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Fujitsu on Monday announced its new MHT line of notebook hard drives that offers manufacturers the ability to boost their notebooks' maximum storage capacity from 60GB to 80GB. A new drive family from Hitachi Global Storage Technologies provides a similar boost.
The new 80GB drives arrive as notebooks are becoming more popular among businesses and consumers, and are gaining more data-intensive multimedia capabilities such as DVD burning.
Fujitsu created the 80GB device by increasing the drive's areal density, or the amount of data that a hard-drive platter--a small, thin disk--can store per square inch. Hard drives hold data on one or more platters, and the data is written by a special head mounted on an arm that hovers above the spinning platter that resembles a miniature record player.
The new Fujitsu drives feature a density of as much as 69.3 gigabits per square inch, good for data capacities of up to 40GB per platter, the company said in a statement.
Though notebook drives have gotten a boost from areal density, they lag behind their desktop counterparts, which have reached capacities of 200GB to 250GB. Notebook drives feature fewer, smaller platters--for reasons including power consumption, durability and cost--than their desktop counterparts, resulting in lower capacities.
Fujitsu's new MHT family will be available in five capacities: 20GB, 30GB, 40GB, 60GB and 80GB.
Meanwhile, the Hitachi storage unit has also introduced a new drive family, including an 80GB model, the Travelstar 80GN. Hitachi also reached the higher capacity by increasing areal density.
Hewlett-Packard will be first to use the new Travelstar 80GN, in a forthcoming Pavilion ze5300 notebook, amachine that will feature a 15-inch screen and Pentium 4 processor. The new Travelstar family also includes 20GB and 40GB drives.
When it comes to delivering data, the two new drive lines offer speeds of 4,200 revolutions per minute, as opposed to some of the fastest, which turn at 5,400rpm, thus allowing them to read and write data more quickly. Hitachi works around the shortcoming by offering 8MB of cache as a buffer to boost performance.
Where HP has already signed on for the Travelstar 80GN, other PC makers are likely to adopt the new drives a little later, once they become more readily available. Both drive manufacturers expect to increase their output, making larger quantities available possibly by late March.
Dell Computer, for one, has said it will offer an 80GB hard drive in itsas soon as possible.
Neither Fujitsu nor Hitachi announced prices for their new devices because, unlike desktop hard drives, notebook drives are sold mainly to manufacturers, not marketed as upgrades.


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Spyker, India’s topmost fashion denim brand launched its exclusive brand store in Kangra, taking the total number of outlets in the country to 240. The Spyker store located opposite UCO bank, welcomes the city with a stylish wardrobe in premium quality at an attractive pricing.
The city gets its perfect fashion hub to meet the trendiest casual wear needs of the youth.
Mr. Sanjay Vakharia, (CEO of Spyker Lifestyles) exclaims, “With the internet penetration growing, the fashion loving consumers are getting more and more trend conscious across India, this makes it an ideal move to capture the markets like Kangra which have huge potential. Looking forward to higher engagement with the ‘young and restless’ audience of this beautiful city up north!’
The brand promises to provide the fashion lovers a one-stop shop with trend setting denims, trousers, tees, shirts, jackets and accessories like belts, wallets, socks, flip flops and much more. Spykar collection embodies global inspirations that can match the insatiable search for best in world class style.
Spyker is India’s leading Jeanswear brand for the youth. Spyker is synonymous with the ‘Young & Restless’ generation of today. Keeping up with the ever-changing dynamics of the global fashion industry, the collection exudes an individualistic and contemporary style.
Established in 1992, Spyker has come a long way and has certainly defined the rules of the fashion arena. From what started as solely a men’s denim brand sold at multi-brand outlets, Spyker has expanded its portfolio to become a one stop shop for casual wear ensemble for both men and women – available pan India across 240 exclusive outlets, 900+ multi-brand outlets, all key large format stores and e-commerce portals.
Since 2014, Spyker is a part of the Lord Bagri promoted Metdist Group, a diversified portfolio of companies. Headquartered in UK, the Metdist group is a global conglomerate with interests in metal and diverse industries like fashion, hospitality & technology.
- Corporate / SME2022.09.22BIODEGRADABLE POLYESTER YARN IS OUR SPECIALITY: RAJENDRA GUPTA
- Apparel, Fashion & Retail2022.07.29GARTEX TEXPROCESS INDIA NEW DELHI EDITION TO BE BIGGER THAN EVER WITH MORE THAN 175 EXHIBITORS CONFIRMED
- Apparel, Fashion & Retail2022.07.02TEXWORLD EVOLUTION PARIS
- COTTON PRICE2022.06.26COTTON EXPECTED TO MODERATE IN THE NEW SEASON

domain: news


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More variety, larger and fresher selection available to customers
Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont, unveiled a $1 million renovation of its new store in Sanborn during a grand opening Wednesday.
Tops and local officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony as part of the celebration. The renovation doubles the size of the previous operator at 2956 Saunders Settlement Road. The overall store footprint is now 12,000 square feet.
Tops assumed operations of the former Sanborn Marketplace store at that location earlier this year. As part of the grand-opening celebration, and to show dedication to the Sanborn community, Tops made donations to the Sanborn Fire Department, Orleans-Niagara BOCES, the American Legion, Niagara-Wheatfield School District and the culinary department at Niagara County Community College.
"We are proud to become a part of the Sanborn community and be their neighborhood grocer," said John Persons, president and COO of Tops Friendly Markets. "Customers in Sanborn will experience essentially an all-new Tops store. The existing building has undergone extensive renovations, which allows us to provide a larger, fresher variety to customers and offer great customer service in a welcoming environment."
The produce section has been expanded, providing customers with more selection, including locally grown produce from throughout the region. In addition, space has been added to the bakery, deli, meats, dairy, refrigerated drinks, frozen foods and prepared foods areas, including an all-new Carryout Café providing fresh pizza and subs, fresh hot chicken and grab-and-go items.
"Sanborn customers are now able to choose from a wider selection of products from national, local and Tops brands, similar to what they would see at a larger Tops store," Persons added. "A wide variety of fresh produce will be a welcome addition for customers in Sanborn."
Aesthetically, the entire interior of the store and the storefront have an updated décor, and the existing ceiling was removed, which provides a more open space. Throughout the store, Tops has added more shelving space, which allows customers to choose from an increased variety of national and store brands, along with the local brands they love.
As this new Tops store is located across from NCCC, historical photos of the college campus adorn the walls of the store.
In an effort to be more energy-efficient, new lighting was added throughout the store, including LED lighting in cold and frozen food cases.
Tops Markets LLC is headquartered in Williamsville, and operates 169 full-service supermarkets - 164 company-owned and five franchise locations - with more than 16,000 associates. For more information about Tops Markets, visit the company's website at www.topsmarkets.com.
Tops Sanborn produce section and celebration cake.


text: for reals this time) as the company plans to move away from its strict direct-to-customer sales approach with a move towards selling PCs through third parties including retail stores, "solution providers," and "channel partners." The change was apparently first hinted at in a memo from Michael Dell, who says "the direct model was a revolution. It's not a religion." Not that we've ever imagined Dell's sales strategy as the consumer electronics equivalent of the Bible (nor the little red book for that matter), but it'll still be pretty hard to envisage going into a mall and seeing Dells next to other brand name PCs: aside from the occasional sighting of a Dell kiosk, it's just not what we're used to. Fortunately the company's tentative steps in the direction of more aesthetically pleasing designs means that there hasn't been a better time for Dell to dive headfirst into retail. So, do you think Dell has got what it takes to go retail? 'Cause dude, it's a warzone out there.


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BASF increases propionic prices in Europe and Asia
BASF has announced a price increase in Europe and Asia for propionic acid – a widely used ingredient across a raft of sectors including food, plastics and pharmaceuticals.
The German-based giant said it would be raising prices for propionic acid in Europe by €200 a ton and in Asia by US$200 per ton.
The increase in tariffs was effective immediately, or as existing contracts permitted, said the company.
BASF is a leading supplier of propionic acid with facilities at Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Nanjing, China.
Propionic acid is used in the production of food preservatives, plastics and pharmaceuticals. However its major application is in feed grain preservation.


