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Ryan Reynolds ‘leaks’ Aviation slogans
Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds has ‘leaked’ footage from a marketing shoot for Aviation Gin, which includes several abandoned taglines for the American brand.
In an email from Reynolds’ supposed address at Aviation Gin, the Pokémon Detective Pikachu star jokingly wrote: “What in the fresh hell is going on with our marketing department?
“Let’s cancel my afternoon fish pedi because I’ve gotta solve this myself.”
Despite Reynolds’ calls to “erase the tapes” and prevent a repeat of his “previous reply all incident”, attached to his frantic message was footage of the company’s abandoned taglines.
Now available to watch on YouTube, the footage features abandoned slogans for the brand such as “Aviation American Gin, if you’re drinking anything else you’re drinking bullshit”.
The clip, which is available to watch below, includes several attempts from Reynolds to find the perfect tagline for the gin, including “Aviation Gin, it’s just vodka after its wish was granted,” and “it tastes like god cried in your mouth”.
The ‘leaked’ Aviation test footage isn’t the first time the Canadian actor has been caught up with leakers. In 2014 test footage of his interpretation of superhero Deadpool was posted online, prompting calls for the comic book star to get his own film.
Earlier this year, Reynolds, who purchased Oregon-made Aviation Gin in February 2018, released a short humorous video showing his commitment to the brand ahead of Father’s Day (16 June).
Take a look at Reynolds’ suggested Aviation Gin taglines below.


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Bloomberg Quicktake: The Future of the BIG3
By BIG3 July 16, 2021
By Bloomberg Quicktake
The BIG3 under the watchful eye of founder and co-owner Ice Cube is entering into its fourth season. The BIG3 is at a critical point. It’s survived longer than most start-ups but now it needs to take the game to the next level, with sponsors and fans — in the seats, but especially, on TV and online. Quicktake’s chief correspondent Jason Kelly spoke with Ice Cube about what is in store for the future of the league.

domain: news


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Few of us reading the morning news enjoy putting our greasy hands on a tablet or newspaper just to flip through articles. With the newly unveiled New York Times app for the Leap Motion Controller, we won't have to. The release lets news hounds navigate stories (and ads) through a unique interface optimized for touch-free gestures. Both Mac and Windows versions of the NYT app will be available in the Airspace store on July 22nd, the same day Leap Motion ships to customers. More importantly, the app will be free -- at least at launch, readers won't run into the usual paywall. If the prospect of contact-free news has you intrigued, there's a video demo available after the break.
THE NEW YORK TIMES LAUNCHES NEWS APP FOR LEAP MOTIONTM
NEW YORK, July 18, 2013 – The New York Times (NYTimes.com) announced today that it will launch a news app for Leap Motion (leapmotion.com), which delivers Top News articles to users on Leap MotionTM Controllers.
Beginning July 22, the day Leap Motion Controllers begin arriving around the world, Leap Motion users will be able to download The New York Times app from AirspaceTM Store, Leap Motion's app store. The Times will be the only branded news app available to Leap Motion users at the time of the product's launch.
The lightweight app features a continuously updated Top News feed where articles appear in card format. Each card displays the article headline, summary and the primary corresponding image.
The Leap Motion Controller works with OSX 10.7 and 10.8, and Windows 7 and 8, laptops and desktops. The New York Times application will be free to download and will not require a digital subscription for access to content at launch.
Users can navigate Top News by moving their hand left and right above the device. Tapping on an article flips the article card over to reveal the full story. Users can scroll up and down using a circular motion and can move from article to article by swiping. To return to Top News, the user shakes their hand.
The app also features advertising capabilities that allow brands to connect with New York Times readers using motion-controlled ad units embedded as cards between articles.
"Leap Motion's groundbreaking touch-free technology allows users to navigate and explore New York Times content in a brand new way," said Denise Warren, executive vice president, Digital Products and Services Group, The New York Times. "This preliminary app is a first step. We look forward to exploring other ways to deliver our world-class journalism to the growing Leap Motion customer base as we continue this ongoing collaboration."
The New York Times app for the Leap Motion Controller was developed by The New York Times Idea Lab.
Leap Motion was the recipient of the SXSW 2013 Breakout Digital Trend Award. Its Leap Motion Controller has been pre-ordered by hundreds of thousands of users around the world and will be available at Best Buy stores across the US starting July 28. Later this year, the Leap Motion technology and Airspace will come embedded in select HP devices.


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Troy-based Motor Information Systems today announced that Matco Tools will be the exclusive distributor of Motor’s collection of repair manuals and labor time guides.
This is the first time in more than a century of providing this type of information to automotive repair facilities that it is using a distribution network.
Matco Tools is a recognized manufacturer and distributor of automotive repair tools, diagnostic equipment, and toolboxes. This partnership will allow repair professionals to access tools and repair manuals in the same place, at any of Matco’s 2,000 distributors nationwide.
“Motor is thrilled to partner with Matco to offer new benefits and improved access to our existing and future customers,” says Jeff Nosek, executive vice president of revenue at Motor. “Matco’s extensive network of nearly 2,000 distributors will allow customers to easily obtain the MOTOR data they need to operate a successful business.”
Hilda Shipcka, vice president of marketing and ebusiness at Matco, says, “We are looking forward to being able to provide this product to our customer base. This new opportunity will help our Matco distributors continue to grow their business in the market.”


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The European Union plans to open the iPhone to App Stores from other providers – Apple has now warned of this in a status sheet.
Processors can only be installed on the iPhone from the group’s internal site. Apple points out that in order to filter out malicious applications, all applications and updates on its platform are being tested by software and human auditors. In addition, developers must adhere to Apple’s guidelines on data security. These security precautions have been circumvented by so-called sideloading of apps loaded on the iPhone from sources other than the official store, Apple warns.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is currently being developed in the European Union, recommends opening sites for competing providers in order to strengthen competition. For digital articles and services sold through the Apple site, the team is charged 15 or 30 percent. On devices with the Google Android system, Google has the same commission for sales through the group’s Play Store – but other App Stores are also allowed on the platform. Apple opposed EU plans in June.
“Sideloading via live downloads or other app stores could undermine Apple’s security and privacy policies,” the iPhone company warned in a new paper. It is not in the best interests of the user. Apple, among others, talks about fake apps disguised as popular apps and operating system handling updates. This group is particularly vulnerable to circulating Android processors and, for example, try to get login information and other data. It said online criminals would have more incentives to attack the iPhone if it was unlocked.
Apple reviewers point out that programs from all possible sources can be loaded on the team’s Mac computers. Apple claims that the situation with smartphones is different because they contain more personal information. U.S. bills for more competition in the technology sector also target the business model. However, in the United States, Apple recently succeeded in securing its app system on the iPhone. A judge has rejected a request from sports company Epic Games to open a platform for other app stores.
“Avid writer. Subtly charming alcohol fanatic. Total twitter junkie. Coffee enthusiast. Proud gamer. Web aficionado. Music advocate. Zombie lover. Reader.”


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2010 is definitely the year of location based social media – well overseas that is. Whilst the many sites popping up are of course a few digital years off the Facebook and Twitter status – this new breed of social sites are set to follow in their big brothers footsteps.
So who is who in the location based zoo and what are some of the key usage statistics;
What is it? Foursquare allows you to share your location with friends. Users on Foursquare earn points and “badges” for checking-in frequently, or at a certain time. If you raise enough points you become “mayor” of a certain area.
Foursquare recently hit the 1 million user mark and is currently gaining momentum. According to CEO Dennis Crowley Foursquare is adding 15,000 users per day which is 450,000 per month. Furthermore according to Crowley, Foursquare is achieving approximately 700,0000 checkins per day and by the end of June should be achieving the 1 million mark.
In March 2010, Foursquare said it had 1.4 million venues logged in its system, with 1,200 businesses offering special deals to people who check-in via Foursquare.
To gain traction in the market, Foursquare has partnered with some major brands to provide organisations a unique way to connect with their audience and to get consumers talking about the Foursquare platform. Foursquare’s partnerships include the likes of Starbucks, MTV, PepsiCo and Bravo. The press and discussion associated with these partnerships have gained considerable coverage in the market and as such other brands such as Domino’s and Jimmy Choo have begun to leverage Foursquare as part of their marketing strategy.
What is it? Gowalla is a location-based social networking game created by Alamofire. Gowalla allows iPhone and Andorid phone users to check-in when they arrive at a business or location. By checking in, Gowalla stamps the user’s passport and provides them with rewards.
Hmm sounds a bit like Foursquare I know.
Statistics about Gowalla are hard to come by however despite all of the hype, Gowalla’s user base is dwarfed by Foursquare and currently stands at between 200,000 – 250,000 users. Even so Gowalla only had just over 100,000 earlier in the year so whilst its numbers are small it has been increasing share rapidly.
Like Foursquare Gowalla is teaming up with several brands to drive interest and growth in the platform– however it seems these partnerships are more content / travel driven then possibly Foursquare. Gowalla sees its relevance for users on the move – particularly those that are travelling. Gowalla has partnered with National Geographic & The Washington Post to deliver walking tours and traveller advice. More recently Gowalla has also teamed up with the Austin Stateman newspaper to deliver 8 trips for users. Each trip offers a detailed description, map, editorial insight and user photographs.
It is difficult to determine if Gowalla is attempting to carve a unique position in the market in the travel arena – as it has also partnered with brands such as Chevrolet. However one thing is certain with a lack of differentiation between the services, both of them will need to consider where they will focus their energy – as only 1 geo-location social network will prevail, just look at what Facebook did to MySpace.
What is it?
Whilst all of the hype and talk has largely centred around Foursquare & Gowalla, another player has emerged – myTown. myTown, is a location based game that is sort of part geolocater, and part real life Monopoly and SimCity. When you go somewhere in your real life city, you check in at that location and get points, you can purchase the virtual equivalent of that location, and when other people in your town playing the game check in there you earn rent. Unlike Foursquare and Gowalla, myTown seems to take elements of virtual worlds and combine it with geo-location social media and so it may not be seen as a direct competitor to the above players.
MyTown recently passed the two million users milestone, and is adding more than 100,000 new users a week. The location based game has notched up more than 60 million check-ins, with user spending a startling 70 minutes a day playing on average. However myTown has only formally launched in the US and is still only available as an iPhone app – thus myTown is obviously showing immense growth potential. In fact by the end of 2010 myTown aims to have over 6 million users on its platform and their latest $20 million in funding may just get them there.
myTown has recently partnered with Google to boost its location based data set. Through the Google API myTown will gain access to Google’s massive data set of over 50 million locations around the world. This will enable myTown to rapidly expand to other countries (without having to form custom partnerships with local directories).
MyTown have also partnered with several brands including H&M earlier this year to provide users with points and virtual goods for checking in at store locations.
What is it?
Trying to make their name in the social space, Google too has launched its own location based service – Google Latitude. Google Latitude is however no Foursquare, Gowalla or myTown. The service tracks you constantly, so there is no “checking in” or earning prizes.
Whilst Google has failed to gain traction in the desktop social media market, they feel they have a competitive advantage in this market. Google Latitude already has over 3 million people signed up and by stealing a page from Foursquare’s book, an enhanced Latitude would have a check-in feature and a bolstered location history scheme. And since nobody can match Google’s grip on map data, Latitude would automatically add locations, whereas Foursquare requires user input. However it is important to note that a quarter of Latitude users have zero friends, meaning 750,000 users are largely dormant.
In true Google style, Google has partnered with the community to ensure its location based services benefit from the best development minds in the world.
Google announced that it will be launching an API (Application Programing Interface) that will allow people to build all sorts of different applications and layers on top of the system. But Latitude’s biggest hurdle toward mass-popularity is the iPhone. Google built a Latitude app, but Apple — who essentially hates Google — rejected it from the App store.
Whilst most of the above services are yet to truly cement sizable user bases in the local Australian market, it is only a matter of time and therefore it is likely that in the next 12 months location based marketing promotions will start to pop up across the Australian digital landscape.


