text:
There were rumors of updates to be announced just before 2016, but they should have been made with the announcement of the new iPhone 6S and iPad Pro if that were the case.
While Apple has yet to confirm the reported price point of the 2016 MacBook Air, assuming that it is true, then it will certainly take the record as the lowest-priced Apple laptop in history when it hits the retail markets next year.
But let's not forget that Apple's products are far from being cheap, so the iPad Pro might not be the first choice for anybody looking for such a tablet, which might lead to a change of plans.
This is according to a report from DigiTimes who claims that Apple has placed less than 2.5 million orders with their suppliers for the iPad Pro. According to a report published by Taiwanese Publication, Economic Daily News, it was said that the reason behind delay in launch of much awaited MacBook Pro and Air is because Apple wants to focus on the release of iPad Pro.
Furthermore, the new Intel Skylake processor provides improved performance to the device than any other processors out there.
On the whole, Apple and Intel still need to confirm about this speculation. People are now becoming more and more interested in replacing laptops and tablets with devices that serves their goal at home and even on the go. For example, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 was revealed to have an advanced fingerprint sensor, and Google was very proud of its fingerprint sensor when they unveiled the Google Nexus devices for this year.
Although both 2-in-1devices come with Bluetooth connectivity, the Apple device supports the new Bluetooth 4.2 standard and also a mobile data connection with LTE. All the features that were mentioned are at its best right now-and for a long time, Apple won't be touching the Macbook Air nor its standing features.
The 2016 MacBook Air will reportedly come with 13-inch and 15-inch versions, but will be both thinner and lighter compared to its predecessors.


text:
Radiohead has yet to disclose sales numbers on its latest album, In Rainbows, though fresh estimates are bubbling.
The first comes from Gigwise, which pointed to downloads of roughly 1.2 million several days ago, citing a source “close to the band”. That figure was echoed by a similar estimate of 1.3 million received by William Blanchard, owner of digital content delivery and ecommerce firm Lambcast, Ltd. Blanchard tracked sequential order numbers from the Radiohead website, and shared the top-level estimate with Digital Music News on Sunday.
But how many of those customers actually paid for the album? A survey of 5,000 participating fans by the London-based Telegraph offered a possible breakdown. The newspaper found that one quarter paid nothing or one pence, another half paid between one pence and £10 ($20.32), and the remainder volunteered higher prices or purchased the £40 ($81.30) box set.
Meanwhile, some dissatisfaction surrounds a choice by the band to deliver the album in a compression quality of 160kbps, a level that trumps iTunes but falls below standard CD-quality. The move appears part of a larger plan to motivate purchases of the more conventional CD album, slated for release early next year. The traditional disc – like the more complicated box version – will carry bonus tracks to encourage purchases. “If we didn’t believe that when people hear the music they will want to buy the CD, then we wouldn’t do what we are doing,” manager Bryce Edge recently told Music Week. “This is a solution for Radiohead, not for the industry.”

domain: news


text:
The boom of online grocery shopping: is your supermarket ready?
Grocery shopping is going digital.
Consulting firm The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) predicts that the online grocery market will grow globally from US$36 billion in 2013 to US$100 billion in 2018. Today, 39% of shoppers buy groceries online at least once in 3 months. This number has been increasing steeply in recent years, and is going to grow fast and steadily, as the digital natives – the Millennials and the generation after them – grow older and start having families of their own. In the future, blending online and offline shopping will be new normal.
Great opportunities in emerging markets
A recent research by Nielsen on global grocery shopping preferences reveals that online grocery shopping is already common, at least in some regions. More than one third (37%) of respondents from Asia-Pacific regularly do their shopping online. The figure is even higher in China, where 46% of people say they use an online ordering and delivery service. Click and collect and virtual supermarkets are also very widespread. Although the e-commerce penetration is high, there are still many untapped opportunities. 60% of people who do not yet shop online in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa/Middle East say they plan to use e-commerce sites for their shopping in the future.
Amazon, Google… and you?
The market is still fresh and growing, and new and old dynamic players are entering the race. Amazon Fresh is now delivering fruits and vegetables straight from the farm to people’s homes in selected US cities. Google Express is following suit. In September 2015 the company announced plans to start delivering fresh fruits and healthy foods at people’s doors in selected locations. Instacart, the startup delivery service that partners up with grocery stores, was named one of Forbes’s most promising companies of 2015. Supermarkets should not waste time, and enter the online market now. In order to succeed, however, it is important to understand what customers want.
So why do people shop for grocery online?
Although some people enjoy going to the supermarket and looking for products, many others do not like doing the shopping. A Deloitte research revealed that people especially dislike shopping for food because it is time consuming, stores are crowded and the queue at the checkout is slow and boring. Many also dislike the inconvenience of having to drive to and from the store. A Hartman Group report confirms that most people do their grocery shopping online purely for reasons of convenience: to save time, to save money and to avoid having to drive to the store. How can you create a successful e-commerce website, tapping into grocery shoppers’ desire for convenience and speed? Stay tuned for the second half of this two-part blog, where we are going to give you some key tips to build an effective online shopping portal.


text:
Apple has fixed two zero-day vulnerabilities affecting iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Monterrey that may have been actively exploited.
The first exploit is a remote code execution (RCE) flaw affecting Apple’s proprietary browser engine WebKit, tracked as CVE-20220-32893.
An attacker could maliciously alter a web page and if visited by a WebKit-powered browser, then unauthorised code could run on unpatched devices.
WebKit is Apple’s browser engine and is naturally used to power the native Safari browser on currently supported iPhones and iPads. It’s also the engine that Apple compels app developers to use when building for its mobile devices.
Other apps that may not be browsers primarily, but have browsing features within them, also use WebKit to display web content which means the vulnerability may have a wide-reaching attack surface.
Devices affected by CVE-20220-32893 include iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, iPod touch (7th generation), and macOS Monterrey.
This vulnerability is the third critical WebKit bug Apple has been made to fix this year after the first two patches were released within weeks of each other at the start of the year.
The second zero-day exploit patched by Apple on Wednesday is a kernel-level code execution bug that can be abused once an attacker gains an initial foothold on an affected device.
Tracked as CVE-2022-32894, one way an attacker could achieve that initial foothold is by exploiting the aforementioned WebKit flaw, according to researchers at Sophos.
This means an attacker “could jump from controlling just a single app on your device to taking over the operating system kernel itself, thus acquiring the sort of ‘administrative superpowers’ normally reserved for Apple itself,” said Paul Ducklin, principal research scientist at Sophos.
Such privileges could afford an attacker the ability to carry out activities such as spying on apps, accessing nearly all data on the device, retrieving locations, using cameras, taking screenshots, activating the microphone, and more, he said.
Like the WebKit flaw, the code required to exploit this vulnerability would have to be embedded within a maliciously crafted web page and executed after the WebKit vulnerability had already been exploited.
Cyber resiliency and end-user performance
Reduce risk and deliver greater business success with cyber-resilience capabilities
This zero-day also affects all the aforementioned iPhone and iPad devices, in addition to Macs running macOS Monterrey.
Both issues were caused by an out-of-bounds write issue and were addressed by improving the bounds checking of the vulnerable components.
The two vulnerabilities patched by Apple on Wednesday represent the sixth and seventh zero-day exploits that Apple has been forced to fix this year.
Get the ITPro. daily newsletter
Receive our latest news, industry updates, featured resources and more. Sign up today to receive our FREE report on AI cyber crime & security - newly updated for 2023.
Connor Jones has been at the forefront of global cyber security news coverage for the past few years, breaking developments on major stories such as LockBit’s ransomware attack on Royal Mail International, and many others. He has also made sporadic appearances on the ITPro Podcast discussing topics from home desk setups all the way to hacking systems using prosthetic limbs. He has a master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield, and has previously written for the likes of Red Bull Esports and UNILAD tech during his career that started in 2015.


text:
The Lupus Foundation of America announced they're accepting cryptocurrencies for donation.
Looking to provide more convenience to their donors and supporters, the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) added a new method to donate to the organization. The foundation now accepts donation in the form of cryptocurrency, as announced on their official website Lupus.org.
The foundation will be working with The Giving Block, a blockchain company to start accepting Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC) as donation.
On the announcement, the LFA's president and CEO, Stevan W. Gibson said, "We recognize the benefit of accepting cryptocurrency and the groundbreaking nature of blockchain technology."
Furthermore, he added, "With this new capability, we are also looking forward to expanding into accepting more cryptocurrencies as well as how we can leverage blockchain to elevate our impact as we see more individuals and organizations using this technology."


text:
LOS ANGELES, CA – Lovers is proud to announce their first-time sponsorship of the 2020 Transgender Erotica Awards. The popular toy store and their family of brands, A Touch of Romance and Christal’s, signed on as a Silver Sponsor.
“Supporting the Transgender Erotic Awards was a natural alignment as we work to promote inclusivity and sex-positivity, and champion new ideas and expression of erotic art within the adult industry,” said Lovers CMO, Jessica Ivey.
“Lovers’ commitment to inclusivity and sex-positivity is something I’ve always admired about the brand,” added TEA Executive Producer, Kristel Penn. “To have a company as big as theirs support our show helps to elevate our platform and extends our message to a greater audience we might not have reached otherwise. We’re very grateful for their support of the show.”
Lovers Family of Stores, known as Lovers (WA/OR), A Touch of Romance (CA), and Christal’s (TX/TN) provides high-quality toys, curated products, and education in a safe, sex-positive space. Visit their official website at https://www.loverspackage.com.
ABOUT THE TEAs
The Transgender Erotica Awards (the TEAs) are a two-day event held in Hollywood, CA, during the weekend of March 13-15, 2020. The event is the only of its kind and celebrates the accomplishments of the trans adult industry. More details about the event will be released in the months to come. Visit their official website at theTEAShow.com. The 2020 sponsorship packages are now posted here: https://theteashow.com/sponsors.


text:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carlisle Companies Incorporated (NYSE:CSL) reported $904.1 million in net sales from continuing operations for the third quarter 2014, an increase of 13 percent versus the prior year. The company achieved sales growth in all of its segments, led by 16 percent organic sales growth at Carlisle Construction Materials (CCM) and 11 percent organic sales growth at Carlisle Interconnect Technologies (CIT). The positive impact on net sales from fluctuations in foreign exchange was less than 0.1 percent.
Income from continuing operations in the third quarter 2014 rose 30 percent to $86.3 million, or $1.31 per diluted share. Income growth was primarily driven by higher sales volume in all segments and savings from the Carlisle Operating System.
For the nine months ended Sept. 30, net sales from continuing operations of $2.41 billion grew 8.8 percent over the prior year period, reflecting organic growth of 8.5 percent and the positive impact of fluctuations in foreign exchange of 0.3 percent. Income from continuing operations for the nine months ended Sept. 30 rose 13 percent to $198.4 million, or $3.01 per diluted share. Income from continuing operations for the nine month period included a discrete tax benefit of $11.8 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, from the release of a deferred tax liability in connection with a tax election in a foreign jurisdiction.
David A. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We had a very strong third quarter with 13 percent sales growth and 22 percent growth in EBIT (earnings before interest and income taxes). Sales were up in all of our segments with exceptional organic sales growth at CCM and CIT. The double digit growth at both CCM and CIT demonstrate healthy market demand as well as solid execution on selling initiatives. We also increased EBIT margin in all of our segments and our consolidated EBIT margin rose 100 basis points to 14.8 percent reflecting favorable leverage of our sales growth."


text:
MARBELLA’S Mayor has met with local hotel owners to put together a tourism strategy.
Angeles Muñoz, held a meeting with hotel managers, explaining, “the objective is to agree with them the whole town’s tourist policy and get across that our presence at national and international fairs goes hand in hand with the hotel sector and then we can combine everyone’s interests.”
He emphasised, “if they have a good hotel occupancy it will mean a significant income for the town and better resources,” while explaining the importance of having “such a powerful and competitive sector,” with more than 15,000 hotel rooms available. The Mayor also praised the “excellent quality,” of the hotels on offer, adding, “I am grateful that we have had this day of debate and a meeting.”
For his part, the director of hotel Los Monteros and member of the Association of Hoteliers of the Costa del Sol, Fernando Al-Farkh, explained thanks to this type of meeting, “we can convey to the mayor our concerns and work together to improve the town.” He also advocated the importance of “maintaining the image of quality and exceptional offerings” Marbella has.


text:
Gross domestic product expanded by 0.7 percent in the third quarter of 2009, according to the Federal Statistics Office (Desatis). It also revised an initial estimate for the second quarter slightly higher, to growth of 0.4 percent from 0.3 percent previously.
“The German economy has emerged from the deep recession earlier and faster than many had thought,” ING senior economist Carsten Brzeski said.
Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had nonetheless expected third quarter growth of 0.8 percent for Europe’s biggest economy.
But the data is vital for Europe because it shows the biggest economy in the region is now pulling firmly away from the deepest recession since World War II.
On a 12-month basis, activity contracted by 4.8 percent when corrected for calendar effects, in line with forecasts and an improvement from the revised decrease of 5.8 percent in the second quarter.
Germany’s export-oriented economy was slammed by the global downturn, but is now benefiting from fresh demand for its machine tools, automobiles and chemical products. Destatis confirmed that growth was being driven by exports, corporate investment and construction, while private consumption had waned.
Economy Minister Karl-Theodore zu Guttenberg forecast in October that the economy would grow by 1.2 percent in 2010, a much improved outlook from April. Germany has recovered quicker than many of its neighbours, spurred on by huge injections of cash – some €80 billion ($119 billion) – from the government.
“Recent monthly data indicate that industrial production and a turning inventory cycle were the main drivers of growth,” Brzeski noted.
The International Monetary Fund hiked its forecast for Germany last month, predicting 2010 output of 0.3 percent.
The country still faces the prospect of rising unemployment however, despite subsidised shorter working hours that have limited the damage.
Officials now expect the number of jobless to average 4.1 million people next year, many fewer than feared at the height of the economic crisis.


text:
Thanksgiving is no longer a one-day party in the festive time. It is the start off of a 5-day event dubbed Cyber 7 days or Cyber Five. The event is made up of Thanksgiving followed by Black Friday, Modest Enterprise Saturday, Super Sunday, and Cyber Monday. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the Friday and Monday pursuing Thanksgiving.
Not just Cyber 7 days, Thanksgiving also marks the formal commencement of the holiday period by itself. Talking about BFCM, the development began when customers, who preferred to get their procuring accomplished ASAP to stop their preferred products and solutions from likely out of stock, started searching for Xmas correct at the end of Thanksgiving.
There is typically high desire for goods these types of as toys, home furnishings, mattresses, and apparel on Black Friday. At the same time, Cyber Monday is recognised for small price ranges on tech-similar products, like smartphones, laptops, TVs, gaming consoles, and VR units.
With the development of e-commerce, switching tendencies, and customers’ rising searching desires, BFCM 2022, just like the very last couple of several years, has come to be much more than just a pair of times by beginning months before and extending weeks right after.
For that reason, the finest option to convey in a lot more consumers to your retail store, positively effects them, and in the end increase revenue margins is now.
In this article are some tips and methods for you to make the ideal out of BFCM 2022.


text:
Highland Court Estate in Kent is one of two fruit businesses owned by Farmcare which will be sold as a stand alone entity. The other is Tillington Estate in Herefordshire.
Farmcare farms 13,000 hectares over 11 sites and was formerly run as Co-op Farms, but was sold to the Wellcome Trust in 2014.
A statement said following a lengthy review of its business, Farmcare was announcing “a restructuring plan that will increase the economic resilience of its farms and ensure their longterm prosperity.”
The company is already in negotiations with potential farming business partners, who will take over the operational management of the farms.
The plan will also see Farmcare closing its central office in Barnsley. In the short term there will be no change to operations on the farms, but the Farmcare board has said it will cease operational farming before September 2018.
Apart from the two fruit estates, Farmcare’s operations include arable farms producing crops such as potatoes, cereals and vegetables at Goole and Wykeham in Yorkshire, Blairgowrie and Aberdeen, Louth in Lincolnshire, Down Ampney in Gloucestershire, Stoughton in Leicester and Coldham Estate in Cambridgeshire.
The business employs a total of 83 staff, with 68 farm based staff and 15 office based staff.


text:
Economists and regulators are buzzing again about the perils of low inflation, or perhaps deflation, a topic that has flared up several times in the past couple of years. While fixed-income investors and other consumers may welcome flat or falling prices, the condition can be devastating to borrowers.
The best rule of thumb in a period of deep financial and economic uncertainty: Be especially cautious with long-term commitments.
The annual inflation rate is around 1%, compared with a long-term average around 3%, and many economists are warning that the U.S. could fall into deflation, a persistent decline in prices across the board. Instead of spurring consumer spending, falling prices during deflation discourage it, as consumers wait for prices to go even lower.
Company revenues and profits then fall, causing employers to lay off workers. The unemployed, or those who worry they might soon be, spend less, perpetuating the downward spiral. As corporate profits fall, stock prices follow.
The most hard-hit in this scenario are borrowers, however, who must continue making payments while their incomes fall and their assets, such as homes, lose value.
At first glance, low or negative inflation might look good for retirees who depend on interest-bearing holdings such as bank savings, which protect principal. But savings yields typically fall during such periods, while the cost of living can rise despite flat or falling prices in the broader economy. Health care, for instance, may continue to become more expensive even in a deflationary period, and an older person may need more of it as time goes on.
Savers can try to minimize the damage by locking in healthy yields while they can. Yields on five-year CDs, for example, average around 1.7%, compared with a mere 0.4% on six-month CDs, according to a BankingMyWay.com survey. The shopping tool shows many banks and credit unions paying between 2.75% and 3% on five-year CDs.


text:
Los Angeles is the one of the wimpiest cities in the nation, according to a 2nd annual study released by “America's Manliest Cities” and reported by NBC news. Sterling's Best Places, a survey company, conducted the study.
Out of 50 cities evaluated, Angelenos ranked only 48 on the toughness scale, but did manage to climb one notch above its ranking of 49 last year.
According to the study's website, each city is ranked on a point system based on specific criteria. The criteria, or “manly categories,” as dubbed by the study, include sports, specifically the quantity and quality of a city's sports teams, lifestyles, concentration of retail stores (Black Angus and Home Depot yes, Bed, Bath and Beyond no), magazine subscriptions (Maxim yes, Oprah and Vogue no) occupations and salty snack sales. The study was commissioned by Combos Snacks, just in case you're wondering about the relevance of salty snacks in judging a city's manliness.
There was also a manly “kryptonite emasculating / criteria” that subtracted points for certain retail stores. Cities lost points if they have an overabundance of home furnishings stores, coffee shops, sushi restaurants and “modern male” apparel stores. With that in mind, blame the overabundance of Starbucks and H&M retail locations for lowering our masculinity factor.
The honor for the top manliest city goes to Charlotte, N.C.; while Portland, Ore. assumes the dubious title of the least manly city in the nation and probably the least likely to throw a perfect spiral.


