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The Federal Government has said that it has initiated the use of a tracking device to track every truck loading petroleum product from any of its depots as part of efforts to stop the smuggling of these products and arrest offenders.
This follows the reported sharp increase in the daily consumption of petrol by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which is caused by the activities of smugglers.
This was made known by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, at a forum organised by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to measure the achievements recorded in the oil and gas sector in the last 2 years.
What the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources is saying
According to NAN, Sylva pointed out that although a lot had been achieved in the industry, the activities of smugglers had continued to overshadow the successes especially as it concerned fuel subsidy and the quantity of petroleum products consumed in the country.
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He said, “This is one big question that we try to answer ourselves because when we look at the number of load-outs from our depots every day, we know that we don’t have that level of consumption of petroleum products in Nigeria.’’
Sylva said that the government has decided to track products that go out from its depots to ensure they are delivered straight to designated filling stations in the country adding that the era of smuggling products across the country’s borders was over as it negatively contributed to the high number of litres of petroleum products said to be consumed in the country on a daily basis.
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He said, “We have been able to put a tracking system to track the trucks that load from the depots, so that we are sure that when they load products from the depots, they take it straight to the filling stations. When you say that Nigerians are consuming 60 million litres, and you look at the number of cars on the Nigerian roads, you will know that those 60 million litres cannot be possibly consumed in Nigeria.
“But we have a situation where our price for products here is cheaper than the price across the border; sometimes the price across the border is double or even more than double our own price here. So, it’s an opportunity for profit, and some people will want to take our product and sell it across the border to make extra money.
“That is what has been happening and it’s really distorting our own system here because if you say you are going to be subsidising the product, the subsidy is meant to be subsidising for Nigerians not those outside Nigeria. But the way it is now, we seem to be subsidising the whole of Africa, and how can we sustain such a move; that is why the subsidy amount is going up every day,” Sylva said.
Sylva also said that his ministry is collaborating with security agents, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to ensure the smugglers were apprehended and brought to justice adding that government should be ruthless.
The petroleum minister further said that apart from tracking device systems, other technological solutions would be applied to get the problem solved in the shortest time possible.
What you should know
- It can be recalled that the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kyari, at a stakeholders meeting organized by the corporation raised alarm over the increased daily consumption of petrol to 103 million litres per day in May.
- This he said has led to an increase in the payment for the subsidy that accompanies the volume which he said is not sustainable.
- He said that the introduction of Operation White and involvement of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had helped the situation.


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SHERIDAN — After only four and a half years the Black Tooth Brewing Company has become a staple in Sheridan’s social scene. This past Saturday, it held its expansion party, revealing a fresh logo and new plans for the company.
Although Black Tooth has successfully collected numerous awards throughout the past few years, Travis Zeilstra and Tim Barnes — co-owners of the business — want to continue expanding.
The company launched a new logo recently. Originally a mountain range with the company’s name displayed across it, Zeilstra said they wanted to go more modern while still paying tribute to their western roots.
The new logo alludes to a buffalo, featuring the initials of the company (BTB) in the design.
“We wanted to differentiate ourselves,” he said. “There’s lots of beer festivals in the summer and all the logos are very similar.”
They wanted to reveal the new logo and reintroduce Black Tooth Brewing Company and its changes through Saturday’s party. From the early afternoon and into the night Black Tooth hosted games, food vendors and live music by John Kirlin and the Teka Brock Band.
During the activities Zeilstra kept busy with tours of the new facility. Along with the new branding the company has also brought in more equipment such as a 30-barrel brewing system in order to expand distribution and product output.
Their ability to further develop the brewery lies in their success, which Zeilstra says comes down to three things: good beer, good help and good community support.
“We’ve got a very good, loyal following,” he said.
Expansion partygoers agree.
“It’s built the community up in a positive way and it’s something Sheridan can be really proud of — the beer and the facilities,” said regular Tess Lannan.
Patrick Doyle, another regular, agrees. He said that people appreciate being able to support a local business in a friendly environment. “The best part about it is local people coming in to drink local beer.”
Within the next 12 to 18 months Barnes and Zeilstra want to be in the entire state of Wyoming. And with the new equipment this will be possible as they’ll be able to brew 25,000 barrels of beer at this facility within six months to a year. In the near future they plan to brew closer to 50,000 and spread the company into Montana and South Dakota.
By Cassidy Belus
The Sheridan Press

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If you see someone like Kelowna-Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr or Kelowna Coun. Maxine DeHart behind the counter at a Mac’s or Circle K convenience store this week, don’t be surprised.
They and other community leaders across the country are taking part in a National Convenience Week campaign to raise money for the Children’s Wish organization.
The goal of National Convenience Week is to grant wishes to 10 children with life-threatening illnesses.
“National Convenience Week is an opportunity for community leaders to have fun and volunteer at their local convenience store to greet customers, pump gas, learn a little about small, community retail business, and assist in raising funds for Children’s Wish,” said Anne Kothawala, president of the Convenience Industry Council of Canada, in a news release.


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It’s enough to make you diet.
Supermarkets are again raising prices to cope with the worst food inflation the nation has seen in 17 years.
“You can’t absorb it,” said John Catsimatidis, owner of the Gristedes supermarket chain. “You either keep with the pace or go out of business.”
Eggs are up 40 percent compared to last year in the Northeast. Poultry’s up 7 percent, and beef is up 5 percent, according to recent federal data.
Nationwide, milk is up 26 percent, cheese is up 6 percent, and bread is up 7 percent.
And new federal consumer price index data to be released today is expected to show even bigger increases.
There are many culprits behind the bloating grocery bill, but it all comes down to simple economics.
“All commodities are going up, the basics, rice, sugar, wheat, et cetera. So when the commodities go up and the cost of transportation is going up, and the value of the dollar is going down, it’s all going to translate to an 8 to 10 percent rise in food prices,” Catsimatidis said. He added that he hadn’t seen such bad inflationary spikes since the 1980s.
Overall, food prices jumped 4 percent in 2007 compared to average yearly increases of 2.5 percent for the previous 15 years, US Department of Agriculture data show.
The USDA predicts food prices will rise 4.5 percent nationwide this year as well.
“We are not expecting food prices to slow down in 2008,” said USDA economist Ephraim Leibtag. “The only question is how long will it take to get back to the historical average.”
Rising oil prices – now a few cents shy of $114 a barrel – takes some of the blame, since increased trucking costs are directly passed on to customers.
But the growing demand for bio-fuels, like corn-brewed ethanol, is also a major factor that the world economy has never seen before.
“The demand for ethanol products ramped up over the past year and half. Corn prices have doubled in the last year, and the new buyers in the market have a greater willingness to pay,” Leibtag said.
An estimated 20 percent of the US corn production is now destined for ethanol distilleries.
Another factor that wasn’t here 20 years ago is the growing affluence of Asia, especially China and India.
Their taste for meat is growing. Adding to their appetite is the weak US dollar that makes American farm products extra cheap for those nations.
Meanwhile, speculators around the world are aggressively investing in commodities, further raising their base price.
“I have found everything has gone up. Usually I’m spending $40 or $50, and lately it’s $70 to $80,” complained Elisa Baudanza, a shopper at an Upper West Side Food Emporium.
Billy’s Bakery in Chelsea is taking the rising cost of flour hard. Northeast prices for all-purpose white flour rose 32 percent to 49 cents a pound over the past year, according to federal data.
“Flour has gone through the roof. I would say it has risen by at least one quarter,” moaned manager Maggie Sat. “We haven’t raised our prices, but it’s been in discussion for a while.”
A sustained drought in Australia has caused Asian buyers to snatch up more US wheat, driving up the price, Leibtag said. Milk these days is more expensive than gasoline.
At the Gristedes in Chelsea, Lola Awoshiley, 25, said daughter Ladae, 6, “drinks a lot of milk, and it’s really expensive.
“What am I going to do? She has to drink milk. It’s good for her bones and has calcium.”
Bacon lovers can take heart that, because of a current oversupply, prices have actually dipped in the Northeast recently by a half-percent, from $3.64 a pound to $3.62.
But experts further warn that low pork prices and relatively modest price increases for beef and chicken may be short-lived.
“As the higher feed costs are passed along and supplies of animals are reduced, we’ll see higher prices of meat and meat items later on,” said Brian Todd, president of The Food Institute, a research group based in Elmwood Park, NJ.
Food-industry insiders from supermarkets down to sidewalk-produce peddlers stress that their profit margins are less than 2 percent, and they can’t be blamed for the increases.
“Every week, the prices are going up. Please write something so the customer knows it is not us. They always ask, ‘Why are prices so high?’ ” a Gristedes employee in Chelsea told a Post reporter.
The increases are no small potatoes. Northeast average prices for Thompson seedless grapes soared 35 percent to $3.25 a pound, and tomatoes jumped 19 percent to $2.14 a pound.
“The customers are getting very upset because the prices are too high,” said Mohammed Zaman, who sells fresh fruit and vegetables out of a cart at Eighth Avenue and 23rd Street.
New Yorkers, especially in Manhattan, will be paying the most. At the Food Emporium on West 68th Street, for instance, prices all exceeded averages for the Northeast. Ground beef that averages $3.01 a pound elsewhere went for $3.49.
“We definitely get our food out of town whenever possible,” said Upper West Side resident Ryan Carey, 40.
He said whenever he visits his Poconos second home, he stocks up with groceries before heading back to the city.
“We’ve had 17 years with prices relatively stable. Even people in the food industry have never seen inflation at this level,” said The Food Institute’s Todd.


