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I was at Market! Market! yesterday for the Yahoo! TechnoStorm. I saw the ads on the Yahoo! Philippines website and thought of checking out this event. The Yahoo! TechnoStorm is a gadget exhibit but it’s more on smartphones.
Yahoo! Philippines is also marketing their Weather App, Flicker and Yahoo! Mail. I’m a BlackBerry user and sadly, the apps are only for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Yahoo! Mail and Weather can now be access via smartphones. This reminds me to ditch out my BlackBerry 8520 and just grab a phone from LG, MyPhone or Cloudphone.
Exhibitors at the Yahoo! TechnoStorm also includes Sun Broadband, BDO Credit Cards, My View, Red Cross (for Yolanda victims), Paktor, HP Printers, Sony, Globe and Huawei. The Yahoo! TechnoStorm will be at Market! Market! until December 1, 2013.


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Realme X2 Pro launch event in India Date, Time, Ticket Price and Location: Realme X2 is set to make its debut on November 20. As per its teaser, the company will also release its fitness accessories. Realme has declared that the tickets for the event will go on sale from Tuesday, 12pm. Those who will attend the event will get a Realme Power bank and an R-Pass. They will also be granted a discount of RS 855 on buying the phone.
Realme X2 launch event date and time:
The launch event of the Realme X2 Pro will start at 12.30 pm on November 20.
1. Entry to only one person for the launch event.
2. Stuff worth Rs 2,100 including an R-Pass and a Realme Power Bank with Rs 855 discount on purchasing the phone.
3. Free snacks and refreshments.
Those who will attend the launch event will be able to experience the Realme X2 Pro phone. The ticket price is Rs 299 and will be up to the sale from 12 pm on Tuesday. The venue of the launch event in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Pragati Vihar in New Delhi.
Also Read: Realme X2 Pro launch event ticket
The Realme X2 Pro was priced at around Rs 27,300 for the 6GB RAM + 64GB variant whereas it was priced at around 29,300 fr the 8GB RAM +128GB storage option. The high-end variant priced at around 33,400 with 12GB RAM+ 256GB storage.
The Realme X2 Pro is equipped with Android 9 Pie with 6.5-inch full-HD +(1080×2400 pixels) AMOLED display and 90Hz refresh rate and an in-display fingerprint sensor.
The phone has a quad rear camera setup that sports a 64-megapixel primary camera and a 13-megapixel telephoto lens, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. On the front, it has a 16-megapixel camera. The phone has a powerful battery of 4,000mAh battery.

domain: news


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A Virginia boy’s death that has been attributed to over-ingestion of hemp-derived delta-8 THC from gummies is likely to have serious repercussions in the U.S. CBD sector after the story was widely reported in national media.
While experts are divided on whether or not delta-8 caused the four-year-old’s death, the story hit national news outlets such as CNN, Newsweek, Associated Press, The Washington Post, ABC, VICE News, and Yahoo News, and was picked up by many local affiliates of major television networks across the country.
Widespread coverage of the case is likely to add to the woes of the CBD sector, which is in the midst of a massive downsizing. Battered by a calamitous imbalance in the CBD value chain, desperate producers have turned to delta-8 THC makers as an outlet for pent-up CBD supplies. Delta-8 is made by putting hemp-derived CBD through a synthetic process.
Delta-8 THC is a psychoactive alternative to the more well-known delta-9 THC found in marijuana plants, and is reported to result in a milder “high.” Delta-8 products have proliferated in the USA over the last two years amid a lack of regulations.
The Virginia case involves a 30-year-old mother who was charged with felony murder and felony child neglect in the death of her son last May. The death was officially ruled an accident attributable to “delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol toxicity” by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Central District of Virginia. The mother was charged last month.
Noting that delta-8 products are not regulated, go uninspected, and are unapproved for human and animal consumption, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last May specifically called out producers for packaging the products in ways that may appeal to children, and raised other concerns. The agency’s comments came as the FDA warned five companies over the illegal sale of products containing delta-8.
In the absence of federal rules, states all over the USA are grappling with delta-8 THC. Some states have outlawed the compound altogether while others are treating it under rules for products that carry delta-9 THC.
U.S. analyst PanXchange has estimated that at least 75% of all hemp extract being produced this year is going into production of delta-8 products. That is after the hemp flower biomass needed to make CBD started backing up in hemp storage facilities in 2019 as consumer demand for CBD failed to live up to widely hyped market projections. PanXchange projects the 2022 flower harvest at just 6,400-6,800 acres this year, down from about 16,000 in 2021. Prices for CBD biomass have meanwhile plunged from historical highs by as much as 90%.
Division over d-8
Regulators and even some hemp stakeholders have pushed back against delta-8, suggesting the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized industrial hemp federally, never intended hemp to be used for products that can be classified as psychoactive, and because delta-8 THC is not derived from the hemp plant in a natural manner.
The FDA reported earlier this year that it had received 104 reports of “adverse events” in consumers who ingested delta-8 products between December 2020 and March 2022, with 9 percent involving minors. Those reporting said they suffered hallucinations, vomiting, dizziness, and loss of consciousness.
Death of a child
In the Virginia case, the child was reported to have taken multiple delta-8 gummies, but the mother said she called poison control on May 6 after her son ate just part of one gummy he found in a jar. She was told her son would be fine, according to a search warrant executed by the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office that was obtained by VICE News. EMTs later arrived and performed CPR on the child and took him to the hospital, where he was taken off life support two days later.
The search warrant quoted a pediatrician at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center saying that the level of THC in the boy’s body was “extremely high” – more than 14,286 nanograms of THC per milligram, VICE News reported.
Questions over cause
But there are questions about that observation, according to some medical experts.
Dr. Sherry Yafai, an emergency room physician and medical director of Releaf Institute, a medical cannabis clinic, told VICE News that a typical 5-milligram gummy could result in the level of THC reported in the boy, but added “We have seen, unfortunately, kids overdose at this age on THC edibles. What we have not seen is kids stop breathing and die.”
The National Institute on Drug Abuse said it has recorded no reports of THC alone causing death. Experts have said children who consumed THC have been reported to suffer from seizures, which can cause death by blocking breathing if they’re in the wrong position, with weight, pre-existing health conditions, and other substances in a child’s system also potential contributing factors. Also, bad heart rhythm combined with THC could lead the heart stopping.
FDA rules needed
The delta-8 loophole could be addressed in the 2023 U.S. Farm Bill due at the end of next year. Before that, the FDA may further crack down on delta-8 producers. The agency has been slow to develop overall rules for CBD, but has not been shy about issuing warnings.
CBD for direct human consumption remains in a legal gray area in many parts of the country, and product quality and safety are serious questions. Despite repeated calls for regulations from CBD stakeholders, the FDA has yet to comprehensively address the compound’s safety, saying more research is needed.
“We need the FDA to get with the program and start regulating,” Yafai told VICE News. “You can’t make hemp legal in all 50 states and then just let everyone at it. Because what happens is bad players and people who are looking to make a buck are going to take advantage of the unregulated marketplace.”


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Late last year, as many technology startups were struggling to stay afloat, Airbnb Inc. quietly reached a milestone few of its peers had achieved: profitability.
Airbnb became profitable for the first time during the second half of 2016, according to people close to the company. The home and apartment-rental company anticipates it will maintain profitability in 2017 before interest, taxes and amortization, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the private company's earnings.
Reaching profitability puts Airbnb on a very different footing than its fellow upstart, Uber Technologies Inc. The ride-hailing company lost an estimated $3 billion last year, according to a person familiar with the matter. Uber was consumed with keeping fares low to compete with rivals like Lyft Inc. at home and with garnering market share in China, a country it finally abandoned over the summer by selling its local business there to homegrown rival Didi Chuxing.
The intertwined stories of Uber and Airbnb, the two most valuable tech startups in the US, are the subject of a Bloomberg Businessweek feature, excerpted from the upcoming book The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley Are Changing the World.
Airbnb has enjoyed a considerably less crowded playing field than Uber. It takes a commission of 6% to 12% from guest fees, in addition to a small fee it charges hosts. The company has no expenses related to maintaining and cleaning the properties. In November, it launched a new set of services that seek to connect travelers with locals providing authentic experiences, like mushroom-collecting expeditions and guided tours of neighborhood art studios.
Revenue at Airbnb increased more than 80% during 2016, said one of the people close to the company, even as cities like San Francisco and New York passed laws that would enforce limits on the number of nights hosts can list their properties. The company still has nearly all of the $3.1 billion in funding it's raised and is looking at investments and acquisitions, the person said. It recently invested in reservation startup Resy. It's now in talks to spend about $50 million in cash and stock to buy the payments startup Tilt, which makes a smartphone app that allows multiple people to split bills, said people familiar with the discussions.
As it develops new services, such as a flight-booking tool, Airbnb Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky has made changes to his leadership team. His co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk, who coded the startup's original website, recently transitioned to chief strategy officer, said a spokesman. In the role, he will evaluate potential investments and acquisitions, among other things. The company has yet to name Blecharczyk's replacement as chief technology officer.
Tuesday, 05 Dec, 2023
- Poll Vault: D-Street Bulls Cheer BJP Feat in States
Analysts expect Sensex and Nifty to gain 4-6% ahead of Lok Sabha elections.Indian equities surged to all-time highs on Monday with the Sensex closing above 68,000 for the first time, as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s strong showing in state elections pumped up an already buoyant market.The High-powered ET Awards Jury
Next week, Mumbai will see a gathering of a distinguished group representing the best of Indian business: The high-powered jury that will select the winners of The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence 2023.