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GSP travelers to get more food choices
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is getting a little more food ... and beer.
The airport is unveiling two new restaurants, Thomas Creek Grill and RJ Rockers Flight Room, located in Concourse A and B respectively. The eateries bring new options to GSP’s food scene and bring a taste of Upstate culture as well.
The restaurants are part of the airport’s $125 million renovation project that is scheduled to be complete in 2016.
Currently, the airport has a snack bar and the Windows Restaurant, but adding more food options was an important component of the Wingspan project, said GSP spokeswoman Rosylin Weston.
“That is one thing travelers have said they wanted over the years,” Weston said.
The two restaurants are the result of a partnership between the airport’s food service company, MSE Branded Foods, and two Upstate breweries. Both Thomas Creek Brewery and RJ Rockers Brewing Co. have been creating brews in the Upstate for over 15 years. Both have helped lay the groundwork for the Upstate’s current craft beer culture. Thus, the collaboration was a natural fit, Weston said.
For the breweries, allowing the airport to license their names was also a good fit, said Josh McGee, libations facilitator at Thomas Creek. The Windows Restaurant is one of Thomas Creek’s top accounts, but the new restaurant will provide even greater visibility, McGee said.
“It made sense for us because of our status of sales in the airport, and now that we’ve been here 16 years,” McGee said. “We wanted those people coming in from other states and countries to see that and know Thomas Creek has been here a while, they’re established and they have a good product. And hopefully, they’ll even come by the brewery.”
The partnership between the breweries and the airport entails menus that step a little outside the norm of the current airport fare and incorporates none other than beer. Both restaurants feature each brewery’s beers, but beer also appears in the form of beer-based sauces and beer battered items.
RJ Rockers features a baked pretzel with a beer-dipping sauce, and Thomas Creek features a shrimp wrap with a special beer sauce.
While the restaurants aren’t run by the breweries, representatives from both RJ Rockers and Thomas Creek gave their input on certain aspects. Each eatery features special beer pairings suggestions from the brewery staff, and the spaces are also outfitted to reflect each brewery’s “personality.”
McGee, along with Thomas Creek S.C. sales rep Weston Gaskill, spent eight months working with architects and designers to customize the Grill’s look and feel. And now, they’re happy to say, the space is a little piece of Thomas Creek at GSP.
In terms of food, both restaurant menus center on American fare like wraps, sandwiches and burgers, but there are a few surprises thrown in. The fish tacos contain blackened mahi mahi and a sriracha aioli.
“This is really an opportunity to bring some local flavor to the airport,” Weston said.
GSP’s food is getting a boost from several other additions as well. Dunkin’ Donuts will be opening on the first level near baggage claim, which is “very exciting,” Weston said.
Another restaurant is coming, too. Flatwood Grill, which is slated to open in early August, will bring an array of American-style fare to travelers and non-travelers alike. The restaurant will be situated just beside baggage claim and, like RJ Rockers Flight Room and Thomas Creek Grill, will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Other plans call for adding a Baskin Robbins, a Chick-fil-A, a CNN Newsstand and other sit-down restaurants.


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Feb 4, 2014 Manufacturing jobs have been inching up, but not to pre-recession levels. The economy has lost about two million factory jobs since the start of the recession.
Feb 4, 2014 The new Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker is going on a trade mission to Mexico to find new business partners to match with U.S. companies. And, investing in iPads to help schoolchildren learn carries some costs that may be getting overlooked.
Feb 3, 2014 The federal government is shelling out more than $2 billion so more public school students can get online. But it's costly to add Wi-Fi.
Jan 22, 2014 Sears is closing its store in downtown Chicago. We take this occasion to consider what Sears was to consumers in the late 1800s: Amazon.
Jan 17, 2014 Amazon could start shipping you stuff before you order it.
Jan 13, 2014 Analysts suspect that PCs are being replaced by tablets, as trust in the cloud grows.
Jan 8, 2014 Between competition from Amazon, and the less-than-tremendous success of its Nook, Barnes and Noble is in a tough spot.
Jan 2, 2015 'Grocery is the largest consumer category in the world,' and Internet retailers are lining up to deliver.
Jan 3, 2014 First it was open office space, and now its open management.
Jan 1, 2014 There are rumors the two companies will make an announcement at CES next week.


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This Thursday at the "Techlines: Email is dead" event, a panel of industry experts will be talking about the future of digital communication. It's going to be an interesting discussion about exactly what role email has to play in our lives in the future.
It's a fascinating concept, made even more poignant given the recent demise of Google Wave last week. The panel itself is made up of global and local industry experts, including General Manager of IBM Lotus Alistair Rennie, Director of Interaction & Experience Research at Intel Genevieve Bell, Managing Director of Research In Motion Australia & New Zealand Adele Beachley and Futurist Mark Pesce.
And we want to know today: "What one question would you ask the panel about the future of email?" Let us know in comments.


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Tesla bill on auto sales dead at Arizona Legislature
A bill to allow Tesla Motors to sell its cars directly to consumers in Arizona is dead at the Legislature.
State Sen. John McComish, R-Ahwatukee, said House Bill 2123 is not being considered by the Arizona Senate. The measure would have lifted current prohibitions on auto manufacturers selling directly to consumers instead of going through dealerships.
Tesla — which is considering Arizona, Texas, Nevada and New Mexico for a $5 billion battery factory — wanted to change those rules. Car dealers oppose the change.
McComish, who sides with Tesla, said the measure is not progressing in the Senate and the 2014 session is winding down.
“It’s the Senate president’s prerogative to put something up or not. It appears like it’s not,” McComish said of Senate President Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert.
The legislative session is slated to end next week. Biggs could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.
Bobbi Sparrow, president of the Arizona Automobile Dealers Association, also confirmed she’s been told the Tesla bill is dead for this year.
Tesla has lobbied hard for auto sales rule changes in Arizona, Texas and other states. Company representatives have said the auto sales rules are not a direct consideration on where to locate the 6,500-worker, 10 million square foot plant.
But others worry it could work against Arizona’s efforts to attract the Tesla plant to Pinal County, Tucson or the West Valley.
“It can’t help,” McComish said of the site selection and Arizona’s auto rules.
Texas also is considering auto sales rules changes and Gov. Rick Perry has voiced support for the idea.
Texas could offer big tax incentives for the Tesla plant.
Mike Sunnucks writes about residential and commercial real estate, government, law, sports business and workplace issues.
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Protest against Guangxi celebration spreads across China
Animal rights activists across China are calling for a stop to a summer solstice celebration in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where thousands of dogs are expected to be killed for their meat.
The China Small Animal Protection Association (CSAPA) organized a vigil in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, on Tuesday night, where dozens of local animal rights activists sat in the rain to protest against the annual dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi.
"We want to inform the public that killing dogs for meat is cruel and it poses a threat to those who eat them as many of the dogs we intercepted were already sick," said Zhou Yusong, an activist from CSAPA's Henan branch.
Activists in Beijing, Tianjin and Xi'an also held a vigil Tuesday night and the protest is expected to spread across the nation to cities like Kunming, Anyang and Luoyang.
Hundreds of activists are expected to travel to Yulin to stop the dog meat festival, which is set for June 22 this year.
Zhou said that the campaign this year is going to be "huge" and activists had previously met in Beijing, Tianjin and Shenzhen to plan for intercepting trucks carrying dogs and cats on the highway and how to deal with local police.
Yang Xiaoyun, a 65-year-old activist from Tianjin, said she plans to travel to Yulin on Thursday and opens an animal rescue camp and a vegetarian restaurant.
Yang made national headlines last year after spending 150,000 yuan ($24,000) of her retirement savings to buy dogs from restaurants in Yulin, with pictures showing her kneeling in front of a young man begging him to sell her his dogs.
Knowing that she would spare no effort to save the dogs, dog dealers have been calling her recently, telling her that they have many dogs ready in Yulin and they are waiting for her to name her price.
"They think it is good business and they mock me for saving the animals' lives," Yang told the Global Times.
Meanwhile, local restaurants are quietly preparing for the festival that they believe is part of their tradition.
Debates have been raging for a few years as locals argue that it is their right to eat what they want and eating dog meat is ethically no different from eating pork, beef or lamb.
The owner of the No.1 Yulin Crispy Dog Meat restaurant, surnamed Ning, told the Global Times that he expects to sell meat from some 100 dogs on solstice day and is doubling his purchase in preparation.
"We were told this year by the government that no table can be placed outdoors during the festival. People who want to eat dog meat have to eat it inside restaurants," Ning said.


