early 2030s.A plan spanning JLP’s 600 heavy trucks, 750 refrigerated trailers, 1,750 home delivery vans and light trucks and 20 farm vehicles has been developed. JLP began trials of two Waitrose-branded, biomethane-fuelled Scania 4×2 tractor units in 2016. The successful pilot scheme was followed by the introduction of a further 83 biomethane-fuelled vehicles between 2017 […]
With e-commerce now a major focus for Wincanton, the 3PL has taken the rapid expansion of omni-channel retailer Screwfix in its stride through a combination of pace, agility and flexibility.
Tarmac regional distribution model goes live with Eddie Stobart, Abbey Logistics and Pollocks [Scotrans] in the mix
Eddie Stobart has spoken of its delight in being involved in the start of a new five-year distribution model with Tarmac, which has commenced this month.


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WASHINGTON (AP) - The government is moving toward easing restrictions on airline passengers using electronic devices to listen to music, play games, read books, watch movies and work during taxiing, takeoffs and landings.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - With a little more than two weeks to go before their wedding, Emily Dreyfuss' fiance ordered a tie and pocket square from Gap chain Banana Republic's website to go with his Navy blue suit.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Imagine the scenario: A federal agent attempts to arrest someone for illegally selling a machine gun. Instead, the federal agent is arrested - charged in a state court with the crime of enforcing federal gun laws.


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As the number of UK small and medium-sized businesses facing late payments reaches more than a million with a total collective debt of almost 36.4billion – research shows that many SMEs are in danger of going under.
Nationally, the average amount owed to one of the countrys SMEs is 36,000 yet 35 per cent of SMEs reported that late payment debts of up to just 20,000 would be enough to put them out of business, in a survey by Bacs Payment Schemes Ltd, the company behind Direct Debit and Bacs Direct Credit.
In the South of the country, the average amount owed in overdue payments to the regions smaller companies stands at 53,000, yet almost half (49 per cent) of those surveyed said that it would take less than that up to 50,000 – to put them out of business.
Midlands SMEs face similar problems; while the average outstanding amount is much lower, at 22,000, 37 per cent of companies said unpaid invoices of up to 20,000 could cause their business to fail. In the North, where the average debt is 27,000, more than a quarter (27 per cent) said the same.
The new research, carried out in July, showed that around six out of ten UK SMEs (59 per cent) experience late payments. In the South, the proportion of smaller businesses facing overdue settlement echoes the national average, ahead of northern companies at 55 per cent but behind Midlands businesses (63 per cent).
The average UK SME experiencing late payment now has to wait a staggering 43.4 days beyond payment terms for their invoices to be paid northern businesses are waiting even longer, with an average delay of 46.8 days before bills are settled.
One consequence of the late payments culture is that hard-pressed businesses are being forced to invest an average of almost 14 days every year or almost three working weeks – just in chasing overdue bills. Even based on minimum wage rates, that means delayed invoice settlement will cost smaller UK businesses just short of 700 million in 2012 alone*.
Nationwide, the majority (37 per cent) say the worst offenders are large companies, although 25 per cent of companies surveyed claimed fellow SMEs were also guilty of paying late. Government and not for profits were right at the bottom of the offenders list, with just six per cent of SMEs experiencing late payments at their hands.
The most common excuse SMEs hear is that the delay is down to cash flow problems within the company being invoiced, with 47 per cent saying this is the reason theyre given.
The research also shows that it isnt only the businesses which are suffering – the people responsible for the finances pay an emotional price, too. Of those surveyed across the UK, 18 per cent said that they were anxious about the consequences of late payments on their business while a further eight per cent said overdue invoices left them very worried, constantly checking for payments because of the potential impact on the viability of their business and could affect jobs.
Mike Hutchinson from Bacs said: Our newest research demonstrates that even more SMEs are facing difficulties with late payments, with potentially serious implications for their businesses.
Cash flow remains key for companies to stay afloat during challenging economic times, yet there does seem to be a growing culture of delaying invoice settlement until long past the due date.
As our research shows, this issue not only hits the business but owners are reporting how it puts them under great strain personally, which has further negative repercussions.
We urge SMEs to look at taking control over their cash flow wherever they can by automating payments where possible to save valuable time and administration costs, and hopefully alleviate a little of the pressure on the business and its owner.
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Hackers attacked the Solana blockchain project using a technical weakness. The planned attack resulted in the loss of 7,700 digital wallets. The attackers have enriched themselves by more than $8 million.
In addition to digital wallets, blockchain services, including Phantom and Slope, were also affected. So far, developers have teamed up with ecosystem staff and security analysts to determine the causes of the bug to rule out the possibility of future attacks.
Solana representatives believe the attack has not affected cold wallets. They advise investors to move their savings to hardware digital money stores (wallets) and never use the old seed phrases.
Wallets, after a hack, are considered compromised. They should not be used in the future.
Victims can fill out a form to help developers find the cause of the insecurity of the service. That said, Phantom rejects opinions about its vulnerability. The service team is working with other projects to get to the bottom of the Solana hack.