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Ké Concepts looks to Ghana
BUSINESS| Feb. 16, 2011, 9:58 a.m.
SA-based Ké Concepts is focusing more heavily on Ghana’ s financial sector as it expands its market in Africa. The company focuses on credit management and lending solutions tailored for the African market.
Ké Concepts has been working with clients in Africa since 2002 and haa been operating in the Ghanaian financial sector since 2006. Currently, clients include microfinanciers such as African Financial Services (AFS) and other Ghana-based premier financial services providers.
“ Ghana is a logical choice for a number of our clients,” explains Miles Hern, Managing Director at Ké Concepts. “ Its stable economic and political climate is attracting a lot of interest and we’ ve been doing our part to bring top-class credit management solutions to the country.”
According to Hern, Africa as a whole is showing good recovery from the recent economic slump, with consumer spending picking up. This has created a need for quality credit management solutions as individuals seek to improve circumstances and take advantage of optimistic economic climates, he says.
“ Getting the right infrastructures in place to provide a stable and reliable service can be expensive and time consuming. The remoteness of some locations can make it difficult to penetrate effectively into certain areas and provide acceptable service levels.
He says many IT solutions, particularly those developed for American or European markets, have been designed to operate in a first-world environment.
“ Unfortunately these don’ t always translate well into an African context,” Hern says.
To meet the needs of business in Africa, Ké Concepts has modified its management solution to enable off-line functionality, providing solid performance even in the absence of a stable connection.
“ Many of our existing customers in this market are providing loans to salaried employees, many of whom are working outside of city centres. We paid particular attention to our origination and disbursement modules so that credit can be approved and disbursed even when off-line, which are the most critical areas in terms of customer-facing interactions,” says Hern.
Ké ’ s solutions are available on a subscription basis, despite bandwidth eccentricities. This makes their solutions easily accessible as there is no need for large capital expenditure in extensive infrastructures and software licensing.
This delivery model also offers a number of business benefits. The service is delivered out of a world-class data centre in Johannesburg allowing companies based in African locales such as Ghana to leverage first-world technologies for their service delivery. Easy to deploy, short to-market lead times, and affordable pay-per-user pricing models are making Ké ’ s solutions extremely attractive to Ghanaian lenders, says Hern. In addition this enables Ké to provide support without having physical presence in the respective countries.
“ Ké ’ s ability to adapt so effectively has enabled our African clients to really gain a foothold in areas that have been inaccessible until now for great market penetration,” says Hern. “ We are really looking forward to facilitating future growth and engaging more and more in these markets.”
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Thanks to Tagawa Gardens, CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy students last week received a first-hand look (and taste!) at common herbs in their plant and root forms.
The class, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, is a hybrid course that combines lecture with interactive on- and off-campus components to develop students’ knowledge base of the subject. Specifically, the class covers common vitamins and minerals, herbal products, and bio-identical hormones, and briefly touches on core CAM domains and discussions of regulatory issues.
“The students get a chance to see the herbs, touch them, smell them, maybe taste them,” said Monika Nuffer, PharmD, senior instructor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy.
Preparing for the real world
The 40-student class, which is waitlisted each year, covers herbs and modalities through didactic teaching, guest lectures and hands-on demonstrations.
“Dr. Nuffer is a great professor; she brought in knowledgeable professionals to teach us about their work,” said Felicity Burke, a P-4 student who took the course last year. “She had us debate with one another to show that there are multiple opinions about complementary medicines even when looking at the same evidence. This was one of my favorite classes and is one of my favorite subjects that I am going to pursue in my future career!”
As part of the course, students are required to participate in class, create a webliography, and visit health food stores as secret shoppers for exposure to what consumers are encountering, among other assignments.
“I think the most important thing I learned was how to talk to other providers about complementary medicine,” said Burke. “Most providers want to avoid the use of supplementary medicine, because they don't know much about it. I am now a valuable resource for providers and believe if it is not harmful to the patient, then why not try it.”


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Select frozen mango products recalled due to possible Hepatitis A contamination
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for certain brands of frozen mangoes due to possible hepatitis A contamination. SOURCE: CFIA
Published Saturday, July 31, 2021 2:37PM EDT
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says select frozen mango products distributed in Ontario and several other provinces are being recalled due to possible Hepatitis A contamination.
Consumers are being warned not to eat various Nature’s Touch Frozen Food frozen mangoes, which were distributed in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Possibly National, Quebec, Saskatchewan.
CFIA says there have been some reported illnesses associated with consumption of the products.


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In a few short weeks, New Jersey’s medical marijuana program will double in size. Of course, all this is a precursor — if Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration and the Legislature continue on their current path — to the approval of some form of adult-use cannabis program in 2019. Notwithstanding, next year, an entirely new medical cannabis industry is poised to take off, with economic, scientific and social justice implications not seen since Prohibition, creating thousands of new jobs for Garden State residents.
In an industry this new, however, it’s vital that men and women of every color, background and belief who work in this emerging market are respected and earn a living wage, along with all the safeguards that are vital to their dignity, advancement and safety. That’s why these next few weeks are so important.
Next month, New Jersey will choose six new medical marijuana dispensary operators from almost 150 applicants. This is far more than simply opening a retail store with a few clerk-type jobs. Under federal law, marijuana products are not permitted to cross state borders. As a result, every product sold in New Jersey — medicinal or, in the future, recreational — must be grown, manufactured and distributed in New Jersey, 365 days a year. This requires large numbers of highly-trained workers focused on cultivation practices, processing and extraction, supply-chain engineering, packaging, quality control testing, transportation, security and retail dispensing.
New Jersey regulators must make sure that this new industry provides decent jobs; and that means they must look carefully at each applicant’s labor record and commitment to future New Jersey employees. For instance, what is the applicant’s history in dealing with workers’ attempts to join together and organize in a union? If the applicant doesn’t already have a partnership with organized labor in other states where it does business, then New Jersey must demand that the company commit on the record to allow its employees to exercise their rights to consider union organization without intimidation and pressure by agreeing to a neutrality agreement.
At the same time, regulators must carefully examine the applicant’s hiring practices. Does the applicant offer a living wage? Has the company devised a detailed plan to focus on diverse and local hiring? How does the applicant define diversity? Finally, is this enlightened focus on workers a part of the applicant’s corporate culture throughout its United States operations or is it simply being created to try to be competitive in New Jersey?
Any applicant that deserves the privilege of running a medical marijuana facility in New Jersey must earn it by guaranteeing basic worker rights. The successful applicant should prove it has delivered on labor commitments it has made in other states. Ideally, successful applicants must be well-capitalized, as well, so the state can be sure they follow through on their obligations to their workers and to the New Jersey public at large.
The applicants also must have a record of giving back to the communities they serve. It’s part of a good neighbor/good employee philosophy, which is also good for business. What have the applicants promised and what is their record at fulfilling their commitments elsewhere in the country?
This means applicants who are first-time operators should be scrutinized with particularity. It is next to impossible to properly judge aspirations without any track record in this complex field. Those who operate in other states must also be carefully scrutinized to make sure a company’s record matches its promises.
Regulators don’t have to look far. Operators with a strong labor record in neighboring states like New York and Pennsylvania should be given extra attention. After all, if the past is prologue, New Jersey should learn from the successful operators just across its borders.
The Murphy administration is entering a new field that will benefit New Jersey and create a brand-new industry almost from scratch. The governor’s team must be very careful in choosing operators who will work closely with their employees.
Stuart Appelbaum is the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.


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A invoice was launched into the Russian State Duma, the decrease home of parliament, on Nov. 17 that will legalize cryptocurrency mining and the sale of the cryptocurrency mined. Cryptocurrency can’t at the moment be used for settlements in Russia.
The proposed legislation reads, “Digital foreign money obtained because of mining could be disposed of by the one who carried out the mining of this digital foreign money on the situation that Russian info infrastructure will not be utilized in conducting transactions with it, apart from circumstances of transactions carried out in accordance with the established experimental authorized regime,” as quoted by Interfax.
Chairman of the Duma Monetary Markets Committee Anatoly Aksakov told the native press that he anticipated the invoice to move all three parliamentary readings in December to return into drive on Feb. 1. Different sources mentioned the invoice would develop into legislation on Jan. 1. Aksakov mentioned:
“Passage of the legislation will deliver this exercise into the authorized subject, and make it doable to type a legislation enforcement observe on points associated to the issuance and circulation of digital currencies.”
The experimental gross sales regime is made doable by the legislation on digital innovation handed in 2020. The invoice offers definitions of cryptocurrency mining and mining swimming pools. It additionally bans the promoting of cryptocurrency in Russia.
A Russian platform for cryptocurrency gross sales shall be arrange if the legislation is handed, and Russian miners will be capable to use overseas platforms. Within the latter case, Russian foreign money controls and rules wouldn’t apply to the transactions, however they must be reported to the Russian tax service. There’s at the moment no laws on the taxation of mining actions, though crypto mining is widespread in Russia.
Associated: What the Russia-Ukraine warfare has revealed about crypto
A report issued by the Central Financial institution of Russia on Nov. 7 indicated that the nation was getting ready for the introduction of digital belongings onto its markets. The Moscow Trade drafted a invoice on behalf of the Central Financial institution to permit buying and selling in digital monetary belongings in September. Izvestia newspaper reported Nov. 18 that main Russian brokerages and the trade have been getting ready for the entry of retail traders onto the market.
A Russian coverage on using crypto in cross-border funds was formulated in September. Along with nationwide laws, Russian crypto miners and different customers additionally should navigate worldwide sanctions.


