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In Part One of this series, we looked at how consumers who buy electronic products as soon as they launch often serve as guinea pigs in terms of product testing. Some companies will ship or retail products that have been inadequately tested for durability and functionality. It’s possible that many of these companies, in their haste to beat competitors and increase profits, may be unaware of the problems. But if we look at the pattern, it seems that the companies may know exactly what is happening.
As mentioned in the previous post, the Xbox 360 had an estimated failure rate of about 50 percent, and it launched in 2005. The situation for gamers does not seem to be improving. To name just two prominent examples, Sony’s Playstation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One, both highly anticipated releases, required mandatory updates virtually as soon as they were launched. Consumers also reported a host of hardware and software problems that in many cases made the products impossible to use.
Microsoft claims “a very small number” of customers had to deal with these glitches, but with over a million of the Xbox One consoles sold at launch, Nov. 22, what constitutes a small number? A similar number of the Sony Playstation 4 consoles launched in North America, with a number of consumer complaints made regarding functionality. Like Microsoft, Sony claims that the problems affect less than one percent of customers. But how many of those products are perhaps wrapped and waiting under a Christmas tree? What percentage of customers might be disappointed during the holidays by defective products?
The fiasco of the Xbox 360 launch in turn launched numerous class action suits. But rather than learn from its mistakes, Microsoft opted to make it impossible for consumers to sue by requiring them, via a stipulation when pre-ordering, to agree to binding arbitration for resolving disputes, using an arbitrator of Microsoft’s choosing. Consumers must agree to a class-action waiver simply to pre-order their products.
So consumers hands are tied, often unknowingly. The stipulations that prevent them from suing are not in bold face and large type, but tucked away in the fine print. The companies’ attitude seems to be one of “take it or leave it.” When seeking to be the first on your block to have the latest high-tech product, “let the buyer beware” is still the best policy, even with established brands.
Source: cmswire.com, “Broken, Bound, Gagged: Customers Silenced About Defective Products” Noreen Seebacher, Nov. 25, 2013


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InfoPost, an online marketplace for digital entertainment, appointed several heavy-duty Hollywood insiders to its content advisory board Wednesday.
Kibu, a recently launched Web site that provides original content targeted to teen girls, on Monday tapped former Hollywood execs Lori Gottlieb and Lisa Shevach to oversee the Netco. Gottlieb…
This fall, Fox will launch TooHotForFox.com, dedicated to all the attacking animals and police chases that have been shunted from television. Netizens will be encouraged to send in their own videos…
"An explosion of content is about to occur," said Steve Riggio, vice chair of Barnesandnoble.com. Riggio was joined by Microsoft technology veep Dick Brass, author Michael Crichton and top execs from…
Disney-controlled e-tailer ToysMart.com became the latest dot-com casualty Monday.
Controversial file-sharing Netco Napster has received $15 million in a venture capital funding round led by Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, with additional financial input from Angel Investors…
It's about to become three's company for dot-com ventures providing online tools to the film biz. Readying to compete with iFilmpro.com and Creative Planet, new venture WebEI plans to bow at the end…
Hollywood.com and Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch will begin purveying tickets for events via wireless devices in the coming months, it was announced last week.
For celebrities who want an official Web site but don't want to set one up for themselves, there's a new option: Celebrityblvd.com. The fledgling Netcaster will launch at the end of this month with a…
In a big step forward, RealNetworks will today launch the Real Entertainment Center, a suite of software that will provide users free, all-in-one streaming download capabilities for both audio and…

domain: news


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The company is restructuring the heart of its organization--the Platforms Group responsible for operating systems--to concentrate on developing products and technologies for both Windows and the Internet. "We hope to expand with Windows in the future," said Paul Maritz, group vice president of the Platforms Group, "but we believe that the communication revolution is a reality, and the Net is the framework in which that is unfolding. Our customers want us to make sure that we bring the best of Windows and the Net together."
The Platforms Group will now be divided into three divisions: the Desktop and Business Systems Division, the Internet Platform and Tools Division, and the Consumer Platforms Division. Brad Silverberg is senior vice president of the new Internet Platform and Tools Division, which has been given the charter of creating client software, run-time libraries, development tools, and server products for Internet applications and content.
The Desktop and Business Systems Division will be responsible for Windows 95 and Windows NT. The Consumer Platforms division will develop solutions for "non-PC" consumer devices.
Some Microsoft officials had earlier said that an Internet-specific division would be redundant because the whole company is focused on the Internet. But officials today spoke of future Internet plans, including the possibility of developing software for an Internet terminal. Such Internet boxes have been touted by Oracle, Sun, and IBM as potential alternatives to PCs, the boxes that made Microsoft what it is today.
"We're trying to consolidate a number of areas in terms of set-top boxes. We expect them to roll out as an important capability, but don't expect volumes until 1998," said Craig Mundie, senior vice president of the new Consumer Platforms Division. "We also have continuing programs that are being consolidated in the handheld area which we haven't released information on yet," he added.
But other officials hastened to repeat the company line that such Internet terminals are not really a threat to the PC and Windows. "We don't think it's likely that Internet appliances are going to displace the PC anytime soon," said Maritz. "Revenues are and will continue to be in the Windows division."
The company also created a new group called the Interactive Media Division. The new division will focus on the Internet market as well as the fledgling market for digital video discs, a new variety of multimedia vehicle akin to CD-ROMs that will be able to deliver interactive full-motion video when they begin hitting the market late this year.
The new division will also be home to engineering and marketing teams for the company's games and children's applications as well as its information businesses, such as the Strategic Partnerships group that recently negotiated a deal with the NBC network to distribute news and other information over Microsoft's online service and the Internet.
Last week, Microsoft combined its Consumer Productivity Group, which markets Microsoft Works and Publisher, with the Desktop Applications Division to focus on the home and small business market.
The company said the reorganization will not entail layoffs.
While Microsoft officials emphasized the importance of Windows as a platform for the Internet, analysts and industry watchers said that today's reorganization is a reaction to a phenomenon that has left Microsoft in a weak position compared to younger companies such as Netscape Communications.
Keynote speaker Eric Schmidt, chief technology officer at Sun Microsystems, kicked off the Internet Expo in San Jose, California, by comparing the budding rivalry between Netscape and Microsoft with the bloodthirsty Cola Wars of the '80s.
"We'll have two battles in 1996: Netscape and its friends vs. Microsoft and its power," said Schmidt. "[Microsoft] doesn't need any friends," he said. "It can afford to give everything away for the next 20 years."


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THE BUTT PILLOW IS A REAL THING
A company out there has developed a pillow -- in the shape of a butt.
The “Buttress Pillow” is an ergonomically designed cushion, available in three colors, which -- according to the company -- allows everyone to “feel the peace and happiness of butts.”
The design also allows users to dress up the pillow with undies and PJs -- or any other clothing they’d like. (LadBible)


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New Delhi: Technological advances have dramatically transformed our lives. Yet, with the never-ending change to technology, over the next decade we might see a slew of new products that we hardly imagine today.
Researchers at the Queen's University Human Media Lab, Ontario, have created what they claim is the "world's first holographic flexible smartphone" display. Called the HoloFlex, the display is capable of rendering 3D images with motion parallax and stereoscopy to multiple simultaneous users without head tracking or glasses.
“HoloFlex offers a completely new way of interacting with your smartphone. It allows for glasses-free interactions with 3D video and images in a way that does not encumber the user.” says Dr Roel Vertegaal, Professor of HCI at Queen’s School of Computing and director of the Human Media Lab.
Video credit: Human Media Lab/YouTube
The device features a 1920x1080 full high-definition Flexible Organic Light Emitting Diode (FOLED) touchscreen display.
“Images are rendered into 12-pixel wide circular blocks rendering the full view of the 3D object from a particular viewpoint. These pixel blocks project through a 3D printed flexible microlens array consisting of over 16,000 fisheye lenses. The resulting 160 x 104 resolution image allows users to inspect a 3D object from any angle simply by rotating the phone,” adds a press release from Human Media Lab.


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We keep hearing headlines about retail being in trouble – eCommerce is killing retail, malls are dying, people don’t want to go out anymore. Retail is using technology to fight back, and retail’s biggest ally so far is artificial intelligence. Between 2016 and 2018, retail use of AI grew by an astonishing 600%, and that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what AI will be doing in the retail space in the coming years. Artificial intelligence in the supply chain targets inefficiencies and waste to streamline the process, delivering lower costs along the entire chain. AI can be used in production to forecast demands, scheduling, and even power usage.
Marathon Partners Equity Management, the equity long/short hedge fund founded in 1997, added 8.03% in the second quarter of 2021. Q2 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more According to a copy of the hedge fund's second-quarter investor update, which ValueWalk has been able to review, the firm returned 3.24% net in April, 0.12% in Read More
It can be used in shipping and logistics to target waste like empty truck space and inefficient routes. It can be used in the retail setting to forecast shopper demand and ensure expensive inventory isn’t gathering dust.
Even in the food system, artificial intelligence can be used to streamline the process, forecast production challenges, and account for changing growing conditions. This will prove to be especially useful as climate change changes growing regions, as AI will be able to forecast optimal days for planting, watering, harvesting, and more.
Artificial intelligence also has the ability to handle customer service tasks, as well. Customer-facing AI is currently being used to:
- 9% improve customer satisfaction
- 8% reduce complaints
- 5% lower customer churn
Streamline the process with AI?
And this is just the beginning. The future of AI in customer service is AI chat bots. WalMart’s AI-based ‘Intelligent Retail Lab’ is being used to ensure customers have a better in-store shopping experience. Kohler has an app that allows homeowners to control their sinks using their preferred virtual digital assistant, from Siri to Alexa to Google Assistant. Brown-Forman’s Whiskey Whisperer is used not only to educate consumers about products, but also can be used to recommend new ones and share cocktail recipes.
AI is also being used in-store to help people scan as they go to skip the checkout line, saving significant time in the store. In some cases customers scan themselves, but in the most high-tech instances, such as Amazon Go, customers just place an item in their bag or cart and the sensors know exactly who has what.
Artificial intelligence can be used to make personal recommendations, handle customer complaints, predict ordering patterns based on the weather, streamline the supply chain, and more. But can AI save the retail landscape before it’s too late? Learn more about the future of AI in retail below!