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British manufacturers urge UK government to implement industrial plan
The £725mn (US$980mn) st...
The UK’s manufacturing association, EEF, has called the British government to progress faster with its industrial strategy.
The £725mn (US$980mn) strategy was introduced by Greg Clark, the UK’s Business Secretary, in the white paper of autumn 2017.
The EEF has deemed the introduction of the strategy an “urgent task”, suggesting that manufacturing goals need to be outlined.
According to the association, between 2000 and 2007 British manufacturing productivity growth was averaging 4.7%.
The productivity average, or output per hour worked, has since declined to only 1% over the past decade.
“We’ve known about the productivity problem for some time, with various attempts made to try to fix it across the whole economy,” the Guardian reported Lee Hopely, Chief Economist at the EEF, stating.
“Productivity growth matters for wages and international competitiveness yet 10 years on from the start of the financial crisis these attempts have not delivered a major shift and we need to tackle the challenge in a different way.”
“Manufacturing offers a good area to get gains on productivity growth. The industrial strategy council should now be created urgently and put to task to identify how the overall strategy can improve productivity in those industrial sectors where it has lagged.”
Timeline: Tesla's Construction of Gigafactories
Tesla's mission to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy
Founded in 2003, Tesla was established by a group of engineers with a drive to "prove that people didn’t need to compromise to drive electric – that electric vehicles can be better, quicker and more fun to drive than gasoline cars." Almost 20 years on, Tesla today is not only manufacturing all electric vehicles, but scaleable clean energy generation and storage too.
"Tesla believes the faster the world stops relying on fossil fuels and moves towards a zero-emission future, the better," says Tesla. "Electric cars, batteries, and renewable energy generation and storage already exist independently, but when combined, they become even more powerful – that’s the future we want. "
In order to deliver on its promise of "accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy through increasingly affordable electric vehicles and energy products," Tesla's Gigafactory journey began in 2014 to meet its produciton goals of 500,000 cars per year (a figure which would require the entire worlds supply of lithium-ion batteries at the time).
By ramping up its production and bringing it in-house, the cost of Tesla 's battery cells declined "through economies of scale, innovative manufacturing, reduction of waste, and the simple optimisation of locating most manufacturing processes under one roof." With this reduction in battery cost, "Tesla can make products available to more and more people, allowing us to make the biggest possible impact on transitioning the world to sustainable energy."
2014: Giga Nevada and Giga New York begin construction
Born out of necessity to meet its own supply demand for sustainable energy, Tesla began the construction of its first Gigafactory in June 2014, in Reno, Nevada, followed by its Buffalo, New York facility the same year. "By bringing cell production in-house, Tesla manufactures batteries at the volumes required to meet production goals, while creating thousands of jobs," said Tesla.
2016: Reno, Nevada grand opening
Tesla’s construction of Giga Nevada came to an end in 2016, the first of its Gigafactories to complete its construction project. The factory’s grand opening took place in July 2016, and by mid-2018 reached an annual battery production rate of 20 GWh, which made it the highest-volume battery plant in the world that year.
2017: Giga New York begins production
Two years after Tesla’s second Gigafactory began construction, Giga New York was complete, and started its production operations in 2017.
2019: Giga Shanghai construction to production in record time
In 2019, Tesla selected Shanghai as its third Gigafactory location. The company constructed the factory in record time, taking just 168 working days from gaining permits to finishing the plant's construction.
2019: Giga Berlin begins construction
Announced in November 2019, Tesla began the construction of its first European Gigafactory in Berlin. The Gigafactory is still under construction.
2020: Giga Texas begins construction
The following year in August 2020, Tesla began the construction of its Giga Texas factory. The company’s third Gigafactory in the US is still under construction.
2021: Giga Texas and Giga Berlin expected completion of construction
Looking to the future, Tesla expects to complete the construction of its Giga Texas and Giga Berlin factories in May 2021 and July 2021 respectively.


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Pierre Taki Japanese actor and voice actor who lent his face and voice to the character of Hamura Kyohei in Judgment, was arrested in the past, on charges of possession and use of cocaine. SEGA is considering legal action.
The Japanese publisher has announced the immediate interruption of the distribution of Judge Eyes Shinigami no Yuigon in Japan, in addition the company is evaluating possible legal actions to defend its image and ensure that it is not harmed by bad publicity due to the arrest of Taki.
Takashi Mochizuki reporter for the Wall Street Journal, says that right now SEGA is deciding the fate of publication in the West, announced for June 25, 2019 but currently in doubt. It is not excluded that the company can remove all references to Pierre Taki before bringing the game to Europe and North America but this could postpone the launch for a few months.
We look forward to learning more, currently Judgment is only available in Japan but as mentioned the distribution was immediately stopped after the news and the game was removed from PlayStation Store.


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Graze Catering will soon offer a new place for a lunchtime bite.
Sandwiches, salads and soups will be on the menu at GRAZE when it opens downtown at 5 S. Colville St., the onetime home to Studio Opal and most recently Cheval.
The 750-square-foot space will house the eatery, while the catering kitchen will remain at 213 S. Ninth Ave., said owner John Lastoskie. The business's opening is slated for early November.
Lastoskie said the operation will roast all its own meats -- with a particularly special pastrami. Diners may recognize the fare from the Walla Walla Farmers Market, where Graze items have been served. Some items expected to be served up at the new shop: paninis, hot pastrami and meatball, as well as cold deli versions, fresh salads and a couple of soups made from scratch daily.
Progress on the new shop can be watched at: www.grazecatering.blogspot.com.
Strictly Business is a local business column. Vicki Hillhouse can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org or 526-8321.
And here's something about another kind of grazer: Touchet-based Crouthamel Cattle Co. ranked fourth in the state for the number of Angus beef cattle registered during fiscal 2009.
The local operation registered 92 head of cattle with the American Angus Association during the year that ended Sept. 30.
According to the announcement, Angus breeders across the country registered 282,911 head of Angus cattle.
The American Angus Association, headquartered in Saint Joseph, Mo. is the largest beef registry association in the world in terms of both annual registrations and active members. For more details, visit www.angus.org.


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Since its launch in 2016, the Google Pixel phone lineup has put an emphasis on the camera. And with the Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL in 2019, that still holds true apart from some minor flaws.
It’s been almost 3 years since Andy Rubin and his company, Essential launched their first device. And now just a few months after announcing their latest project, Essential is shutting down.
After countless leaks, Samsung’s latest flagship phones for 2020 have officially been revealed with the Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip.
While the Galaxy Fold may have gotten all the attention last year, Samsung is gearing up for their next foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Flip.
Fiat Chrysler (FCA) has announced an updated version of their infotainment system with Uconnect 5.
OnePlus has announced details about their new Fluid Display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Denmark-based Skagen has announced a new version of their Wear OS smartwatch with the Falster 3.
In an effort to make their flagship phones more accessible to consumers, Samsung has announced the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note10 Lite.
Ever since it’s introduction back in 2011, I’ve always been a fan of Samsung’s Galaxy Note series of phones. And while there have been some issues in the past (like the Galaxy Note 7), the Note 10+ builds upon the S10 series and past Samsung devices to make an even better phone with a few shortcomings.