text:
Lowe’s updates its military discount
Lowe's Companies Inc. said it will expand its military discount program by offering 10% off personal purchases every day to current and honorably discharged members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The new program uses a MyLowes card for quick identification. The discount is effective immediately.
The Mooresville, N.C.-based home center giant had offered 10% discounts to military in the past. Here are some of the new features of the new program:
The ability to shop online at Lowes.com and receive the discount
Speedier in-store checkout using a MyLowes card to quickly identify current or honorably discharged members of the U.S. Armed Forces
Free parcel shipping with no minimum purchase, when shopping online as a MyLowes card holder
The discount available every day for current and honorably discharged members of the U.S. Armed Forces
Lowe’s CEO Robert Niblick said the new policy is consistent with the values of company founder Carl Buchan, an Army veteran who was inspired in business by the idea of helping veterans build and improve their homes.
Currently, more than 10,000 Lowe’s employees are U.S. military veterans or members of the Guard or Reserve, and nearly 800 are deployed to active duty.
Lowe’s is not the only national home center chain to support the military and veterans with discounts. Home center rival The Home Depot also offers 10% discounts. It applies to all active-duty military and their dependents, retired and disabled veterans and their dependents. On patriotic holidays — Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day — all other veterans and their dependents receive 10% off.
Those discounts are in addition to the “$250 million commitment to veterans housing and the hard work of our Team Depot volunteers, through which we've improved more than 30,000 veterans’ homes and facilities,” said Stephen Holmes, a Home Depot spokesman. “We also recruit and employ approximately 35,000 veterans.”


text:
RESTON, Va.—The Tire Association of North America has announced two new government affairs initiatives in anticipation of heightened legislative and regulatory activity affecting the tire industry.
The first is a new online legislative service allowing TANA members to track tire industry legislation, examine congressional voting records and e-mail their views to representatives by means of a new government affairs section of the group's Web site—www.tana.net.
The Reston-based trade group also launched a Political Action Committee—TirePAC—to further enhance its government-affairs efforts.
While introducing the association's new Web-based government affairs service, TANA President Tom Wright said that "with a click of a mouse, members can see how legislation may impact their business and then immediately e-mail the appropriate legislators on Capitol Hill."
After keying in a zip code at the Web site, users instantly receive information about their representatives in Congress and an update on legislation affecting the tire industry.
The user can then click on their representatives' e-mail addresses and, by following the TANA-suggested "talking points" presented on the screen, create and send an e-mail letter that is delivered immediately.
"This new service is powered by one of the most comprehensive and effective Web-based congressional software packages on the market today," said TANA Director of Government Affairs Rebecca "Becky" MacDicken, who was hired in May.
"By providing a great resource for government affairs information and advocacy, we're making it easy for tire dealers to become directly involved in the political process," she said.
The Web-based service and political action committee are the latest in a series of efforts to boost TANA's influence on Capital Hill—particularly in view of the barrage of potential regulation that has followed Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.'s recent recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires.
TANA's legislative efforts, headed by Ms. MacDicken, played a "major role" in persuading Congress to narrow the scope of criminal penalties applying to tire dealers and retreaders in the final bill—H.R. 5164, which was passed by the U.S. House and Senate in October, and now awaits a presidential signature.
The original bill proposed in the Senate included broad criminal penalties for dealers, retreaders and tire manufacturers and would have subjected dealers and retreaders to prison sentences of up to five years had a customer been injured in an accident linked to a tire that was known to be unsafe at the time it was sold.
The legislation also would have opened the floodgates to costly product liability lawsuits against dealers, retreaders and tire makers, TANA said. Due in no small part to its legislative efforts, the group noted, the bill that was finally passed no longer included the sweeping criminal penalties that were objectionable.
In fact, Senator Henry Waxman, D-Calif., a strong proponent of the tougher Senate bill, criticized the final wording of the measure as likely to "have no meaningful impact."
Mr. Waxman has vowed to introduce more stringent legislation during the coming 107th Congressional session.


text:
At Apple’s Spring Forward event in San Francisco, where the Cupertino, California, company announced the latest MacBook in an event which is going to be thinnest and lightest device with 2 pounds, it’s the lightest notebook ever designed by the company. Actually this upcoming MacBook is 24% thinner than the current MacBook Air.
To get the thinness, Apple has redesigned many components of the MacBook. Even Macbook’s keyboard has been changed to what Apple calls a butterfly mechanism, and keys are now 40 percent thinner and 17 percent larger and are individually lit by light-emitting diodes. Even you can see some changes in Track Pad with Force Touch and Taptic technology, first introduced by Apple in the Watch. Apple ditched almost all connectors on the outside, replacing them with USB-C connectors that can be used to accommodate USB, Display Port, HDMI and VGA inputs.
According to some earlier reports, this 12-inch Retina display now comes the edge to edge, eschewing the thick bezel commonly seen in current MacBooks, while coming in at 0.88mm, the thinnest display panel on a Mac. Internally, Apple has also redesigned the logic board to pack more components like 1.3GHz Intel Core M in less space.
This thinnest and very light MacBook will be available in Gold, Silver and Space grey soon with a price tag of $1,299. Probably this smart device starts shipping from April 1st week. Stay tune for more details.


text:
What’s the future for Spotify, the world’s biggest music streaming service, which has seen its share price tumble in recent months?
While the company is still valued at $9.2 billion, it’s now estimated to be worth $1.8 billion to $1,8 billion.
The fall has hit the company hard.
The company posted a net loss of $1 billion for the last quarter, and it’s been hit by the fallout from Spotify’s decision to buy Beats, the Beats Music subsidiary.
Spotify has been trying to revive its fortunes in recent weeks with the launch of the streaming service of its choice, Spotify Premium, and the launch on Tuesday of a new subscription service that includes unlimited music.
It has also been trying its hand at adding other subscription services, but none has quite hit the market yet.
Spotio has also struggled to find a home in the market.
The service launched in 2016 and has grown rapidly in popularity, with the number of active users now approaching 2 billion.
The market share of Spotify is currently around 20 per cent.
The price of Spotify Premium has also fallen, to $10.99 from $9 a month.
Spotify also recently lost a major customer: Apple Music.
The company is also under pressure from other competitors.
Spotify has also lost its share of subscribers to Spotify, as it tries to make up lost ground in the US market and has struggled to attract more mainstream listeners.
The next major battle for Spotify may be to convince Spotify that the music business is its future, according to some analysts.
It’s not just the streaming subscription business that Spotify will be fighting for, said Mark Suster, head of research at digital music consultancy Dealogic.
The music business, he said, was not something that Spotify should be focused on, and there are many other business areas Spotify should focus on.
“We can’t think about Spotify being a streaming service forever,” he said.
“The music is a big part of our future.
Spotify will always need to be able to compete with the bigger players in the world.”
What are the big problems facing Spotify?
The music industry has been facing a number of major problems over the last few years.
The streaming subscription service is now the most popular music subscription service in the U.S. and in Australia, and Spotify has been struggling to find an audience.
Spotcoma has faced accusations of favouring the music industry over consumers.
The new service is not only designed to offer an exclusive subscription to Spotify that gives it exclusive access to the biggest artists and most-watched songs, but also allows users to download songs and listen to them on Spotify.
While Spotify is not the only music subscription in the United States, it is by far the largest, according a recent report from Dealogics.
The problem for Spotify is that the service has been designed to be the default music subscription.
The music industry sees the default as a way of making money, said Mr Suster.
Spotstream is also a business that has been slow to adapt to the changes in the music world.
The digital music industry is now facing new competition from streaming services, as the internet-connected listening devices have become increasingly popular.
Spot Spotify Premium is also more expensive than the free service.
Spotify Premium can cost up to $15 a month, while Spotify Premium Plus costs $19 a month and Premium Plus can be as expensive as $30 a month if you add on some other content.
In the US, Spotify is facing competition from Pandora, which also offers a free service and a free music subscription that allows you to listen to songs you have bought with your Spotify account.
In Australia, Spotify has had some success, but its position has been weaker than that of Pandora, where Spotify’s success has been much more spectacular.
The streaming subscription company is facing several challenges from streaming music companies.
It is also facing competition in the advertising space from Google and Apple.
Spotie has also faced some criticism from the music industries and consumer groups.
The major music labels have also said that they do not want to give Spotify any more money, and some artists have been vocal about wanting the streaming company to be more inclusive.
Spoti is also in a battle with Apple Music, which is the most-used streaming service in Australia.
Spoty is now more important to the music companies than Spotify, said Dealogica analyst Tim Muehlhofer.
Spotify, like other streaming services such as Apple Music and Rdio, is an afterthought to the bigger labels, and Apple is often the first to offer something for free.


text:
(Bloomberg) -- Chinese demand for Bordeaux is focusing on vintages available now, such as the 2000, reversing the emphasis on futures that dominated the 2009 bull market, said Philippe Dhalluin, managing director of Chateau Mouton Rothschild.
“We have a very solid market on deliverable vintages, in particular for years like 2000,” Dhalluin said in an interview in London. The surge in prices that took place for 2009 and 2010 wines before they were physically available “was a boom on the futures market, which became at that time a little inflationist.”
Chinese demand for 2009 and 2010 vintages helped drive the Liv-ex Fine Wine 50 Index of recent Bordeaux to a peak in June 2011, from which it has since fallen 40 percent as demand ebbed amid a crackdown on gift-giving in China and as high prices caused collectors to shift their attention to wine from other regions.
“Now the market has matured and clients prefer to buy vintages when they are available in bottle, because futures are something which are perhaps a little misunderstood,” Dhalluin said. In mainland China “we can see a market which is solid and where there is growth for deliverable wines.”
This has helped raise the price of a case of Mouton 2000 by about 30 percent since July 2012 to $19,100, according to Liv-ex data. By comparison the 2009 and 2010 wines have plunged more than 35 percent from their initial futures prices to trade at $7,300. The 2005 vintage is priced at $6,600.
Those years for Mouton are the four highest-rated by U.S. critic Robert Parker since its 1986 vintage.
Mouton’s wines since 2011 are priced at about $3,200 to $4,500 a case.
Dhalluin was speaking after a trip to Asia, which included an auction at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong of Mouton wines shipped directly from the chateau.
The top lot contained vintages spanning the years 1945 to 2012, excluding 1958 and 1963. It fetched HK$2.94 million ($380,000), beating a high estimate of HK$2 million.
Dhalluin’s trip took advantage of the approaching Chinese Year of the Sheep by promoting the estate’s emblematic ram, an English translation of “Mouton.”
Another coveted lot was from the 2000 vintage featuring the ram on its label. Consisting of six standard-size bottles, six 1.5-liter magnums, a 5-liter jeroboam, a 6-liter imperial and a 15-liter nebuchadnezzar, it sold for HK$1.7 million, compared with a high estimate of HK$1.2 million.
Read original article