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- Sentiment in July expected to be stable near pandemic low.
- Initial unemployment claims and payrolls may boost confidence.
- Dollar remains offered close to two-year lows.
American consumer sentiment is predicted to be stuck at the bottom of its pandemic range as the rising Covid caseload in several states has undermined hopes for a quick economic recovery.
Michigan consumer sentiment is expected to fall to 72 in July from 72.5 in June and 78.1 in May. The pandemic low was in April at 71.8.
Michigan consumer sentiment
However, better than forecast payrolls in July and a 32% drop in initial jobless claims in the three weeks to August 7 may have mitigated the damage to consumer attitudes brought on by the surge in viral diagnoses.
Initial jobless claims and non-farm payrolls
Jobless claims jumped 10% in mid-July, from 1.307 million in the week of July 10 to 1.435 million on July 24. This was coincident with the second wave of Covid cases in a number of states from early June, particularly the large economies of California, Texas and Florida. Some states, Texas included, rescinded or delayed parts of their opening plans. Markets linked the two events and assumed the reviving virus was impairing or halting recovery from the pandemic closures of March and April.
The higher rate of unemployment claims in the middle weeks of July had been expected to continue into month end with a 1.415 million forecast. In fact claims fell 17% to 1.191 million on July 31. The following week, August 7, claims were projected to fall to 1.120. Instead they dropped 19.1% to 0.963 million, their lowest level of the Covid era.
It now is clear that the mid-July rise in jobless claims was limited in time and amount. Claims have dropped 32.9% in two reports, from 1.435 million the July 24 week, to 0.963 million on August 7.
Initial jobless claims
The rise in initial claims was thought to presage a steep drop in rehiring. Non-farm payrolls were expected to drop by two-thirds from 4.8 million in June to 1.6 million in July. The presumption being the expected economic impact of the second wave of Covid diagnosis. The effect of the opening restrictions turned out to be overstated. Payrolls added 1.763 million workers 10% more than expected.
Of the 22.16 million workers who lost their jobs by the non-farm payrolls count in March and April, 42% 9.253 million have been rehired by the end of July.
CPI and retail sales
Consumer inflation rose twice as fast as expected in July. Overall CPI climbed 0.6%, as it did in June, double the 0.3% forecast.
Core inflation was also 0.6% higher on the month, three times the June rate and the July forecast.
Core CPI, m/m
Higher consumer inflation implies steady or rising demand. When companies have to choose between higher prices and lower sales or steady prices and status quo or rising sales they invariably choose the latter. Prices would not be rising if purchases were falling.
Annual inflation rates have not yet fully recovered from the shutdown plunge in demand.
The headline rate was 1% in July, less than half its February rate of 2.3%. The core yearly rate was 1.6% in July, two-thirds of its February rate.
Retail sales are expected to rise 1.9% in July, less than one-third of the June 7.5% gain. Combined with May’s 18.2% sales in the two months jumped 25.7% more than recovering the 22.9% lockdown collapse of March and April. The forecasts for May and June posited just 13% over the two months, half the actual increase.
Purchases in the control group category which is the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ consumption component, are forecast to rise 0.8% in July after June’s 5.6% and May’s 10.1% increases. Purchases dropped 12.4% in April 12.4% and rose 3.2% in March.
A substantial improvement in jobless claims, and good payrolls and rising CPI in July infer a better retail sales number than the current estimate of 1.9%.
Conclusion and the dollar
Non-farm payrolls and the second half improvement in jobless claims suggest that the labor markets continued to hire in July and August. The month’s CPI rate implies steady or rising consumer demand.
Employment is the most important component of consumer confidence. The July drop in sentiment was, given the actual job and inflation numbers, quite possibly more a product of the fear of the second wave and the incessant and often misleading media coverage, than a measure of genuine economic impact.
Now that the second wave seems to be receding in most states a revival in consumer confidence appears a more than modest bet.
The month old sell-off in the US dollar has been prompted by the assumed negative impact of the second Covid wave the American economy. If the total effect is a two week jump in initial claims and a one month drop in consumer sentiment, markets will shortly have to find a different scenario for the USD.
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Tagging of food couriers suspended, report says
Ljubljana, 4 April - Tagging of Wolt and Glovo couriers in Ljubljana that started in mid-August last year has been brought to a halt pending a decision in a procedure launched against the two food delivery companies by the Information Commissioner, the newspaper Dnevnik reported on Tuesday.
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KEASBEY, N.J. — Wakefern Food Corp. marked its 75th anniversary during its Annual Meeting last month when executives paid tribute to the family-owned businesses that comprise the cooperative and drive its success.
Chairman and chief executive officer Joseph Colalillo, president and chief operating officer Joe Sheridan, and executive vice president Chris Lane addressed Wakefern members, shareholders, staff and store management during the company’s meeting, which included an in-person and virtual audience.
“As we reflect upon the rich legacy of our cooperative — and the history of our family businesses — we also focus on the future, mindful that we are here today because, working together, our founding families had the foresight, determination and grit to always look forward. Seventy-five years later, we are still made up of family-owned businesses with deep roots in the communities where our stores operate,” said Colalillo, who also leads his own family business, ShopRite of Hunterdon County, which was founded by his father in 1954 and today includes five ShopRite stores.
Faced with increasing pressure from big chain supermarkets, eight independent New Jersey grocers came together in 1946 to maximize their purchasing power by forming a buying cooperative — Wakefern. More than seven decades later, the company represents the largest-retailer-owned cooperative in the U.S., with members who operate stores under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, the Fresh Grocer, Gourmet Garage, Fairway Market and Dearborn Market banners. Many of the members are in their third or fourth generation of ownership and have been part of the cooperative since its founding.
As part of annual meeting, Wakefern also reported retail sales of $17.8 billion for the fiscal year ended October 2. During that same period, Wakefern opened four ShopRite stores, four Price Rite Marketplace supermarkets, and welcomed a new member, the Slawsby family. Massachusetts-based Madison Foods is a third-generation grocery business now operating four new Price Rite Marketplace supermarkets in the Boston area.
“Seventy-five years is a big deal — pretty remarkable given that family-owned businesses rarely survive past the third generation,” noted Sheridan.
Lane reported on retail innovations that will continue to move the company forward and elevate the customer experience when it comes to online and in-store shopping.
Initiatives include the continued expansion of Wakefern’s popular and award-winning own brands, Bowl & Basket, Paperbird, and Wholesome Pantry and Wholesome Pantry Organic, as well as the expansion of the Fresh to Table concept in ShopRite stores. The Fresh to Table department reimagines food to go by providing wholesome and affordable fresh food, prepped ingredients and meal solutions to customers.


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SURVIVOR FILTER™ Black Friday and Cyber Weekend Sale Offers Lowest Prices of the Year
TORONTO – November 24, 2020 – Survivor Filter has announced a Black Friday/Cyber Weekend sale as the biggest of the year. Customers can find their favorite Survivor Filter products at reduced prices as well as find exclusive deals on specific items. The Cyber Weekend sale begins Friday, November 27 at 12:00 a.m. EST time and ends Monday, November 30 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Survivor Filter is offering buy one, get one 50% off everything, site-wide for online orders with no code necessary during the entire promotion period. An exclusive offer will be held on Friday, November 27 for Survivor Filter PRO X filters on sale for $95. On Monday, November 30, customers will be able to purchase Survivor Filter ACTIVE Filtration Bottles on sale for $25.
“We are really excited to launch this sale and give our fans and customers great deals on all of our products,” SURVIVOR FILTER Owner Mark Zakaib said. “This is our biggest sale of the year and it comes at the perfect time leading up to the holiday season. Whether it’s gifts for family and friends or loading up on gear for the next adventure, we hope everyone can find the Survivor Filter that fits their needs at the lowest prices of the year.”
To shop sale items or find more information regarding the sale, please visit SurvivorFilter.com. To stay updated on sale details and other offers, be sure to check out the Survivor Filter Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for updates and more information.
About SURVIVOR FILTER
SURVIVOR FILTER is a company with a simple goal – to provide people with access to clean water in any environment when they need it most. We offer you the best emergency water filter systems for your Bug-Out-Bag and the outdoors on the market today. What’s more, we back up all our products with a defect-free Lifetime Warranty and personalized customer support from our knowledgeable outdoor loving staff. See the full lineup and learn more at www.survivorfilter.com.