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Opera Software has recently released their last report for the year 2011, ranking the 10 most popular websites on mobile.
According to this report, the list is similar to the one they had released last year. However, there has been a significant increase in the number of unique visitors to most of the top sites.
It is no surprise that search, social networking and video remain at the top of the reasons for mobile browsing with Google, Facebook and YouTube scoring the top three rankings respectively.
The world’s 10 most popular mobile websites are:
The report has compared the findings between November 2011 and November 2010. Apart from seeing rapid growth in Asia, Opera Mini has also found a substantial increase in mobile Web usage in Latin America, Africa and South East Asia.


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One mistake Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) doesn't want to repeat is its late entry into a potentially important market. For example, Ford entered China -- now the world's largest automotive market -- years behind crosstown rival General Motors (NYSE:GM), and now the latter enjoys a roughly 10% market share lead in China over Ford.
Determined for that result not to become a trend, Ford is crushing General Motors in perhaps what may be the next big auto market: India. Here's a look at Ford's recent sales results in the country, and at why India could be such a big deal for automakers going forward, especially Ford.
By the numbers
Let's get the official sales figures out of the way and get to the real story. Ford India recorded a 51% improvement in May domestic wholesales compared to last year, reaching 6,053 vehicles. Ford India's export sales topped its domestic sales and crushed last year's export figure (1,991 units) when it posted exports of 6,235 vehicles in May.
Combining domestic and export sales, Ford India sold more than 12,200 vehicles last month -- a 105% increase compared to last May. Those figures from Ford crushed its crosstown rival's results. General Motors India sold 4,865 vehicles in May compared to the 8,500 units it sold in the same month last year.
To be fair, sales at this level aren't going to move the revenue needle for America's two largest automakers when both post sales that often exceed 200,000 units -- sometimes by a wide margin -- in the U.S. alone every single month. With that said, India might be closer to moving the needle for automakers' revenue than investors think.
In fact, according to IHS Automotive, a global market information provider, it expects India to become the world's third-largest automotive market as soon as 2016, behind only China and the U.S. markets. It should be noted that those rankings are for countries only, not collective entities with combined sales, such as the European region. IHS predicts that India's automotive market will jump ahead of the markets in Japan, Germany, and Brazil.
More to the story
Perhaps even more important than India's potential for a huge growth in sales is the role it will play in Ford's global strategy. Ford is currently undergoing its biggest industrial expansion in five decades in its Asia Pacific region, and the company's focus on a global platform of vehicles that can sell anywhere makes India a focal point for exports.
"Despite current macroeconomic factors and ongoing market challenges, India is a big part of our global strategy. Exports from India have always been an integral part of that strategy and will help us to stay on track for turbocharged growth in the region, while going further to provide our customers with the vehicles that they want and value." said Dave Schoch, Ford group vice president and president of Asia Pacific, in a Ford press release.
To help add context to why Ford India's exports will be a big deal is the fact that Ford expects that by the end of this decade demand for small vehicles will account for more than 60% of the global vehicle market; more than half of that global volume will be found in the Asia Pacific region and Africa. That's where Ford India's exports will increasingly find their home.
That regional growth, in combination with Ford's prediction that India's own demand will double for B-segment (subcompact) vehicles and triple for sport utility vehicles between 2012 and 2017, makes Ford's growing presence in India very important for its global growth going forward.
Currently, India won't be moving the needle for Ford on quarterly conference calls, but that could change by the end of the decade. Long-term investors should keep an eye on these emerging markets closely and remain optimistic that Ford isn't lagging behind competitors when entering potentially vital countries, as it did in China.


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Several of the largest carbon fibre producers reported sharp drops in sales in 2009 but remain optimistic for an upturn in 2010 and beyond.
SGL Group of Germany reported in a November financial report that the market for carbon fibres is “currently facing temporary overcapacity due to the numerous delays in new aircraft projects, delayed investments in wind energy, as well as declining demand in sports and consumer applications."
"That has produced an increasingly competitive environment, which is currently having a negative impact on prices and volumes,” the company stated.
Hexcel, a leading US carbon fibre producer and weaver of reinforcement fabrics, reported its largest year over year sales decline in years in a third quarter statement. “We expect the short term to remain challenging due to inventory management by our customers, weakness in regional and business aircraft markets, and credit market impacts on our industrial customers, but the fundamentals for longer-term composites growth remain the same," Hexcel noted.
Japan-based Toray Group, which also reported a significant drop in sales in recent months, relates that demand has been stagnant in the carbon fibre composite materials segment. Reflecting the global economic downturn, shipments in aircraft and space, sports, and general industry applications declined, the report said. Toray is actively pursuing development of new products and sales expansion with a focus on energy and automotive applications. A new production facility for carbon fibre prepreg has begun operation to develop a supply structure to meet anticipated future growth in demand, Toray relates.
USA-based Zoltek, reporting year-end results, indicated that 2009 had been an extremely disappointing year in terms of sales, but that the company remains “very optimistic that the wind energy business will return to much higher growth rates and fulfill long-term expectations of becoming a much bigger part of the energy mix."
Zoltek has entered into a technology and marketing agreement with Global Blade Technology of the Netherlands to design and manufacture wind turbine blades using Zoltek fibres. "Additionally, several other applications, namely automotive, deep sea drilling and infrastructure, are in advanced stages of development and testing and offer enormous potential,” Zoltek related in a statement.
“We entered the year riding the crest of a wave of four consecutive years of rapidly increasing sales and improving operating results,” noted Zsolt Rumy, Zoltek’s Chairman and CEO. “We believe that the current downturn in carbon fibre markets represents only a temporary departure from a long-term trend line of rapid growth,” he added.
Rumy called BMW’s recent announcement that it intends to proceed into series production of a new car using carbon fibres for the car’s structural framework “a great breakthrough for the concept that we introduced to BMW over a decade ago.” Indicating disappointment that BMW chose to partner with SGL, he related that Zoltek is in discussions with other automakers which may also be interested in developing carbon fibre-based cars.
This article is an extract from a feature published in the January/February 2010 issue of Reinforced Plastics magazine. You may download the complete feature here at no cost.


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Replacements.com credits a 30% increase in online ad impressions with 2009 web sales of $75 million, a 4.7% increase compared with 2008.
Online tableware retailer Replacements Ltd. credits a 30% increase in online ad impressions with 2009 web sales of $75.0 million, a 4.7% increase from $71.7 million in 2008.
Despite a challenging spring and summer sales environment thanks to the economy, online tableware retailer Replacements.com bounced back in the second half of 2009, says senior vice president of e-commerce Jack Whitley. “We did not change our strategic online marketing plan,” he says. “We stuck with our spending plan and we think that contributed to us having a good holiday season.” Sales for the October-December holiday sales period were up 9% compared to the prior year, he says.
At the heart of a successful 2009 were increased online ad impressions- the number of times web users view the retailer’s ads-and new site search functionality at Replacements, No. 164 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide (a PDF version of the company’s financial and operating profile can be ordered by clicking on its name). For the year, online ad impressions were up by 38% compared with 2008, to 536 million, Whitley says. “We worked hard to increase impressions and did so with only a 2% increase in ad spend. To help accomplish this, we assign discrete sales and cost components to each of the 5.1 million ads that we run online in our core, or primary, campaigns. Activity in terms of views, discrete cost and discrete sales for each ad write back to our internal systems. Our goal is to add money to those ads in the 5.1 million ad pool that are creating positive ROI, and take away money from those ads where the ROI is declining.”
Doing this entails properly arraying the portfolio of 5.1 million ads on a perpetual basis, approximately 24 times per day, every day, Whitley says. Efficient Frontier provides the software and hardware that enables Replacements to manage the task internally.
For the search functionality upgrade, Replacements used an unidentified vendor, and the project included some customization. “It was legitimately a team effort,” Whitley says. “The out-of-the-box version wouldn’t have worked, but if we had done it alone it would have taken a decade. They have done an excellent job of helping us manage the right pricing for 4 million items.” Replacements expects to name the vendor soon, he adds.
Since November, shoppers have been able to search by basic keywords as simple as “baby” or “salt and pepper sets, ” where before they could only search by tableware manufacturer name or style. Shoppers can also search by attributes, such as color, piece or theme, such as “Easter.”


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We already decided its going to be a sad Super Bowl for NBC, but it's worse then we thought. Along with taking 5 minutes of $3 million per 30 seconds air time to promote its own shows and airing airing a commercial for parent-company GE, a reader tells us that NBC essentially gave away a 30-second spot to its Web video investment, .
Specifically, our reader tells us that when NBC agreed to create Hulu with News Corp, it gave the site $50 million worth of advertising time whenever it wanted to use it. Sunday's Super Bowl ad will be the first time Hulu taps that $50 million.
NBC's Sad Super Bowl


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National & World Ag News Headlines
Moderate Decline in Retail Gasoline Prices
USAgNet - 12/07/2017
The cost of retail gasoline in Iowa dropped $.03 this week, closing at $2.46 per gallon. Nationally, the price of retail gasoline dropped $.02, closing at $2.48 per gallon.
The price of global crude oil fell this week on the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) by $1.15 per barrel over last week, and is currently priced at $56.33.
Brent crude oil fell $1.63 and is currently priced at $61.57.
One year ago WTI crude sold for $50.93 and Brent crude was at $52.31.
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Other National Headlines
Roberts Frustrated Over Delays with Farm Bill
NCGA Launches New Venture with Environmental Defense Fund
Scholars Urge Congress to Pass Ag Data Act
USDA Forest Service Supports California Fire Suppression
New 'FFA Today' Weekly Show Debuts on RFD-TV
Roberts, Stabenow Announce Hearings on USDA Nominees
Natural Gas Prices Now Over $4
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Jan 1, 2013
The new California law was signed by Governor Jerry Brown to allow Californians to make foods and baked goods at home and sell them to stores, restaurants and directly to the public.
Assembly Bill 1616 clears the way for a statewide cottage food industry and alternative source of income for California residents by letting entrepreneurs skip the costly leasing of certified commercial kitchens before selling their homemade foods.
The list of approved products includes non-hazardous foods like bread, muffins, cakes, fruit pies, jams, jellies, honey, empanadas, dried nuts, granola, dry cereal, popcorn, waffle cones, chocolate covered non-perishables, roasted coffee, dried herbs, dried tea, dried fruit, candy and other goods that do not contain cream or meat, which spoil.
Introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake), AB 1616 still requires homemade food producers to complete a food processor course, label their goods and be subject to inspections and registrations with county health departments.
Allowing the sale of homemade food aims to serve as as a financial boost to home bakers as well as to local governments that will gain tax revenues.
Most of the public has expressed excitement at the prospect of buying fresh, healthy homemade foods where they live.
The California Homemade Food Act was written to help small businesses and individual entrepreneurs produce and sell homemade foods under a simpler streamlined regulatory structure.
Grandmas, Abuelitas, Nannas and Memaws especially love the new California cottage food law. Giant food manufacturing corporations do not, however.