text:
ATLANTA - Athens won't be able to get out of the economic doldrums any time soon, according to a forecast released Wednesday.
Send to a friend
Subscribe to the Banner-Herald
E-mail the Editor
Discuss in Forums
Tight state budgets are mainly to blame, says the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University.
In the last 28 months since the recession of 2001 ended, Athens has only added 575 jobs, mostly in professional and business services, education/health and government. The sectors losing jobs are manufacturing, leisure/hospitality and retailing.
''Athens has recently experienced a rough couple of quarters,'' writes Rajeev Dhawan, director of the center.
In the first quarter of this year, Athens lost 1.3 percent of its jobs. In the quarter before, the last three months of 2003, employment decreased 1.7 percent.
Manufacturing hasn't recovered since the end of the 2001 recession, bleeding off 1,045 jobs in the Athens area while the rest of the economy was rebounding.
The loss of factory jobs is part of a national trend that Dhawan said will slow slightly due to an overall improvement in the economy and a weaker dollar that helps U.S. plants export competitively. But manufacturing will continue shedding jobs slower or faster for the foreseeable future.
What is strange, though, is the loss of retail and hospitality jobs in Athens over the previous two quarters. Merchants cut their work rolls by 700, and hotel and restaurant owners have eliminated 935 in the same period, which includes the holiday season when those sectors usually add temporary workers.
''For a university town, a drop in leisure and hospitality, and retail trade, is a curious occurrence, given that the population is constantly increasing,'' Dhawan writes. ''It is possible that this drop may be the result of a data anomaly and will self-correct later in the year.''
Athens has the state's lowest unemployment rate at 2.2 percent, compared to 3.6 percent for Georgia as a whole. The forecast released Wednesday predicts unemployment won't worsen, but new jobs won't be quickly created either. A young population that moves easily into and out of town for jobs prevents an oversupply of workers when job creation lags.
The forecast calls for job creation for all of 2004 to end up at 0.4 percent, with another anemic rate of 0.9 percent in 2005.
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Eating fish regularly can be a healthy part of your diet, due to its high levels of protein, vitamins, and minerals and the fact that it offers lower amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat than meat.
However, not all fish is created equal (even within the same family), and factors like current farming and fishing practices, mercury content, and sustainability can all play a role in the healthiness of a type of fish.
So, which kinds of fish should you be making a point of incorporating into your diet? INSIDER spoke to registered dietitian nutritionist Amy Gorin, owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in the New York City area, to help answer that question and shed some light on what you should be looking for when adding fish to your diet.
Here are 10 of the healthiest fish to eat, according to an expert. Continue at Source: 9 of the healthiest fish to eat, according to a nutritionist


text:
Microsoft is adding a new AI-powered Copilot key to its physical keyboards as it continues its recent chatbot push.
The tech giant said this first significant change to its consoles for 30 years was a “transformative” moment.
Microsoft has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence in recent years – the company has been a significant backer of OpenAI, the research organisation that launched ChatGPT to critical and commercial success in late 2022.
OpenAI will be the brains behind Microsoft’s new Copilot features.
When users press the key, they will be able to access a range of AI-powered functions.
Microsoft says Copilot will help users find emails, write new messages, find information, and create images.
It can even complete more advanced tasks like summarising lengthy articles and comparing prices for products and services.
According to Microsoft’s executive vice president, Yusuf Medhi, the features will “simplify” and “amplify” the experience of using Windows.
The addition of Copilot is the first major change to Microsoft’s keyboards since the company added the Windows key.
All new devices, including the company’s Surface laptops, will have a Copilot key starting in February 2024.
Users can already use a Windows key + C shortcut to access Copilot, but a physical button will make the process even easier.
Professor John Tucker, who works at the University of Swansea, says the new key highlights “the value the company is placing on this particular feature”.
Several major tech companies have been investing in AI features during the last 12 months.
Google recently launched its own AI system, Bard, which has been integrated into Google Search.
Microsoft has also added ChatGPT functionality to its browser, Edge, and the Bing search engine.


text:
Virtual conference analyses the classic sports alternatives, the Latin American market, and the Affiliate Industry during COVID-19 on the 7th of May.
European Gaming Media and Events, (part of Hipther Agency) has always been among the top quality providers of content and interesting discussions and this hasn’t changed in the new era of virtual conferences. The team is bringing together an extensive list of gambling industry experts who will join several special panel discussions at their first virtual conference this year which will take place on the 7th of May.
You can register on this link to save your seat (no travel needed, you can attend from the comfort of your home or office)
PLEASE NOTE: If you are already a registered delegate of MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit, you don’t have to purchase a new ticket!
EXPLORING THE ALTERNATIVES TO CLASSIC SPORTS BETTING
The time has come for Virtual Sports, Fantasy Sports, eSports and Social Gaming to flourish. Sports bettors are spending more time betting on Virtual Sports and Fantasy Sports. The engagement in Social Gaming has also seen growth. But, will this hype continue once all is resumed? The experts of the “ALTERNATIVES TO CLASSIC SPORTS BETTING ARE FLOURISHING” panel discussion, which will be moderated by Vasco Albuquerque (SEO Manager at All-in Global), is joined by Anastasios (Tassos) Panagiotaros (Sales Director at Golden Race – Virtual Sports & Betting Solution), Robert Toth (Business Development Manager at Global Bet Virtual Sports), Robert Dowling (Chief Commercial Officer at Singular), Ivan Rozić (Senior Vice President for Global Sales and Business Development at NSoft), and Dr. Holger Jakob (Senior Lawyer at MELCHERS LAW), – will add their point of view to the subject and create a clear view for operators that are currently looking for alternatives.
FOCUS ON LATIN AMERICA
Is the Emergence of LatAm markets stopped by the current shortage of sports events? Is the market adapting to the new demands of the global gambling audience? During the virtual conference, you have the opportunity to tap into local information by top Latin American experts in the “FOCUS ON LATIN AMERICA” panel discussion. The discussion will be moderated by Fernando Saffores (Founder & Director at Focus Gaming News – one of the most well-known daily gaming industry newspaper around the world) and will be joined by Karen Marcela Sierra-Hughes (Director, Latin America and Caribbean Government Relations and Business Development at Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®)), Angelo Alberoni (Business Relation Manager Vivagol Brasil / Bet Entertainment Technologies), Thomas Carvalhaes (Group Country Manager – Brazil and Latin America at LeoVegas) and Antonio Salord Domínguez (Sales Director Latam at Magellan Robotech).
THE AFFILIATES/MARKETING COMPANIES ARE IN DANGER?
The marketing industry is also suffering in the COVID-19 period. While regulation is claiming its toll, now there are different perspectives to look at. We will analyze how affiliates and affiliate managers are working together to sail out of these hard times. Marketing experts, Affiliate Industry Experts and Customer Engagement Evangelists are going to join the “HOW ARE AFFILIATES/MARKETING COMPANIES SURVIVING THIS PERIOD ON UNCERTAINTY?” panel discussion, which will be moderated by Lee-Ann Johnstone (Co-Founder of AffiliateINSIDER).
The discussion will be joined by Martin Calvert (Marketing Director at ICS), Magith Noohukha (Customer Engagement Evangelist at Braze), Eitan Gorodetsky (Director Of Acquisition at Betsson Group), and Assaf Stieglitz (President at Odds1x2 Holdings).
As mentioned above the virtual edition of #MBGS2020VE will be held on the 7th of May and will gather 300 gambling industry professionals who can attend virtually from their internet browser. The gathering will allow virtual delegates to network at virtual tables in the virtual deal room and conduct 1 on 1 meetings with their prospects/clients/partners.
The conference will start at 9:30 AM CET on the 7th of May and the participants will gain access to the platform on 23 April.
For further inquiries about the 2020 edition of MBGS and BSG Awards, speaking/attending/sponsoring options, make sure to send an e-mail to Andrada Bota (B2B Sales Executive at Hipther Agency) or subscribe to the weekly newsletter on the following link.
Among the supporters of the conference, you will also find Square in the Air as a strategic partner, and leading media outlets such as Online Casino Reports, CalvinaAyre.com, Focus Gaming News, Gioco News, iGaming Business, iGamingCalendar.com, Gambling Insider, InterGame, Global Legal Group, FortunaWeb, Commission Magazine, Slotegrator and much more.
Visit www.virtualedition.marebalticumgaming.com for more details!
For media-related inquiries, please contact Alexandru Marginean (Marketing Specialist at Hipther Agency).
MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit Live and BSG Awards
Information about the live edition of the conference and BSG Awards, which will be held on the 6th of August, will be announced at a later stage. The online voting stage for BSG Awards 2020 has been stopped and will be reset in order to allow all participants to focus on different matters.
A new online voting stage will be started between 1 and 30 June. Further information will be released in the upcoming weeks.
MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit, also known as the Baltic and Scandinavian Gaming Summit & Awards offers the opportunity for both new companies and veterans, to learn about industry insights and compliance update, while also being part of a group that is at the forefront of the gambling industry in the Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, and also from the DACH region.
The Summit approaches all regulatory and compliance related aspects of the mentioned markets and also highlights some trending topics of the gambling industry.
For more details visit www.marebalticumgaming.com
European Gaming Media and Events press contacts:
Zoltan Tuendik, Head of Business
[email protected], +40 735 559 234
Alex Marginean, Marketing Specialist
[email protected], +40 731 394 220
About the organizer, European Gaming Media and Events
European Gaming Media and Events is a leading media and boutique event organizer company in Europe and produces the prominent conferences in the region such as:
● CEEGC (Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference)
● CEEG Awards (Central and Eastern European Gaming Awards)
● Prague Gaming Summit
● MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit
● BSG Awards (Baltic and Scandinavia Gaming Awards)
● EGC (European Gaming Congress)
● SEG Awards (Southern European Gaming Awards)
● VIGE (Vienna International Gaming Expo)
The live events/conference division is in charge of organizing boutique style executive gaming events that focus on bringing inside information from the top gaming experts in the European Union and beyond.
In short, they cover most areas of Europe with international events that serve the local and global industry, optimize networking opportunities and bring the hottest topics into scope.
The event destinations in 2019 will include a further expansion for the company in their quest to enter the Western European region and bring their expertise to produce local gaming events.
For more details about the calendar, agendas and locations, visit the Live Events/Conferences section on europeangaming.eu


