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Kansas City, MLB’s third-smallest market and home to the long-struggling Royals, outperformed its size and image by serving up an All-Star Game that was by far one of the league’s strongest.
In virtually every relevant measure, the event produced sizable gains over the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix and 2010 game in Anaheim. While TV ratings on Fox for the July 10 game were down by four one-hundredths of a point to a new low, Home Run Derby ratings on ESPN increased 3 percent, attendance at Kauffman Stadium set records since a $250 million renovation finished in 2009, social media activity related to the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game tripled last year’s levels, and early projections are for final FanFest attendance numbers to also show growth.
Even the Sunday Futures Game sold out and posted just a 17.5 percent no-show rate. As little as two years ago, no-show rates easily exceeded 40 percent for the game, buoyed by fans who bought up ticket strips for all three days but wanted access only to the other two events.
|Even the Futures Game sold out, another strong metric for the overall event.
Photo by: ICON SMI
Buzz during the week among visitors from around the industry was high regarding Kansas City’s ability to pull off what was likely the most complex and high-profile sports event in the city’s history. By the afternoon of July 10, a few hours before the All-Star Game, an ebullient MLB Commissioner Bud Selig
was beaming about the performance of the Royals and Kansas City at large.
“It’s been really wonderful. Every event has been sold out, even the Futures Game. All the events have been good,” Selig said. “I think as you watch what’s happening in this community, you see how important it is. It’s an uplifting event, to say the least, and the Royals have really gone the extra mile to make this happen.”
The reasons for Kansas City’s strong performance are many. While the All-Star Game itself was a dud given the National League’s easy 8-0 win, this year’s event did not suffer from mass player defections like a year ago, in part because of new rules in the labor deal. Public officials were highly engaged, again not a surprise given the All-Star Game’s size and importance relative to most other sports events held in Kansas City. Baseball at large is in the midst of a significant resurgence at the gate and on TV in most markets. And unlike areas such as California and Arizona with high amounts of transient populations, Kansas City has many residents who grew up in the area with baseball and the Royals.
“We couldn’t be happier with how our fans and this town responded,” said Kevin Uhlich, Royals senior vice president of business operations.
Uhlich’s comment, however, came a few hours before the locals angrily booed New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano for not selecting Royals designated hitter Billy Butler for the Home Run Derby. Selig said the league will now consider a rule change requiring a player from the host club take part in the derby.
■ SPONSOR ACTIVATION:
Chevrolet was easily the most active MLB sponsor in Kansas City, a fact even the most casual fan could see. The automaker’s exhaustive range of activities included a test-drive track at Kauffman Stadium to try out the Camaro ZL1 and Corvette, a heightened FanFest presence, numerous vehicle displays, the awarding of a ZL1 to All-Star Game MVP Melky Cabrera
of San Francisco, and the earlier relaunch of the 38-year-old “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet” ad campaign using players such as
Detroit stars Prince Fielder
and Justin Verlander
“We’re just showing people our passion for baseball, and getting fans here exposed to our product lineup, which has turned over almost completely in the last two years,” said Chris Perry, Chevrolet vice president of global marketing. “So we use the attraction of baseball to generate leads and change consumer opinion about the brand.”
|MLB sponsors (from top) Pepsi, Chevrolet and State Farm were in Kansas City.
Photo by: TERRY LEFTON / STAFF
Bank of America, meanwhile, tied much of its activation to the military, logical given the All-Star Game’s locale this year in America’s heartland. The bank raised funds for the USO at nearby Fort Riley and teamed with the league and Royals on a rebuild at a local VA facility.
“This is a microcosm of our MLB relationship,” said Charles Greenstein, Bank of America senior vice president of sponsorship marketing. “Lot of locally relevant ties, but with a strong-enough national overlay that it can be meaningful in all of our important markets.”
State Farm also went deep on cause-related marketing in addition to its continued title sponsorship of the Home Run Derby, helping rebuild homes for areas devastated by tornadoes, an example of which was displayed in the sponsor zone outside the stadium.
Scotts, in its third year as an MLB sponsor, said it has found the league deal and eight companion baseball team relationships to be an incremental driver of sales and marketing support at key retailers such as Lowe’s and Ace Hardware. The grass seed company again sponsored All-Star Game balloting at Lowe’s. Aided by consultant Wasserman Media Group, Scotts is preparing a fall program to tie into the postseason that reminds consumers of the importance of autumn planting for grass.
|Kauffman Stadium welcomed three crowds of more than 40,000.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
“Aside from a brand fit that is particularly endemic with Scotts and MLB, the sponsorship has really helped us push further into retail,” said Chris Strunk
, Scotts sports marketing manager.
And Pepsi, not surprisingly, was relentless in the sampling of its Pepsi Max low-calorie soft drink. But less traction was evident for its Field of Dreams program, which in its second year provides the chance for a fan to play baseball against a team of MLB legends.
■ LICENSING LINES: In a baseball-crazed town like Kansas City, licensed product was dominant and licensees were all smiles. Even outside of the All-Star Game locale, some of the sport’s largest apparel licensees have found room for considerable growth in what’s generally a mature licensed apparel market.
Leading the charge was VF’s Majestic brand, which holds the league’s on-field jersey rights. Demand for new uniforms for Miami, Baltimore and Toronto, and new contenders such as Pittsburgh and Washington, have rocketed Majestic’s jersey sales upward by more than 30 percent, said Jim Pisani, president of VF’s licensed sports group.
“Teams like Miami are on fire, saleswise, and you had big names like Albert Pujols or new names like Bryce Harper and good stories in towns like Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and the Mets generating new sales.”
Both player name and number jerseys and T-shirts from Majestic were ubiquitous around Kansas City.
|Silver Crystal Sports customized a thousand Majestic jerseys in five days at the FanFest.
Photo by: TERRY LEFTON / STAFF
At FanFest, Silver Crystal Sports’ touch-screen Fanzone system produced customized name and number all-star jerseys in 10 minutes or less. Company Chief Executive Jeffery Silver
said Silver Crystal Sports produced a thousand customized Majestic jerseys in five days.
Nike, meanwhile, also is seeing baseball sales up by 15 percent to 20 percent over 2011, and its swoosh was readily visible around town between its existing MLB underlayer rights and its new “I Play For …” T-shirts aimed at marketing American League or National League loyalty. Beyond just year-over-year comparisons, Nike’s baseball business has nearly doubled since the 2008-09 recession, said John Slusher, Nike vice president of global sports marketing.
The 11,000-square-foot MLB Clubhouse Store at FanFest was by far its best ever in terms of product selection, segmentation and marketing support. First-time retailers there included Allen Edmonds, showing its MLB-logoed boat shoes.
“Retail is detail,” said New Era Cap President Pete Augustine. “We have enough of our stores now  that we know how true that is.”
Head-turning new products in the baseball licensing space, however, were few and far between, with the possible notable exception of a fragrance being marketed with a New York Yankees logo and pinstripes. A recent deal between the MLB Players Association and New Era should create the first New Era caps with player names and numbers later this summer. Also new is a license with Zazzle through which consumers can access a digital library of players and design their apparel online at Zazzle.com.
■ METS ON THE CLOCK: The New York Mets took their turn as next year’s All-Star Game host club, sending a 23-person contingent to Kansas City to shadow Royals and MLB staffers.
The Mets face a unique challenge for next year’s game trying to provide a different look and feel to the All-Star Game compared with just four years ago, when the game was in New York at old Yankee Stadium. That 2008 game set several event sales and revenue records that still stand and generated roughly twice as much economic impact as any other All-Star Game, providing a further daunting comparison. But Mets officials said they are not focusing on the past.
“We don’t view that game as competition,” said Dave Howard, Mets executive vice president of business operations. “We’re very excited about next year, and are confident we will help deliver a wonderful experience for the city, our fans, and the visitors coming into town for this.”
FanFest next year will be held at the Javits Convention Center, just as it was in 2008, and the Red Carpet Parade will again be in midtown Manhattan, though likely traveling a route different from the one four years ago. But the Mets and MLB will aim to make Citi Field itself the star of the show as much as possible.
“The ballpark is really going to be the keynote,” Howard said.
Aramark will play a key role as the Citi Field concessionaire. While many visitors to Kansas City during the week took tours of the city’s famed barbecue restaurants, Citi Field could serve as next year’s All-Star culinary hub; the ballpark has repeatedly won plaudits as one of the best sports facilities for food options.
The Mets last week also completed a ticket promotion in which current and new season-ticket holders committing for the 2013 season will be allowed to buy tickets for next year’s All-Star Game in quantities as much as three times the size of their accounts. More than 70 percent of the Mets’ season-ticket base took the club up on the offer, giving them a renewal percentage for the coming season typically not present until the early fall.
“The response was very favorable, and it gives us the added benefit of freeing us up that much more to pursue new business,” Howard said.


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Ethoca - an organisation set up to make eCommerce safer for companies and web surfers alike - has signed up the world's third largest domain name and email provider.
Tucows has joined Ethoca's Global Fraud Fighting Community.
Explains Ethoca: "The biggest problem for domain providers is that most of the fraud they deal with comes from stolen credit cards used by fraudsters whose aim is to create new domains to launch phishing and spam attacks".
"Stopping the fraudster means eliminating the abuse that occurs before the account is abandoned or shut down due to criminal activity. This means reduced charge backs, tied up domain names, bandwidth usage and effects of spam and phishing".
Ethoca hopes that its community members will be able to work together to securely share order experiences.
“Tucows modern fraud management means keeping fraudsters at bay, but it also means ensuring a positive experience for our customers”, said Ross Rader, Director of Retail Services, Tucows.
“By working with the Global Fraud Fighting Community we reduce the need for manual fraud reviews and avoid delays for customers. This improves the experience and transparency for all parties involved in a transaction with us, from customers to partners to credit card companies”.

domain: news


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Driving relevance means driving growth. Join global brands and industry thought leaders at Brandweek, Sept. 11–14 in Miami, for actionable takeaways to better your marketing. 50% off passes ends April 10.
At first glance, this new series of ads appears to be a typical fashion campaign. But look a little closer and its darker meaning is revealed.
Women’s Aid, a British charity that aims to end domestic violence, has subverted fashion advertising tropes to raise awareness of coercive control—a pattern of behaviors used to control, manipulate or frighten another person.
Coercive control became illegal in the U.K. in December 2015, but since then records of such offenses have been steadily rising.