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Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist has filed a civil complaint against 12 leasing companies, accusing them of violating Florida's deceptive and unfair trade practices statute. The leasing companies demanded payments from consumers for services despite knowing that services were not being provided, Crist charged.
The leasing companies purchased contracts from NorVergence beginning in 2003 after NorVergence had entered into agreements with approximately 700 small Florida businesses to provide local telephone, mobile phone and high-speed Internet services at reduced rates.
NorVergence allegedly used high-pressure sales tactics, including claims that the offer was for a limited duration and available only to a few select companies, in order to finalize contracts that cost consumers as much as $1,000 per month.
"Small businesses were hurt by the false, deceptive, misleading and unfair sales tactics used by NorVergence," said Crist. "The leasing companies knew the scheme and compounded the harm by making intolerable demands to be paid for services that were unconscionably priced and never provided."
NorVergence targeted small businesses that had good credit ratings and that were owned by persons who were age 60 or older but lacked in-house legal and technology personnel to protect them. The small business owners agreed to sign contracts with NorVergence with an understanding of the following terms:
• They were obtaining telephone services directly from NorVergence;
• NorVergence would provide the consumers with unlimited long distance, cell phone and high-speed Internet at greatly reduced rates; and
• In order to use the NorVergence services, customers would have to rent a "Matrix" box.
These business terms were later found to be inaccurate. Many consumers never received telecommunication service, and in any event NorVergence terminated service when it went into bankruptcy. The company failed to install the Matrix box for consumers who had entered the agreement and thus failed to deliver the promised reduced rates.
Additionally, it was found that the Matrix was nothing more than a commercial router that sells for $500 to $1,200, creating an unconscionably large disparity between the value of the box and the $1,000-per-month lease payments due under the rental agreement.
In further violation of the agreement, the leasing companies then began demanding payments for services that were never provided. When customers missed their monthly bills, the leasing companies accelerated payments and demanded payment in full, in sums ranging from $10,000 to more than $90,000.
After receiving subpoenas from the Attorney General, three leasing companies CIT Technology Financial Services, Inc., Northland Capital Financial Services and BB&T; Leasing Company agreed to a moratorium of the payment demands and are not currently facing charges.
The 12 leasing companies that the Attorney General is suing are: Wells Fargo, Commerce Commercial Leasing, LLC, Court Square Leasing Corporation, Dolphin Capital Corporation, IFC Credit Corporation, National City Commercial Capital Corporation (formerly known as Information Leasing Corporation), Irwin Business Finance, Liberty Bank Leasing, Patriot Leasing Co. Inc., Popular Leasing U.S.A., Inc., Preferred Leasing, LLC and Sterling National Bank.
Each is charged with two counts of violating Florida's unfair and deceptive trade practices statute. If convicted of the charges, the companies face a $10,000 fine for each violation of the statute and a $15,000 fine for each violation involving a senior citizen, as well as consumer restitution and attorney fees and costs.
The Attorney General is also seeking an injunction to prevent the leasing companies from making further efforts to collect on these unconscionable agreements.
Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar is urging Colorado business customers of NorVergence to file a written complaint with supporting documents with his office, after businesses complained that the state was not helping them in their struggle with the leasing companies.
The NorVergence bankruptcy has created significant financial problems for several thousands of businesses nationally, Salazar said. Because NorVergence entered into telecom leases with Colorado companies, most of which did not receive the promised equipment or services, my office has been working with other state and federal law enforcement agencies on investigative and legal options to assist them.
One major issue in this matter concerns the legal enforceability of the equipment leases signed by NorVergence customers. The equipment leases in question obligate the business customers to pay the leasing companies regardless of whether the equipment and services were ever provided by NorVergence. The leases also require the customers to waive all rights, claims and warranties.
The leases also stipulate that any legal disputes must be litigated in the home state of the leasing or finance company holding the assigned lease contract. The leasing and finance companies that purchased the leases from NorVergence are now seeking payment under the lease terms, and in some cases have filed collection lawsuits against the business customers for full payment.
Salazars office has also been in contact with the Federal Trade Commission regarding possible combined or separate legal action by the federal government, Salazar said.


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After NetEase acquired a minority stake in the company earlier this year and Quantic Dream releasing its three latest games on PC, it appears that the company wants to become far more than just a Sony development studio. In fact, they want to release all of its games on all platforms and become a ‘Boutique Publisher.’
This news comes from Dualshockers who did a deep dive on the French development studio. In their article, we learn that Quantic Dream has been thinking about branching beyond exclusivity deals with Sony since 2016. Then, in 2019, after gaining a minority stake for NetEase, Quantic Dream pressed the metaphorical button and announced that it would branch out. This would allow them to “work on different platforms and reach players all around the world” and become a “boutique publisher.”
However, a game could still be a platform exclusive if an exclusivity deal is struck, according to Cage. He also elaborated on the idea of a “boutique publisher” in the Dualshockers piece. He highlighted that Quantic Dream will be “backing [a] few titles and championing originality and high quality, while providing tech and industrial support.”
Expanding on the PC releases of Detroit: Become Human, Beyond: Two Souls, and Heavy Rain, Cage stated that Sony has always been helpful to Quantic Dream and actually allowed them to release these games on PC after sitting down for talks.
Overall, some interesting information can be gained from the Dualshockers article that gives us a look at where the studio is heading. The latest game from the studio was Detroit: Become Human, which is considered by many as the best title from the studio. In our review we stated
“Quantic Dream has delivered its most consistently focused game to date with Detroit Become Human. It does suffer for some ham-fisted allegory and a couple of instances of appallingly mawkish dialogue, but that never overwhelms the overall enjoyment you get from its entertaining branching narrative. The story is not the most subtle, nor nuanced, take on discrimination, slavery, and machine self-awareness you’ll find, but it is often surprisingly poignant and touching when Cage and his team nail the blend of video game and cinematic experience.”
We don’t know what the studio is working on at the moment but stay tuned to PSU for any updates regarding the studio.
Source – [Dualshockers]


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Today Apple announced that a number of leading car manufacturers, like Honda, Ford, Ferrari, BMW and Nissan, will soon be introducing CarPlay into their motors, an intuitive in-car iPhone system that uses helpful little Siri to make driving easier and more fun.
CarPlay will provide iPhone users with a way to add Apple’s iOS right into their cars, which includes music, messages, calls and much more all from an interface that’s designed to be as eyes-free as possible. Obviously Apple’s Maps will be integrated into your driving experience too and with the help of Siri will work to replace any kind of GPS system you already have by providing you with turn-by-turn navigation to get you where you need to go.
“CarPlay has been designed from the ground up to provide drivers with an incredible experience using their iPhone in the car,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing.
Apple CarPlay is available as an update to iOS 7 and works with Lightning-enabled iPhones, which includes iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5. CarPlay will debut at this week’s Geneva Motor Show and will be available in select cars that’ll begin shipping throughout 2014.


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Marking an unprecedented ramp-up in India’s commercial vehicle industry, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) celebrates the fifth anniversary of the market launch of BharatBenz trucks. Since September 2012, the brand has continuously advanced despite adverse conditions such as an overall industry downturn or multiple market distortions in 2016. More than 55,000 trucks have been delivered to customers across India.
Mr. Marc Llistosella, Head of Daimler Trucks Asia: “Our strategic aim was to give Daimler Trucks a strong footprint in India with its immense growth potentials. In just five years, we have firmly established BharatBenz as an aspirational brand in the world’s toughest commercial vehicle market. We thank our loyal customers and partners for making this unprecedented ramp-up happen with us.”
In the current year 2017, DICV expects to achieve significant growth with BharatBenz. For the first time, the brand progressed into double-digit market share in recent months, based on strong momentum gained with the BS-IV transition.
Mr. Erich Nesselhauf, Managing Director and CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles: “We continue on our sustainable growth track with BharatBenz. Customer demand has been particularly strong in the 16-49 tonnes segment, further extending our position as the clear number three in heavy-duty trucks. We have thus taken the next step and moved to two-shift operations at our manufacturing plant.”
Reflecting persistent strong order intake, DICV decided to add a second shift at its truck plant in Oragadam near Chennai. The increase in output will also cater to expected further growth in DICV’s export business, in which the company has sold more than 10,000 trucks since 2013 and will serve 40 markets by the end of the year.
Fast track to air quality improvements: BharatBenz introduces Euro-V ready medium-duty trucks
To commemorate its fifth anniversary in the Indian market and to illustrate potentials to achieve further air quality improvements quickly, BharatBenz handed over its first Euro-V ready medium-duty trucks to customers. Said Mr. Erich Nesselhauf: “BharatBenz will continue to push the limits of India’s commercial vehicle industry. We led the transition to the BS-IV standard, and we are proud to hand over to customers Euro-V ready trucks today. Improvements of air quality beyond the BS-IV levels can be achieved immediately.”
In line with the Euro-V emissions standard, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are reduced by more than 40 percent compared to BS-IV. Nitrogen oxides are considered to be a major source of air pollution in high-traffic metro areas which leads to respiratory diseases and other negative impacts on people and environment.
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A Video Gamers Digest
Video Games are a unique media that are enjoyed by people, both young and old worldwide. Adults, teens, and kids all play games to escape to a fantasy world, educate themselves, get up and dance or just socialize with friends.
My aim in creating Games News Network is to build a place where I could show others all the great games, media and news that come out of the industry. It's all about giving back to an industry that has given gamers so much.
Batman: Arkham City DLC Incoming
A list of trophies have appeared on PS3trophies.org revealing that we'll be headed back to Arkham City sometime soon. Going by the trophies it seems we'll be playing as both Harley Quinn and Robin. This is a mini-campaign mission and will most likely be called Harley Quinn's Revenge--if you go by one of the trophies.
Stay tuned for the official announcement and release date.
We finally get a release day for the long anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and we won't have to wait too long. The game will be released on March 3rd as a Nintendo Switch release game. This news comes straight from the Nintendo Switch event that occurred yesterday.