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Room Packages available, featuring luxurious accommodationsand tickets to the city’s hottest bash taking place infive venues, on three floors and featuring 15 DJs.
(SAN DIEGO) November 27, 2013 – The countdown is about to begin and Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is ensuring guests ring in the new year in unprecedented style with New Year’s Eve 2014, a property-wide soiree infused with the glamour, world-class entertainment and sultry surprises that have become the hotel’s hallmark. For its largest New Year’s Eve celebration ever, Hard Rock Hotel’s 2014 party will feature 15 DJs including the internationally-acclaimed Sidney Samson headlining, a live performance by Eva Simons, a spectacular countdown with a balloon drop and a bash that extends to five venues on three floors. Optional room packages are available that include all-access passes to the party, which is expected to draw 4,000 guests.
World Class Entertainment Destination To Be Located In Kenosha
Orlando, Fla. – October 10, 2013 – Hard Rock International – owner of one of the world’s most iconic and recognized brands – announced today its alliance with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin to develop, brand and manage their proposed regional entertainment destination located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The proposed project would be developed in conjunction with the Osceola Group out of Naples, Fla., and designed to draw visitors from throughout the region. The project is expected to create more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in addition to generating significant economic benefits for the state of Wisconsin, including an estimated 600 million total in projected payments to the state over the course of the pre-approved compact with the state.
“Hard Rock International is thrilled to collaborate with the Menominee Tribe to create a true regional entertainment destination, which will become an important economic engine for the Menominee and Wisconsin,” said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International. “We look forward to lending our global recognition, strong financial capabilities and proven experience to this project.”
“Hard Rock is an internationally recognized, value-added brand known for high quality offerings and world-class entertainment by people across the globe,” said Craig Corn, chairman of the Menominee Tribe. “Bringing Hard Rock to Wisconsin and adding them to our team greatly elevates the excitement around this project and will make it even more attractive and successful as an entertainment destination, particularly to people visiting from Illinois and beyond.”
Tonight the people of West Springfield, a great family community with rich values and strong traditions, have made a decision at the polls. While their decision means the Hard Rock New England project will not go forward in West Springfield, we respect their decision and thank them for welcoming us into their community for the past eight months.
We are disappointed for the volunteers, but beyond thankful for all of the West Side YES! Members, elected officials, unions, and citizens of West Springfield who have spent unlimited hours learning about this project, helping us to develop it and then pouring their hearts and time into this campaign. We’d especially like to thank Don Chase and Gene Cassidy and his staff at the ESE, the mayor, and the councilman.
We recognize the significant offerings Massachusetts has for the Hard Rock brand and continue to evaluate opportunities in the region.
Orlando, Fla. – July 31, 2013 – Hard Rock International – owner of one of the world’s most iconic and recognized brands – announces the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza, anticipated to open in May 2014. Continuing Hard Rock’s earned 'Best in Class' recognition in the Americas, Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza will represent the first Hard Rock Hotel to open in Europe. Palladium Hotel Group, pursuant to a license agreement from Hard Rock, will transform two former Fiesta Hotels, Club Don Toni and Hotel Don Toni, into the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza, slated to feature the brand’s legendary music-inspired style. The two buildings will be united by a remodeled lobby and multi-purpose space, which will include various dining, shopping and entertainment outlets. True to its musical roots, the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza will also offer unparalleled live music and DJ performances for guests, a perfect synergy with Ibiza’s existing scene as a famed cultural center for electronic dance music and a renowned hub for international artists.
“With our existing European presence of more than 40 years and 32 Hard Rock Cafes, we look forward to establishing our first Hard Rock Hotel in the region, especially in conjunction with the well-respected European developer and the leading hotel owner and operator in Ibiza, Palladium Hotel Group,” said Josh Littman, director of development – EMEA of Hard Rock International. “This project is a natural alignment of interests for Hard Rock, as Palladium recently opened the Hard Rock Cafe in Ibiza. As we enter Europe, and make strides toward additional hotel development goals within the continent, we will seek relationships with quality developers like Palladium, while we remain dedicated to introducing our brand to new guests and existing Hard Rock fans.”
West Springfield, Mass. – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England shares findings from a report released today by Pro Forma Advisors, LLC – a world-class expert in economic analysis and research for the hospitality and entertainment industries. The report details findings of an Economic Impact Study to officials from the Town of West Springfield as part of an ongoing review of a potential casino resort development in the community. It speaks to a number of economic benefits to West Springfield and the region, from job creation and payroll, to expenditures of goods and services and projected construction employment.Highlights of the Economic Impact Study include:(*direct, indirect and induced jobs)
Orlando, Fla. – May 15, 2013 – Hard Rock International invites guests to share an unparalleled experience with Microcinema International’s creation of digital moving image art synchronized to the world’s favorite songs, from beloved classics to the hottest hits of today. Through the collaboration, televisions and digital signage are currently on display throughout Hard Rock Hotels, Casinos and Cafes, exhibiting compelling moving images harmonized with some of the most captivating tunes. Increasing the visual experience beyond music videos, Hard Rock fans are experiencing an artistic “new age” twist on some of the world’s most influential music from emotional ballads to electrifying jams.“As a forerunner in the curation and distribution of moving image arts, Microcinema is the perfect partner for Hard Rock International,” said John Kirkpatrick, head of music and artist relations at Hard Rock International. “Microcinema’s ability to understand our customer base and aesthetic approach produced impressive results and we look forward to continually evolving the relationship between music and visual arts together.”
Orlando, Fla. – May 2, 2013 – Hard Rock International, in collaboration with Bayshore Capital, announces plans for a Hard Rock Hotel in Daytona Beach, bringing the legendary Hard Rock vibe to one of Florida’s greatest vacation destinations. Expected to debut in 2016, in sync with the running of the 58th Annual Daytona 500, the beachfront site will be the largest in the market, currently slated to feature 250 hotel rooms, 100 condominium units with access to all hotel amenities and a signature Hard Rock Cafe.“The city and county have been working hand-in-hand to rejuvenate the city of Daytona Beach, and we’re thrilled Hard Rock and Bayshore Capital have chosen ‘The World’s Most Famous Beach’ as its newest location for expansion,” said Derrick Henry, Mayor of Daytona Beach. “The synergies between Daytona Beach and Hard Rock are limitless, and we cannot wait for the brand to open the Hotel and Cafe.”“The gorgeous beach, hot cars, bikes, great hospitality and the sound of rock ‘n’ roll music together will celebrate Daytona Beach’s resurgence,” said Henry Wolfond, chairman and ceo, Bayshore Capital. “We feel privileged to be a part of this development and look forward to its opening around the 2016 Daytona 500.”
West Springfield, Mass. – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England – the proposed entertainment destination resort casino located on the Eastern States Exposition campus – is thrilled to share social media website details. The project’s social media website and blog will serve as an outlet for West Springfield and area residents to stay abreast of updates and news, while having the ability to learn and ask questions regarding the development. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England leaders are excited to receive community feedback and believe social media outlets are the perfect place to connect.
“We look forward to engaging with the residents and businesses of Western Massachusetts through social media,” states Tim Maland, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England. “It’s important to immerse ourselves in the culture of West Springfield, be a good neighbor to the area and communicate our strategies and goals to the local residents. Social media helps us take our engagement one step further.”
Orlando, Fla. – Hard Rock International – owner of one of the world’s most recognized and iconic brands – announces today it has entered into a long-term agreement with New Meadowlands Racetrack LLC. As part of this agreement, Hard Rock will make an equity investment in New Meadowlands Racetrack LLC, which extends to any projected future developments at the racetrack. “Hard Rock International has a long standing relationship and strong fan base in the state of New Jersey and we will continue to strengthen our presence through this collaboration with New Meadowlands Racetrack LLC,” said Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International. “Our company welcomes this opportunity and looks forward to leveraging our brand to potentially expand the region’s gaming offerings and sports betting through this alliance. We also believe this investment would sit comfortably alongside potential projects in the future, such as Atlantic City, in the event we establish a viable long-term entry plan for the market.”
West Springfield, Mass. – Hard Rock International – one of the world’s most-recognizable and iconic brands – is excited to announce Tim Maland, a seasoned executive in the resort and casino industry, as president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England. In his new role, Maland will lead the pre-development efforts for the proposed resort casino, located on the Eastern States Exposition campus and if Hard Rock is successful in its bid, the operations of this new location. Maland will officially assume his role as president on Monday, April 22 and will be present at the West Springfield community meeting on Wednesday, April 24. “I am thrilled to lead Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England in its mission to deliver an iconic entertainment destination in Western Massachusetts,” states Tim Maland, president of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England. “I look forward to immersing myself into the community, getting to know the people and businesses of West Springfield and its surrounding region, and ensuring the success of the Hard Rock brand in New England.”