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Buyers snap up real estate occupied by CityMD clinics
IQMining platform combines Bitcoin cloud mining with daily payments and Forex margin trading, options and cryptocurrencies, giving the opportunity to multiply potential income.
What do three recently sold retail buildings in the New York metropolitan area have in common?
They’re all occupied by CityMD, the chain of walk-in medical clinics in and around the city that became a one-stop shop for COVID-19 testing in the pandemic. The emphasis on healthcare during the past 19 months has turned these companies into attractive tenants for landlords looking to acquire retail real estate.
The properties at Queens’ Ozone Park and Queens Village neighborhoods and another in Mamaroneck on Long Island were sold by Jenel Management to three buyers for a total of $13.35 million.
“Healthcare retailers have traditionally been one of the most resilient, top-performing tenant categories and one of the few to experience accelerated demand during the pandemic,” said James Nelson, head of tristate investment sales at Avison Young.
“Medical is also e-commerce proof,” Nelson said, making these tenants even more desirable as the pandemic accelerated a trend toward online sales. “You can’t purchase those services over Amazon.”
During the first quarter of this year, nearly 40,000 square feet of real estate was leased by healthcare tenants compared with just 14,648 square feet leased in the first quarter of 2019, according to data from CBRE.
CityMD leased those spaces, each spanning 3,000 square feet, within the last year, and they will last for at least 10 years, Nelson added. The company has more than 80 locations across the boroughs and plans to expand further within New York and New Jersey.
Jenel Management purchased the properties, built them out for clinic use and then sold them.
Similarly, life sciences real estate, which includes labs and offices for biotech and medical research companies, has been thriving during the pandemic while other markets such as office, hotels and retail have been depressed.
The life sciences space broke its own records earlier this year, with 331,000 square feet of lab space leased during the first half, more than double the 156,000 square feet leased last year. Two years ago 72,000 square feet of space was leased.


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Washington (ANI): LinkedIn has been reportedly sued by four individuals who claim that the professional networking site hacked in to their accounts in order to send invitations to their friends.
The lawsuit alleged that LinkedIn violates the federal wiretap law as well as California privacy laws.
The plaintiffs have alleged that when the site demands users' emails, it does not make clear that it will send those users' friends up to three email invitations.
Plaintiffs' attorney, Larry Russ said that for years, people have been complaining about LinkedIn's emails and the lawsuit is squarely directed at the marketing practices causing the public outrage, Huffington Post reports.
The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status, with the hope of defining the plaintiff class as any member registered with LinkedIn prior to May 15, 2013, whose identity was used in endorsement emails.
According to the report, the suit states that it is unlawful to send advertising emails to users implicating that the member is endorsing LinkedIn, without the member's consent, and seeks to ban the practice.
Meanwhile, LinkedIn spokesperson Doug Madey has dismissed the claims and said that the company is committed to being transparent about how they protect and utilize their members' data, adding that the legal claims in the lawsuit are without merit and the company will fight it. (ANI)
(c) 2013 aninews.in All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
Original headline: LinkedIn sued for hacking into users' accounts and sending invitations to friends
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Pursuant to open market buyback approved on July 24, 2017, the company has bought back 22,41,000 equity shares at an average price of Rs 374.18 per equity share aggregating to Rs 83.85 crore, Just Dial said. Meanwhile, Just Dial has denied any such deal talks with Google.
Just Dial's chief financial officer Abhishek Bansal told BS, "Just Dial, as part of its regular business, does meet various relevant corporates for exploring any business/strategic tie-ups".
On account of the sudden surge, NSE has sought clarification from Just Dial on the media report. However, "we would like to clarify that as of now, there is no proposal in respect of acquisition of business of Justdial by Google", it added.
At 10:16 hours Friday, the stock of Just Dial was trading at Rs. 526.50 per share, up by 14.71 per cent. Google has teamed up with UrbanClap, Faasos, Freshmenu, Holachef and Box8 to provide services, putting it in competition with Just Dial.
Revenue came in at Rs 214.52 crore, up around 4% from Rs 206.33 crore in the year prior.
The company had posted net profit after tax of Rs 37.46 crore in the second quarter of 2018 fiscal.
Earlier, a report of Business Standard suggested that internet giant Google might take-over Mumbai-based search engine.
Which was India's most valuable consumer Internet venture in early 2014?.


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Simian invests 3.5 million Euro in production
The company behind online printers Reclameland, Drukland and Flyerzone, saw its turnover grow by 25% in the past year, to more than 20 million euros per year. This is the reason that the printer will extend production capacity and double the number of machines. Simian bought a second new 8 colour Komori press which will be installed in October. Together with the other pre and postpress machines the total investment comes to 3.5 million euros.


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BIA Updates U.S. Local Advertising Estimate for 2024 to $172 Billion; Indicating 9.3 Percent Growth from Prior Year
Significant growth in TV OTA, TV Digital, and CTV/OTT fueled by political and other local…
CHANTILLY, Va. (Feb. 1, 2018) – Local advertising on mobile devices sold by pure-play mobile providers will rise this year to $19 billion, according to BIA/Kelsey’s U.S. Local Advertising Forecast 2018: Mobile and Social estimates. An additional $3.1 billion in mobile advertising is being sold by traditional media companies (i.e., radio, television and newspapers) in 2018.
With increasing consumer and SMB adoption and its ability to reach targeted audiences, the mobile/social category will be the third largest ad platform in 2018, behind direct mail and local television. Of the overall $151.2 billon estimated U.S. local advertising spending for the year, pure-play mobile will represent 12.6 percent of the local advertising spend and is on a pace to reach 19.2 percent, and the second top spot, by 2022.
“We are very positive about local advertising on mobile devices to increase significantly in the next decade. As mobile continues to mature, national and small business advertisers see its effectiveness and ability as an all-encompassing platform to reach their audiences,” said Mark Fratrik, chief economist and SVP at BIA/Kelsey. “Mobile has become a preferred platform for the advertising dollar because of its ability to capture audiences of all ages based precisely on where they are and what they are doing, at any given moment.”
BIA/Kelsey has continued to expand its research and analysis on the entire local advertising landscape, including each of the top 12 media platforms, and produces both a nationwide and local market forecast across each media for the current year. The forecast for each segment is based on in-house data going back to mid-2000.
Social media ad revenue from mobile (not including tablets) now represents slightly more than 70 percent of total social ad spending, and will grow to 80 percent by 2022 as more social engagement continues to shift away from desktops. Facebook is expected to receive the lion’s share of those dollars followed by Twitter, Snap, LinkedIn, and other popular apps. Further, location targeting advertising within mobile sold by all providers (which includes pure play, radio, television and newspapers) is projected to grow from $17.1 billion in 2017 to $38.7 billion in 2022, a 17.8 percent compound annual growth.
About the U.S. Local Advertising 2018 Forecast: Mobile and Social
BIA/Kelsey’s 2018 U.S. Local Advertising Forecast: Mobile and Social, a subset of the comprehensive U.S. Local Advertising Forecast 2018, provides a complete overview of paid U.S. local advertising for local mobile and local social. It includes a five-year national overview of total U.S. spending in local markets and market-based advertising revenue estimates. The forecast provides 360-degree view of the market for local mobile and social advertising spent by national, regional and SMB advertisers to target messaging to specific geographic markets.
Accessing the Forecast
The Mobile and Social Forecast, along with the forecast for other media segments, is available in the firm’s online dashboard, BIA ADVantage, which provides the full U.S. Local Advertising Forecast both nationwide and for 12 media, along with other industry data and analysis. The forecast can also be purchased separately.
For information on becoming a BIA ADVantage client, contact Mark Giannini, COO and SVP, business development, at firstname.lastname@example.org or (703) 818-2425.


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In today’s television ecosystem, consumers are demanding more flexibility across multiple screens. To address how companies are responding to this trend, Cablefax partnered with Adobe Primetime on a survey–“Cablefax and Adobe Survey: TVE, OTT and You”–about TV Everywhere’s challenges and benefits as well as the industry’s take on over-the-top outlets.
TV Everywhere’s biggest benefit, according to 38.13% of those surveyed, is the increase in value of the broadband product. 21.88% said it mostly reduces churn, 12.50% said it increases ARPU and 28.75% responded that helps their companies compete with OTT players like Netflix. The service’s biggest challenge, meanwhile, is educating consumers (36.25%), followed by increasing available TVE content and negotiations between distributors and programmers (23.13% each) and improving the log-in experience (18.75%).
Where are consumers watching this TVE content? The most important second-screen device was the tablet (44.38%). 28.75% said it was the smartphone, 13.13% said a smart TV or box, 8.75% responded that it was the computer and 5% answered gaming console. 1.25% said it was none of these choices.
On the topic of dynamic ad insertion, 36.25% of respondents said it is very important to their company’s monetization strategy in 2015. 30% of respondents found it somewhat important and 35% of respondents said it was either invaluable or not at all important.
When it comes to staffing, linear and digital ad sales channels tend to be under one roof (46.25%). 16.88% of respondents said they’re separate departments, 17.50% said they’re separate but with some coordination and 20.63% answered “other.”
Lastly, on the integration of OTT players into the set-top navigation experience, 67.51% said it was either very important or important. 19.38% said it was somewhat important, 6.25% called it unimportant and 7.50% said it is harmful to the TV ecosystem.