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Dundee Citrus changes name to Florida Classic Growers
by Christina DiMartino | October 10, 2010
Diversified Citrus Marketing, the sales and marketing division of the Dundee
Citrus Growers Association in Lake Hamilton, FL, has changed its name to
Florida Classic Growers Inc., effective Sept. 27.
"We made this important decision because of how well our customers relate
us to our well-known heritage label, 'Florida Classic,'“ Al Finch, vice president
of sales and marketing, told The Produce News.
In a Sept. 27 press release, Lindsay Raley, president and chairman of the
board of Dundee, said, “With the evolution of Florida Classic, we look forward
to extending our record of providing superior products and service as we
continue to evolve to best meet the needs of our customers and consumers."
Also in the press release, Bobby Bawcum, president of Florida Classic
Growers, said that he welcomes the name change and believes it will enable
customers to more readily identify with the “Florida Classic” label. “As Florida
Classic Growers, we will continue to provide the same great products and
service under a brand name that has achieved tremendous equity and trust,”
Mr. Bawcum said. “The addition of the last word to our new name is a
reminder that our customers are able to buy directly from the growers
Florida Classic Growers also announced on Sept. 27 that the company would
add Florida peaches to its portfolio in 2011.
“Dundee and Florida Classic Growers are enthusiastically looking forward to
introducing flavorful, locally grown peaches into the marketplace,” said Mr.
Mr. Finch said that the company is also excited about the upcoming citrus
“We officially began Florida Navels and Fallglo tangerines on September 14,”
he said. “The Navel crop is clean, and we anticipate an excellent year. Retail
chains are always excited to be getting back into Navels, and many will be
promoting the item during the month of October in four-pound bags and in
Mr. Finch added that Florida Navels offer a nice transition opportunity from
South Africa Navels and prior to the start of California’s movement in
November. The Florida Navel program will run through the end of the year.
“Like all of the citrus varieties this year, the Fallglo tangerine crop is also a
good one,” he added. “Look for these to continue through the end of October.
Then we begin with the Sunburst tangerine variety, which will be available
through the end of the year and possibly into the first week of January.”
Amber Sweet oranges began the week of Sept. 27, and the crop represents
the first of Florida juice oranges for the season. Supplies will be available
through the end of October, with most promotions seen in four- and five-
“In mid- to late October, we will begin moving the Hamlin orange variety,”
said Mr. Finch. “These will be available until early January.
“Tangelos will be available starting the first week of November and will run
into early January,” he continued.
Florida Classic Growers will start moving red grapefruit in the middle of
October. Mr. Finch said that sizes will be small during the beginning of the
season, but availability of larger 32- and 27-size fruit should increase as the
season progresses. The company is encouraging five-pound bag promotions
at start of the movement, and red grapefruit will be available until May.
“We will have kumquats available again this year,” said Mr. Finch. “This nice
holiday item will be available sometime in November and will run through
“We are also promoting Pummelos again this year,” he added. “These will run
from early October through mid-January.”
Honey tangerines will follow the Sunburst movement in January. Mr. Finch
said that the crop size is down a little compared to previous years, but the
company anticipates a good overall crop. Movement is expected to extend
Temple oranges will begin in mid-January and run through mid-February.
The four-week program is a nice niche for retailers, said Mr. Finch.
“We will transition from Hamlins to mid-season oranges, which will run
through the end of February,” he said. “Then we will start the largest Florida
orange variety, the Valencia. These typically start in late February and run to
June, but we will also continue our Valencia storage program. The variety will
be available through the end of July, and possibly into August.”
The company will also continue to expand its gift-fruit program this season.
It has launched a separate web site specifically for the program,
www.dundeecitrus.com, where people can order gift fruit on-line.
Its fundraising programs for schools will also continue in November and
December this year.
Mr. Finch added that Florida Classic Growers continues to update its two
state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to accommodate its growing


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Perennial growers question sustainability of peat substitutes
External transfer also a topic at the ISU Future Days
(ISU) Sustainable production and the preservation of perennial nurseries are pressing issues in the industry throughout Europe. This was impressively demonstrated at the Future Days of the International Hardy Plant Union, which took place in Prague in mid-October. Christoph Hokema, for example, uses a high proportion of peat substitute in his perennial nursery Fehrle Stauden. But he also pointed out the high carbon footprint of coconut fiber, which is imported from Indonesia and the Philippines and often means child labor and deforestation.
Substrates without peat often have fluctuating pH levels and increased infestations of fungal diseases, criticized Sven Straeten of the German company Greenhats Sveb Straeten. In addition, the plants must be watered more heavily when sold.
Herbert Vinken cultivates herbs and ornamental plants organically at his Herb's perennial nursery in Germany. The key to strengthening soil microbiology, he says, is alternating substrates and fertilizers.
The last two presentations addressed the issue of handing over or selling a family business. Frans van Wanrooij from the Netherlands took the audience through the process, using the Vilier company as an example. The owner Theo Vilier and the new owner Stan Beekmans pointed out the most important aspects of handing over a company from a legal, human and personal point of view. It can take up to 6 years to hand over a horticultural or agricultural business, consultant Mirijam Vogt reported from her experience in Germany.
Nico Rijnbeek explained his takeover of the Dutch family business Rinbeek Stauden and the handover to his son that has now taken place. "When you pass the business on to the next generation, you must not see your offspring as a son/daughter, but as a business partner," he says. Aad Vollebregt, ISU president and Dutch perennial grower, on the other hand, told that unfortunately his older brother took over his parents' farm. He went his own way, studying and eventually buying a perennial nursery.
The participants agreed that the first ISU-Future Days was thematically a successful conference and led to new encounters internationally. The next event will take place in another country with new topics.


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Amid a tariff battle with Washington, SUV demand has dropped drastically. China’s auto sales have also went down by 5.3 per cent in July. The fall adds to signs of a worsening global economic state. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the biggest auto market bought 1.6 million SUVs, minivans and sedans. Total sales fell by 4 percent to about 1.9 million. This statistic includes trucks and buses. Speculations about a lagging economy may have played a crucial role in the fall. This is after China tightened restrictions on lending to try and manage the swelling debt.
Gasoline-electric hybrids, however, rose by 47.7 percent to 84,000. This increase was boosted by government support. The rise, however, only accounted for 5 percent of the total sales. The industry’s highest earner, SUVs, shrank by 8.4 percent to 633,000. Sedan sales fell by 1.2 percent to 815,000. Ford Motor Co., together with its joint Chinese ventures, sold 77,506 vehicles in China alone. This represented a rise of 9 percent from a year back. The rise contributes to the industry’s growth by 6.7 percent in the world’s largest auto market for the same month. In the previous months of June and July, the company had a 17 percent and 25 percent rise respectively. Later this year, Ford plans on launching the premium Lincoln brand in China. Eight Lincoln retail outlets are to be opened in seven cities in China in October. Ford has been in partnership with Motors Corp Ltd and Chongqing Changan Automobile Co Ltd with whom they make popular vehicles like the Ford Kuga, Ford EcoSport and SUV models.
According to Ford, China auto sales will shoot up by 9 per cent in August despite the trade wars between the US and China. According to NIO capital, the electric car revolution start-ups in China will fall to only 1 percent since the industry requires significant investments in technology. According to Ian Zhu, the managing partner at the venture capital fund, the company has become very cautious on purchasing EV start-ups. He adds that the firm is looking to raise $1.5 billion for an offshore fund. This will also favor investment in joint ventures between traditional car makers and auto start-ups since. These two entities bring together innovation and real manufacturing capabilities.
Despite the drop in auto sales, China has successfully enticed investors to put in billions of dollars into production and start-ups. The trade war might, however, create hurdles for auto manufacturers and push the industry towards autonomous vehicles.