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Food Network Canada focuses on its faces
The Shaw Media channel has put the final touches on a brand refresh with a new campaign coinciding with a free national preview for the channel.
Shaw Media’s Food Network Canada has put the finishing touches on a brand refresh it kicked off at the start of this year with a campaign promoting its new fall shows.
The channel, which launched in 2000, unveiled a new logo this January to coincide with the launch of the original production Chopped Canada. Jennifer Abrams, director, brand marketing, Shaw Media, tells MiC the team waited on rolling out the new look in its entirety until this fall because of the number of new shows it had coming.
Food Network Canada’s new look focuses on “characters and stories” with an OOH, digital and on-air campaign featuring network stars from the channel’s new fall shows including Bobby Flay of Beat Bobby Flay, Curtis Stone of Top Chef Duels and Jesse Palmer from Food Truck Face Off.
Creative for the OOH and digital ads feature the hosts surrounded by a pop-out display of food items and the tagline “Feed Your Love of Food.” On-air campaign spots promote Food Network Canada’s new two-hour weekday instructional cooking block, which features shows including The Pioneer Woman, Save with Jamie, Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day and Barefoot Contessa.
In addition to promoting what Abrams says the Shaw Media team believes is the strongest lineup to date for the channel, the new campaign and brand refresh also coincides with a free national preview for Food Network Canada running until Sept. 30.
Specialty channels, including Food Network Canada, are set to see their subscription models change early next month when the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV hearings begin. Last week the CRTC came out with its latest proposals ahead of the meetings, saying BDUs could allow subscribers to choose channels on a standalone or pick-or-pay basis beyond a basic cable TV package capped at $30 in price.


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MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE
U.S. stock futures trade between small gains and losses in choppy action ahead of a Friday speech by Ben Bernanke and as Steve Jobs says he is leaving Apple. See full story.
Stocks to watch Thursday: Apple, Collective Brands
The passing of the torch at Apple dominates the headlines, but Collective Brands, Applied Materials and TiVo also make some news of note. See full story.
Steve Jobs quits as CEO of Apple
Steve Jobs, the iconic leader of Apple who transformed the technology and entertainment industries, resigned as CEO, handing the reins to Tim Cook. Jobs will take post of chairman. See full story.
Credit Agricole, Glencore lead Europe higher
European stocks rise early Thursday, buoyed by well-received earnings reports from commodities trader Glencore International PLC, bank Credit Agricole SA and drinks maker Diageo PLC. See full story.
Asia stocks jump, but Apple weighs on some techs
Asian stocks rally as some robust earnings reports help boost sentiment, although some technology shares are subdued after Steve Jobs resigns as Apple’s chief executive. See full story.
I looked up one of the few people who saw the housing bust and financial crisis coming years before they happened: Gary Shilling, economist and author of The Age of Deleveraging. While his steadfast bearishness didn’t surprise me, his blunt assessment did. See full story.
MARKETWATCH PERSONAL FINANCE
After suffering through the “lost decade” for stocks, investors were taken on a roller-coaster ride in recent weeks — and the future looks to hold more of the same: a highly volatile stock market and lower annual average returns. Andrea Coombes looks at what this means for your 401(k). See full story.


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Entries in 'capcom' (390)
A blockbuster marketing campaign for Lost Planet 2 is in the works at Capcom to ensure the high-profile sequel is a success in the UK.
Keiji Inafune, the veteran Capcom designer responsible for some of the publisher’s most iconic brands, has been promoted to a new role overlooking the firm’s global output.
Capcom lifted the embargo on a host of high-profile titles today, outlining the releases that will shape its schedule for the next 12 months. You can see four of them ...
The success of Street Fighter IV has proved that 2D (or 2.5D) fighters very much have a place in the modern marketplace, so claims that Capcom is to revive its ...
That Japanese publishing giant Capcom can criticise one of its own games for “feeling too Japanese” is a perfect example of the increasingly Westward-facing outlook gripping the modern console industry.
Less than 15 per cent of Capcom’s total sales now stem from the Japanese market – a stark reminder if one was ever needed of the Western-facing shifting power in ...
Publishers Konami and Capcom have joined forces to bring Monster Hunter directly to fans of one of PlayStation’s biggest franchises – Metal Gear Solid.
The rivalry between Capcom’s MotoGP and Black Bean’s SBK series is good for both brands, says publisher Tradewest.
Capcom has announced Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition will be exclusive to the GAME Group chains.
Capcom is targeting a broader audience for MotoGP 09/10.
Click here to access the Retail Biz Previews section, where you'll find the definitive guide to the hottest releases heading to the High Street.
Mark Beaumont, Capcom’s COO of North America and Europe, has tragically passed away.
Capcom’s iPhone adaptation of combo-heavy 2.5D brawler Street Fighter IV will be released on the App Store next month and will cost $9.99, the publisher has announced.
Publisher Capcom has confirmed that it was forced to cut a “significant” amount of content from the Xbox 360 version of upcoming shooter Lost Planet 2 thanks to the lack ...
Capcom expects its upcoming beat-‘em-up Super Street Fighter IV to outperform its predecessor.
It’s a series known for its complicated and precise six-button combos. It’s a series that has spawned many dedicated joypads and joysticks. And now Capcom has said that it wants ...
Capcom has reported net profits of YEN 1.73bn ($19.1m) for the nine months ending December 31st 2009 – a whopping 866 per cent increase on the same period a year ...
Arguably the most exciting news to stem from Capcom’s recent information-flurry is the confirmation that zombie sequel Dead Rising 2 will be out some time this calendar year – in ...
Japanese publisher Capcom has pinned down firm UK release dates for two of the games that it had originally planned to bring to market during the current quarter.


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Friday 2nd March, 2018 at 12:55pm
October’s Centenary Fund draw had the top prize of a brand new car from our friends at Macklin Motors.
Last week the lucky winner, Mr Weir, finally made it up to the Energy Check Stadium at Firhill to collect his brand new Nissan Micra and was delighted to receive the keys from Thistle Managing Director, Ian Maxwell.
The April Centenary Fund prize draw is the next chance to win the car but there are cash and non-cash prizes available every month, including; match day hospitality, signed shirts and autographed footballs.
There are bronze, silver and gold level memberships to suit every supporter and personalised membership packs will be issued to each new member shortly after joining.
Join the Centenary Club now for your chance to win – membership is available from £5 per month.


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Following the 2017 launch of its first hotel in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, UNICO is set to open its second property in Jamaica. The all-inclusive, adults-only resort will have 451 rooms when it opens. Jamaica Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett signaled the groundbreaking as the start of what he termed “a new perspective in tourism development in Jamaica.”
UNICO 18°77° Hotel Montego Bay will be joined by other brands, including a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for which ground will also be broken soon. The hotel will be the second brand under the RCD Hotels banner locally; RCD Hotels has developments in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the United States. According to RCD Hotels, "location is at the heart of the [UNICO] experience," hence the longitude and latitude of the region in its hotel names. Through Local Host Service, guests can avail of insider's guide into the local scene, restaurant, tour, golf and spa reservations, and planning special events or occasions.
All guestrooms will have direct ocean-views; semi-private swim-up pools will be available on all ground-floor rooms, while outdoor "hydro spa tubs" will be included with all remaining rooms. Double rooms will have two king beds, a first in the destination. Accommodations also include an in-room mini bar stocked by guest preference, a Nespresso coffee machine, free hi-speed Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service and more.
The development has been welcomed by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness and Minister Bartlett as an investment not only in tourism but in the people of Jamaica. The monetary value of the investment has not been disclosed, as the developers said it is a family policy not to do so.
The nearly 2,500 rooms that comprise the two hotels are just a fraction of the 8,000 that Minister Bartlett said would be opening on the island in the next two to five years. Making up part of that difference are a 2,000-room Princess Hotel in Hanover, the 260-room Sandals Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios, and a 700-room RIU property in Falmouth.
Reporting on the island’s recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Bartlett said that through November 24, visitor arrivals for the year so far showed a 97 percent recovery on 2019 figures, while revenue is up 20 percent above 2019 levels.
UNICO 18°77° Hotel Montego Bay does not yet have a scheduled opening date.


