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Read the original post, published on iCrossing’s Great Finds blog on April 26, 2013.
To build a connected brand, be human with your social media marketing. That’s the main takeaway from the April 23-24 Social Media Strategies Summit, which featured content on how social media is changing the world and how marketers can capitalize on those changes to build better brands.
Being human means connecting with your audience at their level, in the spaces in which they are participating, and in the matter they are participating. Shouting your marketing message from the rooftops is not going to fly in social media. “Ditch the pitch,” stated Maya Grinberg, chief evangelist and social media manager of Wildfire, a Division of Google. The social community – what Maya called Generation C – is creating, curating, connecting, and communicating content more than ever, and they want to be addressed in a way that allows them to continue doing so naturally. Ditching the pitch means the engagement level with your content will go up, improving your brand awareness, trust, and, ultimately, sales.
Ed Brill, director of product management of IBM Social Solutions, built on the idea of being human as well in his session Opting In: Lessons in Social Business, An IBM Case Study. Brill stated that, in order to be considered a social business, a brand needs to engage with its customers on a human level – but also be transparent and agile while optimizing interactions between these customers to gain a competitive advantage above others in your industry.
Other tips and tricks for improving your social performance from the event:
- Identify your influencers – Before you begin a social media campaign, take a look and see who’ll be the most engaged and, therefore, who’ll be your biggest advocates. Who will care the most? Where are they participating online? What do they say? Who do they say it to? How often do they participate in their social networks? Are they receptive to others joining in their online conversations? Answer those questions, and you’ll not only have a quality list of influencers, but the foundation for building a successful content and social strategy.
- Become best friends with data – Jason Moriber, senior vice president of social communications at Weber Shandwick NYC, stated that all industries will be touched by big data; so we need to become “always-on” data analysts/marketing scientists. In other words, it’s no longer enough to look at historical data for future ideas – we need to always be monitoring the changings landscape of data and revise our marketing plans to become more predictive. Umang Shah, director of social strategy at Walmart, mentioned the need for data analytics during his keynote speech. As I mentioned in a more extensive blog post April 24, Walmart’s social team uses real-time data and campaign monitoring tools to edit social messages before they’re sent, in order to achieve the greatest impact. That data has helped the Walmart social team craft better messages and interact at a more natural level with their networks.
- Fish where the fish are – When Meridith Valiando, Co-founder and CEO of DigiTour Media LLC, stated “Fish where the fish are,” in her panel discussion Best Practices across Social Platforms, it was kind of a “duh” moment. The act of engaging with your audience and influencers in the places where they are already participating is the ultimate door opener for any marketer. But make sure that you understand the rules – both written and unwritten – of that community before participating. If you break these rules, you’ll alienate yourself and your brand, which means you won’t see any quality results from your efforts.
- Tell a story – Social media isn’t just about sending a tweet every once in a while telling Twitter users to go visit your site. Social media is about storytelling. It’s about engaging your fans, friends and customers with a story that speaks to them. Michele Wingate, social media manager of American Family Insurance, shared that American Family Insurance’s most successful social media campaigns all revolved around a central story that connected directly with its customers, and made them want to interact with the brand more. But make sure you stay true to your brand as well. Jon Dick of Klout stated that you should find your brand’s unique perspective on something, and then tell that story through social media and content marketing. Additionally, the act of being unique and remarkable will earn your brand media coverage and authority to help boost search engine visibility for SEO benefits as well.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment – You may be expected to outline and provide a social media strategy that will win, and win big, no matter what. And while the ultimate goal of any social media campaign is to be successful, give yourself room to experiment first in order to identify the who, what, where, when and why of any ongoing social programs. Jennifer Dominiquini, CMO, season and outdoor living, Sears and Kmart, shared an experience in which her team created a profile for a fake grilling enthusiast on social sites like Facebook, and began connecting with an entire network of grillmeisters who were very vocal and engaged in the world of grilling. The experiment helped Sears learn about this network of grillers and learn what made them excited. They then took these insights and created a bigger, better social strategy that included building a blogging community for these grillers, which increased awareness and sales during that grilling season.
- Integration is key – Social media marketing, like all other marketing channels, should not live in a silo. Social, at its core, involves multiple people and ideas, and can connect many entities through many channels. Consequently an integrated social marketing initiative is key to the ongoing success of the campaign. Insights gained through social media can help shape and drive future online and offline marketing efforts. Sears was able to leverage its insights derived through its social media campaigns and find grilling and home events to participate in. Then, those offline efforts all tied back into the online world through press releases, tweets, images and blog posts, boosting the overall impact of the campaign from every angle. Social media experiences should also be integrated through other online experiences as well. The messages shared on social networks can also be shared on the main website as well, for a more connected feel. Also – hint, hint – those integrated experiences can be brought in-store, and shared through other offline marketing efforts as well.
It’s clear that the integration of social media marketing into other aspects of marketing, including search, content, web development, analytics and even offline is the best strategy for engaging with your customers. Then, you’ll truly become a connected brand.
Dana Notman is a senior natural search strategist at iCrossing


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Over 90 delegates from IMAP member firms, representing 32 countries, congregated in Miami from October 25th - 27th to attend IMAP’s 2018 Fall Conference. The event was hosted by Falls River Group (FRG), IMAP’s partner firm in Florida and was set around the theme of ‘Disruptive Innovation’. Kerry Dustin, Chairman and CEO of FRG, and IMAP Chairman Jurgis Oniunas, launched the conference in style.
The Symposium, held prior to the main conference and attended by clients, allowed hosts FRG to introduce two leading experts involved in buying, building and valuing innovation. John Nottingham, Co-President and Co-Founder of Nottingham Spirk, a leading business and product innovation firm, along with Mike Wetzer, Founder & CEO of The Coastal Investors and an accomplished Senior Executive, Investor, Entrepreneur and Innovator, both shared practical examples of business innovation products and processes that have delivered transformational results.
The IMAP ‘Perspectives’ panel showcased deals where clients are truly working on the edge of innovation and illustrated the converging forces and cross-sector disruptions, with case studies presented in the Life Sciences, IT/Automotive, Consumer, Energy and Industrial Packaging sectors. The geographic disruption panel covered current topics and trends from around the world that have potentially wide-ranging effects on our business environment. It included IMAP partner perspectives from China, Europe (and in particular, Italy’s new direction), NAFTA and Brexit.
The aim of the conference was to reinforce the mindset needed to embrace disruptive innovation and leverage that mindset internationally, by looking at disruptions in one sector and applying the learnings to other industry verticals. The theme also sparked ideas on how IMAP can internally harness disruption and innovation in its thinking and processes.
IMAP’s next global event will be the 2019 Spring Conference, which will be held from 22-23 of March in Munich, Germany.

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Apple reportedly has notified Taiwanese voice coil motor (VCM) manufacturers to increase production capacity by 30-40% to meet the company’s needs. According to the source, this year’s supply of this component, which will be key in the iPhone 13’s camera, will exceed the supply of similar components for all Android smartphones.
Earlier it was reported that the new smartphones will update the image sensor and Face ID sensors, and also use the technology of optical image stabilization with a matrix shift. The gimbal actuators, which are involved in the focusing function of the camera lens, will begin shipping this month for Apple.
The decline in demand from Android manufacturers for VCM drives is due to Huawei, which is gradually leaving the smartphone market due to US sanctions. However, this year, the iPhone 13 will see big changes, with sensor-shift optical stabilization being rolled out across the entire lineup. This will improve the clarity of low-light photos by reducing the effects of hand shake.
It is rumored that this feature will be available for wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle modules of the iPhone 13. There are also reports that the new iPhone 13 smartphones will be able to shoot video in portrait mode. In addition, the iPhone 13 will add an astrophotographic mode for capturing the night sky.
The exact dimensions and reduced bangs of the iPhone 13 Pro can be seen in the drawing published today.


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Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) – The BBN (Bangladesh Business News) has prepared the morning business round up compiling reports, published by different newspapers and news portals in Bangladesh.
NSC sales in 11 months 240% higher than Fiscal Year 2017 target
The sale of National Savings Certificates (NSC) in the first 11 months of just-concluded Fiscal Year 2016-17 crossed the target by around 240%. According to the latest data of National Savings Department (NSD) revealed on Tuesday, from July to May of the outgoing fiscal year the government had sold savings certificates amounting to Tk46,967 crore while the target set for the fiscal year was Tk19,610 crore.
NBR moves to soften blow of VAT law delay
The revenue authority is relying on cigarettes and tobacco products and a steady growth of economic activities to soften the blow of the postponement of the new VAT law by another two years.
VAT automation to continue despite suspension of new law
The National Board of Revenue will continue its move to automate the value-added tax system under the existing law despite suspension of the new VAT law, officials said. They said that online registration of business identification number (BIN) for all businesses and online submission of VAT returns for some selected business sectors would continue under the existing VAT law framed in 1991.
Tripartite efforts continue for recovering Bangladesh’s heist money
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Central Bank of Bangladesh and SWIFT have reiterated their commitment to working together for recovering the remaining stolen money of $65.75 million from the Philippines.
DSE turnover crosses BDT 12 billion-mark
Daily trade turnover on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) crossed BDT 12-billion-mark Tuesday, for the first time in three-and-a-half months, as investors continued to put fresh stakes on stocks.
4G licence holders must float shares
The telecom regulator in a draft guideline proposed that the 4G licence holders float their shares on the stock market. However, it did not mention what percentage of shares must be floated.
Industrial park infrastructures at Savar damaged before use
Infrastructures installed to relocate the Hazaribagh tanneries at the new Tannery Industrial Park in the city’s suburb of Savar have been badly damaged before they are being fully used.
Rice price shows no letup in local markets
The upward trend of rice price continues in the local markets with no indication to slide. The price of the staple food is expected to fall as soon as the Vietnamese rice arrives, Food Minister Qamrul Islam said while taking to the Dhaka Tribune recently.