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A German court has ruled that an existing ban on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 that prevented the device from being sold in the country should be extended across the entire European Union -- although the larger Galaxy Tab 10.1N can remain on sale.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7, the smaller version of the popular tablet, had. The Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court ruled today that the ban should be extended to all 27 European member states, on the grounds that the device infringes Apple-owned patents that date back to 2004.
The South Korea-based technology giant said it was "disappointed" with the court's ruling, and reiterated its position on protecting against its intellectual property rights, with methods "including legal action."
However, it's a different story for Apple's bid to seek a sales injunction against the larger, more popular Galaxy Tab 10.1N -- a revised version of its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which was under scrutiny in several countries, including Germany, for allegedly copying the iPad's design.
The Dusseldorf court said today that the design changes were significant enough to differentiate the new tablet from the older version, and the original injunction that prevented the sale of the device in Germany should no longer apply.
This comes only a week after a U.K. victory for Samsung stemming from a ruling that the Galaxy tablets weren't "cool" enough to. Apple was consequently told to and in British newspapers informing the public that the company did not copy Apple's products, in a bid to counteract the negative press Samsung may have suffered.
The EU-wide sales ban could conflict with the U.K. ruling -- which covered three Galaxy Tab products, including the Galaxy Tab 7.7.
The rulings are based on preliminary injunction requests, and full trials yet to be held to gauge the full merits of each case.
Samsung said it "welcomes the court's ruling which confirms our position that the Galaxy Tab 10.1N does not infringe Apple's intellectual property and does not infringe laws against unfair competition," adding that Apple's "generic design patents" could see innovation and progress "restricted."
Apple did not respond for comment at the time of writing.


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A shortage of drugs used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder has Jenni Heiner on the hunt.
Her kids, plus she and her husband, have the disorder. For the past year or so, the family from Ivins has had trouble getting their prescriptions filled due to a national shortage.
"I call every pharmacy in town until I find one that has it and I zip over there," said Heiner, who noted she often must hit three to four pharmacies to fill the family's monthly prescriptions. "It's extremely inconvenient."
The Food and Drug Administration as well as a national pharmacists association say there are shortages of the short- and long-acting versions of Adderall and its generic brands.
Patients aren't necessarily going without medication, but they may have to use different drugs while they wait for the supply to increase.
"This is a chronic medication it's not something you want to spend half a day trying to fill a prescription," said Erin Fox, manager of the Drug Information Service at the University of Utah.
Manufacturers cite production problems, increased demand and Drug Enforcement Administration quota restrictions for raw materials as an explanation for the shortages. However, some companies have not offered an explanation to the Drug Information Service, which monitors drug availability on a national level for the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
"They're under no obligation to provide a reason," Fox said. "Often they will provide an explanation to the FDA but in many cases they ask the FDA to keep that information confidential."
The shortage causes angst for pharmacists, too.
Two or three months ago, supplies started to get "spotty," said Chris Cox, owner of Smith Rexall Drug in Pleasant Grove. "Now I can't get anything."
Cox offers to help patient locate pharmacies that have the drug in stock. But as the shortage has worsened, patients have had to turn to other therapies, such as Ritalin or the more expensive, extended release version of Adderall, called Adderall XR, if it's available.
Substitute therapies don't always work as well for patients, said Cedar City Republican Rep. Evan Vickers, owner of Bulloch's Drug. "A lot of patients have already been on Ritalin before and it was unsuccessful," he said, "and that's why they're on Adderall."
It can take one to three months to get the dosage right on a new drug, Vickers said.
The pharmacists society says the pharmaceutical companies Teva Pharmaceuticals and Global Pharmaceuticals either cannot give a reason for their shortages for the extended-release capsules, or they blame it on increased demand. While the society says Adderall XR is available, the FDA lists Adderall XR on its current drug shortage list, noting there is uneven product distribution patterns.
A spokesman for Shire, which distributes Adderall XR, said there is currently "no supply issue" with the drug's long-acting version. "There had been some spotty distribution of XR earlier this year and that issue has been resolved," said spokesman Matt Cabrey.
When it comes to the immediate-release tablets, the Adderall version from Teva as well as the generic versions made by Sandoz and CorePharma are also in short supply, according to the pharmacy society and the FDA. CorePharma is primarily shipping its supply to Walgreens, according to the pharmacy society Web site. Sandoz said its supply is on "intermittent back order."
Teva blames the shortage on restrictions by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on amphetamines, which are needed to make Adderall.
The DEA has denied any restrictions that would affect supply.
"We don't agree there's a shortage of amphetamine salts [used to make the drugs]," said DEA spokeswoman Barbara L. Carreno. "We control the active ingredients in the medication. We have no involvement with how the active ingredient is used."
Vickers said wholesalers have tied shortages to raw materials.
This happens from time to time, he said. "The price starts low. We're told there's a shortage and when they come back, they come back at a higher price."
Vickers wouldn't go so far as to say that drug makers are creating demand by artificially straining supplies, but said, "It looks fishy. It makes you wonder."
LynDee Royce of West Jordan said the price for her daughter's Adderall prescription has fluctuated from $75 to $300. When 30 mg pills aren't available, she buys them in 15 mg form.
"With changes like this I have to change the order at school or they won't give it to her," Royce said, adding that the extra costs have been hard to shoulder in a tight economy.
Heiner's family takes the generic form of Adderall XR. If Heiner can't find the long-acting version, her children have to use the short-acting kind, which she says causes them problems.
She wonders if the shortage of the generic is due to more families having to use the less expensive version because of hard economic times.
"They can't concentrate and they can't focus. They miss little details when things are due," she said. "With [proper] medication, things are so much more manageable."
Tribune reporter Julia Lyon contributed to this story.
Do you want to report a drug shortage or learn more?
Go online to read about the latest deficits or to make a complaint.
Other drug shortages
Adderall isn't the only drug in short supply.
The country is in the throes of a record drug shortage that is delaying care and distracting providers who must spend time rationing supplies and hunting for alternative therapies. Hardest hit are life-saving injectable medicines, cancer treatments and antibiotics.
Commonly cited causes for shortages are federal recalls, manufacturing glitches and corporate decisions to discontinue less profitable medicines.
Legislation to remedy the problem has been hung up in Congress for months.
To cut through the gridlock President Barack Obama last week signed an executive order directing the Food and Drug Administration to press drugmakers for advance notice of shortages and notify the Justice Department of sellers charging exorbitant prices for scarce medications. The order also directs the FDA to speed review of manufacturers that are stepping up production to address shortages.