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El Segundo, California – (October 15th, 2019) – CUJO AI, today announced that CUJO AI Lens is now pre-integrated with Technicolor broadband Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) running RDK-B and Homeware – Technicolor’s middleware based on Open WRT. This new offering is available through a no-cost licensing program. Lens is a breakthrough, AI-powered network analytics product enabling network service providers (NSPs) to obtain granular, dynamic, and near real-time actionable insights about how their customers use their home or business networks.
CUJO AI Lens provides network operators with a way to collect, intuitively analyze and visualize end-user connectivity and utilization data, get answers across operations, business, marketing and customer service, while remaining in regulatory compliance and in respect of privacy.
“This announcement is a new milestone in the collaboration between Cujo AI and Technicolor,“ says Girish Naganathan, CTO of Technicolor Connected Home. “Integrating Lens into Technicolor’s CPE firmware enables NSPs to accelerate the introduction of a full suite of AI-powered network analytics and get previously unavailable insights across connected devices, applications usage, content access, security threats, and privacy challenges. This is the latest demonstration in what we can achieve together through the Technicolor HERO program. Through this program our two organizations continue to work together to provide network operators with rapid access to innovative third-party technologies and offer new monetizable services”, concludes Naganathan.
“In the age of digital transformation, our goal is to create a future where every digital experience is secure, private, and personal. CUJO AI partnership with Technicolor will offer their entire customer base of NSPs access to Lens at no incremental cost, changing the way the entire industry looks at the value of network data. Need for visibility and understanding of consumer usage of data networks is rapidly growing in importance with the rise in complexity of the connected home. Leveraging machine learning processes and using highly customizable CUJO AI Lens dashboards, network operators can gain aggregate insights into behavior, usage, and trends associated with consumer and business data networks,” explained Andrea Peiro, President of CUJO AI.
For a preview of CUJO AI Lens on Technicolor Homeware and RDK-B based CPEs, visit Technicolor at booth A60 at the 2019 Broadband World Forum being held at the RAI in Amsterdam.
About CUJO AI
Powered by proprietary Artificial Intelligence models and uniquely built on billions of real-world data points, the CUJO AI portfolio of products is designed to gain a clear insight on how data moves across networks and digitally protect people and devices, creating a safer smart-living experience in homes, businesses, and connected communities. Network, mobile and public Wi-Fi operators around the world utilize the CUJO AI portfolio of products to provide their customers with a seamlessly integrated suite of value-added services, covering: network monitoring and protection, advanced connected device identification, real-time network security, privacy protection, content access control, and digital parenting.


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The wife of embattled Congressman Anthony Weiner returned to her Washington, D.C., home Wednesday amid a chorus of politicians calling ...
In her first book, author Mara Hvistendahl explores why parents in several Asian countries are choosing to have boys rather than girls as birth rates are dropping. The trend of sex-selective abortion is yielding broad impacts on the economy, culture, and stability of those nations.
The political satirist and comedian talks about his Broadway performance (and performance anxieties) and about his recent segments on The Colbert Report featuring Sarah Palin and Anthony Weiner.
Senator Roy J. McDonald announced his support amid growing indications that Republican leaders would bring the measure to the Senate floor this week.
Pandora Media, the company behind the popular online music streaming service, has filed for an initial public offering and will begin trading publicly for the first time ever on Wednesday morning. Pandora's stock market debut is a highly anticipated affair...
Would you pay $749 for an iPhone 4? Apple is betting that enough consumers will think that the flexibility and freedom of its newest product -- an unlocked (and substantially more expensive) version of its best-selling phone -- is worth it and on Tuesday began selling it through the Apple store.
Mitt Romney serves up an awkward moment at Mary Ann's Diner in Derry, N.H. While posing, Mitt suddenly jumped and said: "Oh, my goodness!" — pretending that a waitress grabbed his butt.
Dan Savage talks to us about his campaign against Santorum. "I don't want Santorum in my sheets, I don't want Santorum in my face."
Lake is now being sued by Hovsep Kousayan, the owner of a house in Malibu, Calif., that the TV star and her family rented last year.
In a lengthier article entitled "Is The Fashion Industry Racist? Yes -- And It Goes Right To Its Core," the Daily Mail's Liz Jones sits down with Premier Model Management founder Carole White to discuss whether there's any progress being made on the catwalk or in front of cameras.


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Ford Motor Co. is buying the passenger
car division of Sweden's Volvo AB for $6.45 billion, adding another
premium brand name to the portfolio of the world's No. 2 automaker.
|Ford Chairman William Clay Ford Jr. and Jac Nasser, Ford's president and chief executive officer
Under the agreement announced today, Ford is expected to assume
ownership of Volvo Cars' worldwide sites, including three assembly
plants and two powertrain plants in Europe and the
passenger-vehicle product development center in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Ford also gets the right to use the Volvo brand for passenger
cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles and light trucks. Volvo
retains its corporate brand for commercial vehicles and
The deal is subject to approval by regulators and stockholders.
Ford is no stranger to Sweden, where the U.S. automaker has been
operating since 1924 and now sells passenger and commercial
vehicles through an 87-dealer network.
"We are not just in Sweden, we are part of Sweden," Jac
Nasser, Ford's president and chief executive officer, said this
morning. "And through our new relationship with Volvo, we plan to
be part of the fabric of the country for many years to come."
Volvo said the sale would allow the company to concentrate on
its other operations, including commercial vehicles and interests
such as construction equipment, marine engines and aerospace
It also said being part of a "very large automotive company"
would allow it to invest more in development and distribution.
"Now, Volvo can concentrate its resources towards becoming a
world leading producer of commercial products," said Volvo
president Leif Johansson, according to the Swedish news agency TT.
The merger is complementary for both companies, said analyst
Gregory Kagay, of McDonald & Co., in Birmingham, Mich.
"This is sort of like a whale swallowing a guppy," Kagay said.
"The implications for the industry are not overwhelming."
But some analysts had questions about the deal. Nick Colas, with
Credit Suisse First Boston in New York, said, "it's an interesting
acquisition but an over the top price. ... It exceeds the financial
value of Volvo," by $3 billion, by his company's estimate.
Volvo has been one of several auto companies considering mergers
or acquisitions since last year's merger of Chrysler Corp. and
Daimler-Benz AG. Italy's Fiat SpA and Germany's Volkswagen AG had
reportedly expressed interest in Volvo, but recent speculation had
focused on Fiat and Ford.
Business Week magazine reported Wednesday that Ford's offer won
out over a $7 billion bid by Fiat SpA, which also wanted to
purchase Volvo's commercial truck business. Ford has nearly $24
billion in cash, Fiat just a $1.5 billion reserve.
Fiat said today it only wanted to buy the entire company.
"The acquisition of just the car sector wasn't in our strategic
interests and therefore was never part of our negotiations," the
company said in a release.
Acquiring Volvo will allow Ford to expand its 10 percent share
of the European market by offering a broader line of near-luxury
sedans and station wagons. Volvo would also help Ford in its effort
to market itself as a leader in automotive safety.
"Volvo has a world-class reputation for safety, quality,
durability and environmental responsibility all of which are
attributes that are increasingly important to our customers,"
Ford already owns Britain's Jaguar Cars Ltd., whose cars are
priced well above Volvo's. Ford's European cars, meanwhile, are
priced below Volvo's.
"The interesting thing is there's so little overlap, even with
Jaguar," said analyst Joe Phillippi of Lehman Brothers. "Volvo
prices end way before Jaguar prices start, so that's not really an
issue. In Europe, it helps them enormously."
Ford earned $22 billion last year, more than triple the $6.9
billion it earned in 1997.
Volvo, one of the world's smaller automakers, produces fewer
than 500,000 vehicles annually. Last year it sold 400,000 cars,
100,200 of them in the United States. Sweden was its second-largest
market, with 53,600 cars sold.
This isn't the first time Volvo has been involved in merger
Stockholders blocked a proposed merger with Renault SA of France
in 1993. Opponents, mostly small shareholders in Sweden and
mid-level managers, were worried about control of Volvo and jobs
moving outside Sweden, where manufacturing costs are high.
That may be less of a concern with Ford as an owner, based on
the way the automaker has handled its acquisition of Jaguar,
keeping it as a largely separate entity based in England.
"Ford is the best partner that has been mentioned in the
discussions," said Christer Karlsson, a Stockholm School of
"It would be a disaster if they Americanized Volvo, but I'm
sure that they don't want to damage the trademark, but rather
strengthen it," he said. "Ford has let Jaguar stay an English


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Sept. 27 (UPI) — Madonna gave her best impression of Kim Kardashian on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon during a game of Lip Flip.
The Monday segment featured Fallon’s lips superimposed onto Madonna’s face as the late-night host joked about how the pop star likes to speak using a fake British accent.
After Madonna discussed how Fallon loves pizza and his dog while her lips virtually appeared on his face, she was asked to give an impression of Kardashian entering and leaving a party.
“Hiiiiii,” she said in a high-pitched tone. “Byeeeeee,” she continued as the audience laughed.
Madonna, 59, also talked about her new skincare line, MDNA. The singer gave Fallon a spa treatment using her chrome clay mask product that comes with the use of a magnet.


