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by Amy Reiter in News, April 6th, 2016
by Amy Reiter in News, April 5th, 2016
You know how, as a kid, you used to try to catch raindrops on your tongue as they fell from the sky? Now there’s a food that seeks to help you recapture that sensation: the Raindrop Cake, which was created by New York chef Darren Wong and is taking the Internet by storm (only partly because it looks sort of like a giant silicone breast implant).
Wong, who is now selling the Raindrop Cake at Brooklyn’s trendy Smorgasburg open-air food markets and may expand to other venues, was inspired to create the gelatinous clear dessert blob by Japan’s traditional mizu shingen mochi, a food he had read about and was eager to try.
by Amy Reiter in News, April 1st, 2016
Talk about a droolworthy shoe!
Nike has just introduced a sneaker (part of its Nike SB line of skateboarding shoes) inspired by chicken and waffles, that winning culinary combo. “Soul food for your feet” is what they’re calling it.
by Amy Reiter in News, March 28th, 2016
Nutella 2.0? Now lovers of sweet, candy-bar-like spreads have a new option. At least they do if they’re in the U.K., where Mars has just introduced Twix spread. Yes, British folks are now spreading their candy bars on their toast. Jealous? (We are.)
by Amy Reiter in News, March 25th, 2016
Four words that prove the weird-ice-cream-flavor phenomenon has burst out of its cage and pecked its way into bold new territory: fried chicken ice cream.
by Amy Reiter in News, March 19th, 2016
Soggy popcorn. Torn-up toast. A burned mess in the bottom of your pan. Can the world do butter better?
Inventor and food entrepreneur Doug Foreman (the original thinker behind Beanitos bean chips) is hoping to make the world a better place by bringing to kitchens across the globe a gadget that sprays butter wherever it is desired.
by Maria Russo in News, Shows, March 15th, 2016
Shove over, Cronut. Back off, Ramen Burger. Move along, all you other hybrid foods. It’s time to make way for the Macaron Donut.
by Amy Reiter in News, March 14th, 2016
The holiday season just keeps on giving. This afternoon the James Beard Foundation announced its 2016 nominees for Book, Broadcast and Journalism Awards, and like in years past, Scripps Networks Interactive programming earned high industry praises.
Christmas at Bobby’s scored a nomination in the Specials category of the Broadcast Media Awards, alongside fellow nominees CBS Sunday Morning: The Food Issue: Eat Drink & Be Merry, which airs on CBS, and PBS’ Lidia Celebrates America: Home for the Holidays. Premiering in December 2015, Christmas at Bobby’s brought together Bobby Flay and some of his closest Food Network pals, like Alex Guarnaschelli, Katie Lee and Geoffrey Zakarian, at Bobby’s New York City apartment; they enjoyed a seasonal slumber party complete with eats, drinks and a game of Secret Santa. Missed the premiere? Check out behind-the-scenes photos to see what went down at Bobby’s place.
by Amy Reiter in News, March 12th, 2016
Sacre bleu! Zut alors! Insert any other French expression of surprise you may be able to come up with here. The French — longtime high-culinary-standard upholders and slow meal eaters — are now consuming unpretentious fast-food staples like burgers and pizza at an astounding pace.
by Amy Reiter in News, March 10th, 2016
Instagramming your food may not do much for the people you’re eating with, especially if they feel compelled to sit there, politely waiting as their meals get cold, while you set up the perfect beauty shot, tinker with your filters, settle on the right hashtag and post a photo for the masses to admire. But stopping to snap a photo of your food may be helping you in ways you hadn’t even considered — ways that go way beyond impressing everyone following your feed.
To the uninitiated, one potato may seem as good as another. But experienced cooks know that all potatoes are not all-purpose. Some are better for frying, others more suitable for salads. As with so many things, it may come down to chemistry.
“There are hundreds of different breeds of potatoes, and it turns out that beneath that yellow or brown or purple or red skin, they have quite different chemistries,” the BBC noted in a recent examination of the “humble spud.”


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Researchers call for Health Star Rating System to be extended to fast food
Health Star Ratings should be extended to cover fast food restaurants across Australia says a new report by The George Institute for Global Health.
After analysing more than 1, 500 products from 13 leading fast food chains, researchers found the average health star rating (HSR) would 2.5 stars.
Researcher, Dr Elizabeth Dunford, said extending the HSR system to fast food chains would help Australians make healthier choices.
“We already have kilojoule labelling in large chain restaurants across much of Australia but that only tells consumers about energy content,” Dr Dunford said.
”Health Star Ratings on the other hand assess the full nutritional make up of a product, which is much more important health wise” she stated.
Dr Dunford said that many consumers still struggle to use kilojoule labelling, but HSR perform well in terms of consumer understanding.
‘’Exactly as for packaged foods, what we found is that even in the worst performing chains, there are healthier alternatives, and the HSR would make them identifiable at a glance if it was required on the menu board,” she said.
HSR: “We need to work to improve it, not trash it”
Co-researcher, Professor Bruce Neal, said whilst there may be complaints about HSR “it’s actually a pretty good system”.
“It gets it right most of the time and consumers like it. We need to work to improve it, not trash it,” he said.
The Health Star Rating Advisory Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the HSR system, is currently conducting a five-year review of the HSR system with public submissions open until 30 June 2017.
Criticisms of HSR have come from different organisations over the years including AUSVEG who criticised the system for failing many vegetables.
- “Health Star Ratings not intended to stop people eating processed foods”, says leading food law expert
- Many vegetables fail on Australia’sHealth Star Rating system
- CHOICE comparison finds few health stars among food giant’s stellar sellers
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Bundaberg Ginger Beer is the latest Australian company to become a huge success in the United States...
Westpac and Kounta are helping make in-store payments a faster and more seamless experience for hos...
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FACEBOOK has pulled a series of advertisements posted by a Tasmanian gin maker, sounding an alarm fo...
Cobs is selling a new range of flavoured popcorn that pays homage to the United States.

domain: news


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The stereotypical image of a college dorm room: a tiny room plastered with posters and cluttered with unknown remnants of the night before.
This image, however, now is being redefined by students determined to find creative ways to make their new homes stylish and comfortable.
“Decorating and personalizing your room will help the transition from home so much,” said Catherine Vukelich, a sophomore at the University of Nevada, Reno. “Dorm rooms tend to become boring and prison-like if you don’t.”
Vukelich moved into Argenta Hall at UNR last year and used artwork, Christmas lights and school spirit items to make her room her own. Local interior designers, however, said that there are even more possibilities to decorating a stylish dorm room.
“The transition from living at home to being on your own is a big step that should be celebrated,” interior designer Alejandra Bernardez said. “There are ways to achieve a stylish room even at the strictest of university dorms.”
Bernardez recommended window coverings not only to polish and frame the room, but also to provide much needed privacy or to block sunlight. She also noted that art wall decals are good way to brighten up walls that can’t be painted or tacked.
“There are a vast variety of large patterns and exciting designs available online and in stores,” she said. “These decals can be easily installed on painted drywall, glass and metal. Many of them are not only re-usable and repositionable, but also easy to remove.”
Students often end up wondering what the best colors for their room will be when they are unaware of what their roommates will bring with them to school.
“I definitely picked out colors and got little things to match, but I soon realized that nothing would match because my roommates had completely different colors,” Vukelich said.
The key to a well-coordinated dorm room is a good color palette, interior designer Sheri Kovac said.
“A black and white palette is a great one because students can then add any color accent to it that they want,” she said. “Even with your roommates’ colors, it would be really cool how it would all mix.”
For another trendy look, Kovac suggested skipping the classic bulletin board and instead buying an inexpensive picture frame. After spray painting it in an accent color and replacing the picture with chicken wire, the frame will be ready for posting letters from home or notes.
Foldable camping chairs can provide seating for the many guests that will spend time in the student’s dorm room, she said.
“The first thing people do when they come in is sit on the beds,” Vukelich said. “It’s nice to have a little extra seating when you don’t know how clean random people are.”
For students wondering what to bring to UNR, Chuck Clement, director of student conduct and safety, suggested bringing the minimum and adding more once they’ve moved in.
“Just bring your essentials, and then, when you get here ask questions,” he said. “The rooms do not have a lot of extra storage capacity, so we ask that students are selective with their wardrobe. Bring comfortable clothing that you can wear every day.”
Using small pins for the wall is allowed, but painting is not, Clement said. Anything with an open heating element also is prohibited. Students can check a complete list of prohibited items at the university’s website.
Students like Vukelich see the many benefits of their styled dorm room during the school year.
“It helped me as a student,” Vukelich said. “When you’re in a comfortable and relaxed environment, you can focus on studying — and that’s what you’re there to do.”
The residence hall opening at UNR is at
10 a.m. Aug. 25.
May the decorating begin.
Published at Reno Gazette-Journal


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Not only do electric vehicles revolutionize personal and professional transportation by reducing their carbon footprints, they can also support the mission and values of humanitarian organizations.
A budding partnership between BYD Auto, the largest manufacturer and leading global brand of electric vehicles in the world, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian organization, could lead to the use of electric vehicles in supporting relief operations around the world—starting here in The Bahamas.
Easy Cars Sales, the sole dealer in The Bahamas for BYD electric vehicles, has facilitated this partnership by leasing three BYD Yuan SUV cars to assist in relief and restoration efforts coordinated in New Providence by the IFRC after Hurricane Dorian, marking the first time ever anywhere in the world that this organization has used electric cars in their disaster response efforts.
James Bellamy, Deputy Operations Manager for Hurricane Dorian with the IFRC, says this opportunity to test out the electric vehicles in a controlled environment could lead to a shift in the future global operations of the IFRC as the humanitarian organization works towards greener practices worldwide.
“The organization has a 2030 goal to get operations more carbon neutral,” he says. “It’s not going to be easy because a lot of the places we work don’t have the infrastructure, but we saw here an opportunity to take our first step using these electric vehicles and their user-friendly technology.”
Pia Farmer, a Partner in Easy Car Sales. points out that such a milestone is to be expected as electric vehicles are natural partners to the reusable energy systems that are being put in place around the globe as the world commits to cleaner, more efficient, and more sustainable energy options.
“Part of reconstruction efforts in Grand Bahama and Abaco are several plans for solar solutions in homes and businesses to restore power after Hurricane Dorian, and electric cars are one-hundred percent solar ready,” she says.
“Electric vehicles provide a more sustainable solution as we reimagine the future of energy in our country.”