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Looking at the buoyant demand in the domestic and the international markets, Titan Industries are on the expansion spree. The watch major that already commands around 65% market share in the Indian market and plans to add 100 Titan stores over the next five years as its eyes an annual 2% growth over the same period from the domestic market.
Currently, Titan has 300 stores across 130 cities and with later expansion it would add 40 more cities in its domain. The new cities would include smaller ones such as Coimbatore, Vishkhapatnam and Jaipur.
The organised watch market in India is estimated to be around R2,250 crore with Titan accounting for R1,600 crore. Around 16 million watch units are sold across India in a year and the market is expected to grow annually at around 12%.


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New in Western Europe (page 18 of 35)
Jun 25, 2013 | 11:46 AM CDT
According to Kline, "Given the global diversity concerning consumer awareness, regulatory requirements, purchase channels, and device availability, a genuine wealth of unrealized potential awaits marketers of at-home beauty devices."
Jun 18, 2013 | 09:33 AM CDT
Beauty devices are one of the elements at the heart of the DIY, at-home beauty trend.
Jun 13, 2013 | 09:31 AM CDT
The company achieved revenue and profit growth in Europe, Africa and Asia, and its beauty business has expanded into new distribution channels.
May 31, 2013 | 11:42 AM CDT
Skin care is the leading premium beauty category, according to Euromonitor International, following by fragrance, color cosmetics and hair care.
May 30, 2013 | 04:33 PM CDT
By: Rob Walker, Euromonitor International
Beauty is growing again, with emerging markets key for multinationals to achieve growth targets and developed markets continuing to present attractive niche opportunities.
May 23, 2013 | 01:09 PM CDT
With the U.K.'s strength in professional hair care services helping the industry maintain, innovations in nail care, skin care and other beauty offerings will push the beauty market forward in the country in the coming years, according to Kline.
May 23, 2013 | 12:15 PM CDT
Revenue for its health and beauty division was £865 million, up 6.8%.
May 10, 2013 | 10:14 AM CDT
The fragrance company's largest markets—North America, Western Europe and Asia—saw sales increases of 28%, 24% and 29%, respectively, while Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central and South America reported sales increases of 96%, 9% and 41%, respectively.
May 07, 2013 | 01:48 PM CDT
The final lineup for the 18 beauty brands that will be featured as part of the Discover Beauty pavilion at the 2013 Cosmoprof North America is now available.
May 02, 2013 | 10:27 AM CDT
Estée Lauder’s good performance was broad based, generating local currency sales gains in each of its geographic regions and most product categories.


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PARIS (Reuters) - France’s ‘AHTOP’ tourism association urged the French government to take action after U.S. homesharing site Airbnb won its battle to remain exempt from onerous European property regulations.
The French association’s call to seek changes in competition rules in EU E-commerce followed a decision from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to rule that Airbnb was an online platform and not a property agent.
“The decision of the Court demonstrates it is urgent to totally reshuffle this directive,” AHTOP, which had also filed a complaint against Airbnb, said in a statement.
The EU court had also ruled that France was at fault for not notifying the European Commission of the requirement for Airbnb to hold an estate agent professional license.
Airbnb competes with hotel companies such as Accor, Intercontinental Hotels and Marriott.
Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Meta Spatil Moon - the first virtual space of Meta Spatial.
The idea of forming metaverses is something that has been mentioned by leading technology corporations in the world such as Facebook, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Epic Games recently. The metaverse is a virtual universe where people can be present and communicate with each other just like in the real world.
In Vietnam, Meta Spatial is not the first startup that aims to develop metaverses, but it is the most popular project of its type.
CoinMarketCap statistics show that, after one month of launching, Meta Spatial virtual universe with the first product - Meta Spatil Moon - has received the attention of nearly 1 million people around the world.
Ngo Van Cuong - Founder/CTO of Meta Spatial.
Meta Spatial has received capital from more than 100 investment funds around the world, including famous names such as Okex, Polygon, Mex, CMC, X21, Master Venture, Redkite, ZBS, Au21...
Meta Spatial is considered one of the first projects to build a true metaverse world. By using AR, VR, MR, and XR technologies, Meta Spatial promises to bring unprecedented experiences to users.
Ngo Van Cuong, Founder/CTO of Meta Spatial, says that it is very difficult to create a 3D character that resembles a real person in real life. Getting that 3D character to move in 3D perspective or virtual spaces is much more difficult. Meta Spatial can do it by allowing users to turn their image into an interactive character in the virtual world.
Users can use their virtual characters to play 3D games. They can also attend virtual art exhibitions, virtual fashion shows, virtual music events or visit a virtual cinema in the Meta Spatial metaverse universe.
Meta Spatial has built a supporting technology platform for other startups to build metaverse applications for the community. Meta Platform will be the first in the world that allows personalization to bring a citizen from the real world into the virtual world.
Anyone can have another life inside a virtual world: what seemed like sci-fi movies only is coming very close.


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Sony has permanently shut down the online services for LittleBigPlanet games on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita after “extended downtime.” This means that online multiplayer and community levels are no longer available for LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet 2, LittleBigPlanet 3 (on PS3) and LittleBigPlanet PS Vita. But don’t worry, you can still play story modes and local co-op.
“We have no doubt that this news will come as a disappointment to a lot of you,” the LittleBigPlanet team wrote in a statement. “Ultimately, this is the best way to protect the LittleBigPlanet community and to help ensure that our online environment remains safe.”
Sony temporarily shut down LittleBigPlanet’s online services way back in May, after reports of DDOS attacks and hackers posting offensive messages. The PS3 games were on the same servers, so it actually impacted all of the games
However, the developers have updated the PS4 version of LittleBigPlanet 3 and that game’s servers are back online. So players have access to over 10 million community levels, and this includes all of the ones that users created on the three PS3 games.
The latest entry in the franchise, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, hit PS4 and PS5 last November. So there is a lot to play actually.


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Office expansions, recruitment drive, awards: law firm’s growth trajectory continues
Law firm Tompkins Wake has started off the year managing office expansions and a recruitment drive, on the back of a slew of awards last year. More and more, this Hamilton-headquartered firm is making its mark as a Waikato success story.Read more
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Originair is proud to announce an increase in services for 2021. The airline commenced flying Hamilton to Palmerston North return services in October last year following Air New Zealand withdrawing its daily services on the sector.
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For one night only a memorable evening was created on the banks of the Waikato River, when Hamilton’s best CBD businesses came together to celebrate a night of success, achievement and festivity at the annual CBD Celebration Awards.
Business Awards celebrate local success
The Westpac Waikato Business Awards were held on Friday night celebrating the success of many local businesses despite such a turbulent year. Highlights of the night were Civtec taking home the Supreme Award, showing its continued dedication to quality customer service and the induction of the late Arthur Porter and the Gallagher brothers, Sir William and Dr John, being inducted into the Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame.
Waikato Food Inc Award Winners Announced
Sky City Hamilton was a buzz on Monday night as over 300 people came together to celebrate the Waikato Food Inc Awards.
Helping Waikato find work #onejobatatime
A group of business organisations across the Waikato are doing a united, simultaneous drive this Labour weekend to help Waikato people find work.
Hamilton’s first dedicated gluten-free bakery to open
Bliss Bakery, Hamilton’s only 100% gluten-free bakery, is opening a pop-up store at Queenwood Village in Chartwell on Friday 2nd October. Bliss Bakery’s products have previously been available online for click and delivery, or at the Tamahere Market, but their three month pop-up store will give customers, and gluten-conscious locals, a chance to experience their products like never before.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tours NZ’s newest milk powder spray dryer in Waikato
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visited the Waikato Innovation Park today where she toured the newly-completed $50 million industrial spray dryer situated on the campus.
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The Waikato is full of people and businesses doing great things. Their stories help build our understanding of the strength of the Waikato and the benefits of living, studying, visiting or doing business here.