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By Sabina Mammadli
A 'Track and Trace' unified state automated information system will be created in Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.
The topic was reflected in the proposed amendment to the Tax Code at today's meeting of the parliamentary committee on economic policy, industry, and entrepreneurship and recommended for consideration at the plenary session of the parliament.
It was noted that the draft law will be prepared in order to regulate the circulation of excise goods and goods with mandatory labeling, as well as ensure tax control over the import, production, sale, and circulation of them.
Upon adoption of the draft law, it's planned to create a 'Track and Trace' unified state automated information system, which allows controlling the circulation of said goods, along the entire chain from production and import to the end consumer. This will play an important role in eliminating the shadow economy, preventing counterfeiting of excise goods and excise stamps, and ultimately protecting consumer rights.
During the same session, Deputy Head of the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy Samira Musayeva noted that the amount of VAT refund to consumers is planned to be increased in Azerbaijan, starting next year.
She added that the purpose of this is to encourage cashless payments.
Further, she noted that Azerbaijan considers the issue of the introduction of seasonal taxes.
The official pointed out that the issues on the provision of benefits to business entities engaged in seasonal activities are being considered.
Musayeva noted that these issues are also being considered within the framework of the strategy for the social and economic development of Azerbaijan.
"The proposals of entrepreneurs are also taken into account in this matter," she added.
Moreover, the proposed amendment to the law ‘On state duty’ covered the issue of exemption of state duty.
According to the proposition, the exemption of state duty for mandatory labeling of tobacco products can be canceled in Azerbaijan.
The proposal said that manufacturers and importers of tobacco products will be exempted from paying the state duty provided for in Article 20-3.2.1 of this law (-0.07 for providing mandatory labeling of excisable goods) for mandatory labeling of these products within one month from the date of receipt of the notification from the authority (institution) established by the relevant executive authority on connection to the information system.
The body, determined by the relevant executive authority, may extend the period specified in the first sentence of this article five times, but not more than once a month.
Meanwhile, the process of receiving grants will become more transparent in Azerbaijan, according to the proposed amendment to law 'On grants'.
The main goal of the proposed amendment is to ensure transparency in obtaining grants, the formation of a system that meets modern requirements in this area, the creation of a unified information system covering the necessary information on grants, ensure the maintenance of the prescribed registry based on the same forms, methods, and principles.


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Drone delivery firm A2Z Drone Delivery has announced the rollout of a new flagship long-range last-mile delivery drone, the RDSX Pelican, which has a reported payload of up to five kilograms with a range of up to 40km (24.8 miles).
Without a load, the drone can reportedly travel up to 50km and, when configured for heavy lifting, it can haul up to 8kg.
Key design motivations behind the RDSX Pelican were the minimisation potential points of failure and reducing the overall cost-per-kilometre of logistics operations, all while providing maximum payload flexibility.
Often, delivery drones can offer good transportation at a reduced cost and more sustainably than some traditional shipping options,
A2Z adds that, while many last-mile terrestrial or seaborn deliveries can already be completed with unmanned aerial vehicles, the unit costs of such deliveries needs to fall for the industry to truly scale these services.
The drone’s reported operating cost is 13 cents or 10 pence/kg/km operating cost when fully loaded and is capable of carrying parcels up to 400 x 300 x 300mm.
Prices start at US$29,000 (£23,000) and the Pelican is available in multiple configurations.
Additional design specifications mean the Pelican can be customised to suit specific mission criteria such as aerial mapping, drone inspection, search and rescue operations, water sample collection, offshore deliveries, mining, etc.
A2Z is now accepting pre-orders for the RDSX Pelican, with initial deliveries expected for June 2023.


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PagoFX, Banco Santander’s international money transfer platform, will close its services on November 30, 2021, just over a year after its launch, stating that it is ‘part of a strategic move’.
The company has already halted the registration and verification process for new accounts but will allow existing customers to use its services until November 29. The platform will close all accounts by December 7th unless in the case of accounts with pending transactions.
“It has been decided to close the international money transfer service in the United Kingdom, Spain and Belgium,” the company stated.
Transferring resources to other services
However, the company is only shutting down its money transfer app, but the Spanish bank’s fintech entity will continue to provide services in its other business sectors. The notice added: “PagoFX technology and resources will be used to support PagoNxt’s broader portfolio and client proposition.”
Secretum – SOLANA Messaging App for Blockchain EraGo to Article >>
PagoFX is part of Fintech PagoNXT and allows users to transfer money internationally, using any debit or credit card. It was launched in April last year and initially only allows users from Spain before expanding services to other neighboring countries.
The platform allowed cross-border transfers to the Eurozone, other European countries and many countries across Asia, Oceania and the Americas. It has been a direct competitor to other major UK fintechs such as Wise and Revolut, and has been handling it in terms of fees.
With the shutdown, the company is now likely to deploy PagoFX assets and money transfer bars to grow its trade services business, offering small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and international businesses for international payments, supply chain and trade finance solutions.


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Suzuki had previously planned to offer two alternate versions of its new Kizashi sedan, a hybrid and a V6. Those plans were scrapped however, due to GM”s sale of their stake in Suzuki; the technology for these vehicles was to be borrowed from GM.
The move is a costly blow to Suzuki as a company that doesn’t offer a mid-size sedan in either a hybrid or V6 version. One option to consider is Volkswagen”s alternative-fuel engine technology, but that would be too expensive. Suzuki has dispatched a team of engineers to Germany to see what can be done as far as alternative technologies.
“We are looking at VW’s cost structure and their offerings,” said Steve Younan, director of product planning at American Suzuki Motor Corp. “We want to keep our cars reachable to mere mortals.”
Volkswagen recently purchased a 19.9 percent stake in Suzuki.
2010 Suzuki Kizashi:
– By: Stephen Calogera
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)


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MediaTek's Helio P23 Chip Targets U.S. Mid-Range Phones
MediaTek today announced two new processors for mid-range handsets and one of them takes aim square at U.S.-bound smartphones. The Helio P23 system-on-a-chip is centered around eight ARM Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2.3 GHz that are enhanced by Mali G71 MP2 GPUs. The SoC can be paired with memory modules up to 6 GB. The P23 supports dual camera configurations, a feature that has become popular on high-end handsets and some mid-range phones. The P23 can handle two cameras up to 13 megapixels in color/color, color/mono or wide/telephoto configurations for effects such as bokeh, or a single camera at 24 megapixels. MediaTek says the P23 includes its new Imagiq 2.0 suite, which helps minimize grain, noise, aliasing, and chromatic aberrations. A revised camera control unit helps manage auto exposure speeds. On the connectivity front, the Helio P23 packs CAT 7/13 LTE and what MediaTek calls its 4G LTE WorldMode modem, a radio that can handle many of the world's LTE frequencies. Among them is support for 600 MHz, which is being deployed by T-Mobile. This means phone makers can bring affordable handsets with support for two cameras and T-Mobile's new LTE network to U.S. consumers. The P23 also includes GPS, GLONASS, Bluetooth, WiFi, and FM radios. Rounding out the feature set, the P23 offers MediaTek's CorePilot 4.0 technology to help manage thermals with power needs for efficient computing. The Helio P30, also announced today, has slightly higher specs than the P23 though it mainly targets China. MediaTek says the Helio P23 is sampling now and will be available in volume by the fourth quarter. It expects to see handsets with the Helio P23 inside during the early months of 2018.
MediaTek Packs 10 Cores in TriCluster Helio X20 Chip
MediaTek today announced the Helio X20, a mobile application processor that packages 10 cores together in three separate clusters. Many of today's high-end processors package eight cores in two clusters.
Samsung Reveals Exynos 7870 for Mid-Range Phones
Samsung today announced the Exynos 7 Octa 7870, a new mobile processor that targets mid-level handsets. The 7870 is manufactured using Samsung's 14nm FinFET process and consumes 30% less power than the previous generation 7xxx chip.
MediaTek's Helio P25 Processor Takes Aim At Dual-Camera Phones
MediaTek today announced the Helio P25, a mobile processor for smartphones that boosts imaging and video capabilities. The P25 relies on a 16nm FinFET process and includes eight ARM Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2.5 GHz.
Sprint to Sell MediaTek-Equipped Variant of LG X Power
Sprint and Boost Mobile today revealed plans to sell the LG X power smartphone. The X power, announced by LG earlier this year, features a 4,100mAh battery that delivers up to two days of battery life.


