text:
Our stocks writer considers the merits of one of the country’s big car dealership groups.
With used car prices still rising, the chief operating officer at retailer Lookers (LSE:LOOK) has followed up on the latest of his firm's four upgrades to 2021 forecasts by buying £35,000 of shares.
Duncan McPhee, who has over 25 years’ experience in the motor retail industry, made his purchase on Wednesday at prices of between 68p and 70p, which is near the highest level for the dealership since its shares were restored to the stock market in January.
The run of profit upgrades by Lookers follows a remarkable period for the industry, with strong levels of customer demand and disruption to new vehicle production meaning that second-hand vehicles are selling for an estimated 14% more than they would have done a year ago.
Auto Trader Group (LSE:AUTO) said there was little evidence of a “price ceiling” for vehicles up to one year old, with a spot check last month finding about 700 used cars on its platform were priced higher than their brand-new counterparts.
Furthermore, one in five nearly new cars on Auto Trader are within 10% of their new car equivalents.
- Check out our award-winning stocks and shares ISA
- Top 20 most-bought UK shares in Q2 2021
- ii view: Covid fires Serco profit higher
This has fed through to much higher margins in the retail industry, while forecourts are also busier with people with lockdown savings to spend or who want to buy a car because of their reluctance to use public transport after the pandemic.
The most recent upgrade to forecasts by Lookers came at the end of July, when it reported outperformance of the new car market and used car unit sales up 38%.
This meant profits for the first half of the year will be about £50 million, compared to the £36.1 million underlying loss the previous year.
Chief executive Mark Raban said Lookers had delivered an outstanding performance but warned that Covid-19 was still causing disruption and uncertainty.
Analysts at Zeus lifted their profits forecast for this year by 19% to £60.8 million, although with ongoing supply shortages and cost inflation they do not expect Lookers to sustain the current level of performance going into 2022.
Lookers is currently trading at 5.5 times 2021 earnings, which increases to 6.3x for 2022. Liberum believes this is too cheap after the broker reiterated its 105p price target.
The shares are broadly unchanged since April despite the profits momentum, a trend in line with the performances of other stocks in the sector including Pendragon and Vertu Motors.
As well as the continued uncertain outlook, the industry also faces increased competition from fast-growing online operators such as Cinch and Cazoo.
- Jim O’Neill: where retail investors should look next
- ii Super 60 investments: quality options for your portfolio, rigorously selected by our impartial experts
- Subscribe to the ii YouTube channel and catch all our latest interviews and video content
Liberum analyst Sanjay Vidyarthi said: “We continue to see Lookers as an attractive recovery play in the sector, preferring it to Pendragon, albeit Vertu remains our top pick amongst the franchised dealers.”
Lookers has turned the corner after an investigation into the overstatement of profits last year caused the publication of its accounts to be delayed and shares to be suspended.
They resumed trading in January at 22p, while an investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority into sales processes between 2016 and 2019 was closed in March.
Indivior and FirstGroup
Directors at addiction treatment firm Indivior (LSE:INDV) and transport business FirstGroup (LSE:FGP) have bought shares as confidence in the FTSE 250-listed pair shows signs of improvement after a rough ride in recent years.
The £50,000 purchase of Indivior shares by chairman Graham Hetherington was made at 171.2p, which compares with a price of 123p seen in March and 148.6p before half-year results at the end of July.
The figures included an upgrade to Indivior's full-year sales guidance for the injectable anti-opioid treatment Sublocade after four consecutive quarters of double-digit growth, as well as signs of market share stability for Suboxone in the face of generic competition.
Shares slumped from almost 500p to 30p by 2019 after the company was indicted in the US over an "illicit nationwide scheme" to drive prescriptions of Suboxone.
At FirstGroup, recently appointed non-executive directors Jane Lodge and Peter Lynas bought shares in the company for the first time last week.
Their moves follow the long-awaited disposal of First Student and First Transit for £2.25 billion in the US and full-year results showing a resilient performance from UK bus and rail operations.
It is planning to return a bigger-than-expected £500 million to shareholders this autumn but has also announced that chief executive Matthew Gregory is to stand down after three years overseeing a substantial overhaul of the business.
FirstGroup shares have risen from 73p in mid-July to close last week at 90.05p, with Lodge making her £13,000 purchase at 87.1p on Thursday and senior independent director Lynas doing so on Monday at 85.5p for a purchase worth £51,300.
These articles are provided for information purposes only. Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.
Full performance can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website. Simply click on the company's or index name highlighted in the article.


text: Italy’s competition authority on Wednesday said it was fining Apple € 10 million (US$11.5 million) and Samsung Electronics € 5 million (US$5.7 million) for the “planned obsolescence” of their smartphones. The ruling is believed to be the first against the manufacturers following accusations worldwide that they encourage operating system updates for older phones which then slow them down, thereby encouraging owners to buy new phones. An investigation by the antitrust authority revealed that “Apple and Samsung implemented dishonest commercial practices”, a statement said. Operating system updates “caused serious malfunctions and significantly reduced performance, thus accelerating phones’ substitution”. Samsung told owners of its Note 4 phone to install a new version of Google’s Android operating system intended for the more recent Note 7 but which rendered the old model sluggish. Likewise, Apple told iPhone 6 owners to install an operating system designed for the iPhone 7, leading to problems for owners of the older model. Apple was also found to have failed to tell customers about “essential” characteristics of its phones’ lithium batteries, including their average life and how to prolong that life, resulting in a bigger fine than Samsung. Samsung hopes Galaxy Note 8 phablet can erase the memory of its phones catching fire The Italian antitrust authority opened its investigation in January following customer complaints – around the same time as a similar inquiry in France. The US company was forced to admit last year that it intentionally slowed down older models of its iPhones over time, sparking concerns it was unfairly nudging consumers to upgrade. Slowed iPhones: Apple apologises and slashes price of replacement battery to US$29 after outcry At the time, Apple denied it intentionally shortened the life on any of its products. It said it slowed models to extend the performance of the phone, which uses less power when running at slower speeds, and prevent unexpected shutdowns. The California-based firm also faces a class-action suit in the United States.

domain: news


text:
First in a series looking back on some of the turnaround stories of 2012
What a difference a year makes. Fifty-one weeks ago, AT&T announced that it was abandoning its $39 billion plan to buy T-Mobile USA due to regulatory concerns that it would lead to too much concentration of the U.S. mobile phone business. Despite walking away with a $4 billion breakup fee from AT&T, T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom seemed to be at a loss for what to do next. It had been trying to fix what was broken at T-Mobile, the #4 carrier in the U.S., for years and when the big merger fell apart the future was uncertain. Then came 2012, the year the world was supposed to end according to the Mayans, but for T-Mobile it's been more like a scene out of "Its a Wonderful Life." In October, the company made a deal to buy MetroPCS, the most desirable target left on the mobile chessboard. Then just last week, the company announced it would finally be getting Apple's iPhone (in 2013) and also announced a revolutionary plan to get rid of phone subsidies. For the often slow-moving mobile business, these past three months have been nothing short of remarkable.
The Ghosts of Christmas Past
It's hard to believe that not only did all of this nearly not happen, but a lot of smart people and smart money did everything they could to stop it from happening. Much of the technology industry, you see, threw its weight behind the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. They did this because ostensibly without it, AT&T wouldn't be able to provide sufficient 4G data services, innovation would slow and it would set back all sorts of amazing things. Microsoft, Facebook and a number of prominent venture capital firms even filed letters with the FCC supporting the merger.
Of course, all of this seems remarkably bizarre in retrospect. Since then, Facebook has gone public and more than half of its billion users access the site from mobile devices. On top of that, it bought Instagram -- perhaps the fastest-growing mobile service ever -- for nearly a billion dollars, right before the IPO. Mobile data use and the "app economy" (which is estimated to employ about 500,000) are exploding. So let's again remember people were actually advocating it was practically necessary to have fewer mobile service providers rather than more. In reality, the two companies would still be integrating their networks and billing systems today and, of course, no spectrum would actually have been created by the merger.
Instead, AT&T, which kept claiming it couldn't compete with Verizon's 4G due to a lack of available airwaves, now says it has the largest 4G network in the country. While the claim may be inflated, the reality is that the regulators told AT&T to go out there and compete instead of trying to buy out the competition. And the results have spoken for themselves. Maybe Mitt Romney got it right at the first presidential debate when he said: "Regulation is essential. You can't have a free market work if you don't have regulation." Whatever the case, mobile innovation in the U.S. is alive and very well.
The Ghosts of Christmas Present
Which brings us to today. Had the merger gone through, a giant AT&T and a similarly huge Verizon would have likely further weakened #3 carrier SprintPCS. The industry would have began to resemble a duopoly even more than it does now. Instead, the T-Mobile/MetroPCS combination looks formidable going forward and the more level playing field helped encourage Japan's Softbank to buy a 70% stake in Sprint just weeks after the MetroPCS deal was announced. Assuming Sprint can sort its ownership of partner Clearwire, that combo will be very spectrum rich, which will increasingly be a competitive weapon as customers demand more and more data out of their smartphones and tablets.In fact, things are setting up in a rather interesting way. Verizon and AT&T have moved away from unlimited data plans in 2012, slowly but surely requiring customers to switch to plans that have a limited amount of data they can share across any combination of smartphones, tablets and laptops. While most people today typically use less data each month then the limited amounts the plans offer, power users -- those that stream a lot of music and videos on their mobile phones for example -- aren't so lucky. They are doing everything they can to keep their unlimited plans. It's also true that for an individual user, the two largest carriers tend to be pretty expensive. A new smartphone plan on Verizon or AT&T will run you a minimum of $90 per month, and that includes just 1 gigabyte worth of data. The same $90 on T-Mobile buys you unlimited data and an equivalent plan on MetroPCS is just $55 monthly.
Now, it's worth mentioning that this isn't a pure apples-to-apples comparison: T-Mobile doesn't have the fastest 4G service, LTE, and MetroPCS doesn't have the coverage of the major carriers (though it does offer LTE). But you can see where this is going. T-Mobile is marketing itself as the value brand and is acquiring an even more value-oriented brand. In a time of stagnating incomes, this is likely going to resonate well not just with consumers, but small-business customers as well. And if T-Mobile can demonstrate the quality of the coverage, it could even make inroads at the high end.
The Ghosts of Christmas Future
Value pricing, however, is hardly anything new. What's new in this case is the combination of a national carrier's footprint with a super-low-price carrier in MetroPCS. Don't expect Verizon or AT&T to respond to any pricing moves, but do expect them to carefully watch the reaction to T-Mobile's end to subsidized phones. Most of you are aware that when you buy a phone from your carrier, you don't pay the full price. What is perhaps less obvious is that not only do you commit to that 2-year contract, but you also pay for the subsidized phone every month through your monthly fee. Of course, this is never itemized on your bill; it's just part of your charge.
What T-Mobile is going to do is simply separate out the billing for your service from your phone. Say goodbye to the $199 iPhone and hello to the $99 and $20 per month for 20 months iPhone, as CEO John Legere explained it to GigaOm. In return, your monthly fee would be $20 cheaper every month. Sure, that looks a lot like the current model, but a big difference is that you'll only pay the extra money while you're paying off a new phone and then you'll return to your discounted rate. If this works, you could theoretically benefit if you buy phones often (great for techies who need to own the latest and greatest and will pay for them) or rarely (since you'll pay less every month).
Spanish carrier Telefonica tried this and found it didn't work so well. “It was a disaster,” said Tracy Isacke, director of Telefonica Digital, whose company shed as many as a quarter million customers a month. Of course, Spain has had its own unique set of problems and the experience might not be replicated here. This experiment will be watched very closely and could have ramification for Apple and Samsung, whose unsubsidized -- read: full retail -- phone prices are among the highest in the world. On Verizon, the iPhone, starts at $649 and the Samsung Galaxy S3 starts at $599.
As we look ahead to mid-decade, the Really Big Two and the Next Big Two might face even more competition, and not just from the numerous regional carriers still out there. Dish Network just recently received approval to use some spectrum it owns to build a mobile-data network. While it might find the cost of going it alone prohibitive, the possibilities are intriguing. And the FCC continues to search for ways to free up additional spectrum over the course of the decade to meet increasing demand. Much of that will wind up in the hands of incumbent carriers as it has in the past. But as we head into 2013, we can at least know there will be four of those nationally rather than two.