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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Building on the success of it own-branded products, which account for 70 percent of sales, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market today announced plans to introduce more than 200 new proprietary products by the end of the year.
All Fresh & Easy products contain no artificial flavors or colors, no added trans fats and only use preservatives when absolutely necessary, noted Tim Mason, Fresh & Easy’s chief executive officer. "People increasingly want food that is more like what they would make in their own kitchens," Mason said in a released statement.
The new products will include: Vegetable Curry with Brown Rice, Mushroom Stroganoff, Chicken Parmesan with Linguine, Broccoli and Cheese Soup, Shrimp Alfredo, Orange Chicken, Organic Honey, new coffee and tea flavors, different varieties of cereals, new flavors of kettle and veggie chips, and new juice blends.
According to a recent 2008 Food Market Institute U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends study, consumers are increasingly interested in what is in their food, particularly checking for trans-fat content. The report found that consumers prefer ready-to-eat meals, with more than half of the shoppers surveyed interested in more convenient food options.
"At Fresh & Easy, we are able to offer fresh, wholesome products at incredible prices without the additives and preservatives they don’t want. Our products are a win-win for customers," Mason said in the released statement.


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Top Web News Stories : Week Ending 7-20-2007
The following are the top voted Web news stories on Share.WebsiteMagazine.com for July
20, 2007. Share the news (industry articles, blog posts, tutorials and more) that you find important and noteworthy at Share.WebsiteMagazine.com.
Yahoo revenue up, profit falls 2%: Beleaguered Internet giant Yahoo (YHOO) said Tuesday that earnings fell 2% in the second quarter because of slowing growth in advertising revenue. The company, which replaced its CEO last month, also lowered its outlook for the third quarter.
Strong Google Revenue Disappoints Investors But May Ease Antitrust Scrutiny: Market research firm eMarketer predicts that Google will take in 27.4% of the projected $21.7 billion U.S. online advertising spending in 2007. In 2006, Google won 24.3% of $16.9 billion spent that year.
Microsoft's New Search Czar Outlines Strategy: Microsoft has long lagged behind Google in Web search, struggling to gain market share with its Live Search product and advertising dollars with its adCenter pay-per-click ad network, and lost two top executives earlier this year.
ValueClick Acquires Comparison Shopping Operator MeziMedia: ValueClick has acquired MeziMedia for up to $352 million, in a deal consisting of $100million in upfront in cash, with an additional sum of up to $252 million to be paid depending on MeziMedia’s revenue and earnings performance through to 2009
Google offers Custom Business Search for SMBs: Google introduced a new service for small businesses that allows visitors to search within their Web sites on a customized search page
VoIP provider SunRocket suddenly closes: Internet phone service provider SunRocket, which had as many as 200,000 customers nationwide, has ceased operations without warning.
Facebook Adds Ajax - Abandoning Page Views?: But tonight I noticed that the 2nd step has been Ajaxified - meaning you no longer need to land on a Request Confirmation/Skip This Step page. Instead it is an Ajax pop-up.
Progress seen on Internet radio talks: Internet radio broadcasters and the music industry appeared to be moving closer Monday to resolving a dispute over a new system mandating higher royalty fees for streaming music online.
Openads lets websites keep visits private: The British firm Openads is offering website operators an alternative to giant online ad firms accused of imperiling privacy by amassing data about people's Internet activities.
Google agrees to sell print ads for 225 newspapers: Google Inc. said on Tuesday it is expanding its Print Ads program to allow online advertisers nationwide to place print advertisements in 225 newspapers, serving half of U.S. newspaper readers.
Hearst Sells Stake in Local: Hearst, which invested $6 million in Irvine, CA-based business directory site Local.com earlier this year through its Interactive Media division, has apparently sold its stake in open market, reports Barron's blog Tech Trader Daily.
Walmart.com to let customers review merchandise: Shoppers will be able to review and rate the merchandise sold on Wal-Mart Stores Inc's Web site beginning on Thursday, as the retailer works to expand its online capabilities.
Microsoft and Ask.com Partner Up For Keyword Sales: Microsoft Office Live today announced that it is adding Ask Sponsored Listings to its adManager Beta search advertising service.
Top Posts at the Website Magazine Weblog This Week:


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Twitter will be live streaming its earnings call on Periscope. Well, because, of course. The post Twitter To Broadcast Earnings Call on Periscope appeared first on WIRED.
For the first time ever CBS is going to live stream every national ad during the 2016 Super Bowl in almost real-time, this is going to bring about a major change for advertisers that spend ridiculous amounts of money during the big game and will also aid in making Super Bowl 50 a very significant event. Show More Summary
We're streaming live on Mobcrush right now. There's a couple different ways you can watch the stream, and they all work equally well and it's really just a matter of personal preference as to which method you prefer. The easiest way to watch is just watching the embedded player right here on TouchArcade. In the
On Thursday, July 30, 2015, the White House and AIDS.gov will live stream the release of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020 during an all-day event in Atlanta, Georgia. Even if you can’t attend the launch event, digital tools are a great way to get involved! Watch and share this short video about the...
Is your smartphone a potential goldmine? As studies show an increase in the use of phones at live events, these mobile devices could be a means towards unlocking a previously untapped revenue stream. ____________________________________ Guest Post by Donnie Dinch on Medium Last week, I walked into Walgreens just like I...
New York City midfielder Frank Lampard will miss the MLS All-Stars game against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday because of the calf injury that has kept him out of action for his new club. However, the likes of Steven Gerrard and David...Show More Summary
Heading into their final ICC game, Benfica are still looking for their first preseason win. The International Champions Cup matches are now coming thick and fast, with Benfica set to play their third game in the space of a week against Club América on Wednesday. Show More Summary
Chelsea take on Barcelona in an intriguing International Champions Cup game on Tuesday. Chelsea play their third International Champions Cup game at home to Barcelona on Wednesday, with the Blues looking to build on their penalty shootout victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the last match. Show More Summary
You can watch the Motorola event in New York live as it unfolds, right here. Motorola is gearing up for its biggest 2015 event. The venue is New York, and the stars of the show will be Motorola’s 3rd entry in its “new era”: the Moto G and the Moto X (2015).
We've been waiting for Gunplay's debut for what feels like a decade. During the buildup for the record, w e premiered his new video for Wuzhanindoe. But now, it's finally here. The Gods of Rap™ have smiled, and we all get to listen to his new record, Living Legend before it hits stores on Friday. Show More Summary
[Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it here.] With Chroma Squad's three story routes complete, Sal is ready to take on Chantelise's final boss again. Now that he's found a better defensive item, there's a slight chance that he could turn the tables on this deadly foe. Show More Summary
One of the biggest problems with the Twitter-owned live streaming app Periscope from day one has been its notification system. While push notifications are a useful way to immediately discover which broadcasters you follow have justShow More Summary
The PGA Tour is going where it’s not gone before, taking golf fans along for the new ride
Periscope, the popular live streaming app from the folks at Twitter, has been updated to version 1.1.3, bringing the ability to mute notifications from specific users. Users will now find a toggle for turning notifications off next to the "Following" button by other users, allowing you to cut down on the notification distraction that much more. Show More Summary
The popular live streaming app Periscope today announced a much-welcomed update to its iOS app. The update, which bumps the app to version 1.1.3, includes a couple of new features and tweaks. For one, users now have the ability to mute notifications on a user-by-user basis. For instance, if you follow someone, you can now go […]
We recently crowned a king of the bantamweights, and now it's time to ordain a queen. Reigning women's 135-pound champion Ronda Rousey will meet undefeated challenger Bethe Correia in the UFC 190 mixed martial arts (MMA) pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place this Saturday night (Aug. Show More Summary
You can listen to a live stream of today’s UFC 190 media call with headliners Ronda Rousey and Bethe Correira on MMAjunkie beginning at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).Filed under: News, UFC, Videos
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will put her strap on the line against undefeated 135-pound contender Bethe Correia in the upcoming UFC 190 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, scheduled to go down inside HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sat., Aug. Show More Summary
Comcast hopes a $15 package that streams limited live TV on mobile devices at home will woo cord-nevers into buying TV. (Comcast Cable) Comcast's new Stream service brings a limited number of channels to your non-TV devices -- as long as you're at home. While the lineup doesn't necessarily impress, the [...]


