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For many consumers, the jig is up.
After years of supersizing our houses, cars, meals and closets, Americans' buying binge seems to be over.
Hung over and remorseful consumers' overindulgent days may be behind them. Personal consumption this year might fall to levels not seen since 1942, some economists predict. Personal savings are on the rise, too. For the first time since 1952, when the Federal Reserve Bank began tracking it, household debt is declining.
Will this newfound self-restraint lead to lasting change in behavior?
Consumer behaviorists, retail analysts and business leaders believe some budget-motivated changes will stick. Talk abounds of a "new normal" level of consumerism. When we start spending again, people will make purchases based on the environment, family and citizenship, not on hoarding. They'll go for one really great sweater, instead of a dozen.
But economists predict that consumers will have short memories, based on how the economy has behaved through 10 previous recessions since World War II.
"I'd be very suspect of that argument that we're going to see permanent change," said researcher and economist Art Rolnick, the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank's resident optimist. "We think the economy, within a year or so, will be back on its trend rate of growth of 2.5 or 3 percent. And job creation will start up again. If the stock market goes up to even 11,000, a lot of this wealth is recaptured.
"When people feel more secure, they're going to go back to their old patterns," he said.
Of course, predicting how 218 million American adults spend money is far more than an academic exercise. Consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of the U.S. economy, and some economists say the pullback will lead to a slowdown in gross domestic product of 5 or 6 percent in the fourth quarter, the biggest drop in a quarter century.
Even outgoing Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott envisions a "fundamental sea change in consumer buying" that won't change when the economy rebounds. Consumers won't have "the same immediate desire to go back to consumption and debt," he told attendees of the National Retail Federation earlier this month. That'll be tough for retailers, but good for society, he said.
"I've been worried for a long time that someone in 2007 is selling furniture, and your first payment is 2011," Scott said in his remarks. "Is that healthy?"
'A neutron bomb'
Roger McNamee, a technology investor whose 2004 book, "New Normal: Great Opportunities in a Time of Great Risk," was published in the wake of the previous recession, says credit-happy Americans spent years avoiding signals that the party was ending.
"Now we've got the equivalent of a neutron bomb that took out all the partygoers," he said. "If people don't answer this particular wake-up call, and make the adjustment to a more balanced split between consumption and investment, what's it going to take?"
Still, markets expand and contract all the time. And despite the seemingly gloomy forecast that retailers could close as many as 110,000 stores this year, that still would be fewer than closed in 2000 and represents just 3 to 4 percent of the retail industry, said economist Michael Niemira of the International Council of Shopping Centers.
"The stronger the downturn, the stronger the rebound," Niemira said in a recent conference call. In strong downturns, "hefty pent-up demand ultimately does come out when economic conditions improve."
In the end, prices of everyday goods are a more sure predictor of change than consumer's pessimistic outlooks and high-minded ideals, Rolnick said. Consumers might change their behavior after sustained high prices, but usually not before.
"If you thought the price of gasoline would stay at $4 forever, then you'd recalibrate. You'd want a more efficient car," he said. "But if it comes back to a $1.80 or $2, you're going to go back to your old spending habits."
To wit, Edmunds.com reported that trucks and SUVs outsold cars in December for the first time in nearly a year, urged on by lower prices, fat dealer incentives and winter weather. Sales of hybrid vehicles, meanwhile, have dropped off. But sales overall are slow.
Seeking smaller homes
On the flip side, for the first time in at least a decade, Americans are asking for smaller homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders. In 1978, the average size of a new home was 1,750 square feet. As of the third quarter of last year, the average size under construction was 2,438, a drop of 7 percent from the previous quarter.
Pam Goodfellow, a senior analyst with consumer survey firm BIGResearch, foresees a more nuanced level of consumerism. The company's surveys show growth in some big-ticket items, such as televisions, over the next six months.
"People are going back and rethinking what they're spending on," Goodfellow said. "Something like a big screen TV is seen as an investment in your home. People are spending more time in their home and with their family, so some of our values are going to change, too."
Trish Reid, shopping at Sam's Club on a recent weekday, predicted that her family's cutbacks will be durable. She's a mother of three, the oldest in college. Although she said she has no credit card debt, her husband's current construction job could be finished in three weeks, and Reid's part-time job isn't enough to carry the family.
"If the economy picks up again, most definitely our changes will carry on," said Reid, 42, of Richfield. "Because you never know when it's going to happen again. We were struggling already."
Reid's worldview gets backing from a new study by Context-Based Research Group, which claims to have "a global network of consumer anthropologists." The report's authors posit that the economic crisis has become a cultural crisis, and that a new, "grounded" consumer will emerge from the meltdown that will "realize the road to the American Dream isn't paved with purchases."
Melanie King, 37, of Cottage Grove, might fall into the group that is keenly aware that individual spending decisions have a ripple effect.
"Actually, I'm not cutting back on spending. I'm trying to do my part to put money back into the economy," said King, heading out of Kohl's with a shopping bag. With children 18, 14 and 10, she and her husband looked for Christmas deals but made sure it was a "normal Christmas," thanks to their two incomes.
Fewer frivolous purchases
Retailers are hedging their bets against more abiding changes in consumer behavior. They're paring inventories, beefing up customer service and assuming that consumers will make far fewer frivolous purchases. Business editors at Kiplinger predict that many consumers who traded down to Target and Wal-Mart won't upshift later.
Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel said in an e-mail that he believes consumers eventually will start buying discretionary items, like clothing, jewelry and home decor, but they likely will be more thoughtful in their purchases. Target is "operating in an era in which fiscal responsibility has become a key factor in consumer behavior," he wrote.
"We're dealing with a changed consumer now," Goodfellow said. "We've been hit with slowdowns in the past, but nothing quite like this magnitude. People are losing jobs and homes. Even if you haven't experienced it, you know somebody who has. It's going to affect consumers' mind-set, maybe not 20 years down the line, but certainly for the next five to 10 years."
But if this is the new normal, Gail Graf, 51, of Bloomington, wants no part of it. Graf and her husband have good jobs but she's consolidating shopping trips to cut down on gas, eating out less and buying only the things she needs.
"I hope things don't stay like this," she said, loading up her minivan outside of a Wal-Mart. "Maybe they won't feel as rosy as they were the last couple of years, but I certainly hope I'll feel better than this."
Jackie Crosby • 612-673-7335


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The provincial government is trying to fix something that isn't broken - and it's making a mess in the process.
Cities and towns in British Columbia have successful recycling systems in place, but the province has thrown everything into confusion by mandating creation of a monster called Multi-Material BC. Since MMBC began ramping up, one protest has followed another, as municipalities and businesses began to realize the effects it would have on them. Premier Christy Clark has called the creation of the new organization a "bumpy road."
Business groups across the province have allied under the banner Rethink It BC, to demand the government delay implementation and sit down to talk about changes to the new entity.
MMBC was created after the government changed the provincial recycling regulations in 2011 so that responsibility for recycling packaging and printed paper moved from municipalities to the industries that produced the material.
The theory is that the companies that profit from products that produce waste should have to pay the cost of recycling that material.
Proponents say the added cost will also be an incentive for those companies to reduce the amount of packaging they use, as not producing waste is a better solution than recycling it after it is produced.
B.C. picked MMBC as the organization to manage the new program, beginning May 19. It will be funded by fees collected from companies that use packaging or create printed paper, instead of being funded by municipalities.
Lana Popham, Saanich South New Democrat MLA, recently said: "They are setting up a system that's dangerously close to a monopoly. This will inevitably lead to a decrease in quality of services and increase in price."
This is a B.C. initiative, but it is being run by a board of directors representing Unilever Canada, Walmart, Tim Hortons, Loblaws, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble.
Does anyone expect them to put B.C.'s interests first? The province has already responded to the horrified outcry from small businesses and exempted them from paying fees to MMBC if their revenues are below $1 million a year, they produce less than a tonne of packaging each year or they are single outlets.
That excludes the majority of businesses, but means the remaining ones - and their customers - will have to foot the bill for everyone's recycling.
MMBC's fees will be much higher than those in other regions. For instance, newspapers would have to pay 20 cents per kilogram, compared to 0.42 cents in Ontario. Corrugated cardboard would be charged 29 cents per kilogram, compared with 8.4 cents in Ontario.
The organization says the higher fees are because MMBC will serve apartment buildings, while Ontario's program serves only houses, but the cost differential is still excessive.
Newsprint is already the most successfully recycled product in the system. About 85% of all newspaper in B.C. is recycled, and municipalities generate revenue from it because it is the most valuable recycled material.
Newspapers are among the industries most worried about the new system. Peter Kvarnstrom, chairman of the Canadian Newspaper Association, warned that the added costs are so significant to an industry that is already fragile that they will force layoffs in newsrooms across the province.
B.C.-based magazines will be penalized because they will have to pay for recycling, while international publications that are printed elsewhere and shipped to the province pay nothing. In essence, a B.C. magazine will be subsidizing Vanity Fair.
Everyone, including the critics of MMBC, can get behind the idea of reducing waste. But the province needs to listen to Rethink It BC's call for solutions to very serious concerns.