text:
Tencent Holdings Limited’s (OTC: TCEHY) offer to purchase Sogou Inc (NYSE: SOGO), and take it private, sent the Chinese search engine firm, and parent company Sohu.com Ltd’s (NASDAQ: SOHU), shares soaring on Monday.
The Shenzhen-based technology giant is proposing to pay $9 per American depositary share of Sogou in cash, a premium of 56.5% on July 24’s closing price of $5.75.
The Chinese multimedia conglomerate already owns 39.2% of Sogou’s total issued and outstanding shares and has 52.3% of total voting power in the firm. The search engine’s parent Sohu hasn’t yet decided on its response to the offer, it said in a statement disclosing the offer.
The Sogou search engine is already integrated into Tencent’s popular messaging platform WeChat.
Why It Matters
The Tencent offer comes at a time for Sogou when Chinese companies listed in the United States are scrambling for alternatives, as relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate. The U.S. Senate approved a bill in May that could lead to the delisting of a significant number of Chinese companies on the country’s exchange desks.
Last month JD.Com Inc (NASDAQ: JD) carried out a secondary listing in Hong Kong that raised about $3.88 billion. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) also debuted in Hong Kong last year and raised $11 billion in its IPO.
Ant Financial Services Group, an Alibaba subsidiary, is planning simultaneous listings in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Sogou shares closed 48% higher at $8.51 on Monday after the offer was made, taking the company’s valuation to $3.31 billion. The shares were mostly unchanged in the after-hours session.
Sohu shares added nearly 40% at $15.55 in the regular session, and were up another 2.4% at $15.92 in the after-hours session.
Photo by WhisperToMe on Wikimedia Commons
© 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


text:
TOKYO: Sony on Friday cut its sales forecast for the current fiscal year, citing the impact of a surging yen and slower smartphone sales, as net profit also took a hit.
But it managed to stay in the black as strong sales of its PlayStation 4 offset negative impacts from a sharp rise in the yen and deadly earthquakes in Japan earlier this year which temporarily shuttered its regional factories.
Revenue in the year to March 2017 will be down 5.1 percent from its previous forecast to 7.4 trillion yen ($71 billion), Sony said, but it kept its projection of an 80 billion yen net profit unchanged.
Sony’s net profit in the April-June quarter was down about 74 percent from a year ago, partly owing to a one-time gain a year earlier. The lowered figure still beat analysts’ expectations of a loss.
Sony previously warned that a pair of deadly quakes in Japan in April would dent its financial results.
The quakes, which caused major damage in southern Kyushu and claimed dozens of lives, forced major firms including Sony and Toyota to temporarily shutter factories, hitting production and sales.
Costs also included repairing damaged buildings.


text:
Read Privacy Law updates, news, and legal commentary from leading lawyers and law firms:
PODCAST - Inside Law - HIPAA Changes Overview by Emily Wey
AP Scandal Demonstrates Need for Federal Shield Law to Protect Reporters
Unprecedented Global ATM Heist Presents a Number of Lessons for Companies
Data Privacy Trouble Surrounding Google Street View Cars Presents Lesson for Smaller Companies
Ted Hester on Congressional Investigations
Tips for Mobile App Privacy Compliance
Cameras Snap Your License Plates for Huge Databases
Big Brother Is Tracking You through Your Cell Phone
Safeguards against Data Security Breaches (Part One)
Weekly Brief: New Round of Layoffs Hit Law Firms
Safeguards against Data Security Breaches (Part Two)
How to Protect Your Company From Hackers
What Companies Should Do to Prepare for Implementation of Cybersecurity Executive Order
How to Respond to President Obama's Cybersecurity Executive Order
Where Does the Cybersecurity Executive Order Hit and Miss the Mark?
FTC Hits Path with $800k Fine, Continues to Make Mobile Privacy a Priority
The Biggest Changes in HIPAA/HITECH Omnibus Rule & Recommended Action Steps—Ted Kobus
Law Firms Need to Be Aware of Data Security Blind Spots—Stuart McClure
Three Key Data Retention Questions
Death of Activist Aaron Swartz Could Spur Changes to Computer Fraud & Abuse Act
On April 3, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission issued a press release that marks yet another step in its continuing trend of actions involving data brokers and data providers. As we have noted in earlier blog posts, the...more
A Missouri court last week handed a legal defeat to a local escrow firm that sued its financial institution to recover $440,000 stolen in a 2009 cyberheist. The court ruled that the company assumed greater responsibility for...more
In Kahmeyer v. Federal Credit Corporation, the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County, Florida released an opinion that has given new life to the argument that each violation of the Florida Consumer Collection Practices...more
On March 20, 2013, the United States District Court for the District of Maine denied a motion brought by plaintiffs in In re Hannaford Brothers Company Data Security Breach Litigation that would have allowed the suit to...more
In a recent decision, Tyler v. Michaels Stores, Inc., the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that zip codes are “personal identification information” and that a merchant asking for that information during a credit card...more
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts recently held that collecting a consumer's ZIP code at the point of sale may violate Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93, Section 105(a) (Section 105(a)), which restricts the...more
On January 11, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California approved a settlement between a retailer and a class of customers to resolve allegations that the retailer violated the California Song-Beverly...more
As we begin a new year and prepare ourselves for the blizzard of new and revised regulations coming our way, I think it is important for us to consider the regulatory agenda that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau...more
We reported in July on a First Circuit Court of Appeals decision finding that a bank failed to implement commercially reasonable security methods to prevent unauthorized transfers by a criminal that gained the online banking...more
In Meyer v. Portfolio Recovery Associates (Oct. 12, 2012), the Ninth Circuit affirmed the Southern District of California’s decision to provisionally certify a class and grant a preliminary injunction against Portfolio...more
This Wall Street Journal Article features Bernstein Shur Attorney Dan Mitchell.
Banks typically are responsible for losses when personal accounts are hacked. But commercial clients that fall victim to cyber theft have...more
This BDN Maine article features Bernstein Shur Attorney Dan Mitchell.
SANFORD, Maine — A recent court ruling involving a Sanford construction company and its bank could have nationwide implications as attorneys and...more
In a case that we have written about, People’s United Bank of Maine has agreed to pay about $ 390,000 to settle a claim that its security practices allowed unauthorized persons to withdraw funds from a construction company’s...more
This Wired Magazine article features Bernstein Shur Attorney Dan Mitchell.
In a case watched closely by banks and their commercial customers, a financial institution in Maine has agreed to reimburse a construction...more
On November 19, a bank sued by a commercial account holder to recover funds lost after cyber attackers gained electronic access to its account and made a series of unauthorized withdrawals reportedly agreed to pay the...more
In July 2011, I published my interview of Elizabeth Warren, entitled Opening a Dialogue: Elizabeth Warren and the Mortgage Industry.*
I have been told that this interview is one of the last published interviews of Mrs....more
Earlier this month, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) instituted public administrative and cease and desist proceedings against eBX, LLC (“eBX”), a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. eBX operates LeveL ATS,...more
Recently, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published for comment on its website its draft Strategic Plan for 2013 - 2018 (Plan).
According to the CFPB, the plan includes the following four goals:
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has opened the door to increased liability for banks when hackers make fraudulent withdrawals....more
Small business owners have new hope that they may be on the same footing as individuals when it comes to cybertheft from their bank accounts.
On July 3, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit became the first federal appellate court to address the issue of bank liability for the loss of customer funds resulting from a breach of a bank’s cyber security,...more
The recent data breach at Global Payments Inc., which has contracts to handle the processing of credit and debit card transactions, has again focused attention on the significant risk associated with storing or transmitting...more
Think your credit card information is secure? Think again. Last month, Heartland Payment Systems, a national credit processor, settled a class action lawsuit to the tune of $1 million after a staggering 130 million credit...more
In this article, we will take a brief look at consumer privacy protection updates at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the watchdog enforcement agency charged with protecting consumer privacy, issued a sweeping revisions to...more
On March 12, 2012, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB) announced proposed amendments to the confidential treatment of information obtained from persons in connection with its exercise of authorities under...more
JD Supra gets your content noticed, increases your visibility and makes your marketing efforts hassle free...
Learn More or Schedule a demo