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YouTube is becoming a top destination for shoppers, Google says, but retailers need to think beyond posting TV spots.
The availability of Facebook Exchange ads through the DoubleClick Bid Manager may be a few months away, though the two advertising giants have officially announced their partnership.
Google gathered some of its biggest agency partners, global brands and publishers on Wednesday to reveal what it calls “the biggest upgrade to our core ad server in the 15 years since its inception.”
Venture capitalists love the ad-tech sector, but Marin Software is one of the first filing for initial public offering.
In a forever evolving complex digital landscape, marketers are turning to bid management platforms to streamline workflows and drive effective campaigns.
Two news organizations reported on Friday rumors that Facebook is in talks with Microsoft to buy Atlas, its giant media digital media platform. Could this really change online advertising?
AdMob network inventory is now available in the AdWords platform.
Site embraces advertiser content, rejects IAB standard ads.
Q4 saw big growth not only for Google's social network but for its display, mobile, and deals products as well.
Consider these five factors when planning and buying online ads in China.


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Within the last decade, our senses of self and identity have made a major shift. Whether we’ve noticed it or not, the items that used to define our identities have gone from hard copy items, such as birth certificates and Social Security cards, to online banking passwords, Facebook logins, and mobile wallets stored in our smartphones. While we still need to safeguard and protect those hard copy documents, we also have to focus on our digital identities.
Tagged: mobile apps
Living a mobile lifestyle does not come without risk, especially where your identity is concerned. But staying mobile secure doesn’t have to be complicated. Consider this: 94.2% of identity victims say they are still highly engaged online and via their mobile devices despite having had their personally identifiable information stolen, according to a recent study from The Identity Theft Resource Center.
So how do we stay safe? Just follow these five tips!
You might have heard that the new iPhone 6 supports making phone calls over WiFi networks. Using WiFi networks to make calls is the next big thing for mobile phones.
But how safe is it to make phone calls using public WiFi hotspots? Are your calls being encrypted? And should you take any steps to protect yourself from WiFi hackers? Read on to find out more.
With a man-in-the-middle attack, your app thinks it is communicating with the app’s web server, but in fact, all of your personal information is being sent directly to the hacker’s computer. Keep reading for details on the two kinds of SSL vulnerabilities that FireEye found in some of the most popular Android apps — and how to protect yourself today.
As we continue to rely on the precarious mix of mobile banking & payments, mobile apps, and public WiFi hotspots, it’s perhaps not such a surprise that online bank fraud is escalating. Quite a bit of this fraud is perpetrated by malicious apps that users inadvertently download on their mobile devices. App developers with malicious intent have become quite adept at concealing the surreptitious nature of these apps.
These days we are using mobile phones and tablets more and more, and this trend away from computers to mobile devices will continue in the years to come, according to a survey about consumer attitudes and mobile device privacy released by TRUSTe, a leading privacy services provider.
Privacy expectations have been evolving or changing for several years. As younger generations become more comfortable sharing personal information with less expectation that it will remain private, it’s no secret that our online privacy expectations are fading fast.
Apple’s new operating system, iOS 8, has made it much harder for marketers to track your cell phone, and thus harder to track you.
While this is undoubtedly a good move for those concerned with protecting their privacy, others have raised concerns that Apple may be doing this to push their own tracking technology, iBeacon.
If you are accessing corporate or sensitive data on your mobile phone, you should use a VPN like PRIVATE WiFi to protect your communications. But some people are not taking steps to protect that data, according to a new survey. The most disturbing findings? 15% of employees say they feel “minimal to no” responsibility to protect corporate data stored on their mobile devices. And 10% do not have any password, PIN, or other security measures in place to protect their mobile devices they use for work purposes.
Nearly two years ago we reported that Facebook was planning to launch a new feature that would help users locate their friends “In Real Life.” And now “Nearby Friend” is a reality, allowing mobile users to see which of their contacts is in their current vicinity. This tool is optional, and you can also set it for specific groups of friends.
Before turning it on, let’s take a deeper look into the privacy repercussions of using the feature.
They track our movements, monitor our health, and record where we’ve been and what we’ve seen. They’re wearable computing devices – one of the hottest trends in tech today. According to a 2013 Nielsen survey, 15% of U.S. consumers already own and use some form of wearables – everything from smart watches and fitness bands to glasses that record video.
So before you don that wearable tech, read on and consider how your data could be exploited.
One way to think about your mobile phone is that it’s basically a tracking device. The new thing in the app world is something called “contextual apps.” Contextual apps are mobile apps that can figure out where we are or what we are looking at and then present us with all kinds of information about that spot. Does that sound dangerous? Keep reading to learn more.


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An independent forecourt in the northeast of England has become the location for Nisa-Today’s first ever TV advert.
The Total-branded forecourt’s Nisa-branded convenience store in Stockton-on-Tees will be featured in the £1.3m campaign that breaks on December 27 and will run until February 6.
The advertising campaign, which runs alongside a new trade marketing campaign, follows the launch of Nisa’s new brand positioning and redesigned corporate logo, focusing on its ‘making a difference locally’ strapline.
Neil Turton, chief executive officer at Nisa-Today’s, said: “Each year brings many challenges, but we feel confident that our new consumer and trade marketing campaigns put us in a strong position to not only drive further sales growth through existing members, but to also drive recruitment of new independent retailers and in doing so grow our business as a whole.”
John Stevenson, who runs the forecourt featured in the TV ad, said: “I’m expecting the promotions advertised to drive footfall into the store. We’re a brand new Nisa store in the area. I will be putting a banner on the forecourt and do some local press activity to make sure people know it’s our store in the advert.”
Nisa-Today’s currently delivers to 3,500 stores, 1,500 of which are through Costcutter. Of the remaining 2,000 stores, 800 are Nisa-branded, and there are 350 with forecourts. The wholesaler is expecting to add 200 more stores next year, and 25% of those are estimated to be on forecourts, with 20 sites already in the pipeline.


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ABC Supply Co. Inc. (ABC) has planned a month-long "Founders'Celebration" this June to honor its co-founders, Ken and Diane Hendricks, and to highlight the core values the company is based on, the company has announced.
Special events will take place at all 350 ABC Supply locations nationwide and at the company's headquarters in Beloit, Wis.
Earlier this month, the company revealed it was acquiring rival Bradco Supply Corp. The move will create a super roofing and LBM distributor that's 25% bigger than the No. 1 company on the ProSales 100, with 479 locations in 45 states and combined sales of more than $4 billion.
In the latest ProSales 100, ABC ranked second overall with total 2009 sales of $2.68 billion while Avenel, N.J.-based Bradco ranked fourth with total 2009 sales of $1.46 billion.
In a statement released this morning, Kim Hendricks, vice president of organizational development at ABC said, "respect, opportunity, work hard - have fun, entrepreneurial spirit, family, give back and American pride" – are a reflection of Ken and Diane Hendricks'personal values.
David Luck, ABC Supply's CEO and president, said, "We believe that the success of ABC Supply has been the result of embracing the values that Ken promoted and encouraged every day and that Diane continues to champion."
Founder Ken Hendricks died in 2007.
"With Ken's passing in 2007, we felt we needed to formally identify and document the company's purpose, mission and values to ensure that they continue to be the foundation for the company's future growth and development," Luck added.
Each branch will plan and host its own Founders'Celebration events – one for associates and for its contractor customers, vendors and other community partners –; ensuring that the events reflect the store's unique personality, traditions, community and creative flair, the company said. Contractors and vendors are encouraged to contact their ABC Supply branch to get additional information about their local event and learn more about the Founders'Celebration.
The company will also unveil a new honor, the Ken Hendricks Award, which will be presented annually to individual associates, groups of associates, customers or vendors "who have consistently demonstrated the heart and character that is true to the core values of ABC Supply," Kim Hendricks said. "The award will recognize consistent excellence in performance, leadership, initiative, innovation or other contributions."
The inaugural Ken Hendricks Awards will be presented during Founders' Celebration 2011.


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CIRCA 1970’S: Executive Director Marvin Miller of the Major League Baseball Players Association … [+]
The late Marvin Miller will finally become a Baseball Hall of Famer in 2020 after the Modern Baseball Era Committee selected the former MLBPA director along with long-time catcher Ted Simmons for enshrinement during their December vote. Despite his revolutionary standing in baseball’s archives, he missed the cut on multiple veterans committee Hall of Fame votes. In 2008, Miller wrote the Baseball Writers’ Association of America asking to no longer consider his candidacy.
“I find myself unwilling to contemplate one more rigged veterans committee whose members are handpicked to reach a particular outcome while offering the pretense of a democratic vote. It is an insult to baseball fans, historians, sportswriters and especially to those baseball players who sacrificed and brought the game into the 21st century. At the age of 91, I can do without farce.”
The Hall of Fame ignored his wishes, unsuccessfully nominating him on the next four ballots until he finally reached the 75% vote needed to secure his place in Cooperstown. Miller will be honored for transforming the union into a powerful dynamo that ushered in free agency and led the players through multiple work-stoppages.
Miller’s son, Peter, said he will skip the induction ceremony to honor his father’s wishes; however, collectors had other plans in mind to celebrate Miller’s induction. Immediately after the results aired on the MLB Network, they rushed to buy his few available commercially issued trading cards and certified autographs.
While Simmons has over 400 different baseball cards, Miller has just three standard issued cards. His first card was from the 1994 Upper Deck: The American Epic set that commemorated Ken Burns’ Baseball PBS documentary. Fans had to wait another 11 years before Miller’s image resurfaced on cardboard.
1994 Upper Deck: The American Epic Marvin Miller Baseball Card / Upper Deck
This time it was in the 2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites set. These cards were his first pack-issued cards, leading hardcore fans to debate whether his Upper Deck or Topps release was his “true” rookie card. The 2005 Topps version also had three serial numbered parallels (Refractor /299, Gold Refractor /25, Printing Plates 1/1). His final card was a News Flashbacks insert in the 2015 Topps Heritage series.
Miller’s pack inserted certified autograph cards are even rarer, with just his 2005 Topps Fan Favorites, and 2010 Topps Allen and Ginter autographs available to lend their supply to the many Hall of Fame collections. He also has one memorabilia/relic card in the 2010 Topps Allen and Ginter set. The sudden attention has led to dramatic price increases within just a week of his Hall of Fame selection.
2010 Topps Allen and Ginter Marvin Miller autograph.
In early November, his 2010 Topps Allen and Ginter signed card sold for only $75; however, after the announcement, both his short-printed 2005 Topps Fan Favorites and his 2010 Topps Allen and Ginter autographed cards have reached $400 on eBay.
While the famed union head did not want to be a part of what he considered a rigged process, the Hall of Fame’s Eras Committee has finally decided Miller belongs alongside baseball’s elite in Cooperstown. With his signature in high demand, look for the major trading card companies to feature Miller’s cut autographs in their 2020 products before the July induction ceremonies.