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Bella Hadid pledges to quit vaping as she gives up e-cigarettes for her new Year's resolution
It's that time of year when everyone is on a health kick.
And while she may not have any festive pounds to shed, Bella Hadid has a New Year's resolution to follow - she has quit vaping.
Pledging to 'quit Juuling', referencing a brand name, Bella shared a video of herself using one of the e-cigarettes she has now quit.
No more: Bella Hadid pledges to quit vaping as she gives up e-cigs for her new year's resolution, posting old footage to her Instagram on Sunday
The footage showed the 22-year-old model girlfriend of The Weeknd dressed in a black beanie hat and hoodie, staring into the camera as she exhaled.
It's no surprise that Bella is prioritizing her health this new year.
Bella suffers from chronic Lyme disease, blaming her infection with the tick-borne illness for forcing her to end her promising equestrian career, and dreams of Olympic stardom.
'My teenage years were taken from me,' she told the gathering for the Global Lyme Alliance Gala last year.
Showjumping 'was my dream of my life and what I did every single day until I just stopped and realized I didn’t have the brain power to ride horses anymore, so that was the end of that,' she explained.
She has also previously talked of battling anxiety.
Poser: The footage showed the 22-year-old model girlfriend of The Weeknd dressed in a black beanie hat and hoodie, staring into the camera as she exhaled
'Epidemic' The explosion in vaping amongst young people is worrying health bosses
Making a point: Pledging to 'quit Juuling', referencing a brand name, Bella shared a video of herself using one of the e-cigarettes she has now quit
Juul owns 74 percent of the e-cigarette market. They are similar to standard e-cigarettes but have a sleeker design and a higher concentration of nicotine.
The user inserts a pod of e-liquid, a combination of nicotine and flavorings such as bubble gum or strawberry, into the end of the electronic cigarette, which then vaporizes the liquid for the user to inhale.
Thanks to its 'nicotine salts', manufacturers claim one pod delivers the amount of nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes.
However the devices are controversial, and have led to an explosion in e-cigarette use by teens and young adults, after years of declining tobacco use. In December the US Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory urging aggressive steps against e-cigarette use among teens, which he said has become an 'epidemic'.
What is an e-cigarette and how is it different to smoking tobacco?
An electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is a device that allows users to inhale nicotine by heating a vapour from a solution that contain nicotine, propylene and flavourings.
As there is no burning involved, there is no smoke like a traditional cigarette.
But while they have been branded as carrying a lower risk than cigarettes, an increasing swell of studies is showing health dangers.
E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, but the vapor does contain some harmful chemicals.
Nicotine is the highly addictive chemical which makes it difficult for smokers to quit.
Nearly three million people in Britain use e-cigarettes, and more than nine million Americans.
1. Standard e-cigarette
Battery-powered device containing nicotine e-liquid.
It vaporizes flavored nicotine liquid.
Very similar to normal e-cigarettes but with sleeker design and a higher concentration of nicotine.
Thanks to its 'nicotine salts', manufacturers claim one pod delivers the amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes.
It is composed of an e-cigarette (battery and temperature control), and a pod of e-liquid which is inserted at the end.
The liquid contains nicotine, chemicals and flavorings.
Like other vaping devices, it vaporizes the e-liquid.
3. IQOS by Philip Morris
Pen-shaped, charged like an iPod.
It is known as a 'heat not burn' smokeless device, heating tobacco but not burning it (at 350C compared to 600C as normal cigarettes do).
The company claims this method lowers users' exposure to carcinogen from burning tobacco.


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Many Yum! Brands, Inc.(YUM) Stock Research Financial Advisors from Investment Banking firms have advised their client and investors on the stock. Yum! Brands was Downgraded by Longbow to Neutral on Feb 10, 2017. Company shares were Reiterated by Stifel on Feb 10, 2017 to Buy, Raises Price Target to $ 75 from a previous price target of $65 .
Company has reported several Insider transactions to the SEC, on Feb 13, 2017, Brian R Niccol (CEO, Taco Bell) sold 11,938 shares at 68.17 per share price.On Oct 14, 2016, David W Gibbs (President, CFO) sold 14,487 shares at 89.92 per share price.On Sep 6, 2016, Roger G. Eaton (CEO, KFC) sold 53,518 shares at 91.72 per share price.
Yum! Brands Last issued its quarterly earnings results on Feb 9, 2017. The company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the analyst consensus estimate by $ 0.06. Analyst had a consensus of $0.73. The company had revenue of $2024.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2041.71 million. The companys revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.68 EPS.
Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) has received a short term rating of hold from experts at Zacks with a rank of 3. The stock has been rated an average of 2.11 by 19 Brokerage Firm. 8 Wall Street Firms have rated the stock as a strong buys. 1 stock experts have also suggested a buy rating. 10 Brokerage Firms have advised hold.
Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM): According to 10 Analysts, The short term target price has been estimated at $ 68.4.The target price could deviate by a maximum of $3.84 from the forecast price. In the near term, the target price could hit a high of $75 and a low of $ 63.
Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) rose 0.69% or 0.47 points on Tuesday and made its way into the gainers of the day. After trading began at $68.25 the stock was seen hitting $68.7 as a peak level and $68.12 as the lowest level. The stock ended up at $68.58. The daily volume was measured at 1,946,029 shares. The 52-week high of the share price is $68.98 and the 52-week low is $48.327449. The company has a market cap of $24,346 million.
Yum! Brands, Inc. is the worlds largest restaurant company in terms of system units with nearly 38,000 restaurants in over 120 countries and territories. Their brands – KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell – are the global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories. The Yum! system includes four operating segments: U.S., International (Yum! Restaurants International), China and India Divisions.


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Oddly Enough Blog
News, but not the serious kind
Blog Guy, recently you did an item about a lot of consumer products recalled in a short period. Were you trying to scare us?
The headline on it was, Attention! Everything has been recalled!
Oh, right. You mean the post about recent recalls of cantaloupe, lettuce, candy, ice cream, pine nuts, prawns, soy burgers, kale chips, spinach, eggs, tuna, cars, motorcycles, gas range tops, recliner chairs…
Yes, that’s the one. So just to show that things aren’t always that bad, why don’t you check and see what’s been recalled so far in November.
Well, this week there was that chunky peanut butter recall from 24 states and the District of Columbia.
Blog Guy, it’s been TWO WEEKS since you’ve shown us fresh pictures of Paris Hilton! Are there no cameras left for her to stand in front of? Is something wrong? Should we prepare for bad news?
Blog Guy, I’m worried sick! It’s been four days since we left Paris Hilton promoting her shoes in Istanbul, and we’ve heard nothing from her. I’m going to start checking the hospitals.
Lamar, can I see you in my office?
Uh, when I asked you to set up a designer dress shop, I had something a little different in mind. I count four dresses here. That’s it.
Too many, Boss? I gotcha, keep the customers wanting more. We’ll move half of them back to the storeroom.
There is a retail trend that seems to be spreading and we need to stamp it out now, before it gets out of control. I’m talking about a store that offers free stuff to people who show up to shop in their underwear. Here are several examples, including one from just last week.
So far, this strategy has been confined to just a few clothing stores, but that doesn’t mean it won’t catch on, and soon we’ll all be wearing nothing but underwear when we go shopping for anything. Who needs that?