text:
THE world's biggest ever credit card fraud has finally been brought to the nation's attention, nearly two months after the story was first published in the Weekly News.
On February 8 readers were urged to double check their credit card and bank statements after customers' details were stolen in a hacking attack on computer systems at cut-price retailer TK Maxx.
Bosses at TK Maxx, which has a store at Trident Retail Park in Runcorn, circulated a confidential e-mail to employees alerting them to the security breach which took place in December.
The intrusion affected systems at parent company TJX which manages customer transactions such as credit and debit card payments and refunds.
British authorities have launched an inquiry into how the hackers managed to steal information from more than 45 million credit and debit card holders on both sides of the Atlantic.
One TK Maxx customer, who did not wish to be named, said: 'It is really worrying because you would think you could trust a big shop like that with your details.'
The full extent of the fraud is yet to be known, although some fraudulent activity has already been reported.
Concerned customers should ring 0800 779 015 or visit www.tkmaxx.com.


text:
Eurolife expands production of IV infusion bottlesDecember 17, 2019
Eurolife Healthcare announced to invest INR 100 crores for expanding its production capacity of closed intravenous infusion bottle.
The company has reported to have recently signed a pact with a Chinese firm in manufacturing infusion bottles with high-speed machinery using the latest technology.
With the investment, Eurolife plans to start the contract for production by the 1st Quarter of 2020. The increased production capacity will enable the manufacture of an additional 40 million of the close system IV bottles monthly, said Mr. Sandeep Toshniwal CEO, Eurolife Healthcare in a news release.
The new investment in technology and manufacture will enhance the company’s existing production capacity from 20 million to more than 60 million IV infusion bottles a month, said the company.


text:
Honda will begin selling two hybrid models produced in Japan—the Insight and CR-Z—in China before the end of 2012, said Honda Motor Co., Ltd. President & CEO Takanobu Ito in his speech at the 2010 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.
In addition, said Ito, Acura will introduce its first hybrid model within the next three years.
Last year, Honda sales set a new record of 580,000 units in China.
Honda is also introducing its premium crossover utility vehicle, the Crosstour, in China. The Crosstour will be produced by Guangqi Honda with sales to begin by the end of year 2010.
Honda is also exhibiting a concept model of the LI NIAN brand, Guangqi Honda’s proprietary automobile brand. The mass-production model of this concept car will be introduced at the Guangzhou Motor Show, scheduled at the end of this year.
Moreover, Dongfeng Honda will also begin its original brand. This will result in both Guangqi Honda and Dongfeng Honda having their original brands.


text:
SINGAPORE - Core inflation remained stable in May, as higher retail and food inflation offset a steeper decline in the prices of electricity and gas, according to data released on Monday (June 24).
Core inflation - which strips out private road transport and accommodation costs - came in at 1.3 per cent year on year in May, unchanged from the figures in April.
However, overall consumer prices rose slightly to 0.9 per cent in May, from 0.8 per cent in April. This was due to upward pressures from the non-core components of the consumer price index such as accommodation and private road transport costs, said the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in a joint statement on Monday.
The all-items inflation figure was higher than the expectations of analysts polled by Bloomberg, who expected overall inflation to ease to 0.6 per cent in May. But core inflation came in just as they expected.
Accommodation costs fell by 1 per cent in May, a more moderate pace compared with the 1.4 per cent drop in April. This reflected a slower pace of decline in housing rentals, as well as a stronger pickup in the cost of housing maintenance and repairs, MAS and MTI said.
The cost of electricity and gas also fell, by 4 per cent in May, steeper than the 2.8 per cent drop in the preceding month, due to the dampening effect of the phased nationwide launch of the Open Electricity Market on electricity prices.
However, the cost of private road transport rose by 1.5 per cent last month, higher than the 1.1 per cent increase in April, mainly on account of a steeper rise in car prices which more than offset a smaller increase in petrol prices.
The overall cost of retail items also recorded a larger 0.5 per cent year on year increase in May, compared with the 0.2 per cent rise in April. "This mostly reflected an upturn in the prices of personal effects, as well as smaller declines in the costs of recreation and entertainment goods, clothing and footwear and medical products, appliances and equipment," MAS and MTI said.
Food inflation came in at 1.4 per cent in May, slightly higher than the 1.3 per cent in the previous month, largely due to a faster pace of increase in the prices of prepared meals.
Services inflation was 2 per cent in May, unchanged from April, as a stronger pickup in holiday expenses was offset by a larger decline in the cost of telecommunication services fees as well as smaller increases in airfares and recreational and cultural services fees.
MAS and MTI noted that external sources of inflation are likely to be benign for the rest of the year.
"Global oil prices for the full year are currently not expected to exceed last year's average. Global food prices should also only pick up slightly on average."
They added that on the domestic front, labour market conditions have remained firm and will support moderate wage increases, such that unit labour costs should continue to rise. "However, an acceleration in inflationary pressures is unlikely against the backdrop of slower GDP growth, uncertainties in the global economy, as well as the continuing restraining effects of MAS' monetary policy tightening in 2018," they said.
Core inflation is expected to come in near the mid-point of the forecast range of 1 to 2 per cent in 2019. Meanwhile, overall inflation is expected to average 0.5 to 1.5 per cent in this year.


text:
The Housing Authority on Monday approved a proposal to raise public housing rent by 1.17 percent, even though the extra payment will be waived for a year.
The hike was the outcome of a biennial rent review that tracks household income.
Each household will have to pay HK$5 to HK$66 more a month as a result of the adjustment, which is set to take effect on October 1.
But the authority has decided to waive the extra payment for 12 months to ease the financial burden on tenants.
"Members of SHC (Subsidised Housing Committee) are mindful that the impact of the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic may pose economic difficulties for PRH tenants," a Housing Authority spokesman said in a statement.
The authority is expected to receive HK$262 million less in rental income because of the relief measure.


text:
SOMERSET — A tobacco education and treatment specialist gave a presentation about the growing problem of electronic cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems and vaping with teenagers to an audience of student/athletes, coaches and parents at Somerset Berkley Regional High School last Tuesday.
Louise Katz, who works for the Institute for Health and Recovery, said that, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, almost 24 percent of the state's high-school students reported using e-cigarettes, and nearly half tried them at least once. More high school youth used e-cigarettes than all other tobacco products combined, and they used them nine times more often than adults, according to the DPH.
Katz said that more than half of teens who use e-cigarettes think they only contain flavoring and not nicotine, while most e-cigarettes do contain nicotine.
Katz said teens who put nicotine in their bodies in early adolescence are more likely to cause changes to their brain that can lead to lifelong addiction. She said it takes less nicotine for teens to get addicted than it does for adults. Katz said that addiction can also prime young brains to other drugs, like cocaine.
Katz said the teen years are critical to brain development which she said goes into the early 20s. She said teens could be at risk to long lasting effects on the brain from nicotine that can affect their attention, learning and susceptibility to addiction. She said nicotine can also contribute to mood disorders and decrease impulse control.
"Nicotine really hijacks your brain's circuits and makes it really difficult for your brain to do the work it's supposed to do," Katz said.
Katz said electronic cigarettes were developed in China in 2003 as a way to get people to stop smoking conventional cigarettes. She said e-cigarettes came to the United States in late 2006 and early 2007. Katz said there were a few thousand e-cigarette users in 2006 that has grown to several million. She said there are tens of thousands of new users every week. She said the use of e-cigarettes started growing rapidly in 2010.
Katz said what has made e-cigarettes popular with teenagers is their sweet and savory flavors, as well as their thought that they are harmless. She said advertising has also impacted teen use of e-cigarettes.
Katz said that advertising for e-cigarettes has increased from $6.4 million in 2011 to $115 million in 2015. She said youth are exposed to e-cigarettes or their advertising in retail stores, television, movies and newspapers. Katz said companies use a lot of slick magazine ads that show sex appeal and rebellion to promote e-cigarettes.
Katz said electronic nicotine delivery systems are battery operated devices that deliver nicotine through aerosol rather than smoke with devices such as e-pipes, e-cigars, vape pens and personal vaporizers. She said a liquid solution used in those products contains concentrated nicotine extracted from tobacco, flavoring and carrying solvents.
Katz said the Juul is a delivery system that is the current rage among high school students. She said the Juul looks like a USB flash drive and can be charged in a computer. She said they are made to look elegant and using them has become known as "Juuling." She said the Juuls make up half of sales of electronic nicotine delivery systems. Katz said the main feature of the Juul is how it delivers nicotine to the blood stream. She said it uses nicotine salts which makes a person feel like he or she is smoking a conventional cigarette. She said all Juuls come with nicotine, they are not nicotine free.
Katz said what is concerning about the Juuls is that the pod has 59 milligrams per millileter of nicotine.
"That is the equivalent of the amount of nicotine that is in one pack of cigarettes," Katz said.
Katz said e-liquids come in different strengths and it is hard for the user to know how much nicotine they are getting because there is not regulations on the labeling of the products.
Katz said the battery in an electronic nicotine delivery system is used to heat up a solution to turn the liquid into aerosol to be inhaled. She said the aerosol is referred to as vapor, so using the system is referred to as vaping.
Katz said some delivery systems can control the intensity of the nicotine, as well as the vapor and flavor.
Katz talked about how the early e-cigs looked like conventional cigarettes and then they were made to look like pens or flashlights.
Katz said e-cigarettes are disposable or reusable and can be recharged. She said refillable products allow for other substances to be put in them, like marijuana or hash oil.
Katz said almost all tobacco users begin before the age of 18. She said a Surgeon General's Office study has found that choice of flavors is why teenagers and pre-teens try e-cigarettes. She said there are more than 7,700 e-cigarette flavors that can include tobacco, mint, fruit, candy, different kinds of foods and beverages. She said testing that has been done on e-liquids used in e-cigarettes that taste like alcohol has found traces of alcohol in the liquid.
She said the surgeon general has found that the aerosol used in e-cigarettes is not safe. She said the aerosols have heavy metals, organic compounds and cancer causing chemicals that get inhaled deep into the lungs. She said scientists are still trying to understand the effects of heating solutions in e-cigarettes.
Katz said secondhand aerosols are also a concern like secondhand smoke from conventional cigarettes and said scientists are also still studying the impact of that.
Katz said diacetyl is a chemical used in flavoring for e-cigarettes that is linked to a serious lung disease.
Katz said another concern with the e-liquids used in the e-cigarettes is the designs of the bottles that can be colorful and have designs that look like candy. She said if young children find these bottles, they sometimes think they are candy and try to drink from them. She said there have been calls to poison control centers when this has happened and said more than half of those calls had to do with children under six years old who ingested e-liquids.
Katz also said there are risks for explosions and fires with e-cigarettes that use batteries to heat up chemicals and are held close to the face. She said e-cigarettes can also cause irritation to the ears, nose and throat. Katz said nicotine has also been known to have effects on the cardiovascular system.
Because e-cigarettes are new, Katz said the research on their long term health effects is limited, as compared to the research on conventional cigarettes, but said there is a lot of concern about their impact on brain development.
Katz said the percentage of kids using conventional cigarettes had gone down significantly, but said there is a new generation of kids who are getting addicted to nicotine through e-cigarettes because they think they are harmless. She said a lot of these kids would not have tried the conventional cigarettes.
Katz also gave the audience the names of some resources they could go to for more information about e-cigarettes, such as a group that is working to make it the social norm not to use electronic cigarettes.
The presentation on electronic cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems and vaping was done at the wellness night that is held at the beginning of each sports season at the high school. All student/athletes playing sports that season and their parents are required to go to the wellness night.