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LEDinside: Indigenous chips in 80% of Chinese LED chip market
LEDinside of TrendForce has reported in 2013 Chinese LED packaging market value increased far quicker than the global average. LEDinside says LED lighting is still the largest application field of 2013 Chinese LED packaging market, accounting for 42%. LEDinside finds indigenous chips has accounted for almost 80% in the 2013 Chinese chip market.
For backlight field, LEDinside analyst Allen Yu said that with the support of Chinese TV and mobile phone manufacturers, Mainland package manufacturers gradually replacing that in Taiwan, Japan and Korea in the market has become an irreversible trend. In TV backlight field, Refond, DSBJ, AMTC, Shineon and other manufacturers all got fast-growing performance, and entered into China’s top six TV manufacturers' supply chain.
LEDinside finds in 2013, EMC lead frame materials, flip chip, CSP and other emerging technologies appeared.
LEDinside expects that the global LED lighting product shipment will grow by 68% in 2014, with the production value reaching 17.8 billion U.S. dollars.


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TV viewers are still not interested in home shopping, according to new research from Mintel.
Sixty-eight per cent of adults questioned in a report on the development of interactive TV (iTV) have a highly negative view, which Mintel blames on ignorance of the technology. Respondents do not want to connect their telephone to a digital TV to provide a link with retailers.
Of the 26 per cent of the sample that do want interactivity, the response rates were skewed in favour of younger, pre-family adults, ABC1s and better-off families, which Mintel believes will make up the second take-up wave of digital TV. Early digital adopters are more interested in having greater channel choice than home shopping.
Thirty-five per cent of people ranked choosing a holiday as the top rated service, making it the most likely to be taken up by iTV, followed by cinema and theatre tickets, CDs and videos, books, clothes, and food and drink.
Cheaper prices was the most frequently mentioned motive for buying through electronic channels (24 per cent), although a large proportion of the ABC1 group was worried about payment security.
Mintel anticipates take-up rates will speed up now that ONdigital and SkyDigital are giving away free set-top boxes. The research company predicts the TV shopping market will grow from about &£200m in 1998 to more than &£550m by 2002.
For the foreseeable future, Mintel expects Internet and TV-based technologies to remain quite distinct strands for retailers to develop, because early digital TV adopters tend to be less affluent families, while better-off families are more likely to have a computer.


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XMNR: If you're not too concerned about the possibility of Bulletstorm turning you into a rapist as a certain Fox News psychiatrist implies, then you may want to check out the pre-order deal that Amazon has running for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Meh its still not worth it. Kizzy 3 baby!
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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Deliveroo is bringing more than just food to the table for its thousands of restaurants by launching a new support site to help restaurants reduce everyday business expenses.
The food delivery giant has formed partnerships with a number of businesses to offer discounts across various business services – ensuring their restaurant network have access to the best deals on the market. Partners include, WiFi solutions provider, Purple, clean energy company, Squeaky, print management and promotional goods provider, Adare, and many more.
It is all part of Deliveroo’s efforts to broaden its offering to restaurants beyond just the increased sales and revenue associated with listing on the platform.
Dan Warne, UK Managing Director at Deliveroo, said: “Deliveroo is passionate about food and we therefore want to help great restaurants to grow. We have been working with restaurants to understand what would help their businesses and we are proud to announce a package of support that will cut their day-to-day costs, meaning they can focus on what matters: producing amazing food.”
The support site is now live and free of charge to all exclusive Deliveroo restaurant partners. Restaurants will get cut price guest WiFi as well as access to cheaper business rate reviews, something which could be crucial to smaller restaurant businesses struggling under the increased levy alongside other costs such as food price inflation and rising wages.
Restaurants will also get money off electric and gas bills as well as discounts on job advertisements, using temporary agency workers and recruitment firms.
Deliveroo has also introduced a new portal offering restaurant staff benefits and discounts to boost staff retention. Deliveroo has used its scale to secure staff benefits for all workers in the restaurants that are listed on its website in a deal struck with WRKIT, one of the UK’s leading employee engagement providers.
The move by Deliveroo could be important in helping small restaurants survive amid the tough trading conditions the sector is facing. It also potentially hints at the growing competition between online food ordering websites.
Gavin Wheeldon, CEO at Purple, said: “Guest WiFi and WiFi analytics can have a significant impact on customer retention, particularly in the restaurant industry. We hope that through this partnership with Deliveroo, more businesses will be able to benefit from such a solution.”


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Langley RCMP is looking for a number of suspects caught on camera during alleged crimes around the community.
The crimes ranged from shoplifting groceries to theft of jewelry and electronics to credit card fraud.
The incidents include:
• A man allegedly stole several items from the Aldergrove Save-On-Foods on March 29. The suspect is described as Caucasian, 40 to 50 years old, about 5’2”, unshaven, with poor teeth. He wore a beige baseball cap, a forest green coat, and carried a grey backpack with metal braces.
• A Caucasian man, 30 to 40 years old, allegedly stole several bottles of vodka from the Jericho Liquor Store on April 19. He stands about 6’0”, with a thin build and short blonde hair. He wore a beige jacket and jeans, and was seen leaving on a bicycle.
• A Macbook computer was allegedly stolen from Simply Computing in the Willowbrook Shopping Centre on April 23 by a man wearing all black clothing and a black hat.
• A man allegedly broke into an apartment building in Langley City and stole a bicycle on April 23.
• On April 24, a man stole a gold chain worth about $1,700 from Ann Louise Jewellers.
• A man allegedly used a stolen credit card to buy items at several locations between April 24 and 27.
• Police are looking for a woman who allegedly stole several bottles of liquor from the Berezan Liquor Store on April 29, before leaving in a black sedan.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200, or to remain anonymous, call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).


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Here’s how to order a meal online without leaving a store.
(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)A restaurant has two functions, according to a new book, “Home Shopping Network: The Secrets of the Internet of Things,” by Kevin J. Anderson, which was released Tuesday.
The first is a home-based restaurant.
The second is a place where customers can go to shop for groceries, household items and more.
A new version of Anderson’s book was written for a public audience.
He said he hoped his book would spark interest in his other books, which he has published on topics ranging from the economics of the internet to the potential of the solar energy industry to the relationship between social media and politics.
“It’s been interesting to me to see the rise of the home-spaced restaurant, the home food delivery, which is a very different type of restaurant than a restaurant that’s really about catering,” he said.
“I think that’s something that I have been thinking about a lot.
And this book really addresses that.”
The book begins with a basic premise: People want to have their meals delivered or picked up from a restaurant.
They want to be able to walk in and choose their food.
The goal of Anderson is to give them what they want, while at the same time providing them with a system that makes it easy to find the best options.
To do that, he uses data from a slew of grocery stores around the country, including Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s and Safeway.
He uses those data to help guide the delivery of meals to the customers in the home.
A few examples of restaurants:Anderson uses grocery store locations to track how many customers come to a restaurant and how many come to the restaurant after they have left.
He uses location data to show which stores offer what.
He also uses the location data for restaurants that sell food, such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe, to see if they sell food that customers would like to buy.
And he uses the information to create a home shopping network.
Anderson uses the data to identify the most popular grocery stores that carry the food he’s interested in and then he uses that information to figure out how many people will come to those stores to get their food delivered.
He then uses the home shopping data to create an algorithm to suggest restaurants to deliver the food to, based on a variety of factors, including the size of the restaurant, where it’s located and whether it’s in the same neighborhood as the grocery store.
“I want to think of it as sort of a map of your neighborhood,” he says.
“You get the most people from the grocery stores where the food is cheapest and then you get the people who will want to go to those places to get that food.”
Here are some of the most common things people want to buy with their food delivery:The most popular items in Anderson’s home shopping map include:He also uses home delivery to determine the food quality of a particular product.
He’s using that information, for example, to figure how many different ingredients a restaurant uses.
Anderson says that home delivery is becoming increasingly important for consumers as the food delivery industry has grown.
And he’s concerned about the potential for this trend to expand and potentially impact consumers’ food quality.
“When it comes to food quality, the data is starting to come out and it’s becoming increasingly clear that home-delivered food is much more important than it was a few years ago,” he explains.
“We’re starting to see people ordering more and more items with home delivery.”
The problem with this is, as more consumers move to home delivery, they’re becoming more selective about the items they want to order.
“We’re seeing that more and less consumers are ordering items with a higher percentage of the ingredients that they want and are choosing to buy a food that is less healthy,” Anderson says.
This means that food quality becomes increasingly less important to consumers.
The result is that Anderson says he is concerned that the home delivery trend will eventually drive down home prices.
He points to examples such as the rise in the number of restaurants opening up and fewer options available for consumers to choose from.
“With the number and type of restaurants coming online and the increase in the food service options, there is going to be a downward pressure on the prices of food in the coming years,” he predicts.


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21 Jul 2021 · The high-end brand offers a piece of that Ocean Way Studio magic for your own control room - for USD 2994 / pair.
Ocean Way Audio - News and Rumours
You want all the latest news, rumours and everything else there’s to know about Ocean Way Audio? We're happy to oblige: On this page you’ll find everything at a glance – and it’s always up to date!
22 Dec 2016 · This year has seen some significant advancements in microphone technology. Here's our run down of the Top 5 microphones, each with something to shout about.
11 Oct 2016 · Is this the beginning of a new era for ribbon microphones? Ocean Way Audio's new RM1-B has high-intensity magnets to deliver a full-bandwidth.
01 Apr 2016 · Announced last year at AES, Ocean Way start shipping to dealers. They might look interesting, but they also come with heritage.