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Automotive parts maker Badve Engineering Ltd on Friday said it is forging a strategic commercial agreement with Israeli startup EVR Motors to jointly manufacture the latter's Trapezoidal Stator - RFPM electric motors in the country for electric vehicles. In the three-wheeler segment, the collaboration will address both commercial and passenger vehicles markets (L3 and L5 categories), which are poised for strong growth in India in the coming years, the company said in a release.
Badve Engineering Group said it has already initiated the joint development and localisation process at one of its facilities in Pune for manufacturing the EV motors and is currently developing prototypes to cater to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the country.
The company plans to ramp up its production to an annual capacity of 5 lakh units by mid-2023 to meet the rising EV demand, it said.
EVR Motors has developed a unique, patented motor topology: The Trapezoidal Stator Radial Flux Permanent Magnet (TS-RFPM) Motor, enabling smaller, lighter, lower-cost motors, which can be tailored to user requirements.
The motor, which measures half the weight and size of competing electric motors, provides superior power and torque performance, Badve Engineering said in a release.
The electric two- and three-wheeler segments account for around 90 per cent of the total electric vehicle market in the country, the company said.
According to estimates, around 60 lakh three-wheelers are sold in India annually, and about 5 lakh of them are electric three-wheelers, the company said.
"We are excited about our partnership with EVR Motors. The ground-breaking EVR technology and our proven manufacturing expertise coupled with our strategic long-term customer relationships will ensure success of this partnership.
"This partnership is in line with our core vision of sustainability and net-zero emissions through green mobility. We are fully confident that these motors are best suited for adoption in the multi-terrain Indian landscape and will provide an enthralling experience to Indian riders," said Sumedh Badve, President for EV division at Badve Engineering.
The strategic partnership with Badve Group offers multiple OEMs access to EVR's advanced motor technology, tailored for the Indian market and made in India, said Opher Doron, CEO at EVR Motors.
"Together with other recently announced agreements, this partnership will expand our total addressable market to encompass the most significant OEMs in the strongest e2 vehicle market sectors in India. EVR is proud of the trust our customers place in us and our technology, and of the opportunity to play a significant role in electrifying Indian mobility," he added.
Having 29 state-of-the-art facilities with high levels of automation, Badve Group specialises in automotive component manufacturing for the two-, three- and four-wheeler passenger and commercial vehicle segments.