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Prices of 10-20c/kg for wool look to be on the horizon
The end of May, heading into June, tends to be when the sheep shearing season takes full flight.
The fine weather over the past few weeks has seen the shearing season, compared to previous years, kick off a small bit earlier for some shearers across the country.
However, as reported a couple of weeks ago, the outlook for wool prices doesn’t look like it’s going to improve or even come close to the 50c/kg that was being quoted last year.Also Read: Farmers facing the possibility of having to subsidise all shearing costs
Wool merchants say that they still aren’t in a position to deduce what they will be able to offer for wool; however, they did mention that prices of between 10c/kg and 20c/kg are looking like a possibility.
To find out about the state of the wool market currently, AgriLand spoke with Vincent Pierce of Laurence Pierce Wool Merchants.
Vincent spoke about the Bradford wool sales, which are a “key indicator” of what Irish farmers can expect to get for their wool.
He said: “We are waiting until after the Bradford sale next Tuesday, which should be able to help us determine what price we will be able to give for wool.
“The sale – in Bradford – is expected to be back again [in terms of price], so the rot hasn’t stopped as of yet. Wool prices have been dropping gradually over the last few weeks.
We don’t know at the minute. Lowland wool is going to back quite a bit, but I don’t know what we are going to be able to do with hill-type wool.
“Connemara scotch wool is usually worth 30c less than good-quality lowland wool. So, if the lowland wool is valued at 15-20c/kg, then what is the hill-type wool going to be valued at?
“I have never seen a year like it before, to be honest.”Also Read: Covid-19 casting a huge cloud of uncertainty over wool prices
AgriLand also spoke with Kevin Dooley of Dooley Wool Merchants to get his take on the wool price situation.
He explained: “Nothing has changed over the last few weeks. We are still in the dark I suppose in terms of what price we will be able to give farmers for wool.
There was a sale on in Bradford last week and prices were back a bit again. It will probably be next week before we will able to give a definite quote.
“We still have to wait for everything to open up again. I don’t know yet, but you could see lowland wool being valued at between 10c/kg and 20c/kg.”
During the week, AgriLand spoke with sheep farmer Patrick Moylett who said that “it’s very disappointing” the way wool prices have deteriorated over the last few years.
He explained: “I went full-time farming in 2015 and at that time I was getting up to €1.20c/kg for wool.
It’s nearly worthless at this stage. The fact that I am able to shear my own flock saves me money, but if I was to put a value on my time and the value of the wool, I would still be at a loss.
“My brother and I shear both our flocks together over a 10-12 day period. It’s a lot of work to be getting nothing back in return.
“We put a lot of time and effort into both shearing and packing the wool, but it is becoming tougher to put that extra effort in with the way prices have declined over the last few years.”


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Nissan includes some useful data feeds, such as traffic and weather. But the integration of Google search with the navigation system is the most intriguing.
Back to review of the 2013 Nissan Sentra
June 5, 2013 11:30 AM PDT
Photo by: Josh Miller/CNET
| Caption by: Wayne Cunningham
Conversation powered by Livefyre


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Cvent released its annual list of top hotels for meetings in North America as well as Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and, for the first time, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
Cvent compiled its regional lists of top 50 meeting hotels by analyzing meeting and event booking activity through its Cvent Supplier Network, which sourced more than $11 billion in meetings and events last year. The new APAC list revealed that Singapore and Sydney are top destinations for the region, with seven out of the region’s top 10 meeting hotels being from Singapore and the other three from Sydney.
“Hotels continue to advance and expand their group marketing efforts and are increasingly embracing a data-driven approach to more effectively pursue the optimal meetings and events for their venue,” says Kevin Fliess, vice president of marketing for Cvent’s Hospitality Cloud. “This coupled with another year of notable investment in renovation and other upgrades have led to shifts in the rankings as competition remains fierce even in a robust market.”
Here are lists that highlight the top 10 meeting hotels from each region, with all three top properties—Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona and Marina Bay Sands Singapore—making their first appearance in the top spot.
|Top 10 U.S. Hotel Properties||Top 10 EMEA Hotel Properties||Top 10 APAC Hotel Properties|
|Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center||Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona||Marina Bay Sands Singapore|
|The Venetian and Palazzo Resort, Hotel & Casinos||Hilton Prague||Grand Hyatt Singapore|
|ARIA Resort & Casino||Hotel Arts Barcelona||Shangri-la Hotel, Sydney|
|JW Marriott Austin||Melia Castilla Hotel & Convention Center Madrid||Hilton Singapore|
|Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center||W Barcelona||Conrad Centennial Singapore|
|Omni Nashville Hotel||Hilton London Metropole||Fairmont Singapore|
|The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa||Moevenpick Hotel Amsterdam City Centre ijVENUES||Hilton Sydney|
|Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego||Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel & Conference Center||InterContinental Sydney|
|Hyatt Regency Orlando||Hilton Vienna||Pan Pacific Singapore|
|Mandalay Bay Resort||Rome Marriott Park Hotel||InterContinental Singapore|


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News - Mazda
Mazda sees up to 800 sales a month from CX-30
Sales leakage not a big factor for CX-30 SUV – and $20K+ Mazda2 to hold firm: Mazda
3 Dec 2019
By TERRY MARTIN
MAZDA Australia is confident its all-new small/medium CX-30 SUV can add almost 10,000 sales to the company’s total annual volume and not eat heavily into sales of the two models it slots in between – the CX-3 and CX-5 – and other compact cars in the stable such as the Mazda3.
The company also stands by its decision to raise the price of entry to its Mazda2 light car by more than $5000, taking it past $20,000 (plus on-road costs), with a major update that is expected to hold the model’s market position at its current diminished sales level in the contracting segment.
In an interview with GoAuto last week at the Australian debut of the forthcoming new CX-30 and Mazda2, Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak said the brand’s fifth SUV (joining CX-8 and CX-9 as well) was expected to produce “not a lot of (sales) leakage, but some”.
“We did some research a while ago now and it showed, actually, that there wasn’t much (cannibalisation),” he said.
“So, you know, until you get it in the marketplace let’s wait and see what happens, but the bottom line is: we’re adding it because we think there’s incremental volume to be had.
“It’s an expansion opportunity for us.”
To be released in February, the CX-30 is expected to attract new buyers to the brand and, importantly, prevent others from shifting allegiance after deciding the step from CX-3 to CX-5 was too great.
“With CX-3, one of the top reasons for purchase is size, because people love that it’s small, but one of the biggest rejections for that car is (also) size – because it’s small,” Mr Doak said.
“What we have found is that while there has been some, the majority of people haven’t stepped up to a CX-5 because they just see that as more of a family, bigger SUV – there is a big gap between them.
“So we see that opportunity and that’s why we are saying that there potentially won’t be that much cannibalisation between (the three models), because you’ve got these people saying, ‘Actually, Mazda doesn’t have an SUV that suits me right now.’ So we’re adding something new.”
Asked to explain who will buy the CX-30 who are not already looking to purchase a CX-3 or CX-5, Mr Doak said: “Some of those people will be small-car buyers because obviously you are seeing the decline of the small-car market. So, yes, Mazda3, we still say that if we’ve increased market share it’s done incredibly well, but it’s not doing the huge numbers that it used to do.
“So I think those people are going elsewhere and we think this car is an ideal alternative for them – somewhere else to go if they are saying, ‘Look, the market’s moved on, tastes have changed, I actually want something more SUV-like’ – and I think this is where the opportunity there is.”
Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi said the company expected to sell up to 800 examples of the CX-30 per month, but cautioned that it was still to be tested in the marketplace.
“If we get 700-800 (a month), that’s great, but we need to look at the market reaction,” he said.
The new consolidated Mazda2 range, meanwhile, arrives in showrooms this month at an entry price point of $20,990 (plus on-road costs) that is way up from the current $15,570 marker and past the once-commonplace $19,990 starting point for larger C-segment (Mazda3-sized) cars.
“That’s true, but if you sat in an old 323 versus that car (latest Mazda2), probably the interior space would be the same if not more, and also just the standard of equipment, particularly safety, is head and shoulders above what was ever offered before,” Mr Doak said.
“We think, for our customers, who like the Mazda brand, that that’s an important story to have and to make sure that this car is not in some ways second cousin when it comes to those features. I think people want them. We want to be consistent across our range, therefore we’ve added a lot of spec to this car, and that’s why we repositioned it.
“This stuff doesn’t come for free – you’re going to have to pay for it, ultimately – so that’s where we’ve moved and I think that segment is changing rapidly anyway and customer expectation, whether it’s a B (light) car, C (small) car, D (medium) car, SUV, are changing and I think people want more standard equipment.”
Asked whether this means Mazda no longer sees the light segment as being price-sensitive, Mr Doak said: “No, I’m not saying that. I think that whole segment will move up as people add more safety equipment. I don’t think we’ll be the only ones doing it.”
The Mazda marketing chief said exchange rates also figured in the decision to increase Mazda2 pricing, but said the company remains committed to the segment, that sedan (with 30 per cent of volume) was just as important as the hatchback and that the model line’s sales volume should stabilise with the latest series.
To the end of October, 7640 sales of the Mazda2 had been recorded, down 16.8 per cent over the same period last year and representing about 760 sales per month. Over that period, the 2 held a 14.4 per cent share of the segment which placed it third overall, just behind the Toyota Yaris (7916) and further afield from the Hyundai Accent (9499) which is running out of supplies and will not be replaced.
The Road to Recovery podcast series
3rd of December 2019
Mazda forecasts better year ahead
New models, customer programs, economic uplift set to stabilise sales in 2020: Mazda
28th of November 2019
New Mazda CX-30 priced from $29,990
‘Middle ground’ Mazda CX-30 opens with pricing just under bigger CX-5 stablemate
17th of October 2019
Tokyo Show: New Toyota Yaris goes hybrid
Hybrid drive, more safety tech headline new Toyota Yaris ahead of mid-2020 Oz launch
20th of September 2019
Driven: Hyundai’s Venue pulls double duty
All-new Venue combines characteristics of light cars and small SUVs together: Hyundai
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Motor industry news


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Supporting tourism businesses to find new customers
The Morrison Government is providing $6.5 million to fund Australia’s leading tourism industry conference in recognition of the challenges facing the sector caused by COVID-19.
The Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) starts in Sydney today and brings together more than 2000 tourism industry representatives in person and a further 1200 online.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said he was confident about the future of Australian tourism.
“Australia’s economic and health response to COVID-19 is among the best in the world, and when international travel resumes, I am confident that tourists will again return to Australia for our amazing tourist experiences, culture and people,” Mr Tehan said.
“In the meantime, the Government has taken action to encourage Australians to book domestic holidays and support our local tourism businesses and jobs.
“The Australian Tourism Exchange is opportunity for the industry to work together to plan for Australia’s future success, build networks and exchange knowledge.
‘Our Government is providing record support to these year’s event to ensure our tourism industry is best-placed to take advantage of our economic recovery.”
The Morrison Government funded the ATE through the National Bushfire Recovery Fund.