text:
[7 April] Last week Tesla unveiled the Model 3, a mass market, affordable electric vehicle with a starting price of $35,000 and a two hundred mile range.
In just over five days, more than 276,000 people put down $1,000 to reserve their own Model 3, signaling that American appetite for electric vehicles (EVs) is on the rise.
That’s good news because greenhouse gas emissions from transportation are growing faster than in any other sector in the U.S. and account for about 30 percent of the total. A major shift to electrified vehicles in the transportation sector is necessary to give us a fighting chance to meet our climate goals.
Yet, just as EVs are poised for growth, oil industry interests are sharpening their knives. Energy companies, including Koch Industries, are increasing their public opposition to electric vehicles because they are realizing the significant potential impacts of EVs on oil demand.
Recently, for example, Jim Mahoney, board member of Koch Industries, penned an oped in Fortune about opposing government subsidies that favor one form of energy over another.
“Koch opposes all market-distorting policies, including subsidies and mandates—even if they may benefit the company,” he wrote.
What Mahoney was really taking aim at were incentives offered to the small but growing electric vehicle market in the U.S.
His op-ed was mum on fossil fuel subsidies—which the International Monetary Fund pegs at $5.3 trillion. And he certainly didn’t mention the 11 fossil fuel federal tax subsidies identified by the Department of Treasury that cost U.S. taxpayers $4.7 billion per year—some of which have been in place for more than 100 years. Or the numerous public lands leasing and royalty breaks for oil and gas production.
Mahoney singles out the electric vehicle tax credit because electric vehicles are a threat to oil, which is mainly used for transportation and his op-ed is part of a broader attempt to roll back tax credits that support advanced vehicles.
If you doubt that the tiny but growing electric vehicle market could threaten big oil, consider this: Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) projects that oil displacement as a result of increased electric vehicle deployment could lead to an oil crash by 2023. BNEF flags battery prices and strong policies as important drivers of EV growth. In fact, battery costs have dropped dramatically—falling by 65 percent since 2010. By 2030 they are estimated to fall from $350 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to below $120 per kWh.
To-date, oil producers have underestimated the competitiveness of electric vehicles, but they are seeing the threat to their market share and are taking aim at the EV industry. Because they can’t do much to improve the environmental profile of their own core products, we can expect a growing effort by the oil industry to undermine the electric vehicle sector. It’s no surprise that Koch Industries is leading the way.
Read more: EcoWatch


text:
There are two ways to celebrate the Fourth of July: eating hotdogs at a backyard barbecue or shopping sales like your life depends on it. If you're the latter, you may be wondering: Does Ulta have a Fourth of July Sale? Here's what we know, shopaholics.
Ulta won't be dishing out red, white and blue-specific sales this year, according to Ulta representatives, but that doesn't mean you won't have a chance to save. This Fourth of July weekend will wrap up one sale and begin another. Starting this weekend, "jumbo" haircare items will be marked down as much as 50 percent off. You'll be able to score deals on jumbo-size bottles from professional brands like Redken, Kenra, Sexy Hair, Matrix and AG.
Ulta is also running a buy one, get one 50 percent off summer hair repair products. So if you've been soaking up the sun poolside, it might be time to pick up a deep conditioner or hair mask. The deal is good for brands like John Freida, Tresemme, Hask, and OGX Haircare.
But hair products aren't the only essentials on sale. The Lip Happily campaign will end right after this weekend, so it's your last chance to win a lip prize package.
To take part in the Lip Happily campaign just snap a pic of your lip look, upload to Twitter or Instagram with #ThisIsHowILip and tag @UltaBeauty, then tag a friend to join the #Challenge. Ta da! You're entered!
Ulta has 15,000 lip products in store and online, so you can find the perfect formula and color just for you.
Ulta also has sales currently running, like 50 percent off specific brands including Covergirl, NYX, Revlon, Kardashian Beauty and Physicians Formula.
Happy holiday shopping, guys!


text:
Tamil Nadu minister targets US$ 6 billion investment in EVs in 5 years, meets CEOs to define roadmap
Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Salem and Tirunelveli to be developed as EV hubs as part of Tamil Nadu's accelerated drive to become a global EV manufacturing hub.
The Tamil Nadu government is committed to securing US$ 6 billion (Rs 49,482 crore) in investments and creating 1.5 lakh new employment opportunities within the electric vehicle (EV) sector over the next five years, Dr. T.R.B. Rajaa, Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion, and Commerce, Tamil Nadu stated at a closed round-table discussion on EVs held in the state today.
In his keynote address at the closed-door discussion, held in partnership with the World Economic Forum, on 'Tamil Nadu: Making of the Next Global EV Manufacturing Hub', Dr. T.R.B. Rajaa mentioned that the government has launched the revised 'Tamil Nadu Electric Vehicles Policy 2023', and Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Salem and Tirunelveli have been earmarked as EV hubs to bolster the state’s growth towards electric vehicles.
Over the past five years, Tamil Nadu has emerged as India's leading EV manufacturing destination, earning the moniker of 'EV Capital of India'. Notably, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the state secured nearly Rs 24,000 crore in EV investments, leading to almost 48,000 jobs, the press release stated.
Along with leading OEMs like Hyundai, Nissan, TVS Motor Co, Mahindra & Mahindra and Daimler, EV-first companies like Ather Energy, Ola Electric, Ampere Vehicles and Simple Energy have chosen to base their EV manufacturing facilities in Tamil Nadu, underscoring the importance of the state as one that promotes the cause of EVs.
The roundtable discussion centered on the pivotal role Tamil Nadu aims to play in the global electric vehicle manufacturing landscape. Key points of discussion included strategies to expand opportunities for MSMEs and entrepreneurs within the EV sector, and net zero manufacturing in the EV sector among other points.
Top executives from EV component and EV manufacturers were part of the event hosted by the Tamil Nadu government event, in partnership with the World Economic Forum. Images: Guidance Tamil Nadu
Dr. T.R.B. Rajaa, Minister of Industries, Investment Promotion, and Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu, S. Krishnan IAS - Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Industries, Investment Promotion, and Commerce, Government of Tamil Nadu, P. Amudha IAS - Principal Secretary, Home (Transport) Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu and Vishnu Venugopalan IAS - MD and CEO, Guidance Tamil Nadu, were among the participants at the roundtable.
After the session, Gopalakrishnan CS, Chief Manufacturing Officer, Hyundai Motor India said, “We believe that the upcoming action plans will drive quicker adoption of EVs while balancing measures on the supply and demand sides and charging infrastructure in the State.”
Dinesh Arjun, co-founder and CEO of EV firm Raptee said, “Tamil Nadu has already made its mark as a leader in the automobile space and I'm delighted to see that the state doesn't want to rest on it's laurels and ensure that they retain the top spot in the country moving forward as well. “ He added that this initiative is a major step to establish and strengthen Tamil Nadu’s leadership position in the EV space as well. The commitment from the government and industry leaders give immense confidence that we (Raptee) are poised to benefit a lot from investing in the state.”
This boost is expected from the EV business mix, a part of the company’s strategy to diversify its operations.
'E-3wheelers not aspirational, but make money': Amit Singh, head, 3W division, Altigreen Propulsion Labs
The challenges are more ground-driven in terms of the availability of electricity, and how to make it more economical, a...


text:
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia ABC has revoked the alcohol license for the Carolina Express convenience store in Richmond. The revocation order comes after more than seven people have been shot around the store in about three months.
The Carolina Express — located at 3100 Carolina Avenue — had been operating on a temporary alcohol permit that was granted on Aug. 4, during a period of time when the store was transferring ownership. A spokesperson for Virginia ABC said temporary permits are given to allow the business to continue operation while the new owner’s application is pending.
Following an investigation, the store’s license was revoked on Nov. 2, just three months after the temporary permit was granted. During this intermediary period, a triple shooting and a quadruple shooting occurred outside of the store on Aug. 8 and Oct. 27, respectively. Of the seven people shot, one was a juvenile, and two were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Temporary permits can be revoked if the applicant for the new license “demonstrates behavior or allow conduct that draws into question the lawful operation of the business,” according to Virginia ABC.
Virginia ABC did not confirm the shootings were the reason for the revocation but stated permits can be taken away for many reasons, in accordance with Virginia law.
Virginia ABC’s Bureau of Law Enforcement is working with the store owner to move the alcohol currently in the Carolina Express to “one of their other licensed” businesses.