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Seattle-based ecommerce giant Amazon is expanding its delivery operations in Northwest Indiana.
The company is opening delivery stations in Merrillville and Valparaiso before the end of the year.
The Valparaiso site will be at 2200 Memorial Parkway, according to a statement from the city of Valparaiso. Amazon plans to invest about $30 million in the property, which will employ 130 part- and full-time workers as well as more than 150 delivery drivers with salaries starting at $15 per hour and assorted benefits.
City officials said the Valparaiso site allows Amazon to offer efficient deliveries to customers across the state. Packages are transported to delivery stations from Amazon fulfillment and sortation centers, and then loaded into vehicles for delivery to customers.
Deliveries will be made either by Amazon’s own fleet of all-electric delivery vans, as well as delivery service partners — local entrepreneurs and operators contracted through Amazon.
The Merrillville site will be at the AmeriPlex at the Crossroads Business Park, a development of Holladay Properties. Amazon’s Merrillville operation will occupy a 141,360-square-foot building on a 35-acre parcel.
The Merrilville Amazon site will employ between 125 and 250 workers as well as 230 delivery drivers and possibly another 60 flex drivers, according to Holladay Properties.
Amazon has delivery sites in Gary and South Bend and employs about 13,000 people throughout its Indiana operations.


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Microsoft (MSFT) on Monday confirmed it had nailed down Yammer.
Shares for the software leader were down more than 3% in late trading Monday, on another tumultuous day on Wall Street overall. Microsoft midday confirmed what had been rumored for weeks, that it will acquire the business social network. Microsoft said it will pay $1.2 billion. The acquisition awaits regulatory approval.
Founded in 2008, Yammer says it has more than 5 million corporate users. Microsoft will now compete with other providers of social networks for businesses, including Chatter by Salesforce.com (CRM) and tibbr from Tibco Software (TIBX).
In a release announcing the agreement, Microsoft said Yammer will become part of Microsoft's Office division and will be marketed to customers of such products as Microsoft SharePoint, Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics and Skype.
"The acquisition of Yammer underscores our commitment to deliver technology that businesses need and people love," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in the release.
Yammer was launched by PayPal co-founder David Sacks, who said in the release that the best way to boost Yammer's growth is with a larger player like Microsoft.
"When we started Yammer four years ago, we set out to do something big," he said. "Joining Microsoft will accelerate that vision and give us access to the technologies, expertise and resources we need to scale and innovate."
RELATED: Salesforce.com Confirms It Will Buy Buddy Media.


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September 9, 2014, Bridgeport CT - GoECart, a leading ecommerce solution provider for SMBs announced today that it will partner with Kount Inc., a leading supplier of fraud protection and sales-boosting technology. The new partnership will enable GoECart retailers to seamlessly leverage Kount’s award-winning fraud prevention services at a discount and with zero integration hassles.
GoECart provides highly secure, pci compliant and scalable cloud solution for both B2C and B2B merchants to sell their goods over multiple channels. GoECart’s built-in back office tools allow merchants to efficiently manage their entire business from order to cash rather than cobbling together multiple IT systems. Addition of Kount to the GoECart growing partner ecosystem underscores GoECart’s ongoing commitment to protecting both online consumers and merchants from fraud, especially in the wake of major credit card data breaches.
“GoECart is proud to announce our new partnership with Kount, the emerging industry leader in fraud protection.” said Manish Chowdhary, CEO of GoECart. “This is a win-win for any merchant concerned about the alarming increase in online fraud due in part to the trend toward EMV (chip-and-pin) technology in the physical world. Now online shoppers checking out of a Kount-enabled GoECart checkout will benefit from an advanced decision engine that checks an online shopper’s data against multiple variables to ensure that customers are who they say they are. Kount technology embedded into GoECart’s award-winning single page checkout will keep both customers and merchants happy. GoECart existing and future clients who leverage Kount will not just be able prevent fraud but they will also enjoy a seamless and rapid onboarding process as well as great pricing for the solution.”
Kount analyzes, in real time, hundreds of relevant variables associated with online payment activities across the globe. Its engine then uses this information to flag an order when components of a transaction appear suspicious. Leveraging a multitude of proven and patented technologies that are customized to the specific requirements of its customers, Kount minimizes the online store owner’s time and number of transactions manually reviewed due to suspected fraud.
“Public concern over fraud, data breaches and other cyber criminal activities continues to rise as millions of consumers have been exposed to identity theft, spurring online merchants to provide the best protection for themselves and the customers they serve.” said Brad Wiskirchen, CEO Kount. “Our partnership with GoECart extends the reach of our industry-leading technology to thousands of merchants through their fully-integrated solutions. Together we share a common goal, to help online merchants succeed by boosting sales and reducing costs and losses, especially those caused by fraud.”
GoECart provides integrated, on-demand cloud-based solutions that empower retailers to sell more goods and services more efficiently. Our flagship, unified commerce suite, GoECart 360, combines a powerful ecommerce storefront with multi-channel order and inventory management, fulfillment, CRM, and much more. GoECart 360 enables merchants to sell across all major customer touch points—web storefronts, “brick and mortar” stores, call centers, mail order catalogs, and the leading online marketplaces. We help companies grow revenues, automate business processes, lower IT costs, and achieve greater profitability.
Boost Sales, Beat Fraud with Kount. Kount helps online businesses boost sales by reducing fraud and allowing them to accept more orders. Kount’s all-in-one, SaaS platform is designed for merchants operating in card-not-present environments and the payment service providers that support them, simplifying fraud detection and dramatically improving bottom line profitability. Companies using Kount can accept more orders from more people in more places than ever before. Kount is a turnkey fraud solution that is easy-to-implement and easy-to-use. Kount’s proprietary technology reviews hundreds of millions of transactions annually providing maximum protection for some of the world’s best-known brands. For more information about Kount, please visit www.kount.com


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SAN FRANCISCO — Walgreens has joined RangeMe, a platform that connects retailers with suppliers.
RangeMe gives retailers an efficient way to discover new products by allowing buyers to access information about suppliers, including company background, product specs and samples, the company said. It helps retailers such as Walgreens engage with a varied supplier base.
"Doing business with small and diverse suppliers is a key part of our corporate social responsibility strategy," said Carlos Cubia, vice president and global chief diversity officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance. "Being able to more easily access these suppliers is something that is very important to Walgreens, and we're pleased that the RangeMe platform allows us to find new ways to offer our customers great products."
RangeMe has more than 150,000 suppliers, CEO Nicky Jackson said.
"Supplier diversity doesn't just benefit the retailer or the supplier, it benefits the entire process as a whole. And we want to foster that development and movement, and the growth it brings,” Jackson said.
The platform also provides a way for suppliers to showcase their products to thousands of buyers, according to the RangeMe website.
RangeMe, which was acquired in 2017 by ECRM, is based in San Francisco.
Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens is one of the nations’ largest drugstore chains, with about 9,560 stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.


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The Government-Private Sector Forum will be held today at the Peace Palace.
Bilateral trade between Cambodia and Indonesia rose moderately, reaching $556 million in value, a 4 percent increase.
The Ministry of Tourism said it will create a working group whose goal will be to devise strategies to increase the share of local products used by local firms, particularly those in hospitality.
Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 2.5 percent in 2018.
Japan’s decision to curb government purchases from Chinese telecoms equipment makers Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp could hurt bilateral ties if Tokyo’s actions are deemed unfair, China’s commerce ministry said yesterday.
The China-proposed GEIDCO says that it has 602 members from 85 countries.
The European Union risks opening up a trade war with Malaysia.
China will sharply expand market access for foreign banks and securities.
From 1993 to 2018, the government repaid $1.3 billion of its debt to development partners, roughly 8 percent of the country’s external debt, according to an official report on the country’s public debt.
Cambodia’s aviation sector has grown remarkably in recent years, a recent report from the (SSCA) highlights.
Digital payment platforms to help prepare Malaysia for the digitisation.
The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro smartphones were launched Tuesday.
Green Leader’s $20-million cassava factory will become operational in May.
Beijing Kunlun is seeking to sell Grindr.
China’s industrial firms post their worst slump in profits since late 2011.
L’Oreal achieved a 14-year-record-high growth of 33% in the Chinese market in 2018.
Chinese experts will conduct a feasibility study for a monorail project in Phnom Penh.
Government will create $5-million annual fund to strengthen the tech startup scene in the country says PM.
Euro zone banks face no imminent risks from a no-deal Brexit, an EU official says.
Agriculture Ministry requests to strengthen border checks against African swine fever.
The dissolution of the Salt Association of Kampot and Kep is suspended.
Uber Technologies Inc will spend $3.1 billion to acquire Middle East rival Careem.
China’s Internet of Things business has been flourishing over the years, with revenue rising around 73 percent in 2018.
Private sector financial institutions have urged the government to rein in some banks and microfinance institutions which are still promoting the US dollar instead of riel in rural areas while the majority are pushing for more use of the national currency in the Kingdom.
Pan Sorasak urges more American companies to follow in the footsteps of Coca Cola and invest in Cambodia.
The total gross premium in the insurance industry rose 30 percent last year.
Apple Inc is expected to finally lift the curtain soon on a secretive, years-long effort to build a television.
Investors ditched shares and fled to the safety of bonds as risk assets fell out of favor on growing fears of a US recession.
Boeing Co said it invited more than 200 experts for an information session.
Chinese tech giants are in the hunt for young, energetic staff to take the place, in some cases, of veteran managers.