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Florida Tomato's Not the Source of US Salmonella Outbreak
Florida's 500-million dollar a year tomato industry has been cleared of being the culprit of the recent salmonella outbreak. The St. Petersburg Times reported on Wednesday June, 11, that the FDA gave Florida tomatoes a "safe to eat" ruling.
Charles Bronson, Florida's Agricultural Commissioner, said "Florida tomato growers have one of the most stringent tomato production programs in the nation," and that he was confident that Florida tomatoes were not to blame. Bronson also stated that the tomatoes that are being harvested and shipped at present did not even exist when the salmonella outbreak occurred.
Jay Scott, a a professor of horticulture with the University of Florida's Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, said that the Florida tomato growers must now vindicate their reputation in the eyes of the American consumer if Florida tomatoes are to recover lost consumer confidence.


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WhiteFox, a provider of drone security,partnered with the world’s largest drone manufacturer DJI to secure drone and operator identity during the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Drone Enable 3 Symposium.
ICAO is a United Nations specialized agency representing aviation sectors from 193 Member States, and setting standards and recommended practices for civil aviation operations around the world. The demonstration was conducted as part of ICAO’s proceedings.
During the demonstration, DJI drones broadcasted their identity using the new, proposed ASTM standard for drone remote identification, and were cryptographically verified by WhiteFox cloud services, providing an unforgeable link between the drone and operator’s identity.
The standard supports a variety of receivers, including smartphones, laptops, and dedicated hardware, all using widely deployed technologies, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
“It is important we do Remote ID security right, and it is also important that it be optional. It’s possible not all airspaces will require security, but within spaces that do, we must be assured of the true identity of both a drone and its operator,” said WhiteFox Head of Autonomous Vehicle Security Dr. Zachary Peterson.
“Without security, my drone can be your drone, a police drone—it can be anything I want,” he added.
WhiteFox recently met with White House officials to address the need for universally applied General Remote ID, and regulatory requirements for Secure Remote ID.


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It’s news that we don’t want to hear—not before the summer driving season begins when gas prices traditionally rise. Because of disturbances in the Middle East, oil speculators, and high demand, average retail gasoline prices in the Charlotte area have risen 7.0 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.83 per gallon as of Monday. This compares with the national average that has increased 7.1 cents per gallon in the last week according to gasoline price website CharlotteGasPrices.com.
Including the change in gas prices in Charlotte during the past week, prices yesterday were $1.04 per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 20.9 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 29.2 cents per gallon during the last month.


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EA have announced that a Star Wars Battlefront Beta will be coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC in early October. It will feature Walker Assault on Hoth, a 40-player multiplayer battle featuring Rebels and the Empire. This mode will also allow you to play as Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.
EA have also announced a new mode in Drop Zone which they will be revealing closer to the beta. In addition to this EA have also announced a Star Wars Battlefront Companion app which will be available on the App Store and Google Play store prior to the release of the game.
Star Wars Battlefront will release on November 19th.


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The Equifax hack
Tom Dougherty, CEO – Stealing Share
20 September 2017
Equifax waits six weeks, blows its brand promise
Data breaches suck. No one appreciates it when hackers break into a company and retrieve your personal information. Then you change passwords, cancel credit cards and monitor any suspicious activity. It’s worse when it happens to a company like Equifax.
As you know, Equifax, one of the United State’s primary credit reporting agencies, suffered a data breach on July 29th of this year. As if that was not bad enough, Equifax waits six weeks before notifying the public. Nearly half of the US population’s social security numbers, driver’s licenses and other personal data were exposed.
Six weeks? How can a company whose brand promise is “fair credit reporting” wait six weeks to report a hacking? Were they hoping no one would notice? Was it a fear of a lawsuit? Anyway you look at it, it was cowardice.
Equifax waiting six weeks before reporting the hack pisses me off
Credit reporting agencies are great assets to businesses lending money. These same agencies are also great assets for people to monitor the integrity of their personal information. It is a brand failure when the information these agencies have comes into question. It’s a catastrophic failure when a company like Equifax intentionally withholds news of the hack. By doing so, it misleads those who rely on the truthfulness of the information.
“My expectation was that, in the event of a hack, Equifax would immediately notify me.”
How can consumers trust the credit agency, now? Equifax is so interwoven in credit reporting that it will live. It along with TransUnion and Experian are really the only games in town. Make no mistake, however, this is a huge problem for Equifax. It will cost it customers and a good bit of money.
As a brand company, we know brands experience problems. The lesson is that, when problems arise, proactively fix them. Be transparent about them to your customers.
Part of brand loyalty is the consumer predicting the behavior of a brand. I understand companies are susceptible to hacking. (Hell, some intelligence suggests the 2016 presidential election was hacked.) My expectation was that, in the event of a hack, Equifax would immediately notify me. Much like my expectation would be, if someone is fraudulently using my personal information, I would be immediately notified.
Nebraska tourism Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 22 October 2018 Nebraska tourism campaign kicks ass Oh, the poor people of Nebraska. The Nebraska Tourism Commission unveils a kick-ass campaign, and residents think it sucks. “This’ll get folks flocking here in...
Video Advertising Bureau Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 18 October 2018 The Video Advertising Bureau recommends crap Can you sing the Wayfair jingle? The Video Advertising Bureau wants you to believe it’s so important. "Is the future uncertain? Nope. It’s...
Target brand Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 17 October 2018 The Target brand takes advantage of an opportunity The Target brand is planning to create a new toy initiative in stores and online as the retailer enters into the Christmas selling season. Spurred...


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Nanjing to host China's biggest Christmas village
People in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, will have the opportunity to visit China's biggest Christmas village this winter.
The village, covering an area of 150,000 square meters, will be equipped with a Christmas post office and a fair providing food and specialties from many countries, according to organizers.
There will be a Christmas tree measuring more than 20 meters high, considered to be China's tallest.
Visitors can also enjoy Christmas songs in the village, located in Binjiang Park in the Hexi New Area, the city's emerging central business district.
(Source: China Daily)


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Is Beyoncé Still Vegan?
Electrolysis / Shutterstock.com
Beyoncé is no stranger to weight-loss plans or lifestyle changes — she lost 20 pounds for her role in Dreamgirls, for example. Early this year, she embarked on a 22-day vegan challenge — or, as her husband Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter prefers to call it, a plant-based diet.
The couple partnered with Marco Borges, celebrity trainer and author of The 22 Day Revolution, for the vegan challenge. Beyoncé showed off the results at this year’s Met Gala, where her see-through dress earned her a spot on Vogue’s best dressed list.
The question remains, is Beyoncé still vegan? Well, she recently posted a photo on her website holding the remainings of a pizza pie. Some say it was the vegan pizza featured in Borges’ book, while others claim it was from a local pizzeria. Only the real Bey Hives know.
Here’s a look at the results of Beyoncé’s vegan challenge:


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AS Watson Archives - Inside Retail Asia
Health and beauty retailer AS Watson has established a global corporate social responsibility committee, and for the first time, it is comprised of millennials.
AS Watson has appointed Malina Ngai as its CEO, overseeing Asia and Europe.
Professor Edwin Keh, a passionate advocate of technology for sustainability has been named at the top of the list of Inside Retail Hong Kong’s Top 50 Innovative Retail Leaders in Hong Kong for 2019
AS Watson Group has entered into an exclusive partnership agreement with genetics and digital-health company Prenetics in Asia and Europe.
Shiseido and AS Watson have been close partners for years – now they are about to get even closer.
Shiseido and AS Watson have collaborated in an exclusive derma skincare range under the “D Program” brand.
Hong Kong-based AS Watson has chosen its part-owned German subsidiary Rossmann for its next Asian market debut, South Korea.
In Kuala Lumpur’s new Central I-City shopping mall, AS Watson cut the ribbon to its 15,000th store.
Two Chinese internet giants are reportedly evaluating separate bids for a stake in global retailer AS Watson.
L’Oreal’s AI and AR firm ModiFace and AS Watson Group have launched a virtual makeup try-on service.
South Korean beauty group Amorepacific and AS Watson have expanded their partnership to cover Asia and Europe.
International health and beauty retailer AS Watson Group says its use of predictive modelling technology is delivering successful product launches.