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Posted February 3rd, 2017
Industry pundits have long predicted the imminent decline of group sales for business events at hotels, resorts and conference centers. They believed that technology innovation would have a transformative effect on regional and global meetings. They reasoned that next-generation video conferencing, in particular, would dramatically reduce the need, and the desire, for companies to host and facilitate in-person industry conferences, corporate gatherings and other events.
As it turns out, these pundits could not have been more wrong. In this era of digital connectedness, business people still want to shake hands. They still want to “meet and greet” face-to-face. They still want to gather in physical locations to learn, share, network and conduct business. Technology falls short of fully replicating the experience — and benefits — of human interaction in a physical environment.
To be sure, companies slashed travel budgets and scaled back the number and size of the events they hosted as well as the number of events to which they sent their employees during the economic recession. But skies have long since turned blue again for hotels, resorts and conference centers offering function space for business events. In recent years, meeting attendance has soared higher than ever.
In fact, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research reported a 3.8 percent increase in the exhibition industry’s performance in 2016. According to the “2016 Meetings and Events Forecast” from Carlson Wagonlit Travel and the “2016 Global Meetings and Events Forecast” from American Express, room rates are growing by 4.3 percent annually. Hotels and resorts added almost 100,000 new rooms in 2016 alone. Today, demand for function space for business events is growing at up to quadruple the rate of supply, with the daily cost per attendee increasing by a whopping 4.5 percent.
Hotels and resorts with function space may well have an opportunity to boost their overall property revenue, given the escalating demand for function space and the fact that many of them have already maximized the value of their guest rooms through sophisticated revenue management capabilities. Success generally starts with a next-generation technology solution that can optimize the sales and catering management function. Success generally also means having in place the right organizational resources, business processes and performance metrics.


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Television is dead֫—long live television. Depending who you talk with, we’re either witnessing the death of TV or only entering its golden age. Part of that discussion hinges on what we consider TV to be. Is it the big flat screen hanging on the wall, or it the shows we crave, like Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, or This Is Us?
For the folks at BuzzFeed, television is misunderstood, and just as it rebranded its digital video division in 2014 as BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, it is now out to rebrand television itself.
“Up until recently, [TV] has been defined as a device,” says Matthew Henick, the head of BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. Under those constraints, things aren’t so good. Traditional television viewership is down, and more people are turning to different forms of content found on myriad devices.
For Henick, television “is a content type”—meaning all that stuff you watch on your phone is TV, too.
Henick expanded on BuzzFeed’s mission in a talk during The Fast Company Innovation Festival last week. The company has been investing in different forms of content to diversify its revenue stream. Redefining TV, he says, is a way for the company to innovate on evolving consumption trends.
As BuzzFeed has grown beyond its easily consumable (pun intended) Tasty food videos, it’s found that there’s a real appetite (pun, again, intended) for new kinds of longer video programming. Henick’s job is to figure out what shows will help bring in more revenue.
BuzzFeed has a few shows already out. It has a true crime/supernatural show Unsolved; there’s also a food series called Worth It, as well as its morning news program AM2DM. All were created using BuzzFeed’s immense audience data to determine whether they would be successful. So far, says Henick, the experiments have worked.
Henick’s strategy focuses on different television categories that people know and love, and finding innovative ways to feed that need on digital. He’s targeted different viewing patterns–going from ambient viewing, like morning shows, to more intentional, like scripted dramas–and is building a roster of programming to fill these buckets. As BuzzFeed’s audience grows, so too will advertiser interest, he says.
“[We want to] build the broadcast equivalent on digital,” says Henick, in a way that supports brand advertising. Where Netflix and Amazon differ are on de-emphasizing brand interaction, focusing more on subscriptions and acquiring top talent. They are the equivalents of premium cable subscriptions, he says.
BuzzFeed, Henick believes, can capitalize on making a different type of digital television specifically with brand advertising in mind. New product releases can go in tandem with television seasons. “Brands in the U.S. spend about $70 billion on TV,” he says. So why not bring that money to digital?
In short, BuzzFeed sees a way for cable to be further disrupted. Media companies are flailing thanks to ad revenue bottoming out; Henick sees the future dollar signs coming from brand investment in digital video.
Most important, he adds, is that this isn’t some far-fetched dream about the future: “People are already seeking this stuff out . . . the views are intentional.”


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Despite the sanctions, Russia imported more than $1 billion worth of American and European chips in the first nine months of 2023. This is reported by Bloomberg with reference to classified data from the Russian customs service.
According to the publication, in total, chip imports to Russia reached $1.7 billion in nine months. More than half of the imported semiconductors and integrated circuits during the period were made by Western companies.
They include the American Intel Corp, Advanced Micro Devices and Analog Devices Inc. and the European Infineon Technologies AG, STMicroelectronics NV and NXP Semiconductors NV.
At the same time, the publication draws attention to the lack of evidence that the companies have violated sanctions legislation. The available information does not allow us to determine who supplied the technologies to Russia, where they were sent from, and when they were manufactured.
The companies stated that they are in full compliance with the sanctions requirements, have ceased operations in Russia, and have implemented processes and policies to monitor compliance. They also emphasized that they are working to counteract the illegal diversion of goods.
“The vast majority of restricted technologies enter Russia via re-exports from third countries including China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. The US and the EU have been working to block those routes, focusing especially on a list of high priority so-called dual-use and advanced goods found in Russian weapons in Ukraine or that are critical to making them,” the publication adds.
The EU is currently working on a new package of sanctions, and several member states are calling on the bloc to do more to target companies in third countries, as well as trade originating from those countries, within these proposals.
The publication emphasizes that this trade demonstrates the difficulties faced by the US and the EU in trying to stop the supply of high technology to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The imports allowed Russia to continue producing tanks and other weapons, including missiles, which it uses in its war against Ukraine.