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Carrier concerned about TTL obligations for Wi-Fi calling
AT&T is delaying a launch of its Wi-Fi calling service, over a failed request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The carrier has asked the FCC to waive the rules requiring communications companies to provide alternative options for the deaf and hard-of-hearing users, at the same time as complaining to the regulator over existing Wi-Fi calling services offered by competitors Sprint and T-Mobile, as the other carriers did not request waivers.
Says Apple Music subscriber numbers are a 'long term' issue
In an extended interview with the London Evening Standard mostly about the just-concluded Apple Music Festival, Apple's SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue let slip that the company is investigating trying to "fix" the problem of international data roaming charges for iPhone users, and come up with a solution that would benefit consumers without alienating profit-oriented phone carriers. The focus of the conversation, the festival, also revealed that Apple is playing a long game with its Apple Music service.
Sprint increasing price of unlimited single-line plan from $60 to $70
Sprint is preparing to increase the cost of its unlimited plan for a single line. While it is currently priced at $60 per month for unlimited calls, texts, and data, the carrier will be raising the plan's monthly charge to $70 from October 16 for new customers. Existing customers on the plan will continue to pay the $60 monthly rate, with Sprint advising they can also activate a new phone and remain on the same $60 Unlimited Plan, as long as they still meet the plan requirements and are either purchasing or financing a phone.
New Nexus smartphones have Nexus Imprint fingerprint readers
Google showed off three Android-powered mobile devices at today's event, alongside the new Chromecast dongles. The Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P are smartphones produced by Huawei which Google will be shipping in the near future, while the Pixel C is Google's first Android tablet it has built end-to-end, with the search company applying what it learned from its Chromebook Pixel notebooks to the tablet format.
Hearing impaired Sprint customers impacted by 911 faults
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined Sprint close to $1.2 million for issues that prevented people with hearing difficulties from calling the emergency services. Sprint and a number of connected companies were accused of failing to connect a telephone relay service (TRS), used by hard of hearing customers to contact other people, to 911 for long periods of time varying between five weeks and ten months, with the fine settling the FCC investigation.
Free tier accompanied by paid options in UK FreedomPop launch
FreedomPop has made its first major expansion outside of the United States, by launching its free mobile phone service in the United Kingdom. Launching later than originally planned, FreedomPop's UK service is now operational, with its freemium model giving its customers the ability to use a small allocation of minutes, texts, and data to use each month without paying a monthly subscription fee, similar to its original US plan.
Final judgement order already appealed by Samsung
Judge Lucy Koh, overseer of the Apple versus Samsung smartphone patent trials, has decreed that Samsung must now pay $548 million from the first patent trial between the pair, as ordered by the Federal Court of Appeals. Samsung, as expected, is appealing the decision based on a lengthy and ongoing patent invalidation process, saying that because of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) examination, the order isn't being performed as required by federal procedure.
Sprint adds 33 more countries to Open World roaming service
Sprint has expanded its Open World roaming scheme to cover 33 more countries. First introduced in August, the scheme now offers free texting, discounted calls from $0.20 per minute, and high-speed data for $30 per gigabyte in more than 50 countries. The new list of countries included in Open World include France, Barbados, the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Fiji, Gibraltar, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Tonga, with customers able to add it to their service for free via the Sprint website or their local store.
Patent trial loss should have forced embargo of now obsolete smartphones
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, DC has ruled that Apple should have been awarded an injunction against Samsung during the second smartphone patent trial. In its ruling affirming the embargo, and pointing out errors by the lower court, the appeals court declared that "Apple does not seek to enjoin the sale of lifesaving drugs, but to prevent Samsung from profiting from the unauthorized use of infringing features in its cellphones and tablets."
No room for reviews from users that have never used the app in question
Yesterday afternoon, Apple released its app on Google Play allowing users of Android devices to "easily" shift over to an iOS device. As expected, the app has been battered with one-star reviews by ever-classy Android fans, trotting out the same old tired missives about iSheep, walled gardens, and expensive hardware. Does the app work? Can't tell by the reviews -- and that's a problem, not only with Google Play, but with Apple's app stores as well. Cupertino, Mountain View, your attention please: its time for a change.
Tool helps users move data to iOS devices securely, wirelessly
In a gracious move, the Google Play store has added a new Android app from Apple -- only the second such application the iPhone maker has offered for the rival platform -- that helps users who wish to transition from Android to iOS (or use both but transfer data) to do so. Called simply "Move to iOS," even the program's description reads as a pitch for users currently on Android devices to consider switching -- with the application promising to move contacts, message histories, photos and videos, web bookmarks, mail accounts, and calendars over seamlessly.
Unlimited AT&T LTE customers can use four times the data limit before throttling
AT&T has made another change to its policies regarding its restrictive Unlimited Data Plan customer limits, by giving its customers a lot more leeway. The carrier is now going to allow subscribers on the unlimited plans to use up to 22GB of data within a single billing period before any throttling will take place, an increase from the previous monthly allowances of 5GB for LTE data and 3GB of 3G data before bandwidth starts to get restricted.
Carriers aim to launch 250 Best Buy stores-within-stores by end of this year
Verizon and AT&T are going to make things easier for new subscribers to sign up for their services, by having their own store-within-a-store at a number of Best Buy retail locations. Both carriers are aiming to open the miniature "experience stores" in 250 locations across the United States by the end of this year, with some Best Buy stores hosting both carriers at the same time, with Verizon planning to open up 100 of the stores later this month.
$10 billion industry in resale of taxi medallions in danger of collapse
A lawsuit brought against the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission in New York by four credit unions was adjudicated today. Queens Supreme Court Justice Allan Weiss ruled that the commission need not block the "pre-arranged transportation" generated by Uber, with the ruling preventing shutdown of the service in New York City. At stake is not only Uber's continued existence in New York City, but the financial backbone in the city built around loans to acquire taxi medallions, valued at up to $1 million each.
Online deal highlights for September 11, 2015
Welcome to today's installment of Daily Deals, the post where the staff of MacNN scours online retailers for discounts, bundles, sales, and discounts on hardware, software, games, and gadgets for you, the discerning reader. The new deals joining the still-alive deals on the list include the SteelSeries Flux gaming headset for $13, the Blue Microphones Yeti USB mic for $80, and the Nikon Coolpix S3600 20.1MP compact camera for $70.
Carrier strengthens satisfaction guarantee, offers deal on Jump plans
T-Mobile and its colorful CEO John Legere wasted no time in jumping on Apple's bandwagon, announcing on Thursday the expected arrival of the iPhone 6s to the carrier's stable, but also surprising Twitter followers by confirming that the company will also carry the Apple Watch, though it did not announce a formal date for sales to begin for the wearable device. T-Mobile is also strengthening its customer satisfaction guarantee, and offering substantial savings on the cost of an iPhone 6s through its Jump On Demand installment-plan option.
Get it written and then get it published using your Apple gear
If this were a magazine, we'd be calling this a "Cut Out and Keep" feature: this is your one-stop guide to writing e-books and paperbacks using Macs and also iOS devices. Well, it's a one-stop guide to the 10 or so stops we made along the way while writing you a book or two for the first MacNN summer project this year. Start at the top if you're setting out on this nutty project. Start at the end if you want an overview of the software recommendations we made -- or if you are even now writing a book and pulling your hair out, jump straight to the bit you need help with.
Update brings passive heart rate tracking, other features
Jawbone today launched a new design for the UP2, and 10 new colors for the UP2 and UP3, further expanding the company's portfolio of activity trackers. In addition, Jawbone released a range of new features for UP2, UP3 and UP4 that improve product functionality and reliability through a free over-the-air firmware update.
Overseas developments to be adapted for US frequencies, bandwidth requirements
Verizon, the first company to introduce "4G" LTE wireless network technology about six years ago, has unveiled preliminary details of a test program of 5G wireless networks in the US. By working closely with key partners, Verizon aims to launch field technology trials next year.
Refutes suggestions that US big-screen iPhone market is saturated
A new study by market research firm Kantar Worldpanel based in Europe has disputed speculation that Apple's next iPhones may not do as well as the record-shattering iPhone 6 lineup, which proposes that pent-up demand for a bigger-screen iPhone has now been addressed after three quarters of staggering sales figures. The study not only found that at least a third of all US iPhone buyers are at the end of their two-year contracts, but that the "switcher rate" from Android to iOS in Europe continues to grow.
Users circumventing T-Mobile tethering restrictions face carrier punishment
T-Mobile is warning its customers not to abuse the carrier's unlimited data service, or they will end up being punished. CEO and President John Legere has spoken out against some of its highest bandwidth-consuming subscribers, warning that they will find their plans will be altered to limit the amount of bandwidth they use, preventing them from abusing the service and freeing up capacity for the rest of the carrier's subscriber base.
Free Google Play credit, $100 cash offered if iPhone users switch to Samsung
Samsung, in an attempt to make its current "switcher" promotion more attractive, is offering iPhone users who switch to its smartphones extra bonuses. On top of what participants of the existing Ultimate Test Drive receive, Samsung is offering $100 in Google Play credit if the user actually purchases a Samsung device after the trial period -- with an extra $100 check awarded if they trade in their iPhone with their carrier or a retailer.
Free wireless service, contract buyout offered by Sprint to DirecTV subscribers
Sprint is attacking AT&T and "celebrating" its competitor's merger with DirecTV, by offering existing DirecTV customers free service for a year if they switch carriers to Sprint. Starting from today and running until September 30, existing customers of the satellite TV service can activate new lines on Sprint and get 12 months of service with no monthly fee, including unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 2GB of data per line per month.
Android tablet, projector, and LTE hotspot in one package
Home theaters are becoming more and more accessible these days, but maybe you've been a bit wary about buying a home projector. Honestly, we don't blame you. Until recently, your options for home projectors have been slim, all with obvious downfalls. Most home projectors weren't affordable or user friendly, or if they were, they simply weren't bright enough or designed to work with your electronics. That's not universally the case anymore, and we're going to show you how easy at-home projection can be with our review of the ZTE Spro 2 Smart Projector.
Hardware incubator hit hard by Fire Phone failure to launch
According to recent reports and rumors out of Seattle and Cupertino, e-commerce giant Amazon is scaling back some of its hardware ambitions. Amazon's Lab126, its hardware incubator has contracted somewhat, with "several hundred" of the 3000-strong staff looking for work following a combination of hardware development projects and the cancellation of some upcoming projects killed in the wake of the Fire Phone's failure.
New program allows customers to check if unlocked phones will work on Verizon
Verizon is making it easier for potential subscribers to join its network with their own hardware, by starting a program to activate specific unlocked mobile devices compatible with its network. Starting from this week, the carrier will now allow unlocked iPhones and other devices to be activated on its network, with a dedicated webpage allowing for customers to check that their device is eligible for activation.
Google re-opens Map Maker tool in 45 countries
Google is making its Map Maker tool available to more countries with an increased level of oversight, as part of a second wave of its reopening to the public. Temporarily shut down in May due to cartographical mischief by some users, the tool can now be used in 45 countries, including the United States, with participants able to submit local mapping changes that could be added to the main Google Maps listings at a later time.
Samsung Test Drive promotion for iPhone users runs out of smartphones
Samsung has temporarily put its smartphone test drive promotion for US-based iPhone users on hold, after running out of devices. Launched on Friday, the scheme offered iPhone owners the ability to try out the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge, and Galaxy S6 Edge+ with cellular service for a 30-day period at a cost of $1. Cult of Android reports the South Korean electronics producer ran out of smartphones within a few hours due to "overwhelming demand," though since the program will be run until the end of this year, Samsung asks interested parties to keep checking back for when it can make more Galaxy smartphones available.
Convenient cable boasts two ends: micro USB and Lightning
If yours is a house of multiple devices chances are you leave with at least a couple of different cables in tow. But is it absolutely necessary? Doesn't it become a hassle trying to keep track of all those cords? Lucky for you, Tylt is here to fix that problem with the Flyp-Duo reversible USB charge & sync cable, a cable that lets you charge your iOS and Android products without excess cord clutter.
Comcast makes Xfinity Share streaming app available to all subscribers
Comcast is extending access to an app that allows users to stream from their mobile devices to an X1 DVR-ready set-top box to all subscribers. The app, Xfinity Share for iOS and Android, can be used to broadcast photographs, recorded videos, and live video streams from a smartphone to a suitable cable box, and it is also possible to share the stream with another subscriber's TV. Slashgear reports the app was originally available to just Triple Play package customers, but now it can be used by any Comcast voice, video, home, and Internet subscriber.
Free use of Samsung smartphone, data plan for month offered to iPhone users
Samsung is offering a trial of its smartphones to owners of the iPhone, in an attempt to acquire more sales by convincing iOS users to switch. Open to only iPhone owners in the United States, the "Ultimate Test Drive" promotion provides access to the user's choice of either a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 or a Galaxy S6 Edge+ smartphone for a 30-day period, with Samsung claiming there to be "no obligation" to acquire the borrowed device after the trial.
China iPhone sales continuing to skyrocket amid contracting market
A new report from industry analyst Gartner claims that Apple's iPhone sales are continuing to grow, and that Samsung's sales are continuing to fall, particularly in China. Overall, the report says that Apple's worldwide smartphone share increased 36 percent, rising 2.4 percentage points to 14.6 percent, while Samsung's sales have dropped 5.3 percent year-over-year. In China, Apple's sales grew by 68 percent, while the overall Chinese smartphone market fell four percent compared to the same quarter last year.
At stake is $400 million of $548 million damages award
Samsung has made its intention known to appeal the ruling on the its first trial with Apple before the US Supreme Court. In papers filed today, the Korean manufacturer petitioned that the continuing battle with Apple in the California courts be suspended until the matter could be heard before the Supreme Court, following the refusal last week at the US Federal Court of Appeals.
Altered Mobile Share Value plans includes 15GB data allowance for $100
AT&T has made some changes to its Mobile Share Value plans, changing the variety available to its customers. Starting from tomorrow, five core tiers of service will be available to choose from, with all including the same rollover data, unlimited calls and texting as earlier plans, and plans priced at $100 or more will also get free calls to phone numbers in Mexico and Canada added to their service at no extra charge.
Galaxy S6 edge+, Note 5 have similar specification, payment capabilities
Samsung has unveiled two new Android smartphones at its Unpacked event today, as well as when it will be launching its own payment system competing against Apple Pay. The Galaxy Note 5 is the latest in the manufacturer's phablet range, while the Galaxy S6 edge+ is a supersized version of its existing smartphone with the curved edge display, and Samsung Pay will start to be used by members of the public in the United States by the end of next month.
Carrier turns on Wi-Fi calling for limited number of iPhone users
AT&T is allegedly allowing some of its subscribers to take advantage of Wi-Fi calling, starting with those using iPhones running on last week's iOS 9 beta release. The carrier is said to have enabled the function for a limited number of iOS 9 users, letting them make and receive calls through their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus via Wi-Fi instead of the cellular network, but is still stopping short of formally announcing the service's availability.
Twitter signs two-year agreement with NFL for extra promoted content
Fans of the NFL will soon see more football-related content in their Twitter feeds. The NFL has signed a two-year deal with the microblogging service, reports USA Today, extending an existing Twitter Amplify program that has offered TV highlights on the service since 2013. As part of the deal, it is expected that "significantly more" content will be posted to Twitter each day, including sponsored tweets, recaps of recent games, as well as footage from the NFL archives.
Latest episode a bit like a quick summer read, so try listening at poolside
This week, the usual suspects -- MacNN Editor Charles Martin, Managing Editor Mike Wuerthele, and staff writer Malcolm Owen -- deliver a lighter, shorter, 47-minute summer episode that tries to accentuate the positive, and make lemonade out of lemons. Having spent last episode complaining about iTunes 12.2, the iOS Music app, and (as required by law) Microsoft's Windows 10, this episode focuses on the new Back to School promo from Apple, what can be done to make iTunes better, how to make an OS X home server, how Windows 10 is working out, and Microsoft's new iOS-to-Windows initiative. Show notes after the jump.
New simplified Verizon sharing plans offer just four data allowance tiers
Verizon Wireless is overhauling its price plans, in a bid to be clearer to customers. Starting from August 13, the carrier is changing how it charges for its wireless service, separating out the data and charging per connected line, and requiring customers of the new price plans to also acquire a device in a separate payment plan, a scheme that bears some resemblance to competitor T-Mobile's plans.
Company straight-out denies Business Insider report about effort
In a rare refusal, Apple has shot down rumors that it is developing its own mobile service. In a terse statement, the company said in response to a Business Insider report yesterday that "We have not discussed nor do we have any plans to launch a (mobile virtual network operator)."
Low end of offerings begin at $200 a month, without home broadband
Following its very recent acquisition of DirecTV, AT&T has rolled out the first of its combined nationwide package of TV and wireless services from a single provider on one bill beginning August 10. The low-end offer includes HD and DVR service for up to four TV receivers, unlimited talk and text for four wireless lines, and 10GB of shareable wireless data for $200 a month.
Reverses $63M loss from previous quarter, 8.3M devices sold
T-Mobile has managed to post a net profit of $361 million for the most recent quarter, reversing a $63 million loss from the previous quarter and almost reaching the $391 million it brought in for the same period last year. In its successful quarter, the carrier reports total revenue of $8.2 billion, up year-on-year by 14 percent, with the per-share loss of $0.09 from last quarter being switched for an earnings per share of $0.42.
Teenagers charged for scam selling iPhone boxes filled with Play-Doh
Teenagers performing a scam where they sold iPhone boxes filled with Play-Doh bricks have been arrested. Three teenagers have been charged by the Auburn Hills police near Detroit, Michigan over the scam, after they sold the weighted box to a Metro PCS store owner, reports Reuters. The store owner contacted the police after he encouraged the teenagers to perform a second sale of "more phones" to the store, with the group arrested upon their return. All three have entered not guilty pleas and are due in court for a pre-exam conference on August 3.
Two new Moto X variants have large displays, 21MP rear cameras
Motorola has introduced three more devices to its Moto Android smartphone range at today's media event. A 2015 edition of the entry level Moto G was shown alongside two new variants of the flagship Moto X, including the Moto X Play with a large 3,630mAh battery said to last for up to 30 hours of mixed usage, and the Moto X Style, which uses a 5.7-inch Quad HD display and improved internal specifications.
T-Mobile subscribers able to stream Apple Music without using data allowance
T-Mobile is completing its Un-carrier Amped summer initiative with a pair of announcements that benefit Apple fans the most. Its Music Freedom service will include Apple Music for the first time, while customers picking up an iPhone 6 from the carrier this summer will be able to upgrade to the next generation of device for free, if the upgrade takes place before the end of this year.
Quarterly results largely positive for AT&T
AT&T achieved consolidated revenues of $33.0 billion for the last quarter, a year-on-year increase of 1.4 percent, according to the carrier's latest financial report. The earnings per share is also up to $0.69, up from $0.61 for the same period last year, with AT&T beating the $0.63 EPS expected by analysts despite meeting expectations on revenue, in what could be described as an overall positive quarterly report.
Phantom adverts affecting data caps, defrauding advertisers
Over 5,000 fraudulent apps currently available for iOS and Android are displaying ads users cannot see, but which are causing problems, using up cellular data, and costing advertisers around $850 million per year, says online fraud research company Forensiq in a new report. The ads are not visible on screen, yet the volume of them contributes to an overal slowing down of iPhone or Android devices while stealing data from often-limited cellular data plans.
Online deal highlights for July 22, 2015
Welcome to Daily Deals, the post where the staff of MacNN searches online retailers for offers, bundles, sales, and discounts on hardware, software, games, and gadgets for you, the discerning reader. All the old deals have been ruthlessly exterminated and are removed from the list, with the new collection including a refurbished 2.1-channel Logitech speaker system for $25, a 240GB Kingston SSD, and the Nikon 1 S2 mirrorless camera.
Region continues to offset normal summer sales doldrums
Although Apple's conference call with analysts on Tuesday was light on new information, a few facts and figures about China -- Apple's fastest-growing sales region by revenue, and currently buying more iPhones than the US -- came to light. In the most recent quarter, Apple's "greater China" revenues (which include Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau and Taiwan) jumped 112 percent from the year-ago quarter, to $13.2 billion. That's right, more than double. In a year.
Hidden fingerprint reader could aid removal of buttons from front of smartphones
Flagship smartphones and tablets of the future may not have a visible fingerprint reader on the front of the device, if a technology from one research firm is adopted by manufacturers. Sonovation has worked out a way to bond the fingerprint sensors directly onto the underside of a smartphone's glass display, potentially allowing for a future removal of visible readers, such as the home button on more recent Touch ID-enabled iOS devices.