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As teenagers make their way to prom this season, for the first time in three years, at least one thing will have changed significantly — the cost of the annual dance.
A nationwide survey conducted by Visa found that after steady increases from 2011 to 2013, the average American household will spend $978 in 2014 on prom costs — a 14 percent decrease from last year.
But that doesn't mean parents are skimping on the taffeta, tulle and tuxedos. Parents still lay out plenty of money on the big dance — just a little bit less than in previous years.
"I think people are realizing that prom is a dance, and you don't have to spend like a celebrity to have a great time," Nat Sillin, Visa's head of U.S. Financial Education, said in a statement.
Count Nora Zappia of Edison, and her daughter Catherine, among those realizing that prom fun can still be had on a moderate budget.
"We really didn't discuss prices because I knew they were going to be expensive," Nora Zappia says. Before they started dress shopping, however, Zappia had a mental budget of no more than $300 for Catherine, a student at Bishop Ahr in Edison, who decided at the last minute to attend prom.
The 17-year-old found a black dress on sale for $83 at Deb Shops. Her mother was a fan of the way the dress fit — not too tight or revealing — and the price.
That's the ideal outcome for a prom shopping trip, experts say — and a little discussion of what both parties are looking for can help you get there, without tears or arguments.
"Mother and daughter should agree on the goal: buying a dress that makes her look and feel beautiful, is appropriate for the age and occasion and is reasonably priced," says Ellen Resnick of Randolph, who, with her daughter, Jenna Gebel, is the author of the parenting blog motherdaughterfriend.com — where both mother and daughter offer advice to other parent-child pairs.
"Mom should be understanding of the prom's importance in the mind of the daughter, but she should also point out that it's most likely she'll only wear the dress one time," adds Resnick, 56, a communications consultant. (Gebel, now 25, is a graduate student.)
"I think it would be helpful for parents to set a budget before they begin shopping to manage their daughter's expectations," says Resnick. "This helps avoid any misunderstandings or bickering and paves the way for a pleasant, memorable shopping experience."
Francine Rosenberg, a clinical psychologist with the Morris Psychological Group in Parsippany, agrees that the negotiation should begin long before the event.
"Anytime parents can talk to their kids and create appropriate expectations that will help prevent arguments down the road — whether you're talking about prom or anything — I think that makes things a little bit easier down the line," Rosenberg says.
Kaylan Haughney, 18, and her mother Amy Haughney shopped at David's Bridal in East Brunswick for the Old Bridge High School prom. They had a favorable shopping experience in April at the store, which carries a wide range of dresses priced from $99 to $399 to cater to different budgets.
Like the Haughneys, Resnick says she gave her daughter the freedom to choose what she wanted to wear.
Idelle Newton was determined to make prom memorable for her only child, Keyarah. Even with cost-cutting measures, Newton anticipates spending more than the national average for her daughter to attend Roselle Catholic High School's prom.
Keyarah, 17, wanted a $500 dress she found with her mother at a specialty store in Fanwood. Newton took her daughter to Group USA, believing they could find the dress at a discounted price at the large chain store. Her suspicion proved accurate; Newton bought the same pink mermaid dress for $339.
Even with the $161 saved, Newton will spend $180 on two prom tickets for Keyarah and her date, $190 for a tuxedo, more than $100 toward a limo and an unspecified amount on her daughter's hair, makeup and dress alterations. To curb costs, Newton says she will have the dress altered at a dry cleaner and book a makeup appointment at a department store that does not charge for such visits. (Many retailers, such as Sephora, charge an upfront fee of $50 to book an appointment.)
"Despite the drop this year, prom spending still remains disproportionately high and represents a major expense for American families with high school students," the Visa survey says.
The survey also shows that the cost of prom varies by region. Parents on the West Coast for example, spend the most, with an average of $1,125 per household. Not far behind is the Northeast with reported costs at $1,104. Families in the Midwest and South spend the least, at $835 and $926, respectively.
Rosenberg says teenage narcissism can also factor in to prom expenses.
"We tend to overindulge our kids or live vicariously through them," Rosenberg says. "Sometimes, it's the parents pushing the excess. You'll see both scenarios. The children, because they don't have the same world experience that adults do, that in that moment, that is the most important thing in the whole world and nothing rises to that. I remember feeling that way when I was going to my prom. It's just a developmental problem."
Communication, at every point in the prom shopping experience, can avoid conflict, Rosenberg says.
"I would start by validating your child's needs for this to be wonderful and perfect and be open in a comfortable way," she says. "Let your child voice their opinion, too. Help educate them on the value of money."


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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump offers a lot of policy ideas that progressive economists hate. He wants to close up the country’s borders and crack down on immigration, something that could seriously hurt the economy. His tax plan would cost trillions and offer most of the relief to the wealthiest, with very little for the middle class and poor.
But when it comes to his positions on trade, the same economists say he’s identified the right problems, even if some of his solutions might get him into trouble.
“Trump has stumbled on, and I think it’s the right word, stumbled on to a very important issue,” said Robert Scott, senior economist and director of trade and manufacturing at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
Trump’s stances on trade, as in many other policy areas, shift often. But the general outline is taking action to boost industries, and therefore jobs, here at home.
Action makes sense, Dean Baker, co-director of the left-leaning Center for Economic and Policy Research told ThinkProgress, because the promised benefits of past trade agreements haven’t come to pass. The country was supposed to be able to cheaply import goods from other countries and simply shift our attention — as well as American workers — at home to making higher-end goods to then sell back abroad.
“But what we actually see is very high unemployment,” he said. The workers in the industries where the country began importing goods from elsewhere weren’t able to simply jump to different, more in-demand sectors; instead they just lost their jobs. “It’s hard to say we’re benefitting.”
The damage has been severe: one study found that the United States lost about 2 million jobs between 1999 and 2011 to trade competition with China. That amounts to about 10 percent of all manufacturing job losses during that period. Meanwhile, another study found that in areas hit hard by rising competition with China, employment and wages remained depressed for at least a decade.
A ‘Reasonable’ Plan
Trump has promised big tariffs on imports, either from specific countries like China or Mexico or from individual companies that shift jobs overseas, to supposedly give our domestic industries competing with those countries and companies a boost; go after China for manipulating its currency so that it is lower than the dollar, and therefore goods made in the country are artificially cheaper than ours; and renegotiate trade agreements past and present, which he has said have been disastrous for the economy.
Key for Scott is tackling China’s currency manipulation and any other countries that may be artificially holding down the values of their currencies. If China’s policies keep the value of the yuan lower than where it would be without intervention, that makes it cheaper for the goods and services they price in that cheaper currency for other countries to buy. “It acts like a subsidy to everything that China and other countries export to the U.S.,” he said, and it “acts like a tax on all U.S. exports to China and to every country where we compete with China in the world.”
And tariffs could be the answer, if done a certain way.
“It’s reasonable to talk about imposing a tariff on these exports…in order to offset the effects of currency manipulation,” he said. He pointed to just such an experience in the past: when President Nixon imposed a tariff on imports that lasted a few months and “got countries he dealt with to agree to make changes in currency policies,” Scott said.
Baker agrees that tariffs, if done the right way, can force concessions from other countries. “If it results in changing policy, then there’d be a net gain” for the economy, he argued, when weighing the boost to jobs against extra costs that might trickle down to consumers. The problem is that it will all become a game of negotiation, and the U.S. has plenty of other priorities it’s trying to haggle with China over beyond its currency. “With China we can’t give them a laundry list and say, ‘Here’s what we want you to do,'” he said. “If we want them to raise the value of their currency, it’s pretty much got to be number one.” Trump could shift his priorities that way, but he’d have to let go of a lot of other things, like patents and human rights.
It also depends on what Trump would actually do as president, and Baker is far more wary of using blanket tariffs that go on indefinitely to achieve these results.
“Simply imposing tariffs would almost certainly have a negative effect, it would violate a wide range of trade agreements,” he said. “If [Trump] is thinking about a long-term thing, having tariffs for 20 years, he won’t get away with that.”
Timothy Wise, a director at the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University, similarly warned of what might happen if Trump levied blanket tariffs. “Imposing the kind of really high tariffs that Trump is talking about to bring jobs back to America is really coming late to the game with a sledgehammer,” he said. Hitting all of China’s exports would “fly in the face of all kinds of multilateral and bilateral agreements” the U.S. has made. China might not just react by bringing a case challenging the tariffs before the World Trade Organization (WTO), but by retaliating with its own tariffs on our exports, starting a trade war. “It can be a slippery slope,” he said.
An economic model built by Moody’s for the Washington Post found that if Trump slapped all imports from Mexico and China with stiff tariffs, it would throw all three countries’ economies into recession, costing 7 million jobs, although that falls to 3.5 million if the other countries don’t retaliate. Those numbers could be far too high, however, given that the model assumes no return of the jobs lost to offshoring over recent decades, and higher costs for American consumers may not materialize.
Still, there are more limited, temporary ways that presidents can impose tariffs as a sanction that are much less risky. For example, in the early 2000s President George W. Bush imposed tariffs on imported steel to help the domestic steel industry. While the tariffs were brought before the WTO and the U.S. eventually lost, they still lasted for nearly two years and “gave the steel industry some breathing room,” as Baker put it, stemming the job losses that would have otherwise been larger. “It wasn’t done in a stupid way.” President Obama has also used this tool, imposing tariffs on Chinese solar panels because, the U.S. argued, the Chinese were getting away with selling their panels at prices below what it costs to make them thanks to government subsidies. Even Ronald Reagan used such a tool against Japan in the 1980s.
“Those aren’t crazy things to do, both President Obama and President Bush have done that,” Baker said. “That’s consistent with trade agreements, consistent with current policy. What isn’t consistent is saying we’ll just slap tariffs all over the place.”
Tariffs are not what the first method Scott would choose, however. “I think there are better ways to achieve the same end result,” he said, “and that is to go directly after the tool that China and Japan are using to manipulate their currencies.”
A president who wants to do something about currency manipulation could fight fire with fire. China has been depressing the yuan’s value by buying up dollars, thus making our currency more expensive and theirs cheaper. So our Treasury Secretary could basically do the same thing, offsetting China’s purchases by buying the same amount of Chinese assets, bring the whole game to a truce — what’s known as countervailing currency intervention.
“When Trump tells you, ‘I can stop this,’ this is one case where it’s true,” Scott said. “He can sign an order and tell the secretary to take steps to end currency manipulation.”
Bring Back The Jobs
The end goal is to help revive manufacturing in the United States. Scott argues that tackling currency manipulation could do that. “Over time, it would create millions of jobs in the United States, most of them in the manufacturing sector,” he said. “That would be a very good thing.”
These jobs come with much higher wages and benefits than the majority of those created since the recession, which have mostly been in low-wage sectors like food service and retail. This imbalance “is one reason why wages have not grown very fast and workers have been feeling squeezed,” he said.
But Baker is more skeptical these jobs are coming back in those kinds of numbers. Given that the manufacturing sector has become more efficient, using technology to reduce the number of workers needed, he argues that it will never get back to its peak, saying an optimistic estimate would have the country recouping half to a third of those jobs.
“Obviously we’re not going to bring back the same number we’ve lost,” he said. “You can reduce the number you lose.”
Not everyone is convinced Trump is on to something, particularly those with a more conservative view of trade. Imposing big tariffs on other countries would throw the world “into another great recession, if not depression,” said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the right-leaning Peterson Institute. “It would be quite a shock to the overall system.” He argues that it would cause a massive trade war that would spread beyond China and the U.S., which he says could even result in a global depression and negative economic growth. “It would be quite something to live through,” he said.
Beyond tariffs, Trump has also promised to “rip up” all existing trade agreements with other countries, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). That kind of idea warrants condemnation from all sides. It would “certainly” mean a trade war, Baker said. “It’s not a story I would want to see. I thought NAFTA was a bad idea, but you’ve had 20 years of development based on it.” Pulling that rug out from under the economies of Mexico and the rest of Central America could seriously harm them. “It’s not as though we could reverse history,” he added.
HufBauer agreed. Simply publishing a notice that NAFTA or another trade agreement was going to be terminated “would be quite a shock to the global economic system of which we are a part,” he said. “Who knows what would happen next.” He predicted that the stock market would tank and currency exchange rates “would go wacko.”
Political reality also makes the likelihood of following through on such a threat low. Obama himself campaigned on renegotiating NAFTA, but changed course once in office. It’s “a huge complicated process” to redraw those agreements, Wise said. Meanwhile, big business has a strong vested interest in keeping trade rules the way they are.
What a President Trump could do, however, is redo the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade deal the Obama administration has been trying to push Congress to ratify, if it doesn’t get finished up before he leaves office. “If we sign that deal, as bad as [trade] is, it’s going to get a lot worse,” Scott said. The next president might get a chance to change it. Trump “could go back to the drawing table and come up with an agreement that is going to work, and what’s what we need,” he said.