text:
Even within the nimble tech sector, Twitter was ahead of the curve in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. Before some other companies flinched, it was telling employees to stay home and shifting its platform’s focus to the pandemic.
Now, analysts fear that Twitter’s newly revised guidance might be another harbinger of things to come for the broader industry.
At the very least, it’s “one potential early sign of the tough times to come for digital advertising,” according to Eric Haggstrom, forecasting analyst at eMarketer.
From the first quarter of 2020 to the same period in 2021, Twitter previously told investors to expect total revenues to grow somewhere between 4.8% and 12.5%.
This week, however, the mobile giant said it was now expecting a slight decline in revenues year-over-year.
Offering a glimmer of hope, Haggstrom said Twitter’s adjustment does not guarantee a dismal ad market moving forward.
Rather, “What Twitter’s updated guidance means for the broader digital ad market depends on how much of the social platform’s decline is due to shrinking ad budgets and dollars disappearing from digital entirely,” he suggested in a new note to clients.
“It also depends on how much is due to a shift in spend away from Twitter and toward other digital channels that are viewed as more essential,” according to Haggstrom.
Platforms deemed “more essential” to advertisers than Twitter is will likely see lower percentage declines in ad revenues, he suspects.
However, dollar declines among these more essential platforms may be larger, simply as a result of their sizes and larger shares of media budgets, Haggstrom added.
Haggstrom chose not to identify those potentially more “essential” platforms by name, but there is little doubt that Facebook’s flagship app and Google’s YouTube are on that list.
While it might serve as a canary in the coalmine for the industry, it is worth noting that Twitter makes up a small percentage of the digital ad market, and, by Haggstrom’s calculations, has even lost domestic digital ad market share in recent years.
Looking ahead to the third and fourth quarters, Haggstrom is also hopeful that Twitter and the broader industry can be resuscitated.
Added Haggstrom: “Ad spending is seasonally stronger in [the second half of the year], so a turnaround late in the year would have a disproportionate effect on maintaining ad spend growth.”


text:
[Editor’s Note, UPDATE: This is not the CCN correspondent, but a different Dr, Sanjay Gupta. Read the update here: https://cannabisnow.com/dr-sanjay-gupta-will-launch-a-line-of-hemp-cbd-products/. ]
Nearly 5 years to the day since Dr. Sanjay Gupta announced his belief that cannabis is medicine, the famed physician specializing in neurosurgery has announced that he will be launching a branded line of hemp-derived CBD products.
In an announcement on August 9, a company called Tree of Knowledge said they will produce the formulas, handle production and create the packaging for a line of hemp-derived CBD and cannabis-derived CBD products for Gupta. The forthcoming line will be called “Dr. Gupta’s” under the Gupta Products umbrella. It will include things like CBD capsules, CBD tinctures and CBD salve. The announcement noted the products will all be non-GMO and gluten-free.
“We are extremely excited that Dr. Gupta has selected TOK to work with to create a new product line under his name. We see this as an extraordinary partnership where we can combine our expertise in creating premium quality products with Dr. Gupta’s worldwide name recognition, said Tree of Knowledge CEO Jean-Paul Gaillard in the announcement.
Gupta says he believes his product deal will provide medical professionals with CBD products they know are sound.
“As the world perception is changing with respect to CBD products, I have embraced Tree of Knowledge, first as an advisory member and now as a product partner,” Gupta said. “Their vigorous testing and the exceptional quality of their products, being free of pesticides and microbial, makes them a world leader. This level of quality allows me to offer my network of top medical professionals a line of products that they can be completely comfortable in recommending to their patients.”
Dr. Sanjay Gupta: From Advocate to Industry Insider
In August 2013, Gupta famously apologized for his original impressions on medical marijuana. As CNN’s chief medical correspondent, he authored a piece that outlined the specific places he had found himself to be mistaken. These included having faith in the science behind the Drug Enforcement Administration in making pot a Schedule 1 narcotic, not looking at research from smaller labs outside the United States and not hearing the calls of patients who had been able to live a better quality of life thanks to cannabis.
“I had steadily reviewed the scientific literature on medical marijuana from the United States and thought it was fairly unimpressive. Reading these papers five years ago, it was hard to make a case for medicinal marijuana. I even wrote about this in a TIME magazine article, back in 2009, titled ‘Why I would Vote No on Pot.’ Well, I am here to apologize,” Gupta said at the time.
Gupta went on to note on the personal experiences that drove the decision as well, like seeing the quality of life afforded to children with severe forms of epilepsy. He took the story of those children benefiting from CBD extracts to the airwaves, and it impacted millions of Americans the same way it did him. The national conversation on cannabis as medicine accelerated even faster, and many of the parents that have helped get medical cannabis laws passed in their states had their early understandings of how cannabis could help their child from Gupta’s work.
Marijuana Policy Project Spokesman Mason Tvert, who helped lead the effort to legalize marijuana in Colorado, commented on Gupta’s impact.
“Sanjay Gupta’s positive impact on public perceptions of cannabis cannot be overstated,” Tvert told Cannabis Now. “In addition to educating countless people about marijuana’s medical benefits, he shined a spotlight on how the DEA has long been misinforming the media, officials and the public on the subject. Many public figures have evolved on this issue in recent years, but Sanjay Gupta was among the most effective at using his enlightenment to enlighten others.”
TELL US, why do you think Gupta joined the cannabis industry?
The post Dr. Sanjay Gupta Will Launch a Line of Hemp CBD Products appeared first on Cannabis Now.


text:
The cost of a thousand ad impressions on Facebook was up 122-percent year-on-year in January, data collected by AdStage shows, suggesting the company’s bottom line may not take a hit following the polarizing revamp of its News Feed that some industry watchers were previously predicting. The change prioritized content posted by one’s friends at a direct expense of everything else, even promoted posts competing for being featured on the social media network’s landing page as part of its advertising auction system. The development prompted marketers to bid for the remaining advertising spots more aggressively as users were seeing fewer of them anyway, possibly because they started spending less time on Facebook, AdStage’s data suggests.
The ad cost spike wasn’t as large in February but remained notable, being up 77-percent year-on-year, according to the same source. With fewer ad units now being shown by Facebook on a daily basis and the demand from the digital marketing industry presumably remaining identical, the average ad unit price is now correcting itself in accordance with the basic economic principles. The current state of affairs suggests Facebook may report its first decline in displayed ad units for Q1 2018, with the growth of that metric already slowing down in recent times, being up only four-percent annually over the three-month period ending December 31. Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg previously said the company will be focusing on ensuring the time users spend on its social network is “well spent” starting this year, directly telling investors they should expect a decline in the number of the platform’s usage hours going forward.
Many industry watchers are speculating Facebook opted for the unconventional move in an attempt to contain its “fake news” problem that it still isn’t able to control; by radically slashing the amount of content from pages people see on their News Feed, the firm should also significantly reduce the extent of factually inaccurate stories promoted on its platform. It’s presently unclear whether that nuclear option is meant to stay in the long term or is just a band-aid move that Facebook is hoping to replace once it’s able to identify and remove misinformation in a more timelier manner.


text:
GALESBURG — Shoppers who frequently take the bus to Sandburg Mall and walk across the street to Target soon may not have to make as much of a trek.
The city’s Public Transportation Advisory Commission is considering a proposal that would allow Galesburg Transit buses to stop at Target on their routes instead of at the mall. The change would affect buses on the red, green and gold lines, which stop at the mall.
The mall would be designated as a dial-a-ride location, so shoppers could still call Galesburg Transit to request pickup from or drop-off at the mall. The buses leaving Target could also swing by the mall and let shoppers off at JCPenney if requested, said Kraig McCluskie, general manager of Galesburg Transit.
McCluskie said Galesburg Transit began considering the change in mid-December 2016, after the mall announced it would be closing for renovations and many of the mall’s interior stores began to move out of their locations.
“We potentially had to get out of there, so that was our best alternative,” McCluskie said. “We’re hoping it will benefit Target and the people patronizing Target, as well as those using our service to get out there.”
PTAC will have a special meeting next week — the date and time are to be announced — and will vote on whether or not to recommend the proposal to the Galesburg City Council for final approval. If PTAC votes to recommend the proposal, the matter could come before the council at its March 6 meeting.
The relocated stop would remain a transfer bus stop, as it had been at the mall. McCluskie said 9,801 riders boarded buses at the mall last year — which may have included people transferring from one bus to another — and he expected to have “at least the same number” at the Target stop.
Andi Greenwell, store manager at Target, said having the stop at the store would be safer for shoppers than crossing the four-lane Carl Sandburg Drive that separates the mall from Target.
“We’ve had some people ask, ‘Hey, why is the bus stop across at the mall? Do you think it could come to Target?’” Greenwell said. “We also have team members here who ride the bus to work every day. I feel like it’s going to be a convenient experience for everyone.”
Julie Main, associate planner for the city, said one proposed site for the stop has been north of Target’s main entrance. She added there’s room for three buses to park at Target.
Greenwell said the specific drop-off site is still being discussed to ensure the stop will be “convenient for current guests and any potential guests coming off the route.”
“At the end of the day, I want everyone to have a positive shopping experience, whether they’re coming out of their car or off of the bus,” Greenwell said.
Rebecca Susmarski: (309) 343-7181, ext. 261; firstname.lastname@example.org; @RSusmarski