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Think "Swingtown" meets "The Love Boat.''
YOLO Cruises, a Florida start-up, is set to launch its first cruise for swingers April 26.
The seven-day voyage, aboard a chartered Carnival Cruise ship, will depart from Tampa and head toward the Western Caribbean with port calls in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Roatan, Honduras.
Lest you have visions of orgiastic bacchanals sprawled across the Lido Deck (what would Captain Steubing say?), there are rules to the road. Nudity will be restricted to pool, spa tub areas, and special themed parties. Similarly, Acts of Oneness (or twoness or eightness) must be remain in staterooms or designated "playrooms.'' PDAs are OK; Public Displays of the Other Kind are discouraged.
"It's not just about sex,'' says Marlene Brustle, president of YOLO, which stands for You Only Live Once. "We know that some people will just want to watch.''
Brustle says that this cruise will mark the world's first exclusively for swingers. YOLO hopes to book 2,000 passengers for the voyage and is shooting to do three to four a year.
Prices range from $949 for an inside cabin to $3,499 for a penthouse suite.
Brustle, a 23-year veteran of the travel industry, says she was approached to start the business by a major investment company, which she declined to name. She said that the firm had done market research and found that there was a niche for this kind of business.
"The whole lifestyle cruise thing is not new. There have been special cruises for groups like wine lovers,'' she explained. "Atlantis and Olivia do gay and lesbian cruises. There just hasn't been one for swingers before.''
I say alert the Guinness records people.
(Thanks to USA Today's Cruise Log Blog for pointing us to this one.)


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After the communication breakdown over surge pricing last New Year’s Eve, Uber is taking precautions to make sure users are aware of fare increases next week. Surge pricing has become more common now among Uber users but when fares increase dramatically, it catches consumers off guard. So to prevent any surprises. Uber customers will be alerted to the surge pricing multiple which they have to confirm and accept before making any request for a ride. Uber says that when there are extreme spikes in demand on the evening, customers will also have to take Uber’s “Surge Sobriety Test.” And Uber’s Fare Estimator will give all customers the ability to estimate their fare prior to any ride request. Uber warns in a blog post: It’s going to be a crazy night and Ubers are going to be pricey, so here are a few pointers to keep in mind.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.