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Cloud-based software firm Tulip Retail, which provides a mobile app suite for store associates in retail settings, has raised $40 million in its latest funding round. The round was led by American venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
The company's mobile app allows retailers to access select in-store services, including assisted selling, checking the company's online and in-store inventory, mobile checkout and customer communication. Tulip enables brick-and-mortar stores to better compete against online retailers such as Amazon because it gives them a digital presence during the in-store experience.
"For the first time, very large retailers, who are traditionally very slow at changing, are adopting new technology and new modes of selling in a way that we've never seen before," Tulip Retail CEO Ali Asaria told Reuters, "and we are a big part of that."
Tulip expects to open an office abroad in response to growing demand in international regions such as Asia, Europe and South America.
Although Tulip has seen sales rise four-fold during the past year and projects continued sales growth, the cloud-based software company is not aiming to be acquired. Asaria told Reuters he hopes to launch an initial public offering (IPO) by 2022 or 2023.
Earlier this year, Tulip forged a strategic partnership with behavioral marketing platform SmarterHQ to offer in-store personnel who use Tulip additional access to customer insights based on their activity on retailers' websites. Tulip aimed to integrate the SmarterHQ technology into Tulip Retail’s mobile app so store associates could access customer activity in both on- and offline channels and incorporate that data into customer profiles.
The data available to store associates between Tulip and SmarterHQ was expected to allow store associates to better personalize product recommendations.


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Stores in Germany can now begin to sell Red Faction, which was released 4 years ago.
One of the greatest FPS. It's 2016 and I'm still waiting for a new FPS with fully destructible environments, what's taking so long?
Since when was it an FPS?! It was TPS for sure.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Energy storage technology developer launches crowdfunding drive for its bill-saving MASLOW device
Energy storage specialist Moixa Energy Holdings has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the deployment of its MASLOW energy storage system. The London-based company is hoping to raise £875,000...
Current plans fall short of 2030 targets, official European Commission assessment warns
The breadth of SDG8's pursuit of sustainable economic growth presents businesses with a major challenge
Swiss carbon capture pioneers launch online shop where individuals can buy carbon dioxide removal service to offset emissions
The way to deliver a just transition to net zero is through public borrowing, argues Dr Matthew Lockwood of the University of Sussex


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Current law covers some types of trays, but this bill would broaden the definition to include all returnable containers, including bread trays and other reusable receptacles used by wholesalers and manufacturers.
The legislation will “help law enforcement do their job, protect personal property, frustrate the organized crime rings that are grinding up these containers, and prevent them from profiting from selling the material,” said Jim Rood, loss prevention consultant at Georgia-based Flowers Foods, who testified in support of the bill at the initial hearing on April 17.
Added Dan Stone, Flower Foods’ senior VP of supply chain logistics, “The theft of plastic delivery containers is as old as the invention of the reusable containers themselves. Unfortunately, we have seen the problem grow ever year as the loss of plastic delivery and storage containers can reach as high as 60% in major metropolitan areas, including those in Texas like Houston and El Paso.”
Flowers is the second largest baker in the US, parent to brands such as Nature’s Own, Wonder and Dave’s Killer Bread.
A fix for an ongoing problem
The bill would reinforce a Texas Retailers Association initiative called STOPP, or Stop Theft of Plastics Products. Despite the extra attention to theft of plastic baking or beverage trays, the threat remains, according to the ABA, which successfully led similar efforts in Maryland and Ohio.
ABA president and CEO Robb MacKie told BakeryandSnacks that ‘almost every single baker’ endures theft of its reusable plastics. Typically, it originates in illegal recycling operations, he said, which regrind the plastic into pellets then sold overseas. In some cases, those pellets land in the facilities of other bakers and food distributors ‘to avoid investing in their own materials.’
“While there are, of course, hot spots in some areas of the country – particularly denser areas with more recycling infrastructure and bread distributors – the issue is truly nationwide,” he said.
Impact of Texas baking industry
- Nearly 64,000 jobs, plus 116,000 indirect jobs
- More than $3.7bn in wages
- $4.42bn in tax revenues
- $12.6bn economic impact
- 2.23% of state GDP from bakers, 2.28% of federal GDP in 2016
A decade ago, ABA estimated the baking industry lost up to $100m annually in replacement costs related to tray loss. While normal wear-and-tear plays a role in those losses, said MacKie, theft is a relevant factor.
“Plastic trays are more sanitary, easy to clean and sustainable – preventing bakers from dealing with many of the issues often associated with distributing using cardboard or other containers,” he added.
“By passing these bills, we can hopefully reduce the amount our manufacturers have been investing as a result of stolen trays, and redirect that towards new equipment, business expansion and other investments that grow our industry.”
In the Texas House, the Environmental Regulations Committee unanimously approved the bill in late April; the Local and Consent Committee and then the full house affirmed it on May 3.
Representative Cole Hefner, a Republican who sponsored the bill, said, "Texas bakers have been plagued by the theft of bakery trays and HB 4584 utilizes all angles of enforcement to solidify the theft of bakers’ private property as a criminal offense."
The state senate must approve the bill before the end of the legislature’s session on May 27.


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The total value of the transaction is approximately $62.5 million, consisting of $37.5 million in shares of NeuLion common stock and a $25 million two-year convertible note, subject to working capital adjustments. Last year, Rovi spun off DivX.
Bringing together NeuLion’s managed services and DivX’s technology products, NeuLion will be able to give customers the choice of either building and managing digital video platforms internally or licensing a fully integrated managed services solution.
“By delivering interactive viewing experiences to consumers watching live and on-demand content on digital platforms, from desktop to mobile to connected devices, NeuLion has built a roster of the best known brands in professional and college sports and TV Everywhere, such as NFL, NHL, NBA, UFC, Rogers and CCTV. Now, we are extending our franchise and bolstering our capabilities with our acquisition of DivX’s entertainment and consumer electronics customers, advanced 4K video enabling technology products and expansive geographic reach,” said Nancy Li, CEO of NeuLion.
Added Kanaan Jemili, DivX’s CEO, “As a leading provider of next-generation digital video technologies for Over-The-Top services across consumer electronics devices and mobile platforms, DivX has licensed its technology to global brands spanning consumer electronics manufacturers, entertainment content rights holders and cable network operators, such as LG, Samsung, Toshiba and Hisense. With our recently introduced end-to-end HEVC solution, DivX is helping to drive adoption of 4K video and live streaming. We are excited about the opportunity to extend our reach into the global marketplace while we continue to create technologies that bring high quality viewing experience to digital media consumers.”
Upon closing of the transaction, Nancy Li, NeuLion’s chief executive officer, will become executive vice chairman of the NeuLion board of directors and will drive the technology vision for the company, and Kanaan Jemili, DivX’s chief executive officer, will be appointed chief executive officer of NeuLion. The management teams and employees of both companies will be combined. NeuLion will now have offices and sales reach throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
Upon closing of the transaction, James Hale, DivX’s chairman and managing partner at Parallax Capital Partners, LLC, and John Coelho, a member of DivX’s board of directors and partner at StepStone Group LP, will join the NeuLion board of directors. As a result, NeuLion will expand its board to 11 seats.