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Continuing on from our previous post where we mentioned the first new picture and specs from Motorola’s latest Droid 2 phone aka the Motorola Shadow, news has come in that the Verizon Wireless employee who found the phone and sent it to Gizmodo has been fired.
A post that comes from SlashGear confirms that an employee who worked in a corporate gym belonging to Verizon Wireless found the Motorola Shadow, which was mistakenly left behind by a Verizon employee.
Upon finding the device, pictures and specs were duly noted and sent to Gizmodo for inspection. Unlike the Apple iPhone 4G case, Gizmodo did not offer any sort of money for the phone and was eventually returned to it’s rightful owner.
But by doing so, the Verizon employee who found the phone is, lets say, in a little bother. The employee was called to a meeting after receiving phone calls from a Verizon corporate, and was fired with immediate effect.
The funny thing about this story though, is that the guy who found the phone in the first place, was not the guy who tipped off Gizmodo. Hmmm.
Will you be picking up the Motorola Shadow on its release?
*Identifying Monetised Links - outgoing links that we monetise are marked with an '*' symbol.


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The ASUS ZenWatch will be available in Singapore come Christmas time
The ASUS ZenWatch will be available in Singapore come Christmas Time
The first time we saw ASUS' new ZenWatch was at IFA 2014 early last month in Berlin, Germany. It is the company's first smart watch, and in fact wearable device, and we just received word that it will be available later this year in December around Christmas Time. Additionally, the ZenWatch will be priced at S$299 - lower than its earlier reported Euro pricing of €199.
The ZenWatch runs on Google's Android Wear platform and is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor that runs at 1.2GHz. It uses a 1.63-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It also has 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 9-axis sensor that helps with activity tracking. Finally, it has a IP55 water and dust resistant rating, which means it is slightly dust resistant and only splash resistant - don't take it swimming.
For more information and photos of the ZenWatch, check out our hands-on article at IFA 2014 here.


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Specsavers has launched its audiology service to the New Zealand market with a strong presence at the Audiological Society Conference at Rydges Lakeland Resort Queenstown.
The organisation’s audiology team from its support office, as well as a partner from a Melbourne store, travelled to Queenstown to announce the launch and talk with local audiologists about the business model. The model sees audiology services established within existing Specsavers optometry practices.
We are now operating out of more than 100 locations across Australia and are excited to replicate the same success in New Zealand
Specsavers Audiology’s Head of Professional Services for New Zealand and Australia, Nick Taylor, said the conference was the perfect platform to launch the New Zealand offering.
“Since August 2017 we have been rolling out audiology services in our optical stores in Australia and I am looking forward to bringing that model (to New Zealand),” he said. “We are now operating out of more than 100 locations across Australia and are excited to replicate the same success in New Zealand, with the ultimate aim of providing audiology services in all of our North and South Island locations.”
Audiologists based in New Zealand can contact Specsavers Audiology on (NZ) 0800 337 899 or email [email protected] if they are interested in private and confidential discussions about business opportunities. They can also visit www.audiology-anz.com/nz/ for further information.


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You can say what you want about today’s all-in-one devices and applications, but they usually have enough attractive features to make most users happy. My universal inbox, for example, lets me receive all my voice messages, emails, instant message queries, and the two faxes a year I still get. The so-called “God Box” promises to give users access to telephone, video, and IP service providers. And yet, these multifunctional systems are merely a prelude to the next place where we’re going to see the all-in-one phenomenon become evident: personal identity.
Down the road, your personal identity will be tied to an all-in-one digital identity card that provides some combination of access to your driver’s license, passport, credit/debit card, checking account number, and medical history. And it’s the Internet that will be the glue between these various parts of your identity.
It’s pretty clear we’re heading toward a future where a single card will have all your information for health insurance, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and shopper’s clubs, to name a few. A personal card bound to you will become your mechanism for conducting every type of transaction imaginable -- how you pay bills, register your vehicle, and manage all your day-to-day stuff.
And don’t let the recent congressional debate over national ID cards and homeland security obscure the larger issue. Everybody, regardless of stature or wealth, has to be connected to some system or some network -- which in most sectors means the Internet.
For the past few years, technology companies, like Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Novell Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL), have been moving in that direction by developing “InfoCard” technology to simplify and improve the safety of accessing and sharing personal information on the Internet. In fact, the personal identity card concept appears to be gaining momentum in the U.K. A recent poll by ICM Research says 54 percent of British respondents think a government proposal requiring citizens to apply for a personal identity card is a good or very good idea, while 42 per cent disagree.
Although the issue of identity protection may spark a debate in some circles, it shouldn’t be a problem for a neighbor of mine. Even though he’s in his early 40s, he still lives with his parents. He’s never had a credit card or filed an income tax return (OK, so maybe his problems go beyond the lack of a digital identity). He realizes he’s going to be in a big jam if he ever wants to buy a house and a lender starts trying to run his credit report.
My neighbor has circumvented this problem by always dealing in cash. But even with that, his risk goes up, since some cash transactions get reported when they hit a certain dollar threshold. More than a few alarms would get triggered at the state and federal level if he paid cash for a house.
But even down the road, I don’t think cash will be what it is today. In the last three weeks, I haven’t used cash for anything. Parking garage, convenience store, fast-food restaurant -- I paid for it all with a credit card. And now you don’t even have to sign for a bill less than $20.
While I expect retailers, insurance companies, and law enforcement to advocate a singular approach to identity, privacy experts will decry the trend. It not only makes it easier for the government to go snooping, but such a rich cache of personal data makes a tempting target for identity thieves. Security will have to be air-tight for this sort of future, not just with encryption, but with legal protections that can’t be circumvented by secret tribunals or fear-mongering politicians.
The expediency of Internet access in this all-in-one personal identity outlook is bound to expose many of the hazards we’ll face. To reduce potential risks of using an all-in-one card, access to its data or history needs to be rendered impossible without the live, physical presence of its owner. Maybe that means a fingerprint or voice recognition component. Such protections are essential to any sort of singular digital identity. Convenience without controls will never fly.
— Steve Stasiukonis, Vice President and founder of Secure Network Technologies Inc.