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Trump's top trade negotiator and Treasury secretary arrived in the Chinese capital on Tuesday for high-level talks later in the week as the world's two largest economies attempt to hammer out a deal to protect American trade secrets and avoid another escalation of US tariffs on Chinese goods after March 1.
"But at some point I expect to meet with President Xi", Trump noted, "and make the parts of the deal that the group is unable to make happen".
President Donald Trump said he's open to extending a March 1 deadline to raise tariffs on Chinese products if the two sides are near an agreement, sending a conciliatory signal amid talks to resolve the trade war between the world's two biggest economies.
If no deal is reached by that date the USA has threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese imports by 15-percent, but White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow has said the president would consider extending the trade truce if progress is made during negotiations.
Wheat rose 1¢ to $5.18¼ a bushel in Chicago while Kansas City futures declined ¼¢ to $4.94 a bushel.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (left) and Deputy US trade representative Jeffrey Gerrish leaving their Beijing hotel yesterday. "We're looking forward to several important days of talks", Mnuchin said to reporters.Читайте также: Gov. Newsom puts brakes on high-speed rail project
The USS Preble was one of two warships conducting the operation; they were shadowed by Chinese assets, but the interactions were routine and uneventful, according to a US official.
US officials are in Beijing for the latest round of trade talks. "We have a chance to make a real deal with China. March 1, tariffs go up".
The Chinese delegation will be led by Vice Premier Liu He, China's point man on trade, and central bank governor Yi Gang.
Both the Chinese government and Huawei have dismissed these concerns. Trump said last week they plan to meet, but not before the March 1 deadline.
According to media reports, the meeting may take place in Vietnam on 27-28 February.
Other possible sites include Beijing or Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the two met in April 2017, the USA news website Axios reported, citing Trump administration officials. "It would be a awful cost for American consumers and a bad hit to the global economy".При любом использовании материалов сайта и дочерних проектов, гиперссылка на обязательна.
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QUEBEC CITY — The public perceives bison to be a healthier meat choice than beef or poultry but how long will that last?
Richard Raymond, former undersecretary for food safety with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, put that question to bison producers at the July 25-27 International Bison Conference.
The food safety consultant speculated that if the bison industry grows into mass production like the cattle industry, consumer perceptions of health might fall by the wayside.
“Will the perception be reality in 10 or 20 years? That’s a question I throw out to you folks that are in the industry. Right now, I think the perception is reality, but will that change as time evolves?”
Raymond warned bison producers about situations eliciting negative media coverage, such as the recent “pink slime” controversy that eliminated the use of finely textured beef in hamburger, forced a company out of business and eliminated 630 jobs.
“Pink slime can happen to any industry and you folks need to be aware of that,” said Raymond.
He suggested the bison industry might one day become a target of animal rights advocates who lobby against meat production and consumption.
“When will they stand up and say the bison used to roam the plains of Canada and America in swaths miles wide, and the angle that we almost eliminated that herd from the face of the earth. Now it’s coming back. Why are we still killing them or eating them?
“Someday, someone will pick that up, I expect.”


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Peruvian blueberry export value rose 50% in 2017
Peruvian blueberry exports saw a huge rise in both volume and value last year, along with only a minor decline in per-kilo prices.
Statics from Promperu show export value was up 50% to US$362 million, while volume rose by 53% to 43,000 metric tons (MT). These figures are around four-fold higher than 2015 levels.
Despite the huge year-on-year increase, per-kilo FOB prices only fell 2% to US$8.4, which is also 13% down on 2015.
During last year, exports to the U.S., Peru's leading blueberry market, rose 25% to 19,000MT, while to the Netherlands they rose 66% to 11,000MT. The third-largest market, the U.K., took 25% more fruit with 5,000MT.
Peru also exported 4,000MT of blueberries to China in its first full year of access, making the country it's fourth largest market.


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DEL NORTE, CA. – Del Norte Supervisors pass an ordinance to prohibit commercial cannabis activity in the county.
As of their latest meeting, the board unanimously passed the Medicinal and Adult-Use of Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act – thus saying ‘no’ to recreational and commercial cannabis in Del Norte.
In December, the board had passed an urgency ordinance to ban commercial cannabis in light of pending state laws that would allow it, but come January 23rd, declined to extend it.
Now, the board is going back to restricting the substance, and the new ordinance will take effect come mid-April.
This decision will not affect residents from the right to grow up to six plants, as protected by the state’s Adult Use of Marijuana Act.


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AI-powered data reveals most trusted brands
Household goods feature strongly in a new ‘Brand Integrity Index’ revealing the top 100 brands across 50 different categories.
The index highlights the nation’s most trusted brands, as voted for by over 300,000 consumers over the past three months. Created by AI-powered brand management platform ProQuo, it uses real-time analysis of consumers' immediate feelings and thoughts, to reveal consumers' automatic, intuitive and unconscious ‘system 1’ response towards a brand. Uncovering which brands score highest for Integrity, one of ProQuo AI’s 16 Drivers of a brand's relationship with people. This score ranks brand principles, company values, and overall brand trust perception.
Household brands Chilly’s, Maltesers and PayPal, rank as the top three most trusted brands across the UK and USA, achieving scores of 71.2, 70.7 and 70.2 respectively on the scale, all rising in integrity over the past three months. Consumers cited commitment to ethics, clear sustainable goals and reliability as key drivers behind their decision.To access please sign in.


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Jash Hawley, senator in the United States, has gotten to know his project for prohibits random or partially random microtransactions as well as payment systems that “artificially” manipulate the difficulty of reducing costs or allowing the purchase of competitive advantages in a multiplayer mode.
Jash Hawley and his law on the protection of minors’ privacy
The Federal Trade Commission will be responsible for enforcing the new rulesalthough the state-level general tax authorities will also be empowered to take action against game developers and editors.
Hawley comments that “social media and video games benefit from user dependence, divert our children’s attention from the real world, and benefit from the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder.” Regardless of the benefits of this business model for the technology industry, one thing is clear: there is no excuse for exploring children through these practices ”.
“When a game is designed for children, game developers do not have to allow them to monetize the addiction. And when children play games designed for adults, they must avoid compulsive microtransactions. The creators of games that explode deliberately for children must assume legal consequences, ”the senator added.
If Jash Hawley has struggled with child-oriented games, it is clear that he has an ESRB (PEGI in Europe) under the age of 18 or the majority. These microtransactions tend to be hidden if a child is playing with that title in fact, it violates its content rating system.
To prevent all sales games with an adult-only rating and that editors and developers get their hands dirty, the bill says the distinction between which games are “played by minors” will be based on “the theme, the visual content.” and other indicators similar to those used to determine the applicability of the Privacy Protection Act to the benefit of children ”.
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Entertainment Software Association: «loot boxes are not bets»
In response to the senator’s announcement, Stanley Pierre-Louis, acting president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, issued the following statement:
“A number of countries, including Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, have decided that the loot boxes do not bet. We hope to share with the senator the tools and information that the industry already provides that maintain cost control in the game in the hands of the fathers. Parents already have the option to restrict or prohibit in-game purchases with easy-to-use parental controls ”.
Candy Crush and FIFA 19 are abusive
One of the examples that the senator mentioned was Candy destruction, which is called a “notorious example of this practice”, where if the game is free, players can purchase packages of up to 150 euros, adding live and temporary help to advance in the game. Just this game has generated over $ 2,000 million for Activision Blizzardand it is that the title holds nothing less than 268 million active users per monthnot to mention them $ 2.400 million in microtransactions as part of FIFA 19 of electronic art.
Also games like Fortnite, Overwatch or PUBG have been laundered by lawmakers in the past for loot boxes and P2W microtransactions. This practice has been banned in some European countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, and US lawmakers have studied similar measures.


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Zain Kuwait has announced that Viu, a OTT video service by PCCW and Vuclip will now be available to its customers through a carrier billing partnership with SLA Digital, Zain’s managed service provider.
Viu is available in 15 markets including the Middle East countries of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Zain Kuwait customers will now have access to Viu’s localised regional and local premium TV shows, movies and Viu Originals.
Muzamil Shaikh, Zain Kuwait’s wholesale and partner relations director said: "The launch of Viu in partnership with Vuclip reinforces Zain’s commitment to provide customers with premium content that can be enjoyed through convenient and secure digital services like carrier billing".
Wesam Kattan, VP- content and brand marketing, Vuclip MENA, said: “Viu is proud to partner with Zain Kuwait to provide audiences with easy access to our comprehensive catalogue of the freshest TV shows, movies and original content.
“This strategic partnership will enhance our already well-established footprint across the MENA region.”
Vuclip will work together with SLA Digital to extend the Viu service offering to other Zain Group customers in the Middle East in order to capitalise on the region’s growing youth population, smartphone penetration, and appetite for digital content and entertainment.


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Walmart's marked focus on "freshest produce" is likely another signal that its countering Amazon's big grocery push - bolstered by the e-giant's $13.7 billion Whole Foods buy past year. Deliveries will cost $9.95 with a minimum $30 order and companies like Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] will provide transport. Customers place their orders online at Walmart.com/grocery or on the existing Walmart Grocery App, and unlike other services, they find the same every day low prices on items that they do in stores.
Walmart now provides home delivery of groceries bought online in six markets.
It expects to make online order pickup of groceries available at about 2,200 stores before 2019.
"We're moving fast to save our customers time", Tom Ward, vice president of digital operations for Walmart, said on a call with reporters on Tuesday. Customers can pick up their groceries without having to get out of their vehicle. This service will be like Uber helping to ferry the groceries to customer's doors. Cowen researchers saying past year that food and beverage sales online account for just 4 percent of total sales in the category, and online accounted for only 9 percent of sales for consumables like toothpaste and household goods. The costs of items will be the same as they are in store, Ward said. He also said Tuesday that the company now employs more than 18,000 personal shoppers with additional hires planned as both grocery pickup and delivery services are rolled out to a larger audience this year.
Harry Kane to return in April after damaging ankle ligaments
Tottenham return to action against Swansea in the FA Cup at the weekend without their talisman. Harry Kane is out until May and faces a desperate battle to be fully fit for the World Cup .
Finance Bill, 2018 passed in Lok Sabha
The AIADMK meanwhile, has demanded a board for the management of the Cauvery river water. After both the houses were adjourned early on the day, Congress hit back at BJP.
Food Prices to Moderate Downward Inflation Trajectory
India's industrial output grew 7.5 percent in January from a year earlier, government data showed on Monday. The overall consumer price index rose 0.2% on the month and 2.2% from a year ago, matching expectations.
Walmart is getting serious about delivering groceries to your house.
Online sales comprise just a fraction of the $800 billion US grocery market - a smaller share than in countries like the United Kingdom or South Korea - but consumer acceptance is growing.
And Sam's Club, the wholesale club arm of Walmart, announced a partnership with Instacart two weeks ago that offers same-day delivery on groceries and household essentials in three markets: Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and St. Louis. Amazon also has spent over a decade trying to build up its AmazonFresh grocery delivery service, but so far seen limited success.
Delivery is becoming less of an option, and more of market demand.
Walmart is delivering groceries to shoppers across the US.