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Last week, Gulf Coast residents and businesses have courageously endured through the unprecedented wind and rain brought by Hurricane Harvey. Carriers all over the world have also begun to feel its impact. With over 50 inches of rain in Houston, refineries are flooded, pipelines are shut off, ports have closed, and trucking has come to a halt. The sun has finally come out, but many areas remain flooded. Even where the water has receded, significant flood damage has rendered infrastructure unusable.
We analyzed our exceptions data since Harvey reached land in order to help shippers better understand how Hurricane Harvey will affect them. We found not only a large effect in Texas, but significant impacts many states away.
As carriers are coping with ripple effects throughout their systems, shippers can stay one step ahead of storm-related delays by proactively identifying and communicating changes in delivery expectations to their customers.
Hurricane Harvey’s Impact on Exception Rates and Carrier Operations
According to our data, Hurricane Harvey played a major role on exceptions, causing a 512% spike this week over the prior week. Not surprisingly, it caused heavy delays in Texas, as shipments were not able to reach their destination or leave the area, and carriers stopped service in affected areas of Texas and Louisiana.
Further up the supply chain, ships are unable to dock at gulf coast ports, and airports remain closed or are operating on a skeleton crew. This is causing rerouted wholesale shipments to alternate distribution centers hundreds of miles away. Many carriers have also damaged and/or lost shipments due to rising floodwaters in the area. Expect resultant stocking issues to cause further delays in getting goods to customers.
Carriers such as FedEx and UPS, in addition to a long list of freight carriers such as Estes, Old Dominion, and Saia, have halted delivery altogether in the greater Houston area and along the Gulf. UPS and Fedex are still seeing disruption in Texas and Louisiana, with UPS still unable to deliver to 560 zip codes. FedEx has a similar list of zip codes that it cannot service, and the carrier is offering an extensive list of zip codes that have suspended or partial delivery for customers to reference. XPO is also offering extensive weather alerts as well as an interactive service level map, and YRC is also offering a hotline for expedited and on-demand services for customers affected by the storm.
While we expect delays to gradually decrease as flooding goes down and infrastructure is repaired, we do not expect a return to normal for a number of months. Until then, businesses can expect to see alerts as vague as “Due to special operating conditions, your package may be delayed” or as specific as “Due to the impact of the hurricane, deliveries are delayed at this time” and “Due to Hurricane Harvey, your package has been delayed.”
With cryptic carrier alerts and a tough operating environment, visibility and customer communication is more important than ever to ensuring a positive delivery experience. It is necessary to stay up to date with the Service Alerts from each carrier. Since many shipments were lost and/or damaged in the flood, it is imperative to locate as many as possible so that customers can be notified and shipments can be replaced.
In order to locate these packages, we recommend searching through shipments using identified disrupted zip codes, tracking packages whose last scan was in one of the affected zip codes, and tracking packages whose destination was one of the identified zip codes.
Our Mid and Long-Term Outlook
In an analysis of major shipping lanes this week, it is no surprise that all shipping routes to and from Texas have been heavily affected. We found that lanes with destinations in Texas have the largest amounts of delays, followed by lanes originating in Texas — meaning that shipments heading to the Lone Star State were more susceptible to exceptions. Although shipping lanes in other states are seeing some gridlock and delays, we expect these to decrease over time as carriers find ways to re-route Houston-transiting shipping lanes around the city.
In addition to delays, shippers should also expect an increase in pricing. Based on damages incurred by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Economist Noël Perry from Truckstop.com estimates that shipping costs could rise 5% to 22% over the mid-term, especially since Harvey impacted 10% of the nation’s trucking capacity.
As flood waters recede, some of the biggest costs to look out for in the next few months will likely be high fuel prices. Refineries in Houston such as Motiva, Exxon, Valero, and Shell are shut down as are pipelines such as Explorer and Colonial that transport refined fuel to the East Coast. With fuel shortages already beginning to occur in major Texas cities, and with the potential to occur throughout the eastern seaboard, they represent another risk to freight and last-mile fuel surcharge costs and delivery delays.
Maintaining the Bigger Picture
In the coming weeks, as businesses and carriers get a better understanding of the damage done by Hurricane Harvey, it is more important than ever to get visibility into how carriers are responding to delays and what new costs will look like, and it is imperative to relay that information to customers. Retailers should also take note of their own pricing strategies over the next few months, as their freight and parcel costs are likely to increase. For best practices on how to respond to different types of exceptions, including those related to weather events like Hurricane Harvey and possibly even Hurricane Irma later this week, download our exceptions action guide.
As a Texas-based company, we here at Convey extend our sympathy and strength to Houstonians who are going through this difficult time. If you would like to contribute to the rebuilding of Houston, you may find several ways to do so here.


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As Qualcomm continues its fight against Apple, the chipmaker has been struggling to get the iPhone banned in the United States. Now court documents have appeared mentioning the patented chipsets that reveals a new name and are expected to power the next generation of flagship.
The Snapdragon 845 is called SDM845 in the Qualcomm documents, confirming that the chipmaker is working on it and the company is most likely very close to finalizing the design ahead of the first models to be presented in 2018.
However, as of now, very little is known about the new Snapdragon 845, although it is believed that the next generation of Samsung S series will embrace it, with the Galaxy S9 quite likely to use it when it starts early next year.
So far, no confirmation has been made. Samsung has typically been one of the first adopters of the new Qualcomm star processors, and now it makes sense for the company to go for the Snapdragon 845 as well as for the upcoming S9 lineup.
Leaving the chip aside, the documents also show that Qualcomm has no intention of giving up its fight against Apple, as the company continues to seek a ban on iPhones in the United States.
Apple had sued Qualcomm in January of this year alleging that the company forced it to pay royalties for patents it did not own, while Qualcomm counter-sued and even tried to go after Apple in an attempt to get them to pay license fees for The parts you do for your Apple devices.
But more recently, Apple has received support from several tech giants, including a well-known group whose members, including Google and Microsoft, said they disagreed with the ban on iPhones in the United States.
Intel has aligned itself with Apple in the fight against Qualcomm, but by the looks of things, the dispute will not end very soon.happy wheels
Feb 19, 2018 0ShareShockingly movie producers get uncommon inconveniences...
Apr 10, 2017 0


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For Immediate Release:
July 10, 2017
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
Washington – Vegan dining is more vibrant than ever—and to drive that message home, PETA has given its dozens of vegan starter kit stands installed around D.C. a weird and wonderful, edgy and eaty, new makeover, courtesy of some sassy models decked out in fresh veggies accompanied by the words “Get Some Vegan Attitude Today!”
“PETA’s new vegan starter kit stands invite D.C. residents and visitors to shake off their old image of what ‘vegan’ means,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “Vegan dining is delicious, it’s healthy, it’s eco-friendly, and it’s more popular than ever.”
The vegan starter kits—also available by order and online—are filled with recipes, shopping tips, and even a dining-out guide. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—has installed 39 of the stands throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. They’re located outside American University, the University of the District of Columbia, and George Washington University; at Metro stations from Crystal City to Takoma; and near shopping areas, museums, grocery stores, memorials, and the National Mall.
More information is available on PETA’s website here.


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As businesses reopen, Louisiana fire marshal wants to keep customers safe
The reopening of businesses under Louisiana's phase one plan means more people visiting the establishments under new restrictions due to COVID-19.
"It seems to be set up pretty good as far as to protect people," said Lawrence a New Orleans native.
Eddie Mirranda also a New Orleans native said, "I've been seeing people following the directions. It gets frustrating but we have to do it."
The State Fire Marshal's Office makes sure businesses are in accordance with the safety guidelines put in place.
"In a COVID world, we are looking to make sure the business is open at 25 percent capacity but most importantly that social distancing requirements are in place. The separating of groups and seating areas," said Butch Browning, the Louisiana fire marshal.
Browning said his office was also making sure businesses were enforcing sanitary measures, like wearing masks and gloves.
During the first weekend of phase one, the office took about 25 calls from people with complaints of businesses not in compliance. In most cases the issue was solved with a simple phone call.
"We have not had any repeat issues with businesses. If we did, we would elect to go out and meet with them," said Browning.
The number one priority for the office is making sure people out shopping or dining are at the least risk for contracting COVID19. Browning said most businesses share the same sentiments.
"Here is the deal. If you have a business you have customers. And in many cases these customers are like family. There is a tremendous amount of interest in these business wanting to know how they can exceed the requirements in the mitigation of the virus," said Browning.
Businesses who have not registered yet, and those who want to report a business to the State Fire Marshal should visit opensafely.la.gov.