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Jacksonville Beach’s Southern Swells Brewing is dropping a new bottle release, this time it is the next in their series of mixed culture fermented beers called Slice: Raspberry Cheesecake. From Southern Swells Brewing: This Friday night (November 1st) we are … Continue reading →
The post Southern Swells Brewing to release Slice: Raspberry Cheesecake in bottles appeared first on Florida Beer News.
Source: Florida Beer News
Read the full article here.


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Technology sector transaction value grew by 34% during the second quarter of 2013, but the volume dropped by 22% compared to the first quarter, according to PwC.
The accounting firm’s latest report revealed that about 32 deals were completed during the quarter, compared to 41 deals during the first quarter.
During the second quarter average deal value reached $433 million, as the number of deals exceeding $250m doubled from 17% to 34%, while cumulative deal value reached $13.9bn, which included five transactions surpassing $1bn.
PwC technology industry deals leader Rob Fisher said that technology companies face a constant conundrum of a need to balance key investment initiatives while navigating fears of future downturns amid signs of positive economic growth.
"While the number of closed technology transactions declined in the second quarter, new deal announcements point to robust M&A (merger and acquisition) activity for the rest of 2013 as technology businesses plot their next wave of transactions," Fisher said.
Positive market performance fuelled technology initial public offerings (IPO), according to the report, due to a double rise in new pricings, with proceeds surpassing $2.6bn.
New IPO registrations reached a total of 13 for the quarter, with several others filed confidentially under the rules of the US JOBS Act.
The hardware sector involved eight transactions, whose combined deals value reached $2.9bn, while the software sector dropped 62% to eight deals, with value dropping 73% to $1.5bn, representing a decrease of 60% and 55% on volume and value respectively.
The quarter also witnessed six internet deals that generated $4.5bn, while the semiconductor sector saw five deals and closed transactions valued at $4.5bn, representing 32% of overall deal value for Q2.
The IT services sector accounted for five transactions and contributed 3% of deal value at $452m for transactions closed during the period.
However, PwC anticipated that the decline in software transactions would be temporary as cloud, social, mobile, data analytics and the software tools would continue to capture the market.
"With increased momentum among private equity buyers, significant unused corporate cash on hand, and more technology companies moving to fully embrace cloud and capture an increasing share of mobile consumers, the fundamental drivers of technology remain strong," Fisher said.
"As technology players identify new avenues to fuel growth, we anticipate the rise in proposed transactions will invigorate technology M&A for the remainder of 2013."
This article is from the CBROnline archive: some formatting and images may not be present.
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If you are more comfortable dealing with digital money than cash, there is good news for you: Singapore, one of the most prominent and influential economies in the world, has announced its intention to move towards being a cashless society. While talking to journalists, Ong Ye Kung, the Education Minister of Singapore and a member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, made clear the government’s intention to reduce the use of cheques and cash as modes of payment. As a matter of fact, Ong also said that the government plans to make the island a cheque-free country by 2025.assistance can arise at any moment. In these situations, an emergency loan can be the ultimate solution to give you the necessary funds to get through tough times.
Is the Government Chasing an Impossible Dream?
The simple answer is no; the statistics actually talk in favour of the government’s intention, and it is quite likely that the government will easily be able to reach its target by the set deadline.
In recent years, e-payment has established itself as the most secure way to transfer money. Ong informed the journalists that e-payment has increased by $10 billion a year in the recent past. He further told journalists that in Singapore, eight of every ten consumers use e-payments to transfer money, and every three of five merchants accept e-payments. Thus, the scenario looks good for the government to go ahead with its plan of making Singapore a cashless society by 2025.
The government of Singapore is wholly committed to the idea of making Singapore a cashless and cheque-free country and has been working on carving out effective strategies that will help the government reach its goal. The latest approach adopted by the government is promoting instantaneous online payments. While using this mode of payment, users use phone numbers to transfer money and thus, are not required to disclose their banking details. In Singapore, instantaneous online transfers are completed using the PayNow transfer service, which was launched last year. PayNow is unique in the fact that users can use it to make online transactions without disclosing their bank details. The transfer service recorded a transaction volume of approximately $900 million and has successfully registered over 1.4 million users so far. While using PayNow, users do not have to worry about payee details as all of the data used by the company is stored in a central repository, which is managed by a third party.
Seven renowned banks — DBS, HSBC, UOB, OCBC Bank, Maybank, Citibank, and Standard Chartered Bank — have already given a green signal to PayNow and it is expected that this fund transfer service will play a pivotal role in helping the government realise its dream of making Singapore a cashless society. These days, more and more government agencies are beginning to use this platform to perform disbursements.
Government to Introduce Payment Service Bill to Safeguard Consumers Against E-Payment Risks
Around the world, governments are making conscious efforts to turn economies into cashless societies. Singapore is no different in this regard. In the recent past, cash withdrawal from ATMs has reduced by more than $300 million a year. This decline in cash withdrawal using ATM machines denotes a significant shift in the preferences of the citizens. In other words, it simply means that Singaporeans are shifting away from the traditional methods of money transfer.
The data released by various trustworthy organizations and sources also show that the cheque transaction volume has reduced continually in the recent past. As compared to 37% in 2015, the cheque transaction volume reached its lowest share of 28% last year. These figures clearly indicate that the government of Singapore is chasing a realistic dream, one that is well-aligned with the preferences of Singapore’s citizens, and with the right strategies and measures, it will actually be easy for the government to accomplish its target of making Singapore a cheque-free country by 2025.
Electronic payment methods are easy-to-perform and lead to an overall hassle-free experience. Further, given today’s hectic lifestyle and busy schedules, most users do not have the time to stand in queues to submit a cheque. Electronic payment methods make it easier for users to make monetary transfers as and when needed. However, Ong cautions that with e-payment systems come in the risk of fraud. The government is, thus, planning to introduce a new Payment Service Bill later this year to safeguard the interest of consumers and protect them against e-payment risks.


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If you find your life partner on your first date, the site doesn’t make much money off you.
Our survey found that among respondents who stopped online dating, 20 percent of men and 40 percent of women said they did so because they didn’t like the quality of their matches.
“Those are among the most popular dating sites in the world, and when you’re fishing, it just makes sense to drop your line in the most crowded ponds.” That’s generally true unless you have a particular guiding factor, such as religion, race, or politics, in which case you can go to a niche site like JDate or Black People Meet.
Kate, the government analyst, has started using Tastebuds, a site based on music preferences.
You can find the right person more effectively by choosing the right site, which means determining the demographics it caters to and figuring out whether a large or niche site will best serve your needs.
Our survey found that Ok Cupid and Tinder, both free, were more popular among millennials than Generation Xers and baby boomers, who were both more likely to use a paid subscription-based dating website or app.
According to a 2015 study by the Pew Research Center, 15 percent of American adults have used online dating sites (web-based platforms like Match.com) and/or dating apps (location-based smartphone apps like Tinder).
The more recently active group rated specific sites. On the one hand, the numbers indicate that these sites are helping people find mates.Collectively, we spend huge sums of money on matchmaking, not to mention all the time and substantial emotional investment. Given that we usually rate products (like refrigerators) and services (like banking), this is new and fairly unusual territory for us.But as we explored the possibility of taking on this investigation, we discovered that 20 percent of our subscribers are either divorced or have never married, and might benefit from what we found.Perhaps that’s why, among those who said they had used multiple dating sites, 28 percent had tried four or more.But our research also found that online dating, however painful and time-consuming, often does produce the intended result if you use it well—and persevere.In fact, people over 50 are one of the fastest growing segments.“It’s a product of the growing normalcy of using social media apps,” says Moira Weigel, author of “Labor of Love: The Invention of Online Dating” (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2016).She signed up for JDate, an online dating site for Jewish singles.“All kinds of people are doing it,” says Caploe, 54, a publisher who lives in New York City.“Our real-life and online identities are more and more interwoven.” Because of this cultural shift, online dating sites now have unprecedented reach into our lives. Reams have been written about online dating, but as far as we know, no one has put the sites to the test.They are gatekeepers to a massive population of potential partners; they control who we meet and how. So Consumer Reports decided to survey almost 115,000 subscribers about online dating and their experiences with it.