text:
6 Attractive Stocks Paying Dividends for the First Time
First-time payouts aren't always a good sign. But these six companies are attractive.
When a company starts paying a dividend, it's time to take a careful look at the stock. That’s because a company’s initial dividend announcement usually signals either good news or bad news.
On the surface, initiating a dividend would seem to be only a blessing. It generally means that a company is going gangbusters and is generating so much extra cash that it makes sense to toss some back to shareholders. But, says Hugh Johnson, an Albany, N.Y., money manager, a dividend launch is not always good news. It could mean that a company's growth has slowed and that its prospects have dimmed so much that the bosses have no better idea about what to do with the money than give it back.
Naturally, you want to invest only in dividend rookies that are likely to keep hitting it out of the park. Among the crop of new dividend payers, we think these six fit the bill. Prices are as of March 7.
Tarnished Apple. The most noteworthy of this bunch is as familiar as it is controversial: Apple (symbol AAPL). The iconic tech giant was flying high until last fall, when investors began to fret about intensifying competition in smart phones. The stock really hit the skids in January, when Apple reported flat earnings for the October–December quarter. The stock, which peaked at $702 in September, now goes for $431.
But many pros think the swoon has gone too far. Trefis, a Boston firm that analyzes the value of companies on a piece-by-piece basis, thinks Apple stock is worth $650. The company has $137 billion in cash and securities ($146 per share) on its balance sheet.
Last year, Apple announced that it would return $45 billion in cash to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks over three years. Just $10 billion had been returned to shareholders as of mid February. But during the October–December quarter, the Cupertino, Cal., company generated another $23 billion of excess cash, prompting some big shareholders to press Apple to give back more. Meanwhile, the stock sells for a modest 10 times projected earnings for the fiscal year that ends this September and yields 2.5%.
Dunkin' Brands (DNKN), parent of the Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchises, has been filling investors' pockets as quickly as its franchisees satisfy customers' craving for sweets. Launched as a single doughnut shop in Quincy, Mass., in 1950, Dunkin' went through several ownership changes before being bought by private-equity investors, who took the company public in 2011 at $19 per share. Since then, shares of the Canton, Mass., company have nearly doubled, to $38. Dunkin' initiated its dividend last year and hiked it by 27% in January.
Fans of the stock note that Dunkin' isn't all doughnuts. On the East Coast, where the franchise has a strong presence, Dunkin' coffee rivals Starbucks in popularity. And not all of the shops' food choices are sugar-laden: Dunkin' customers are as likely to order a veggie sandwich as a cruller.
A big plus for Dunkin' is that it doesn't need most of its copious excess cash to expand. That's because franchisees use their own capital to add new shops, says UBS analyst David Palmer. As a result, Dunkin's payout, now 76 cents per share, should keep rising along with profits, which analysts expect to grow 15% annually over the next few years. The stock yields 2.0%.
A dearth of new-car sales over the past few years hurt KAR Auction Services (KAR), the Carmel, Ind., parent of Adesa. But the auto-auction business appears to be revving up as consumers return to dealerships, rental-car firms update their fleets, and leases generated over the past three years expire.
Hurricane Sandy, which stalled KAR auctions and damaged vehicles awaiting sale on the Eastern seaboard, will slow 2013 earnings. But Barrington Research analyst Gary Prestopino expects KAR to start rolling in 2014, with high-single-digit sales growth and double-digit earnings gains.
KAR is a star when it comes to generating the excess cash flow that makes dividend payments to shareholders possible. In 2012, the company threw off $237 million more cash than it needed to maintain the business, and it expects to produce more than $260 million in excess cash in 2013. KAR's dividend payments cost about $104 million annually. The company started paying dividends in December at a quarterly rate of 19 cents per share. At $19, the stock yields 3.9%.
There's good news and bad news at SAIC Inc. (SAI). The bad news is that the cyber-security company's biggest customer, the U.S. Department of Defense, is cutting back, and no one is sure how badly that might wound any government contractor. The good news is that President Obama specifically mentioned the need for greater cyber security in his State of the Union address, which may mean that SAIC will suffer less than other defense contractors. The McLean, Va., company has also announced plans to split in two, with one piece focusing on the slow-growing government-contracting business and the other concentrating on providing cyber-security services to private industry, a faster-growing business.
James Friedman, an analyst with Susquehanna Financial Group, is cautiously optimistic about the divided company's prospects, but he isn't recommending the stock until he sees details on how assets and debts will be divvied up. He says the two pieces are worth $13 a share combined, a buck above the stock's recent price. SAIC initiated a quarterly dividend of 12 cents per share a year ago, so even if you don't get much appreciation, you get a generous 4.0% yield.
Fancy threads. Jeff Van Sinderen, an analyst with B. Riley Caris, is a big believer in True Religion Apparel (TRLG). Sales at the Vernon, Cal., maker and retailer of pricey jeans (up to $400 a pair) and other casual clothing have been heavenly. CEO Jeffrey Lubell started True Religion in 2002 with $300,000 of his own money. With 16,000 pairs of jeans and no marketing budget, Lubell gave away jeans to retail salespeople, figuring that they'd become the brand's best apostles. The firm now has 152 stores, and in 2012 it recorded sales of $467 million.
The investment in brick-and-mortar locations has held back profits. But the company's balance sheet is pristine, with no debt and some $200 million in cash. And as True Religion matures, says Van Sinderen, it should generate wads of cash that can be used to boost payouts. The company initiated a quarterly dividend of 20 cents per share in May 2012.
In October, True Religion announced that it may be interested in selling out. Given the company's growth potential—analysts see earnings growing at an annual pace of 15% over the next few years—Van Sinderen believes a buyer would have to pay a premium price. But even if True Religion isn't acquired, Van Sinderen thinks it's an inspiring investment.
Warner Chilcott (WCRX) is a deeply discounted drug maker with turnaround potential, says analyst Randall Stanicky, of Canaccord Genuity. At $13, the stock sells for a paltry 4 times estimated 2013 earnings and yields 3.8%, mainly because investors are concerned that sales of generic drugs will eat away at Warner's profits. Generics are already nipping at its business. Sales dropped 5% in the fourth quarter, largely because the Ireland-based company lost patent protection in Europe and Canada for an osteoporosis treatment.
As with other drug makers, Warner's profits will largely hinge on how well it's able to introduce new drugs and protect its business when other patents expire over the next decade. Warner recently won Food and Drug Administration approval for a new drug to treat ulcerative colitis. But without an acquisition to expand the company's drug portfolio, earnings are likely to decline, says Stanicky. The right deal, he says, could turn Warner into a growth company, though when that might happen is anyone's guess.
To keep shareholders happy in the meantime, Warner started paying a 25-cent-per-share semiannual dividend in December. Thanks to that dividend, which accounts for less than 15% of the excess cash Warner generates yearly, investors are being paid to wait until the company's growth prospects improve.
Kathy Kristof owns shares of Apple in her "Practical Investing" portfolio.


text:
🕒 Article read time: 2 minutes
Logistics UK receives a huge response to HGV driver shortage letter
The government contacted around a million former HGV drivers earlier this week, as part of a package of measures which Logistics UK has campaigned for to address the current HGV driver shortage.
The letter, which was signed by Roads Minister Baroness Vere (pictured) and co-signed by Logistics UK chief David Wells, urged all HGV driving licence holders to consider the many attractive HGV driving opportunities currently available in the sector.
Kevin Green, Director of Marketing and Communications, Logistics UK, said: “Thanks in large part to Logistics UK’s campaigning, the government has introduced a range of measures, including temporary visas, to address the current driver shortage. The government letter is urging HGV licence holders who have perhaps recently retired or switched sectors to give a driving career a second look. And as conditions of employment and pay have been improving across the sector, there has never been a better time to return to HGV driving.”
Although the letter was sent to holders of HGV licences, many former drivers have questions about Driver CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) and refresher training where Logistics UK is urgently seeking clarification from government. Logistics UK offers a full range of Driver CPC courses – including online versions – to help former drivers get up to speed with current transport legislation as quickly as possible.
Logistics UK’s website has been inundated with potential drivers responding to this letter. HGV licence holders currently looking for HGV driving vacancies are advised to visit the following job boards: Indeed, Total Jobs, Reed, HGV Recruitment and Avail.
“We are urging our members to list any HGV driver vacancies they have on these job boards as soon as possible,” Green said.
Published On: 30/09/2021 16:00:47