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The highly contagious coronavirus pandemic has struck a heavy blow against the world economy as it forces countries into lockdown and close businesses, wreck-havoc on tourism industry, and driving stock markets into its lowest level for 30 years. The spread of Covid-19 around the world will impact significantly on construction activities during the course of the coming weeks in the form of delay and disruption to on-site activities and project supply chains.
It follows that a cost will be incurred by projects and ultimately that will have to be borne by one or other of the main contracting parties or sub-contractors, so it is critical that parties with potential liability for the delays, disruption and associated liquidated or delay damages take steps to protect their interests Equally, parties should take steps to protect their entitlement to recover additional time or loss and expense. The COVID-19 pandemic is taking its toll on construction businesses necessary for building and maintaining critical infrastructures such as that used to transport essential goods and services, deliver clean water and electricity, and protect national security, among other things.
COVID-19 Economic Aftermath No. 1 – The Supply Chain in Peril
The impact on the industry’s supply chain, consisting of multiple layers of businesses, many of them of SME’s with a significant amount of self-employed workers, will be catastrophic and unavoidable. The Covid-19 outbreak will affectsupply chains and disrupt manufacturing operations around the world which is increasing daily. But the worst is yet to come. The impact of Covid-19 on global supply chains has occurred already in that thousands of companies have throttled down or temporarily shut assembly and manufacturing plants in China. The industry in Malaysia is vulnerable as there is a heavy reliance on factories in China for parts and materials. The activity of Chinese manufacturing plants has fallen in the past month and is expected to remain depressed for months. The vast majority of companies have no idea of what their risk exposure to what is going on in Malaysia actually is; that’s because few, if any, have complete knowledge of the locations of all the companies that provide parts to their direct suppliers.
COVID-19 Economic Aftermath No. 2 – The High Price of Materials
China provides or refines around 70% of the steelmaking ingredient manganese metal and a large slice of silicon and other key raw materials. Prices of these resources rose sharply in January, when the spread of the novel coronavirus hampered refining and distribution of steelmaking ingredients in China. For Contractors that rely on Chinesemade goods or materials, this could mean higher material costs and potentially slower project completions. The impact of the virus is impossible to predict with certainty, but any prolonged slowdown in Chinese or global economic and manufacturing activity is likely to have significant ramifications for construction costs.
Delays are expected on constructions of building projects, as sourcing of these materials are anticipated to be difficult for up to six months – but should ease in the long-run. Reduced construction activity due to virus containment efforts causes a major reduction in demand for materials from China, and this reduction in demand offsets or outweighs the upward price pressure.
COVID-19 Economic Aftermath No. 3 – The Labor Force Quarantine
The impact of the novel coronavirus is rippling through the global economies, but it could take a few months to fully see the fallout in data that tracks economic performance around the world. By late-April, construction workers in Malaysia will have no choice but to be laid off as a consequence of the coronavirus. Another large amount will have their hours significantly reduced. A shortage of materials from mainland China is to blame. Supply chain delays caused by the impact of China’s aggressive containment measures could impact construction in Malaysia long after COVID-19 is neutralized.
While many businesses offer employees options for work-from-home, construction companies typically require healthy workers to be on-site. And for anyone not feeling 100%, staying home isn’t always a viable option, especially for hourly workers or anyone without paid sick days. Beyond a worker’s sickness, emergency protocol within the community can trigger a variety of challenges.
COVID-19 Economic Aftermath No. 4 – Delay Costs
As the coronavirus spreads around the world, its impact on many businesses and industries, including the construction industry, is increasing. The construction industry in Malaysia relies heavily on foreign labor, suppliers and manufacturers of goods for construction materials, including steel, millwork, electrical and lighting equipment, plumbing fittings and fixtures, flooring tiles, and ACMV equipment. With many companies closed due to quarantines, production lines having stopped, shipping containers remain in their ports, and there is no transportation of goods from these affected areas. In the coming months, contractors may have to find alternate, and likely more expensive, sources of goods and materials which could lead to project cost overruns.
These supply chain issues are also likely to cause project delays which could lead to potential claims by owners for the delay, including liquidated damages claims. Who bears the risk and the loss for resulting construction delays or increased construction costs due to the coronavirus?
This will likely be determined by the controlling written contract and, in particular, whether the outbreak constitutes an excusable delay under the contract’s force majeure clause extending the completion date, excusing the contractor for liability for any damages and providing for additional costs.
Contractors concerned that they could face delays or increased costs as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak would be well advised to consider whether they have any express entitlements to relief under their contract. Entitlement to Extensions of Time / Loss and Expense For example, a contractor may seek an entitlement to extensions of time and/or additional payment in the event that: shortages of labor arise as a result of preventative measures to alleviate the outbreak spreading and/or due to infection, or potential infection, and the resulting quarantine, or self-isolation, required; shortages of plant and materials arise due to delays in their importation or transportation; the site is closed or access is restricted as a result of measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak; and/or the contractor is not able to carry out the works as a result of action by governments to prevent the spread of the outbreak.
COVID-19 Economic Aftermath No. 5 – Litigation and Legal Implications
It is worth remembering that there is no general legal right to cancel a contract once it is signed and effective unless there is an express contractual right to do so or one of the common law grounds such as frustration of contract applies. Frustration will be hard to argue because it is a much higher threshold than simply suffering financial hardship to deliver their project. However, all the circumstances must be reviewed in the context of any particular project. Declaring a force majeure provision is included in many contracts and it relates to the occurrence of an event which is outside the reasonable control of a
party prevented from performing its contractual obligations. There is no general concept of force majeure in common law and standard contracts such as the PAM and JKR suites do not provide a definition of same. The term “force majeure” was used with reference to all the circumstances independent of the will of man, and which it is not in his power to control… thus war, inundations, and epidemics, are causes of force majeure …” This suggests it is very likely that COVID-19 Economic Aftermath would be considered to be an event of force majeure. The test for whether a force majeure event has occurred will require three issues to be considered:
Is the event beyond the control of the affected part?
Is the affected party’s ability to perform its contract hindered or prevented by the event?
Has the affected party taken all reasonable steps to avoid or mitigate the event or its consequences?


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Businesses are not very optimistic about their prospects, which is also reflected in the fact that they are cutting back on their investment and employment plans, President of the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DUIHK), András Sávos, said on Wednesday at the presentation of the body's 2023 fall business survey.
In the DUIK's survey, 209 companies reported on their economic outlook, their own development, the risks affecting their companies, the labor market and investment.
Dirk Wölfer, Head of Communications at DUIHK and author of the study, highlighted that "according to the fall survey, one in two companies expects the general economic situation to deteriorate further, and only 12% of respondents expect an improvement in the next year.
According to the survey, 40% of companies consider their own business situation to be good, while one in ten companies reported a poor business situation.
Dirk Wölfer said that firms' own business expectations have weakened compared to the spring survey. 18% of respondents expect their business expectations to improve, 34% expect them to worsen.
The subdued business expectations are also reflected in investment and employment intentions, with 37% of respondents saying they would reduce investment spending and 25% saying they would increase it.
When asked about the impact of inflation on their business, three-quarters of respondents highlighted increasing wage pressures, with one in two companies citing a decrease in profitability. Inflation is also affecting investment plans, as high interest costs make financing more expensive and investment costs rise, leading one third of companies to postpone planned investments and one in five to abandon previously planned improvements," Dirk Wölfer said.
According to the DUIHK fall survey, employment plans are subdued, with the balance of positive and negative responses around zero for the first time since 2013, meaning that the number of companies planning to hire more staff is roughly the same as the number planning to cut staff.
As Dirk Wölfer pointed out, for the first time, companies were asked about the severity of skills shortages in specific areas. The responses showed that the shortage was most acute in production manual workers, but that more IT and R&D specialists were also needed.
The survey found that firms cited weakening demand, a shortage of skilled labor and rising labor costs as risks to their own businesses.
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Huawei has announced that its low-cost Android smartphone, Honour, which touts a longer unplugged life, is now available to customers living in the UK.
The Taiwanese smartphone maker said that the Huawei Honour comes with a 4-inch HD touchscreen display, a 1.4MHz single-core processor, preinstalled Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a durable 1900mAh battery. The company did not say if or when the handset will receive an Android ICS update, but its hardware specifications looks capable enough to handle the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system.
Other notable features of the Honour include an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with HD video recording and LED flash, a 2-megapixel front camera for video calls, 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi, DLNA and 1GB of embedded memory that still has room for expansion through a microSD card slot.
“The Honour demonstrates Huawei’s commitment to bring new smartphone power and functionality to the masses,” said Huawei’s UK VP Mark Mitchinson. “It combines a fantastic engine with great design and power to burn, and it skimps on no feature. In a connected world that never sleeps, the Honour lasts longer than the rest.”
The Huawei Honour, which costs approximately £250, is now available from several SIM free retailers within the UK.


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CHICAGO (WLS) -- Reservations are now open for Chicago Restaurant Week, giving foodies a chance to dine out at more than 400 restaurants at a discounted price.
It's a family affair for Chef Thai Dang and his wife Danielle, who have two restaurants taking part this year.
Dang joined ABC7 Chicago in the studio to show us some of what we can expect.
The highly anticipated program kicks off with First Bites Bash on Thursday, January 23 at the Field Museum.
The 13th Annual Chicago Restaurant Week will be held from January 24 through February 9.
Make your reservations now at EatItUpChicago.com.
More than 400 restaurants to be featured at 13th Annual Chicago Restaurant Week
More TOP STORIES News