text:
Under the theme of “Professional Networking-Just Became Easy”, IP-COM displayed award-winning SMB+ hotel solution at the prelude to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.The four-day show is scheduled to kick off on January 6, 2015.
IP-COM, based in Shenzhen, China, said the products reflect its focus on connecting a wireless world. “As more consumers are using WiFi devices, WiFi has been a basic demand in our daily life. We are making significant improvements in user experiences through our consumer experience unit, and consumer interests will be at the heart of everything we imagine, build and deliver in 2015," General Manager of IP-COM, Kinson said.
At the same time, Leo Wang admits that it is important to be in constant touch with the local consumers, as it would help them stay ahead of the competition. US-based Netgear is one of its major competitors in the USA, he says. "It is hard to persuade consumers to make a switch. Marketing ,quality and better prices will help customers to try and chose our products," he says.
IP-COM’s participation at CES was deemed a great success as more than 100 distributors, resellers and system integrators from the world flocked to the stand attracted by its most cost-effective SMB+ hotel solution. Many signed a letter of intent with IP-COM with potential sales amount up to several million USD. Leo Wang, USA sales manager of IP-COM also empowered medals to HDC who have cooperated with IP-COM for nearly 5 years.
"During the exhibition, we held business talks with distributors/ resellers as well as SIs. We shall consequently try our best to satisfy their needs. Each year, we plan to attend the most popular exhibition in each region globally as well as closely cooperating with local media to publicize our products. Meanwhile, our marketing department will endeavour to promote our products in each region" Sales Manager Leo said.
As a leading provider of networking solutions, IP-COM strengths lies in innovation, focusing on customer's needs, providing reliable service and the latest technology to provide competitive products globally.


text:
US$100M Radisson Blu Hotel to feature internationally-branded casino, helipads
…agreement already finalised with parent company – Roy Beepat
Chairman of the Giftland Group, Roy Beepat has announced plans to construct a Radisson Blu Hotel, which is part of an international chain of hotels in several destinations around the world, and the agreement is already finalised to offer this five-star package to Guyana.
While Beepat had announced the plans on Friday, he divulged some of the features which will encapsulate the ultramodern project. He noted that the US$100 million hotel will be constructed where the current Giftland Mall parking lot is located.
In an interview with this publication on Saturday, Beepat said that all agreements have been finalised with the parent company for the project to move forward. He said that he is, however, awaiting formal approval from Government before he sets timelines for the completion of this project.
“The hotel is really forward-thinking in terms of what we don’t have and what we need… …It’s a done deal,” Beepat related.
Radisson Hotels is an international chain headquartered in the United States. A division of the Radisson Hotel Group, it operates the brands Radisson Blu, Radisson Red, Radisson Collection, Country Inn & Suites, and Park Inn by Radisson among others.
The hotel will span 12 floors with adequate space for hundreds of rooms, banquet and conference halls, parking, and popular restaurant brands such as Red Lobster and Olive Garden. In addition, he envisions that it will feature high-end gyms, business and presidential suites, helicopter pads, and even an internationally-branded casino.
On the aspect of financiers, the businessman said, “Actively, we cannot finance a US$100 million project. What I can say is that there are hundreds of companies out there…and once we get our paperwork done, financing is absolutely no problem.”
A few weeks ago, President Irfaan Ali said that his Administration is looking to have four new branded hotels constructed here over the next five years.
During an interview with Jamaica’s CEEN TV – “The Conversation”, noting that Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the hotels have already been requested. President Ali was at the time responding to a question from the host in relation to his plan to provide 50,000 jobs for citizens. However, he assured that while the petroleum sector has emerged as one of the most important to Guyana’s economy, the Government is focusing on expanding and making the traditional sectors more competitive.
“We have been focusing heavily on building the non-oil sector and that is where we will see a number of policies geared – towards making the non-oil sector more competitive, giving them comparative advantages … and ensuring that we build a knowledge economy that is driven by a strong technological backbone. These are things that form part of the broadened economic plan,” the Head of State was quoted as saying.
He said that revenues from the oil and gas sector would be invested in the agricultural, construction, tourism, manufacturing, and other sectors to boost competitiveness. The President added that greater emphasis would be placed on the construction sector, which would make up a greater segment of employment.
With these recourses, Government is seeking to significantly develop infrastructure. He pointed to the construction of the new Demerara River Bridge, the Corentyne River Bridge which would link Guyana to Suriname and the massive expansion of the road network in the country. There would be renewed focus on the agriculture sector by the opening up of new agricultural lands, the introduction of newer technologies and provision of relevant training to farmers so that they can become more competitive.
Additionally, citing planned investments in the housing sector, the President said the industry had greater leverage than most in terms of its spin-off effects of job creation and revenue.
The Guyana Marriott Hotel was officially opened in April 2015. It includes a total of 192 rooms and five suites across nine floors, and provided jobs for around 250 people and about 100 indirectly. The US$51 million project first launched in November 2011. (G12)


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Sign Up for the Charlotte Business Journal Afternoon Edition Newsletter
Send this story to a friend
Target, Home Depot among latest to abandon Paula Deen
Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT), The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:HD) and drugmaker Novo Nordisk are the latest major corporate partners to jump ship on Paula Deen as the celebrity chef struggles to control damage to her image amid a firestorm of controversy.
Deen’s estimated $17 million Southern-cooking empire has taken a number of hits since reports broke last week that she admitted in a court deposition to having previously used a racial epithet.
On Wednesday evening, Home Depot told NBC News that it will stop carrying Paula Deen-branded items under its kitchen and cookware category as a result of the scandal. The news came just hours after Deen gave a tearful apology on the network’s Today show, where she told host Matt Lauer she is not a racist.
Target followed on Thursday, saying it would phase out her merchandise.
Perhaps more surprising is the pharmaceutical company, which initially said it would keep Deen as spokeswoman for its diabetes drug, Victoza. On Thursday, Novo Nordisk said it has reached a mutual agreement with Deen to suspend the partnership “while she takes time to focus her attention where it is needed.”
For those keeping count, the companies scrambling to distance themselves from Deen now number nearly a dozen. The Food Network, which helped to propel her to stardom, was the first to leave, followed by pork-processing giant Smithfield Foods (NYSE:SFD), Caesars Entertainment and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT)
Sears Holdings (NASDAQ:SHLD) and home-shopping network QVC have said they are reviewing their relationships with Deen, according to various reports. High Point-based Universal Furniture, which teamed with Deen for a furniture line, is also taking a wait-and-see approach to the controversy.
The loss of those endorsement deals will no doubt be a heavy blow to Deen’s empire. Last year, Forbes estimated her to be the fourth-highest earning celebrity chef. The roughly $17 million she pulled in last year was largely from those partnerships, according to the magazine.
Meanwhile, Deen’s fans have rallied, taking to social media to defend her and driving up advance sales of her newest cookbook on Amazon.com.
Jen Wilson coordinates the Charlotte Business Journal's online operations and social-media efforts, chronicles local events for CBJ Seen and takes photographs.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- With new bid, Family Dollar’s future in Charlotte looks bleak
- Penguin Drive-In files for bankruptcy protection as eviction proceeds
- Growing grocery battle in store
- North Tryon focus of $400K Charlotte study
- New Apple iPhones to feature sapphire screens
- BofA's David Darnell to become vice chairman, move to Florida
- Sonic to launch used-car chain, compete with CarMax
- RBS Citizens building commercial banking team in Charlotte
- Dollar General makes $9.7B competing bid for Family Dollar
- Stone Brewing confirms finalist cities in Ohio, Virginia
Local Account Manager The Business Journals | Charlotte, NC
Inside Sales – Account Executive, Channel Revenue The Business Journals | Charlotte, NC
Work For: ChannelAdvisor ChannelAdvisor | Morrisville, NC
Registered Support Assistant - Charlotte, NC Ameriprise Financial | Charlotte, NC
Administrative Assistant Stewart Law, P.A. | Charlotte, NC


text:
Looks like this time the Chinese had a taste of their medicine! Yesterday it was reported that almost 38 million users were compromised in a series of hack attempts on Chinese websites.
The hacking community broke into multiple gaming sites and grabbed user names and passwords of millions of users. Some of these were also published online.
The affected portals are gaming websites including hacking178.com, 7K7k, Duowan, etc. This also included an attack on the CSDN attack where user names and passwords of more than 6 million programmers were hacked.
7K7K lost as many as 20 million user details while 178.com is claimed to have lost 10 million accounts and even some social networking sites like Renren have reportedly been affected by the attacks.
Hacking of any form is wrong however this time with the Chinese getting hacked, might provoke an online battle as obvious suspects are the West.