text:
- All Sports
- Boating / Maritime
- Martial Arts
View Releases by:
Featured News: Sports: Baseball
April 24, 2015 -- Bowtie Promotions, focused on being the leader in the latest and innovative...
April 24, 2015 -- The Sun Conference taps NationalTravelDeals.com as Official Car Rental provider for the 2015 NAIA Men's Golf Championship
April 22, 2015 -- Partnership to provide athletes access to leading-edge sports cognition training content and technologies.
April 21, 2015 -- ctms to provide travel management services for Kings business operations team
April 21, 2015 -- Catch the Moment, an onsite event engagement company, announced the launch of its experiential activation division, CTM Interactive.
April 21, 2015 -- Author Allen LaMountain chronicles famous players who hailed from ‘Appalachian League Baseball.’
April 21, 2015 -- Rockland Trust presents The Real Life MBA: Business & Baseball with former General Electric CEO and Globe Publisher & Boston Red Sox Principal Owner on April 22 at The Boston Seaport Hotel
April 21, 2015 -- New P3 Sports Acceleration Program™ creates stronger athletes mentally, emotionally, and physically.
April 16, 2015 -- Discovery Channel and Terry Bradshaw see potential of new pain treatment
April 16, 2015 -- Pro Baseball Insider is hosting baseball gear giveaways this summer. Competitive baseball players, coaches or parents are invited to enter to win a pro-quality baseball net (Value $280) and help...
April 15, 2015 -- ICAP Patent Brokerage announces for sale patents disclosing a means of maximizing profits from stadium seats, advertising, slots, airline seats, hotel rooms, etc., available from inventor Sharad A....
April 14, 2015 -- International law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A. has joined the team as a sponsor of the Blechman Foundation’s DeeFeat Parkinson’s Disease Stolen Base Challenge to raise money for Parkinson’s research.
April 14, 2015 -- This partnership will feature prominent placement of the Vysk logo on the right field wall. Additionally, Vysk will offer promotional contests so its customers can enjoy America’s pastime in person at...
April 09, 2015 -- New team members will develop strategic expansions in key Europe and Asia markets.
April 08, 2015 -- Looking to find and engage diehard fans, the Carolina Panthers have created an official team profile on Fancred, the world’s fastest growing fan network.
April 08, 2015 -- Vinci, makers of high quality baseball and softball equipment, announces the launch of a new bat grip.
April 08, 2015 -- IcyBreeze releases online resource to help campers prepare for camping trips. The Ultimate Camping Checklist,...
April 08, 2015 -- Couple Raises Close to $35,000 in Support of Sunny Hills Services Program for Gay and Transgender Youth
April 08, 2015 -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin sponsor the return of Know this Pro in 2015
April 07, 2015 -- Country Rock Cabaret supports public servants during grand opening weekend
April 07, 2015 -- The Nashville Sounds baseball fans will find themselves under a LiveRoof® living roof system when they step up to the new concession area for hotdogs and peanuts when First Tennessee Park opens...
April 07, 2015 -- Numerous studies show that whey protein supplements can help you increase strength, gain muscle and lose significant amounts of body fat. However not all Forms of whey protein are equal, so consumers...
April 06, 2015 -- Bay Area brewer to sell draft and bottled craft beer to Oakland A's fans starting Monday, April 6th.
April 03, 2015 -- Sahl Communications, Inc. partners with Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team™
April 02, 2015 -- This is the 18th year that NJIT Mathematical Sciences Professor and Associate Dean Bruce Bukiet has published his model’s projections of how the standings should look at the end of the regular season.


text:
Amazon has more than a million tablets on order, according to Taiwan's DigiTimes. If accurate, this would make the online bookstore a significant force in the media tablet business, second only to Apple.
News and comment on what's happening in the technology industry, and the direction it's heading.
Jack Schofield spent the 1970s editing photography magazines before becoming editor of an early UK computer magazine, Practical Computing. In 1983, he started writing a weekly computer column for the Guardian, and joined the staff to launch the newspaper's weekly computer supplement in 1985. This section launched the Guardian’s first website and, in 2001, its first real blog. When the printed section was dropped after 25 years and a couple of reincarnations, he felt it was a time for a change....
Toshiba has unveiled the first 3D laptop that doesn't need special glasses for watching movies or playing 3D games. The shiny red Qosmio F750, which will go on sale next month, has a 120Hz, 15.
If your web site is doing something that might be legal in the UK, you could still be arrested and extradited to the US, if your site has a .com or other US-registered domain name.
Hewlett-Packard held an extravagant champagne party at the Mayfair Hotel in London on Wednesday night to unveil its new TouchPad tablet, launch date and prices. Suffice it to say that the TouchPad not only follows the almost 10-inch screen size established by the Apple iPad, it also follows its prices exactly: the 16GB Wi-Fi version costs £399 with the 32GB model at £479.
Google has announced that it is field testing a new social network called Google+, or Google Plus, which it calls a project rather than a product. However, watching Google's happy clappy video demos suggests it's likely to join the company's long string of social failures, which now include Orkut, Knol, Google Lively, Google Answers, Wave, Buzz, Sidewiki, Profile pages and the bought-in Jaiku (Google's not-Twitter) and Dodgeball (Google's not-Foursquare).
While you're waiting for a train, why not do your weekly supermarket shop? A subway/tube/metro station might be too small to hold a typical Tesco, but you can substitute pictures of shelves for the real thing.
A small Californian start-up company plans to launch a "light field" camera that will let you refocus images after you have taken them. Users will be able to shift between having a sharp foreground and a blurry background, or vice versa, or having everything sharp.
Apple's retail sales chain, following in Gap's footsteps, has been enormously successful, and breaks records for metrics such as sales per square foot -- $4,406, compared with $3,070 for Tiffany & Co, a luxury store, and $880 for Best Buy. What isn't well known is its low-pressure solution-oriented approach to sales, which staff have been taught to remember using a backronym based on Apple's name.
Linux's failure as a desktop operating system has prompted Adobe to abandon its direct support for the Linux version of AIR, the Adobe Integrated Runtime, which runs programs such as the BBC's iPlayer and Tweetdeck, a Twitter client. In a blog post today, Adobe's Director of Open Source and Standards said: "we will be focusing on supporting partner implementations and will no longer be releasing our own versions of Adobe AIR and the AIR SDK [Software Development Kit] for desktop Linux".
The 15th annual Webby Awards ceremony was held in New York on Monday night, with one of the highlights being the award of Person of the Year to IBM's Watson computer, an expert Jeopardy game player. The event is noted for acceptance speeches limited to five words, and the computer came up with a classic: "Person of the year.


text:
It’s no secret that Mario Kart 8 is one of the Wii U’s best games. Heck, the argument could be made that the game is responsible for saving the console last summer, months before Super Smash Bros. for Wii U would see the light of day.
The game has a robust community and was widely streamed on Twitch for most of 2014, but it’s also clear that the enthusiasm for the game has dipped a bit from its height. Nintendo has attempted to keep players engaged by releasing new DLC including new tracks and characters, but some Mario Kart pros who have accomplished all there is to do in the game have moved on to other games.
Then came the announcement during last week’s Nintendo Direct that, in addition to the upcoming Animal Crossing DLC, Nintendo would for the first time release a 200cc difficulty for Mario Kart 8. This new mode will have players flying around the track faster than ever before, and seems aimed at bringing back those veteran players who had run out of challenges. If the new video above is any indication, it looks like the 200cc mode might breathe new life into the game as it approaches its one year anniversary this summer.
To be clear, this mode is not for everyone. The Mario Kart series has always been known for the ability to drift karts around corners by hitting the brakes just right, but 200cc puts a laser focus on precision and accuracy. Hit the brakes too soon or too late and the kart is likely to drift right into a wall or over a cliff. Gamers will also have to relearn their favorite tracks, as those shortcuts might not open up on the track the same way they did before.
This extra speed should add a new layer of suspense to online matches. In fact, this mode looks like it was built from the ground up for competitive play. Nintendo doesn’t have a ton of experience with eSports, but the company has done more in recent years to support tournaments featuring Smash Bros. and may also be looking to position its upcoming shooter Splatoon as a competitive game. If the Big N wants another way to keep the Mario Kart community engaged, perhaps it could use the 200cc mode as the backbone for an officially sanctioned Mario Kart championship.
At the very least, it appears Mario Kart fans will have reason to get hooked on the game all over again when the 200cc mode releases in about two weeks.
Mario Kart 8 is available now on Wii U.


text:
An undercover investigation by Which? found some salespeople in the 1.2 billion-a-year industry were making fraudulent claims, including being part of a government scrappage system that doesn't exist, and pressurising people to sign with financial incentives. Among the underhand tactics used were:
Salespeople making misleading claims, as one Anglian seller did, that: "We've been tested by the government and were chosen for its scrappage scheme."
Offering a discount if the undercover researcher signed up immediately.
Promising significant savings, often half the "original" price – the biggest drop was 16,926 from an Everest salesperson.
Many salespeople offering a lower price with a "credit deal", but working out how much you would pay was incredibly hard.
One salesperson asked the researcher to sign her name twice to confirm he had told her the relevant information – a technique to warm them up for signing the final deal.
Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith said: "As a homeowner, replacing your windows is one of the most expensive jobs you're likely to face, which is why we're so disappointed to discover salespeople from the biggest names in the double-glazing business making outlandish claims and using hard-sell tactics."
Anglian Homes said: "All Anglian sales representatives are comprehensively trained, but we do recognise that very occasionally mistakes are made."


text:
The world’s biggest carmakers are reportedly forging unlikely alliances to become the first to offer safe and reliable autonomous cars.
Volkswagen has partnered with Ford while BMW and Daimler AG have teamed up.
China Daily reports that automakers are also enlisting the help of technology companies like Cruise, Argo and Aurora.
Arun Kumar, director in the automotive and industrial practice at AlixPartners told China Daily, ‘On electric and autonomous (vehicles) we’re talking about $300 billion worth of investments that have been announced so far.’
‘Then, if you add in things like electric vehicle infrastructure that you need to put in place to enable the adoption and acceleration of electric vehicles we’re talking another $30 to $40 billion of investments that somebody in the industry needs to make,’ added Kumar.
Volkswagen is reported to be investing $2.6 billion in Ford’s autonomous-car partner Argo AI in a deal that values the Pittsburgh startup at more than $7 billion. Although Ford CEO Jim Hackett stressed that the two automakers would remain ‘independent and fiercely competitive in the marketplace’.