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Golden Joystick Awards 2008
Cheeky comedian Frankie Boyle to host next month's ceremony.
22/09/08 – Future, the special-interest media group, is delighted to announce Scottish stand-up comic and TV star Frankie Boyle as the host of the 26th Annual Golden Joystick Awards – together with Virgin Media.
The Golden Joystick Awards take place on Friday 31st October at the Park Lane Hilton, London and organisers are encouraging marketing and pr departments to rally their loyal fans. With all UK gamers eligible to vote – companies are invited to promote the Golden Joysticks to their online communities – those who visit official websites, create their own fan communities, or post on forums.
Supporting this quest to secure additional votes for shortlisted products and increase the chance of scooping a prestigious Golden Joystick, Future has created a comprehensive EPK available to all eligible companies – designed to encourage gamers to vote at www.goldenjoystick.com.
Organisers hope the final month of voting will be further strengthened by industry support, rocketing the Golden Joystick Awards towards one million votes for the first-time. As the headline event of London Games Festival – the cultural celebration of everything gaming, the Joysticks are a major focal point – with attendance of mainstream media across the globe already confirmed.
With just a few tables remaining, almost 800 guests will be entertained at the event as Frankie Boyle takes time out from his sold-out tour to present the show, also streamed live at www.goldenjoystick.com and the Virgin Media website – www.virginmedia.com . Frankie first came to prominence when he won the Daily Telegraph’s Open Mic competition in 1996, launching his stand-up career. Since then he has racked up an impressive CV of TV work, including his infamous appearances on BBC Two’s Mock the Week.
Emma Parkinson, Organiser of the Golden Joystick Awards said:
“This year’s Golden Joystick Awards are shaping up to be the best yet, thanks to the support of our sponsor Virgin Media and Frankie Boyle signing up as host.
“The industry has always seen the Joysticks as a focal point of its calendar and long may this continue. Increasingly, it has become a focal point for mainstream press attention and a celebration of the games industry. As we aim for a million votes, we need the help of your fans and customers – make the wider world proud of our industry.”
The EPK is available from email@example.com. A limited number of tables are still available; please contact Scott Longstaff – firstname.lastname@example.org
Future plc is an international special-interest media group with offices in the UK and US. Founded in 1985 with one magazine, today it creates over 180 special-interest publications, websites and events, with strong portfolios in the games, technology, music, film and active sectors including sports, automotive and crafts. Future exports, syndicates or licenses its publications to 90 countries internationally. The Company employs more than 1,200 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol FUTR).
About Virgin Media
Virgin Media is an innovative and pioneering UK entertainment and communications business. For the first time consumers can get everything they need from one company - the UK's only quad-play of TV, broadband, phone and mobile, plus the most advanced TV on demand service, all delivered through its unique fibre-optic cable network. Virgin Media launched the UK’s first high definition TV service, is the only TV platform to carry BBC iPlayer, and offers a high-specification, HD-ready V+ personal video recorder. Virgin Media is the UK’s largest residential broadband provider, the largest virtual mobile network operator and the second-largest provider of pay TV and home phone.
Virgin Media owns two content businesses - Virgin Media Television (VMTV) and sit-up. VMTV owns seven entertainment channels – Virgin1, Living, Living 2, Bravo, Bravo 2, Challenge and Trouble - and is a 50% partner in UKTV which consists of nine channels including Dave, UKTV Gold and UKTV History. sit-up runs retail TV channels bid tv, price-drop tv and speed auction tv.
Virgin Media has been voted the sixth Most Loved Brand in Britain in a Marketing magazine poll, as well as having been voted the Most Trusted ISP Brand 2008 by Reader’s Digest magazine. The Sunday Times also awarded Virgin Media its 2008 Best Buy awards for broadband and movies on demand.
Virgin Media is the largest Virgin company in the world and has almost 10 million customers. To find out more visit www.virginmedia.com/presscentre.


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Indianapolis reacts to being Amazon headquarters finalist
The news spread quickly and Indy is pretty excited about the possibility of becoming Amazon HQ2.
People rushed to Twitter to express their feelings about the selection.
Here's what people are saying:
Chris Sims is a digital producer at IndyStar. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.


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Premier League sides, including Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, have revealed team kits for the 2016-17 season, as well as Manchester United's new kit for away games. With another season drawing to a close, the unveiling of next year's new Premier League kits can provide an exciting insight into what teams will be wearing next year when they clash on home turf or travel during the 2016-17 campaign. Manchester United gave fans a first look at their new away kit: a "collegiate blue" jersey with red trim, the latest product of MUFC's huge £750 million partnership deal with Adidas. Other Premier League teams, including Arsenal, Liverpool, Leicester City and Chelsea, also revealed their kits for next year's season, with theirs and Manchester United's new away kit drawing mixed reactions from fans.Manchester United's new kit for away games is a navy blue shirt with red stripes on the shoulders, bearing, front and center, the logo of main sponsor, Chevrolet. The jersey revealed by the Red Devils hits the club's shops at £60 -- about $85 -- and Man. United hopes to wear the strip in next season's Champions League.
ESPN pointed out that fans have identified a striking resemblance between Manchester United's new kit and the club's training gear throughout the 2015-16 season last week.
"A cursory examination reveals that the general social media response has been less than complimentary since the shirt was first leaked last week, with many fans pointing out that it bears a striking resemblance to the training gear United have been sporting this year," said ESPN.According to The Mirror, Liverpool's new home kit for the 2016-17 season, also unveiled recently, features a tribute to the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster of 1989. The strip was designed by American sports gear giant New Balance, and is -- unsurprisingly -- predominantly red, with yellow details found in the trim, Liverpool crest and sponsor logos. The kit also features a quote reading: "There's no noise like the Anfield noise."
Skipper Jordan Henderson is reportedly pleased with the club's new kit for home games next year.
"I think it's nice. There's a few different things," Henderson told The Mirror."The side vents are meant to help us cool down -- but that's not working right now."
Champions Leicester City, as well as Manchester United, revealed the club's new kits for the 2016-17 season. Manchester United's new kit for away games could not rival the Leicester Foxes' 2015-16 shirt in sales at the club's shop in the wake of their phenomenal success during this year's Premier League season.
"After fans immediately emptied the club's shop to celebrate their phenomenal success, the Foxes have quickly restocked as they unveil their new £50 home shirt," reports The Mirror.
The makers of Leicester's new kit, PUMA, told The Mirror that the club's 2016-17 outfit will feature an exclusive embellishment.
"For the first time in the clubs history, the official Leicester home shirt will be sporting the new iconic gold Premier League embellishment - only reserved for Champions and worn with pride," PUMA told The Mirror."The sleek contemporary style brings a bold, geometric jacquard design to the body and sleeves to create an eye catching on pitch statement, while also boasting a traditional yet stylised collar."They are heading into this weekend two points adrift of Manchester City, and need to beat Bournemouth to stand any chance of overtaking their local rivals.
Manchester City is also two points adrift of Manchester United, new kit aside. The club's new kit for away games, revealed alongside Premier League 2016-17 kits for Arsenal and Liverpool, will hopefully bring fans to the support of MUFC.
[Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images]


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Mobile network Three has introduced a new policy for its customers in which they can use their UK price plan while abroad.
The new plan means that Three is initially eliminating roaming charges in seven countries: Republic of Ireland, Australia, Italy, Austria, Hong Kong, Sweden and Denmark.
Three claims that it's the first UK operator to offer customers the same rates as those they would get in the UK, without any additional charges.
"[Customers] can now use their UK price plan instead of incurring international roaming charges in certain countries if they are contacting loved ones in the UK, and even if you go out of bundle you will be subject to reduced roaming rates," the mobile operator said in a statement.
Three's new pricing policy, dubbed "Feel At Home", allows customers on pay monthly, pay as you go, SIM-only, mobile broadband and business plans to use their allowances abroad. Even if users exceed the limits in the selected countries then they will still incur lower rates than Three's standard roaming charges. Calls and texts to non-UK numbers will be charged at standard roaming rates and tethering is not allowed.
Thomas Malleschitz, marketing director at Three, said: "By abolishing expensive roaming charges in select countries we are allowing our customers to get even more value from their minutes, texts and data abroad by removing the fear associated with staying in touch while travelling."
The announcement comes a day after Reuters revealed that EU telecoms chief Neelie Kroes was scrapping a draft proposal to cut wholesale roaming fees by as much as 90 per cent.
Kroes had proposed a cap of 3 cents per minute for voice calls, a significant reduction on the current 10 cent cap which came into effect this year. The new rules would have started July 2014 and lasted until June 2022. She also wanted to slash the wholesale cap for data to 1.5 cents per megabyte from the current limit of 15 cents.
However, her latest draft plan does not mention the issue at all, according to Reuters.
The 27 European Commissioners voted in June to end all roaming fees for voice calls, texts and internet access, as part of the European Commission's aims to create a single European telecoms market.


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THE country’s manufacturing output slowed to 15.2 percent in 2022 as bumps in the recovery from the pandemic put the brakes on expansion, according to the latest Production Index and Net Sales Index of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA data showed the Volume of Production Index (VoPI) was slower than the 52.6-percent growth—numbers attributed to base effects —posted in 2021.
In December, the VoPI posted a growth of 4.8 percent, the 6th highest for the whole year of 2022, PSA told the BusinessMirror. The lowest VoPI was recorded in April 2022, a contraction of 1 percent.
“The continued growth in manufacturing, though slower year-on-year amid some normalization of denominator/base effects, may be largely attributed to the further reopening of the economy towards greater normalcy,” Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) Chief Economist Michael Ricafort said.
The slower annual growth of VoPI in December 2022 compared to its annual growth in November 2022 were mainly attributed to the slower growth in three industry divisions: transport equipment which contracted 1 percent from 14.3 percent in the previous month; manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products, a growth of 21.3 percent from 25.8 percent; and manufacture of basic metals, a deeper contraction of 37.5 percent from a decline of 29.2 percent in November 2022.
“In addition to these three, slowdowns were also observed in the annual growth rates of the indices of eight industry divisions,” the PSA said.
In contrast, the PSA said eight industry divisions posted higher annual growth rates in December 2022 than in November 2022, including the manufacture of food products.
Among these industry divisions, manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment posted the highest annual growth rate of 52.9 percent in December 2022.
“The VoPI for manufacture of food products, on the other hand, registered an annual increment of 7.2 percent in December 2022. This was higher compared with the November 2022 annual growth rate of 4.8 percent, but slower relative to December 2021 annual increase of 30.4 percent,” the PSA said.
Meanwhile, the average capacity utilization rate for the manufacturing sector in December 2022 was reported at 71.6 percent, slower than the 72.6 percent in the previous month. However, this was faster than the 67.5 percent posted in December 2021.
At least 19 out of 22 industry divisions had more than 60 percent average capacity utilization rate, led by manufacture of wearing apparel at 79.7 percent.
Other manufacturing divisions with higher capacity utilizations in December included the manufacture of machinery and equipment except electrical, at 79 percent; and manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products at 76.3 percent.
The Production Index and Net Sales Index was formerly called the Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries (MISSI) report.
It continues to monitor the production, net sales, inventories, and capacity utilization of selected manufacturing establishments to provide flash indicators on the performance of the manufacturing sector.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes


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China's electronic information manufacturing sector posts steady growth
China's electronic information manufacturing sector logged growth in revenues and profits in the first 11 months of 2020, official data showed.
Total profits of firms with annual revenues of more than 20 million yuan (about 3.07 million U.S. dollars) surged 15.7 percent year on year, while the operating revenues of these firms rose 7.8 percent, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The value-added output of major electronic information manufacturers rose 7.2 percent year on year in the January-November period, and fixed-asset investment in the industry increased 14.5 percent from a year earlier.
In November alone, the output of smartphones rose 5.7 percent year on year, while the output of laptops surged 47.8 percent.