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The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has announced that it will become the first bank in the country to offer customers the opportunity to buy, sell and store cryptocurrency through its own CommBank application.
Thus, CBA has established partnerships with the Gemini exchange custodian, as well as the analytical company Chainalysis. They helped the bank develop a digital asset exchange and storage service for CommBank.
In addition, the pilot launch of the new feature will take place in the coming weeks. Also, it will gradually become available to a wide range of customers in 2022. According to the press release, the bank will support ten cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC); Ethereum (ETH); Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Litecoin (LTC).
Emergence and growing demand
The decision to add digital asset-related services to CBA based on the results of the research. In its progress, it turned out that a large number of clients already trade and store cryptocurrencies on third-party platforms.
“The emergence and growing demand for digital currencies from customers creates both challenges and opportunities for the financial services sector; which has seen a significant number of new players and business models innovating in this area”. CBA Chief Executive Officer Matt Comyn said.
According to him, in order to meet the demand, the bank made a “strategic decision” to partner with Gemini in order to integrate the exchange’s services into CommBank via the Application Programming Interface (API).
The popularity of cryptocurrencies
Cooperation with Chainalysis is designed to help CBA comply with regulatory requirements in a new area and reduce criminal risks.
“Customers have expressed concern regarding some of the crypto services in market today, including the friction of using third party exchanges, the risk of fraud, and the lack of trust in some new providers”. Comyn added.
Recall that earlier in February Bitcoin became more popular than gold in Australia. Crypto exchange BTC Markets surveyed 2,000 investors in Australia and found that 12.6% own cryptocurrency, and only 12.1% own precious metals. They explain their investments by the fact that cryptocurrency has many advantages over traditional assets. Moreover, they believe that it is more reliable and more convenient than precious metal.


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A Worksop slimming expert says people on diets do not need to go without their facourite takeaways when trying to lose weight.
Instead, says Jules Dobson, slimmers should simply swap the takeaway for the fakeaway and make their own versions of takeaway favourites at home.
A recent survey by Slimming World found that 82 per cent of dieters expected to have to give up takeaway food completely in order to lose weight.
However, simply by switching to homemade versions of takeaway favourites, Jules, who runs seven Slimming World classes at St Joseph’s Catholic Social Club, says people can lose weight without having to give up food their love.
“When people think about dieting they think about feeling deprived – going hungry and missing out,” she said.
“However at Slimming World, we know from our 45 years of experience of helping people to lose weight and keep it off, that’s not the best way to lose weight.”
“Naturally, most of us are rebels and the moment we’re prevented from having something we end up wanting it even more.”
“The important thing is not to be too strict on yourself and find a healthy eating plan that you can sustain in the long-term and get support to cope with any challenges – like a takeaway you just can’t resist.”
Jules has recently launched Slimming World’s new Fakeaways recipe book at her Worksop classes and they are proving a big hit with members.
“Lots of the members in the St Joseph’s group are replacing the takeaways they used to have with healthy home-cooked versions of the same meals,” she continued.
“Every week in group we swap recipes and food ideas, often talking about the different meals we’ve tried that week, and fakeaways are definitely a big hit the whole family.”
“Really popular ones at the moment are donner kebabs and southern fried chicken.”
“Better yet, these fakeaways are much cheaper than the meals people used to order in for themselves and their families so members are not only losing weight and eating more healthily but saving money too – what’s not to love!”
Slimming World’s new Fakeaways book is on sale in all Slimming World groups, including the Worksop group, which meets at St Joseph Catholic Social Club on Tuesdays at 9.30am, 11.30am. 5.30pm and 7.30pm, and Thursdays at 3.30pm, 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
To join simply pop along or call Jules on 07851 603435 for more information.


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Most Predicted Food Trends of 2019
Every year various food industry experts dish out a list of food trends that will take off in the next year. The end of 2018 saw various reports from companies such as UberEats, Walmart, Delish, BBC Good Food, among a variety of others. While each report contained a variety of different items, there were some food trend predictions that were common among various reports.
Infusion of Food and Drink with Cannabis: Relaxation for All
While it has not been legalized in every part of the world, weed has taken the world by storm since its existence, and its mainstream acceptance keeps getting bigger. Linked to unproven benefits such as relaxation, chefs and food experts are taking their time to incorporate cannabis into their creations. Infusion of cannabis has found its way into oils and drinks and with the creation of cannabis infused butter, cooking oil and coconut oil, the possibilities become endless. Snacks such as weed cookies and cupcakes have existed since time immemorial, but this predicted trend goes way beyond these simple treats, and delves into even the most common item, like a burger sauce.
Off The Shelf Probiotics: Ready-to-Eat Goodness for a Better Digestive System
Probiotics have been floating around for years, with their popularity quickly gaining momentum over the years. Basically probiotics are “good” bacteria, and their consumption has been linked to various gastric benefits. Popular in foods such as yogurt, kombucha, kimchi, traditional butternut and pickles, probiotics have been gaining presence in household refrigerators for quite a number of years. However, this new popularity wave is due to the advent of shelf-stable probiotics. Off the shelf availability will be a reason for cause of celebration for many, as it saves many people time and effort, allowing a larger market to reap the benefits of good bacteria.
Mainstream Use of Ugly Produce to Reduce Food Waste
Pictured above is the perfection showcased in many markets and grocery isles, a standard that has come under fire for quite a while. “Perfect” produce is shuttled off to suppliers while “ugly” produce is discarded. Independent magazine estimates that around 37,000 tonnes are thrown out every year, which amounts to 25 percent of the produce harvested. This gross disregard for food is now being corrected through the root-to-stem movement and various food sharing programs. Ugly produce is still supplied and used to cook in restaurants and homes, alleviating the waste. Additionally, innovations are being carried out to ensure that every part of the produce is used, with milestones being made in the use of peels, like tomato peels, to make food packaging material.
Imitation Meat: Enjoy the Taste and Texture of Real Meat, Without the Guilt
Meat has been on the shorter end of the food popularity yardstick, with its animal cruelty practices publicized. Additionally, meat processing plants are a well known pollutant, and this is a global problem that keeps requiring urgent resolving. Faux meat brands have began experiencing exponential growth, with meat alternatives offered for everything, from burger patties to hot dogs to bacon strips. Companies such as Impossible Burgers and Beyond Meat are offering burger patties that have the taste and texture of the real thing. Marketed as healthier alternatives, these plant-based “meat” products are getting integrated into more restaurant menus every year, with 2019 gearing up to be the best year yet.
Science’s Response to the Industrial Meat Crisis
Food science is ever-evolving, and its innovations have led to the development of cruelty-free and environmental friendly meat. By the use of animal stem cells, scientists have been able to successfully grow meat in the lab, a fete that solves the problems of industrial animal farming. However, this is a new endeavour, with production still costing upwards of USD 9,000. However, companies such as Memphis Meats are positive mass lab production will lead to a decrease in cost, up to USD 10 per burger patty in 2020, according to experts.
While some of these trends may seem a bit out of the box, all we have to do is watch and see how these predictions fare on as the year progresses.


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Norscot Joinery, in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, received the award for Innovation of the Year at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2018, which took place on Thursday 22nd February in Edinburgh.
(Pictured from left to right: Farhad Chamo, Farzad Pour Rahimian, Peter Body and Stephen Oliver.)
Norscot have been recognised for the research and development of virtual show home software which is currently a work in progress. The creation of this software will allow consumers to view their new home in a virtual environment during the design process. Norscot have found through customer feedback that physically seeing their new-build before finalising decisions is something consumers want and this new software is a more feasible option than building an actual show home.
“The idea is very simple but is taking a small army of very clever and supportive people to bring it to fruition. I thank them all for the progress to date, which has exceeded expectations.” Peter Body, Chairman of Norscot.
Norscot were introduced to Interface, the organisation which links businesses with academia, by HIE (Highlands and Islands Enterprise). In turn, Interface introduced us to the University of Strathclyde. “I offer special thanks to Claire Farquhar at Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Shaie MacDonald at Interface. When the idea was first muted, their vision and encouragement was instrumental in getting it off the ground.” Peter continued.
Farzad Pour Rahimian, Stephen Oliver and Farhad Chamo from the University of Strathclyde joined Peter at the awards ceremony. The event was well organised and culminated in a fantastic result for Norscot. Norscot are grateful that the full potential of this project has been recognised and will continue working on the software with added enthusiasm due to this accomplishment.