text:
With the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 widely expected next month, the iOSphere still isn't willing to admit that it doesn't know anything about what will be in them, apart from iOS 7. Perhaps that's why colors and pseudo-analysis loomed large in the past week.
New photos revealed rear housings in space gray and silver; one analysis concluded that Apple will price the next iPads just like it prices the current iPads; another post breathlessly assured us of rumors and hints that Microsoft Office would come to the iPad because, as it turns out, Microsoft said it plans to do that. And some guy in a YouTube video brandished Next iPad components, blissfully unaware that they could only have been stolen by someone far down the supply chain.
iPad 5 will be available in new colors, if space gray and silver are colors
Down Under Leak Star Sonny Dickson posted new photos of what he says are the iPad 5, in two new colors, space gray and silver.
So far, no sign of champagne gold.
Dickson's misleading headline is "Hands-On With the iPad 5 in Space Gray And Silver!"
The reason it's misleading is that he apparently doesn't actually have the components in his hands, which would explain the lack of details in his post, including even something as basic as measuring the cases' dimensions.
Dickson was interviewed earlier this month by Reuters, which must have been a real boost for a teen-aged ego. He told the news service that he has "five to 10 sources in China who buy Apple prototype parts directly from factory-line workers, which are then sold from $250 to $500."
Astoundingly, Reuters didn't press him about the implications of that statement, which at first blush sounds like a straight-forward business transaction. Like walking into a Chinese "Prototype Depot" and buying two iPad 5 rear housing prototypes, and getting one free. Except that what he's actually saying is "My sources bribe factory workers to turn over equipment that they steal, either from their employer or from Apple."
It's still unclear whether Dickson any longer physically receives any of these components. According the Reuters story, his sources now only send Dickson "photos and videos of the parts, which are posted under his name on his website and YouTube channel, which generate ad revenue." The Rollup doesn't pretend to know anything about Chinese or Australian law but it's at least interesting to wonder if any statutes are relevant to profiting from stolen property that Dickson is careful to not actually receive himself.
Dickson tells Reuters that he spends "12 hours a day maintaining his website," and he earned about $1,850 (U.S.) from online ads when his August web traffic jumped to over a million hits. The income helps to finance his "penchant for luxury accessories such as watches that pepper his photos on the online Instagram service."
The most recent post of the purported rear housings for iPad 5 simply consists of images, without any explanation or details. Sure enough, they show space gray and silver.
9to5Mac last week referenced photos from the French site, NowhereElse, allegedly showing a space gray iPad mini 2.
iPad 5, iPad mini 2 price "expectations" are...what you'd expect
The linkbait site, PhonesReview, posted a pseudo-analysis of the "price expectations" surrounding iPad 5 and iPad mini 2.
Essentially, after a bunch of blather for padding, the post summarized prices for the current models, which vary based on storage and cellular radio options.
And then it reached this conclusion: "Although nothing is set in stone, we don't expect the iPad 5 and mini 2 to increase from these pricings. Even if the prices do go up we don't anticipate any more than slight increases."
In other words, PhonesReview thinks it's pretty likely Apple will price the next iPads just like it has priced the earlier iPads (and the iPhones for that matter) because...that's how Apple has priced them in the past.
Expect, and it shall be given to you.
iPad 5 targeted by Microsoft with iOS version of Office
This could be biggest thing since the Windows Surface RT tablet, which is most notable for leading to a $900 million write-off and the early retirement of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
In any case, International Business Times seems to think this is big, devoting a post by Sachin Trivedi to the question of "iPad 5: Will the New Apple Tablet Come with Microsoft Office App?"
"There are rumours making the rounds online that Microsoft is preparing to launch the MS Office for tablet devices of Apple, like the much-anticipated iPad 5," Trivedi reveals.
What could be the basis for these rumors? Oddly, it turns out to be Microsoft itself. Because Ballmer and another executive spoke at last week's financial analysts' conference call. (Full transcript is online at SeekingAlpha.)
Ballmer "was not specific about bringing the software to tablet devices like the iPad 5," according to Trevidi. But "hints and indications were strong" from another executive, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner, who "is reported to have said that a key focus area for the company is to bring Office mobile experience' to iOS and Android platforms."
In fact, here's the relevant Turner quote from the transcript: "The two key areas that we are going to focus on, on mobility first and foremost is around productivity. We are really driving for the best Office Mobile experience across all platforms. And we want to provide a great experience on both iOS and Android phones. And when you think about what we have done, we now have Office Mobile for iPhone in the Apple app store."
Well. Gosh. No wonder there are strong hints, indications and rumors about Microsoft bringing Office to iOS and Android platforms. Because Turner said that's what they're doing, at least with Office Mobile.
"Will the Office be available on the iPad 5? If so, can Microsoft afford to offer it for free to capture some market share? It remains to be seen what exactly the strategy of the company is going to be," Trevidi concludes.
In other words, the answer to the question "Will the New Apple Tablet Come with Microsoft Office App?" is "I have no idea."
iPad 5, iPad mini rear housings revealed in video
It's unusual to see a YouTube video that begins, in effect, with "I'm going to show you some stolen property that I recently received."
But that seems to be what "Lou," of Unbox Therapy, a "show dedicated to product-based video coverage," means as he introduces this YouTube video in which he waves around two rear housings purporting to be that of the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2.
"Yesterday I showed you some components from what will be the next generation iPad, or the iPad 5 if you want to call it that," he cheerfully informs his audience. "But those are not the only components I received. I also got this [brandishing a smaller rear housing] right here, and if you can't tell already, this is the backplate for what will be the next generation of iPad mini."
As we noted above, in "iPad 5 will be available in new colors, if space gray and silver are colors," these kinds of components are not being sold on the open market by either Apple or the various suppliers who manufacture and assemble them. The only way one can "receive" them is if someone else has stolen them and then given them or sold them to someone else.
Lou compares the purported next-generation iPad and iPad mini with each other and with the current models. And he actually uses a tape measure to reveal dimensions (unfortunately in centimeters, requiring some translation effort on the part of those who are metrically challenged).
Lou says the next iPad 5 will be "closer" in size to the next iPad mini, but misses the point that the screen sizes for both presumably will remain the same as the current models. Apple may be making the iPad 5's body less wide, and possibly thinner, but keeping the same display dimensions.
Intriguingly, Lou thanks Sonny Dickson for helping him make the video. Maybe the young Australian entrepreneur with a penchant for luxury items also will help Lou with any legal bills if the cops come asking about exactly how Lou received those iPad components.
Read more about data center in Network World's Data Center section.


text:
RIM just released a statement in which it claims to fix the service issue plaguing its BlackBerry users this week. The issue caused three days of outages of BBM messaging and email services.
Yesterday, the company apologized for the major inconvenience this outage has caused users and promised it was working on a solution. Later in the day RIM claimed that service levels were increasing and announced that email systems in the U.S., Europe, Middle East, India, Africa, Canada and Latin America were operating, while the company continued to clear backlogged messages. RIM also stated that BBM traffic was restored and passing successfully everywhere, except for three carrier networks in Latin America that are serviced by the EMEA infrastructure.
Today, RIM confirmed that BlackBerry services are operating well globally and support teams continue to monitor the situation to ensure ongoing service stability. The outage, caused by a failure of a crucial link in RIM’s infrastructure, began hitting BlackBerry customers on Monday, starting in Europe and spreading to the U.S.
The company has released a video apology from Mike Lazaridis, RIM co-CEO:
This outage is a result of the way the BlackBerry service works. All messages and emails are routed through servers run by RIM. This allows the company to makes these more secure. However, it also opens the system up to very wide-spread outages, if a problem developers at one of more of RIM’s servers.
This is not the first time the BlackBerry service has been down, but it comes at a bad time for the company. Its marketshare is slipping as it faces tough competition from smartphones running Google’s Android OS, as well as the iPhone.


text:
The sale was announced earlier today on the official Ticketmaster Twitter account.
The sale has been running for the last week, and Ticketmaster’s Twitter account tweeted about the deal last night, noting that it was for a total of 10,000 pairs.
This means the sale will sell for $2,200.
Tickets for the sale include a ticket to the performance, which includes a $150 gift card and a ticket package.
The ticket package includes three tickets for the same show, and the gift card is also a way to get tickets to the show for $50.
Tickets to the first two performances will be available starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and tickets to all three performances will go on sale at 10:30 a.p.m., the company said.
Ticket prices are set to go on a one-time basis.
Tickets to the upcoming Off Broadway show will go for $1,500 and the second performance will go to $1.50, the company added.
Tickets on sale to the Off Broadway sale are also available through Ticketmaster.com.


text:
Do people want to virtually experience music? Run the Jewels seem to think they do if the upcoming launch of their own virtual reality platform, VRTJ, is any indication. Designed as an exclusive platform for the group to share and produce VR content such as live performances and material from their Art the Jewels gallery, VRTJ will launch in April in tandem with Record Store Day, where the duo will also release a VRTJ cardboard viewer.
The first piece of content to be pushed out on the platform is a music video for their single “Crown,” which doubles as a virtual reality experience with several characters appearing in 360 degree frame in a completely immersive and interactive psychedelic trek through the trippy minds of Run the Jewels. Released exclusively to NYT VR, the virtual reality app of the New York Times, “Crown” is already generating massive amounts of buzz for its sheer scope and ambition. Some lucky attendees at SXSW got to experience the video first-hand through a VR installation before it’s widely released through Facebook and YouTube in April.
Known for their off-kilter, innovative visuals, “Crown” is just an extension of Run the Jewels’ boundary pushing when it comes to the music video form. Directed by Peter Martin, this audio-visual virtual reality world was created with support from Wevr, a platform boasting itself as the YouTube of virtual reality content. RTJ’s customized cardboard viewer is built specifically to consume and experience VR content through VRTJ, utilizing nothing more than the lightweight headset and a smartphone. If anyone can lend a bit of street cred to virtual reality, it’s Killer Mike and EL-P. See what all the hype is about by watching a stunning sneak peek of the “Crown” video below.