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Guess Inc. lost its third key executive in less than five months Tuesday with the departure of Nancy Shachtman, who for the past two years had held the post of president of North America with responsibility for wholesale and retail operations.
Shachtman’s departure ends a nearly 27-year association with Guess. In November, the company said that Dennis Secor and Michael Prince had resigned as chief financial officer and chief operating officer, respectively.
Joining the firm in 1986, Schactman became president of Guess wholesale operations in late 1998 but left the company in 2002 as it made the transition to its current emphasis on its own stores. She returned to again head wholesale later in the year and took responsibility for all North American operations in 2011, reporting to Paul Marciano, chief executive officer.
Analysts, on average, expect Guess to have nearly a $10 million increase in revenues, to $785.6 million, for the fourth quarter, while earnings are expected to decline to 87 cents a diluted share from $1.05 in the final quarter of 2011. Shares of Guess dropped $1.19, or 4.2 percent, to close at $27.39 Tuesday as word of Schactman’s departure spread, seen as a sign that fourth-quarter results might be softer than expected.
“My sense is that they had a very tough holiday quarter, even tougher than they anticipated going into it,” said Jeff Van Sinderen, analyst at B. Riley & Co. “I think they really struggled and that may have something to do with this — a lot of moving parts and a fair amount of turnover.”
With Guess’ reliance on North American retail, which accounted for 41.7 percent of third-quarter revenues, it’s likely that its many mall stores had a “slow start” in the first quarter as well, although conditions “appear a little better now.”
The company continues to seek a new cfo as Nigel Kershaw, vice president of finance and accounting, fills that post on an interim basis. The firm doesn’t plan to name a successor to Prince as chief operating officer. Secor has since joined Fossil Inc. as executive vice president and cfo.
The company declined comment on Tuesday but said it would provide information on recent developments and its expected date to report fourth-quarter results today.


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AT&T's new app, AT&T Toggle, will surely resonate with people who use the same Android smartphone for work and personal purposes.
The app lets you keep two completely separate profiles on your Android device, one personal and the other for work. Corporate email, calendars, apps and data will only be accessible through the work profile.
An employer's IT admins will be able to allocate various resources to different users through a special web portal. They will also be able to manage, add and delete business apps present in the work profile or even wipe corporate data from the device.
AT&T foresees a big demand for such an app. According to its estimates, 50 million employees in the U.S. could benefit from mobile business apps. The company also cites a July report from Forrester Research that says nearly 60% of companies allow employees to use personal devices for work.
The app should become available later this year for devices running Android 2.2 or newer.
AT&T plans to release in 2012 other services and features aimed at helping customers who use their own handsets for work purposes.


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Is Altria a Better Buy Than Philip Morris International and Reynolds American?
Altria Group will release its quarterly report on Thursday, and investors have been unclear about the direction the tobacco giant's shares have taken over the past six months. Falling tobacco sales volumes have consistently raised doubts about the capacity for Altria earnings growth. But Reynolds American has faced many of the same issues, and even global giant Philip Morris International is having to deal with the regulatory struggles that Altria and its U.S. peers have gone up against for decades.
Altria remains the largest tobacco player in the U.S. market by a wide margin, with its Marlboro brand having worldwide brand loyalty that benefits both Altria domestically and Philip Morris internationally. Yet growth has largely eluded Altria, as its domestic/international split with Philip Morris limited Altria's ability to expand into higher-growth markets around the world. Can Altria make the most of a U.S. market facing ever-increasing regulatory and popular pressure? Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Altria over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its report.
Stats on Altria
Analyst EPS Estimate
Change From Year-Ago EPS
Change From Year-Ago Revenue
Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters
Source: Yahoo! Finance.
Will Altria earnings keep rising higher?
In recent months, analysts have kept nearly all of their projections for Altria earnings stable, including both third-quarter and full-year 2013 estimates. They've cut their 2014 projections by a single penny per share, and the stock hasn't really moved much in response, declining about 2% since mid-July.
Altria came into the quarter on a somewhat positive note, with second-quarter earnings that showed reasonable growth. Adjusted earnings per share rose 5% in the quarter, and Altria raised its full-year guidance slightly. Yet continued weakness in what Altria calls its "smokeable products" segment led to a 2.8% drop in revenue during the quarter, with higher prices proving unable to offset a troubling 6.7% drop in domestic cigarette shipment volume. Discount brands held up well, but Marlboro and other premium products sustained even larger volume declines.
One piece of good news for Altria is that it's not the primary target of the latest regulatory push against cigarettes. In July, the FDA released a report suggesting the need for more stringent regulation of menthol cigarettes in order to curb any perception that the flavored products entice new smokers into the market. That's bad news for Reynolds American, which gets about 30% of its sales from menthol products, and could be a devastating hit to Lorillard and its dominant Newport menthol brand, which helps make up menthol's almost 90% contribution to Lorillard earnings. By contrast, Altria receives little of its revenue from menthol products.
Unfortunately, Altria has lagged behind Lorillard and some of its peers in another fast-growing segment of the market: electronic cigarettes. Nevertheless, Altria is working quickly to get itself into the potentially lucrative market, rolling out its MarkTen e-cigarettes in August in an effort to catch up to Lorillard's Blu eCigs brand. Both Reynolds American and Philip Morris have also taken steps into the e-cigarette market, and depending on how various agencies choose to regulate the new market, it could be a high-growth segment for Altria and its peers.
In the Altria earnings report, watch to see whether sales of regular tobacco products continue their slide. Investors need to see signs of stabilization in cigarette volume in order to feel truly comfortable about Altria's ability to outperform Reynolds American and Philip Morris and continue delivering the dividends they've grown to rely upon.
Why investors love Altria
Altria benefits from one simple fact in the investing world: Dividend stocks can make you rich. It's as simple as that. While they don't garner the notoriety of high-flying growth stocks, they're also less likely to crash and burn. And over the long term, the compounding effect of the quarterly payouts, as well as their growth, adds up faster than most investors imagine. With this in mind, our analysts sat down to identify the absolute best of the best when it comes to rock-solid dividend stocks, drawing up a list in this free report of nine that fit the bill. To discover the identities of these companies before the rest of the market catches on, you can download this valuable free report by simply clicking here now.
Click here to add Altria to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.
The article Is Altria a Better Buy Than Philip Morris International and Reynolds American? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow him on Twitter @DanCaplinger. The Motley Fool owns shares of Philip Morris International. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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No matter how many people now oppose the cryptocurrency industry, it has still managed to make its name in the entire world. The industry has been recognized not just by mainstream institutions or big-time investors, but it has also gained attention from countries.
There are several countries around the world that are working to adopt cryptocurrency-blockchain technology with new ideas. There are several countries that have even picked up blockchain technology in order to launch their own digital currencies powered by central banks.
When it comes to mainstream adoption, companies such as MicroStrategy, MassMutual, JPMorgan, PayPal, and many more have contributed to the crypto-industry in their own ways.
However, these are firms and sectors that have adopted cryptocurrency-blockchain technology just a few years ago. But the sector that has always been on the cryptocurrency and blockchain’s side is the cryptocurrency exchanges.
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No matter the ups and downs, the cryptocurrency exchanges always supported cryptocurrencies. Over time, these firms have come up with several products and benefits that have helped them attract more and more investors. This is the only reason why the cryptocurrency industry now has more than 200 million users benefiting from it in different ways.
As per the latest reports, the cryptocurrency exchange “Crypto.com” has come up with an entirely new tactic in order to attract more users and investments.
The firm has announced that is going to hold a competition where it will be giving away our Tesla cars. It has been revealed that the combined value of all four Tesla vehicles is around $250,000.
Crypto.com has announced that the investors who trade on the platform between February 12, 2021, and March 8, 2021, will be eligible for winning the Tesla cars.
The Tesla vehicles that the investors will have the opportunity to win include Tesla Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X.
The conditions that the investors need to fulfill in order to enroll themselves in the competition have also been shared.
The investors are required to use the “Trade” button that is available on the trading application of the platform and invest at least $100 worth of BTC. For each trade initiated for a minimum of $100 worth of BTC, the user will earn one entry into the competition.
Once the competition expires, the Crypto.com officials will be holding a draw and four lucky winners of the Tesla vehicles will be selected randomly.
The users are also allowed to use the CRO Booster that is available through the Crypto.com platform. During the competition, the users can earn up to 20 entries for the draw by staking their CRO in the Crypto.com platform.
Moreover, the firm has also announced that the new users who join the platform for investing, would not be charged any fees for purchasing cryptocurrencies in the first 30 days.


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Better Workout, Better Sleep
A good workout can elevate your performance in bed: the more kiljoules you burn while awake, the sounder you may sleep.
In a Dutch study, people who torched 10 000kJ a day spent more time in bed sleeping (not just lying awake) than those who burned 6 200kJ. If you sap your energy stores during the day, you need to replenish them at rest, which is associated with better sleep efficiency, says researcher Dr Dick Thijssen.
Try evening exercise: the spike in body temperature may help initiate sleep.