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According to a recent University of Phoenix® survey, more than half (51 percent) of working adults in the U.S. either currently own or want to own their own business. Of those working Americans who do not currently own their own business, 41 percent hope to do so in the future. “Being a business owner isn’t [...]
Tag: "first-time entrepreneurs"
Franchising offers first-time business owners guidance, support and a proven business model. And in today’s economy, starting a business can provide more stability than a job in corporate America. Franchises in particular can be see as lower risk. A report by research firm IHS Global Insight conducted for the International Franchise Association estimates that after [...]
Expert Reveals How To Know You’re Ready to Launch
Check out our newest issue landing on the stand before March 2011.
Check out our newest issue landing on the stands this Winter!


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By Yimou Lee
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Major Apple Inc supplier Foxconn plans to use a COVID bubble arrangement that allowed its Shenzhen campus to resume production until at least Sunday, according to an internal document seen by Reuters.
The world’s largest contract electronics maker said on Wednesday it had restarted some production and operations at its Shenzhen campuses after arranging for some staff to live and work in a bubble, an arrangement requested by the local government as it battles the spread of COVID.
The “closed-loop management” system in its campuses there will last until midnight on Sunday, according to an internal document seen by Reuters and confirmed by two people familiar with the matter.
The company, formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, has seen “limited” impact so far but some managers are worried about the bubble arrangement extending beyond Sunday as it meant the campus was not working at full production, one of the sources, who’s not authorised to speak to the media, said.
Foxconn referred Reuters to its earlier statement, in which the company said it adheres to strict industry guidelines and policies issued by the Shenzhen government.
Only a small part of Foxconn’s production for Apple’s iPhone production in China takes place in the southern city of Shenzhen, with the majority happening in Zhengzhou in the central province of Henan, the two sources said.
(Reporting By Yimou Lee and Taipei newsroom; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)


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The most compelling statistic of all? Half of all new college graduates now believe that self-employment is more secure than a full-time job. Today, 80% of the colleges and universities in the U.S. now offer courses on entrepreneurship; 60% of Gen Y business owners consider themselves to be serial entrepreneurs, according to Inc. magazine. Tellingly, 18 to 24-year-olds are starting companies at a faster rate than 35 to 44-year-olds. And 70% of today’s high schoolers intend to start their own companies, according to a Gallup poll.
… Without knowing it, we have been training a whole generation of young entrepreneurs.
I spent 2 hours yesterday showing my nephew how to choose domains and build an online business. 15, and fast on the uptake, you could see the ideas take hold. Why work for someone when you can work for yourself?


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After leaving behind the Gears of War franchise in 2013, Epic Games went from being a developer of genre-defining platform exclusives to working on mobile games, VR, and a weird co-op survival shooter.
It wasn't long before Tencent's decision to acquire 48.4% of the company in 2012 began to look a little questionable, and as Fortnite: Save the World entered early access to lukewarm reception in July last year, the industry failed to take notice.
Even after Epic Games announced a free-to-play battle royale mode in September that year, it was discussed in the same cynical breath as every other pretender to the PUBG throne. But here we are a year later, and the head-spinning success of Fortnite has become banal, almost tedious, at this point.
When we recognised Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Greene with a People of the Year award in 2017 for the frankly staggering impact of PUBG on the industry, we thought every record had been broken and would stay that way for some time to come.
But again and again this year new statistics emerge, demonstrating the previously unknowable peaks Epic Games has scaled with Fortnite.
"Fortnite is so successful that even Sony was ultimately forced to bend the knee and allow cross-platform play"
Whether it's reaching 8.3 million concurrent players, breezing past $1 billion revenue from in-app purchases, or passing 200 million registered users, Fortnite is doing really rather well. After only a year, it's already among the pantheon of most successful games in the world along with Minecraft and League of Legends.
In fact, Fortnite is so successful that even Sony was ultimately forced to bend the knee and allow cross-platform play. After initially trying to suffocate the idea before it could gain traction, Sony offered some tepid, meandering responses that failed to address why it wouldn't facilitate cross-platform play with Fortnite. Ultimately, however, it buckled under the pressure and Fortnite became the first game to breach the divide, possibly -- if you're really optimistic -- setting the stage for a platform-agnostic future. Not even the might of Sony's market dominance, with over 86 million PS4s in the wild, could save it from the influence of Fortnite.
Following Epic's triumph over Sony in this arena, the company also announced it will launch a number of free services designed to help developers implement cross-platform play into their games.
From the very outset of 2018, Epic has positioned itself as one of the good guys, particularly over how it handled the closure of its free-to-play shooter Paragon. When the studio announced the game would be taken offline in April, it offered a full refund to all players for any purchases made, regardless of platform. On top of that, Epic Games made the Paragon assets free to use for other developers.
"Combine these moments and Epic Games has spent much of 2018 looking like an industry hero"
Obviously not every studio which finds itself in the uncomfortable situation of shutting down a live game could make such gestures, but it was a stroke of remarkable altruism on behalf of Epic Games.
In a similar vein, in July the company announced it was reducing its revenue split share from Unreal Engine Marketplace from 30% to 12%, a change which it applied retroactively all the way back to 2014.
Combine these moments with the company's recently revealed digital games storefront that will also take just a 12% cut of sales -- as opposed to the 30% cut standardised by Valve with Steam -- and Epic Games has spent much of 2018 looking like an industry hero.
But all that glitters is not gold, and Epic Games has found itself at the centre of some controversies this year.
The studio now faces accusations from artists that it has lifted dance-moves for use as in-game emotes without properly crediting the creators, and several have begun to file lawsuits. As Rob Fahey argued in a recent article on GamesIndustry.biz, while there is plenty of scope for homage, "the success of the medium brings responsibilities with it" and Epic Games should be cognizant of this issue.
"But all that glitters is not gold, and Epic Games has found itself at the centre of some controversies this year"
Beyond that is the more disturbing discussion emerging from the mainstream press around Fortnite addiction; a recent report from Bloomberg highlighted some extreme examples where parents had even sent their children to rehab.
In a year of loot box controversy, as the industry clumsily wrestled with how to monetise beyond initial sales, Epic Games rejected the mechanic in favour of Battle Passes -- a model which effectively gamifies the acquisition of in-game cosmetics. It's been so successful PUBG has since adopted the model, along with Rocket League and Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII.
While it's undoubtedly less toxic than loot boxes, it's not hard to see how the extensively gamified system enables compulsive and even problematic behaviour. Unfortunately the debate around addiction is muddied by hysteria, but let's not be blind to issues potentially forming before us. Fortnite is a successful game loved by millions, with its influence felt around the globe -- it would be a shameful state of affairs for it to become soured by a lack of corporate responsibility.
The company's public image has also been mired somewhat by its litigiousness, including lawsuits filed against a 14-year-old-boy and an ex-QA contractor. How Epic Games handles these problems going forward will define it, for better or worse, and a fall from grace is not impossible.
Despite it all, this year Epic Games has overwhelmingly established itself as a rare market leader with an eye toward improving the wider industry. Its influence over the past 12 months has been more than just the meteoric rise of Fortnite, but what Epic has done with that success. From the Unreal Engine Marketplace and the Epic Games Store, to popularising Battle Passes and breaking down the platform barriers, Epic Games is slowly but surely remoulding the industry.


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Online store Amazon could be preparing to launch their app store tomorrow – aimed at the Google Android userbase.
A source within Amazon has leaked information to Wired saying that the retail chain could be launching the app store tomorrow. This new Amazon store is set to lure users away from the official Android Market by offering exclusive applications and reduced pricing.
The blog Android News found an Amazon app store webpage which was later removed, but it highlighted that Amazon were able to offer reduced prices when compared with the official Android Market.
Amazon are rumoured to be offering the new Angry Birds Rio game and a Call Of Duty Game to Android users at the time of launch, this will entice users to head over and have a look at the titles on offer.
Amazon will be regulating the applications which are allowed to be sold on their store, in a similar fashion to Apple who monitor and authorise applications to be sold. It can even set the prices for the programs.


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It’s not a nude selfie or anything, and the internet probably won’t be broken, but Britney Spears’ new bikini photo has the internet all abuzzzzz about her wasp-like waist! Plus, see a video of Britney happily dancing on the beach in the same bikini!
It’s early March, which means winter is almost over and the sun is just about ready to start shining on the regular again–and what better way to celebrate than with a little beach fantasy? The 2016 Victoria’s Secret Swim Show photo gallery is here, in anticipation of this year’s installment of the swimwear fashion show and oceanside extravaganza. To check out this year’s lineup, read on!
Porsha Williams has enlisted the help of her super model co-star, Cynthia Baily, to market her Naked Lingerie line, and the results are sizzlingly hot! Keep reading to see the photos and also watch a couple of ‘mercials featuring Porsha.
Teen Mom OG star Maci Bookout isn’t about to let being six months pregnant keep her from taking care of business — or shop for wedding dresses!? The 24-year-old mom is currently in the United Kingdom where she attended a bridal fashion show by Israeli designer Riki Dalal on Sunday. Keep reading for lots of photos of Maci’s growing baby bump as well as some pretty clear indication as to whether or not she plans on wearing a Riki Dalal wedding gown when she walks down the aisle with fiancé Taylor McKinney.
THE SUPERFICIAL – It’s The 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Covers
DLISTED – Taylor Swift Called Out Kanye West Without Saying The Name Kanye West
CELEBITCHY – The Walking Dead midseason premiere was insane, right? (spoilers)
REALITY TEA – Real Housewives Of Atlanta Recap: Deep Fried Shade
THE BLEMISH – Kanye West Unreleases New Album
JEZEBEL – Here Are All Your 58th Annual Grammy Award Winners
THE ASHLEY’S REALITY ROUNDUP – Maci Bookout Scolded by Teen Mom Fans for Drinking While Pregnant
Audrina Patridge announced last month that she is expecting her first child with biker beau Corey Bohan, and earlier this week she shared the first photo of her growing baby bump — or, as we like to call it, “The Hill.”
Jaden Smith’s unique fashion sense has landed him a major modeling gig. The actor, musician, poet, and son to Will Smith is the face for designer Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2016 womenswear campaign. Check out images of Jaden styling selections from the new line.
This week’s lingere extravaganza might as well have been called the Gigi Hadid Victoria’s Secret Show! Thanks to a bevy of positive attention and accolades galore, the 20-year-old model has taken the fashion world by storm…and looks to build on her success for an even bigger 2016. Check out a photo gallery of Gigi’s best shots from the just-aired Victoria’s Secret lingerie extravaganza, including a series of behind-the-scenes tweets from Hadid herself!