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As the world’s largest car manufacturer, Toyota knows a thing or two about getting people from point A to point B. But how do you make this process easier? The answer: artificial intelligence. Toyota announced today that it’s establishing a new company, the Toyota Research Institute, to develop AI technologies in two main areas: autonomous cars and robot helpers for around the home. The company plans to pump $1 billion into TRI over the next five years, and will be establishing headquarters for the company near Stanford University in California, with a secondary facility near MIT in Massachusetts.
Toyota originally announced academic partnerships with these universities last month along with $50 million in funding, but this new financing brings the company’s ambitions to another level.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Borders Group Inc. BGP, -0.31% after Thursday's closing bell widened its view for its second-quarter per-share loss to a range of 28 cents to 32 cents, compared with its prior per-share loss view of 10 cents to 20 cents. The Michigan-based book retailer said the new view includes a pretax charge of $2.7 million associated with the retirement of Greg Josefowicz, chief executive, and a pretax charge of $2.3 million related to the closure of a distribution facility. Borders added that second-quarter sales trends are below expectations. For domestic superstores, same-store sales are now expected to decline in the mid-single digits, compared with its prior view of a low-single-digit decline. Borders added that it no longer backs its prior 2006 per-share income view of $1.42 to $1.60.
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SZTE SHOP, the official gift shop of the University of Szeged, has reopened in its usual location, in the atrium of the József Attila Education and Information Center, with a modern image and an expanded offer, after an absence of more than two and a half years.
The shop, which was closed due to the pandemic, is now waiting for university citizens again with a spacious customer area and monthly promotions. We also share the news about the SZTE SHOP's promotions on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
The wide selection of the SZTE SHOP offers a variety of souvenirs, from university hoodies, t-shirts, and mugs, to notebooks, but basketball lovers should also visit, as there are SZTE-SZEDEÁK fan shirts, hoodies, backpacks, and caps too. In addition, there's a variety of products for families, as customers can also find pieces for children - bodysuits, T-shirts, sweaters.
|Visit the newly opened SZTE SHOP! Photos: Ádám Kovács-Jerney
In addition to the store, the popular webshop also continues to operate, the ordered products can be picked up in the store during opening hours, weekdays between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Shop: Szeged, Ady tér 10.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10.00-18.00
Featured image: Children's pieces are also available in the SZTE SHOP. Photo: Ádám Kovács-Jerney


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During Amazon’s Kindle event earlier this year, the company announced multiple Kindle Fire HD devices. The 7-inch Kindle Fire HD has been available for a few months now, but the larger 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is finally available.
Amazon announced today that the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is now shipping to customers who had pre-ordered the device. It’s a little earlier than expected as Amazon announced back in September that the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD would ship on November 20. It should be noted that the $299 Wi-Fi only device is the one that’s shipping today. The Kindle Fire HD 4G, which costs $499, will be shipping on the expected launch date of November 20.
“Kindle Fire HD has been Amazon’s best-selling product worldwide since launch, and that was before we even started shipping the best tablet we’ve ever built,” said Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “With the holiday season upon us, we’re excited to make our $299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9” available early—we think customers are going to love web browsing, email, gaming, watching TV shows, reading magazines, and more on the large, stunning HD screen, with fast Wi-Fi and exceptional audio.”
Those who were waiting for the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD won’t be disappointed. The device features a 1920×1200 resolution display powered by a TI OMAP 4470 processor. Games built with this processor in mind should look spectacular on its display. The battery life is also no slouch as it offers 10 hours of continuous play.
Consumers opting for the Kindle Fire HD 4G next week will get a decent deal as far as data plans go. Users will get 250MB a session of data, $10 Amazon Appstore for Android credit, and 20GB of CloudDrive space for a one-time payment of $50. Those who want more data will be able to upgrade to a 3GB or 5GB plan through their devices.
Those who prefer to go through retail channels will be able to pick up the bigger Kindle Fire HD from Best Buy tomorrow. The device will be available through other retailers like Staples and Radio Shack in the coming weeks.


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'We feel that the franchise has now hit critical mass and is really taking off,' says Karl Sandall, TaxAssist Accountants Chief Executive. 'The benefits of having a recognised brand and a national network of accountants are paying off. We have worked very hard over the years training, supporting and promoting our network and our accountants can now offer services that a one off local practice cannot affordably offer.
'Our walk-in shop (pictured) style of accountancy practice has really featured in our growth and the franchisees have certainly taken note with many wishing they had found a shop sooner! Indeed those franchisees who bought into the concept straight away have now opened second shops based purely on the success of their first.'
Wanting to continue its growth, TasAssist Accountants is looking for another 200 franchisees to complete its network. The franchise is keen to hear from accountants, bankers, IFAs and other finance professionals who are able to aid the growth of a large accountancy practice from which they can expect to take a good income.
Published: 17 August 2007
Back to news


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what's in a name
Posted by Abe Sauer on March 14, 2013 12:38 PM
"I wish I could say this was a strategically thought out name choice supported by consumer research but it’s really a story of crisis management."
So begins the tale, as John Talbot, Vice President of Global Market Development for the Almond Board of California told brandchannel, about how California Almonds recently rushed to rename its product in its largest export market and how it spun the branding crisis to its advantage.
It all starts 40 years ago and ends with the Farsi word for almond.Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on February 26, 2013 03:12 PM
The Lord works in mysterious ways. Some American apparel manufacturers attempts to start up clothing lines that contain the name “Jesus” have been thwarted by the Italian maker of Jesus Jeans, which trademarked its name in the U.S. back in 2007.
Jesus Jeans, which is apparently considering making an eventual marketing push in the States, is more than happy to have its legal team send cease-and-desist letters to anybody who is trying to make money selling pretty much any type of clothing with the Jesus name on it.
The founder of Jesus Surfed, Michael Julius Anton, is ready to face off legally against Jesus Jeans, a fight that plenty of other manufacturers, such as "Jesus First," "Sweet Jesus," and "Jesus Couture," among others, are willing to join in, the Wall Street Journal reports. One manufacturer, “Jesus Up,” is still trying to work out an agreement. "How anyone can claim the name Jesus for themselves and put a trademark on it is beyond me," said Jesus Up founder Jeff Lamont, who also told the Journal that the company name had come to him in a message from God.
Wherever the message came from, Lamont was late to the game on the trademarking front. Jesus Jeans had been trying to trademark its name in the States since 1999 and finally succeeded in 2007. It has still been rejected in plenty of other countries, though such as Germany, Switzerland, China, Hungary and Ireland. However, such countries as Austria, Belgium, France, Spain and the Netherlands have allowed the trademark. The European Union gave it the “Jesus” community trademark, which is good across the entire Union. Continue reading...
brand vs. brand
Posted by Mark J. Miller on February 22, 2013 12:13 PM
Under Armour is not happy with Nike right about now. The point of contention is over the phrase “I Will,” which Under Armour trademarked back in 2000 and has used in many ad campaigns, including one launched last week, its largest in history.
Nike, famous for its “Just Do It” tagline, has been using the phrase “I will” in its ads a little too much recently for Under Armour’s liking. So, a trademark suit was filed Thursday to stop Nike from using “any form of that phrase” as well as to turn over “unspecified punitive damages for trademark infringement and unfair competition,” the Baltimore Sun reports.
The ads, which Nike placed on Facebook and Twitter late last year, use “I will” to begin sentences such as “I will finish what I started” laid over an image of a basketball player dunking. Over an image of runners, Nike placed the text “I will sweat while they sleep.” Another ad that Under Armour is surely seething about is one for Nike’s #makeitcount campaign, which gives a laundry list of what different athletes will do in 2013, ending with “We Will #makeitcount.” Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on February 20, 2013 03:31 PM
Winnebago Australia has finally done what America’s Winnebago Industries has been wanting it to do for decades: change its name. After a long legal battle, Winnebago Australia, which has never been affiliated with the U.S. motor home company of the same name, is changing its name to Avida.
Avida actually successfully trademarked the word “Winnebago” in Australia back in 1997, but Federal Court of Australia Justice Lindsay Foster ordered the cancellation of that registration last summer, saying that CEO Ben Binns “intentionally hijacked the Winnebago marks in Australia in a bold attempt to preempt Winnebago’s opening its doors here,” Bloomberg reported at the time.
However, don’t think that Avida is finished using the Winnebago name for its own self-promotion in Australia and New Zealand just yet.Continue reading...
Posted by Barry Silverstein on February 20, 2013 01:16 PM
It's just another day in the mad, mad world of fashion. kate spade new york, the eponymous U.S.-based fashion brand is launching "kate spade Saturday," a brand whose name is being disputed by a similarly-coined NYC retailer.
The diffusion line is making its debut in Japan via an online store and a retail location in Tokyo—complete with an American-style café—with plans to have an online presence in Brazil and the U.S. later this spring. (A "sneak peek" at selected items from the new brand was offered on Fab.com through today, February 20.) CEO Craig Leavitt said the brand "saw an opportunity in the market to engage a new customer base—one that aspires to be part of the kate spade new york brand."
The new sub-brand will feature apparel, a beauty line and home decor at a notch below typical kate spade prices, with a target demographic of consumers ages 25 to 35. The price point will be "about 50 percent below" the kate spade brand, and its retail experience promises to thread digital throughout the graphic, pop art-inspired clothes. However, the brand's introduction has not been without some controversy.Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on February 19, 2013 11:02 AM
Describing something that is oversized may soon involve a lawyer. The terms “titanic” and “gigantic” are both being considered for trademarking.
The man behind the plan, Clive Palmer, is an Australian billionaire who is having the Titanic completely re-created by a Chinese shipyard so it can set sail from England for North America in 2016. Palmer’s Blue Star Line, named after White Star Line, the company that owned the original Titanic, has filed a trademark request for a number of terms, including "Titanic," "Titanic II," "Titanic III," "Blue Star Line," and "Gigantic", although he's already promoting "Titanic II" on his website.
Palmer, a mining tycoon, believes that White Star Line had thought about naming one of its ships Gigantic, but never got around to it after its Titanic liner famously slammed into an iceberg near Newfoundland and sank, taking more than 1,500 lives along with it. “I think [the trademark application] will be OK,” Palmer said, according to Australia’s Boorowa News. “We'll just see how we go. I think there is a report back on it already, saying it is OK for a ship.”
However, there is some debate as to what he'll be able to trademark.Continue reading...
brand vs. brand
Posted by Shirley Brady on February 18, 2013 09:45 PM
Tiffany is more than irked at Costco for selling diamond engagement rings as "Tiffany" rings. The luxury jeweler last week formally filed suit against the wholesale retail giant.
Costco CEO Craig Jelinek commented in an internal email communication that was sent to all employees this evening [Feb. 18, 8:27 pm EST], "We are disappointed that our efforts to resolve the issue with them did not result in an amicable solution as we had hoped."
Jelinek also acknowledged that the retailer erred by using the word "Tiffany" in describing the engagement rings:
"That was intended to describe a setting style used in those rings, and was not intended to claim that the rings were of any particular brand. In retrospect, it would have been better had we not used that description the way we did."
Below, read Costco's company-wide email:Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on February 15, 2013 05:01 PM
Costco isn’t the first brand name to pop-up when consumers are looking for high-end luxury, but a few folks thought they had found it there when they came across low-cost Tiffany diamond engagement rings. (And they didn’t even have to buy them in bulk.)
Unfortunately for all those customers, the rings weren’t quite the real thing. Now, Tiffany is taking Costco to court for marketing some high-end jewelry in the past few years under its brand, without permission.
“We now know that there are hundreds if not thousands of Costco members who think they bought a Tiffany engagement ring at Costco, which they didn’t,” Jeffrey Mitchell, a lawyer for Tiffany, said in a statement to Bloomberg News. “Costco knew what it was doing when it used the Tiffany trademark to sell rings that had nothing to do with Tiffany.” The company's press release says it was tipped off by a California customer in November of the alleged scam.
This isn’t the first time Tiffany has had trouble with a low-cost seller. It battled with Overstock.com back in 2010, which had sold 1,365 pendants under the Tiffany name. It also had legal battles with eBay, claiming that the online seller was at fault for allowing some of its vendors to sell counterfeit Tiffany items, but the court never agreed with Tiffany on that one.
Tiffany seems to have a better case against Costco, which legally sells high-end jewelry brands such as Cartier, Breitling, and Chanel — not to mention other luxury brands such as Coach, Burberry and Mercedes-Benz — at select locations, such as Boca Raton, of course.