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SANTA FE — SANTA FE -- Probably for the worse, the "City Different" is riding an unprecedented wave of popularity.
For decades, New Mexico's historic capital has lured artists, writers, retirees and increasing numbers of tourists because of its adobe charm, high plains-mountain setting and Southwest ambience. The intense color of the land and sky, vividly captured by artist Georgia O'Keeffe and Hopi artist Dan Namingha; Hispanic and Indian traditions that have given the city a foreign flavor; and a lively contemporary arts scene contribute to Santa Fe's popularity.
The city's focal point always has been the downtown Plaza, a square laid out by the Spaniards who came here in the early 1600s. The one-story adobe Palace of the Governors, built on the Plaza in 1610 to house Spanish officials, is the oldest continuously used public building in the United States. Two- and three-story commercial buildings flank the Plaza's other three sides. The tree-shaded Plaza is dotted with white, cast-iron benches and several monuments. One marker commemorates the end of the Santa Fe Trail, a 780-mile caravan route (used between 1821 and 1880) from Independence, Mo.
But Santa Fe's popularity has exacted a price; the Plaza is no longer a main shopping area for Santa Feans, who now must do their shopping at De Vargas Center, College Plaza and Villa Linda malls on the outskirts of Santa Fe.
The Plaza now is a more contrived adobe- and territorial-style town that's really a tourist mall specializing in Western wear, Western art and antiques and Western jewelry -- some great, some awful.
On a recent mellow fall afternoon, the busiest business on the Plaza, however, was a Haagen-Dazs ice cream, pastry and sandwich shop, frequented by camera-toting tourists. Nearby Dunlap's, a department store, folded last year and was converted into a fluorescent-lit, adobe-style mini-mall that caters tourist tastes, with 20 shops selling everything from bad art, concha belts and turquoise jewelry to frozen yogurt. The one remaining store that hasn't been "malled" is an old-fashioned Woolworth's, but its days probably are numbered.
Indian craftspeople who guarantee the authenticity of their work sell sterling silver and turquoise jewelry beneath the portal of the Palace of the Governors; others set up stands in the Plaza facing the Palace and in front of Woolworth's across the way. With the exception of the ever-present visitors and Santa Feans who work in nearby stores, galleries and offices, the Plaza is a venue for punky teens who hang out after school.
Last month, Santa Fe was selected as the ultimate destination in the world by reader survey in Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Santa Fe, a write-in winner, beat out San Francisco, Vienna, Florence, Rome, Sydney, London, Paris, San Antonio and Venice.
While Santa Fe certainly has its own mystique -- Santa Fe-style furniture, clothes and an essence -- the choice is quite remarkable for a city of 55,000, where denim and cowboy boots, funky low riders and tourist buses are common sights. But the danger is that even more of what makes Santa Fe special will be lost to familiar chains and commercial greed.
Santa Fe officials tend to favor development to preservation of buildings. Take, for example, the Eldorado Hotel, several blocks from the Plaza. The five-story adobe-style hotel, whose exterior resembles an upscale prison, violates the city's height scale by about two stories, yet no one curbed the developers. Other hotels, smaller but more tasteful, have sprung up near the Plaza.
The Conde Nast Traveler vote will put further pressure on Santa Fe tourist development. "Everyone's phones are busy now," said Alan Silow, sales director for the Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The impact will be considerable." Last year the city had more than a million visitors, with 813,823 staying overnight in hotels.
There is a growing concern among Santa Feans that the "City Different" will lose more of its charm, Mr. Silow acknowledged.
Back in 1985, city officials and preservationists admitted that Santa Fe could lose its place on the National Register of Historic Places as a result of its bent for progress. The Plaza area and the Palace of the Governors were placed on the Department of Interior's National Register in the early 1970s.
A 1985 survey of 57 buildings be tween 50 E. and 500 W. San Francisco St. on the south side of the Plaza showed that 25 of the buildings were altered to such an extent that they no longer contributed to the area's historic status. Eight years later, several more could be added to the list.
If the trend continues, one preservationist said, the renovations in Santa Fe, especially around the Plaza, could create "a false sense of history -- like Disneyland."
Whether watchdogs can prevent detrimental expansion is another matter.
Carol Stodgel, executive director of the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, said her group has acquired and spared a number (( of historic homes from destruction.
"People do come to Santa Fe for its history," Ms. Stodgel said. "You just can't just let it go. There won't be anything here."


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A new report, albeit an entirely unofficial one, has been released and indicates that the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus, which will be the version featuring an upgraded screen and faster processing power, is coming very soon indeed. According to the leak, the latest Samsung roadmap details a device with the codename of GT-I9220 that is set to sport a Super AMOLED screen at 4.3 inches with a resolution of 1280 by 720, along with a dual-core 1.4GHz processor and Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.
The source responsible for the leak has suggested that Samsung may indeed continue the Galaxy S2 branding for the new device, or may seek to move away from the Galaxy title altogether and release the device as the first generation of a new line. Either way, the specs would certainly indicate that the new offering, whatever it may be named, will offer a truly biblical user experience with massive processing speed and eye-popping visuals.
Of course, the current Samsung Galaxy S2 is certainly no shrinking violet, powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz processor and boasting a Super AMOLED screen at 480 by 800 pixels, though it can clearly be seen from such specs just how ambitious and impressive the next level looks set to be.
August 29th is currently penciled in as the all-important date for the final release details of allUS carrier specific S2s at a press conference inNew York, having already enjoyed sales of no less that 6 million units in US and Asian markets alone.


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The dangers of relying on beauty products that contain SPF
“The beauty industry is evolving every day – A lot of new sunscreens don’t just protect against the harmful UV rays, they also double as skincare and protect against environmental aggressors,” Dr Preema Vig, Owner & Medical Director of Preema London Clinic, told Yahoo Style UK.
“And a lot of skincare products and make up now offer SPF in the products to ensure you are receiving maximum protection at all times.”
Additionally, 50 SPF makeup grew by 96 per cent.
This surely proves that consumers are relying on beauty products that contain SPF rather than the real deal. But is this a fool’s errand?
Dr Vig says yes.
The Advanced Aesthetic Doctor and former GP, told Yahoo Style UK: “Many skincare and make-up products now contain SPF in them – while this is good for that extra protection you should always apply sunscreen as well.
“There are many reasons why products are not efficient enough on their own to provide the protection you need, such as lasting-wear, if the products are waterproof and if they contain a high enough SPF.”
“Many skincare/beauty products also don’t offer the protection against free radicals, DNA damage and infrared-A like sunscreens do.”
Dr Vig recommends Heliocare Advanced SPF 50 Gel.


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The truth is that overexposure to the sun can cause problems. What you probably don’t know – underexposure can be dangerous to your health. Here’s why: A new study looking at the relationship between vitamin D serum levels and the risk of colon and breast cancer across the globe has estimated the number of cases of cancer that could be prevented each year if vitamin D3 levels met the target proposed by researchers.
Cedric F. Garland, a cancer prevention specialist at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) estimated that 250,000 cases of colorectal cancer and 350,000 cases of breast cancer could be prevented worldwide by increasing intake of vitamin D. In particular, they were referring to vitamin D3. This is particular in countries north of the equator. Vitamin D3 is available through diet, supplements and exposure of the skin to direct sunlight.
The paper, which looks at the dose-response relationship between vitamin D and cancer, will be published in the August edition of the journal Nutrition Reviews. It stated that for the first time, we are saying that 600,000 cases of breast and colorectal cancer could be prevented each year worldwide, including nearly 150,000 in the United States alone,” said study co-author Garland.
This research study combined data from surveys of serum vitamin D levels during winter from 15 different countries. It is the first of such a study to look at satellite measurements of sunshine and cloud cover in countries where actual blood serum levels of vitamin D3 had also been measured. The figure was then applied to over 170 countries to estimate the average serum level of a vitamin D metabolite of people living there. Findings were compared to other findings.
The research data revealed a conflicting association of serum vitamin D with danger of colorectal and breast cancer. The protective effect began at levels ranging from 24 to 32 nanograms per milliliter of 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in the serum. The 25-hydroxyvitamin D level is the major indicator of vitamin D level status. The late winter average 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the U.S. is about 15-18 ng/ml. The researchers uphold that increasing vitamin D levels in populations, chiefly those in northern climates, has the probability to both prevent and possibly serve as an adjunct to existing treatments for cancer. These research studies had some very important findings for any reader to consider.
“This could be best achieved with a combination of diet, supplements and short intervals – 10 or 15 minutes a day – in the sun,” said Garland. It could be less for very fair-skinned individuals. He went on to say that “the appropriate dose of vitamin D in order to reach this level could be very little in a lifeguard in Southern California… or quite a lot for someone in Northern Europe who tends to remain indoors most of the year.”
The serum level recommended by the study would correspond to intake of 2000 International Units per day of vitamin D3 for a meaningful reduction in colorectal cancer. The researchers recommend 2000 IU/day, plus, when weather allows, a few minutes in the sun with at least 40% of the skin exposed, for a meaningful reduction in breast cancer incidence, unless the individual has a history of skin cancer or a photosensitivity disease. Garland also recommends moderate sun exposure and use of clothing and a hat when in the sun longer than 15 minutes.


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Co-op has become the first retailer to sign up to the Mayor of London’s Women’s Night Safety Charter.
With around 190 convenience stores serving communities up until 11pm across London and Greater London, the retailer has put its name to the ‘first of its kind’ charter, which is a pan-London initiative developed to encourage councils, businesses, venues and other organisations to prioritise women’s safety, and their perception of safety after dark.
It involves seven pledges such as training staff to ensure that all women who report are believed, and designing public spaces and work places to make them safer for women at night.
The Co-op’s announcement is timed alongside the Women’s Night Safety Charter Summit, which takes place at London Excel today.
“Co-op operates at the heart of local life and nothing is more important to us than the safety of our colleagues, customers and communities,” said Co-op head of risk and compliance Jenny Alleyne.
“We follow the principles of the Charter, which mean those seeking a safe haven in the Co-op will be welcomed, encouraged to report their concerns and, above all, believed – as a convenience retailer, our doors are open late into the night, and we want people to know that Co-op is always a welcome light for women and girls who feel unsafe after dark.”
London’s night czar Amy Lamé said: “All women and girls should feel safe working, travelling or going out at night in our city, and we all have a part to play to ensure that is the case.
“I am delighted that Co-op has become the first supermarket to join the Women’s Night Safety Charter, with their chain of stores joining more than 1,200 organisations, including venues, gyms, charities, councils and businesses across London, who have pledged to improve women’s safety.”