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The number of complaints filed against Charlotte-area service providers was down slightly in 2014, and local companies seemed even more eager to resolve customer issues to retain their business.
According to the Better Business Bureau’s year-end report, the biggest overall offender was Time Warner Cable with 187 complaints last year. The number of complaints against all area businesses was 13,642, a 3 percent decrease from 2013. The industry generating the most complaints was new car dealers, for the second year in a row.
Consumers requested just over 3 million business reviews – which can can be rated A+ to F – from BBB’s website on local businesses in 2014, a 34 percent increase from the prior year, according to the report.
“When consumers check out companies before hiring them, they are more likely to do business with a company that provides quality service and has a proven track record for resolving customer disputes,” Tom Bartholomy, the nonprofit organization’s CEO, said in a statement.
The settlement rate for complaints filed in 2014 reached a record high of 91 percent, up from 90 percent in 2013. Bartholomy told the Observer that rate “shows the cooperation level from the local business community, that they really care about their customers (and) will do whatever it takes to get it resolved.”
The five types of businesses with the most complaints included – in order of most complaints to least – new car dealers, collection agencies, cable and satellite service providers, auto repair shops and used car dealers.
The No. 1 complaint generator for the top category was Performance Ford Lincoln on South Boulevard, with 28 complaints filed against it in 2014. BBB business reviews gave the company a C rating. Representatives from Performance Ford Lincoln could not immediately be reached for comment.
Time Warner Cable said it spent about $345 million in its North and South Carolina networks last year to improve customer experiences through upgrades such as faster Internet speeds and new television channels.
“We take the referrals we get from the BBB very seriously – whether they’re service issues, simple questions or misunderstandings – and we work to resolve them to our customers’ satisfaction as quickly as possible,” said Time Warner Cable spokesman Scott Pryzwansky.


text: Damn, that was fast. Only half a year since the first Full Auto landed on 360 and we're already getting hit with a PS3 sequel. Well, mostly. We've been speculating that the game was originally planned to be a feature-packed port of the 360 game that got a "2" slapped on it along the way. Speculating, just to be absolutely clear on that. Only six out of Full Auto 2's 27 vehicles are completely new, as are 13 of the game's 27 tracks. The game is also getting at least three new multiplayer modes as well as a new multi-path single-player campaign. Admittedly, it would be an awful lot of fresh content for a port. On the flipside, that's still an awful lot of old material for a sequel.


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On January 13, Samsung Asset Management Hong Kong (SAMHK), a division of Samsung Asset Management, the company’s investment arm, plans to float the “Samsung Bitcoin Futures Active ETF” on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
The action is being taken in response to an increase in interest from the local government and institutional investors. Samsung’s action comes after Bitcoin’s price topped $18,000, signaling a potential increase in traders’ positive sentiment.
The only market in Asia where Bitcoin futures ETFs may currently be traded in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Crypto Futures ETF, which started trading in 2022 with a $70 million market cap, is now joined by the Samsung Bitcoin Futures ETF. Canada, the United States, Australia, and several European nations like Switzerland are additional global marketplaces.
Samsung Asset Management Hong Kong’s head, Park Seong-jin, said:
“Bitcoin futures ETFs are only listed and traded in the institutional market in Hong Kong in Asia. For investors interested in Bitcoin as a competitive product that shows its risk management expertise, it will be a new choice.
Retail and institutional investors will have a new option to access Bitcoin thanks to this ETF filing, which might help draw more mainstream investors into the cryptocurrency industry. Given Samsung’s name and brand strength, the ETF may be a desirable choice for investors searching for a method to purchase Bitcoin without having to use their own money
Stay with us for more daily crypto news. Comment your thoughts of these news on our social channels below


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With the recent hype from release of Apple Watch, Xiaomi has taken this golden opportunity and planned to release their own smartwatch in the end of 2015. This time, Xiaomi has cooperated with Huawei in the design and manufacturing of Xiaomi smartband 2 and Smart Watch. Besides NFC, the Smart Watch may features a new revolutionary technology – Pulse wave velocity identification that can be utilized in human identification in payment process. The development of this technology is highly challenging as it will consume high electrical power.
“Xiaomi also will be implementing the sensors from their smartband into the Smart Watch which makes it function as fitness tracker and a healthcare companion ” Wang Wei stated. In terms of its pricing, Wang Wei promises that Smart Watch will comes a price tag that will impress the world just like their smartband launch.


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- Event Coverage
LG Singapore is launching the G Watch in Singapore on July 26, which is the first Android Wear-powered smartwatch to land on our sunny shores. We had the opportunity to test out a pre-production unit and here are our initial impressions on the LG G Watch.
With so many different tablets available on the market today, what should you look out for when you make your purchase? More than 50 participants attended our HWZ PlayTest event for a hands-on of the latest models on the market, including, phablets, tablets and notebook hybrids. Some from ASUS and Samsung, weren't even launched yet! So check out what took place.
As part of its 2014 World Tour, HP has been showcasing a number of innovative new enterprise devices that look set to change how businesses operate, among them, the first fully virtual workstation, and a storage drive HP claims is twice as fast as an SSD.
Microsoft won’t be the only company enticing business users with a 2-in-1 notebook/tablet device this year, HP’s Pro x2 612 is a 12-inch, Intel Core-powered tablet with stylus support, a choice between a notebook form factor docking keyboard or a thin and light mobile keyboard, and the Surface Pro 3's stiffest competition.
Google's main event of the year was full of announcements, from an entirely new look across all Google products, to super-budget Android smartphones, PC-quality gaming on your smartphone, and Android on your wrist, car and in your TV. Here's the five most important things you need to know from Google I/O 2014.
"S" truly stands for "sensitive" with Sony's new full-frame camera, the A7S. We had a chance to get a special sneak peek of the new camera in our office, and are pleased to bring you our first thoughts as well as image samples within.
Sportscasting was the focus of this year's Broadcast Asia, as a number of partners were on hand to showcase their latest products and also to talk about how 4K is already very much a possibility with existing technologies - evidenced by trials that have been run over the last year.
Huawei debut its latest flagship smartphone, the Ascend P7 in Singapore at CommunicAsia 2014 earlier this afternoon. Join us as we check out what's new in the Ascend P7.
Fujifilm's new XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR is the latest addition to its professional-grade lenses for X-series cameras. Weather resistant to match the X-T1 camera, Fujifilm says it also offers professional-grade image quality. Too good to be true? Read on to find out more.
Once again, Computex 2014 was chock-full of interesting new gadgets and technologies, and as we round up our coverage of the show, here is probably what most of you have been waiting for... bring on the show girls!
- LG to unveil 6-inch G Pro 3 with Snapdragon 820, 4GB RAM and 20.7MP camera?
- Oppo unveils Mirror 5s in Taiwan, runs on Snapdragon 410 and Android 5.1 Lollipop
- Microsoft drops Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10162 for PCs
- WSJ: Casio to introduce a smartwatch in 2016 to compete against the Apple Watch
- Apple's new iPhones to come with new NFC chip and 16GB base storage option?
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 listed on IDA's website, a hint of an imminent launch?
- Soon, MasterCard could let you approve purchases with your face
- Here’s why you should hold off on buying a liquid-cooled AMD Fury X graphics card