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28 August 2009
’One silver lining in the current recessionary cloud has been an expansion of discount retailing. The sector has seen significant growth over the past two years with the UK’s top ten cities seeing an increase of some 60% in store numbers.’
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Qoros wants Europe to account for 10% of global sales, exec says
BRUSSELS -- Chinese carmaker Qoros expects to sell more than 10 percent of its cars in Europe.
"Europe will play an important role," Stefano Villanti, Qoros' head of sales told the Automotive News Europe Congress in Brussels.
The automaker, which is 50-50 joint venture between China carmaker Chery Automobile and Israel Corp., has been selling vehicles in its European test market, Slovakia, for seven months now.
"Slovakia is a sedan market, and our first car was a sedan," Villanti said Wednesday, explaining the choice of the eastern European country as a test market for the region.
Sales in Slovakia will be expanded to other countries in eastern Europe, followed by Nordic countries and then all of Europe by 2016, Villanti told Automotive News Europe in a separate interview.
The Qoros 3 sedan will be joined by a hatchback later this year. A crossover and an SUV with four-wheel-drive capability are also in the pipeline, he said.
Villanti said that customers for the “high-quality” compact-sized cars would fall into two categories. “You have the guy who wants an Audi, BMW but wants to pay less, and the other is a compact-segment guy, but who wants a premium car,” Villanti said.
The Qoros 3 sedan currently sells for 20,900 euros in Slovakia. “It’s not the lowest possible price, but it’s one of the best value [cars],” Villanti told the Congress. Standard equipment includes contract-free 3G Internet connectivity.
Qoros’ owners invested $2.5 billion (1.89 billion euros) to build a five-car range, Villanti said. He described it as a “fraction” of what a large, established carmaker would have spent to achieve the same outcome.
The cars are built in a new factory north of Shanghai with an initial capacity of 150,000, but that can be expanded to 250,000 to 300,000 if required, Villanti told the Congress.
You can reach Nick Gibbs at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo sentenced the former director of Bosnia’s Indirect Taxation Authority (UIO), Kemal Causevic, to nine years in prison on Thursday, and ordered seizure of property worth 1.7 million marks (€900k), on counts of abuse of office, money laundering, and receiving bribe.
Causevic and 53 other suspects had been arrested in June 2014 in a police operation dubbed Pandora. The group included many employees of UIO, as well as Bosnia’s customs service. The indictment was confirmed in 2017.
Causevic, who had graduated from Sarajevo University’s Faculty of Economy in 1990, started working at the Finance Ministry of Bosnia’s Federation entity (FBiH) in 1996, and rose through the ranks to become head of the Indirect Tax Authority in 2003, position he held until 2011.
State prosecutor, Dubravko Campara, said that the trial proved that Causevic had contacted textile traders Anes Sadikovic and Sedinet Karic in early 2007 and “agreed to favor their companies to the detriment of others.”
Companies owned by Sadikovic and Karic had imported Chinese-made clothing into Bosnia with falsified papers which said the goods originated from Turkey. This was done to avoid paying taxes and import duties in Bosnia, as the country has a bilateral trade agreement with Turkey which includes zero tariffs on textile imports.
Campara said that witnesses who testified in court said that Sadikovic and Karic, paid Causevic 1,000 marks (€500) per each truck of goods imported into Bosnia. He added that Causevic had received in total more than 1.7 million marks (€880k) this way – nearly 1.3 million (€660k) from Sadikovic, and about 425,000 marks (€220k) from Karic. Sadikovic was sentenced to two years in jail, and Karic to one year behind bars.


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Community News for the Week of April 5
Free Easter photos
offered at Cabela’s
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s invites families to celebrate spring by offering free photos with the Easter Bunny at all retail locations. Families are encouraged to make a free advanced reservation online to receive a free, studio-quality 4x6 color photo.


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MILAN — Ports 1961 is launching an accessories business.
From fall 2014, the brand will introduce its first women’s handbags designed by Ports 1961 creative director Fiona Cibani. Paying homage to the brand’s signature Blouse N.10 white cotton sartorial blouse, the line will be called No. 10 Bag and will include four styles in different color and material variations. In February, the company will give customers a preview of the first collection at Milan’s high-end boutique Banner and at the company’s flagships in New York and Paris.
“We are recognized as a ready-to-wear brand, and until now we did accessories to complete the look,” said Ports 1961 general manager Salem Cibani. “With this launch, we aim to introduce a stand-alone collection of bags, which will be clean, minimal yet elegant, extremely functional and with an incredible high quality.”
Made in Italy, as are Ports 1961’s women’s and men’s rtw collections, the capsule will retail from between 600 euros, or $820 at current exchange, and 1,600 euros, or $2,187. In addition, the company will launch a new version of its Blouse No. 10 to be sold at about 600 euros, or $820.
According to Cibani, the expansion of the accessories business will help create solid relationships with stores and boost the company’s wholesale business. Ports 1961 collections are sold in 80 doors around the world, including Neiman Marcus in Los Angeles, Bosco di Ciliegi in Moscow, Quartier 206 in Berlin and Harvey Nichols in Kuwait City.
The company, which in 2011 relocated its headquarters from New York to Milan, also continues to invest in its retail business. In fall 2014, Ports 1961 will open a 19,376-square-foot flagship on Shanghai’s luxury shopping street West Nanjing Road, along with a unit in Hong Kong. These flagships will feature the new store concept conceived by Yabu Pushelberg, the design firm founded by Toronto-based George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, who developed a series of retail projects for international clients, including Lane Crawford, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Louis Vuitton, Carolina Herrera, David Yurman and Kate Spade.
“We will also refurbish the Paris and New York stores with the new concept,” said Cibani, who affirmed that the company is looking for new locations in both London and Milan and plans to open a second store in New York.
The firm is due to hold its first men’s wear runway show this month during Milan Men’s Fashion Week, after several seasons of presentations.
Although Ports Design Ltd., the holding company that owns Ports 1961, mainly commercializes its medium-high line Ports International in China, which accounts for the bulk of the group’s sales, the main markets for Ports 1961 are the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions and the U.S.
Cibani said Ports 1961 has consistently been logging double-digit growth and that the brand accounts for 5 percent of total revenues of Ports Design Ltd., which last year posted net profits of 425.87 million Hong Kong dollars, or about $55 million.
Supermodel @helenachristensen teamed up with longtime friend and designer @camillastaerk on a joint @paredeyewear collaboration. The lineup features three styles and 11 offerings, all of which embody a vintage feel. Get all the details on how they celebrated the collab on WWD.com. #wwdaccessories #wwdeye (📷: @slovekinpics)
“It’s a hard industry to keep motivated, as well, so finding different subjects and people is what makes it worth it – when you’re like, oh, I’ve met great people, I feel like I’ve done something good, and I feel proud of having done this,” said French actress Stacy Martin on being grateful for the variety of roles she’s take on. Read @ktauer’s full interview with Martin on her her latest film “Godard Mon Amour.” #wwdeye (📷: @danieldorsa)
After showing in front of the Eiffel Tower for his last two women’s ready-to-wear collection, it looks like @anthonyvaccarello may be heading to the Big Apple. Sources say the designer will stage his next @ysl show in NYC on June 6. Get all the details on WWD.com. #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @aitorrosasphoto)
EXCLUSIVE: Two and half months after John Targon, cofounder and codesigner of Baja East, was hired as creative director of the contemporary division at Marc Jacobs, he has left the company, WWD has learned. Marc Jacobs International, which is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, confirmed Targon’s departure in a statement: “John Targon is a talented designer and we appreciate the work he has done here. Ultimately working together did not make sense for the brand and we wish him the best.” Read the story by @jessiredale, link in bio. #wwdnews
@theluxurycollection is officially launching a collection, tapping Sofia Sanchez de Betak for the capsule. Over 30 styles will be featured in the Chufy x The Luxury Collection, debuting next month at Bergdorf Goodman, The Webster, FiveStory and more. De Betak, known as “@chufy,” drew inspiration for the collection from her trips to Japan in the past year #wwdfashion
@lhd, founder and CEO of @thewebster, has teamed up with @lebonmarcherivegauche for the European launch of her ready-to-wear line, LHD. The launch will come with an exclusive pop-up opening today that’s set to run through May 20. Located on the second floor, it carries her debut Miami-themed resort collection, launched in November as see-now-buy-now. #wwdfashion