text:
The results are in. The votes have been counted. The outcome is no surprise.
Back on Halloween, when we ran our article on Ross Gardler’s presentation on “Microsoft and Open Source” at the All Things Open conference, we posted a poll that asked, “Is Microsoft committed to open source?” Guess what? You answered “no,” as in “nope,” “nadda” or “ain’t no way, baby.”
Continue reading You Say Microsoft Isn’t Committed To Open Source
The results of our “One Size Fits All” poll on phone and PC interfaces are in. Once again, we find that our thinking doesn’t match the majority.
Microsoft got themselves in a heck of a mess when they insisted their users should happily adopt their phone interface on their desktops. This didn’t work out well, with Windows PC users pretty much refusing to upgrade to Windows 8. Since then, Microsoft has backed down somewhat with version 8.1, but it’s too [...]
Continue reading Poll: Phone & PC Should Have Different Interfaces
The results of our “Redmond Road Poll” are in.
About a month ago we decided to speculate on where Microsoft would be five years down the road. Obviously, the company is in transition and is trying to reinvent itself fast. The traditional desktop market, where Windows dominates, isn’t going anywhere and reports of it’s demise are premature, but it is shrinking and becoming much less important, especially in consumer space.
In addition, Microsoft is facing increasing competition on the desktop. [...]
Continue reading Your Take On Microsoft’s Direction
Earlier this week at the Gartner Symposium ITXpo in Orlando, Microsoft’s lame duck President, Steve Ballmer, once again restated his vision for “One Microsoft/one world.”
Actually, we jest. As reported by Larry Dignan on CNET, the vision remains a single Windows GUI to be used across all devices, from smartphone to tablet to PC. That’s what he and the rest of the crowd in Redmond have been saying since long before the release of Windows 8, when Metro was still [...]
Continue reading From Smartphone to Desktop–One Screen For All?
Usually when we run a poll we’re not surprised by the answers. We’re certainly surprised by these results, however.
A month ago, on September 2nd to be exact, we asked you, “Does GNU/Linux offer too many choices? Are there too many Linux distros?” As answers we offered the numbers one through five with one meaning way too many, five meaning way too few and three meaning just about right. As we expected, number three received the most votes, [...]
Continue reading Poll Says Too Many Distros


text:
Vulnerabilities in the global food supply system have been exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which have led to concerns from global leaders about famine and mass migration. This was according to a recent statement by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP).
The pandemic disrupted supply chains across the globe, which gave rise to concerns that the 270 million people suffering from extreme poverty across the world could be vulnerable to starvation, said David Beasley, the WFP’s executive director. He was speaking during a recent virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
Also speaking during the meeting, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, argued that the case for change was compelling.
“We are not doing enough on this issue, but I will promise you that we will do more,” he said, noting that there would be a very significant opportunity to create jobs when the threats posed by the pandemic, climate change, as well as biodiversity challenges were being addressed.
According to Reuters, Rutte also announced that the Netherlands would host a global coordination centre for the regional food innovation hubs established by the World Economic Forum to address the “food system challenges”.
Beasley called on the international private sector to work in close collaboration with smallholder farmers around the world by integrating them strategically into supply chains.
The WFP no longer just supplied food, but sought to create more opportunities for smallholder farmers in developing nations, he added.
A good example of these supply chain and other disruptions was evident in India, and was outlined in a recent report on the Harvest Plus website.
When India announced a nationwide lockdown in March 2020 to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the country witnessed a mass exodus of migrant labourers who returned to their rural hometowns.
“The harvesting season, which generally starts around mid-April and is largely labour-dependent, was thrown into disarray, reducing yields across the country and disrupting food value chains.
“Inaccessible markets, inadequate storage facilities, and radical changes in market demand led to a major dip in farmers’ incomes. Severe domestic and international travel restrictions during the lockdown added to their losses,” the report said.
The report added that many farmers could not physically access markets or their fields because of these restrictions. A sharp decline in demand for perishable goods such as fruit, vegetables and flowers forced many farmers to leave the produce to rot.


text:
New Music Daily Presents livestream of The Album
Blackpink will premiere brand new music just ahead of the release of their debut album The Album during a special livestream event with over 1000 of their Apple Music super fans from all over the world on October 1st at 8 pm ET. The group will also chat directly with fans during a Q&A moderated by Apple Music Global Creative Director and host, Zane Lowe.
Tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis until capacity is reached, after which registration will close. All participants must be 18 or older to register.
The event is part of Apple Music’s Virtual Listening Party that gives almost unlimited ways for artists to treat their biggest fans to something special before releasing new music to the world. Acting as an event extensions of some of Apple Music’s most popular and influential playlists, these virtual listening parties could include everything from unreleased tracks, to special guests and will also give fans the opportunity to chat live with their favorite artists.
Blackpink’s massively anticipated debut album is set for release via YG Entertainment/Interscope Records on October 2nd and includes both previously released hit singles “How You Like That” and “Ice Cream” with Selena Gomez.
Author: Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites.


text:
Manesar (Haryana), Aug 30 (ANI): The crisis at India's top car maker Maruti Suzuki's Manesar Plant in Haryana further intensified on Tuesday when the management terminated more workers from its factory unit.
"They are making us fill an undertaking form, which means that if we face any problems, then we cannot raise any objections against them. They are making us sign a 'No Objection form', wherein any kind of laws by management can be imposed and they also want us to sign a 'good conduct form'. No company in India has ever imposed any such form on their workers," said Kamal Singh, employee at the press department in Maruti Suzuki.
The workers also said that the management has tried to manoeuvre laws as per the interest of the company.
"This is not a strike. This is an illegal lock out by the management. We cannot call this a strike. Yesterday, in an illegal way, the management suspended and terminated 21 workers and today they have terminated and suspended 28 workers illegally," said Sunil Dutt, Maruti Suzuki Employees Union Executive Member.
Around 800 workers had gone on a 13-day strike at the same plant in June this year, crippling production and leading to more than 90 million dollar in lost output.
Shares in Maruti, valued at about 6.8 billion dollar, closed 0.4 percent lower in the Mumbai market that jumped 3.6 percent. (ANI)


text:
The HATS network has partnered with the Department for the Economy to produce a guide on funded skills support available to help hospitality and tourism businesses retain talent through this difficult time and develop the skills needed for the future.
As the industry builds back from the disruption caused by Covid-19 we need to inspire future generations to enter the industry – and those that are already in the industry, to stay.
We have a unique opportunity to reset the status quo when it comes to skills and professional development. Building back with a better skilled workforce will provide the much-needed reinforcement to deliver a tourism product that attracts visitors and encourages repeat business. And we don’t need to wait until the pandemic is over to begin.
There are support packages available now to help businesses invest in talent to emerge stronger from the crisis and help them flourish.
Link here to access the guide: http://ow.ly/sB6z50DDysU


text:
In its first earnings statement since its record IPO,Alibaba Group reported results that met analyst expectations but showed the company's costs are growing.
As it seeks to expand beyond its roots as an online marketplace, Alibaba will face further challenges to keep its profit margins attractive, technology expert Mohanbir Sawhney told CNBC's "Squawk Box."
"They have to play this game carefully. They really have to think about balancing their profits and their margins with the growth and the customer experience," said Sawhney, director of the Center for Research in Technology and Innovation at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
Alibaba's profit margins remain phenomenal because its model remains asset light, but the company lacks the control over customer experience and logistics that an asset-heavy company such as Amazon has achieved by building out infrastructure, he said.
Founded by entrepreneur Jack Ma in 1999, the e-commerce firm operates China's most popular retail platforms Tmall and Taobao. Both brought in a combined $5.7 billion in sales on China's Singles' Day celebration on Nov. 11, 2013.
In June, Alibaba launched a similar e-commerce site in the United States called 11 Main. The tech conglomerate has continued to expand its holdings with acquisitions in mobile and cloud services, as well as seeking opportunities with Hollywood and possibly Apple.
"Growth is very seductive because there are so many opportunities before Alibaba," Sawhney said. "They've got a stock that is very valuable currency, and they've got their eyes on the global prize."
He warned that venturing into unrelated businesses, especially outside of China, will be a different ballgame.
"If I were Alibaba I would be focused like a laser beam on the core Chinese market, which really has a lot of headroom to grow," he said. "If they take their eye off that ball, there are competitors like JD.com backed by Tencent that may take away from market share."
The company reported earnings excluding items of 45 cents a share, matching estimates, on revenue of $2.74 billion. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected Alibaba to post revenue of $2.61 billion.
The company said gross merchandise volume, a measure of the total value of goods sold, rose 49 percent in the quarter from the year-earlier period. GMV in the previous two quarters grew 46 percent and 45 percent.
Annual active buyers climbed to 307 million from 279 million a year ago.
Alibaba reported 217 million monthly active users on its mobile commerce apps, including the Taobao App, up from 188 million mobile users reported in June.
The company is spending more money to attract those users. Sales and marketing expenses increased to $285 million, or 10.4 percent of revenues. That is up from about 6 percent of revenues in the year-ago period. Alibaba attributed the increase to tactical advertising and promotional spending in the China market.
General and administrative costs also increased to 11.6 percent of revenue from 7.2 percent in the same quarter of 2013.
Following the report, Alibaba's shares rose about $4 in premarket trade before turning negative shortly after 8 a.m. EDT. In afternoon trading, the stock was up about 3 percent. (For the latest stock price, click here.)
The company's second-quarter earnings report is the first after its debut on the New York Stock Exchange in September, an IPO that was the biggest of its kind at more than $25 billion.
—Reuters and CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this story.