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The Eating Better Alliance calls on creatives to convince men to eat less meat
‘No salad for me! Real men eat meat!’
Eating less meat
It is crude gender assumptions such as these which pepper the media in western society that The Eating Better Alliance is hoping you can help it overcome. The organisation will call on the marketing industry at The Drum’s Plan it Day and Do it Day events to thrash out creative ways to get men to eat less meat to ensure a greener and healthier future for everyone.
According to recent research published by Oxford University Press, the reason why men are less likely than women to embrace environmentally friendly behaviours such as eating less meat stems from a prevalent association between green behaviour and femininity. The study found that such stereotypes may cause men to avoid green behaviours to preserve their macho image.
While the health benefits of eating less meat – and red meat in particular – are fairly well documented, the impact on the environment caused by meat production is less well-known. Meat production is projected to double by 2020 due to increased global consumption and population growth, something that will have a major consequence on the global environment.
By cutting down on meat consumption, food-related emissions would fall by nearly a third by 2050, a study by Oxford Martin School found, while widespread adoption of a vegetarian diet would bring down emissions by 63 per cent.
Sue Dibb, co-ordinator of the Eating Better Alliance, explains to The Drum why it wants to target men in its latest campaign and how the marketing industry can help.
“All the research shows that men are more resistant to the idea of eating less meat. There are all kinds of reasons for that. Culturally, traditionally, meat is associated with masculinity. We know that is kind of made up but it’s those cultural significances as well as our eating habits that can act as barriers to change. If you look at consumption stats, men eat more meat and they tend to eat more red meat than women.
“What we want to do with this project is get those creative brains to help us work out the best ways to firstly raise awareness and secondly how to [change eating habits] without getting people’s backs up. We know that finger wagging and saying ‘don’t do this’ is not the way to do it. How do we make this appealing, aspirational, and how do we make it sexy?”
Research carried out by the alliance, which is made up of 51 different charities and organisations, including Greenpeace and WWF, found that 41 per cent of women said they were willing to eat less meat compared to 30 per cent of men. Furthermore, 60 per cent of men exceed the recommended amount of red meat each week compared to 25 per cent of women.
When it presents this challenge to the marketing industry at Plan It Day next week, The Eating Better Alliance is open to ideas around how to approach the brief and is hoping to use these to generate further change going forward.
“We aren’t wanting to narrow it down and say this is what [we] expect because we want to open up thinking beyond our own,” adds Dibb. Some of the things that we have done so far to test the water is a ‘meat free lunch’ campaign, so one suggestion might be to focus on a meal occasion. However, we don’t want to limit thinking of how best to do it. What we would really like to do is to see the Do it Day initiative not only generate some great ideas, one of which will be delivered on the day, but also use that to raise awareness in the media.”
Think you've got what it takes to work on the Eating Better Alliance's challenge? Then sign up for Plan It Day here and help The Drum prove that marketing can change the world.


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The Chips May Be Down, but Don’t Count ‘Em Out
Somewhere out there in attics and basements and bureau drawers lurk thousands of little booklets with a smiling chipmunk on the cover and, painstakingly pasted inside, row upon row of little blue squares.
Remember Blue Chip Stamps?
In the ‘60s, they were ubiquitous throughout the Southwest. Fill up your tank, get stamps. Fill up your larder, get stamps.
And, when you were done licking and pasting, you hurried to the nearest redemption center and came home with a lamp or a picnic cooler or maybe a folding card table.
“There were an awful lot of people who furnished their houses with stamps,” reflects Blue Chip president Robert H. Bird. “They never had to buy a sheet.”
When stampmania peaked, in the early ‘70s, tens of thousands of retailers offered Blue Chips. In Southern California alone, there were more than 90 redemption centers.
Today, the merchants are down to the hundreds and, in 1985, the last redemption centers closed. (Collectors now get their goods by mail order.) Blue Chip’s still around but, Bird says, “so small you’re not seeing it any more. Our main customers now are bowling centers,” where stamps are given out as promotions.
Blue Chip’s stamp service revenues are down to about $1 million a year. Just what happened to that happy chipmunk post 1970, when the company’s stamp revenues rocketed to an all-time high of more than $100 million a year?
Well, Bird explains, the stamp industry was hit with a double whammy in the early ‘70s: grocery coupons and the oil crisis.
Supermarkets began discounting and abandoned stamps. “They just felt they were giving away something for nothing,” he says.
And, where once gas stations on all four corners of an intersection might give Blue Chips and engage in stamp wars--"TRIPLE STAMPS! 5X STAMPS!"--proprietors succumbed in 1973-74 to government pressure “not to promote the use of gasoline.”
In effect, Bird says, the trading stamp industry was “clobbered” and has never really rebounded.
But wait--don’t toss those yellowing stamp books. “If they suddenly appear, they’re good,” Bird promises. Ditto Ken Berke, vice president of Sperry and Hutchinson (S & H) in New York, the industry’s other big player.
First, and still the biggest, S & H is now only a token presence in California--a few markets and truck stops. “We don’t do business in the big cities any more,” says Berke. But Green Stamps are still big elsewhere and 100 redemption stores remain in other states, as well as a mail-order center in Atlanta.
The Southland has been the home of Blue Chip since 1960--four years after it started up in Northern California. At headquarters in a former auto plant in the City of Commerce, two women check each incoming stamp book, making sure pages are properly filled. Then books are boxed for mulching.
In an adjacent warehouse, about 1,500 mail orders, most of them from California, are filled each month. Last year’s catalogue still offered some 900 items, from croquet sets to crock pots. But the newest one is pared down to 31 of the most-wanted, such as cameras and cassette players. Blue Chip has cut its overhead and hiked the value of those stamps: Fewer books “buy” more.
So long as orders flow in, Bird reasons, “It always revives the hope that the program will turn up.”
The company, now owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc.--whose holdings also include See’s Candies--hasn’t made money on merchandise for years. When Blue Chip sells stamps to retailers, it gets its money up front and it’s theirs to invest until those stamps are redeemed.
In the ‘60s, when trading stamps were as much a part of Americana as watching Ed Sullivan on Sunday nights while dining from a foil tray, 97.5% of stamps were redeemed. But, as Blue Chip became sort of invisible, the rate plummeted.
How many stamp books are still in limbo? “Nobody knows for sure,” Bird says, but “our liability for redeeming those stamps is certainly in excess of $10 million, at a minimum. The IRS would agree with that.”
So, bundle up those books and call (800) 824-0655 for redemption instructions. “It doesn’t bother us in the least,” says Bird. “We’re still occasionally getting them back to the late ‘50s.”
The Joy of Golf
For some, it seems, the golf drive is stronger than that other well-known drive.
Our mail brings a new Hyatt Hotels survey, “Golf and the Business Executive,” which discloses that 13% of the women polled and 11% of the men agreed that “golf is more important to me than sex.”
* 18% of the men said “they hate playing golf with women,” while only 9% of the women returned the compliment.
* 61% of the men, but only 33% of the women, admitted to having skipped work to play golf.
* 55% of all respondents said they’d cheated at least once. These deceptions ranged from secretly moving a ball to get a better lie (41%) to dropping a new ball while looking for the old one in the woods (6%).
The poll of 401 top business executives included 311 men and 90 women, each of whom had played at least six rounds of golf (presumably, a few of these at Hyatt hotels) in the past year.
Novelist Joyce Carol Oates, on being a newly published woman writer in the pre-liberation ‘60s:
“It was really felt that those of us who wrote about male subjects, like politics or society, indeed, crime and violence (were) transgressing or trespassing in some male domain. . . .
“I remember one headline over a very negative review of a play of mine: ‘DETROIT HOUSEWIFE WRITES A PLAY.’ At that time I was a professor at the University of Detroit. I was a professional woman with a job and it happened that I was a married woman.”
Oates spoke on National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air.”