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U2 Joshua Tree Tour 2019
· Bono's Madrid setlist, 28/11/22
· Bono's Paris setlist, 25/11/22
· Bono's Berlin setlist, 23/11/22
· Bono's Dublin setlist, 21/11/22
· Bono's Manchester setlist, 19/11/22
· Bono's Glasgow setlist, 17/11/22
· Bono's London setlist, 16/11/22
· Bono's Los Angeles setlist, 13/11/22
· Bono's San Francisco setlist, 12/11/22
· Bono's Nashville setlist, 09/11/22
Fans can't leave U2 behind as new album launched|
Posted on Wednesday, November 17 @ 11:00:43 CET by Macphisto
(Belfast Telegraph) -- Dublin supergroup U2 unveiled tracks from their hugely anticipated new album in Dublin last night.
The four-piece performed a special show at their Hanover Quay studio, which was broadcast live by BBC Radio 1 in front of a tiny audience of competition winners and special guests.
'How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb', the band's 11th album, was almost entirely recorded in the old warehouse studio in the south city's docklands area and has been the venue for the recording of most of their material over the past decade.
All day, fans congregated outside the studio to catch a glimpse of millionaire rock stars Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, who appeared on the Jo Wiley Show yesterday morning.
BBC's flagship radio station had decamped to Dublin for a U2-themed day, which culminated with the live broadcast on Zane Lowe's popular alternative music show last night.
The band's single, 'Vertigo', which will top the Irish and UK charts this week has been heavily playlisted by Radio 1. 'How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb' is released on Friday and it is expected to be a number one album on both sides of the Atlantic.
Since tracks from the album were leaked online last week, there have been concerns at U2's record label, Island, that future sales would be hit. Manager Paul McGuinness has suggested that the CD age is coming to an end and U2 have already positioned themselves as champions of legal internet downloading by making their entire back catalogue available online for purchase.
Grafton Street's HMV record store is to open its doors at midnight tomorrow for a world exclusive launch of the new album.
The Dublin store will also open at 7am on Friday, to give die hard U2 fans the chance to will be amongst the first to purchase a copy of the eagerly-awaited album, with limited numbers of exclusive posters also available.
The infamous Macnas big heads depicting Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen will be in store on Friday for fans to take photographs.


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Dropbox has introduced a new function for basic and pro users alike, blurring the border lines between its consumer and business-oriented cloud platforms.
The new offering is defined as a "team" feature, designed to encourage project collaboration and management for work-related files on the Dropbox platform -- but not necessarily through the designated Dropbox for Business line of service.
Each team member can automatically access files saved in team-designated folders from Dropbox's mobile, web and desktop channels.
"With everyone and everything connected, ideas flow more freely and people create amazing things," wrote Pranav Piyush, a product manager at Dropbox, in a blog post on Monday.
Nevertheless, Piyush assured users can set up separate accounts for personal and work files, keeping those two digital realms divided. (However, there is no mention about how IT managers and administrators might feel about this.)
According to the San Francisco-based company itself, approximately 60 percent of its 400 million users worldwide are already using Dropbox services at work anyway.
The team feature will be rolling out to Dropbox Basic and Pro users over the next week.


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Forbes magazine has released its annual Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans and our favorite CEO is #56 with an estimated worth of $5.7 billion. Although Steve Jobs' worth increased around $800m since last year, his ranking actually slipped from #49. I don't think I'll shed a tear, however. Nee...
Software Updatesmore updates
- Apple Remote Desktop updated with Yosemite support
- OS X Yosemite 10.10.2, iOS 8.1.3 updates now available
- Sports Illustrated 120 SPORTS channel comes to Apple TV
- Logic Pro X update brings AirDrop support, new effects, tools, and more
- Parallels Access 2.5 released, adds file manager, computer-to-computer remote access
- The Google Translate iOS app is about to get a lot smarter


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Nintendo has issued a statement regarding claims that it's set to make an increased profit with Switch OLED when compared to the standard model, describing them as "incorrect".
The post, addressed to investors and customers on social media this morning, references a Bloomberg report which claimed that the Switch OLED's manufacturing cost comes in at "around $10 more per unit, meaning Nintendo is improving profit margins." Here's Nintendo's full message:
"A news report on July 15, 2021(JST) claimed that the profit margin of the Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) would increase compared to the Nintendo Switch. To ensure correct understanding among our investors and customers, we want to make clear that the claim is incorrect.
We also want to clarify that we just announced that Nintendo Switch(OLED Model) will launch in October, 2021, and have no plans for launching any other model at this time."
As you can see, Nintendo also took the time to state that it has "no plans for launching any other model at this time," presumably addressing thoughts that a further-upgraded model, which would make this new OLED variant less enticing, could also be on the way in the near future.
Last week, an industry analyst warned that Nintendo's increased pricing with the OLED "could set a precedent for charging more across the industry." Of course, if Nintendo really isn't benefitting from increased profit margins, the higher price would at least seem more reasonable to those concerned.


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The alliance will provide IRI clients with in-depth information about on-premise consumer purchases via GuestMetrics that will be placed against the context of IRI’s off-premise data.The data integration could give marketers a better understanding of how off-premise consumer behavior influences on-premise purchases.
“Our alliance and investment in GuestMetrics furthers the IRI strategy of helping manufacturers and retailers gain new levels of knowledge about how people research, shop and consume food and beverage products everywhere — from bars to restaurants, to homes,” Piyush Chaudhari, president of the Americas, IRI, said in a release.
The alliance follows IRI’s announcement in May that it has partnered with SPINS, a supplier of consumer insights and analytics in the natural, organic and special products channel. The SPINS partnership was expanded in January, further integrating IRI’s point-of-sale figures to create a conventional retail measurement platform.
The full release is below:
CHICAGO — RI, the global leader in innovative solutions and services for consumer, retail and over-the-counter healthcare companies, announced today a new, exclusive alliance with GuestMetrics, well known for capturing point-of-sale (POS) data virtually anywhere people consume a product on premise, particularly in the bar, restaurant, food service and hospitality sectors. IRI is also taking an equity position in the company.
“Our alliance and investment in GuestMetrics furthers the IRI strategy of helping manufacturers and retailers gain new levels of knowledge about how people research, shop and consume food and beverage products everywhere—from bars to restaurants, to homes,” says Piyush Chaudhari, president of the Americas, IRI. “We believe integrating GuestMetrics’ data in the restaurant and food service space with IRI data will enable CPG decision makers to drive growth of their brands everywhere they are sold.”
Through this alliance, IRI clients will have the opportunity to access data on consumer purchases made on premise; e.g., food purchased and consumed at a restaurant. This data will be integrated with the existing IRI off-premise purchase information for food and beverage products purchased at grocery stores, mass merchandisers and other retailers, and consumed at home. Marketers can study the impact of on-premise sales on off-premise purchase behavior, and more effectively coordinate activities to maximize the opportunities within both channels.
The GuestMetrics alliance and investment joins several recent IRI initiatives to integrate a wider range of shopper data. In February, IRI announced it is collaborating with Technomic to produce Restaurant to Retail (R2R) Insights, a new joint service offering that integrates shopper habits at retail with spending patterns at major chain restaurants.
“Manufacturers are aggressively moving their brands on premise, creating new, exciting opportunities to spark off-premise sales and market share lift,” said Bill Pecoriello, chief executive officer, GuestMetrics. “We hope that together with IRI, our data combined will help give all customers better insights so they can maximize their understanding of their shoppers as they roll out new products.”
About GuestMetrics LLC:
GuestMetrics, LLC is revolutionizing how the hospitality industry operates. Despite the dawn of the Digital Age having begun more than three decades ago, the hospitality industry essentially functions the same way it did centuries before. GuestMetrics has cracked the code by collecting billions of dollars in sales from tens of thousands of restaurants and bars, and turning billions of raw transactions into intelligible data that is fundamentally transforming the business operations of everyone from the independently-owned bar/restaurant on the corner, to multi-national chains, to the food & beverage companies that supply them.
Please visit www.GuestMetrics.com for more information and to arrange for a free demonstration.
IRI is a leader in delivering powerful market and shopper information, predictive analysis and the foresight that leads to action. We go beyond the data to ignite extraordinary growth for our clients in the CPG, retail and over-the-counter healthcare industries by pinpointing what matters and illuminating how it can impact their businesses across sales and marketing.
Move your business forward at www.iriworldwide.com.