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TRA” the UAE develop new policies to electronic certification service providers
Revealed the General Authority for regulating the telecommunications sector in the UAE for new policies to license and regulate the work of electronic certification services providers in the state.
And provides certification services providers-mail solutions “electronic signatures” and “PKI public key systems” that help businesses to conduct e-commerce securely over the Internet.
The Commission explained via a statement on its official website that it aims to develop a policy and transparent organization that provides certification services providers-mail clear guidance to offer their services, and through the development of a coherent regulatory framework and effective.
Said Majid Sultan screw, Acting Director General of the Commission that those policies will contribute to the development of the level of services provided by service providers, electronic authentication especially as they are playing an active role in the growth of e-commerce in the state, and will enhance public confidence in e-commerce by ensuring the experience of trustworthy shoppers across Internet.
The Director of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority that sales of the e-commerce sector in the UAE accounted for 60% of e-commerce sales in the Gulf states.
The policy will apply to all new electronic certification service providers licensed in the UAE such as Emirates Telecommunications Corporation “Etisalat”, Al Hilal Bank, the Global Information Technology Company.
To this, and revealed the body it will host the first summit of transactions and e-commerce in September in Dubai, will bring together this event stakeholders in the sector of e-commerce to discuss the laws and directives current and shed light on issues related to the growth sector of e-commerce through the promotion of public confidence in using electronic transactions.
The United Arab Emirates is one of the first countries in the region to take the necessary procedures to license and regulate the work of electronic certification service providers, these provisions have been issued based on the Federal Law No. (1) for the year 2006 on electronic commerce and transactions.
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January 15, 2013
Apple CEO Tim Cook said he believes China will become Apple’s most important market. He was optimistic about his latest talk with China Mobile, although he wouldn’t go into detail about it — and he recently met with Miao Wei, minister of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which is responsible for approving Apple products before they’re launched in China.
The lag times for launch in China, when compared to the U.S., are often large. For example, “the iPhone 5 was not available in China until nearly three months after its U.S. debut. Not only that, but Apple has wrestled with China Mobile for four years over network and revenue sharing issues,” writes TechCrunch.
Because Apple lacks a distribution deal with China, its market share has declined in the country as consumers choose less expensive and more easily attainable devices.
But Cook hopes to turn that around. “At present, Apple has 11 stores in China and Hong Kong, as well as a wide network of Apple resellers. Cook hopes to increase the number of official Apple stores in the region to 25,” notes the post.
That expansion and a good distribution deal would be great places for Apple to start.


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The world is currently looking with great concern at Russias war of aggression on Ukraine. The humanitarian crisis that this war is causing for the people in Eastern Europe is deeply worrying! The whole world stands united with the Ukrainians to insist on their right of peace and freedom.
More than a million Ukrainians have already fled their homeland.
We at Boxon wanted to do something to support these people in one of the darkest hours of our times. We therefore challenged our employees to make a donation. Regardless of the donated amount, all funds collected were doubled by the Boxon Group.
On Friday the 4th of March, we were able to donate more than
10 000 € to the International Red Cross foundation, which will put these funds directly in Ukraine.
On behalf of the entire Boxon Group we say THANK YOU to all the generous donators!
The economic santions imposed by the European Union and other western countries do not restrict our business. We do not purchase any goods or raw material from Ukraine nor Russia.
According to the industry magazine business insider the war in Ukraine could lead to trippled ocean freight rates, due to less possible transport routes from Asia to Europe. Since especially our FIBCs / Big Bags are partly produced in India and other far east countries we might need to increase the freight rates on these products. Please contact your Boxon representative to discuss how your products are affected.
The donations collected by our staff and doubled by the Boxon Group will be funded to the International Red Cross foundation in Ukraine. It is spend on emergency assistance such as food, water and other essential items.


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Bill Russell, the former Boston Celtic and owner of 11(!) championship rings, is the latest athlete to sue the NCAA and EA Sports for using his likeness in a sports game without compensation. Russell's likeness was used in NCAA Basketball '09, as his University of California at San Francisco college team was part of the game's Tournament of Legends mode.
Russell also did not appreciate EA and the NCAA using historical footage of him to promote the game. Russell's lawsuit will be joined to an existing one by former UCLA player Ed O'Bannon who is suing for the same reasons. EA already addressed the O'Bannon case, explaining that their usage of the likeness of famous players is protected by the First Amendment. EA argues that since the games they make contain a significant amount of original creative content, their work is more than a depiction of a single athlete.
Almost a month ago to the day EA used similar reasoning to convince a judge to throw out the likeness case against them by former Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart. While Russell and O'Bannon's cases seem logical, the actuality is that they lie in a signifcantly gray area that is unlikely to sway a judge to rule against the precedent set by the Hart case. While Russell won a lot of important basketball games, it doesn't look promising that he'll win his day in court.


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Electric vehicles: The Prognosis
There is no doubt that things are beginning to look significantly different from how they were just 10 years ago.
With a backdrop that involves increasingly stringent environmental policy worldwide, some analysts are even expecting hybrid or electrified vehicles to be accounting for 35% of global auto sales by 2030.
The fact is that hybrids are bridging the alternative auto power gap while the innovations in battery technology continue to be developed and will eventually make completely electric vehicles much more affordable and convenient.
In the meantime, though, this detour away from electric vehicles (EVs) to hybrids is hardly unexpected. Currently, EVs are considered costly, by no means as easy to use, and much less profitable for the automakers than the more conventional gasoline-powered alternatives they continue to construct.
The engineers accept that the biggest hurdle for EVs is the cost of batteries but innovations have yet to tackle this issue and it is thought that battery deterioration will continue to hold back EV development even after the cost issue is overcome.
As a result, in an era where people are increasingly concerned about climate change and damage to the environment, electrified hybrids are being seen as more practical – and from an investment point of view, more profitable, at least for the next 10 years.
Automotive industry forecasters estimate that it could take that long before the necessary innovations enabling the mass-market construction of lighter, smaller and faster charging solid-state batteries are developed.
It’s noticeable that as a result of these impediments governments around the world have retreated from their previous EV policies in favor of electrified vehicle solutions.The area where hybrids are expected to be being adopted faster than just about anywhere else is currently in Europe as that continent is ahead on tightening its environmental regulations. Simultaneously, Japan’s plan is to aim for a gradual shift in the direction of electrification by adopting a balanced range of vehicle types including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and vehicles that are capable of running on fuel cells.
China’s move is aimed at closing a $6 trillion cost barrier that is standing in the way of the widespread adopting of electric cars throughout the world.
As an element of its new energy policy, China has rolled back its subsidies and imposed tougher requirements on the performance of electric vehicles. Beijing is switching provincial funding in the direction of charging stations and related infrastructure projects. China is playing a hardball game and local governments have been told in no uncertain terms that if they don’t comply their fiscal subsidies will be cut by the central government.
While complete adoption of electric vehicles globally is forecast to need an investment of almost $6 trillion, setting up the infrastructure is being seen by many as the highest cost barrier to electric cars.
Indeed, chargers are estimated to account for around $2.6 trillion of the investment needed, while the expenditure on grids is budgeted at $2.8 trillion. To implement advancements like these is expected to take a few decades.
Auto manufacturers, in the meantime, are no doubt boosting their development and the production of EVs, but in the US, under the Trump administration, environmental regulations and efficiency standards are being rolled back so the electrification of vehicles has been slowed.
However, there is little doubt that the transition to electric vehicles is going to happen but nobody really knows exactly when and, at present, plug-in, electric cars represent less than 2% of the US market and only 2.2% globally.
Even with exponential growth and a record two million EVs sold throughout the world last year, just one in 250 cars currently on the roads is electric. Only in Norway, where subsidies and perks have been lavished on EVs, has the EV share of new car sales risen to about 30%.
All in all, it is hybrids that are benefitting from the EV setbacks, and where they used to be seen as just a fad on the road to fully electric cars and trucks, they now look set to make a big difference as the manufacturers use them as test beds to develop the technology for future motors and inverters that will prove useful in the EVs that are to come.
Hybrid electrified vehicles now look to be on target to account for 35% of worldwide auto sales within the next 10 to 15 years. They ease the transition from solely gas-powered cars by offering the dual technologies of electric and gas power for drivers. Even though EV ranges are improving rapidly, hybrids have an advantage over them because of the longer driving distances they are able to cover.At the Bear Stearns Research Institute, we monitor emerging and disruputive technologies across most markets of the world and constantly seek ways to strategically partner with key players in these industries. Combining this analyst driven information with the power of our widespread network of sales staff, investment professionals and in particular our Impact Investing Group gives us a unique collaborative approach to advising our portfolio companies and clients on how best to capitalize and play a supportive role in seeing these Impact driven technologies help change our world.


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Fast 100 Class of 2004: Where are they now?
You still have to wait nearly six weeks to find out who made our 2013 list of the Bay Area’s 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies.
However, in anticipation of this year’s Fast 100 list, which the Business Times publishes on Oct. 18, we decided to look back at old winners and ask the question: where are they now? It’s always interesting to see what happened to companies on the list. Did they continue to grow quickly? Slow down? Go out of business? Get bought by larger companies? Pivot?
Every week from now until we unveil our new list of the Fast 100, we’ll look at a few interesting companies that made a splash when they landed on the list. This week, we start with the Fast 100 class of 2004.
Then: #24 on the list
What it does: online headset retailer
Revenue/FY 2003: $10.26 million
3-year growth: 241.6 percent
Much has changed for the San Francisco-based online headset retailer since 2004 when it was riding high with explosive growth, including a business model revamp and purchase of their website domain name. In 2004, the company had a 241.6 percent growth rate and ranked 24 on the Fast 100.
“Amazon has been a game changer, and we have developed a lot more of our own product, rather than our prior model of selling everyone else’s,” said founder and CEO Mike Faith.
“Although we were forced to do this for price competition reasons, we have actually been able to develop better headsets.”
In an interview with one of our reporters in 2006, Faith set the bar high with a goal to reach $200 million in sales by 2010, but has since scaled back his projections significantly. Faith expects revenue to hit $18 million this year and is focused on surpassing the market leader for U.S. headset sales, Plantronics, by 2024.
Click here to read the full article