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Turo, the world’s largest peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace, today, announced that it is taking on the users of easyCar Club, from the EasyGroup backed by Sir Stelios, bringing the entire customer base of over 80,000 seasoned hosts and users over to the Turo platform.
Following two successful city launches in London and Manchester last year, securing easyCar Club is a continuation of Turo’s ambitious UK growth strategy, as it continues to drive forward with its nationwide expansion plans.
Turo is a pioneer of the sharing economy, providing users with an easy and convenient car-sharing service that allows ‘guests’ to book cars at very competitive prices.
Turo’s growth has doubled year on year, with ten million users and 350,000 cars across 38 countries. Their growth strategy, to acquire local talent and business, is part of the company’s plans to launch in more cities across the UK and globally.
Since Turo’s UK launch in September 2018, the platform has over a thousand cars and 75,000 users in the UK market.
Turo CEO Andre Haddad commented, “We’ve had a really positive response to Turo in the UK since we launched last year, and acquiring easyCar Club felt like a natural continuation of our growth.
“easyCar Club represented an innovative venture by Sir Stelios Haji-ioannou’s easyGroup — owner of the easy brand, which includes companies such as easyJet and easyHotel in its stable — and we’re honored that the easyGroup leadership trusted Turo to take up their mantle, citing our robust community and global car sharing options for their member-base as key differentiators. We’re looking forward to getting easyCar users on board – 2019 is going to be an exciting year for the platform as we bring the Turo experience to more and more cities across the UK and put the world’s one billion cars to better use.”


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U.S.-China ag trade endures amid rancorous rivalry
China was far and away the top customer for U.S. food and ag exports, despite rising tensions between the nations and the still-unresolved trade war, according to government data released on Monday. Agricultural economist David Widmar said China was on track to break the record it set last year for purchases of American agricultural products.
Halfway into the year, China was more than $2 billion ahead of Canada or Mexico in purchases of U.S. ag exports. The three nations routinely account for nearly half of ag exports. China was responsible for $1 of every $5 of the U.S.’s record-large ag exports last year.
President Biden said he was “concerned” about Chinese military exercises around Taiwan that followed a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “But I don’t think they’re going to do anything more,” the president told reporters. Relations between the nations have been strained for years and lawmakers proposed legislation this year to block China from acquiring U.S. farmland or agricultural companies.
Exports generate 25 cents out of each $1 in U.S. farm income, according to a 2019 USDA analysis.
From Jan. 1 through June, China bought $16.8 billion of U.S. food and ag exports, followed by Canada — with $14.4 billion — and Mexico with $13.9 billion, according to trade data collected by the Census Bureau and analyzed by the USDA.
At its current pace, China might purchase as much as $40 billion of U.S. ag exports this, wrote Widmar at the Agricultural Economic Insights blog. Purchases in the early months of this year were “very strong,” he said.
Sales to China were dramatically larger during the first half of this year than the same period in 2021, when they totaled $14.6 billion. High commodity prices were a factor, wrote Widmar, but China also has expanded purchases of U.S. beef and corn. Private exporters reported on Monday the sale of 132,000 tonnes of U.S. soybeans for delivery to China during the trade year that opens on Sept. 1.
With a robust economy and increasing wealth, China would be a high-volume food and ag importer for years to come, said Widmar. Agricultural Economics Insights made the same point last year: “All signs point to China buying more imports in the future, but it’s never easy to predict which crops, or quantities, China will import.”
China is the world’s largest importer of agricultural goods including soybeans, cotton and corn while the United States is the largest exporter, but sales can fluctuate dramatically. They tumbled to $13.2 billion in 2018 during the trade war started by President Trump and rebounded to $28.4 in 2020 following the “phase one” agreement that de-escalated the dispute between the world’s two largest economies.
U.S. agricultural exports worldwide totaled $100 billion mid-way through this year, far ahead of the $86.7 billion seen in the first half of 2021.
The USDA has estimated that exports will reach $191 billion — the highest ever — in the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30 as the world scrambled to replace the corn, wheat and vegetable oil it normally would get from Russia and Ukraine. It would be the second year in a row of record-high farm exports. The USDA was scheduled to update its forecast on Aug. 30.


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The Summer 2017 issue of Intelligent Insurer is available to read as a digital magazine on your computer, smartphone or tablet.
To jump to a specific story, click on a headline below.
A traditionalist at heart
Against a backdrop of rapid change for reinsurers, Ulrich Wallin, the chief executive of Hannover Re, explains to Intelligent Insurer that while he is moving with the times the company's core objectives and book of business remain fundamentally traditional.
Industry of opportunity
Now in its third year, our Influential Women in Re/insurance report remains one of our most anticipated pieces of research and extremely popular online. The nature of the report is starting to change, as are the responses given by those we profile.
Ready for action
Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks represent a huge threat to large populated cities and the material is readily available to terrorists. Pool Re and the Washington-based non-profit organisation Nuclear Threat Initiative explain to Intelligent Insurer why they are now focusing on this particular risk.
Embracing the insurtech challenge
It is widely accepted that some forms of insurtech will transform the risk transfer industry as we know it - a fact that has generated something of an arms race among the bigger re/insurers to partner with platforms and technology companies to make the biggest difference.
The value of the traditional reinsurance business model is waning, particularly in North America, where reinsurers are more focused on brokers than they are in Europe and changes are needed.