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Canadians Charged for $220,000 Bitcoin Rip-off on Twitter
Two Canadian nationals have been indicted for scheming to steal bitcoin from an Oregon resident.
Karanjit and Jagroop Singh Khatkar of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, posed as customer support representatives of HitBTC, a Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency trade, with a purpose to steal login credentials of a goal’s account.
In response to a statement from the Legal professional’s Workplace of the District of Oregon, the fraudsters created a Twitter account referred to as @HitBTCAssist to reply to the sufferer’s questions on-line. Utilizing info they phished from clients, Karanjit and Jagroop had been capable of withdraw roughly $233,220 in bitcoin from the sufferer’s account.
Initially, 23.2 bitcoin had been transfered from HitBTC to Karanjit’s account at a separate crypto trade Kraken. Then, Karanjit transferred half that quantity into Jagroops Kraken pockets.
Following an sting by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Karanjit was arrested on the McCarran Worldwide Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 18. He was detained forward of a trial set for October 8.
“Jagroop Singh Khatkar stays at giant and is believed to be in Canada,” wrote federal brokers.
Phishing picture through Shutterstock


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Almost three quarters of retail consumers in the UK (those with liquid assets between £0 and £3,918) do not pay off their credit card balances in full each month, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
By contrast, less than a third of mass affluent consumers (those with liquid assets over £39,177) revolve their credit card balances.
GlobalData’s Consumer Payments Insight survey, 2018, highlights that UK consumers hold some of the heaviest credit card debt in Europe, totaling an average of £1,144 per person – over 10 times the average credit card debt held by French or German consumers.
Bhavika Shah, Financial Services Analyst at GlobalData, comments, “The UK’s credit card debt has been growing since 2012, having increased rapidly to now exceed pre-2008 crisis levels.
“This rise is unsustainable at the current growth rates and should raise red flags for major lenders, which are starting to slacken their lending criteria; it is clear that heavy debt burdens are falling on those consumers least equipped to repay their loans.”
To mitigate the potential losses that could come about from defaults on UK credit card debt, it is imperative that lenders use thorough affordability checks to ensure that retail consumers can repay outstanding balances in a reasonable time and without hardship.
When consumers do find themselves in large amounts of credit card debt, lenders need to identify problems early and offer vital assistance. Although increased credit risk assessment by lenders will assist in minimizing lending to people who may default on repayments, it looks inevitable this issue will become exacerbated over the coming months due to inflation rising as well as a weakened pound post-Brexit.
Shah continues, “Furthermore, given that Christmas is on the horizon, there is also a real risk that consumers will increase their credit card debt even further, which will place particular burdens on those with low incomes who cannot repay their existing debts.
“Credit card borrowing remains a hugely significant part of the UK debt landscape. Consumers with little in the way of savings are struggling to repay their debts. This is likely to be exacerbated if credit providers continue to weaken their assessment criteria, which could potentially lead to mass defaults and losses for the industry. If economic stresses cause enough consumers to default on their credit card repayments, this could hit banks’ balance sheets hard and lead to another credit crisis.”


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Meet Fat Shark’s New CEO, Allen Evans
Founder and former CEO of Fat Shark, Greg French, has officially stepped down and will serve as chief engineer from now on. The new boss: Allen Evans.
We recently wrote about Fat Shark and their new Base HD digital first person view (FPV) goggles shipping this fall, and what do you know? There's an even bigger story coming from Fat Shark HQ. Founder and former CEO Greg French has officially stepped down and will be serving as chief engineer from now on. Who could possibly replace the person who built Fat Shark from the ground up? Meet Allen Evans. Founder and former CTO of Avegant, a company that specializes in high-quality projection-based display technology, Evans seems to have the right pedigree for the job. Let's take a look at what he's capable of, a look at his history, and dissect his blog post's look at the future of Fat Shark, shall we?
Evans gives us some insight as to what he intends to do at Fat Shark, and what he deems should be the company's primary focus right now. He lays his public message out by concentrating on several key components, such as drone racing being the next viable e-sport, the imperative of high-quality display tech, switching headsets from analog to digital (which seems to have been a goal before Evans got on board), and luring in new consumers by making all involved aspects user-friendly and affordable. In his post, Evans makes sure to give well-deserved respect to Snap Inc. and Google and their efforts to advance reliable, appealing and efficient drone racing goggle technology. He also reiterates that he's most enthusiastic about protecting drone racing from the current shoddy tech standards, hoping to lead the way as Fat Shark's new boss.
"Start with Fat Shark’s current goggles, sprinkle in a few new display technologies and add a dash of Silicon Valley and you’ll end up being as excited about drone racing’s future as I am," Evans states. Many of us can relate to his reminiscing of early LAN parties and that rush of excitement at a smooth connection between computers, and the adrenaline you'd feel things were running smoothly without latency issues. This is most definitely on Evans' list of decrees at the new job. He's clearly passionate about FPV and drone racing and wants to share the glee he felt as a kid with the youth of today. If you've read about "drone battles", you'll know what he's talking about. It's an amazing way to get kids into science, math, and engineering, which Evans thankfully feels is important enough to support.
So what's the first plan of action? According to Evans, it's getting new display technology to consumers, and moving from the predictable yet primitive analog standard of headsets to their more powerful digital counterpart. These will have a 5.8GHz processing capacity, and while companies like DJI and Amimom are definitely progressing in that area, Evans wants to go even further. This new digital standard will not be exclusively relegated to the headsets, by the way - Evans intends on utilizing this tool for “the robotic controls specific to racing drones," too. A major overhaul, it seems, will be taking place in the drone racing landscape, and Fat Shark is starting with displays and a move from the old (analog) to the new (digital).
Lastly, Evans believes that microdrones are an effective way to get kids into drones, as a gateway to more sophisticated UAVs and drone racing, itself. He's most likely on to something here, as we've all seen kids' eyes light up when they walk by a basic microdrone being piloted outside of an electronics store. They spark the imagination and seem like a good place to start. But first up, of course, is high-quality consumer display technology, which is Evans' specialty. From our POV, it seems like Fat Shark has found itself a forward-thinking, reliable new CEO. Best of Luck, sir.


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SPOKANE VALLEY, WA – Key Tronic Corp. reported December quarter revenue of $50.8 million, up 14% sequentially and 2% last year.
Net income was $1.6 million, up from $300,000 a year ago. The results include a gain of approximately $951,000 from the company’s sale of its former facility in Las Cruces, NM.
Gross margins were diminished from higher overtime and shipping expenses.
In a press release, president and chief executive Jack Oehlke said, “Accelerated customer demand in December caused our revenue to actually exceed expectations. We expect over 10 new customer programs to be generating revenue by the end of the fiscal year” in June. Key Tronic expects March quarter revenue in the range of $49 million to $51 million. Said Oehlke, “In the second half of fiscal 2008, we expect increased revenue and earnings, as well as some improvement in our gross margins.”
WASHINGTON – Under pressure from industry groups, the U.S. EPA has decided to withdraw certain data elements sought under last year’s information collection request for its Toxics Release Inventory rules.
In announcing the revisions, EPA bowed to concerns that many TRI filers were unaware of the proposed changes, which various critics say were hidden within the ICR. IPC, among others, claimed EPA’s proposals should have been conducted through its notice-and-comment rule-making process.
The proposed changes to the TRI forms included collection of small business information, more detailed information on how facilities estimate their data, additional point of contacts, and reasons for withdrawals and revisions.
On behalf of its members, IPC filed comments opposing the changes.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Internal Revenue Service will credit corporate taxes paid to the Mexican government while the IRS undertakes a study of that nation’s new corporate tax law.
Mexico's flat tax, called the IETU tax, went into effect Jan. 1. According to the previously issued U.S. IRS Notice 2008-3, the agency has not determined whether the IETU is qualified as an income tax under Article 24(1) of the US-Mexico Tax Treaty and is thus creditable. The agency is studying the new tax to make a determination.
The U.S. is Mexico's largest trading partner, buying about 80% of all exports.
Agreements are in place with the U.K., Italy, India, South Africa and the Bahamas on the new tax law.
FREMONT, CA – Dage Precision Industries will showcase new x-ray inspection developments at Virtual PCB, sponsored by UP Media Group, on Feb. 12-13.
Information will be available on the XiDAT XD7600NT, XD7500VR and XD7500NT x-ray inspection systems, as well as computerized tomography for 3-D modeling and volumetric measurement of critical solder interconnections.
Attendees can interact with the Dage technical staff to interactively discuss inspection challenges and receive the latest information on products and inspection solutions.
The Virtual PCB trade show is a fully interactive, Web-based event that incorporates all the features of a live event, including customized exhibit booths, live chat groups, lounge areas, technical presentations and online learning.
RICHARDSON, TX – Titan Global Holdings announced record revenue of $122 million and a consolidated net operating loss of $24.4 million for the first quarter of 2008, up 75.4% and 75.8% year-over-year, respectively.
Titan’s net operating loss included $21.1 million in net writedowns for goodwill in its communications and global brands divisions, and an additional $4.4 million asset writedown in its communications division.
Titan’s electronics and homeland security division, which includes its PWB and EMS operations, recorded revenues of $6.8 million and net operating income of $574,000; revenue increased 20.6% compared to the first quarter of 2007, on the acquisition of Nexus Nano (now called Neo EMS).
Titan’s communications division recorded revenue of $22.3 million and a net operating loss of $18.7 million, a revenue decrease of nearly 9% and a loss increase of 99% year-over-year.
Titan says it has initiated a plan to revitalize its communications division during the second quarter.
TOKYO – Omron Corp. reported net sales rose 9.2% year-over-year to $5.2 billion for the nine-month period ended Dec. 31, backed by strong sales of electronic components and car electronics.
Net income increased 6.7% year-over-year to $272.2 million.
Capital investment in the semiconductor and electronic components industries weakened in comparison with the same period the previous year, but sales of factory automation control systems – Omron Group’s core business – were generally firm, the company says. Sales of automotive electronic components expanded in line with car electronics demands.
For the current quarter, Omron said markets are expected to be weak as a result of restrained capital investment, primarily among semiconductor and LCD manufacturers. The market for consumer and commerce components for IT and digital related products in Japan is expected to remain difficult to predict in the March quarter. Sales of automotive electronic components are projected to continue expanding, reflecting increasing needs for car electronics.
Omron expects net sales below original projections for the full year as a result of lower-than-expected demand for domestic private-sector investment.
SAN JOSE – Flextronics’s third-quarter adjusted net income rose 84% over last year to $250 million on net sales of $9.07 billion. The company’s December quarter sales were boosted 67%, thanks to its acquisition of rival Solectron Corp.
LOS ALTOS, CA – Ongoing fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis and the predicted retrenchment of consumer spending has put a dent in the prospects for light vehicle demand, Henderson Ventures reports, with unit output forecast to grow 2.5% this year, after a 5.4% burst in 2007, the research firm says.
The softening demand for vehicles will slow automotive electronics growth from 8.1% in 2007 to 5.6% in 2008. The pace will then accelerate to 7.9% in 2009 and 10.5% in 2010, when global automotive electronics production is forecast to reach $140 billion.
This year’s unit slowdown will be felt all over. For example, Chinese output growth will slow from 25.8% in 2007 to 15.5% this year.
Potential car buyers increasingly want onboard access to all entertainment electronics and gadgets they have at home, as evidenced by the profusion of video displays, MP3 player ports and power outlets. In short, increasing electronics content will help offset meager vehicle growth this year, Henderson reports.