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Emerging markets are wrought with opportunities for commerce. Much of this is due to the fact that these countries have high growth rates and slowly expanding infrastructures. These factors act as strong incentives for foreign investment.
With its apparent attractiveness, it’s understandable that many are looking to expand into developing markets. To do so, companies need to devote time to researching and understanding how to efficiently market their products and services according to each country. For many, a popular concern in international expansion is the matter of payments. Luckily, however, recent trends emerging in developing markets may offer an interesting opportunity.
The rise of crypto and alternative payments
It is of no surprise that emerging markets are contributing massively to the global economy. Despite this, these countries are still characterized as high risk. This is because whilst emerging markets do have ample opportunities for business, they are known for their extensive institutional voids and political instability.
For the longest time, these characteristics have created questionable business environments for emerging markets. The high risks associated have mainly acted as a deterrent to companies…until now. In an unprecedented turn of events, this instability has created a breeding ground for crypto adoption.
To elaborate, the uncertain political conditions of these countries tends to cause fluctuations in the value of their national currencies. This volatility can be mild or aggressive. In Venezuela, for example, hyperinflation is a massive destabilizing factor for their economy. With rates as high 10,000,000% and the average Venezuelan earning 70 cents a day, many people fear the loss of what little savings they have accumulated. It is because of this that many have turned to crypto, pushing the country to come in third on the Global Crypto Adoption index with one of the highest usage rates in the world.
Another prime example can be seen in the likes of Ukraine. Akin to Venezuela, the unstable political conditions of this Eastern European market are currently acting as a strong incentive for grassroot crypto adoption. This is further supported by their crypto-curious government and growing tech-savvy population.
In addition to a preference for crypto, there is an increased convergence between e-commerce and mobile technology. This is currently giving rise to an acceptance for alternative payment systems as they offer “faster, more versatile and easy-to-deploy payment options.”
Looking at cryptocurrencies and alternative payment systems
Although seemingly intimidating, this preference for cryptocurrencies and alternative payment systems presents an interesting opportunity for companies. We can understand why by diving deeper into the benefits provided by both.
Firstly, when using cryptocurrencies, transactions are executed with blockchain technology. Powered by a network of decentralized computers, there is no need for traditional middlemen. This makes transfers faster, more efficient and low cost. Further, crypto holders are always able to maintain full control over their assets regardless of extenuating circumstances within the market. Lastly, thanks to the cryptographic techniques employed, all transaction data is kept private.
Similarly, alternative payment systems offer the same benefits as they are characterized as generally being faster and offering greater flexibility to users. In addition, a central feature of many of these infrastructures is that they are easy to use for both merchants and individuals. In amongst some of the current technological advancements in this area is none other than blockchain technology.
With extensive benefits to be reaped, to not consider adopting crypto and alternative payment systems could be a huge misstep for companies looking to expand into emerging markets.
The question now remains: how does one harness these benefits?
Expanding into emerging markets using crypto payments
For expanding businesses looking to harness the benefits of both crypto and alternative payment systems, the most optimal strategy would be to adopt a blockchain-based payment solution.
At PumaPay, we offer a comprehensive crypto payment system that addresses the needs of merchants as well as their clients. Utilizing blockchain technology, our solution combines the advantages of crypto and the ease-of-use of credit cards to provide a faster, more efficient alternative to traditional payment systems.
We believe our services stand out from most alternative payment solutions because we prioritize innovation and keep the interests of merchants at the heart of all our decisions. This is reflected in our development of our PullPayment technology. This protocol enables businesses to easily accept crypto via customizable billing models that were designed to ensure maximum compatibility with virtually any merchant’s services. Further, to create a comprehensive system, we designed a user-friendly mobile wallet app for end-users that allows customers to easily pay in crypto for the services of PMA-integrated companies. Currently, we are looking to accommodate the needs of users in emerging markets by beginning the process of localizing our wallet app through expanding the language settings available for our users.
Going forward, as emerging markets continue to grow and a large portion of their population continue to develop a preference for crypto and alternative payment solutions, it is vital that firms consider blockchain-based payment infrastructures when developing their plans for expansion. Notably, whilst it’s important to remember that PumaPay offers a hassle-free solution that combines the benefits of alternative payments and crypto, merchants should conduct as much research as possible to make sure they make the best decision for their company.
Are you looking to expand into emerging markets?
Book a consultation with PumaPay to learn more about what we can do to maximize your chance of success.


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Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Push For a National Sales Tax
What does Justice Anthony Kennedy have to do with sales tax? Quite a lot, in fact. An opinion released on Tuesday was unanimous 9-0 in favor of the Direct Marketing Association, which sued Colorado over having to report non-taxed consumer online sales information to the State’s tax board. You can read the full opinion on the Supreme Court website but what you should know is that Justice Kennedy filed a concurring opinion and is pushing towards reassessing the laws created by the historic Quill case.
Appointed by President Reagan in 1988, Justice Kennedy is one of three current US Supreme Court Justices who sat on the bench during the Pivot 1992 Quill case. Along with current Justices Scalia and Thomas who also presided over the Quill case, Kennedy and the rest of the 1992 Supreme Court unanimously agreed on three of the four parts in the opinion, effectively creating the nexus rules we use today in sales tax.
Understanding the Supreme Court and Sales Tax Opinions
If you’re a bit rusty on your American Civics classes, the Supreme Court doesn’t actually make laws but only issues opinions on cases. With nine Justices, it’s easy to see that not everyone is going to agree all the time or agree on every part of an opinion. Justices can file dissenting opinions when they disagree and concurring opinions when they agree but for different legal reasons. These concurring opinions are broken into parts of the opinion and are not considered legal precedents—in other words, they’re not effectively changing the law.
Back in 1992, all three current Justices subscribed to the three parts of the Quill case that created today’s sales tax laws. But in Tuesday’s opinion, Kennedy points to the need to reassess.
Sales Tax History in the Supreme Court
To give you a quick primer on sales tax in the US Supreme Court, in 1967 the Court ruled that companies must have a physical presence in the state to be obligated to collect sales tax in National Bellas Hess, Inc. v. Department of Revenue of Ill. Later in 1992, the issue arose again but this time in the form of catalog sales in the Quill case, which the court opined was already covered in the Bellas Hess case by stare decisis or legal precedent alone.
Kennedy’s Tuesday concurring opinion states “This further underscores the tenuous nature of that holding—a holding now inflicting extreme harm and unfairness on the States,” noting that keeping the opinion created in 1967 via stare decisis might not make sense anymore in today’s hyperconnected world. It comes down to not including precedent from another case, Complete Auto Transit, Inc. v. Brady, where the legal test for nexus was further refined from the Bellas Hess case.
In Quill, the Court should have taken the opportunity to reevaluate Bellas Hessnot only in light of Complete Auto but also in view of the dramatic technological and social changes that had taken place in our increasingly interconnected economy. There is a powerful case to be made that a retailer doing extensive business within a State has a sufficiently “substantial nexus” to justify imposing some minor tax-collection duty, even if that business is done through mail or the Internet.
Kennedy is basically saying it’s time to reevaluate Quill, Bellas Hess, and Complete Auto. And that might mean national sales tax without an act of Congress. Kennedy sums it all up:
As a result [of consumer connectivity to companies outside their state’s borders], a business may be pre- sent in a State in a meaningful way without that presence being physical in the traditional sense of the term.
Given these changes in technology and consumer so- phistication, it is unwise to delay any longer a reconsider- ation of the Court’s holding in Quill.
It should be left in place only if a powerful showing can be made that its rationale is still correct.
But wait, the Court can’t create sales tax–can they?
Maybe you’re waving your arms saying that the Supreme Court can’t rule on local-state issues when it comes to taxation because of the Tax Injunction Act. The Act states that federal courts, including the Supreme Court, “shall not enjoin, suspend or restrain the assessment, levy or collection of any tax under state law.”
Basically, the federal government can’t stop a state from, telling a state how to, or force a state to collect taxes. But they can give states the power to do so if the state so chooses. If the Supreme Court hears a case on Quill and the other Justices agree with Kennedy,
they can change the way we interpret nexus for our connected world today and in the future, potentially giving states the jurisdiction to collect sales tax on purchases made virtually outside their borders by their citizens.
And don’t forget, the Marketplace Fairness Act is seeing a resurgence in the Senate. National sales tax might not be that far away.