text:
In 2008, one of the greatest beat-em-ups of all time was released on Xbox Live Arcade. It went on to become a smash hit, one of the best selling games on the service. In 2010, that same game was released on the Playstation Network, allowing PS3 owners to enjoy it. Now, more than four years after its initial release, non-console gamers can get their hands on Castle Crashers.
This week, September 26th to be exact, the colorful knights are making their way onto Steam. The game will support PC and Mac play, so no matter which computer you prefer, there will soon be no excuse for playing one of the most enjoyable games of this console generation. So grab a friend or three, pick up a sword, mace, or staff, and collect those princess kisses as fast as you can.


text:
Waves crash over the bow of a tug boat as it passes near the Statue of Liberty… (Craig Ruttle / Associated…)
The nation's third-busiest cargo container seaport has been evacuated and closed because of Hurricane Sandy, port officials said.
The Port Authority of New York-New Jersey made the announcement in a statement, adding that the evacuation had been completed by noon Eastern time Monday.
"As part of the evacuation, Port Authority police and civilian officials confirmed that no tenants remained on port properties," the statement said. "Port Authority police will remain on the property."
The New York-New Jersey seaport is a vital economic engine that handled more than 5.5 million cargo containers in 2011. It ranked as the third-busiest container port in the U.S., behind Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The port and its related cargo-movement infrastructure support more than 550,000 regional jobs.
Also closed on Monday was the port of Wilmington, Del., which stopped operations at 10 a.m. Eastern time.
Major businesses were also being affected. DuPont Co. closed its headquarters in Wilmington, Del., and some of its laboratories and factories.
Dow Chemical Co. shut down its facilities in the Delaware Valley.
Storm cleanup could provide boost
Storm forces 9,500 flight cancellations
Refinery closures could boost Eastern gas prices


text:
UK supermarkets, including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda and M&S, have introduced measures to limit shopper numbers in their stores at any one time in order to enforce social distancing measures. Waitrose, the first to announce such measure, said restrictions will be specific to each store and marshals will manage queues outside (The Guardian). M&S has called them greeters, but their function will be the same, to limit shoppers to crowd supermarkets to maintain the 2 metre distance between each person (BBC).
The JLP-owned supermarket has also ordered checkout screens to protect staff at tills, following moves implemented by other retailers including Aldi and Lidl, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s (Sky News).
Aldi will reward its staff in stores and warehouses with a 10% bonus after coping with the coronavirus outbreak. The award will be backdated to 9 March, the German discounter said, to reward staff who have been working “round the clock” to keep shelves stocked (The Telegraph).
Pharmacies have urged the public to only buy medicines they need to avoid “creating difficulties” for others as they are hit by panic buying across the UK (Sky News).
UK retailers will be hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown as they are forced to bring down the shutters. Despite the government pledging unprecedented levels of support, the retail industry’s “fragile finances are about to come under intense strain” wrote the FT. Food stores will likely benefit from the crisis, while clothes and household retailers will be “hard hit” as the lockdown could cost them around £1.5bn of sales a week (The Financial Times £).
Deliveroo will begin delivering a range of M&S groceries – from franchise stores at BP - to help people who are self-isolating. Customers will be able to use the app to buy essentials, including milk, bread and ready-meals (The Times £).
The government is set to hire food service groups, such as Bidfood and Brakes, to produce boxes of groceries for the vulnerable (The Financial Times £).
Wheat prices have risen sharply across the world as consumers rushed to stock on dry pasta. The US benchmark rose 12% to $5.55 a bushel while Euronext wheat in Paris rose 8% to €186.75 a tonne. Data from Kantar showed UK sales of dry pasta have risedn 55% in the week ending 8 March (The Financial Times £).
This week’s warm weather has come to the rescue of farmers, who had experienced devastating floods during the previous month, drying out waterlogged fields in time to rescue winter crops and allow for spring planting (The Times £).
B&M bargains has come under fire from its own workforce for maintaining its stores open under the premise of selling groceries, as shoppers flock to buy non essential items (The Times £).
Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin said the pub chain cannot afford to pay wages until the government steps in with support. Martin denied “abandoning” its 43,000 staff but said until the company was reimbursed for their wages by the Treasure, Wetherspoon could not afford to pay them (The Guardian). In a video message, Martin told its staff they should feel free to take jobs at supermarkets like Tesco, which are going on a hiring spree to keep up with demand, while the pub chain remains closed (BBC). As other companies come up with creative solutions to help affected staff, Martin has come under fire for blocking staff pay while Wetherspoon pubs are closed (The Times £).
Burger King CEO Alasdair Murdoch has said the fast food chain will not pay rent due on its UK restaurants this week, as hundreds of high street businesses are set to withhold their quarterly rent payments to pay their staff (BBC).
As new government measures allow businesses to pay no rent for the next three months without forfeiting their leases, landlords start to fear they will struggle with their own costs and debt repayments (The Times £).
Banks have been inundated with requests for emergency loans after a government-backed scheme was launched this week, with small companied struggling to reach lenders as they seek access to the loans (The Times £). However, it could takes weeks before banks are able to process the requests, as staff at the major banks told small business owners they had not yet received instructions on how to deal with the government scheme (The Times £).
Associated British Foods has warned it would take a hit of hundreds of millions of pounds a month after it was forced to shut the doors of its fast fashion chain Primark due to the coronavirus outbreak. The company closed all 376 Primark shops – of which 189 in the UK – and said it would suffer a loss of around £650m of net sales a month from the closure (The Times £).
Chemicals firm Ineos – owned by Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe - has pledged to build new production lines in just 10 days at its UK and German factories to produce millions of bottles of free hand sanitiser for the NHS (The Telegraph, The Guardian). Ineos made the announcement as the government lunched an appeal for firms to produce goods such as ventilators that are vital for the NHS as it grapples with the coronavirus crisis (Sky News). The company will make large bottles for hospital use and small pocket-sized ones for sale in supermarkets (The Times £).
As overfishing has depleted the numbers of wild fish available, the BBC asked whether one day we will be eating fish grown from cells in a factory (BBC).


text:
Cocoa May Cut Blood Pressure
Study Tracked Eating Habits of Elderly Men
Feb. 27, 2006 -- Cocoa might help curb blood pressure and lower death risk, new research shows.
Brian Buijsse, MSc, and colleagues report the news in the Archives of Internal Medicine. They studied 470 elderly men for 15 years, tracking the men's cocoa consumption, including chocolate.
Cocoa intake was tied to lower blood pressure and reduced death risk, the study shows. Natural compounds in cocoa called flavanols may be the reason, write Buijsse and colleagues.
However, it's "much too early to conclude that cocoa foods are good for cardiovascular health," Buijsse tells WebMD in an email.
Buijsse works in the Netherlands' Center for Nutrition and Health, which is part of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.
Tracking Cocoa Consumption
Participants were 65-84 years old when the study started in 1985. They were interviewed for an hour in their homes about the foods they ate.
Follow-up interviews were done five and 10 years later. All interviews were done in the presence of whoever prepared the men's foods, if the men didn't cook for themselves.
The researchers honed in on 24 foods that contain cocoa, including chocolate cookies, chocolate bars, chocolate pudding, and cocoa drinks. Then, they calculated those foods' cocoa content.
How Much Cocoa Did They Eat?
Here's a look at cocoa consumption in the study:
- Average daily intake: 2.11 grams.
- A third of the group didn't consume any cocoa when the study started.
- Top cocoa consumption was more than 4 grams per day.
- Most popular sources: Plain chocolate and chocolate bars.
Cocoa eaters were more likely to drink alcohol, eat nuts and seeds, and consume low- or medium-fat dairy foods, sugary confections, cookies, and savory foods.
The researchers didn't ask anyone to change their diets. Instead, they observed the men's cocoa consumption, blood pressure, and deaths.
"The key message is that our study suggests that using low amounts of cocoa foods on a daily basis, equal to about 10 grams of dark chocolate, may lower blood pressure and CVD [cardiovascular] death," Buijsse tells WebMD.
He calls for more studies, including some that directly test cocoa's health effects by assigning people to consume cocoa.


text:
A leading UK hot tub company has already broken its sales target for the year – with almost 4 months remaining.
Thanks to a record-breaking summer, UK Leisure Living has sold 170 hot tubs and expects to hit the 250 mark by the end of 2018.
It means the three-year-old business, which has showrooms in Conwy and Cheshire, is on track to more than double turnover from last year’s £750,000.
Gareth Jones, UK Leisure Living’s Managing Director, said the summer heatwave had help drive additional growth, combined with new sales from its range of composite decking.
The summer opening of the company’s second showroom at Gordale, one of the North West’s biggest garden and home centres, had also helped to accelerate growth.
Gareth, who was named winner of the Outstanding Entrepreneur category at the 2018 Global Business Excellence Awards, said:
“We have enjoyed consistently strong growth throughout 2018, but the long, hot summer definitely helped to bring more customers through the doors of our showrooms.
“Hot tubs are being featured more and more on TV shows and recent research suggests that 1 in 10 of us now owns a hot tub. It is now widely seen as something all the family can enjoy – without the need to go abroad on holiday.”
UK Leisure Living sells to a mix of domestic and commercial customers with commercial clients including Bourne Leisure and the 5 star Plas Coch Holiday Park. It was named Spa Retailer of the Year in 2017 and is also approved by Which? and the Federation of Master Builders.
The company sells three hot tub brands – HotSpring, the world’s largest manufacturer, Elite Holiday Compliant Range and its own River Range with prices ranging from less than £3,000 to more than £20,000.
Its range of long-lasting composite decking products have also proved a hit since being introduced at the start of the summer.
UK Leisure Living plans to recruit a further six roles across sales, engineering and administration to meet the increased demand, increasing the size of the team to 16.
The company is also investigating further showroom openings in other parts of the North West and Midlands.