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Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Circus Live Coming to Scotia Speedworld in 2016
(Monday – September 14, 2015) Direct from sell out shows across the globe, the world’s greatest action sports show — Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Circus Live — will return to Canada next year as part of a just-announced 2016 North American tour. The most explosive event in extreme sports will play more than 40 huge shows across the continent, all in first-time markets, starting next spring. Halifax can witness all of the death-defying stunts and mind-blowing tricks at Scotia Speedworld on Saturday, July 30 2016.
Thirty of the best athletes in freestyle motocross (FMX), BMX and more – including Canada’s own Jolene Van Vugt, the greatest female extreme sports athlete on the planet — will perform. Nitro’s daredevils will also ride a host of ridiculous contraptions and anything else imaginable with wheels, launching 50-feet into the air for a theatrical spectacular area fans have never experienced before.
Highlights include the most incredible choreographed riding routines ever seen. The famous “Nitro Bomb” features multiple athletes flipping simultaneously, while during unbelievable FMX trains riders slice through the air wheel-to-wheel, mere inches apart.
Nitro Circus Live has sold out legendary arenas such as Madison Square Garden in New York and the O2 in London. More than 35,000 people packed Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium, site of the 2010 soccer World Cup final, for a massive 2014 show. 45,000 filled Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, the second highest attendance of any touring act at that venue. Now, Halifax fans do not want to miss their chance to see Nitro Circus Live.
Check out show highlights here
Pre-sale tickets available now – sign up at http://nitrocircus.com/tour/. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, September 18.
Fans looking for the ultimate Nitro Circus experience will want to get their hands on the all-new Nitro Club VIP package. Starting at just $99 each, plus applicable service fees, these exclusive passes include the best seats in the house, watching the final 20 minutes of rider rehearsals, as well as a chance to get up close and personal with the stars of Nitro Circus during an exclusive Q & A. Nitro Club pass holders will also receive a souvenir lanyard and electronically signed Nitro poster, as well as a chance to win cool Nitro swag.
The positive economic impact the tour will generate also means Halifax businesses can anticipate receiving a major boost with the show’s arrival drawing thousands of people to their cities.
“Hotels, restaurants, bars and practically every other business in Halifax will benefit from having Nitro Circus Live in town,” Michael Porra, Nitro Circus CEO and creative director, said. “Through audience research we’ve seen that fans are blown away, saying it’s the most exciting show they’ve ever seen. We’re thrilled to bring an event that has sold out huge stadiums across the globe to these new cities.”
For Nitro Circus news, tour updates, full rider lineup, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and more, go to http://www.nitrocircus.com. Follow Nitro Circus on Twitter: @nitrocircus and Facebook: www.facebook.com/NitroCircus. Athletes subject to change.
About Nitro Circus
Recently named by Forbes as one of America’s Most Promising Companies, Nitro Circus continues to position itself as the leading youth action sports & entertainment brand on the planet. From humble beginnings, with Jeremy Rawle, Gregg Godfrey and extreme sports superstar Travis Pastrana producing DVDs from a Utah garage in 2003, to a smash TV series which has aired in over 60 countries, Nitro Circus has exploded to global popularity, leaving a burning impression on the minds of young people across the planet. Nitro Circus: The Movie, featuring cast members from the hit television series, was released in 2012 in cinemas worldwide.
In 2010, the TV show was transformed by current CEO and action sports industry guru Michael Porra into a must-see live event, creating the global touring phenomenon that is Nitro Circus Live. Since its inaugural Australian trek five years ago, the show has travelled the globe, obliterating box office records and cultivating a legion of diehard fans. Nitro Circus has now rolled across five continents, blown away over two million fans and sold-out shows in Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, the Middle East and South Africa.


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According to internal company emails, Amazon threatened several employees with their termination if they ever criticized the companies environmental policies publicly again. Amazon claims that all employees have to sign agreements that they won’t engage in this kind of criticism, but the truth is that these agreements are just to protect Amazon’s public image. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains what’s happening.
*This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos.
Many months ago, several employees working for Amazon gave an interview to the Washington Post where they criticized Amazon’s environmental policies, specifically the fact that Amazon partners with companies who exploit fossil fuels and further the destruction of our planet. These employees weren’t happy about that and they said, gee, I wish Amazon wouldn’t do this. Not long after the Washington Post printed this story, these employees were called into human resources at Amazon and each one individually, one by one, was threatened with termination from the company if they ever stepped out of line and criticized this company or their environmental policies in the press ever again. And we know that that happened because the Washington Post, which is owned by Jeff Bezos, who owns Amazon, actually got their hands on those Amazon emails calling these employees in and warning them, one, that they allegedly broke company rules and two, that if you ever do it again, you’re going to be fired.
Here’s the issue with all of this. Amazon came out and said, well, listen, actually, here it is. Representatives for Amazon said that the company’s external communications policy was well established and that employees had internal means to share their concerns. Our policy regarding external communications is not new and we believe is similar to other large companies, a company spokesperson said. We recently updated the policy and related approval process to make it easier for employees to participate in external activities such as speeches, media interviews and use of the company’s logo. As with any company policy, employees may receive a notification from our HR team if we learn of an instance where a policy is not being followed. These people were criticizing the company. They didn’t say you were evil, they didn’t say you were the worst company on the planet. They weren’t out there exposing the fact that your warehouse workers have to pee in jars. They were just saying, gee, I wish we weren’t partnering with the companies who are destroying the planet.
And they’re threatened with termination. And again, these are not warehouse employees. These are some of the higher ups in Amazon speaking to a newspaper that Amazon owns. Now, this story is absolutely nuts, but it’s not just about Amazon here. As they pointed out, lots of companies have this same policy. You can’t go out there and talk bad about us in the public and that’s such a horrible way to do business. And I understand why companies like Amazon and all the rest of them do this, they want to save face. They don’t want their employees out there telling all their dirty little secrets to the press. If they did, those are the only stories that would ever be able to run because there’s so many abuses taking place in corporate America. But, these employees have every right to go out there and talk. They have every right to let the public know what’s really happening and if the company doesn’t like it, how about instead of retaliating against the employees, you stop doing the bad things.
I don’t know. I mean, I don’t run a company, but to me that seems like the best way to avoid this negative publicity and press. If you don’t want people going out there and telling all your dirty little secrets, then maybe the best course of action is to not have dirty little secrets. If you don’t want people criticizing you for partnering with fossil fuel companies, then don’t partner with fossil fuel companies. I mean that, that, that seems like a pretty easy solution there. A common sense way to solve these problems, but Amazon’s not going to do that. Amazon would rather fire these employees than have to address the fact that they’re not being forthright with the public about their environmental policies and who they’re partnered with. Why? Because they make more money that way. And at the end of the day, that’s what this all comes down to. You can replace an employee, but you can’t replace a multimillion dollar partnership with a company that’s getting rich, destroying the planet.


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Can’t Stand Waiting in Line? Analytics Can Help.
On May 6, Chicago's iconic Hot Doug's announced it will be closing its famous emporium this October. The always-long-lines to buy one of the city's most famous hot dogs are now longer than ever.
To help out the countless number of tourists and all of Chicago's Hot Doug's fans, a team of hot dog lovers at FCB Chicago created an infographic illustrating "the best conditions for doing the Hot Doug-ie before it closes." In other words, the best time to go to avoid the lines.
Using social data surrounding when customers were checking-in to Hot Doug's or tweeting about waiting in line, the team estimated when the lines would be shortest and correlated the data against historical weather data to see other patterns and trends surrounding the average number of people checking-in.
The infographic is a doggone good way to cut down the wait time – and demonstrates the importance of data and analytics in our everyday lives!


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In the second annual Yahoo! survey measuring small business aspirations of the general population, a growing number of baby boomers said they would never be too old to launch a business. In addition, two thirds of American adults (66%) said that they have considered starting their own businesses (versus 72% last year), according to the new survey commissioned by Yahoo! Small Business and conducted by Harris InteractiveÂ®.
The Internet has certainly changed the way we think about retirement hasn’t it?
- Other key findings from the survey include:
- 55% of respondents chose “own my own business” as the kind of work they would prefer to do late in life. Other choices included: 42% volunteer work/public service; 29% consulting; 20% teaching, and less than 15% for running for political office, retail/customer service, corporate officer, and sales.
- 37% of those who said they had thought about launching their own businesses but haven’t yet planned to do so within one to five years
- 75% of U.S. adults who go online said that the Internet has made it easier to start a small business.
- 92% of U.S. adults who go online said it was important for a new small business to have an Internet presence.


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DOWNLOAD REPORT Economic uncertainty is altering consumer shopping behavior ahead of the 2022 holiday season. While 91% are expecting price hikes, most shoppers will resort to elaborate…
As retailers prep for the upcoming 2021 holiday shopping season, things are going to get quite interesting. If last year was unique due to the pandemic, this year…
The upcoming holiday season will look different this year as shoppers have acquired new habits over the last several months due to COVID-19. We wanted to dig into…
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Power of Place for
As migrants, refugees, travelers, and transplants, we understand the power of place. That’s why we’ve created a best-in-class location technology to enable meaningful experiences on the go, including convenient order pick up, faster drive-thru, automated tolling, and more.


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Via WWF UK
"Tuna is one of the UK’s most popular seafood dishes, but it’s often overshadowed by questions about its sustainability. Are more fish being taken out of the sea than can be replaced? Are the fishing methods used by big seafood companies threatening other species or damaging our oceans? WWF has worked on making seafood more sustainable for many years and this spring we’re at a potential turning point for tuna – specifically, the tuna sourced from the Indian Ocean."


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One of golf’s fashion trends, the designer belt buckle, isn’t new. In fact, it’s nearly 150 years old. The British Open used to award the winner a large engraved buckle attached to a red, Morrocan-leather belt. Anyone who captured the Open three years in a row could keep it, and Young Tom Morris took it home after completing the three-peat in 1870. The Open had to find a new prize, so Old Tom Morris came up with the Claret Jug.
The latest belt buckle of note belongs to Angel Cabrera, who won the Masters while wearing a stainless steel buckle with his initials on it, AC, a more subtle version of the AK model that Anthony Kim has made famous.
Cabrera’s buckle was made by Bob Bettinardi, whose company is best known for meticulously crafted custom putters. Cabrera has been wearing it for several months. Tour player Kevin Streelman has an endorsement deal to wear Bettinardi buckles and sports a different customized buckle each week he plays on the PGA Tour. In Hawaii, his buckle featured a volcano. In Phoenix, a cactus and a desert sun.
Bettinardi is expanding his custom buckles to include private clubs, college teams and corporate logos. He got the idea for the business after his wife gave him a belt with a sterling silver buckle for Christmas two years ago. “It was nice quality silver, I was feeling it and I thought, why can’t we do a metal product like this?” said Bettinardi, whose company is headquartered in Tinley Park, Ill.
Bettinardi hooked up with leathermaker House of Fleming in Georgia and designed buckles that snap into — and out of — belts, unlike department store models, which have the buckles sewn in.
His early PGA Tour customers included Sergio Garcia, who asked for one with the Real Madrid soccer team’s logo, and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, who got a shamrock. Bettinardi has also produced emblazoned buckles for golf clubs such as Medinah, Southern Hills, Olympia Fields and Golf Club of Georgia, and models with a big orange I for the University of Illinois golf team.
Bettinardi’s work can be seen at Bettinardi.com, with suggested prices in the $175 range.
“The whole belt thing started with Young Tom,” Bettinardi said. “Now it’s come full circle. We’re having fun with it.”