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Aktive in Roanoke pushes opening date to December
AKTIVE Lifestyle CBD (Courtesy Jenn Doherty)
Aktive anticipates opening sometime in December at 400 S. Oak St., Roanoke. It was originally slated to open in the fall. The company is known for CBD products for health and wellness. Customers can also visit Aktive's shop online, where they will find products for sleep support, skin care, weight management and more. 800-287-1513. www.aktivetoday.com


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One of the town’s longest serving traders has no regrets a year after moving from Accrington Market Hall.
This weekend marks the anniversary of Croppers Butchers Farm Shop & Deli opening on the corner of Blackburn Road and Bridge Street.
George Cropper worked on the market for more than 60 years and operated Cropper Family Butchers for more than four decades, but opted to relocate last year after disagreements over parking and market management.
George’s daughter Clare said: “Last year I made the decision to purchase our own shop and it is the best move we have ever made.”
Clare said: “We would like to take the opportunity to thank every customer who has walked through the door over the last 12 months and made our business a success and here’s to the next 12 months.”
The shop is offering a special 10 per cent off promotion on Friday and Saturday (July 17-18) as a thank you to their loyal customers and a hello to any new customers wanting to give them a try.
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Matt Lytle, the vice president for marketing at Shamir Insight in the U.S. is being promoted to vice president for sales and marketing. His new position calls for him to oversee the company's North American sales force. Lytle is taking the spot of Lance Bergeron, a senior vice president who ...
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What’s new in tech
Senate votes to restore net neutrality
The Senate approved a measure last week to undo recent changes to net neutrality laws, said Brian Fung in The Washington Post. The Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission voted last year to repeal Obama-era protections that prohibited internet service providers such as Comcast and Verizon from speeding up or slowing down traffic on specific websites and apps. The Senate measure, which passed with the backing of all 49 Democratic senators and three Republicans, restores these protections. The bill now moves to the House, where the Republican majority has shown little interest in passing it. “And given the White House’s endorsement of the FCC’s repeal, analysts say, it is unlikely that Trump will sign the resolution to make it effective.”
YouTube takes on Spotify
“YouTube has long been the world’s most popular music service,” said Anne Steele and Douglas MacMillan in The Wall Street Journal. The Alphabet-owned video platform “alone accounts for twice as much time spent listening to music as all paid audio streaming services combined.” Now YouTube is attempting to parlay that popularity into a viable music-streaming business. Like Spotify, YouTube Music will have a free, ad-supported option and a $9.99 per month ad-free model. “Similar to how Google Maps offers users directions to work in the morning without being asked, the music app will serve up playlists, albums, and stations based on time of day and location.” Anyone who already has a Google Play Music subscription gets YouTube Music as part of that membership.
EBay personalizes shopping
EBay is beginning to lean more heavily on its algorithms, said Thuy Ong in TheVerge.com. The online auction and shopping site is taking a page out of rival Amazon’s book by adding a customized homepage for users, featuring products “based on your interests.” You fill out a brief survey, and the “Shop Your Interests” feature “personalizes and curates items for you based on your hobbies, interests, and what you like wearing.” Mining its own vast trove of shopping data, the company has created several hundred shopping categories to select from. “The method is similar to how Netflix creates its own categories of content.” Category options include hobbies; interests such as cooking; gadgets; and brands, such as Apple. The update follows a recent redesign similarly focused on personalization.


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E-scooter sops to rise 75% to Rs3.5k cr
NEW DELHI — Although a new subsidy scheme for electric two-wheelers and public transport is not in the works, the government plans to increase the subsidy for electric two-wheelers under FAME II by 75% to Rs 3,500 crore by reallocating some of the funds available for three-wheelers, where demand has been far lower than the budgeted level.
In contrast, there is strong demand for electric buses and two-wheelers under the Rs 10,000-crore scheme, which has a five-year term that ends in March of next year.
While consultations with the seven registered entities will begin on Thursday in order to increase the allocation for electric buses beyond the current level of Rs 3,545 crore, discussions with electric two-wheeler original equipment manufacturers have already concluded because the Rs 2,000-crore allocation has been depleted.
According to a senior government official, the industry has agreed to a proposal in which the demand incentive will likely be retained at Rs 10,000 per kWh of battery capacity, with a 15% cap on ex-factory price. The current ex-factory price ceiling is set at 40%.
“The options were to either terminate the subsidy completely or agree to extend it but with a lower payout. The industry wants subsidies for a longer period of time, even if they are lower “According to the official.
The government hopes to extend FAME II for electric two-wheelers until around February and subsidize 10 lakh e-scooters with an increased allocation and lower subsidy on each scooter, with the price cap remaining at Rs 1.5 lakh. Over 5.6 lakh electric two-wheelers have received subsidies so far.
“As the demand for e-two-wheelers continues to grow, the government is committed to providing the necessary support to the industry to ensure sustainable growth and reduce carbon emissions… The consensus reached during the stakeholder consultation signals a positive step towards sustainable transportation solutions in India,” heavy industries minister Mahendra Nath Pandey said.
The proposals are expected to be considered by the Programme Implementation and Sanction Committee, which is made up of secretaries from various ministries and whose approval is required for reappropriating funds.
According to an official, the allocation for electric three-wheelers is expected to be reduced from Rs 2,500 crore to Rs 700 crore due to low demand for e-rickshaws.
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Content Credit: THE TIMES OF INDIA


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NantBioPlastics LLC, a subsidiary of Calcean Minerals and Materials LLC, has invested $8.3 million in a new Gadsden, Ala., manufacturing facility to meet demand for compostable single-use products.
"Many states and counties have passed legislation moving from plastics to environmentally friendly materials. However, they have not clearly identified replacement products or processes," Kenn Budlong, chief operating officer, told Plastics News in an emailed statement.
"NBP has been developing products [using] our core 'ocean calcium sand,' which is renewable and sustainable, provides negative carbon credits [at the] beginning of [its life cycle] and valuable nutrients to the soil at end of life," Budlong said.
The company's goal is to have a one-stop shop for customers to use NBP's proprietary formula bioresins "and convert to finished products in one location," he said.
NBP also plans to continue developing additional formulas through research and development at the plant "to expand the use of bioresins," Budlong said.
The 55,000-square-foot building, which opened at the beginning of 2023, features compostable straw extrusion, sheet extrusion and thermoforming, blown film and bagging lines, and 3D filament extrusion.
NBP expects to create 55 new jobs by the end of the year as a result of the expansion, Budlong said, including 35-45 direct and eight to 10 indirect employees. That number "more than doubles" the company's current staff, he added.
"We are extremely excited to provide the market manufacturing capacity of 200 million compostable straws per month," Budlong said. "Significant investment in multiple new extrusion lines will provide superior quality at market-leading pricing."


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North East tech company Vianet has said it is focusing growth efforts on its vending machine division because of the “perfect storm” of costs that has hit the pub industry.
The company provides systems and services to the leisure and vending sectors, serving up insight and data that is vital for its customers, which include Jacob Douwe Egbert and Costa Coffee.
Its biggest market has traditionally been selling beer monitoring equipment to pubs, but the industry has suffered in recent years, with countless pubs closing every year.
The challenging market has led Vianet chief executive Stewart Darling to reveal how the business is focusing on expanding further into the vending machine market, throigh its unattended retail management division.
Mr Darling said: “Obviously we have the pub retail compliance side, which is bigger in revenue terms. We provide retail insight to pubs. They have had, what is very well briefed for that market, increased costs of things such as the National Living Wage.
“It has been hit by a perfect storm of costs and it is a very challenging market.”
Pub closures and high costs affecting the industry ultimately led to revenue within Vianet’s Smart Zones division falling by 5% to £2.27m during the six months ending September 30.
Smart Zones includes sales of the company’s iDraught product, which helps improve the quality of beer served in pubs as well as manage waste.
The Stockton-headquartered firm said it is also growing the use of its Internet of Things (IoT) technology to make an impact in the unattended retail market.
It recently won a contract with a major coffee company to install its technology in thousands of vending machines.
The deal will initially see the IoT tech installed in 7,000 machines within the first 12 months, with the company expecting more to be rolled out over the following two years.
Vianet also recently acquired software firm Vendman, and it is now looking at ways it can use its technology in new markets.
Mr Darling added: “The acquisition of Vendman will give us more opportunities to sell to their customers and allow them to sell to our customers. What we are developing at Vendman is a great IoT platform and an analysis platform that lends itself to other industries.
“We have things like environmental monitoring, healthcare, transport, and machine monitoring.”
Mr Darling’s comments were made following the release of Vianet’s interim results for the six months ending September 30 which showed turnover fell 5% from £7.1m to £6.7m.
Part of the revenue dip was caused by Vianet moving to an annuity based payment model. The new payment scheme has been implemented to help flatten out the firm’s revenue stream throughout the year.
Operating profit before share payments also fell from £1.5m to £1.3m. This was largely due to exceptional costs of £338,000, relating to acquisitions carried out by the firm.