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A full list of smartphones and tablets from Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG and Motorola getting the Android 4.4 (KitKat) update.
While the 0.1 nature of the update may suggest this is a minor upgrade on Android 4.3 (JellyBean) which was only launched in July, the truth is that Android 4.4 is a very significant update to the world's most popular operating system.
Google is looking to help reign in the fragmentation issue with Android by making the 4.4 update intelligent enough that it can scale to run on less powerful devices. Android KitKat will be compatible with every phone which launches next year according to Google, whether than is from high-end manufacturers like Samsung and HTC or budget smartphone manufacturers which don't sell in the UK.
Specifically the software will be able to run on devices with as little as 512MB of RAM, which will mean a lot of phones which are several years old should be eligible to get the update.
The problem of course that unlike iOS updates which go to every compatible device at the same time - updating millions of iPhones and iPads at once - Android updates need to be tested by manufacturers and then networks before being sent to customers - leading to long delays.
And so, the first thing owners of current Android smartphones and tablets will be asking is: When will I get the Android 4.4 (KitKat) update - if ever?
To help clarify the situation we have compiled a list of manufacturers and devices to see what the companies are saying about the update:
Nexus devices are reference products for various iterations of the Android operating system and will obviously be getting the update first, but not all of them.
Google confirmed during the launch of KitKat that the update would be "coming soon" to the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 (both versions), Nexus 10 but not the Galaxy Nexus, which is just two years old. It obviously means the Nexus S and the original Nexus won't be getting KitKat either.
Earlier this year both Samsung and HTC launched versions of the Galaxy S4 and One smartphones which ran pure Android. Known as the Google Play editions both these phones will also be getting Android 4.4 "soon."
HTC has said all other versions of its award-winning One smartphone will be getting the KitKat update withint 90 days. It has added that the update for the HTC One Max and HTC One mini "will follow" but has given no time frame for these phones.
The easiest way to check if your Motorola phone will be updated is by going to the Upgrade support page, which tells us that phones like the Motorola Droid Ultra, Motorola Droid Maxx, Motorola Droid Mini and Moto X will all be updated.
Motorola is yet to confirm the time frame for its update rollout.
Samsung has said nothing so far about updates to its market-leading smartphones and tablets. Samsung has traditionally been very slow to issue upgrades as it needs to do a lot of testing in order to get updates to work well with its own TouchWiz interface which skins Android on its phones.
Considering LG made the Nexus 5 smartphone for Google, it's a good bet that at least some of LG's phones will get updated. However the South Korean company has not made any official announcements yet - but if we had to guess we would suggest the LG G2 will be the first to get the update.
Sony has made a concerted effort to get back into the game this year with its Xperia smartphone launches. It has said it will have more details on updates soon, but we suspect the Xperia Z, Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra will all get an update to Android 4.4.


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The policymaking council of the National Food Authority (NFA) has approved the standby authority of the agency to import 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice to ramp up its depleting buffer stock.
The decision came after a meeting was held by officials of the agency, wherein the council has decided to import rice through an open tender scheme or competitive bidding with the private sector.
According to an official, shipments are expected to arrive by June, adding that consumers may have to wait for cheaper rice for the next three months.
The state-run grains agency has been drawing flak since it announced that it only had two days’ worth of milled rice in its stock – its lowest monthly holding in 10 years.
The NFA is required to maintain a buffer stock of at least 15 days’ worth of consumption at any given time. /cbb
City Savings to take over PETNET


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Sotheby’s advisory business’s flat revenues; Christie’s uses 1st Dibs for leverage; Bidding up a Raphael drawing at Druout.
This commentary by Marion Maneker is available to AMMpro subscribers. (The first month of AMMpro is free and subscribers are welcome to sign up for the first month and cancel before they are billed.)
Sotheby’s Advisory Strategy Quietly Stalls
Buried in Sotheby’s annual report released in late February and synopsized in Kelly Crow’s story in the Wall Street Journal about Gagosian Gallery establishing an advisory firm are the revenues for Sotheby’s Art Agency Partners advisory division.
- “Sotheby’s is in the art-advisory business, having paid up to $85 million three years ago for Art Agency, Partners, a firm founded in 2014 by a trio of art advisers. But the jury is still out on the long-term effect of its performance. In its latest financial disclosure, Sotheby’s said the firm made $6.1 million last year, up from $5.8 million the year before but down from $6.6 million in 2016.”
The WSJ goes on to include Sotheby’s positioning on the division; namely, AAP was able to drive significant auction and private sales through its client base that made the company real money from the buyer’s premium in addition to the advisory fees outlined above.
Leading with the $85m purchase price, the WSJ seems to want to weigh the immediate financial value of the AAP acquisition. In balance, it is probably a wash. Sotheby’s got more than revenue from AAP and art to sell from AAP’s clients when it bought the firm. It acquired talent that played an important role in the company over the last three years (although one of the AAP principals has now left.)
What these numbers reveal is that AAP has no visible path toward growth. AAP’s flat revenues suggest the strategy to expand Sotheby’s into a new line of business advising collectors, artists’ estates and institutions has made little progress. That’s a shame. The original concept, that Sotheby’s could become more like a financial services company with a trading floor (auctions), advisory services (private bank), credit facility (art loans) and proprietary trading desk (direct and third-party guarantees), seemed like a good one designed to capitalize on art having become an asset for many collectors.
Valuable assets breed advisory industries. Sotheby’s was making a play to acquire a substantial share of that market and grow the firm’s global revenues. Three years ago, it looked like AAP would open offices in wealth centers around the US, Europe and Asia. The firm came into Sotheby’s already boasting important South American collectors as clients. Three years later, AAP has one satellite office in Los Angeles.
The failure to grow doesn’t seem to be from a lack of resources. Art Agency Partners has a staff of 23. Half of those bodies provide advisory services. The rest do business support and development or work for the division’s dedicated media operation.
When a large corporation acquires a smaller company, one of the advantages is usually the synergies that allow the smaller firm’s expertise to be amplified by the larger corporations infrastructure and resources. The reverse seems to have happened here. AAP grew internally with more bodies and costs without a commensurate rise in revenue.
AAP did try to grow into new fields like representing artists’ estates. The firm made some noise hiring the president of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Christy MacLear. That didn’t work out. But instead of trying again, AAP seems to have retreated into quieter efforts.
Meanwhile, Sotheby’s is opening its massive new galleries in just a few weeks. Although they were planned and developed under the guidance of AAP, these galleries also point to the company’s new direction away from being a manager of art as an asset and toward becoming a technology driven platform.
Christie’s x 1st Dibs = a Design & Furniture Strategy
Christie’s announcement this week that it would take space in 1st Dibs’s new Terminal Stores design facility and offer a collection of objects from consignors in a 1st Dibs store curated by designer Juan Montoya. The initiative reveals a strategy from Christie’s that addresses Sotheby’s recent launch of Sotheby’s Home in the same market but looks to expand in a very different way from its rival.
- “The collaboration with 1stdibs, the leaders in ecommerce luxury goods, is an exciting opportunity for Christie’s,” comments Matthew Rubinger, Deputy Chief Marketing Officer, Christie’s. “Through offering a buy it now option for this specially curated group of furniture and objects beautifully designed by Juan Montoya, we are providing more options for our discerning collecting base. In addition, we are thrilled to introduce Christie’s to a whole new group of collectors, many of whom are based in New York as well as connect with new buyers entering our market digitally.”
In setting itself up as a vendor on 1st Dibs, Christie’s is following Sotheby’s into the lower-value furniture and design market. Sotheby’s Home is a tech-heavy initiative that hopes to generate sales commissions with much lower handling costs than traditional auctions.
With 1st Dibs, Christie’s is on the same field but playing a fundamentally different game. Instead of building a whole business with development and marketing costs, Christie’s is tapping into 1st Dibs’s network. On the in-bound side, 1st Dibs brings new customers to Christie’s who might be intimidated by the fancy name or exclusive offices in New York, London and Paris. On the out-bound side, Christie’s can expand client touch points by selling their household objects efficiently without adding much in the way of staff.
If all of this turns into a significant business, Christie’s can invest in the technology and marketing that will get it in the game.
Did Someone Just Find a Raphael Drawing?
Hotel Druout sold a drawing attributed to Giovanni Penni that was estimated at €5000 for €1.4m on Friday April 12 during its classic sale. The image of The Holy Family with John the Baptist child was alternatively attributed to Raphael. At least two bidders believe there’s a good chance it is by Raphael. Even so, that’s quite a price for this work.


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7 Dec 2013, 15:44, PK Krishnakumar
Strengthening its product offering further in the Indian market, Apollo Tyres has introduced its premium European brand, Vredestein in the country.
7 Dec 2013, 15:43
Cong has sought to shift discourse from Assembly polls to LS elections citing past trends to buttress point that provincial polls do not have a bearing on general elections.
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T-Mobile customers, if you’re looking forward to the launch of the LG G6, you may want to circle this Wednesday on your calendar.
T-Mobile today confirmed that it’ll begin its LG G6 pre-sale on March 22. A customer support rep first mentioned the date using T-Mobile’s official account on Twitter, and TmoNews then confirmed the date with a T-Mo spokesperson as well.
@kstephenson93 We have you covered, Kyle! Pre-sale will kick off March 22! Hang in there with us. *JeremyJ
— T-Mobile (@TMobile) March 20, 2017
If you do decide to pick up the LG G6 from T-Mobile, you can expect to pay $26 down and 24 monthly payments of $26 each. Customers that’d rather get their G6 through the JUMP! On Demand program will pay $0 down, $29 per month, and a final payment of $128.
One other detail that’s worth noting is that, as with other carriers, T-Mobile customers that buy an LG G6 before April 30 can get a free Google Home.