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THE Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on Saturday awarded nine Enugu based companies Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme Certificates (MANCAP) to ensure standardization.
The companies were Vinox Plastic Company Limited, makers of Morive Table Water, Divine Rose Bakery Ltd, Malted Family Loaf, Idyllic Water Company, Noble Taste Nigerian Limited and Chifine Bakery Limited.
Others are Michelle Foods Enterprise Ltd. Producers of Jigbo Instant African Sallad, Aqua-Rapha Company Ltd, Hebron Production Company and Butter Barn Chin-Chin.
Presenting the certificates, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of SON, Dr Ifeanyi Okeke said MANCAP policy was a trade facilitation scheme that would allow certified companies and brands do business easily in the country.
The DG represented by the Enugu State Coordinator, SON, Mr Francis Onyeji, said that it would also enable them compete fairly nationwide as well as across International Markets.
Okeke explained that the award of MANCAP was in pursuant to the organisation’s mandate in ensuring that Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) was in compliance with the Nigerian Industrial Standards to fit global competitiveness.
The DG said, “SON’s MANCAP certification is in line with its mandate of improving the totality of life through standardisation and quality assurance, and to ensure that manufacturers and consumers alike get value for their investments and money respectively”.
Okeke reiterated SON’s commitment to its Quality Policy of providing Standards and Quality Assurance to all products, services, and processes in Nigeria according to global best practices which also ensured continual improvement.
He made it clear that only products that had consistently met the requirements of the relevant standard received MANCAP and issued with a unique MANCAP Logo Number.
This, he informed them, would be valid for three years before revalidation adding that they were given the award because of their consistency and dedication.
While congratulating the companies, the DG warned that the certificate could be withdrawn if they failed to maintain the requirements of the Nigerian Industrial Standards.
The awardees, in appreciation, pledged their commitment to always conform to the requirements of the standard as well as strive for continuity for good quality products.
Mr Emeka Nwachukwu, the Managing Director, Noble Taste Bakery limited, expressed gratitude to SON for nurturing them to the point of certification, promising to maintain standards at all times.
Equally, the Managing Director, Michelle Foods Enterprise Ltd. producers of Jigbo Instant African Sallad, Mr Kingsley Okah, applauded and encouraged SON to continue assisting entrepreneurs especially SMEs to meet global best practices.
He pledged to put the certification award to good use. (NAN)
November 19, 2023 @ 8:07 GMT|


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Foxconn ends compensation for families of suicide victims, relocates some operations.
For a while now we’ve been hearing about increased wages for Foxconn employees, in some cases raises of up to 66%. Around here we’ve been wondering how, in an every penny counts environment like consumer electronics manufacturing, they could afford to make anything like that happen. Now we’re starting to see the other shoe drop a little bit as Foxconn announced at a shareholders meeting that they won’t be compensating the families of employees who commit suicide. It was no small amount of money they were paying out, either: ten years’ salary.
They also announced that they will be moving some manufacturing to Taiwan and Vietnam to save some money. Interestingly, Foxconn is officially a Taiwan company operating in China so within these massive city-like manufacturing plant it’s not always clear which country’s laws are applicable.
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Two Hollywood studios have quietly begun testing a controversial business model in South Korea after years of failed efforts in the U.S.: renting movies via video on demand while they are still playing in theaters.
The experiments, by Walt Disney Co. DIS -0.66 % and Sony Pictures Entertainment, mark the first time major American studios have offered viewers anywhere the option of buying a ticket to see a movie or to rent it at home from a cable, Internet or satellite-television provider. Sony SNE -0.90 % Pictures is owned by Japan's Sony Corp.
Sony's "Django Unchained" was available to rent online or via cable just three weeks after premiering in Korean theaters in April. Disney's animated "Wreck-it Ralph" and "Brave" came five and four weeks, respectively, after launching at cinemas in December and September. In both cases the films were still playing broadly in theaters throughout South Korea, the world's eighth-largest film market.
Executives at the four other major Hollywood studios said they are watching Disney and Sony's tests in Korea and may follow suit.
In the U.S., top cinema chains including Regal Entertainment Group RGC -0.48 % and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. refuse to play films without at least a 90-day "window"—industry jargon for the time between the theatrical and home-entertainment release—out of concern people will choose to wait for the movie at home rather than go to the theater.
"A short window or simultaneous release muddies the value proposition being offered to consumers," said Patrick Corcoran, a spokesman for the National Association of Theatre Owners trade group.
Small distributors commonly release low-budget movies in independent theaters at the same time they are on VOD. But major studios, which need to work with AMC, Regal and other chains to blanket the country with their big-budget releases, rarely even come close to doing so.
In 2011, Disney conducted a VOD test in Portugal with a six-week window on the animated feature "Tangled." Until South Korea, it hadn't repeated the experiment. The same year, Sony, Time Warner Inc. TWX 0.48 % 's Warner Bros., Comcast Corp.'s CMCSA -0.68 % Universal Pictures and News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox each offered a few movies on VOD through satellite broadcaster DirecTV, but not until 60 days after their U.S. debut. Even then, the movies cost $30 to watch, six times the normal price for VOD after 90 days.
The results of the DirecTV test were widely considered disappointing.
Again that year, Universal proposed offering its Eddie Murphy comedy "Tower Heist" on VOD in two cities with a three-week window for $60. It backed down due to fierce opposition from exhibitors.
At the Cinema-con industry convention in April, Universal Chairman Adam Fogelson argued for more early-VOD experiments. He and others in Hollywood believe some consumers, such as parents with young children, are unable or unwilling to go to theaters and would pay a high price to watch a new movie at home.
If the efforts in South Korea, called "super-premium VOD" because of their very early window, prove successful, they could provide fodder for studios to argue that theater owners elsewhere have little to fear.
Spokesmen for Disney and Sony declined to discuss the results of their VOD tests in Korea.
Chun Yoon-soo, director of business development for digital-cable company HomeChoice, Korea's largest VOD provider, would say only that total revenue from the super-premium VOD films was 30% higher than for comparable films.
"It's way too early to say if this will be a policy for any [Hollywood] studio or even a norm, but it seems to have potential," said a person close to the testing.
A number of local productions have already had super-premium VOD releases in South Korea.
People in the movie industry caution that what works in South Korea may not be easily transferred elsewhere. Thanks to fast Internet speeds, video-on-demand is growing in the country and Internet piracy is prevalent.
Moreover, DVD sales and rentals have all but evaporated in South Korea, totaling just $30.5 million last year, according to IHS Screen Digest. Hollywood studios have shut down DVD sales offices in the country and rely on contractors to handle their small operations. Because they don't have to worry about undercutting DVD sales or rentals, studios are freer to experiment with VOD timing and pricing. Super premium VOD rentals typically cost around $9, compared with about $3.50 for a normal online or cable rental in the country.
The owner of South Korea's largest theater chain, CJ Group, actually operates a video-on-demand business, reducing one potential source of opposition to experimentation with a new, shorter VOD window. A spokesman for CJ Group's entertainment arm declined to comment.
Kim Young-gi, a researcher at the government-supported Korean Film Council, which supports the local industry, said he sees no reason for concern.
"Movie-going is a cultural experience, VOD is like watching TV," he said. "I expect their markets will remain separate."


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Premier Retail Archives
CEO Mark McInnes says Mother’s Day sales set a new record for the group, helping drive strong overall May sales.
Murray spent 18 years at JB Hi-Fi, but said it was time to take on a new challenge.
McInnes said he wishes to commit more time to his family than his current role will allow.
“The challenges posed by Covid-19 are the greatest set of risks I have ever seen in more than six decades in retail,” Le...


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"The food industry, at the end of the day, is in the business to make money by selling food," said Dr. Stephen Cook of Golisano Children's Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "If a 'healthy' label on their product gets it to be sold more, then they will try that -- even if it is not true."
Nutrition experts also told ABC News that the FDA should move faster on its 2009 plan to develop a nutritional gold standard for products labeled healthy.
"The FDA is responsible for package labels, so it makes sense that they would establish parameters for what goes on the label," said Connie Diekman, director of University Nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis. "In addition, a consistent criteria for measuring 'healthy' would make shopping much easier for consumers."
In a written statement, Walmart said the labeling criteria "have undergone an extensive evaluation process using thousands of grocery items to help ensure that only nutritious items in each grocery category receive the 'Great for You' icon."
Walmart is not putting a restriction on the new labeling system and said other grocers are welcome to use the system.
For a complete list of the detailed system of what gets the label and what doesn't, click here.


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D23 Expo kicks off this week and I’ll be headed over there Thursday night to camp out for the Legends Ceremony on Friday morning, but there’s one thing people don’t quite understand about what D23 Expo is. While lots of film bloggers are overhyping their readers with promises of what Marvel may show at SDCC, they fail to realize that on D23 Expo years they traditionally save their best stuff for that convention.
Disney only holds D23 Expo every two years and it’s basically their version of Comic Con or Star Wars Celebration, but for Disney fans. And that’s where it gets a bit different. Anyone who has an AP at Disneyland can tell you of the “Passhole” phenomenon of overly entitled Disney fans who believe they deserve the world on a silver platter, and at D23 Expo that is amplified. There are “Sorcerer” packages that cost into the thousands of dollars, and on top of that these people spend about $100 a year for their annual D23 Fan Club membership card.
Update: I’m not meaning to point fingers at the Sorcerers. I was using them to illustrate that people do pay a lot of money to be at D23 and Disney treats them the way they should be. Disney runs D23 better than ANY other convention, because they realize that people pay good money to be there and they’ll hear about it if they’re not treated right.
That’s why what Disney shows at D23 Expo remains exclusive. If anything wasn’t exclusive just for those people who spend a lot of money with Disney, they’d riot and scream at Disney for not treating them like special snowflakes. That’s one of the reasons why they seal phones in static bags before the big presentations and confiscate all cameras. Nothing from D23 Expo ever leaks. In 2015 they showed the first footage from Civil War, and that did leak online, but the leak didn’t come from the Expo floor. It was from some other source months after the convention.
Having said that, if anything were to be released online officially from the 2017 convention; it’ll be the Behind the Scenes sizzle reel for The Last Jedi. None of the Marvel stuff will likely make it online.