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Seedrs and Portugal Ventures join forces to fund Portugal’s start-ups
A further step has been taken to position Portugal as the in place for start ups as crowdfunding specialist, Seedrs, has linked with Portugal Ventures together to fund promising businesses.
Portugal Ventures is the first local venture capital company to join the Seedrs investment platform with investments of up to 50% of the funding target.
The venture firm says it will be widening its remit in technology sectors such as Fintech, smart manufacturing, digital health, mobility and travel tech.
“We’re very excited by this exclusive partnership as it gives ambitious early stage Portuguese businesses access to quality investment and an incredible opportunity to take their brand to the next level by building community and marketing value,” commented Seedrs’ Chief Executive, Jeff Kelisky.
“We have a long-standing relationship with Portugal Ventures, having worked closely with them over the last couple of years and this partnership is now a strong demonstration of their belief in the quality of our deal flow, due diligence and the Seedrs platform,” continued the American.
Portugal Ventures’ chief, Celso Guedes de Carvalho, said they were thrilled to be working with Seedrs and to be able to syndicate investments via the leading equity crowdfunding platform,
“Seedrs provides a trusted and streamlined platform which will allow us to continue spearheading Portugal’s start-up scene together.”
Seedrs has funded over 570 deals to date and has had over £300 million invested on the platform.
Portugal Ventures: https://www.portugalventures.pt/
The above content produced by swissinfo.ch is not intended for commercial use and may not be republished by third parties either wholly or in part.


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Singapore cruise companies report 25% rise in footfall of Indian tourists
Singapore: Singapore-based cruise companies are reporting strong growth in footfall of Indian tourists, with some 1,27,000 of them having sailed on luxury liners last year, up 25 per cent from 2016. Industry players have also noted a jump in fly-cruise tourists from India, according to a Straits Times report on Saturday.
A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said the company believes the Indian market "has potential to grow at double-digit rates".
"We are seeing an increasing number of Indian tourists booking fly-cruise packages to Singapore as the island is a regional hub and port... From Singapore, the tourists are able to visit a number of other countries depending on the cruise package they have booked," the spokesperson said.
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said the number of Indian guests taking its cruises has increased by 10 per cent to 20 per cent yearly, especially after the arrival of its Voyager Class ships to South-east Asia in 2013.
Indian tourists like the convenience of packing for one trip but being able to travel to several countries at one time, the spokesperson added. Other industry players are also adapting to Indian tourists, who are the third-largest group of visitors to Singapore.
A Regent Singapore spokesperson said the hotel has seen an annual increase of 1 per cent to 2 per cent for guests from India.
"We do understand that some of them may have strict dietary requirements and, therefore, we have menus available to cater to those needs," said the spokesperson.
Dr Ram Mohan Panda, 68, on his first visit to Singapore along with his wife, Dr Shail Bala Panda, 65, and 20 others from Odisha, said "I like Singapore. It feels very global here, but we can buy many Indian items too."
Dr Taheb Khan, 75, from Goa, made a return visit to Singapore with six family members.
"Singapore is very safe and the people are very good," said Dr Khan, who visited Singapore first in 2002 for a conference.
Sheikh Mustak, 60, a businessman, said, "We have been to many places, but this is the best and cleanest city of all."
About seven in 10 travellers from India and China are holidaymakers who are typically attracted to the sights and sounds of Singapore, according to Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
In 2017, international visitor arrivals in Singapore increased by 6.2 per cent to 17.4 million, with those from India posting the highest growth rate of 16 per cent, according to STB.
Indian tourist visitors increased by 15 per cent to 6,60,000 between January and June 2017, as per the STB data.
For this year, Singapore is estimating international visitor arrivals of 17.6 to 18.1 million, an increase of 1 per cent to 4 per cent.


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By Dave Russell
How busy is Sylva’s business scene? Just a month after a business roundup story, the Herald patched together another one. A new eatery, a discount grocer and an upholstery shop are in town, and lips are sealed about one of the most talked about properties in town.
A slice of New York comes to 984 E. Main St. in late October when Everything Bagels opens. Co-owner Vinny Ferrara brought New York pizza to town when he opened Ferrara Pizza and Pasta.
“Now I guess he wanted some New York bagels as well,” said co-owner Jessica DuBoise. “We are getting the bagels shipped straight from New York. We’re going to have everything bagels, plain bagels, sesame seed, blueberry, ancient grain and cinnamon raisin.” In addition to the traditional cream cheese, lox (cured salmon) will be available.
“We are going to have a few sandwiches that we created,” she said. “For breakfast, bacon, sausage, and eggs and Taylor ham, which is a pork roll. Lunch is going to be more of a deli-style selection.”
Everything will be served on a bagel with other bread options, she said.
“I was kind of drawn more to the breakfast aspect, but with COVID going on, we decided a big dine-in breakfast place might not be the best idea, so we went with a little quicker, drive-thru and takeout restaurant, and we will open the dining room when things calm down.”
Hot and iced coffee are on the menu and available from the drive-thru.
The store will open Wednesday through Monday from 6:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
Everything Bagels is on Facebook.
Mark Hawkins decided Sylva was a nice place, so after a 27-year career with a “big box” grocery store, he opened Hawkeye Sales at 334 E. Main St., Suite B, right next to Little Caesars.
Motor oil, shampoo, chocolates, socks, razor blades, hand sanitizer, candy, cookies, country ham, coffee and more can be found inside.
Hawkeye’s goal is to beat “big box” prices on everything a grocery store might have, though it does not offer alcohol, produce or frozen foods.
Hawkins employs his friend Brian Fish, who said the two have been in the food business for about 50 years combined.
“Our biggest seller is probably beef jerky,” Fish said. “I wouldn’t say it’s our specialty, but nine out of 10 customers buy something off the jerky tables.”
Stock changes according to what Hawkins can find, Fish said.
“It’s whatever we can get to save you some money on,” he said.
Daily updates on the Facebook page tout Hawkeye prices.
Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Owners of boats, restaurants, airplanes, cars, furniture and more in need of upholstery work have an option at 34 E. Sylva Shopping Center, home of Stitches Custom Upholstery.
“I grew up doing it,” owner Troy DeBose said. “I started sewing when I was 4 years old. My father always had a shop, so I have 40 years of experience doing it.”
His work comes with a guarantee.
“Fabric is going to wear out eventually, but if my work has issues, I fix it,” he said. “I’ve never had any problems with the stuff that I do.”
DeBose has about 50 fabric sample books for customers to peruse and choose from.
“I have a good relationship with all of the suppliers so they send me material right out,” he said.
DeBose did a soft opening in August but just put up his sign last week.
Hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Stitches is on Facebook and right next to the Sylva ABC Store.
Dreamcatcher, at 648 W Main St., closed down last month. The storefront, which previously housed Bright Sports, remains vacant.
Across the street, clothing boutique Humanite closed in the spring and a similar store is set to take its place when Southern & Sunkissed moves in. The Franklin store offers tanning as well as clothing.
Southern & Sunkissed is on Facebook and at www.southernandsunkissednc.com.
A new car wash and a tattoo parlor are on the horizon as well.
Many have asked “What’s going in at the old Ryan’s site?”
The Herald made phone calls and sent emails, and received this from Tricor International Director of Leasing Stacey CaChat: “We are still working on it and I’ll call you when we are ready to release the tenants’ names.”


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AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
D3 Cadillac has always impressed us with its Cadillac builds. Most recently, they captured our attention with a 1,000-hp CTS-V at the 2011 SEMA Show and now they’ve taken to the streets of Southern California to show off what that what the company builds is “not your grandpas Cadillac.”
With the Long Beach Grand Prix in town, the guys at D3 Cadillac grabbed IndyCar driver J.R. Hildebrand and Formula Drift driver Tyler McQuarrie and armed them with two of its creations, a 750+ hp ‘Legionnaire’ and a more street-friendly 560-hp or so CTS-V. Both vehicles featured in the video are 2012 CTS-V coupe models and shows off just how much fun a Cadillac can truly be.
Watch the video below.
When we first heard about D3 Cadillac’s Le Monstre packing 1,001-hp in CTS-V Coupe form, we had pretty high expectations. Now we know that even the renderings were a little on the conservative side. The completed project made its debut in the Toyo Tires booth at this year’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas and it has exceeded our expectations. Simply put, this is one bad widebody Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.
As tired as we might be of seeing matte black cars at this year’s show, D3′s Le Monstre probably wouldn’t have the same impact if it was in any other shade. The widebody was executed perfectly, giving the CTS-V Coupe the aggressive stance that we’d expect from a 1,001-hp monster. Inside and out, the Cadillac features all of D3′s products, from suspension to power upgrades to drivetrain modifications.
The subtle yellow accents do a fantastic job to contrast the matte black body and a perfect choice and fitment of wheels and tires. We can’t wait to see this thing hit the track.
GALLERY: D3 Cadillac Le Monstre
Toyo Tires recently announced three of their four 2011 SEMA booth vehicles, choosing to keep the fourth one a secret… until now. Toyo Tires has teamed up with D3 Cadillac to show off a special edition 2012 CTS-V Coupe dubbed “Le Monstre” packing in excess of 1,001-hp and 1,001 lb-fts of torque.
D3 Cadillac is well-known for their Cadillac tuning programs, having the world’s only full line of products from power kits to competition track ready suspension kits to fully functional aerodynamic components. Le Monstre features D3′s competition proven powertrain, competition suspension package and complete wide body conversion.
The nickname pays homage to the 1950 Cadillac Coupe Series 61 that was built to compete in the 24 Hours of LeMans. 2011 marks the 61st anniversary since that historic 1950 event.
D3 Cadillac looks forward to putting Le Monstre onto the track in 2012, competing in various Time Attack events and showing off what they can do with the Cadillac platform.