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UPDATE 5:10PM 02/14/2011
Flowers and diamonds and bears... OH MY! Valentine's Day has finally arrived and businesses in the Mid-Ohio Valley are really feeling the love.
"After 9-11, it took a long time for the business to come back," says Jean Ford, owner of Mel's Diamond House in Vienna. "But now, starting last year, our business has been really good and this year business has been wonderful."
Last year, Valentines Day feel on a Sunday and florists weren't able to drop big arrangements off to workplaces. This year, however, it's quite the opposite.
"When it falls on a Sunday, people have other options besides flowers.There's going to to dinner and what not," says Bill Fox, owner of Fox's Florist in Vienna. "But this year being on Monday it'll be a lot better. Because people like to send their wives and their girlfriends their roses and things at work."
Ford says since diamonds are not an everyday item times can get tough but adds it's her customer base that keeps her and the rest of the Mel's team strong, especially around the holidays.
"We have luxury items and we don't have an everyday need. But we got along very well and I think it's because we have such loyal customers," Ford says. "We think that each year now is going to be better and we hope that we can do everything to make it that way."
A local florist says he's ready for the Valentine's day and has been preparing for the last minute shoppers all month.
At Fox's Florists orders have been piling in since February 1st. Owner Bill Fox says they start prep work well in advance so all their orders can be delivered to satisfied customers.
"Roses seem to still be the main thing that the ladies want to get and we sell several dozen roses," Fox says. "Right now we've got, delivery wise to go out tomorrow, between 300 and 350 orders. Plus whatever we would get tomorrow."
Fox says he is bringing in extra drivers to help make all the deliveries. He adds that he will be open on Valentine's Day for all those last minute shoppers.


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USBC President Ron Busby talks Advancing Black-Owned Businesses:
Advancing Black-Owned Businesses
Starting a business is hard enough, but black entrepreneurs can face additional challenges, biases and obstacles that their white counterparts do not, including higher interest rates and potential discrimination at traditional banks and lending companies.
“You ask any small business owner, they would say access to capital is their number one concern. But if you ask an African-American, they’ll say their top one, two and three concerns are access to capital,” Ron Busby, president and CEO of U.S. Black Chambers (USBC), says.
Busby says it is common for black entrepreneurs to be held to a higher standard when applying for business funding, with lenders requiring higher credit scores from black people than white people. And when they do get loans, often the rates can be much higher than for white-owned businesses, he says.
In a USBC statement put out earlier this year, Busby points to the story of Freddie Lee James Jr., a St. Louis, Missouri entrepreneur who was denied a business loan from a bank even though he had a credit score of around 750 and his product —homemade barbecue sauce — generated about $200,000 in profits and was sold in 1,000 stores, including major retailers like Home Goods and Hy-Vee.
Resources for Black Entrepreneurs:
USBC's Small Business Financial Education Program
The USBC's 6 week Small Business Financial Education Program helps Black business owners prepare for loans, contracts, and business opportunities.
Experienced trainers and business coaches will provide participants with step-by-step instructions to help business owners prepare for business funding.
Participants can expect:
• At the end of the program, participants can pitch USBC's corporate and government partners
• Access to USBC's banking partners, supplier diversity companies, government agencies and subject matter experts in marketing, finance and leadership
• Access to USBC as a resource for capital access and procurement opportunities
Click here to Register for the March 24th Class
New Goldman Sachs Program
Attend an 8-week experience providing Black and Latinx entrepreneurs with an opportunity to access the best of Goldman Sachs – from industry experts to influential networks – while building relationships with investors.
The application deadline is Friday, April 17.
Funding Resources for Black Entrepreneurs:
USBC recently launched a new micro grant and loan program to help Black-owned businesses in the Gulf region including: Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana with funding that alleviates the impact of previous storms and weather disasters that have impacted business operations. Sponsored by BP, this program enables small firms to identify an area of distress in their business that has hindered their growth over the past two years.
The U.S. Black Chambers (USBC) partnership with BP the oil and gas company, will provide funding to Black-owned businesses in the gulf coast region. The program is managed by two USBC member Chambers – the Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation (LCCF), and the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (BCBCC).


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A 45-day Onam-Ramzan sale organized by Kerala’s Department of Cooperation through Consumerfed, the apex body of consumer co-operatives in the state, is set to begin on August 1.
The Onam-Ramzan fair, a market intervention project by the state government which has successfully helped control the prices of essential commodities during the festival season in the past, will run until September 15 this year, Consumerfed president Adv. Joy Thomas and Managing Director Dr Rigi G Nair announced at a press conference here on Thursday.
The fair will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Oommen Chandy on Wednesday evening (July 31) at LMS Compound here at a function presided over by Hon’ble Minister for Co-operation Shri C N Balakrishnan. Dignitaries including Hon’ble Minister for Health Shri V S Sivakumar will be present at the inauguration.
The subsidized sale of groceries and items of daily use will take place over the 45-day period at district-level fairs by co-operatives, Triveni department stores /supermarkets /megamarts, Neethi stores, Nanma stores and retail outlets run by service co-operative groups.
As per the instructions of Hon’ble Minister for Co-operation Shri C N Balakrishnan, Consumerfed will carry out the programme in four phases through 45-day long fairs at the district level and the assembly constituency level, a 10-day co-operative Ramzan sale from August 1-10, and a 15-day co-operative Onam sale from September 1-15, 2013.
A total of 13 items will be sold at discounts of up to 30% at 14 district fairs and 140 sales festivals at the constituency level and the Ramzan and Onam fairs. These include four varieties of rice (at Rs 21/kg), sugar (Rs 26/kg), green gram (Rs 55/kg), Bengal gram (Rs 45/kg), black gram (Rs 42/kg), tuhar dal (Rs 45/kg), red beans (Rs 35/kg), coriander (Rs 60/kg), two varieties of chillies (Rs 55 and 76/kg) and coconut oil (Rs 62/kg).
The Ramzan special sale will be through 3,000 outlets spread across 14 districts including Triveni supermarkets, Nanma stores and Neethi stores run by cooperative groups. Besides the subsidized commodities consumers will be able to buy a special ‘Ramzan kit’ priced at Rs 400 and consisting of Biriyani rice, Dalda(500 g), Atta (1kg), Maida (1kg), Rava (1kg), Dates (500g), Powdered rice (1 kg), Tea (250 g), Coriander powder (250 g), Chilli powder (250 g) and Turmeric powder (250 g).
Similarly, the special Onam sales will take place at 4,000 outlets across the state and will have on sale the subsided items plus a special Triveni ‘payasam kit’.
The fairs will be open on all days during, including Sundays. Consumers can buy the all of the specified subsidized items once during the 45-day period by producing their ration cards.
Consumerfed Vice President Shri N Sudarshan and Executive Director Smt Molly Stanley were present at the press conference.


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Refund request trips up alleged Clermont shoplifter
CLERMONT — A 52-year-old shoplifter thought he outsmarted a Wal-Mart policy of having a door greeter check the sales receipt of all big-ticket items leaving the store, in this case a pair of air-conditioning units.
And he almost got away with it.
A loss prevention officer at the U.S. Highway 27 store said a man, later identified as Jerry Storie, bought two air conditioners for $268 on Sunday and later returned to shoplift two more using the sales receipt from the first purchase to fool the door greeter. The loss prevention officer watched all of this on a security monitor but wasn’t able to stop Storie before he drove away.
However, four hours later, Storie was back in the store with two of the air conditioners and the sales receipt, looking for a $268 refund. Lake County sheriff’s deputies were called and Storie was charged with two counts of petty theft.
He remained in the Lake County Jail Monday in lieu of $4,000 bond.