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Technology giant Apple said newer lines of business such as Apple Pay, the App Store and Apple Music helped to drive growth in its third quarter.
The services unit was what one analyst described as a “shining light” during a period with robust sales across Apple’s different product lines, including iPhones and iPads, the BBC reports.
Apple said quarterly revenues grew by 7 per cent year-on-year to $45.4bn (£34.4bn).
The news sent its stock surging more than 5 per cent in after-hours trade.
Apple, which also forecast strong sales, is expected to release new and updated iPhones next month.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook was tight-lipped when it came to details on the new launch and said reports about the new phones may have caused some people to “pause” their purchases of the existing phones.
But “while that affects us in the short-term, it probably bodes well”, he added.
Even with some people waiting for the new models, Apple said the number of iPhones sold in the quarter increased a solid 2% year-on-year, driven by strong demand in markets such as Latin America and the Middle East.
The growth lifted revenue from iPhones, which account for the bulk of the company’s sales, by 3 per cent to $24.8bn.
Apple also said the number of iPads sold climbed 28 per cent year-on-year, while revenues from the product increased 2 per cent. The rise follows the introduction of new models, as well as increased efforts to incorporate the tablets into operations at schools and in businesses.
Revenue from other devices, such as the Apple Watch, Apple TV and Beats products, jumped 23% year-on-year.
The one blemish on its results is China, where the company’s revenues slipped 9.5% from a year earlier to slightly more than $8bn (£6.1bn).
Apple’s flagship iPhone is losing market share to a slew of local competitors, while the company also faces challenges in dealing with China’s strict internet censorship regime.
Mr Cook stressed the success of its services unit, which includes Apple Pay, the App Store and Apple Music. The division had sales of nearly $7.3bn during the three months to the end of June, a rise of 22% on the same period last year.
Apple Pay now accounts for almost 90% of mobile payment transactions around the world, said chief financial officer Luca Maestri. Paying accounts on the App Store are also on the rise, he said.
Geoff Blaber of CCS Insight described the services business as “the shining light”.
“Not only is $7.3bn in revenue hugely significant in its own right, it underlines the ecosystem advantage it has over its competitors outside of China,” he said.
Mr Cook also addressed the firm’s decision to remove some products from its App Store in China, saying Apple had to abide by the law.
“We would obviously rather not remove the apps,” he said. “We’re hopeful that over time the restrictions we’re seeing are loosened.”
One of the big worries for investors – and Apple fans, you’d imagine – is that concern that the next iPhone, due in September, could be delayed due to production issues.
But judging by Apple’s revenue forecasts for the rest of the year, it seems this will not be the case. It means we can expect anticipation for a big upgrade to the iPhone to step into overdrive, what with it being the device’s 10th anniversary year.
In those 10 years, 1.2 billion iPhones have been sold, Mr Cook told investors today.
Apple relies on it heavily for its revenue, which some see as being a weakness in the company – but this quarter has also provided good news for investors when it comes to generating big profits in other areas.
For example, sales of the iPad range – which has been refreshed with a new Pro model – and better software – have grown for the first time in more than three years. The tablet, written off by many as a dying form factor, is stronger than ever: eight of the 10 best selling tablets in the world are made by Apple.
And Apple’s services department – the App Store and Apple Music, mostly – had revenues of more than $7.2bn in this last quarter. That makes it, as Apple was delighted to point out today, the size of a Fortune 100 company in its own right.
The big blip, and it’s been a blip for a while, was Apple’s performance in China.
Mr Cook told wirevibes the company’s performance was in “a trough” and that they were headed to better performance in the region. He tried to put a positive spin by pointing out that the Mac, iPad and services had grown in the country – but acknowledged that performance in Hong Kong was dragging down its numbers.


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On Monday, February 12, Krispy Kreme will begin selling the Vegas Golden Knights doughnut. The company will commemorate the unveiling with an event open to the public.
The event will take place at the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts inside of the Excalibur Hotel & Casino. Among those in attendance will be the Vegas Golden Knights mascot Chance the Gila monster. Every purchase of a Vegas Golden Knights doughnut will also come with a raffle ticket for a chance to win a gift basket.
Krispy Kreme and the Vegas Golden Knights have partnered on other promotions. For every Golden Knights shutout, fans with a game ticket can get a dozen free doughnuts from Krispy Kreme.


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Sydney’s newest attraction, The Calyx opens its doors at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney on 11 June 2016, to form the centerpiece of the Garden’s 200th Birthday.
The Calyx (pron. kal-iks, def. ‘The outermost whorl that protects a flower’) is a world-class horticultural experience that fuses art, theatre and flora through themed exhibitions. Launching with ‘Sweet Addiction’, the inaugural exhibition explores the botanic story of chocolate.
The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, with creative from M&C Saatchi Sydney, will launch the exhibition with a multi- sensory campaign highlighting the surprise melding of chocolate and nature that goes live on 28 April with print, out of home, digital and PR executions.
Artwork for the Sweet Addiction campaign was informed by the colours of the cacao pod – the fruit from which chocolate is derived – in all its various stages of life. The concept titillates the senses to evoke people’s love of chocolate, while showcasing another side of nature to change people’s perception of the Garden.
At the centre of the advertising campaign is a giant ‘chocolate dessert’ fountain, which is symbolised by chocolate flowing over a bromeliad, a flower native to the cocoa growing regions.
M&C Saatchi executive creative director, Michael Canning said, “Nature and chocolate – two of life’s sublime pleasures, briefs don’t get much more uplifting. It was a real privilege to be involved in a unique project to launch such an incredible space on its big birthday.”
Environment Minister Mark Speakman said, “This year marks the 200th Birthday of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and we’re excited to celebrate it with the opening of The Calyx and our inaugural exhibition, ‘Sweet Addiction’. It’s going to be one of the most unique exhibitions in Australia – an opportunity to touch, see, smell, taste and experience chocolate like never before.”
The exhibition will be ongoing through to April 2017, with interactive chocolate-themed activities taking place throughout the exhibition period.
By Suzanne Mitchell, Senior Director of Marketing at GoDaddy Australia As 2021 dawns in Australia, it does so with greater stability and hope for businesses and individuals than since the pandemic intensified locally last March. The Covid-induced digital transformation boom has created, in its wake, a hyper-individualised world whereby audiences have more control over what, […]
To celebrate brands going “above and beyond to act with purpose”, Mumpower has announced its first-ever consumer choice awards. The ‘Vote on Purpose’ Australian Business Award 2021 aims to crown Australia’s favourite purpose-driven company, with Mumpower now calling on both corporations and Mum shoppers to nominate a value-led company or a specific brand campaign that […]
Sports fans will have to pay $10 a month to sign up for Stan Sport when it launches later this year, according to reports. The Nine-owned Sydney Morning Herald, is today reporting that Stan (also owned by Nine) will offer Stan Sport as a supplementary service, meaning fans must also have a subscription to Stan’s […]
Global creative platform Shutterstock has launched the 10th anniversary edition of its annual Creative Trends Report, highlighting the trends that will inspire creative expression and ingenuity in 2021. Announcing the report, Shutterstock creative director Flo Lau said that, after the year that was, the company was encouraged by the “positivity, originality, and resilience displayed by […]
Outgoing and twice impeached President Donald Trump released a pre-recorded farewell as he departed Washington. But many of the US’ major networks didn’t show it. Trump was banned from Facebook and Twitter in the wake of his supporters’ attack on the US Capitol on 6 January. His personal account on YouTube has also been suspended […]
New data from Facebook shows that an initiative aimed at supporting local news publishers is showing early signs of success. Australian and New Zealand publishers participating in the Facebook Journalism Project’s Reader Revenue Accelerator in 2019 and through 2020 secured more than 24,000 new paying subscribers and more than 160,000 new loyal readers (whether through […]


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25 Nov UK, Malaysia dial up digital economy partnership
National ICT agency Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) said a delegation of business leaders and technology companies from the UK are visiting Malaysia this week to discuss partnership opportunities with MSC status companies.
MDEC’s chief executive officer Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood said this effort, which focused on cross-cutting technologies, has been co-organised as part of a UK Technology Trade Mission by the UK Department for International Trade (DIT).
She said the mission also allowed for both the UK and Malaysian companies to either meet one-on-one or participate in panel discussions. There will also be business matching opportunities in partnership with MDEC on the second day of the trade mission.
“Trade ties in the digital economy space will be the catalyst to take the strong historical cultural and economic ties that Malaysia and the UK have enjoyed to the next level,” said Yasmin.
“Currently, Malaysia’s digital economy contributes 17.8 percent to Malaysia’s overall GDP and is set to hit its target of 18.2 percent by 2020,” she said.
“In fact, the Government, through the 2017 Budget, has identified Malaysia’s digital economy as one of the key initiatives to pursue,” added Yasmin.
Through strategic collaborations with key trading partners such as the UK, we will be able to realise the full potential of Malaysia’s digital economy,” she said.
“Furthermore, the private sector, being a driver of employment and agent for change via the transfer of knowledge, is crucial to the process of an inclusive and sustainable economic growth,” said Yasmin. “This trade mission is a platform to help and provide opportunities for businesses from both countries to collaborate and enhance business and talent capabilities.”
Paul Rennie OBE, deputy British High Commissioner to Malaysia, said, “The UK and Malaysia are stepping up bilateral co-operation across various fields, particularly in the technology sector.”
“With one of the largest and fastest-growing technology sectors in the world, the UK can share expertise with Malaysia in sub-sectors like Artificial Intelligence; Big Data Analytics; Cloud; Communications; Electronic Systems; and Sensors. British companies, like those on this trade mission, have a global outlook and are keen on working with Malaysian partners on the country’s digital economy transformation,” said Rennie.
He encouraged UK companies to tap Malaysia’s ICT ecosystem and also consider the country as a gateway to ASEAN’s emerging markets.
He added the UK was “one of the world’s leading and most innovative technology markets that over the past five years has benefited from the rapid growth across many technology subsectors. As it stands, Malaysia is the UK’s second largest trading partner in the ASEAN region with bilateral trade reaching £4.4 billion (RM25.6 billion) in 2015.”
This mission builds on a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June 2016 between MDEC and the UK’s DIT, which will see both countries jointly promoting the adoption of Digital Economy solutions, particularly in the areas such as Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud, Big Data Analytics (BDA), Cybersecurity, e-Commerce and Fintech. Collaboration and partnership opportunities in the areas of artificial intelligence will also be explored through the academia and industry platforms.
Source: MIS Asia