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From edible flowers to gourmet crops to cannabis and hemp, growers all over North America are shifting to meet new market demands. While some are working hand-in-hand with chefs to supply culinary demands, others are capitalizing on the local food movement and still others are focusing in on gourmet crops.
Find out how growers are embracing new crops and handling new challenges in the following stories:
Ken VandeVrede eyes hemp and medical cannabis as the next growth markets for his business.
Twelve years ago, Ken VandeVrede was looking for a product to help his business — Gro-Rite — branch out of ornamental production and drive more year-round sales. His solution: hydroponic basil and leafy greens production.
“That was the natural evolution to a next crop for us,” he says.
Today, VandeVrede sees hemp and medical cannabis as the next evolution. Licenses are not yet available for hemp production in New Jersey, and he was denied a license to grow medical cannabis last year. But VandeVredehe has a plan in place on how to best grow it and a company — Hillview Med — as an avenue through which to sell the product. The plan is to begin growing at the business’ main growing facility in New Jersey as soon as possible. VandeVrede serves as CEO of Hillview med and previously served as the COO of Terra Tech, a cannabis operation, from 2013 to 2018.
“I think New Jersey will be a very good market for both because the licenses they are giving out for medical cannabis and hemp is a new growth market,” VandeVrede says. In order to court investment and increase the long-term viability of the business, he says, adding new crops was needed.
VandeVrede, though, still thinks both the ornamental and produce markets are still healthy despite several businesses across the country either scaling back production to make room for hemp or switching to hemp altogether. In his mind, producers who completely leave either market will leave a profitable hole for existing growers to step into and fill.
“It’s not like we are going away from our ornamentals. It’s not like we are going away from our produce,” VandeVrede says. “It’s just that we see big opportunities in the cannabis and hemp markets here in New Jersey and across the East Coast and IP in extraction for these products. We feel the industry is set up to allow us to diversify as an agriculture company into other products. There are going to be significant opportunities in both spaces.” –Chris Manning
A grower’s province in produce
Growing premium crops and selling them for high prices is working well for British Columbia grower Nora von Gerichten, who plans to drop commercial production of her more conventional crops in 2020.
After working as an English and history high school teacher while importing and selling orchids on the side, Nora von Gerichten has found her niche in produce.
As current manager of the greenhouse and potted plants at Wildwood Ecological Labs in Powell River, British Columbia, she now grows and sells baby ginger and wasabi.
This year, she expects about half of her revenue to come from ginger, grown in the greenhouse, and wasabi, grown outside in the ground in a temperate rainforest climate. She anticipates the other half to come from other crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. For 2020, she plans to only sell baby ginger and wasabi, while producing other crops just for her own family.
“Simply, wasabi and ginger are easy crops compared to tomatoes,” she says. “Tomatoes — you’ve got to really watch those guys. And wasabi and ginger watch themselves, pretty much.”
At the same time, selling wasabi and ginger requires getting potential customers on board with something new, which can be a challenge. Wasabi sells at $200 a kilogram (2.2 pounds), she says, adding that not a lot of people want to shell out that amount of money for any crop other than cannabis.
“Nobody knows what wasabi is,” she says. “They know wasabi peas, but that’s horseradish; it’s not wasabi. This is real wasabi. It only keeps its heat for about 20 minutes after being grated. This is a gourmet vegetable. But here in British Columbia — there are very few places in the world that can grow wasabi — here is one.”
Her baby ginger doesn’t go for cheap, either. It runs $12 per pound, four times what most people pay in the grocery store. She makes the ginger that she doesn’t sell into candy and offers it online. Wildwood enhances production by growing ginger rhizomes under LEDs.
“The reason it’s more expensive is [because] it’s baby ginger, and the baby ginger doesn’t have all that woody fiber running through it, so it lends itself really well to candied ginger and other stuff like that,” von Gerichten says.
At Wildwood Ecological Labs, challenges arise like they do at any other greenhouse. Along with the pests and diseases that come with growing in a controlled environment, von Gerichten, who grows everything organically, says weather also presents issues, like the unusual amount of rainfall they’ve received for the past winter, spring and summer.
But the operation has carved out a successful niche for itself. It can grow ginger without the pesticides that are so prevalent in Chinese ginger farming. (Many growers in China don’t eat their own ginger.)
Von Gerichten will be the first to point out that her operation is an outlier. Being one of the few CEA baby ginger growers, her two part-time employees know her “quirks,” like that she wants the ginger clean and not broken up into pieces that are too small.
“I can go along with everybody, or I can be slightly different,” she says. “And I decided slightly different is better.” —Patrick Williams
There’s gold in them thar hills
Tega Hills Farm strives to expand its customer base while continuing to grow profitable crops.
Mark and Mindy Robinson of Tega Hills Farm in Fort Mill, South Carolina, have made a name for themselves by growing and selling microgreens, squash blossoms and edible flowers in an area where demand for these crops exceeded supply. They also grow the lettuce, peppers and other vegetables that are staples of many greenhouse operations.
The operation uses a flat filler, water tunnel, evaporative cooling, on-table heat, energy curtains and compact fluorescent lights. (Although they may transfer to LEDs). These technologies allow the operation to grow microgreens year-round, which account for about half of its income. In the process, Mark and Mindy can keep in constant contact with chefs.
“With conventional farming, it’s tough to be able to keep into contact with those chefs year-round,” Mark says. “And for us, the microgreens enabled us to do that, which gives us more opportunity to sell to them a wider variety of crops.”
Mark and Mindy operate a roadside stand on their property. They also sell to farmers markets, restaurants and country clubs.
They aim to open more opportunities working with wholesalers and distributors by acquiring its Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification.
“It’s interesting because for the big wholesalers, they still want to be able to have a local grower that they can portray to their chef that they’re getting product from — it adds to their advertising story,” he says. “Regionally, that ends up being good for them.”
Mark and Mindy have also noted changes to their neighborhood that could allow them to expand their customer base.
“Two and a half years ago, we had a 40-acre farm across the road from us,” Mark says. “That now has 75 single-family homes and 125 townhouses on it, and they’re just about to complete that.”
Behind that new construction are another 1,000 family units within a bicycle’s ride of Tega Hills Farm and Mark is considering finding a way to deliver product to those homes.
This ties in with Mark and Mindy’s mission as board members of the nonprofit Catawba Farm and Food Coalition to provide a sustainable supply of produce to five South Carolina counties and the Catawba Indian Nation. Much of the land in the state is used for forestry products rather than ag, and most of the vegetables are imported.
“We’re trying to set up food hubs in the state of South Carolina to be able to bring more product from the coastal areas up here closer to the Piedmont,” he says. —Patrick Williams
In her home market of Phoenix, grower Heather Szymura sees local chefs beginning to look for new options for their restaurants.
Based in Phoenix, Twisted Infusions caters to a niche market of chefs looking for locally grown, high-quality produce for their restaurants. According to owner and grower Heather Szymura, the two major trends among her clientele in the last year are edible flowers and baby leaf greens, with the latter often replacing microgreens.
“It’s been a lot of fun because I’ve been growing 10 different varieties of edible flowers and it’s really been more color-based orders,” Szymura says. “Sometimes it is flavor-based, sometimes they just want a garnish. We were ready for this, and I pushed it on people to consider it as an option.” She says bachelor’s button and marigolds are two of the more popular flowers she’s produced.
As for the rising popularity of baby leaf products, Szymura thinks chefs are looking for an alternative to microgreens because microgreens have either become overused or used improperly.
“It’s hit or miss. I think micros are not as popular as they were five years ago,” she says. “People have started looking for alternatives to find that look, plus the bonus of flavor, and I think the baby leaf captures that on some level.” Szymura describes baby leaf products as a middle ground between microgreens and fully grown lettuces.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2019 and 2020, Szymura’s major endeavor is expanding Twisted Infusions. Recently, she signed a lease to begin growing in a warehouse in Phoenix; the business is currently operated entirely in a container farm. In the warehouse, Szymura says she is installing an NFT hydroponic system and LED lighting as she expands her crop availability to products such as tomatoes and cucumbers.
The container farm, though, won’t be going away — it fits in the warehouse and will still be used to grow the edible flowers and baby leaf greens chefs want. Szymura hopes her customer base expands too, as some of her competitors in the Phoenix area have moved out of vegetable production and into hemp since hemp production was legalized in December 2018.
“It’s about the ability to grow more,” she says. “I love my container farm — I’m not getting rid of my container farm. But for me, with the land opportunity and the electricity costs, it’s more conducive to run in directly in the warehouse for the volume I want to grow.” —Chris Manning