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Trulawn’s franchisor has described the process of franchising his business and how it’s performing during a turbulent year.
Ian Parry spoke to Point Franchise about his experience of developing his artificial grass business and turning it into a thriving management franchise. He believes he can offer a far superior investment opportunity compared to other industry players. He explained,
“Whilst there are other companies who offer ‘franchises’ in artificial grass – these are often aimed at individuals who are already in the industry, who already are running a landscaping company, who already have the tools… As such, the value of the package is very limited.
“We are offering the complete package of training, support and mentoring along with all the equipment, tools and marketing materials, coupled with a large exclusive territory.”
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK, Ian was just in the process of appointing his first few franchisees.
“The business had to quickly adapt, implement new methods and technologies and swiftly instil confidence back in its customers. Once the company learnt how to keep its employees safe and ensure there was no danger to their customers, it was in a very strong position to proceed.”
After making changes, franchisees were even able to exceed their targets.
“Despite all the challenges Trulawn franchisees faced, due to their flexibility, hard work and ability to adapt, they have managed to hit the longstanding targets they had set for the year. In fact, they have actually managed to achieve an increase or growth in nearly every aspect of the business in 2020 over 2019.”
Now, Trulawn benefits from high levels of customer demand. Ian said,
“Digital media, social media, review sites, trust-a-trader-type web portals, have all helped to bring awareness of the product to a peak. In order to adapt, you have to keep up and join in with all the latest technologies, show complete transparency and honesty. Have a great product that people love and are willing to tell others about.”
So, what’s next for the growing franchise? Ian has plans to cover the whole of the UK and Ireland through its franchise network.
To find out more about how you can get involved and launch a Trulawn business in your local area, visit the franchise’s profile page, linked above.
Alice Tuffery, Point Franchise ©


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Mumbai: Japanese electronics and home appliances major Panasonic on Sunday said it expects to nearly double its sales in the domestic market next year. (Agencies)
"This year we expect the turnover to be Rs 5,500 crore (around USD 1.1 billion). Next year we should be a USD 2-billion company here," Panasonic India President Daizo Ito said here.
Globally, Panasonic had consolidated net sales of USD 105 billion in the year ended March 2011, when its India business reported a revenue of Rs 3,200 crore.
Panasonic manufactures and markets home appliances, television sets, health and beauty products, dry-cell batteries, carbon rods, office automation, telecom products, computers, projectors and security systems through different entities in the domestic market now.
At present, the company claims 8.5 percent market share in air-conditioners space, around 8 percent in the LCD and LED television segment and 50 percent in the plasma TV category.
Next year, it is looking at increasing the AC market share to 12 percent, LCD and LED TVs to 18 percent and plasma to about 60 percent.
The company is targeting the domestic markets to contribute about 5 percent of its global sales by 2015 with an expected turnover of Rs 25,000 crore, Ito said.
Panasonic is setting up a manufacturing facility at Jhajjar in Haryana which is expected to be operational by next November, Ito said, adding another manufacturing unit may come up by 2015.
Ito further said the company plans to export some of its appliances manufactured in the country to the Middle East and Africa. "Of the total sales in India, 10 percent we will try to make from exports," he said.
Panasonic has committed to invest USD 200 million over a five-year period in India to roll out a range of products, including ACs and washing machines.
Mumbai: Japanese electronics and home appliances major Panasonic on Sunday said it expects to nearly double its sales in the domestic market next year.


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The International Air Transport Association has awarded its Center of Excellence for Independent Validators certificate for pharmaceutical operations in Paris and Amsterdam to Air France KLM Martinair Cargo.
On the back of low bunker prices and more newbuildings to be delivered in 2016, chemical shipping freight rates for both contracts of affreightment and spot cargoes will be under pressure throughout 2016, as there are some new operators looking to break into the long-haul trade routes, according to the latest edition of the Chemical Forecaster, published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.
Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to decline year-over-year for the next few months, but the first half of the year should still amount to a 4.5-percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
CBX Software, a provider of sourcing-management applications to the retail industry, has joined with SGS, the global inspection, testing and verification body, to provide an integrated sourcing, quality, compliance and supply-chain service.
Emerging markets have driven growth for many multinational corporations (MNCs) for years, and they will continue to do so. But these are turbulent times as commodity prices plunge, currencies are devalued, and equity markets gyrate. The profitability of many MNCs' operations is already under attack, and future performance will be challenged by slower macroeconomic growth, increasing costs, and heightened competition from local companies, which are rapidly gaining scale, experience, and capability. To reduce these pressures, companies will have to focus much more on improving their competitiveness through constant productivity gains.
The International Air Transport Association released its air freight market analysis for December 2015, showing a slight (0.8 percent) year-over-year increase in worldwide cargo traffic (in freight tonne kilometers flown). This 0.8-percent overall gain was the result of a 0.7-percent decrease in international traffic and a 1.4-percent increase in domestic traffic.
LNG shipping earnings will remain under pressure in 2016 as accelerating fleet growth and changing trade patterns will weaken supply-demand conditions, according to the latest edition of the LNG Forecaster report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.


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A batch of food startups have sprung up over the last few years, backed by big money, with the goal of revolutionizing the way that we eat.
In 2012, investors put nearly $350 million dollars into the burgeoning food technology industry, which includes web and mobile food applications and actual food products coming to market. That’s a 37% increase over 2011. In 2008, the number was just $50 million.
So why, the food industry? Josh Tetrick, the founder and chief executive of Hampton Creek Foods, the makers of a plant-based egg product, had an answer.
“The food system is bizarre and ineffectual and completely lacking in innovation,” Tetrick told The New York Times.
Here are the start-ups that are making Silicon Valley VCs investment-crazy:
What Are The Products: Beyond Eggs is a plant-based egg substitute made out of peas, sorghum, and nine other plants. While it may sound gross, Hampton Creek claims its product is healthier, has a longer shelf-life, and costs 19 percent less than real eggs. As of right now, Beyond Eggs is intended only for baking uses, though the company just released Just Mayo, a plant-based mayo substitute, and it has announced plans to release a scrambled egg product next March. Here is a preview:
Who Is Investing: Khosla Ventures (Vinod Khosla & Bill Gates)
How Does It Taste: In blind taste tests, Bill Gates, Tony Blair, Fast CoExist’s Ariel Schwartz, and Huffington Post’s Nile Cappello couldn’t tell the difference between products baked with Beyond Eggs and those that weren’t.
Why You Should Pay Attention: The egg industry is a $6 billion dollar industry and Hampton Creek claims that its product is “better than eggs.” While it may take a while to win over everyday consumers, the company has already arranging deals with major food manufacturing companies to replace eggs in many processed foods you already eat.
What Are The Products: Chicken-Free Strips are Beyond Meat’s solution to the potentially unsustainable poultry industry (humans eat 183 billion pounds of chicken every year). The chicken-free strips are made of a variety of plants including soy, peas, flours, and fiber and come in three varieties: lightly seasoned, grilled, and southwest.
What makes Chicken-Free Strips different from fake meat already on the market (such as Tofurkey or Boca Burgers) is that they are the first of their kind to mimic not only the taste of chicken but also the texture. The plant protein mixture is kneaded into a specific arrangement that looks like chicken and feels like it when you bite into it.
How Does It Taste: Chef and Food Network host Alton Brown tasted the not-chicken and declared, “It’s more like meat than anything I’ve ever seen that wasn’t meat.” However, he wasn’t all glowing. While he found the texture to be on point, he said the product tastes “distinctly vegetal.”
After the taste test, Brown went to work with a team of chefs to try the product out in different recipes. While he had trouble recommending the product for anything that puts the not-chicken front and center, he said that it works well for tacos, stir-fries, soups, and even chicken nuggets (“most impressive”).
Why You Should Pay Attention: We’re not buying Twitter’s Biz Stone’s declaration that, "If someone were to serve this to me in a restaurant I would have said 'I think this is a mistake,'" (he is a vegan after all). However, it's clear he believes in the company, which might be reason for us to as well.
What turned the heads of the guys at Obvious Corporation wasn’t necessarily the product itself, but founder Ethan Brown’s vision. Brown told Stone and company that he didn’t want the product to be a niche product for vegans, he wanted it to be something everyday consumers would replace their chicken with.
It is already available at Whole Foods, packaged and in many of their prepared products.
What Are The Products: Modern Meadow co-founder Andras Forgacs has a revolutionary, if somewhat unsettling idea: use lab cultures and 3-D printing to grow meat in a lab. Forgacs is trying disrupt the meat industry, which he calls “an environmental train wreck,” by combining regenerative medicine (cell cultures from cow stem cells) with 3-D printing to create hamburger meat without the environmental impact or the inhumane animal treatment. The product is still in the testing phase and is probably several years away from scaling to a level where you might find it in a grocery store.
How Does It Taste: In a recent Reddit AMA, Forgacs gave an extremely candid response on the details of the lab meat. Here’s what he had to say:
I've tasted it as have my colleagues. We've only been able to have small bites since we're still working on getting the process right.
I cooked some pieces in olive oil and ate some with and without salt and pepper. Not bad. The taste is good but not yet fully like meat. We have yet to get the fat content right and other elements that influence taste. This process will be iterative and involve us working closely with our consulting chefs.
Why You Should Pay Attention: In the same AMA, Forgacs stressed that the “bio-printing” process used to create lab beef could be used for just about any type of meat, including fish. The trick is getting the cost down, which Forgacs has said is a main priority. He estimates that by the time the meat comes to market, it will cost $30/lb to start. Not cheap, but not terrible either.
The company has big money behind it and a great idea that is sounding less like science fiction everyday.


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ByJoe Horner 2019-08-13 3857
The upcoming Amazfit watch’s outlook
The Apple Watch Series 3’s outlook
Arnold Pei said a new Huami Amazfit watch was leaked by internal test users yesterday, and many guessed it was the new Apple Watch, so he announced the appearance of the new watch today.
Arnold Pei believes that the Apple Watch is undoubtedly the benchmark for smartwatches, and there is a lot to learn from, but the upcoming Amazfit watch is superior to the Apple Watch, such as the PPI for the Apple Watch, which has a 326 PPI, and the new Amazfit watch, which has a screen PPI of 341. He also says the pixel density is close to the current pixel density limit for screens like the AMOLED.
As for the release date of the upcoming Amazfit smartwatch, Arnold Pei said "We'll know on August 20th."
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