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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - Walmart is trying to help curb America's opioid crisis.
The retail chain said Wednesday that its pharmacies will offer a free kit that allows patients to safely throw out unused opioid prescription pills at home. The packet, called DisposeRx, dissolves pills into a biodegradable gel.
- Opioids now kill more people than breast cancer
- Walmart is raising its minimum wage and handing out tax cut bonuses
- FDA strengthens warning on opioid cold medicine
- Walmart is letting workers get paid whenever they want
- Some Sam's Club stores are shutting their doors
- Doctor faces charges over opioid prescriptions and 5 patient deaths
- BJ's to laid off Sam's Club employees: We're hiring
Walmart says it's the first national pharmacy to offer the solution.
DisposeRx will come with new painkiller prescriptions filled at Walmart and Sam's Club 4,700 pharmacies around the country.
Patients with chronic prescriptions will get a free DisposeRX packet every six months. Walmart will also offer free DisposeRx packets to existing patients.
Leftover prescription pills, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, are at the center of the drug epidemic. Opioid overdoses killed 42,249 Americans in 2016, the deadliest year on record, according to National Center for Health Statistics.
"About one-third of medications sold go unused. Too often, these dangerous narcotics remain unsecured where children, teens or visitors may have access," Arkansas Senator John Boozman said in a statement.
Walmart already distributes safety brochures with prescriptions and offers counseling on safe opioid use. It also plans to start selling Narcan, an overdose blocker, at pharmacies later this month.
Retail pharmacies have taken steps to address opioid abuse as the crisis has grown. CVS started selling Narcan in 2016 and limited opioid prescriptions to seven days in September. Walgreens began stocking pharmacies with Narcan in October.
"The health and safety of our patients is a critical priority; that's why we're taking an active role in fighting our nation's opioid issue," said Walmart's Marybeth Hays.
Copyright 2018 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Nike Will Not Include Sleeves On NBA Jerseys Fanatics Gains Rights For NBA Replica Jerseys Silver Says NBA Exploring Mexico City Franchise NBA Looking To Have More Games Overseas NBA Doubleheader Set For London, Mexico City Hawks GM Wilcox Apologizes For Insensitive Comment NBA League Pass Finds Success With Halftime Acts NBA's L2M Shows More Last Second Missed Calls Sources: Edens To Launch E-Sports Brand Soon NextVR, NBA Expand Services With Google
SBD/18/Sponsorships Advertising Marketing
Published April 18, 1995
The New York Racing Association will have Lowe & Partners/SMS New York handle its ad account, previously managed by Bates USA (N.Y. TIMES, 4/18)....Sega Enterprises has been forced to revise down profit forecasts for its recently-completed fiscal year because of the surge of the yen and "further sluggishness" in the European market. Sega's announcement follows a similar revision by its chief rival Nintendo (FINANCIAL TIMES, 4/18)....As part of a review of new sport/health drinks, BRANDWEEK notes Spalding Sports Refresher, which is produced by former NBA star Kiki Vandeweghe's Pro-Team, is positioning itself between an isotonic and a soda (BRANDWEEK, 4/17)....People Magazine and Yankelovich Partners are introducing a new service called "Pop Scores," which will track the appeal of celebrities in terms of traits such as credibility and familiarity (N.Y. TIMES, 4/17)...."NBA Inside Stuff" profiled "Project Home Team" sponsored by Fannie Mae and the NBA. Fannie Mae Communications Manager Tim Carlsgaard: "We have eight teams now, we want to get more teams. We want to add at least three more next year" ("NBA Inside Stuff," 4/15)....A federal court in L.A. and not in Hammond, IN -- which is close to Robinson's hometown of Gary, IN -- will decide whether Bucks rookie Glenn Robinson can market sports equipment and apparel under the "Big Dog" name. Robinson filed suit in October, 1994, against Fortune Dogs, Inc., which holds trademark for the "Big Dogs" name. Fortune responded with a trademark infringement lawsuit against Robinson (WASHINGTON POST, 4/18).


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Hermes has been awarded a two year extension on its contract with shoe retailer Clarks, which has seen it deliver three million parcels for the company since it won the contract in 2012. The deal will see Hermes continue to provide Clarks with both a next day and three to five day delivery service. While Hermes expects to deliver around 1.6m parcels for the retailer in 2015, it said these volumes are anticipated to rise over the course of the […]
Hermes has won a five-year contract extension with plus-size women’s clothing firm JD Williams, for handling UK and cross-border home deliveries. The extended deal, which will run until 2017, will see the parcels firm handling more than 15 million items per year for JD Williams’ 32 brands. Goods will be collected from DCs in Shaw, Greater Manchester and Hadfield, Derbyshire, in a fleet of 15 trailers before being transported to Hermes’ northern hub in Warrington for sorting and onward delivery […]
Eddie Stobart labels Aggregate Industries’ decision to chop it as regrettable; as independents come to the fore
Eddie Stobart Logistics (ESL) has labelled the premature end of its Concrete Products Division contract with Aggregate Industries (AI) as “regrettable” in a letter to affected staff.
Fowler Welch is set to take over transport operations at Dairy Crest’s national distribution centre (NDC) in Nuneaton from June.


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The newcomer picks up from the Furia concept car and promises to finally bury the dowdy approach to boxy little Corollas. But - and it's a big one - the new Corolla won't hit Australia until sometime in 2014.
That means close to a two-year delay between the arrival of the latest Corolla hatch and the sedan that was always intended to sit alongside it.
Toyota is planning another two-pronged effort on the Corolla front with its sedan, which will be unveiled simultaneously in Europe and the USA. And there are likely to be significant differences between the cars.
“The Furia is close to how the car will look. There are definitely clues in the concept,” the spokesman for Toyota Australia, Mike Breen, tells Carsguide.
“Yes, there are two versions of the car. Because they are slightly different, Toyota has decided there will be European and American launches at the same time.” But, in another twist to the story, there is no confirmation yet on the car for Australia.
“We don't know yet which one we will get. It's still being decided,” Breen admits. There is also uncertainty on everything from prices to engines and even the factory where the car will be built.
The Corolla hatch is currently shipped from Japan to Australia but the sedan could come from Thailand, or Europe, or even America. “It could come from a number of places. It will ultimately depend on the supply chain and where it is best to source the car,” Breen says.
The one definite is that the car will have a much edgier design than the current Corolla sedan, with a wedge shape and more personality in the nose and in the cabin.
The current Corolla is around five years old and will be positively ancient when the newcomer arrives, although Toyota is doing its best to keep people interested and currently sells it for $21,490 driveaway in the lead-up to the end of the financial year. “Yes, the sedan has been on the market for quite a while,” admits Breen.
“But the new car is coming in the first half of next year. It will be about two years beyond the start of the current hatchback's life.”
“They have already moved the hatch to a more sporty flavour. The sedan is going the same way.” Toyota has only given one hint on the new car's design, with a back-end shot on the company's Facebook page highlighting a giant S badge on the back end.
But the Furia that was displayed at the Detroit motor show earlier this year points to a sedan that's far more like a hatchback in its layout, as well as providing the packaging for the hybrid model that will be sold in Europe.
This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover


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Americans still eat meat at a higher rate than ever before.
And yet, there’s a growing movement to make sure Americans don’t have to pay more to eat it.
Here are some of the most pressing questions about this increasingly popular trend.
Why is the number of Americans eating meat rising?
Many of the questions about why Americans are eating meat have focused on meat’s health benefits and whether it’s good for the environment.
Many of these questions, however, overlook the fact that meat consumption is increasing dramatically worldwide.
A report by the World Health Organization found that global meat consumption last year rose more than fourfold, reaching 17.5 billion tonnes.
This is a more than sixfold increase from 2009.
And as of January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that about a third of the U,S.
population is currently eating meat.
As the U-shaped curve shows, this is a trend that’s happening all over the world.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that the number will more than double between now and 2050.
And a 2015 report by Physicians for a National Health Program concluded that Americans should consume meat at least once a week.
And according to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, a significant portion of Americans now consider meat to be healthy.
It’s true that meat isn’t exactly a healthy food, but this isn’t because of any health risks.
For example, according to the U.,S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 25 percent of American adults currently consume more than half of their daily calories from meat.
The other 75 percent of Americans are in the middle of eating less than a third, according a survey by the USDA.
Why do so many Americans now consume meat?
In some ways, it’s easier to understand the problem when you consider that meat has been in the American diet for a long time.
In fact, the first human to eat meat was Neanderthals, who lived thousands of years ago in what is now the Ural Mountains.
But meat has evolved a lot in the past several hundred years, thanks to farming and industrialization.
Meat production and consumption has grown exponentially, and the American public is no different.
As of January 2019, meat consumption in the U.”s was estimated at 4.4 billion tonnes, according the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Board.
But the numbers for meat consumption worldwide are even higher, with meat eating increasing by more than 80 percent in the last 30 years.
The United States is home to a huge number of meatpacking plants, and they’re not all on the West Coast.
For instance, in California, the largest meat producer in the world, Tyson Foods is the second largest.
In the U of A, where Tyson Foods has its campus, only 7 percent of the meat used to be produced in the state is produced in-state.
What are some meat alternatives?
The U-shape curve shows that there are two major categories of meats: one that’s low in fat and one that is high in fat.
Most of the people who eat meat are not interested in eating more fat or less fat.
But there are some people who do want to get their meat more lean, so they cut out some of their favorite foods like beans and potatoes.
And some people even eat less meat altogether.
Some people also eat less animal protein, but that doesn’t make them vegetarian.
Some meats have high levels of saturated fat, and these fats can cause heart disease.
These meats also contain saturated animal protein that can cause diabetes and other diseases.
What kinds of meats are available?
There are about 4,000 varieties of meat available in the United States, according.
And these meats vary widely from one state to another.
For starters, some types of meats like beef, pork, lamb and chicken are grown in the country and sold at grocery stores.
These meat options aren’t necessarily healthier than the processed meats that you might find in a fast food restaurant.
These processed meats are often far more processed than the animals used in the meat industry, and often have far fewer nutritional benefits.
In addition, meat from the same species can vary greatly in quality.
For one thing, the animals raised for meat are often raised in very harsh conditions.
Another problem is that the animals that are used to produce these meat products aren’t always humanely raised.
For some, the meat can be farmed in ways that aren’t sustainable, including animals that can’t survive long periods of time in a cage without water and food.
And because these animals are raised in confined spaces and in confined areas, they don’t get the proper nutrition and exercise.
And even if they did, they might not be able to feed themselves.
A few other meats, such as turkey and lamb, are often sold as whole, dry meats.
And of course, there are still a lot of meatless dishes that are popular in