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Shares of Hexo Corp., an award-winning consumer packaged goods cannabis company that creates and distributes prize-winning products to serve the global cannabis market, saw its shares decline on Thursday after the company announced a sequential decline in revenue as part of its third-quarter earnings.
The Canadian licensed pot producer dropped 8.4% in afternoon trading Thursday.
For the third quarter, the company reported net revenue of C$13.02 million ($9.8 million). This is compared to $13.4 million in the fiscal second quarter. The FactSet net sales consensus was C$14.8 million.
Hexo Chief Executive Sébastien St. Louis said on the earnings call that Hexo had sequentially increased the amount of adult-recreational use pot sold by 9% to 2,700 kilograms, despite the fall.
The CEO also said that the company increased its cannabis production by 98% from the previous quarter to a total of 9,800 kilograms.
The company added 374 new employees during the quarter, to bring its total to 822 staffers at the end of the quarter and 1,100 at the time of the earnings conference call.
Hexo is planning to enter the U.S. via the cannabidiol, or CBD, market.


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Two separate home cinema formats are set to battle it out to become the dominant successor to DVD.
Blu-Ray disc players are set to arrive in UK shops this week ahead of rival high-definition (HD) DVD models.
Both systems offer far greater clarity and storage capacity than existing DVD players but can’t play discs in the other’s format although they can play DVDs.
Samsung’s DMP-BD-P1000 launched in the US in June and goes on sale in the UK from today for around £999.
Samsung and Panasonic
A Samsung spokeswoman said the electronics giant expected to sell several thousand of the new machines in the UK before Christmas.
Panasonic’s DMP-BD10 Blu-Ray disc player is also available at around 50 Shop@Panasonic stores priced at around £1,299; it will also go on sale at John Lewis this week.
Blu-Ray discs have five times as much visual and audio storage capacity as standard DVDs.
Blu-Ray is also likely to get a boost when Sony’s Blu-Ray compatible PlayStation 3 launches in the UK next year.
Toshiba is set to launch a rival HD-DVD player next month and although the Blu-Ray discs can hold more than HD-DVD discs, the HD-DVD is much a cheaper system.
Toshiba has indicated that its first model will cost around £400, while a higher-end model will be available in December costing about £600.
Hamish Thompson of DSG International, which includes Dixons and Currys, said it would stock both new formats.
He said: ‘Both offer incredible picture quality. What makes this so-called format war a bit different is that both formats are based around digital content. It’s quite possible that there will be scope for both formats to coexist in much the same way as games consoles.’
Which? technology expert Dave Holes said: ‘It’s difficult to forecast which format will dominate – but a new disc has been patented that can carry both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD versions of a film (on separate layers) so perhaps it could avert a bloody format war.
‘It’s very early days. We would advise consumers to wait before leaping into one format or the other – and prices are likely to fall dramatically within the year.’


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You’ve heard of taking probiotics for a healthy gut, but what about literally spraying live bacteria on your skin? As Dr. Mallika Marshall reports, a local company thinks it’s a good idea for overall health, and plans to prove it.
“I have not taken a shower in over 12 years,” says Dave Whitlock, a chemical engineer and MIT grad who says he doesn’t miss bathing at all. “No one did clinical trials on people taking showers every day. So what’s the basis for assuming that that is a healthy practice.”
In fact, what Whitlock does believe is healthy is restoring good bacteria to our skin that our ancestors enjoyed long ago and that has slowly been stripped away by excessive cleaning. To prove his theory, he helped found AOBiome, a company based in Cambridge, MA.
“We’ve confused clean with sterile,” says Jasmina Aganovic, the General Manager of Consumer Products at AOBiome. She says as humans, we need to reconnect with our environment. “We’ve taken the dirt out of our lives. We don’t spend as much time outdoors as we used to, even little children,” she explains.
To add a little dirt back into our lives, AOBiome has created Mother Dirt, specifically the AO+ Mist containing live bacteria that is sprayed directly on the skin twice a day. It has no odor and feels like water.
“Our users are able to reduce their dependence on conventional products,” says Aganovic. “Examples include cutting out or cutting down on deodorant, cutting out or cutting down on moisturizers.” There’s a Mother Dirt shampoo and cleanser that don’t contain bacteria but Aganovic says won’t interfere with it either.
originally posted by: justneo
So if the spray has the good bacteria in it, why not just shower and then spray it on to get all the goodness back on yourself after you clean off all the dirt, sweat and all the other grime you get on yourself during various tasks.
The company should of tweaked their marketing campaign just a tiny bit :p


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Thanks to everyone who has been emailing asking when Chain of Command are due for release. We are very pleased to announce that the rules will be published on the 21st of August. They will be available in hard copy, PDF format and an interactive tablet friendly version.
In addition to the rules we will be producing some game aids to accompany the game, including a set of Jump-Off markers, tokens and dice. We’ll be reviewing these as they arrive from our suppliers, so keep your eyes on Lard Island News next week when the first of these arrive.
We’ll be doing some great advanced order bundle deals as well once we have the printer’s proofs back in our hands and we know that all is looking good. That should be around the 26th of this month.
Over the past few months we have been busy playtesting the forthcoming campaign handbook for Sharp Practice. It’s been great fun and has generated some exciting games and thrilling narratives. However, our latest campaign threw up a game so unusual that we decided to roll it out as a club night game to see just


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Hossen Sohel for DOT
 The Ministry of Food and the World Food Programme yesterday formalised the inclusion of fortified rice in the Open Market Sales (OMS) which will directly benefit about 720,000 people in 144,000 households, reports Dhaka Tribune, UNB.
 Richard Ragan, Country Representative of the World Food Programme, Sarwar Mahmud, Director General of Directorate General of Food, and Md Zahangir Alam, Chief Controller, Dhaka Rationing inaugurated the programme in the capital.
 The Nutrition International (NI) and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) will be supporting the advocacy for fortified rice in the programme.
 Under the programme, the price of fortified rice was set lower than the market price, at Tk 30 per kg for a maximum of 5 kg rice per household per day to families with lower income.
 It is estimated that the low price will allow each household to buy on average 20kg fortified rice per month.
 Fortified rice will be sold six days a week at 120 centres across Dhaka North and Dhaka South city corporations from 9am to 5pm at selected shop outlets.
 WFP aims to ensure distribution of fortified rice through the OMS programme to enhance food security and nutritional wellbeing of vulnerable households who consume diets deficient in micronutrients.
“Fortifying the rice will provide essential vitamins and minerals when households are compelled to compromise food diversity due to access to markets and income opportunities during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Sarwar.


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- Facebook is acquiring customer service startup Kustomer.
- And this acquisition could provide businesses with more data and help build consumer confidence as social commerce slowly gains traction.
- Insider Intelligence analyzes this industry and several others to provide in-depth analyst reports, proprietary forecasts, customizable charts, and more. Learn more about what we offer.
While Facebook has been pushing heavily into Shops on Facebook and Instagram. The Kustomer acquisition, meanwhile, focuses less on the public-facing Shops and more on private communication.over the past few months, its investments thus far have generally been centered around improving discoverability and adding new features to
There are two reasons the focus on customer service may be beneficial for Facebook's push into social commerce:
- Building consumer confidence for those who aren't ready to shop on social media yet. Only 35% of US online shoppers had used social media to shop as of October, per a Bizrate Insights survey conducted for eMarketer. Though that's up from the 27% who said the same in April, it still shows that the majority of consumers aren't ready to complete the entire purchase process on a social media platform, even if they regularly shop online. Engaging with a business via a social messaging platform could be a soft introduction into social commerce for those who may not have otherwise considered it. For example, a business that's integrated with Facebook Shops could answer a customer's questions on Facebook Messenger and then link directly to a product.
- Accessing consumer data that goes beyond Facebook's owned and operated properties. Kustomer will allow businesses using Facebook to track customers across different channels, including WhatsApp or Messenger, email, and a company's website. For example, a business that receives a message from a customer on WhatsApp could see that the customer completed a return on its website a month ago. For businesses considering setting up shop on Facebook, the ability to track their customers' communications even outside of the platform could be a useful selling point.
But the deal could add to the antitrust scrutiny that Facebook is already battling. Facebook's acquisition of Giphy earlier this year—which it also tried to integrate with its messaging services—prompted an investigation from UK regulators that caused Facebook to pause the integration.
And in the US, federal and state authorities are only days away from filing a suit against Facebook, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Though those government actions aren't related to the platform's ecommerce ambitions, the social media giant's continued acquisitions could draw further ire from antitrust watchdogs.
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Guggenheim analysts changed their rating on Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares, upgrading them from Sell to Neutral. As a result, there are no longer any analysts on the sell side providing a Sell or equivalent rating for Microsoft.
The analysts acknowledged that their previous recommendation to sell Microsoft was a significant misjudgment. The analysts admitted their mistake, stating that they had reservations about potential challenges that, in the end, did not materialize. Nevertheless, they find the positive outlook for Generative AI too strong to ignore.
These challenges encompassed difficulties faced by the Windows operating system and the broader PC market, which initially saw a boost in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic but eventually revealed that this surge was unsustainable, according to the analysts.


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This share price decline is about more than the electric vehicle maker's recent earnings miss.
A series of positive news is helping the biopharmaceutical company start the week on a strong note.
Fiverr is doing great -- but now Microsoft wants a piece of the action.
Epic Games' battle with Apple follows similar lawsuits filed in the US, Australia, and the UK.
The world's leading online retailer has done a lot of things that don't make sense at first glance. Let's look at the latest rumor mill chatter...
The Japanese video game giant is still undervalued relative to its growth.
The maker of outdoor action cameras continues to work on a turnaround plan, but fourth-quarter revenue still fell short.
Investors are not impressed with the company's full-year guidance.
The entertainment company is experiencing substantial decreases in revenue as it's forced to operate at reduced capacity.
The tech giant could undergo a major transformation by 2025.