text:
Ipsos Most Influential Brands Survey for KSA shows Tech & Digital brands in the lead, 2 local brands make the top 10
Ipsos in UAE organized a client conference "Driving Impact in a Changing World", at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai, bringing together over 200 clients from different sectors.
As part of the Spotlight*KSA series, a new report is released tackling food and diet.
For the first time in Saudi Arabia, Ipsos is launching the 'Most Influential Brands Survey'.
Global study find that majority of men acknowledge that gender equality can only be achieved with men’s support, however half think they are being expected to do too much
A new study looking at online shopping behaviors in KSA, UAE, and Egypt.
An overview of public perceptions towards "The Worlds Most Ambitious Project."
Ipsos and the World Economic Forum are launching a research program to track and decode public understanding and acceptance of new technologies across the globe
Survey Spotlights “Global Affluencers” – First to try. First to buy. The Powerful Global Target Group Driving Purchases and Early Adoption Across Category.
Responsibility for increasing obesity rates lies on parents, manufacturers and policy makers


text:
Perfect Pots has revamped its store just off Penn Square in Lancaster city after moving floral production in September to a new, larger space …
Lancaster Cast Iron has opened a retail store at a former schoolhouse in Conestoga where the company has moved some of its operations.
The owner of a vintage audio equipment store in Manheim has opened a new store next door selling refurbished Apple products.
A small, independent children’s bookstore has opened in downtown Lancaster.
Claire’s is opening a new store this week at Tanger Outlets in East Lampeter Township.
Wawa is slated to anchor a planned retail and residential development in Mount Joy Township just east of Elizabethtown.


text:
Apple asked the high court on Wednesday to review a June ruling that favored the U.S. Department of Justice, and found the company liable for engaging in a conspiracy that violated federal antitrust laws.
If upheld, the decision would also force Apple to pay consumers $450 million under a 2014 settlement with 33 state attorneys general and consumers that was contingent on the company’s civil liability being upheld.
Apple in its petition said the June decision by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York contradicted Supreme Court precedent and would “chill innovation and risktaking.”
“The Second Circuit’s decision will harm competition and the national economy,” Apple wrote.
The Justice Department declined to comment on Thursday.
The 2nd Circuit’s ruling followed a July 2013 decision by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote after a non-jury trial that Apple played a “central role” in a conspiracy with publishers to eliminate retail price competition and raise e-book prices.
The Justice Department said the scheme caused some e-book prices to rise to $12.99 or $14.99 from the $9.99 price charged by market leader Amazon.com Inc.
Publishers that the Justice Department said conspired with Apple include Lagardere SCA’s Hachette Book Group Inc, News Corp’s HarperCollins Publishers LLC, Penguin Group Inc, CBS Corp’s Simon & Schuster Inc and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH’s Macmillan.
O O O
It’s worth noting that Apple’s appeal also argues that the appeal’s court decision “threatens to subject pro-competitive vertical conduct to categorical antitrust condemnation, contrary to this Court’s repeated recognition that vertical conduct often enhances competition and its repeated decisions ‘to temper, limit, or overrule once strict prohibitions on vertical restraints.'”
As expected, Apple is arguing that Judge Cote erred in ruling Apple’s actions illegal per se under the Sherman antitrust act, rather than analyzing the conspiracy under the rule of reason. Judge Cote had raised that point in her ruling, but it was limited to a single paragraph.
Apple also points out that two of the three judge appellate court, including one of the judges that upheld the district court ruling, had concluded that Apple’s actions were legal under the rule of reason.
Apple could well be right, but even if it wins the most likely outcome is that Judge Cote will pen a 40-page ruling explaining in detail how Apple’s conduct was illegal under the rule of reason.
Should that happen we will likely be in for another two years of appeals.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond and by Nate Hoffelder)
image by FoolishMastermind


text:
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The family of the milk tea shop owner who was among the two people killed in an apparent poisoning claimed someone tried to sabotage the family business.
In a news conference, the wife of William Abrigo, owner of Ergo Cha milk tea shop, suspected that someone was trying to sabotage the family’s business by putting poison into the ingredients of the milk tea drink.
Abrigo and a customer, Suzaine Dagohoy, died after taking a sip out of what authorities said was contaminated milk tea that Abrigo prepared.
Dagohoy’s boyfriend Arnold Aydalla also took a sip but spitted it out after he found that the drink didn’t taste right.
The Manila Police District has invited for questioning the son of the owner of the milk tea shop last week after a witness said he allegedly brought in chemicals in the shop.
But Abrigo’s son denied the allegations during the news conference.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to release its findings on the substance found in the milk tea that killed Dagohoy and Abrigo.
Senator Koko Pimentel, meanwhile, filed a Senate resolution proposing to investigate, in aid of legislation, the death of two individual after drinking milk tea.
The resolution will direct Senate committee on health and demography chaired by Senator Teofisto Guingona II to conduct the probe on number of food poisoning incidents in the country.
“Although the initial investigation of the DOH yielded negative results with respect to the presence of toxic substance in the milk tea sample, the incident still raised alarm on the possible harmful contents or substances in food products used and the manner of food preparations in food outlets,” the senator said.
A massive inspection of all food outlets should be made by the Local Government Units (LGUs), Department of Health (DOH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent similar occurrence of food poisoning because of the contents of the food being prepared as well as the unhealthy conditions that attend to their preparation, Pimentel said in the resolution. – BusinessNewsAsia.com


text:
TSEA, an association for exhibit and event professionals, launched About Face?The Journal of Face-to-Face Marketing. The quarterly print journal will be distributed to Fortune 1,000 CMOs, TSEA members, exhibit managers and marketers, show organizers and suppliers, and industry media.
CMO Council taps TBA Global Events
The CMO Council announced the selection of TBA Global Events as its experiential marketing partner. TBA Global Events will provide marketing support for the CMO Council's events, research programs and thought leadership sessions.
Trade shows deals double in Q2
The number of deals for trade publications and trade shows doubled in the second quarter compared with the same period last year, according to Whitestone Communications' "Who's Buying Whom" report. According to Whitestone, there were 24 deals for trade shows and trade titles in the second quarter, up from 12 in the year-earlier period. However, the dollar value fell to $261 million from $1.2 billion.
Ziff promotes Ng to VP of e-Events
Ziff Davis Media has promoted Priscella Ng to VP of e-Events. She will be responsible for Ziff's Enterprise Group's eSeminars and Virtual Trade Show franchises. Ng was promoted from executive director of eSeminars.


text:
27 May 2021
THE 20TH MEETING OF THE ASEAN TRADE FACILITATION JOINT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE (ATF-JCC)
The 20th Meeting of the ASEAN Trade Facilitation Joint Consultative Committee (ATF-JCC) was held on 27th and 28th May 2021, via video conferencing at the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MOFE), Brunei Darussalam. The meeting was chaired by Yang Mulia Dr. Hajah May Fa’ezah binti Haji Ahmad Ariffin, Permanent Secretary (Economy) at the Ministry of Finance and Economy, Brunei Darussalam as chair of the ATF-JCC for 2021. The meeting was attended by representatives of the ASEAN member states as well as the Chairpersons or representatives of the relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies.
Following the first ATF-JCC meeting for 2021 held in January, the two-day meeting discussed the latest updates on the ASEAN Work-Programme on Trade Facilitation which included the progress on the implementation Plan of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF); 2021 ASEAN Trade Facilitation Work Programme and Priorities; and the Non-Tariff Measures Cost-Effectiveness Toolkit (NTM Toolkit). Additionally, consultations with the relevant business councils and technical assistant partners also took place.
The meeting also endorsed the NTM Toolkit, which is one of the Priority Economic Deliverables for Brunei Darussalam’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2021.
Source: Ministry of Finance and Economy


text:
Tyson Poised to Profit From Swine Fever Though Timing Uncertain
(Bloomberg) -- Tyson Foods Inc. says it’s poised to take advantage of a hog disease in China that will ripple through the global protein industry, although it can’t say for sure when those benefits will start or how big they’ll be.
In an earnings release Monday, the top U.S. meat processor said swine fever could “impact the global protein industry on a level that we have never experienced.” Tyson’s chicken business is set to benefit from China’s pig woes as consumers there look for cheap alternative proteins.
Still, the Springdale, Arkansas-based company is sticking with previous full-year guidance as higher hog costs counter pork-price gains. Tyson buys hogs for its pork and prepared foods segments.
Tyson, which beat the average analyst earnings on quarterly earnings, has stepped up its presence in prepared foods and value-added items and expanded overseas partly to cushion it from commodity price and cost swings.
The company’s shares were up 2.1 percent at 12:27 p.m. in New York, averting a market-wide selloff spurred by President Donald Trump’s tariff threats. The stock has gained 44 percent this year as part of a rally by protein producers.
What Bloomberg Intelligence Says
“Tyson’s business structure should translate to its ability to successfully navigate potential industry challenges and opportunities associated with African Swine Fever that may begin in 3Q and continue into fiscal 2020.”
-- Jennifer Bartashus and Kenneth Shea, food retail and consumer products analysts, respectively. Click here to view the research
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.