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ITC stock reached an all-time high and increased by more than 21 per cent so far this year, making it the 11th Indian listed business to reach a market capitalisation of Rs 5 trillion.
On Thursday, the company’s stock hit a record high of Rs 402.60 on BSE and gained as much as 1.1 percent intraday.
Prior to ITC, companies like Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services, HDFC, Infosys, ICICI Bank, Hindustan Unilever, Life Insurance Corp Of India, State Bank of India, and Bharti Airtel have achieved this milestone.
Given the current market challenges brought on by high inflation, an unpredictable monsoon, persistently low rural sales, and a delay in the decline of commodity costs, ITC has attracted investors thanks to its impressive performance across all of its business segments, including FMCG, paper, and hotels.
Due to its consistent cash flow and dividends, investors consider ITC to be a defensive option. Further increasing the company’s appeal from a basic perspective is its solid operational performance, supported by double-digit increase in cigarette volume and a significant rebound in its hotels division.
Analysts claim that despite a shaky demand environment and ongoing pressure from inflation on margins, ITC has performed well over the past few quarters. This resiliency can be attributed to a number of things, including the fact that its core cigarette business recovered well in the post-Covid era, steady double-digit growth in the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) segment that does not involve cigarettes, and rapid expansion in the hotel and paperboard, paper, and packaging (PPP) segment.
The lack of price increases in the near future and the government’s efforts to stop illegal cigarette sales, according to analysts, will allow the ITC to maintain its volume growth momentum in the tobacco industry. In addition, the company’s non-cigarette FMCG business is anticipated to keep growing strongly, the hotel industry is anticipated to make a great recovery, and the PPP industry will continue to grow steadily. ITC is therefore expected to experience double-digit sales and PAT growth over the following two years.


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According to a new report conducted by PwC US for the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), digital ads brought in $59.6 billion in the U.S. during 2015. That’s a 20 percent increase from the year before and marks the sixth straight year of double-digit growth.
Mobile was a big area of improvement for the industry, increasing 66 percent to hit $20.7. Video ads grew 30 percent to $4.2 billion and social media climbed 55 percent to reach $10.9 billion.
Sherrill Mane, the IAB’s senior vice president of research, predicted the trend would continue. “Let’s assume everything is reasonably known and stable,” she said, “then the likelihood that this growth will continue is very high for 2016.”


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(China Daily) Chinese Internet giant Baidu Inc has struck a deal with Microsoft Corp to make Baidu.com the default home page and search engine for the US behemoth’s Edge browser in China, the companies announced in Seattle on Wednesday.
Baidu.com, which has more than 600 million active users, will in return bring its search, video, cloud, and map apps to Microsoft’s Windows 10 software.
The partnership is set to make it easier for Baidu.com users to update to Windows 10 and help the US company gain more users for its new operating system.
Windows 10 is innovative, user-friendly and very promising in China, said Baidu’s president Zhang Yaqin, adding that he was glad to partner with Microsoft and jointly make it easier and more effective to obtain Web information for customers while using and upgrading Windows 10.
The operating system was launched globally in July.
Microsoft said it isn’t giving up on its own search engine, Bing, in China but with a negligible market share in the country it makes sense to play down Bing to promote its more popular Windows software, the Wall Street Journal quoted Danny Sullivan, founding editor of website Search Engine Land, as saying.
The newspaper cited the China Internet Network Information Center, saying more than 92 percent of Internet users in China have used Baidu for searching, while less than 2 percent use Bing. Source: China Daily via CRI


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By Alex Binkley
After a long winter watching the ice pile up on Lake Erie, the Cleveland-Europe Express (CEE) container service from Port of Cleveland to Antwerp is anxious to launch its second season. The service is operated by Dutch carrier The Spliethoff Group in cooperation with the Port. Its inaugural season proved encouraging enough for the company to add a second ship this year.
David Gutheil, the Port’s Vice-President of Maritime & Logistics, says the operation “didn’t come close to breaking even in its first year. We need to achieve more traction in the container shipping sector.” A big challenge was attracting container loads with once a month service, he adds in an interview. The second ship will enable every other week service. “The bookings for our first two west bound sailings are very strong. They’re better than expected. Now if we could only get started.”
While container service on the Lakes has been talked about for years, it was Cleveland and Europe Express that stepped up to the plate with a ship that can carry containers and other cargo. Gutheil says Cleveland is an ideal sport geographically compared to other American Great Lakes ports. “We’re so close to the opening of the Seaway.” There has been talk in the past of container shipping between Europe and Chicago. Gutheil thinks the extra sailing time to reach Chicago from the Seaway would work against such an operation. Now it’s a matter of convincing shippers to overcome their reluctance of trying something new, he points out. “We have to change behaviour. There hasn’t been a service like this before.”
William Friedman, Port President & CEO, says the service is the fastest between Europe and North America’s heartland, allowing regional companies to ship their goods up to four days faster than using water, rail, and truck routes via the U.S. East Coast ports.
With the addition of a second ship, Bart Peters, manager of The Spliethoff Group’s America Service, says shippers will be able “to connect more efficiently to the European continent.” The run began with Fortunagracht. It provided shippers “with customized shipping solutions and faster door-to-door transit times between Europe and the North American heartland,” Peters added.
“We have established the CEE as a legitimate, cost effective alternative for the breakbulk and heavy lift market. With the second ship, we can offer a very attractive option for container shippers. The advantages of an all-water service to the U.S. Midwest, combined with our transshipment connections in Antwerp throughout Europe and the world, make this a very powerful alternative.”
CEE partners have selected C-Port Maritime as their new stevedoring company to handle the ships when they are in Cleveland. C-Port Maritime, a sister operation to Valport, operator of the port of Valleyfield on the St. Lawrence River near Montreal, is now the terminal operator for CEE at the port of Cleveland. “Valport has serviced our ships for many years at the port of Valleyfield in Quebec, so they are an experienced and trusted stevedore,” said Peters.


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Simon Property Group’s (NYSE: SPG) local malls reopen Tuesday, following the state’s greenlight over the weekend for Orange County to move into an expanded version of stage two in California’s phased reopening.
Brea Mall, The Outlets at Orange and The Shops at Mission Viejo shuttered March 19, along with Simon’s other properties, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mall owner Simon said it worked with epidemiology and environmental health and safety experts on a set of policies for its centers. Those measures include more sanitation and disinfecting of dining rooms, restrooms, escalators and other areas frequented heavily by visitors. Temperature checks at the malls’ entrances, face masks and hand sanitizing stations are also part of the protocols.
The California Department of Public Health on Saturday lifted additional restrictions for some businesses, touching most notably the reopening of in-store retail shopping and in-restaurant dining for OC, with safety measures such as limited capacities and face coverings.
That was followed Monday by the state’s approval, in concert with local health authorities, to reopen statewide in-store retail shopping, with safety measures.
Go here for more updates on how OC companies are responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
For ongoing, in-depth coverage of COVID-19’s effects on OC businesses, see the Monday print edition of the Business Journal.


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Facebook is experimenting with blockchain tech, may launch its own cryptocurrency
Even though Facebook recently banned all the cryptocurrency ads on its social media platform, the company is now exploring blockchain integration models and possibly even the creation of its own cryptocurrency that could be used to purchase goods or send money to friends and family directly on the platform itself.
The rise of blockchains and cryptography as some of the most innovative technologies in the past years has piqued Facebook interest ever since last year, when the company put together a team specifically tasked with analyzing everything related to the crypto world. This team now comprises almost a dozen employees and is led by David Marcus, who introduced PayPal payments to the Facebook Messenger app earlier this year. Marcus is also involved in crypto-related endeavors outside of Facebook, as he is a member of the board of directors for the popular exchange Coinbase.
According to inside sources cited by Cheddar, Facebook may be launching a proprietary virtual token, but this will most likely take years of preparation. Speaking about Facebook's immediate plans in regards to a blockchain integration, Marcus stated that “payments using crypto right now are just very expensive, super slow, so the various communities running the different blockchains and the different assets need to fix all the issues, and then when we get there someday, maybe we'll do something.”
Moreover, Facebook does not seem to favor an initial coin offering (ICO) model like most of the crowdfunded businesses nowadays, whereas the blockchain tech could also be used to improve account identification and message encryption, practically adding a new security layer to the platform.