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A Mexican deli will replace the hockey-themed western portion of downtown sports bar Heroes & Legends later this month.
The much-anticipated opening of De Leon’s Mexican Deli, 825 W. Riverside Ave., is slated for June 23, said Fred Meyer, a spokesman for De Leon Foods Inc.
The downtown deli will feature the same menu and items from De Leon Foods’ north Spokane Mexican grocery and deli, including fresh flour and corn tortillas and salsas, Meyer said. The remodeled space, which currently sports a faux hockey rink floor and mural of cheering fans, will include a walk-up deli counter and bar seating wrapping around the windows facing Lincoln Street and Riverside Avenue.
“We saw a void in the downtown business sector,” both for fast food and Mexican cuisine, Meyer said.
Management of Heroes & Legends changed after De Leon Foods co-owner Sergio De Leon partnered with bar owners Thomas Griffiths and Vernon Hare, who have since stepped back from the business, Meyer said.
The remodel is valued at $20,000, according to a city building permit issued last week.
While the two spaces will be separated during deli hours, the deli area will be used for large parties, and Heroes & Legends patrons will be able to order from the deli menu, Meyer said. The deli will be open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Only a gutted shell remained of the former Wendle Ford dealership building across from NorthTown Mall earlier this week. Rob’s Demolition, of Spokane, is tearing down the structure to make way for a boutique shopping center, Northtown Square. Known tenants include a Red Lobster seafood restaurant, a drive-through Starbucks and a Spokane Teachers Credit Union branch.
“Our plans were to have demolition completed by middle of July and then start construction on the first of August,” said Chud Wendle, a member of developer Northtown Square LLC. “And we’re on pace for it right now.”
The center should open in about a year, Wendle said. He hopes to announce additional tenants in a few weeks.
Signature Genomic relocates
Spokane biotech firm Signature Genomic Laboratories has moved into its new headquarters in a remodeled Sears, Roebuck & Co. distribution center.
The 18,500-square-foot building, 2820 N. Astor St., offers 9,000 square feet of wet lab space, 4,000 more than at its previous home in tech business incubator Sirti on the Riverpoint Campus.
Founded in 2003, Signature performs genetic testing, looking for abnormalities in the DNA of children and adults, including those considering conceiving. Growing business caused it to seek more space.
“Since we moved into our current location 18 months ago, Signature has doubled in size,” President and CEO Lisa Shaffer said in a news release.
Executives previously said they expected purchase and renovation of the building to cost $3.8 million.
Dentist building under way
A two-story dental building under way in North Spokane should be occupied by next spring.
Silvey Construction Inc. is building the roughly 22,000-square-foot structure, 9302 N. Colton St., for three doctors’ groups, said company owner Mike Silvey.
It is expected to cost about $3.24 million, according to a building permit.
The doctors will occupy most of the building, and lease out about 2,000 square feet, Silvey said.
Queen Anne Condos
A Spokane contractor plans to convert a historic South Hill home he says was built for prominent Spokane businessman O.C. Jensen into three two-story condominiums.
The Queen Anne Condos, 605 S. Bernard St., will range from 1,200 to 1,500 square feet and cost about $299,000 to $400,000, said Rick McQuesten, co-owner of building owner Makamah Beach LLC.
The project should be done by late fall and cost about $600,000, said McQuesten, who specializes in renovating old homes.
The three-story house was built in 1901. Jensen founded what became Spokane-based hardware distributor Jensen-Byrd Co., now called Jensen Distribution Services, which owned a historic brick warehouse east of downtown. That structure, owned by Washington State University, may be redeveloped under a pending deal with Denver-based NexCore Group.
Business park tenants
The Spokane Business & Industrial Park in Spokane Valley this week announced three new tenants. Alliance Flooring Service Inc., which installs carpet and vinyl flooring, leased approximately 5,000 square feet in Building 101 of the park, 3808 N. Sullivan Rd., according to a news release.
Archway & Mother’s Cookie Co. leased 1,514 square feet in Building 3 and Jaco Environmental Inc., which stores and dismantles appliances, leased about 3,200 square feet in Building 12.


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The company has earmarked R40 million for a three-hectare park to anchor the commercial and retail offering.
Attacq CEO Morné Wilken, who likens the size of the park to “six rugby fields”, said the idea with Waterfall City was to create a new city. As of December, the company completed 211 000 square metres of the mixed-use development’s 1.4 million remaining bulk, which will roll out in the next two years. Of the completed buildings, Attacq has sold 38 000 square metres and held 173 000 square metres of the development.
Some new tenants include Honda, Premier Foods, City Lodge, Westcon and Angel Shack. About 176 000 square metres is under construction with Novartis, Colgate, Servest and more, expected to occupy this year. Wilken said another development would include the new 25-storey PwC head office.
Attacq is also building a R150 million bridge to the Mall of Africa that is “more than 75%” pre-let. At 131 000 square metres, it will be South Africa’s biggest single-phase mall development, due to open in April 2016.


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FCC gets visited by Samsung GALAXY Note with T-Mobile 3G on board
0. phoneArena 12 Jun 2012, 05:41 posted on
T-Mobile users jonesing for the phablet known as the Samsung GALAXY Note might soon get their fix as the phone with the 5.3 inch screen visited the FCC recently wearing the 3G bands that are compatible with T-Mobile...
This is a discussion for a news. To read the whole news, click here
1. Galen20K (Posts: 541; Member since: 26 Dec 2008)
Wow, that's a lot of "What ifs" ha But seriously I'm very sure this is T-Mobile USA's Galaxy Note as it's already shown up in T-Mobile USA's inventory list and there has been far too much evidence to prove otherwise. Hopefully its toting an updated S4 processor which it really could be. However, I'm still getting the Galaxy S III on June 21st. Its still nice to see an Updated Galaxy Note tho. - )
2. hung2900 (Posts: 956; Member since: 02 Mar 2012)
Probably it will use Qualcomm Crapdragon S3 like At&t version. Sad.
6. remixfa (Posts: 14255; Member since: 19 Dec 2008)
HSPA+ is also 4g. Get over it. If wimax, which maxes at 12 and runs 3-5mb/s gets to pretend its 4g, then HSPA+ that maxes at 42 and runs at 10-30 most definitely is 4g. It runs nearly identical speeds to VZW.
The original article they got it from also said 4g. I think it was just a case of lazy copying.
If its truely only "3G", then it better be the exynos version. But since its 1700mhz band, its HSPA+.
7. g2a5b0e (Posts: 3724; Member since: 08 Jun 2012)
Just to clarify what remixfa just said, he's referring specifically to T-Mobile's HSPA+42 network. Not the HSPA+21 or HSPA+ variants.
10. remixfa (Posts: 14255; Member since: 19 Dec 2008)
though anything over 14mb/s is technically "4g" by american standards. By that standing, Sprint doesnt even qualify for the term since wimax maxes out at 12.
11. Alantef (Posts: 288; Member since: 14 Sep 2011)
maxes out at 12...i havent seen it go past 10 lol...
8. Alantef (Posts: 288; Member since: 14 Sep 2011)
this would have been sooooo nice to see in the tmo lineup about 2 or 3 months ago.....now at the same time as the S3 not sure if its gonna get much play
9. Birds (Posts: 1157; Member since: 21 Nov 2011)
I would not be surprised to see T-Mobile throw in an S4 and take the S3 and trash it....I have high hoes T-mobile.


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The results were announced by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) earlier this month at a public event and later in a follow-up formal statement.
“In 2019, the SAMR [tested] food samples from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, completing a total of some 244,000 random food safety batch tests covering 33 categories,” said SAMR.
“[We tested for] 558 indicators including microorganisms, agricultural and veterinary drug residues, food additives, biotoxins, heavy metals and other national food safety indicators, and [analysis has revealed] an overall passing rate of 97.6% (238,000) which is the same as the previous year and maintained at a 2.9% increase from 2014.”
The agency considered these results to demonstrate the food safety environment in China as ‘stable and positive’ but acknowledged that many problems still remain.
“China has many food production and operation facilities, very large consumer volumes, very long industrial chains from farm to table, and many new sales platforms such as e-commerce emerging,” said SAMR.
“Not all of these [food and retail companies] behave responsibly [which makes] the local food safety situation relatively complicated and there are still further food safety issues that need to be resolved.”
In the report, close to 6,000 samples were found to fail food safety tests and microbial contamination was the biggest food safety risk highlighted, making up 28.4% of all failed samples. This was followed by excessive food additives found which made up 22.9% of all failed samples and agricultural and veterinary drug residues at 16.7% of all failed samples.
“[By category], random sampling found that chilled beverages were amongst the most affected with 6.1% of failed samples, mainly caused by microbe contamination. Bee products (e.g. honey) also saw high rates of failed samples at 5.7% due to drug residues and microbes,” said the report.
Perhaps due to the increased amount of online shopping done during COVID-19, failed samples of foods sold via e-commerce were found to rise by 1.2% year-on-year to hit 3.2%.
“This reflects how food items sold via online shopping platforms need to be supervised and monitored more closely,” said SAMR.
Meat products (97% pass rate), processed foods (98.8%), edible oil (98.9%), egg products (99.5%), dairy products (99.7%) and infant formula (99.8%) all saw high pass rates, maintaining similar levels as in 2018.
Priority but slow progress
SAMR and Food Safety Committee Office Director Xiao Yaqing added that China President Xi Jinping had made food safety a major priority for his administration, but despite having made ‘great progress’, many challenges still lie ahead.
“China’s food safety system has made great progress [compared to where it was a few years back], but still faces many difficulties and challenges which require constant effort and long-term perseverance to overcome,” he said.
“The government will continue to plan prevention and control measures for normalised conditions [post-COVID-19] with food safety as a firm baseline for all strategies.
“Companies are expected to adhere to regulations and maintain the quality of their products, consumers need to monitor, academics need to make the science here more transparent for the public to understand, and media must maintain their objectivity when reporting on food safety.”
Zooming in on trade
Apart from its local food safety focus, China is also looking to improve its regulations to manage imported and exported food products.
China’s customs department issued a notice earlier this month seeking public opinion via its website, email or post to improve the food safety management of products traded in and out of the country.
“In accordance with President Xi Jinping’s food safety demands and to improve the food safety governance and quality of imported and exported foods, the Customs Department is seeking the public’s feedback on the ‘Import and Export Food Safety Management Measures (Draft)’ document,” said the department on its website.