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Gamers Cried Foul: No More Assassin’s Creed And Far Cry In 2017
It was reported in January, and then in effect it was confirmed in February, that in spite of releases in the franchise coming every year since 2009, there will be no update for a new Assassin's Creed and the game would not come out in 2016.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said at that time that the long-term goal was not to "come back to an annual cycle, but to come back on a regular basis" when the series returned, which it was presumed would happen sometime in 2017. But Tommy Francois, Ubi's vice president of editorial, told IGN that it may take more than that to get things back on track.
"We believe alpha for these games needs to be one year before release. We're trying to achieve that. That's super f***ing blunt, I don't even know if I'm allowed to say this. This is the goal we're going for: Alpha one year before [release], more quality, more polish," he said. "So if this means biting the [bullet] and not having an Assassin's game, or a Far Cry [in 2017], f**k it."
"I mean it from that standpoint. We still need to have an Alpha, and we need it accessible as early as we possibly can, because the more time we have for this the more polish we have, the more time we can change, refine, swap systems. You just can't take shortcuts," he elaborated.
"No, Far Cry's only been going up in sales, so that's not true. We sometimes try to do too much - I'm actually super-happy. I know it's perceived like [a marketing decision], and even if it is [perceived that way], it's actually OK.
"People are allowed to perceive it like that, that it's a break in the brand and that we're doing it for that. I have no quarrels. I just want people to fall in love when people try the next iteration of one of these two brands."
Ubisoft, genuinely, has not rationed any official facts or particulars about the themes or settings for forthcoming Assassin's Creed or Far Cry games.
Ubisoft's Skull And Bones To Arrive With Narrative Campaign
Ubisoft just recently confirmed that Skulls and Bones will offer a narrative campaign. Check out the complete details here.
For Honor: Ubisoft Rolls Out Significant Matchmaking Update
Interestingly, a new update has been brought to For Honor thanks to Ubisoft. Check it out here!
Rainbow Six Siege Patch 2.1 Now Live; Brings One-Step Matchmaking And More
Finally, the highly anticipated patch 2.1 has arrived to Rainbow Six Siege. Check out the full details here
Ubisoft Wants Beyond Good And Evil 2 To Be 'Enormous'; Hence The Delay
Ubisoft does not plan to release Beyond Good and Evil 2 yet, but for a very interesting reason. Check it out here!
Assassin's Creed: Origins Drops PVP Multiplayer
Unfortunately for the expecting fans, Assassin's Creed Origins will not arrive with a multiplayer feature. Check it out here!
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New Lawsuit Alleges Fortnite Video Game Is as Addictive as Cocaine
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Netflix is Raising Prices, Here’s How it Now Compares to Other Streaming Services
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The coronavirus understandably caught the events industry flat-footed last spring. Who can predict a once-in-a-century disease? But nearly a year into the pandemic, there’s been time to experiment, learn, adapt and develop better strategies going into 2021.
While many trade shows in early 2021 have either been cancelled, gone virtual or been postponed until later in the year, two recent B2B events in Orlando and Denver managed to go live successfully. A common theme: regional attendance and extensive health and safety measures that kept participants feeling more confident and comfortable.
Trying to serve as a guiding light in a challenging period, PCMA brought together more than 3,000 attendees in an unusual experience befitting the COVID era.
London-based Tarsus Group has acquired a majority interest in the Mexico-based event, EXPO TENDERO. Launched in 2019 by Pedro Fernández, CEO of Multipav, EXPO TENDERO is the only event in Mexico specifically focused on the “Tenderos” sector; the ubiquitous corner shops located throughout the country.
With many trade show professionals still unemployed due to COVID-19, one full-service marketing and logistics partner for the global exhibition and convention industry is taking matters into its own hands with a new program designed to get them back on the job. Launched Jan.
Joe Biden becomes the country’s 46th president at a time when the United States is mired in a pandemic and its related economic challenges. His proposed solutions, and their effectiveness, is surely how the first part of his presidency will be measured.
The first fully virtual CES put the spotlight on nearly 2,000 technology companies to see how the future is unfolding.
In an effort to speed the process of distributing COVID-19 vaccines, the hotel industry is offering its services to the incoming Biden-Harris administration.
Emerald Expositions recently acquired the EDSpaces Trade Show & Conference from the Education Market Association.
“Through our alliance with Emerald, with its added resources and trade show creativity, we look forward to growing EDspaces and making it an even better investment for the exhibitors, buyers and our industry members,” said Lee Stapp, president of Officescapes and 2021 EDmarket chair of the board.