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Tourism businesses face many difficulties. Photo: Lobby of a 4-star hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, but quite empty. Photo: Lam Giang
This is one of the recommendations of the Ministry of Culture – Sports and Tourism in its document to the Government on urgent solutions to support tourism businesses in the context of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Ministry of Culture – Sports and Tourism, tourism businesses are facing many difficulties. The travel and transportation business was almost closed because there were no customers. 95% of the tour operators stopped operating, of which 10% applied for the revocation of the license for travel services business, to terminate their operation.
Room capacity of accommodation businesses, hotels and resorts in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is only 10%; The translation localities such as Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai have almost no guests (except for some experts and isolated guests).
Facing this situation, the Ministry of Culture – Sports and Tourism proposed a series of solutions, including a group of financial and monetary solutions. Specifically, it is recommended that the Government consider having a policy to delay the time to pay interest from banks until December 2021.
The reason given by this ministry is that many tourism businesses do not generate revenue so they cannot pay interest. Banks are currently applying a 1% -2% reduction in lending interest rates or extending or delaying the repayment period for customers affected by Covid-19 and are subject to restructuring, without delay policy on interest payment period. The Ministry also proposed the Government to direct the banking industry to continue restructuring debts, extending debt repayment time, freezing loan interests and not calculating overdue interest for tourism businesses.
Previously, a report by the HCM City Department of Tourism also showed that because there were no collateral, many businesses found it difficult to access preferential loan packages from banks. In addition, tourism is also considered as a high-risk industry, unable to repay debts because tourists are not many, but businesses still have to pay costs to maintain operations
Source: nld.com.vn – Translated by fintel.vn
- Ho Chi Minh City: more than 90% of tour operators had to suspend their activities
- An Giang launches tourism stimulus programmes
- Synchronous and effective measures needed for tourism stimulation
- Programs to stimulate domestic tourism will continue
- Ministry asks for continued domestic tourism stimulus programmes
- HCM City plans to kick-start the tourism market post-COVID-19
- HCM City works on plans to revive tourism


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So says IBM which predicts a bunch of other things as well. If they are talking about 3d Holgrams being common in 5 years that means they have them in the labs right now. The battery predictions are interesting, too.
Instead of the heavy lithium-ion batteries used today, scientists are working on batteries that use air to react with energy-dense metal, eliminating a key inhibitor to longer lasting batteries. If successful, the result will be a lightweight, powerful and rechargeable battery capable of powering everything from electric cars to consumer devices.
By rethinking the basic building block of electronic devices, the transistor, IBM is aiming to reduce the amount of energy per transistor to less than 0.5 V. With energy demands this low, we might be able to lose the battery altogether in some devices like mobile phones or e-readers, which could be recharged by simply shaking the device.


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The Hut Group completes funding round
The Hut Group has raised £1bn in its latest funding round and is poised to further expand its activities. The multi-brand, primarily online, trading group operates online support services for a number of global consumer goods companies in addition to international activities for its own house brands. It is developing a new one million sq.ft. HQ office complex close to Manchester airport and is understood to have aspirations to make further acquisitions in the beauty and personal care products niche.
"Our business continues to evolve with the demands of consumers, as we continue to invest across the group to develop our people, infrastructure and particularly our proprietary eCommerce solution, Ingenuity," said CEO Matt Moulding.


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Spanish broadcaster Mediapro acquired Visyon, a Barcelona-based virtual reality technology company, for an undisclosed sum, Digital TV Europe reported.
Mediapro and Visyon have been jointly developing VR content for major sports and entertainment clients since 2014. The two companies are now working on new business models for broadcasting immersive sports, including esports, using 5G connectivity.
Visyon specializes in immersive technology solutions such as VR, augmented reality and mixed reality, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Mediapro acquired the remaining 50% stake it did not already hold in Fandroid, which owns esports league LVP, for €22 million, Advanced Television reported.
Mediapro's takeover of Fandroid follows the recent launch of its esports-themed streaming service Ubeat, in line with the acquisition of rights to several esports events.


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The online music subscription service that draws heavily on social networking became publicly available on Tuesday. The service delivers music to smartphones and personal computers for a monthly fee.
The major difference between Rdio and most current subscription services, such as Napster, Rhapsody and Zune Pass, is Rdio's use of subscribers' online social networks to recommend songs. Where other services uses algorithms that base recommendations on the music a person listens to, Rdio bases its suggestions on music a subscriber's friends like. The service does this by giving users the option to follow the musical tastes of friends and people on Facebook and Twitter in order to discover new songs.
Rdio also offers mobile subscribers offline access to their music library by downloading songs to their devices' hard drives. While the option is not yet standard in the industry, others, such as MOG and Europe's Spotify, offer similar services.
Rdio, pronounced ar-dee-oh, charges $9.99 per month for unlimited access to music on a computer or smartphone. Browser-only access on a desktop or laptop costs $4.99 a month.
The service, which has been available by invitation only since June, is generally available only in the United States and Canada. Rdio, has applications for the Apple iPhone, Research In Motion BlackBerry and smartphones running Google's Android operating system.
Rdio, which claims to have a catalog of 7 million songs, also announced Tuesday deals with independent music publishers IODA, IRIS, Finetunes, INgrooves and The Orchard. In addition, Rdio said it would offer music profiles from publication and influencer, such as Spin Magazine, Pitchfork, KCRW Radio and Fader magazine.
"By taking the work out of what to play next and relying on recognized taste-makers, not computer algorithms, people are going to find new music they like," Drew Larner, chief executive for Larner, said in a statement.
Music download services, such as Apple's iTunes and Amazon, dominate online music today. However, with the number of Web-enabled devices growing, the demand for streaming music is expected to increase. Forrester Research predicts the number of people subscribing to music services will increase to more than 5 million by 2014 from 2.1 million today.
Industry observers expect Apple to eventually launch a music subscription service based on its acquisition of LaLa last December. However, the company has yet to announce its plans.


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Over 30 countries now have real-time payment processes of some kind, some of them in use since decades and the benefits are evident. But in a real-time world, does faster payments mean faster fraud? What can financial institutions do to stay ahead of financial crime in payments?
In the world of financial transactions, rule based heuristics are often employed to detect fraud, rather than to detect anomalies. The cat and mouse chase of financial institutions and fraudsters is an ongoing battle that has costed the global economy close to half a trillion dollars. Given the fundamental shortcomings of rule based heuristics, how does machine learning help in fraud detection?
While it offers massive convenience, digital wallets are as vulnerable to fraud as other banking channels. Here’s an overview of the Indian digital wallets landscape with some insightful tips on reducing vulnerabilities.
Open The Floodgates For Enterprise AI In Your Bank CustomerXPs CEO Rivi Varghese on deploying AI as a core strategic capability to overcome the ‘yin-yang’ predicament. [Read More]


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The Australian share market rallies after gains on Wall Street that were fuelled by a surprise Saudi oil-production cut and a steep rise in crude prices.
- ASX 200 closed 1.4pc higher at 5,405
- Wall Street's S&P 500 index gained 1.2 per cent after Saudi Arabia's decision to cut oil supply boosted energy stocks
- The Australian dollar was up slightly overnight to 64.6 US cents
The benchmark ASX 200 index closed 1.4 per cent higher at 5,405.
Commodity and energy producers were leading the market after Saudi Arabia surprised traders by announcing a unilateral cut of an additional 1 million barrels per day, taking its oil output to the lowest level since 2002.
West Texas crude oil jumped around 10 per cent before closing trade at $US26.90 a barrel, while Brent also climbed to $US32.33.
RBC Capital Markets head of global commodity strategy Helima Croft noted that, while the supply equation was becoming more balanced, there was no sign of a major pick-up in demand in the key US market yet.
"Frankly, US driving has not improved over the past week," she wrote.
"The rebound roadmap is long and arduous, given many cities regressed since the surge seen earlier this month.
"Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, all major gasoline-guzzling cities in states that have reopened, have all seen traffic taper from recent improvement.
Other commodities generally gained overnight, with spot gold rising to $US1,729.27, while iron ore spot prices remained above $US90 a tonne.
The materials sector, which covers miners, jumped more than 3 per cent with gains between 2-5 per cent for the big players, helped by news that Chinese industrial production was recovering from the coronavirus lockdown.
Elsewhere on the Australian market, the major banks gained between 1.2 and 2.1 per cent, with Westpac leading the way despite admitting to 23 million breaches of anti-money laundering laws in a defence filed to the Federal Court in a case brought against it by regulator AUSTRAC.
GrainCorp had the biggest non-mining gain among the top 200 listed companies, jumping 7.1 per cent to $3.93 on a better-than-expected first-half profit result.
Retailers gradually reopening
Jewellery chain Michael Hill is the latest retailer to reopen stores as coronavirus restrictions are eased, but it is also planning to close more stores.
The jeweller will reopen nearly 100 Australian stores this Sunday, with measures in place to limit the spread of coronavirus.
This includes stickers on the floor to ensure social distancing and perspex screens at the cash register to protect sales staff and customers.
It said more shops would reopen gradually over the coming month, while 25 New Zealand stores would reopen on Sunday as well.
However, the jeweller has decided to permanently close five stores in Australia, three in New Zealand and one in Canada.
The retailer has warned that more store closures are coming across all markets as it renegotiates leases and runs the ruler over profitability.
At the same time, Michael Hill said it had seen record online sales for the past three weeks, outshining its previous record online sales at Christmas time.
Earlier this week, department store Myer announced that it was reopening a further eight stores, mainly in regional NSW, as well as WA and SA.
That will bring a total of 15 Myer stores back into trade out of the 60 stores it was running ahead of COVID-19 restrictions, with the retailer's flagship Melbourne and Sydney CBD stores still shut.
Last Friday saw Premier Investments — which owns the Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Smiggle, Portmans and Dotti brands — reopen most of its stores, although it has warned it may permanently shut many of its stores if commercial landlords do not significantly reduce their rents to reflect tougher trading conditions.
In the US, the New York Stock Exchange trading floor will begin a phased reopening on May 26.
Meanwhile, Amazon has confirmed to CNBC that a sixth warehouse worker has died of coronavirus.
The 59-year-old man, who sorted packages at an Amazon distribution centre in New York, died on April 9.
The online giant is under pressure to reveal the number of employees who have tested positive or died from the virus.
Warehouse workers have asked the company to increase safety protections including paid sick leave and the closure of warehouses with virus outbreaks for cleaning.
Trump reignites trade war fears
US president Donald Trump has reignited fears of renewed trade tensions with China after saying he had no interest in speaking to Chinese President Xi Jinping right now because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with Fox Business Network, he even suggested cutting ties with the world's second-largest economy
Mr Trump said he was very disappointed with China's failure to contain the virus, saying he thought the pandemic had damaged the US trade deal with Beijing.
Meanwhile, the fallout from the virus continues to devastate the US labour market.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits reached nearly 3 million last week.
That was down from 3.17 million the previous week.
So far, more 36 million people have filed claims for unemployment benefits since mid-March, equating to more than one-in-five workers losing their jobs.
Shares shrug off bad news
Despite Mr Trump's comments and the bad employment news, US stocks ended higher, recovering some of this week's losses after a volatile night.
The Dow Jones index put on 1.6 per cent, or 377 points, to 23,625.
The S&P 500 gained 1.15 per cent while the Nasdaq rose 0.9 per cent.
Of the 11 major sectors in the S&P 500, all but consumer staples closed higher, with financials and energy companies enjoying the biggest percentage gains.
Tim Ghriskey, chief investment strategist at Inverness Counsel in New York, said market moves were being dictated by a battle over time frames.
"Those pushing the market up believe we're going to get a vaccine in a reasonable amount of time, the economy isn't totally going to fall apart, that unemployment is not going to spike appreciably higher," he said.
However, European stocks were in the red, with the FTSE 100 losing 2.75 per cent, the DAX down 1.95 per cent and the CAC 40 falling 1.65 per cent.
The Australian dollar was steady at 64.6 US cents after falling to 64.2 US cents yesterday on the news nearly 600,000 Australians lost their jobs in April.