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CHICO, CA – Bill Manley, the Communications Coordinator at Sierra Nevada confirmed today that the Chico brewery will be releasing some of it's beer camp beers in a mixed twelve pack in May.
"We have done 46 beer camps now so there are lots of beers to choose from," said Manley.
According to Manley the four beers included in the mix pack are going to be the Juniper Black Ale, an Imperial California Common, a Double IPA and a Weizenbock.
The Juniper Black Ale is described on the Beer Camp Site as a dark russet-colored beer that has an intricate aroma of roasted malt and fruity esters, with a touch of resinous pine note from the use of juniper berries.
Below are some images of two label approvals from the Juniper Black Ale and the California Common


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Aarti Dhapte is a senior analyst at the analysis company Market Research Future. She explained the challenges to overcome to make success of the digital dollar.
She said: “There may be drawbacks to a CBDC, notwithstanding the possibility that it might offer consumers and companies a secure, digital payment alternative as the global payment system develops.
“The US Federal Reserve highlighted maintaining financial stability and ensuring that the digital dollar will ‘complement conventional means of payment’ as two challenges. The central bank must also address significant policy concerns before enacting a CBDC, including guaranteeing that it protects Americans’ privacy and that the government keeps its authority to combat unlawful money.”


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This weekend, Spaceport America hosted a rocket launch for Armadillo Aerospace, a private exploration company.
Sunday's test marks the spaceport's 13th successful vertical launch test, according to the press release.
We're only blogging this because the photos are kind of freaking cool. Space! Remember when it used to be more exciting that credit default swaps?
Photos courtesy of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority.


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By MacRumors Staff
Review: Quarter is an External Battery for the iPhone That Charges With a MagSafe Cable
Beaver Electronics Co. has debuted a unique fast-charging external battery for the iPhone, which it's dubbed "Quarter," because it takes less than a quarter of the time to charge compared to a normal external battery. The secret lies in the charging method -- Quarter has a built-in MagSafe port that allows it to be connected to MacBook's MagSafe Power Adapter. Apple does not allow third-party...
Read Full Article (25 comments)


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All the latest from Freight Online
Two hundred extra HGV parking spaces will be available to hauliers when the first phase of the new and larger Ashford International Truckstop opens on 1 April.
The retail sector - and the logistics companies that serve it - risks becoming involved “in a race to the bottom” as it struggles to satisfy the demands of online consumers for low priced goods as well as cost-free and virtually immediate order fulfillment.
Logistics managers are being urged to seek absolute clarity over forklift Thorough Examinations, after it was revealed that lift trucks are involved in fifty per cent more serious accidents than HGVs.
The grounding of the world’s entire Boeing 737 Max 8 fleet could mean delays to overseas freight, international courier ParcelHero has warned.
Aerospace giant Airbus has begun shore-to-ship trials of its Skyways delivery drone in Singapore - the first time drone technology has been deployed in a real port.


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The report also criticises the Government for being far too slow to act, and says it should investigate and consider prosecuting Volkswagen for the use of defeat devices in its vehicles. The Committee has called upon the Department for Transport to ensure that car owners are not out of pocket in any way as a result of the emissions scandal or Volkswagen’s fixes to affected vehicles.
The report comes off the back of our calls for action from the UK Government. Earlier in the year, Richard Lloyd called for the Government to stand up for UK consumers and take action when giving evidence to the Committee’s inquiry. He also shared findings from our investigations on fuel emissions and views from our affected supporters.
Chair of the Transport Select Committee, Louise Ellman MP, today said:
‘Volkswagen Group has acted cynically to cheat emissions tests which exist solely to protect human health. Volkswagen’s evidence to us was just not credible but the Government has lacked the will to hold VW accountable for its actions. There is a real danger that VW will be able to get away with cheating emissions tests in Europe if regulators do not act.
‘Vehicle owners have been refused goodwill payments. That is despite VW inflicting a great deal of uncertainty on its own customers along with the prospect of declining residual values and the inconvenience of having to undergo repairs.’
Alex Neill, our Director of Policy and Campaigns, said:
‘Today's findings from the Transport Committee echo what UK consumers have been saying since the scandal was first uncovered. VW drivers have been treated unfairly and the Department of Transport has not done enough to hold VW to account.
‘The lack of action sends a message that companies who employ underhand tactics can get away with it. The new Transport Secretary must urgently get to grips with this issue and ensure that UK customers are treated fairly.’
If you agree that the Transport Secretary must urgently take action, please sign our petition.
The European Parliament today passed a resolution calling for improved EU emissions testing and supporting thorough investigation of the possible emission testing fraud.
After the Volkswagen emissions scandal, this is a step in the right direction, showing a strong will to restore consumers' confidence.
This resolution now puts additional pressure on the European Commission to better protect people against misleading fuel and emissions claims.
In particular, the resolution calls for:
- Real world tests to supplement laboratory testing, not only for air pollutants but also CO2 (and in turn fuel consumption);
- Conformity testing of production and in-use vehicles;
- Fuel consumption figures provided to consumers to be based on real world driving performance and not laboratory based findings;
- For further EU oversight of the type approval process and to consider the establishment of an EU wide surveillance authority;
- A robust EU-wide coordinated investigation into vehicle test manipulation;
- For consumers to be compensated when they have been misled and wrong-doing is confirmed
The resolution echoes many of our campaign asks and we'll continue to engage at EU level to ensure that misleading fuel claims are a thing of the past.
Volkswagen has come under fire for cheating official car pollution tests in the US and Europe.
VW has admitted rigging environmental tests. The scheme was discovered by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), which noticed discrepancies in results of laboratory and real-world testing of diesel Volkswagen cars in Europe. ICCT then tested the cars’ actual emissions in real-world driving in the US. To their surprise the pattern was repeated – while the cars passed lab tests performed by the California Air Resources Board, they failed the real-world tests.
So what was going on? Well, Volkswagen managed to artificially lower its tailpipe emissions by using a ‘defeat device’. This allowed Volkswagen to hide the fact that its diesel cars produce pollution up to 40 times the legal limit.
Volkswagen has said that 11 million of its diesel cars are affected worldwide, with models such as the Golf, Passat and Audi A3 included. The company has set aside €6.5bn to deal with the cost of the scandal.
Read more information on how VW rigged car tests.
Car makers claiming figures that are unachievable in real life isn’t news to us. We’ve repeatedly shown that their miles per gallon these claims very frequently miss their mark.
That’s why we’re calling for a new, more stringent fuel economy test to be put into place so that you can once again trust the official figures you see when purchasing a car. Sign our petition to back us.


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US economy grew at weak 1.1% rate in first quarter
The US economy slowed sharply from January through March, decelerating to just a 1.1 percent annual pace as higher interest rates hammered the housing market and businesses reduced their inventories.
Thursday’s estimate from the Commerce Department showed that the nation’s gross domestic product — the broadest gauge of economic output — weakened after growing 3.2 percent from July through September and 2.6 percent from October through December. But consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of US economic activity, remained resilient, growing at a 3.7 percent annual pace, the fastest such rate in nearly two years. Spending on goods, in particular, was solid: It rose at its fastest pace since the second quarter of 2021.
Economists had been expecting overall GDP to grow at a 1.9 percent pace in the January-March quarter. Behind much of the quarter’s weakness was a sharp reduction in business inventories, which subtracted roughly 2.3 percentage points from overall growth. Companies typically slash their inventories when they anticipate a coming downturn.
The economy’s slowdown reflects the impact of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive drive to tame inflation. The surge in borrowing costs is expected to send the economy into a recession sometime this year. Though inflation has steadily eased from the four-decade high it reached last year, it remains far above the Fed’s 2 percent target.
“The economy had less forward momentum at the start of this year than previously thought,” Andrew Hunter of Capital Economics wrote in a research note. “We continue to expect the drag from higher interest rates and tightening credit conditions to push the economy into a mild recession soon.”
Many economists say the cumulative impact of the Fed’s rate hikes has yet to be fully felt.


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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has a message for Google, Yahoo. and other Internet companies: make sure online ads are clearly distinguished from regular Web-search results to avoid misleading customers.
The FTC, updating recommendations in place for more than a decade, said search sites are displaying advertising more prominently on pages while doing less to highlight it. That has made it difficult for users to distinguish ads from results that aren't backed by ad dollars, the FTC said. The regulator lamented a "decline in compliance" with guidelines from 2002.
"In recent years, the features traditional search engines use to differentiate advertising from natural search results have become less noticeable to consumers," the FTC wrote in a sample letter posted on its website, dated June 24. "We encourage you to review your websites or other methods of displaying search results, including your use of specialized search, and make any necessary adjustments to ensure you clearly and prominently disclose any advertising."