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Marc Gilbert, managing director of the Industrial Goods and Consumer Practices of Boston Consulting Group, reveals the findings of the firm’s latest report on global trade growth, and discusses the factors that will shape the future of trade.
Simon Geale, executive vice president of procurement with Proxima, weighs the prospects for transportation infrastructure development under the initiative spurred by the Biden Administration and Congress.
Michael Einhorn, chief executive officer of medical supplier Dealmed, explains how the healthcare purchasing system frustrates attempts to diversify sourcing of personal protective equipment and head off future shortages in times of emergency.
Michael Taylor, partner for international trade with the law firm of King & Spalding LLP, discusses the major factors that are influencing the decision of American manufacturers on whether to shift production from Asia back to the U.S.
A discussion about what it means to build a “future-ready” supply chain, with Manish Sharma, group chief executive officer of operations, and Kris Timmermans, head of the Supply Chain & Operations Practice, with Accenture.
A combination of intensifying customer demands and massively disruptive events such as the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers to embrace innovation at an unprecedented pace.


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Bhubaneswar: Odisha has been categorized as ‘Leader’ in the States’ Startup Ranking-2019 which was released on Friday by Union Minister Piyush Goyal through a virtual felicitation ceremony.
The state government of Odisha has simplified the approvals and clearances process for startups with the help of an online portal (investodisha.gov.in). The portal has an interactive mechanism in a place called GO SWIFT (Single Window Clearance Portal).
Keeping in the view the specific requirements of the state startup ecosystem, the government of Odisha has carried out various amendments in rules and regulations to promote the growth of startups and create a favourable regulatory environment.
The state has made necessary relaxations in terms of experience, turnover and submission of earnest money deposits in order to encourage startups to participate in public procurement.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) conducted the second edition of the States’ Startup Ranking Exercise, with the key objective to foster competitiveness and propel States and Union Territories to work proactively towards uplifting the startup ecosystem. It has been implemented as a capacity development exercise to encourage mutual learning among all states and to provide support in policy formulation and implementation.


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Konami Makes Silent Hill Loud and Proud at Retail Come This March
Konami needs a lesson in releasing games. Not only is it planning to release three games in one month this March, but the games will be from the same franchise. Yup, you heard that right, Konami is releasing three Silent Hill games in March alone.
Earlier this week, Konami announced a delay for Silent Hill HD Collection, and today it gives us a solid date of March 6. However, the good news (or bad news depending on how you look at it) doesn’t stop there. Konami also announced the release dates for the other two Silent Hill games, Silent Hill: Downpour (PS3) and Silent Hill: Book of Memories (Vita). They are launching on March 13 and March 27 respectively. Three Silent Hill games in four weeks!
Although it is nice to see positive proof that Konami is capable in shipping Silent Hill games to retail stores, but why do they need to be released one after another in one month, and it’s not even close to Halloween, Could it be because the company’s fiscal year ends on March 31? Hmmm.


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Shares of the Internet holding company surged on news of a loss of $1.08 a share for the first quarter, compared with Wall Street estimates of $1.76. The stock split.
The share price of the Netherlands-based clothing manufacturer jumped after the company said it expected to meet analysts' expectations of $3.44 a share this year.
Abercrombie & Fitch
The stock of the Reynoldsburg, Ohio, clothing retailer dipped sharply on news of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of alleged selective disclosure practices.
Shares of t...


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Ford is struggling to make the switch to electric vehicles. The production of its 100% electric Explorer SUV, which was supposed to start in early 2024, has been pushed back to June. This is a blow to the American brand, which is counting on this model to catch up to its competitors.
Indeed, Ford is far behind other legacy automakers in the electric vehicle market. Volkswagen, BMW, Volvo, and Mercedes already offer a wide range of electric models. Not to mention the “newcomers” that specialize in electric vehicles, such as Tesla and BYD.
Ford currently only has the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning. And the Mach-E has recently seen its production slow down.
Ford’s delay in the electric vehicle market is likely to cost it dearly. The brand has announced a goal of selling 600,000 electric cars per year by 2026. But this goal seems completely out of reach, given the delay and the fierce competition in the market.
The electric Explorer is therefore a crucial model for Ford. But it may already be too late for the American brand to catch up.