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Several hacktivist capers surfaced in Europe over the weekend: Amazon UK customers' personal information was exposed, Anonymous hacked the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Facebook shuttered the Albania Pirate Group for sharing stolen passwords.
China restored access to Google over the weekend, but "leadership transition" censorship persists. Twitter's password reset was prompted by a confirmed (but still unattributed) attack. Symantec warns of PC hijacking and extortion; it also warns Hindus to beware of online scams as Diwali approaches. Kaspersky cites outdated web browsers as a significant vulnerability. As Windows 8 rolls out, vulnerabilities in older versions continue to plague users.
Recall last week's report that Stuxnet infected Chevron? Apparently the malware identified the oil company as an "innocent target," withheld its payload, and supinely consented to removal, which makes Stuxnet sound like a pretty discriminating cyber weapon.
Tablets appear to be cannibalizing the PC market (and an Indian entrepreneur may have a genuinely disruptive new tablet). The US Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command awards fourteen small businesses contracts for what Defense News calls an "effort to attack enemy networks." Lockheed Martin dismisses its incoming CEO before he takes office. SafeNet will sell its government business to an undisclosed buyer. CSC expands its Australian business.
Tech reporters swoon over futuristic DARPA cyber and predictive programs.
US Director of Central Intelligence David Petraeus' resignation Friday was prompted by FBI detection and investigation of compromising emails. Canadian authorities fear that country's evolution into a source of cyber attacks.


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Sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as a promising global market, with improving economic conditions and a rising consumer class leading to increased foreign investment. GDP in the region will grow at about 5 percent each year for the next 10 years, roughly double
Insurance Choices for Multinationals Vary
Demand for Infrastructure Fuels Growth of International Construction Projects
Clients in Conflict Areas: Mitigating Risks through Partnership
Spotlight on Latin America: Opportunities Abound Despite Challenges
President Obama proposed a $60.4 billion emergency spending bill to finance recovery efforts in states pummeled by Hurricane Sandy. The spending plan would pay for most but not all of the $82 billion in damage not already covered by private insurance...
Insiders know more, are better prepared and generally more successful. Today's top advisors subscribe to our premium newsletter to ensure that they don't miss out the most important industry changes that are happening in real time. Starting at $8.95/Mo.


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It would seem Nintendo is just as big a fan of others as people are fans of Nintendo. As it turns out, the company has once again, and for the third time, made deals with IBM and AMD to power its upcoming home console Wii U, which was announced yesterday during the platform holder’s E3 press conference.
IBM will be providing a 45 nanometer Power-based CPU, built at its East Fishkill, New York factory while AMD will be the one letting Wii U host a custom MD Radeon HD GPU providing “high-definition graphics support; rich multimedia acceleration and playback and multiple display support,” which if we may say so ourselves, is not too shabby considering we are in fact talking about Nintendo.
As far as specifics go, there has been no mention of them so we’ll have to take a deep breath and hold on for those to be revealed at a later date. After all, we’re still a year ahead of the console’s release.


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EUROPE: Hot Tuna signs new distribution deals
By just-style.com | 6 December 2006
Lifestyle apparel brand Hot Tuna has signed four new distribution deals for the European market.
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UK: Von Dutch MD to join Hot Tuna as CEO
Surf-based lifestyle apparel brand Hot Tuna (International) Plc has hired Niels Juul as its new chief executive officer with effect from 1 June.
AUSTRALIA: Hot Tuna in successful relaunch
Hot Tuna (International) said today (13 October) it has successfully relaunched the Hot Tuna brand into the Australian surf market after buying the licensing rights for the Hot Tuna brand in Australia in July.
UK: Hot Tuna brand relaunched for spring/summer 07
Surfing apparel brand Hot Tuna (International) Plc today (12 October) said it has relaunched into the UK market with several orders for spring/summer 2007 secured from several independents and major retail groups.


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Tomorrow is April Fools’ Day and in the next day or so we can expect around two dozen April Fools’ Day pranks from Google and YouTube. We take a look back at some of the very best jokes from the company from the past few years. How many will they fool this year?
FIFA World Cup 2014 is just a few months away, and a new survey reports, perhaps unsurprisingly, that nearly 50% of those that responded will watch the event via their smartphone or tablet. 59% will turn to their mobile device in order to watch as many matches as they can.
Taco Bell continues to bait MacDonald's, Oreo takes us on a journey to Nom Island, Peanuts introduce a new character, and Disney rustle up some Mousey waffles. Watch these, and other, best Instagram videos of the past 7 days
Yahoo has big plans for online video, and after the failed attempt to buy Dailymotion last year, reports now claim that the company is launching its own brand new video platform to rival YouTube. Video creators shouldn't get too excited though, it's invite only for the big video rock stars for now.
On March 23, 2014, I learned some important lessons from Alex Kornfeind about a new genre of Vine’s 6-second-long looping videos: the Panoramic Selfie. The first time I saw this innovation in short-form video content was – appropriately – in the lobby of the Panoramic ...
It's Friday with a C. Viral videos with cars, candy bars, cartoons and condoms. But none of it is what you think so pop on in and have a quick look at some of the videos that are going viral this week in the ReelSEO Viral Video Friday write up with guest commentator.
Last year generated over 40% of all branded video views since the beginning of 2009. It took, on average, 2 million views just to make the top ten list each week and more campaigns topped 1 million views than ever before. Read all about how 2013 was The Year of the Branded Video Explosion.
Errors, time-outs, no ads playing all mean lost revenue for publishers. Is it any wonder that some may not be interested in joining programmatic video ad marketplaces? Now one company aims to eradicate those reasons by giving publishers error reporting with what happened and how it affects them so they can remedy it. Cool stuff no?
We now have an idea of the video ad CPM pecking order... but we're not going to spill it here because that defeats the purpose of this excerpt. This new report does do one thing, supports our hypothetical Hulu average CPM math back in December... Want the specifics? Then you need to read on Reel Believers! You may just be amazed.
Did you know that your YouTube channel as a whole can rank independently from your individual videos? On this week's Creator's Tip, we give you three great tips to make sure your YouTube channel is as optimized as possible.
Pew put out the State of the News Media 2014 and it took a long look at online news video including who watches, how it's growing and what the future might hold. Are you watching a lot of online news? If you're a Millennial you may very well be. If you're trying to market to Millennials, you might just find a cheap place to put some ads within the confines of this article... read on!
The battle of the four color logos is ready to blast through into online video as Microsoft readies a new video ad network featuring programmatic buying and a large third-party set of brand-safe sites. They're starting out in the UK at first but who knows what could happen as they try to take on Google and vie for a foothold in the massively growing video ad market.
The best Vines of the last 7 days include Dunkin Donuts doing just that, Oreo treating us to a yummy coffee recipe, Samsung celebrating the start of spring, Meow Mix offering a solution to that age old cat-on-keyboard problem, and Nokia capturing a skateboarding blue box with its snazzy camera.
Two of the leading names in online video advertising are due to merge, creating a new company that aims to become one of the biggest global players in the video advertising space. Ebuzzing and Teads, both French based, offer online video solutions to both publishers and advertisers and their merger promises more, much needed, inventory.
It's hard to miss the phenomenal success that Red Bull has had on YouTube. With over 3.5 million subscribers, and 750 million combined views, the energy drink powerhouse dwarfs most other brands when it comes to online video. So how do they do it?
Most companies have long-established ideas about how to set attainable goals for more traditional campaigns such as newsletters, event sponsorships and emails, but online video marketing campaigns are a fairly new addition to the toolkit and sometimes there are unrealistic expectations for this medium. Find out how to set more realistic goals.