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Breaking news from SEMA members, including Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT), Royal Purple, Motul USA, ProMedia LLC, Painless Performance and more.
SEMA News—March 2014
Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT) has added John Sonnefeldt as its director of sales and marketing. Joining the ACT team marks Sonnefeldt’s return to the auto aftermarket from Marmon-Herrington Aftermarket Truck Parts. Sonnefeldt has 15 years of experience in the performance automotive aftermarket with well-known brands such as Auto Meter, Eaton and Holley. Advanced Clutch Technology, Lancaster, CA; 661-940-7555.
Organizations such as SEMA put a good deal of attention on long-range, strategic planning. One truly long-range initiative at SEMA is about engaging with the younger members—and future members—of our industry. The next generation really is the future of the industry. But let’s face it: If the association doesn’t pay close attention and evolve, it’s like asking the next generation to drive their father’s Oldsmobile—and folks in our industry know exactly how that doesn’t always work out!Among SEMA’s most prominent youth programs are the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Young Executive Network (YEN) and the “35 Under 35” recognition program—all examples of well-received association programs.
The Inaugural O’Reilly Auto Parts Street Machine and Muscle Car Nationals presented by Lucas Oil will donate half of the net proceeds generated by the event to the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts (AXC)—an automotive learning center for high-school students. AXC is part of the Career and Technical Education Center at Fairplex in Pomona, California, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing high-school students and community members with vocational training, including a two-year automotive industry certification program. For the first time ever, the Street Machine and Muscle Car Nationals will take place March 22–23 at Fairplex in Pomona.
Pursuing a pro-growth manufacturing and job-creation agenda, creating access to small-business loans and credit, finding affordable health-insurance options for employees, countering burdensome vehicle equipment regulations, preventing higher ethanol content in gasoline and combating counterfeit products. Those are just a few of the political issues facing SEMA members during this critical election year.
After six years of back-and-forth and negotiations that spanned not only the U.S. Congress but also the U.S. military (the Marine Corps, to be precise), a compromise has been negotiated to keep 96,000 acres of land open to off-road enthusiasts in the Johnson Valley OHV area near Twentynine Palms, California. SEMA and the SEMA Action Network (SAN) worked closely with a number of organizations related to the off-road community to support this provision, which keeps a large portion of the area open to off-road and outdoor enthusiasts while at the same time providing for the needs of the U.S. military. One of SAN’s initiatives is to look for practical solutions to off-road use questions to preserve the rights of the nation’s enthusiast communities. SEMA is gratified that, after six years, a win-win compromise could be enacted to the benefit of all parties involved.
SEMA News—March 2014
Persistence Pays Off For Off-Road Enthusiasts
After six years of back-and-forth and negotiations that spanned not only the U.S. Congress but also the U.S. military (the Marine Corps, to be precise), a compromise has been negotiated to keep 96,000 acres of land open to off-road enthusiasts in the Johnson Valley OHV area near Twentynine Palms, California.
Find Profit With Performance Parts From the 2013 SEMA ShowFor buyers that specialize in high-performance accessories, the 2013 SEMA Show was “the place” to discover new trends, and potential profit centers. Hundreds of exhibitors dedicated to power and performance were on hand, offering the latest in turbochargers, superchargers, exhausts, headers and much, much more. Racing and Performance exhibitors also submitted a wide variety of products into the Show’s annual New Products Showcase. Page through this special section and enjoy identifying the products that belong either on your store’s shelves or in your personal garage. Also, take time to review journalist Steve Campbell’s interviews with industry executives, offering their thoughts about the trends they perceive and some words of advice about what might lie ahead.
The Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) Hot Product Showcase will take place April 24–26, once again at the Spring Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet, Corral & Auction in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. This event is an opportunity for ARMO members to display one or more products in front of one of the single largest gatherings of automotive restoration enthusiasts in the world.In addition to the products being placed on display in the Hot Products tent, a professional photographer will shoot each one. The photos will be available to the manufacturers and will also be used in a slideshow at the...
SEMA Member News—March/April 2014
New Features in Store for the 2014 Hot Product Showcase—Register Your Products Now
Supporting the association that represents the automotive specialty-equipment market is reason enough to join SEMA, but there are many additional reasons. Some are especially helpful to the retail segment, but wading through all the benefits SEMA offers can be overwhelming at times. For those who are wondering about the value, here are the top five reasons it pays for retailers to join the association.
SEMA Member News—March/April 2014
Five Reasons Why It Pays to Be a SEMA-Member Retailer
Some Hot Segments to WatchFor many businesses in the automotive aftermarket, racing remains the lifeblood. This industry was founded on passion and performance, and automotive racing continues to drive product research and development and retail sales, inspiring manufacturers, retailers and consumers alike. After taking a hit from a rough economy over the past several years, racing is seeing a resurgence. While many motorsports segments are trending upward, there are a few in particular that merit watching in the coming year. Following the trends in these hot segments can lead to greater marketing success for all levels of the industry.
A $50 Raffle Ticket Could Win You an $80,000 Custom F-150 Charity Truck Built by StudentsInstead of being auctioned like previous WD-40/SEMA Cares vehicles, the WD-40/SEMA Cares Foose Ford F-150 off-road truck that was revealed at the 2013 SEMA Show is now available through a raffle at $50 per ticket. “We thought we’d try something different this year,” said Mike Spagnola, SEMA vice president of OEM and product development programs. “This year’s raffle truck will get a lot of promotion because it will be publicized in the Source Interlink Media [a build partner] magazines and bring more attention to SEMA Cares and its charities.”
A $50 Raffle Ticket Could Win You an $80,000 Custom F-150 Charity Truck Built by Students
Instead of being auctioned like previous WD-40/SEMA Cares vehicles, the WD-40/SEMA Cares Foose Ford F-150 off-road truck that was revealed at the 2013 SEMA Show is now available through a raffle at $50 per ticket.


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Aereo Ups Pricing for Additional DVR Storage13 May, 2013 By: Erik Gruenwedel
Aereo TV, the subscription service that enables users to stream broadcast television programming via mini antennae to portable devices, May 13 said it will offer up to 60 hours of cloud-based DVR storage for an additional $4 per month, beginning May 15.
Aereo users currently receive 20 hours of DVR storage to record programming with the $8 monthly subscription. Now, all new Aereo users get the first 30 days of service free, including DVR functionality. Users can pause, rewind and fast-forward any program that they are watching live, or save a program for future viewing.
Aereo works on the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Chrome, Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Safari, Opera, AppleTV (via airplay) and Roku devices.
It is currently available to consumers in the New York City metropolitan area and will launch in the Boston metropolitan area to pre-registered consumers May 15.
“With our new pricing structure, consumers begin with one base plan and then have the ability to upgrade their membership to triple their DVR storage capacity,” Aereo CEO and founder Chet Kanojia said in a statement. “We want to make it simple and easy for consumers to access our technology and we believe this updated pricing plan accomplishes just that.”
Aereo earlier this month filed a preemptive lawsuit against CBS and its affiliates following comments made by the media company’s CEO and others about expanding litigation against the subscription service that enables users to stream broadcast television programming via mini antennae to portable devices.
Manhattan-based Aereo in March 2012 was sued by major broadcasters claiming copyright infringement and other charges.


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When it comes to diversity at the top, the media industry is as guilty as almost any other of failing to represent the society it serves. We talked to senior leaders from Hearst, the Guardian, Centaur and the Financial Times about their experiences and what can be done to make sure women get the opportunities they deserve.
All TheMediaBriefing's original analysis on the future of the media industry in one place.
16th April 2015
The regional media groups are making good progress both in growing their digital audience and their digital revenue, despite the fact the total revenues are still falling as print continues its decline. However there is still much to do before or if revenue can return to its historic levels.
15th April 2015
The philosophy that 'content is king, but context is god' is something many publishers are straining to deliver on, but one The Pool has at its core.
9th April 2015
City A.M.'s growth figures are impressive on their own, but more importantly they're validation of City A.M.'s strategy of becoming a regular destination for an audience of which it has a deep understanding.
7th April 2015
"For us, it was like 'hallelujah', people are beginning to notice these banner blindness studies done back at AOL in 1998, this is an opportunity for the entire industry to say 'well we can tell whether things are being seen'."
1st April 2015
Haymarket's 2014 results show the company is turning a pre-tax profit. But the results also tell of a more important story for Haymarket - that of a company continuing to reduce its bank debt and focusing on restructuring.
26th March 2015
While the hub is intended to offer value to its businesses, its nature as a logged-in economy means that Johnston benefits in ways beyond that of forging relationships.
25th March 2015
It seems unlikely that an organisation that exists behind a paywall would do anything to jeopardise a growing audience. And with all the data around its audience's consumption habits to which News UK has access, it must be aware of both when and what its audience are choosing to consume behind the paywall.
24th March 2015
VG's Espen Sundve believes that digital success is down to one thing: The successful integration of technology and content creation.
23rd March 2015
The value of Pangaea is less about cornering the lion's share of a protected market and more with offering ad partners the ability to buy programmatically across the trusted brands' audience of 110 million worldwide.
20th March 2015
Identifying the members of its audiences who have influence over others and directly embedding them in the editorial process is a novel idea for consumer magazines - but one that has yet to prove successful for De Agostini.