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started tweeting from an official Twitter account devoted to artificial intelligence on Wednesday, one designed to highlight how the EV maker’s AI efforts can help the company in the future. It’s also a reason to sell the stock.
Tesla’s shares have soared this year, but they’re also exceptionally volatile. The stock has ranged from about $102 to $315 over the past year. The $213 gap is more than 100% of the average closing price over that span. The same calculation for
(AAPL) yields about 40% of the average price.
With Tesla, it’s often easy, or easier, to see why the stock is moving up or down. It’s not always simple, though, to understand why it moves so much for the given reason. Consider the recent run. Coming into Thursday trading, Tesla shares are up about 42% since May 25. Two things happened that day. First,
(NVDA) stock soared 24% after reporting its AI-related business was doing much better than anyone expected. Then, Tesla and
Both events, like the new @Tesla_AI Twitter account, crystallized the idea that Tesla is more than just a car company, something key for Tesla valuation. Tesla, after all, is worth about three Toyota Motors (TM), despite selling a fraction of the vehicles. In addition to EVs, Elon Musk’s car company owns its own dealership, has a chain of charging stations, offers AI-developed software to help cars drive themselves, and sells solar roofs, utility-scale battery storage products, and even car insurance.
Given Nvidia’s 40% rise since its blowout quarterly report, excitement over AI is likely responsible for much of Tesla’s gains. That makes sense, but there are limits. Tesla shares now trade for about 77 times 2023 estimated earnings, up from 25 times when Barron’s wrote positively about the stock early this year. Simply put, the AI frenzy has made the shares a little pricey for our tastes.
Wall Street is starting to see things our way. Tesla’s recent run has driven two downgrades from analysts over the past two days. Both Morgan Stanley and Barclays took their ratings to Equal Weight from Overweight. Both brokers cited the AI-related hype that had inflated the stock’s valuation.
There are still car-related factors to worry about too, specifically Tesla’s second-quarter sales, which are due to be reported in early July. Wall Street expects roughly 445,000 units shipped during the three months ended on June 30, a record and up from about 423,000 vehicles sold in the first quarter. If Tesla can top those forecasts, the stock could rise further. Miss, and watch out.
That makes this is as good a time as any to sell a little bit of Tesla. Barron’s recommended buying the stock on Jan. 6, just after it closed at $113.06. Wednesday, shares closed at $259.46, up almost 130% from the pick level. We aren’t giving up on shares. Just using volatility, hopefully, to our advantage. Nor are we worried about foregoing a little profit. When a stock doubles, after all, an investor can sell half their stake and be left with the value of the original position, with some profits banked if things go sideways.
With a stock like Tesla, we consider that a win-win.
Write to Al Root at email@example.com
#Tesla #Stock #Buy #Sell


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Mobile network operators worldwide, and especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, are increasingly adopting mobile money as a mainstream service rather than a differentiator, a report by the GSMA has revealed.
According to the Mobile Money Adoption Survey, Sub-Saharan Africa now has 53 per cent of all live mobile money services, with services available in 36 out of 47 countries in the region.
The report revealed the landscape for mobile money services is becoming increasingly competitive. Globally, mobile money services were launched in nine markets in 2013, with the majority of these launches in markets where mobile money services already existed.
There are now at least two or more mobile money services available in 51 markets, compared to 40 markets at the end of 2012 and 33 at the end of 2011.
“The impressive and encouraging results of the study demonstrate that mobile money services are increasingly reaching scale and are becoming even more essential in providing convenient and affordable financial services to the underserved,” said Chris Locke, managing director, GSMA Mobile for Development.
The adoption of mobile money services by customers is also rising and an increasing number of services are reaching scale.
According to the findings, the development of mobile money services globally has made it possible for unbanked and under-banked population to be included in financial transactions.
The GSMA has identified three mobile money services that each exceeded one million active users between June 2012 and June 2013, and, globally, there are at least nine services that currently have more than 1 million active users.


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The Federal Trade Commission sued an app analytics company on Monday for selling cell phone location data that the agency said could be used to track people to sensitive locations like abortion clinics, domestic violence facilities and places of worship.
Kochava, an Idaho-based firm, has been ordered to delete the data and stop collecting it in the future, according to the antitrust and consumer protection regulator.
“Kochava purchased sensitive geolocation data for hundreds of millions of mobile devices and sold this data in easily re-identifiable form, likely exposing people to threats of stigma, discrimination, and physical violence,” the FTC’s Biden-appointed Chair Lina Khan wrote on Twitter. “This action is part of the FTC ’s work to use all of our tools to protect Americans’ privacy.”
In a statement to The Post, Kochava’s general manager Brian Cox denied wrongdoing and blasted the FTC for “flamboyant press releases and frivolous litigation.”
“The FTC has a fundamental misunderstanding of Kochava’s data marketplace business and other data businesses,” Cox said. “Kochava operates consistently and proactively in compliance with all rules and laws, including those specific to privacy…. It’s disappointing that the agency continues to circumvent the lawmaking process and perpetuate misinformation surrounding data privacy.”
Cox also said that the company announced a “capability to block data from sensitive locations” ahead of the FTC suit.
According to the FTC’s complaint, Kochava has allowed customers to access location data from more than 61 million mobile devices with few privacy safeguards. Bad actors using the site could potentially use the data to track would-be victims like domestic violence survivors, religious minorities and abortion patients and doctors, the FTC said.
“In just the data Kochava made available in the Kochava Data Sample, it is possible to identify a mobile device that visited a women’s reproductive health clinic and trace that mobile device to a single family residence,” the FTC wrote in its suit. “The data may also be used to identify medical professionals who perform, or assist in the performance, of abortion services.”
The agency claims Kochava was aware of how its data could be misused, writing that Kochava placed an advertisement on Amazon Web Services that suggested using its information to “map individual devices to households.”
The lawsuit underscores the shifting role of tech firms following the overturning of Roe vs. Wade.
Two other companies selling mobile location data, SafeGraph and Placer.ai, agreed to stop selling abortion clinic-related location data in July following political pressure from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other Democrats.
Meanwhile, Meta caught flak from privacy advocates earlier in August after after it was revealed that the company had turned over a teenage girl’s private messages about her alleged abortion in response to a Nebraska police search warrant.


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In May, overall inflation jumped to 7.1 percent up from 6.47 percent in April, the highest level in two years.
New inflation rates have been attributed to price increases in essential commodities such as maize flour, cooking oil, and milk, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). This is 0.4 percent below the Central Bank of Kenya’s suggested upper bound of 7.5 percent inflation.
“There was a notable increase in prices of food items in May 2022, compared with the prices recorded in May 2021,” KNBS Director General Macdonald Obudho said.
In comparison to the middle and higher classes, the increase in the cost of living is expected to hurt low-income workers, particularly in Nairobi.
According to KNBS statistics, the cost of living grew the greatest among Nairobi’s low-income earners, rising 5.9%, compared to 4.05 percent and 3.77 percent for middle- and upper-income earners, respectively, showing the impact of the widening income gap.


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On Friday, Ashok Leyland said that its light commercial vehicle (LCV) ‘Dost’ has crossed one lakh sales mark.
“It (Dost) is today the largest volume brand in the Ashok Leyland portfolio, with customers, not just in India, but across countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Male and the UAE,” the company said in a statement.
The Managing Director of Ashok Leyland, Vinod K Dasari said, Dost fills an important gap in the company’s portfolio, and 1,00,000 Dost vehicles on road, across 11 countries, is a proof of a good product design, solid engineering, and strong market acceptance.
He also added, “A Dost is sold every six working minutes, and it is already the number two player in its segment. We are very confident about its future”.


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2008 Toyota Tundra Reviews
Thinking about buying a used 2008 Toyota Tundra? Here is a comprehensive listing of reviews on the truck.
Edmunds says, “A top choice for a full-size pickup, the 2008 Toyota Tundra gets it right in terms of performance, work ability, road manners and available configurations and equipment.”
Car and Driver
Car and Driver says, “This latest Tundra is a full-size pickup that requires no apologies or asterisks.”
Motor Trend says, “”Easy to drive — a lot of power on demand, excellent transmission, responsive brakes — and the side mirrors are huge, making it really easy to get a good view of what’s going on behind the truck even when you can’t use the rearview mirror.
It also won Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year honors.
U.S. News says, “The Tundra’s massive size, impressive interior space and optional 5.7-liter V8 engine secure its spot near the top of our full size pickup truck rankings. But Toyota must improve its cabin materials and offer a more inspiring exterior design to outpace its top competitors.”
Review Cars say, “Top 5 Pros of 2008 Toyota Tundra: 1. Toyota reliability for a big truck, 2. Powerful engine, 3.Quiet and comfortable ride, 4. Exterior styling, 5. Turning radius”
Web2Carz says, “With its full-size Toyota Tundra, Toyota has finally unleashed a no-holds-barred, light-duty truck that shows no deference to those from Chevy, Dodge or Ford. The Tundra doesn’t just run with the big dogs. It is, plain and simple, one of the biggest.”
Cars.com says, “The engine, thirsty as it may be, is superb and would be at home in any sports car. The same goes for the six-speed automatic transmission, which is very nicely matched to the V-8’s power characteristics. The ride and handling is on par with any pickup, though weighing in at more than 5,700 pounds, there’s no masking that heft on winding roads.”
Automobile Mag says, “The Tundra isn’t just bigger than its wimpy predecessor, it begs for notice. There’s enough chrome in its grille to deplete global reserves of that metal. Ripped flanks shroud eighteen- or twenty-inch wheels shod with rubber that’s ten or more inches wide. But in aiming for a Mack truck look, Toyota designers hit the homely bulldog target dead center.
The beauty instead is in the Tundra’s breadth of offering. Thanks to a choice of three cabs, box lengths, wheelbases, engines, and trim levels, you can spec it out thirty-one different ways from Sunday. There’s a tow package rated for 10,800 pounds and 381 hp to move it, thanks to the 32-valve, 5.7-liter V-8 and six-speed automatic.”
The Car Connection says, “BOTTOM LINE: The 2008 Tundra takes on the Big Three, matches them in capability, and beats them in safety.”
Kelley Blue Book
Kelley Blue Book says, “The Toyota Tundra, which debuted as an all-new (except for its name) 2007 model, matches or beats domestic full-size pickups in most size, performance and price measurements. For 2008, the Tundra lineup expands to include lower-priced variations of its four-door Double Cab and CrewMax models. Also, the mid-level SR5 and top-level Limited trims now come standard with several features that were previously optional. The U.S.-built Tundra features standard side airbags and electronic stability control and is the first full-sized pickup to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award.”
NADA Guides says, “Coming off a complete redesign in 2007, the 2008 Toyota Tundra remains relatively unchanged this season – and that’s a good thing, given the fact that it’s one of the most desirable and functional full-size pick-up trucks on the market today.”
For more information about the 2008 Toyota Tundra, check out our all known 2008 Toyota Tundra problems post.
Filed Under: Toyota Tundra Reviews and Comparisons