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The idea of a "social networking phone" seems redundant at first--don't all phones have an ability to connect to a social network of some kind? But INQ Mobile, a company based in the U.K., claims that it is the first to really bring social networks in the form of Facebook, MySpace, et al. to those of us who prefer to have regular, affordable phones. INQ's argument is that most handsets with dedicated Facebook and Skype applications have so far been of the smartphone variety, and thus out of touch with the mainstream. But with the … Read more
Facebook's developer platform has been used for a zillion marketing campaigns so far, but this one is actually dead-on hilarious.
Fast-food chain Burger King has created "Whopper Sacrifice," a Facebook app that will give you a coupon for a free hamburger if you delete 10 people from your friends list.
Burger King has put out some interesting campaigns as of late ("Whopper Virgin," "Subservient Chicken"), but this one piques our interest because of how gleefully it pokes fun at our social-networking obsessions. "Now is the time to put your fair-weather Web friendships … Read more
It was only a matter of time. Social network Facebook says it has hit the milestone of 150 million active users, just more than two months after reaching 120 million and about four months after reaching 100 million. The site hit 140 million in the middle of December.
The announcement was made on the Facebook company blog by founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Should Facebook sustain this rate of growth, the 5-year-old site could hit 200 million users before Zuckerberg reaches his 25th birthday this spring.
Nearly half of those 150 million members, Zuckerberg wrote, use Facebook every day. Most … Read more
At Tuesday's Macworld keynote speech, Apple announced a handful of upgrades to existing software. Of the changes, one of the biggest is the budding online integration found inside two of its software suites: iLife and iWork. The "2009" versions of both of these software packages show a more balanced approach by Apple in integrating third-party services alongside pushing users toward its own online efforts.
In the case of iWork, is a tight integration with a brand new online component called iWork.com. The site, which launches later this month in conjunction with the software release, lets users … Read more
I'm as guilty as the next person for having a social network portfolio that's too big. Aside from my Twitter account, I belong to Plurk and Identi.ca, and although I use Facebook most often, I still have MySpace and Hi5 accounts.
But now that 2008 has passed and it's time for us to evaluate what we did last year and try to improve upon that for 2009, why don't we start by cleaning out our social network portfolio and start using only those services that we like best in each category? After all, spending more … Read more
Did we turn to Facebook for Christmas cheer, or to cheer up Christmas?
The social-networking site, which has been experiencing explosive growth in membership, saw record traffic on Christmas Eve. Facebook achieved its highest-ever traffic level, accounting for 2.18 percent compared with a 1.42 percent average for November, according to numbers gathered by Hitwise. That's a 54 percent increase compared with the November average and a 53 percent increase year over year.
Facebook is suing Power.com, a Brazilian start-up that lets users access a number of social networks through one portal.
Facebook filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., for copyright and trademark infringement; unlawful competition; and violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, CAN-SPAM Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, among other charges.
Power.com signs users into their various social networks and messaging clients and delivers the data from those sites and services to one page. For example, you can see all of your friends, their status updates, visit their … Read more
Happy New Year, everyone.
And according to some very unexpected messages I got today, it seems it's also my birthday.
Which is strange, because unless my parents were lying to me, I believe I was born in November. Yet, when I finally woke up today and checked in with the Internets, I found eight messages waiting for me, wishing me a happy birthday.
The first actually came yesterday afternoon before 6 p.m. my time, and it was from a former CNET News colleague. I was confused, but thought that perhaps it was a birthday message that got lost … Read more
Welcome to the Year of Fear. They say 2009 will be difficult, dangerous, maybe even disastrous. But, here at Technically Incorrect, we believe it will be the year that the seemingly impossible will be the most likely to happen.
So here are 6 things that we feel sure will occur in 2009. Notice the vital importance of advertising in each of these surefire occurrences.
1. FACEBOOK WILL BE SOLD TO A NETWORK TV STATION. Oh, guffaw away if you must. But some time this year the folks at Facebook will sit down and realize that they haven't sold much … Read more
Facebook has sprouted pages that pay tribute to notorious mafia bosses, and relatives of mafia victims are none too happy about that fact, according to the U.K. publication Times Online.
The groups idolizing Cosa Nostra godfathers have generated thousands of supporters in Italy, according to the report. But opponents say the fan pages reflect a lack of public and state support for the victims of mafia crimes and glamorize the perpetrators.
Pages on the social-networking site laud mafia players including Salvatore (Toto) Riina, jailed in 1993 and currently serving 12 life sentences for murder, and Bernardo Provenzano, his successor, … Read more