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More and more Indians are searching on Google the list of Chinese products to ‘boycott’. This comes after tensions between India and China have heightened at the border in Ladakh.
Though it may sound tough, it is not that difficult for Indians to fully boycott Chinese products.
#BoycottChina, #BoycottMadeinChina, #BoycottChineseApps and #BoycottTiktok began trending on social media.
In fact many people uninstalled the TikTok app from their phones in protest of what was happening on the border. There was an app also to delete the Chinese apps from phones.
Cosmetics, bags, toys, furniture, footwear, watches — these are part of a list of 450 categories of products made in China that will be boycotted by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) over continued border skirmishes.
The CAIT stepped up its nationwide movement against Chinese goods under a campaign “Bhartiya Samaan-Hamara Abhimaan”.
CAIT National Vice President Amar Parwani and State Working Presidents Magelal Maloo and Vikram Singh Deo said in a statement: “The objective is to reduce import of Chinese finished goods by $13 billion or about Rs 1 lakh crore by December 2021.”
The list of over 500 items released by CAIT include FMCG products, consumer durables, toys, furnishing fabrics, textiles, builder hardware, footwear, apparel, kitchen items, luggage, hand bags, cosmetics, gift items, electrical and electronics, fashion apparel, food, watches. gems and jwellery, clothing, stationery, paper, household items, furniture, lighting, health and, packaging products, auto parts, Yarn, Feng Shui Items, Diwali and Holi Items and optical items.
“CAIT strongly condemns China for their military aggression across the LAC in Ladakh wherein three Indian soldiers lost their lives. In the wake of these continued border skirmishes with China, the CAIT has decided to step up its nationwide movement against the boycott of Chinese goods, which was launched on 10 June under its campaign ‘Bhartiya Samaan-Hamara Abhimaan’,” said Praveen Khandelwal, CAIT general secretary.
After the killing of three Indian army soldiers, including a Colonel rank officer in Ladakh while facing off with China, the RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch has once again ramped up calls for boycotting Chinese goods.
National co-convenor of the SJM Ashwini Mahajan took to Twitter and wrote that the latest skirmish is an “eye-opener” for those who support continued trade with China.
“This is an eye-opener for those who argue that there has been no exchange of fire, so we should engage economically with China, say in trade and investment,” he posted.


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BP Partners With Tesla on Battery Storage for Wind Farms
【Summary】Petroleum giant BP has teamed up with Tesla to build its first battery storage project at one of its U.S. wind farms as part of an effort to expand its renewable energy business, the energy group said on Tuesday.
LONDON — Petroleum giant BP has teamed up with Tesla to build its first battery storage project at one of its U.S. wind farms as part of an effort to expand its renewable energy business, the energy group said on Tuesday.
Tesla will supply the 212 megawatt (MW)/840 megawatt hour battery at BP's Titan 1 wind farm in South Dakota in the second half of this year. It operates 12 other windfarms in the United States.
The large scale batteries supplied by Tesla will be able to store power generated on windy days and make it available when electrical demands are high, offering a crucial commercial advantage to an otherwise volatile energy source that relies on the wind to generate power.
"Lessons from the project will enable BP to make better informed decisions when evaluating and developing battery applications in the future," BP said in a statement.
"The project also supports BP's broader strategy to invest half a billion dollars annually into low-carbon technologies, including projects within its established renewables portfolio as well as in new low-carbon businesses."
Several oil companies have already invested in battery technology. Norway's Statoil plans to use a battery system, called Batwind, with its Hywind floating wind farm off the coast of Scotland.
Tesla built world's largest lithium-ion battery at a South Australian wind farm
In November of last year, Tesla completed the construction of the world's largest lithium-ion battery at a South Australian wind farm. The battery in South Australia was built specifically for the purpose of addressing the state's unreliable power grid and has the capacity to power 100,000 homes for an hour in the event of a power outage.
BP estimates renewables could account for around 10 percent of global energy demand by 2035, up from 4 percent currently.
Almost all power grids have a backup power source designed to be dormant during periods of low-energy need, and powered up when needed. However, most of these these backup power sources are fossil-fuel powered. The success of Tesla's battery system, which is recharged solely by wind power, might demonstrate that a renewable battery-storage system could one day eliminate the need for backup fossil-fuel plants.
Originally from New Jersey, Eric is an automotive and technology reporter specializing in the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley. Eric has over fifteen years of automotive experience and a B.A. in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the automotive industry and beyond. He has worked on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology. Outside of work, Eric likes to travel to new places, play guitar, and explore the outdoors.
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Tesla (TSLA) stock dropped Wednesday after CEO Elon Musk disclosed Tuesday evening he sold shares worth $4 billion in the first two weeks of November.
Musk sold 19.5 million shares for $3.95 billion on Nov. 4, 7 and 8, according to SEC filings late Tuesday. The decision to sell some of his Tesla stock comes as Musk has finalized his $44 billion purchase of Twitter.
Tesla stock edged down 1.7% Wednesday during market trading. On Tuesday, shares fell 2.9% to 191.30 but was well off the session low 186.75 as the broader market gained steam. TLSA Shares are down more than 40% on the year and approaching May 2021 lows, according to MarketSmith analysis.
Tesla stock has sold off hard since Musk’s Twitter takeover Musk’s latest share sales likely helped drive Tesla stock’s recent decline. Increased China subsidies and concerns about Elon Musk’s Twitter reign also may be taking a toll on TSLA stock.
Clash Of the Titans: Tesla Vs. BYD
Tesla is also recalling more than 40,000 2017-2021 Model S and Model X vehicles over a possible power steering assist feature, Reuters reported Tuesday. Tesla is handling the recall via an over-the-air update.
Can Insurance Subsidy Boost Tesla Stock?
On Tuesday, Tesla brought back an insurance subsidy for vehicles purchased in China through year-end, following a price cut in late October as the EV giant tries to boost demand amid soaring production.
The EV giant announced the November insurance subsidy is worth 8,000 yuan ($1,100) for people buying its vehicles in inventory, as the company looks to increase orders. In December, the subsidy will be reduced to 4,000 yuan ($550). Tesla stock dropped Tuesday.
Tesla previously introduced a 7,000 yuan insurance subsidy on all vehicles in late September, as wait times for its EVs fell essentially to zero. From Oct. 1, Tesla has offered 0% down payments and preferential loan rates. Those incentives served as de facto price cuts.
Tesla cut actual Model 3 and Model Y prices in China on Oct. 24 by as much as 9%. Following those October price cuts, Tesla briefly eliminated the insurance subsidy it had implemented in September before reviving it Tuesday.
Tesla Stock: China Deliveries
Tesla delivered 71,704 vehicles from its newly upgraded Shanghai plant in October, according to the China Passenger Car Association. That was up 32% vs. a year earlier but down nearly 14% from the record 83,135 in September. Tesla exported a record 54,504 vehicles from the Shanghai plant in October, and sold 17,200 in China.
The global EV giant reported Q3 deliveries of 343,830 cars, up 42% vs. a year earlier and above Q1’s record 310,048. However, that was well below analysts’ estimates.
The company said it faced logistical challenges throughout the quarter and that there were vehicles in transit.
Tesla produces the luxury Model S sedan, the Model X SUV as well as the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover. Other vehicles in the works include the Semi and Cybertruck. Musk has said the Cybertruck is on track for mid-2023 rollout and that the Tesla Semi will begin deliveries by the end of 2022.
Semi Production Starts
Musk tweeted in October that Tesla was starting production on the Tesla Semi tractor trailer trucks. Deliveries to PepsiCo (PEP) were set to begin on Dec. 1. Musk says the electric semi trucks will have a 500-mile range per charge.
Tesla production is surging, especially in China, so demand needs to rise substantially in Q4 and beyond to match supply. China EV subsidies expire on Dec. 31, while Germany will reduce its subsidies as of Jan. 1. That should pull forward demand for Tesla and other EV makers, but could mean weaker demand in the new year.
Unofficial China vehicle registration data for the first week of the month shows the U.S. EV giant trailing rival BYD (BYDDF) by a large margin for overall vehicle unit sales. New vehicle insurance registrations in China between Oct. 31-Nov. 6 totaled 110,539, up 43% compared to last year but down 12% from the previous week, CnEVPost reported Tuesday.
BYD, the world’s largest maker of EV and plug-in hybrids and China’s largest seller of pure electrics, led the way with 37,168 insurance registrations. Elon Musk’s Tesla was second with 11,195 registrations.
China EV startups Nio (NIO), Li Auto (LI) and XPeng (XPEV) were far behind, but among the top 14 vehicle manufacturers.
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter on Oct. 28, he’s slashed roughly half of the social media site’s staff while tweeting frequently about his plans, politics and more. There are concerns that Musk is distracted from running Tesla, as well as worries that he could be hurting his image, which could spill over to Tesla’s brand. Tesla stock has shed around 17% since Oct. 28.
Tesla stock has a 45 Composite Rating of 99. TSLA shares have a dismal 16 Relative Strength Rating. The EPS rating for Tesla stock is 75.
Please follow Kit Norton on Twitter @KitNorton for more coverage.
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