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Croatia in January.
Advent in over, the summer is far away, everything is closed.
Now imagine Slavonia in January. Even worse, right?
You couldn’t be further from the truth. One of the early season fixed highlights in my calendar each year now is a weekend in Osijek in mid-January. I first went to the WineOS Osijek Wine Festival seven years ago, a very local affair with just a few producers.
The organisers have worked very hard to expand the event, while maintaining the quality. In addition to the many wines to try, there are outstanding workshops of both days, as well as an excellent after party both nights – this year hosted at Peppermint. More details in the press release below, as I will confess that my judgment got a little cloudier as the days went on.
Two highlights for me were learning about the wines of Vina Papak in Ilok, officially the easternmost winery in Croatia – for years I thought that Ilocki Podrum was the only name in town there.
And the black Slavonian pig kulen from former Croatian national footballer, Domagoj Vida (I met it last year) was absolutely sensational.
Much more below, and I heartily recommend you look out for the dates in 2024 – an excellent event powered by fine wines and true Slavonian hospitality.
THE RECORD EIGHTH WINEOS ATTRACTED NUMEROUS EXHIBITORS AND VISITORS
The previous weekend, on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th January, the eighth international fair of wine, delicacies and pleasant living WineOS was held in the Gradski vrt hall. According to announcements, it was the largest WineOS ever, where over 115 producers of wine, spirits, desserts, cured meats and other delicacies presented themselves.
During the two days of the fair and three days of workshops, almost 3,500 people passed through the hall: exhibitors, visitors, business guests and everyone who worked hard to make this event look spectacular. On both exhibition days, there was a big crowd in the hall in front of each exhibitor and the stage where Saša Vojnović from the Lug Hotel restaurant, Nebojša Rajković from the Čingi Lingi čarda restaurant and the famous gastronomic educator from Split Željko Neven Bremec demonstrated their culinary skills.
“Record numbers, great interest in participation, reactions of the exhibitors and the audience are confirmation that we succeeded in surpassing previous editions. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the organization and realization of the biggest January public event in Osijek; Osijek-Baranja County, the City of Osijek and the Vinita wine shop as co-organizers, the tourist associations of Osijek-Baranja County and the City of Osijek, the Osijek Fair as a sponsor, and our partners from the Catering and Tourism School. Without their help and engagement, this event could not have been realized”, said the president of the organizing committee of the fair and the president of the association Dekanter Boris Ocić.
“Eight years after the first edition of the fair, WineOS truly became what we wanted – one of the biggest wine events in Croatia and the region. Osijek is increasingly recognized as a wine tourist destination, a city of hedonism and good food, and a place where guests from other parts of Croatia like to come and stay more and more. We will continue in the same direction, we will offer something new every year and we will not rest on our laurels. We want to progress even more”, said WineOS founder and CEO Vinko Ručević.
“The reactions of the exhibitors and the audience, the praise that comes from all sides, the words of praise sent to us by the media, guests, and guests are really pleasing. However, the most important thing is that we have permanent partners who are of great help to us, but also the fact that our exhibitors get better and better jobs precisely thanks to the contacts made on WineOS. We want to continue in this direction and offer everyone an even better and more attractive WineOS next year and provide an opportunity for exhibitors and business visitors to do even more work. And we will do all this with another big step forward that we are planning for 2024. However, we will say more about that in a few months”, concluded the executive director of the fair, Denis Despot.
Finally, here are some concrete figures. The 1,900 square meters of the Gradski vrt hall housed 97 exhibition spaces where over 115 exhibitors from Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina presented themselves. More than 2,800 guests, invitees, business visitors, protocol representatives and journalists passed through the hall, totaling almost 3,500 people with the organizers and exhibitors. Visitors tried more than 500 different wines and spirits in almost 3,000 glasses, about 2,500 liters of water were drunk, a ton of ice was consumed, and workshop participants had the opportunity to taste about eighty different wines, many of which you can no longer buy even in wineries.
All this is a lure for guests to visit WineOS next year as well, and while they wait they will be able to enjoy the many wine events in Osijek and the surrounding area that await us in 2023. At the end, the organizers send another big thank you to everyone with a message – see you in 2024 at the ninth WineOS!
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Just launched: glasses that translate menus
Understand foreign language in seconds
Japanese phone operator NTT Docomo have just launched a Google Glass-style visor that will translate any menu or sign written in either Japanese, Chinese, English or Korean immediately.
Unveiled at the Ceatec trade show in Tokyo yesterday the device could prevent a whole host of problems caused by the language barrier. No more accidentally ordering dogs bollocks in Vietnam, sautéed guinea pig in Peru or octopus ice cream in Japan. Shame for some we know.
The glasses are still at the prototype stage, but should be ready for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
A NTT Docomo spokesperson said: "Character recognition technology enables instant language translation for users travelling abroad and reading restaurant menus and other documents."
The glasses will also be able to turn flat surfaces into touch screens and identify people through face recognition so long as there’s Wi-Fi around. It connects to your apps and your smartphone directory will be able to look up your target’s job and even tell you more about their identity. Trumps that Google Translate app you have, hey?
The Ceatac Trade Show is an annual event in Tokyo that showcases the maddest and most recent developments in the technology world.


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At this year’s I/O event, Google embraced privacy with open arms and made it evident that privacy is its priority. The company’s push towards ensuring that users have control over their data was visible during different sections of the event — Be it offering users the option to remove their personal data from Assistant settings, introducing 50 new privacy features in Android Q, or providing a physical button in Nest Home Max for disconnecting microphone and camera.
We’ve seen Google becoming more and more conscious about how it collects and stores data from users in the past few years. One can only be too cautious after facing a record fine of $57 billion and leaking data of 52.5 million users via Google+.
Along the similar lines, in his keynote speech, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said: “Our work on privacy and security is never done. And we want to do more to stay ahead of constantly evolving user expectations.”
Google isn’t the only company adopting a focused approach towards keeping the privacy of users intact. We have seen Apple beating its chest for not treating users as its product.
The Cupertino giant also introduced a host of security features in iOS 12. However, the same cannot be said for Facebook, which is undergoing one of the worst periods since its inception and is facing more than a dozen international investigations after successive data breaches.
Facebook has fallen behind in the race to reach a point where users know how data is collected from them, used by companies, and they can wipe it altogether if they do not want companies to benefit from it.
Smaller, Substantial Changes: One Step At A Time
Google has been making strides in the race, and we’ve seen some attempts from the company recently. Last week, Google introduced auto-delete controls to wipe off location tracking data and web history automatically. Users can now set a time limit between 3 and 18 months and any data older than this limit will be automatically deleted from his/her account.
Before that, we saw Google announcing smartphones running Android 7.0 or above can be used as a physical security key for 2FA authentication.
Last year, the company updated its privacy policies to make it easier for users to understand the data collection process. However, this was seen as an attempt to comply with EU laws.
At I/O 2019, Google announced some major privacy features in Android Q. With the recent location tracking fiasco, Google is now adding a feature that will notify you when apps are accessing your location.
Incognito mode similar to Chrome browser is also coming to Google Maps so that your queries won’t be snooped upon.
Now, you can access your account settings including the data you’ve shared with Google with one touch in the Settings menu. You can turn on/off the options that collect your data as per your convenience.
Additional security and privacy settings coming to Android Q include TLS 1.3 support and Mac Address Randomization.
The anthem of ‘privacy is important’ echoed throughout the keynote. These smaller yet substantial changes show that Google is making efforts out of repentance.
You can check out the major privacy features announced by Google at I/O 2019 here.
But Is It Enough?
Despite the baby steps that Google is taking to ensure user privacy, it is miles away from being a privacy-focused company.
The Android Q privacy features look good on paper, but when it comes to walking the talk, these aren’t justifying the ethos that the company was trying to portray during the keynote. Android P currently runs on less than 10.4% of Android devices, according to the recently updated official distribution chart. With more than 2.5 billion Android devices all over the world, a minuscule section is running the latest version. Android Q will be released to the public by August, and Pixel phones will be the first devices to get the update.
Going by the slow update speed, it will take almost a year for major OEMs to provide Android Q to users, and a majority of users won’t get the update due to their expired update cycle.
So what about the security and privacy of those devices? A large percentage of Android users will never get the security features that Google announced yesterday.
Moreover, Google never advertises or promotes its privacy features. In my opinion, a majority of Android users don’t know that they will soon get the option to delete their location tracking data and web history automatically. In fact, many of them would be awestruck upon opening the Location Tracking section and seeing every single place they have visited so far being recorded.
Google is miles away from being a privacy-focused company at the moment. It’s a lot more difficult to make amendments and gain the trust of users when your business model revolves around accumulating user data and refining your product using it.