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New developments are debuting this week.
Several new technologies could help bricks-and-mortar retailers win customers back from the online retail sites that have gained popularity in recent years, the Associated Press reports.
One example: smart shelves. They’ll work sort of like online ads that track consumers from site to site. Technology by startup Perch Interactive “uses laser and motion sensors to detect when a product is picked up,” according to AP.
Retailers can then see which items consumers picked up but chose not to buy. The technology also provides shoppers with recommendations, such as complementary products.
Another emerging technology: interactive mirrors. At certain Neiman Marcus stores, dressing rooms feature mirrors that allow shoppers to “make side-by-side comparisons without having to try [the outfits] all on,” AP reports.
Robots, advanced self-checkout systems and virtual and augmented reality are also likely to play major roles in the future of retail, according to the news service. Many of the new technologies are debuting this week at the CES technology show in Las Vegas.
Read more at AP
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Much digital ink has been spilled over the adverse effects our devices seem to be having on our minds and brains. The common wisdom is that by outsourcing the need to remember most pieces of information to our smartphones or other electronic aides, we’re not training our own memory — which, in the long term, will start to suffer. But that may not be the case, says a team of researchers led by members at the University College London (UCL).
Their work shows that, indeed, people tend to rely on digital devices to store and remember the most important bits of information. However, this may not be necessarily a bad thing as this frees up memory resources that we can devote to recalling less important things, which we might otherwise not be able to memorize.
“We wanted to explore how storing information in a digital device could influence memory abilities,” says senior author Dr Sam Gilbert from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. “We found that when people were allowed to use an external memory, the device helped them to remember the information they had saved into it. This was hardly surprising, but we also found that the device improved people’s memory for unsaved information as well.”
In the past, researchers have voiced concerns that our daily overreliance on technology could give rise to widespread “digital dementia” — a significant breakdown in cognitive abilities caused mainly by lack of exercise in our mental functions. As many people might point out, the use of external memory aids has a very long tradition, starting as far back as the earliest forms of writing. That being said, digital devices are infinitely more capable and convenient in this role than a simple clay tablet or paper sheet, so the issue remained unsettled.
The current paper puts such concerns to rest. The use of digital memory aids, it explains, not only helps people better remember the information saved into the device, but also data that was never input, to begin with.
For the study, the team developed a memory task in the form of a simple video game, which was played by 158 volunteers aged 18 to 71 either on a touchscreen tablet or a computer.
The game presented the participants with 12 numbered circles. The numbers were only displayed for a limited amount of time, to give participants a chance to memorize them. Finally, they were asked to drag the circles to the left or right. At the end of the experiment, they would receive monetary payment depending on how they handled these circles, to incentivize them to apply their memory skills to their fullest.
Each side represented either ‘high value’ or ‘low value’. The numbers inside the circle would dictate the final payment the participant would receive, with the circles dragged into the high-value side being worth 10 times as much as one dragged into the low-value area. The experiment’s design motivated participants to remember which circles held the highest numbers and drag those to the high-value side.
Each participant performed the task 16 times, using only their own memory during half of these attempts, and being allowed the use of reminders inside the game for the other half.
Unsurprisingly, when the participants were allowed to use reminders, they tended to use these to store details about the high-value circles. Their recollection of these (as determined by how often they placed them on the high-value side) increased by 18%. Surprisingly, however, their memory of low-value circles improved by 27%, even in cases where they set no reminders for them.
“This was because using the device shifted the way that people used their memory to store high-importance versus low-importance information. When people had to remember by themselves, they used their memory capacity to remember the most important information. But when they could use the device, they saved high-importance information into the device and used their own memory for less important information instead,” Dr Gilbert explains.
A potential cost to using these reminders also became apparent during the testing. When the ability to use these reminders was taken away, participants remembered low-value circles with more accuracy than high-value ones. This, the team explains, reinforces the conclusion that participants were relying on memory aids for high-value circles and, subsequently, forgetting about their details themselves. They were, in essence, outsourcing the memory burden for these circles and relegating their mental resources to the other ones.
“The results show that external memory tools work,” Dr Gilbert adds. “Far from causing ‘digital dementia’, using an external memory device can even improve our memory for information that we never saved. But we need to be careful that we back up the most important information. Otherwise, if a memory tool fails, we could be left with nothing but lower-importance information in our own memory.”
The paper “Value-based routing of delayed intentions into brain-based versus external memory stores” has been published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
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Welcome to the future. Mass market is already seeing cars with assisted driving. Completely driverless cars are just around the corner. Technology behemoths and car manufacturers including Tesla, Google, GM and Uber, are pushing prototypes by endless testing hours in hopes of manufacturing the vehicles soon.
While insurance firms, consumers and businesses try to embrace a future eliminating human drivers, insurance companies are left with the duty to identify coverage and pricing that can assist independent vehicles.
Market shifts will likely happen in increments. While early adaptation of autonomous cars is limited to the world of big corporations, a small number of individuals spearheading the technology will also be involved. And with that, insurance companies will develop more strategies for risks, automated cars will be safe and smart, and consumers will eventually embrace the driverless car.
Similar to countless other tech revolutions, the move to autonomous vehicles will be measured giving the public plenty time to adapt. However, the exorbitant costs will deter adoption to the mass market for awhile. This will leave progressive businesses and affluent tech enthusiasts to forge the path for consumers in the future.
Driverless cars cases will most probably have an impact on determining the costs for insurance, just as gender and driver’s age do now. Some might benefit from low insurance rates, but consumer transportation vehicles will pose a greater risk. Naturally, the safety and intellect of driverless vehicles will also play a part in steering insurance liabilities and rates.
Despite some concerns, driverless cars seem just as safe as their equivalents, the human-driver. Whether or not insurers decide to proactively increase driverless vehicles rates because of accidents, remains to be seen but the costs will adjust to match their risk levels.
Human drivers taking a backseat
Car ownership will in fact look significantly different by the time this technology becomes available to the masses. Owning a car may turn into an indulgence depending on the success of ride-sharing endeavors such as Lyft and Uber since driverless cars might replace personal cars.
Insurance rates will probably continue to rise to offset costs for human-operated vehicle collisions. And rather than charge premium rates to insure driverless vehicles, traditional transportation might see penalties.
Insurance companies should adjust to the certainty of uninsured vehicles causing a collision. Consumers and businesses may opt to carry additional policies that cover a variety of possible accidents.
No doubt, there will be a huge learning curve during this shift to autonomous vehicles. Nonetheless, increased convenience and safety is a future we can all embrace.


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25 Jul Will Live Mobile Video Banking Become the Branch of the Fut…
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Typically when bank and credit union executives hear “video banking” they think of ITMs — interactive teller machines — units used for drive-up banking and in-branch kiosks. They’ve been around for years and a number of institutions have had success with them.
But now the technology has evolved, and so have consumer habits. Chatting by FaceTime or Skype is done by millions every day. Video conferencing has become commonplace in business. And of course people create and view videos constantly with their mobile phones.
So why not skip the trip to the bank and just video-connect on your phone with your favorite banking assistant to help you with getting a mortgage or setting up a CD ladder? Sure you could just Skype them if you had their number but that wouldn’t allow you to view, exchange and even sign documents on your phone or laptop.
Being First in Market With Video Banking Pays Off
The software to do all that now exists and is already in use at a number of financial institutions, most of whom are not big players. So video banking capability has the potential to be a real differentiator. Cobalt Credit Union, for example, is the only financial institution in Nebraska offering mobile video banking.
Operations Vice President Crissy Hayes, speaking during a webinar on video banking hosted by The Financial Brand says the institution for many years took the approach common to many community financial institutions of waiting for others to innovate and then catching-up. That changed when they installed ITMs in 2016 and had great success with them. In the process they discovered they liked being the leader. Now, three years later they launched the next iteration — mobile video banking, building on their experience with the ITMs, and using the same team.
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Rolling out mobile video banking had some unexpected wrinkles, the credit union found. For one thing, there is quite a difference in function between the typical ITM platform and mobile video banking. In Cobalt’s case the same vendor, POPio, supplied the two solutions. Whereas ITM transactions basically involve handling deposits, withdrawals and payments, with mobile video banking staff would now have to be able to open accounts, take loan applications, handle wire transfers, and — trickiest of all — deal with things like requests to get a fee refunded. The job became a cross between a teller and a contact center representative, plus live TV skills.
Hayes says the core ITM group of seven people, which she manages, were excited to be able to open up video banking to a potentially much larger group of users, but were a little scared, too. Fortunately they were already comfortable with dealing with live two-way video so Hayes spent time getting the team trained on the new skills they would need. She says it was a win from an employee-growth perspective.
Help for a Traveling Art Buyer
“This is not video chat,” states Jed Taylor, President of POPio. He describes video banking as a branch-like collaboration in which documents like photo ID can be exchanged and electronic signatures captured. It replicates the branch experience, complete with the human presence. The only thing it can’t do is dispense cash.
Indicating the versatility of video banking, which can be done on mobile phone, tablet or laptop, Hayes mentioned that one of Cobalt’s first interactions was with a member who called in from South America. He was in Peru on a trip to buy fine art but he needed the limit increased on his debit card, Hayes states. He was able to connect with a video banker on his laptop, have his ID verified and the limit raised.
During the soft-launch phase of the project, 80 video-banking sessions were conducted, Hayes states. After less than a month of marketing, sessions jumped to about 410. Cobalt offers video-banking service seven days a week, which Hayes describes as a game-changer in terms of meeting consumers needs to take care of banking outside of regular banking hours.
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Commercial Bank Taps Video to Expand Retail Base
Several years ago, Royal Banks of Missouri opened many accounts online using an early software solution. As a result, the St. Louis-based bank has customers all over the country, says Michael Stevenson, Senior Vice President and senior retail officer. The bank also has business clients that travel a great deal for business.
Stevenson, who also spoke during the webinar, says the bank wanted to upgrade its capabilities to not only better serve clients remotely but to help them grow their retail customer base. They explored several options, but ultimately decided to leverage their experience using interactive teller machines to implement mobile video technology.
As the banker explains it, the video solution offered more than an updated online account opening tool. It would enable them to expand customer service hours, enhance their mobile banking solution, and attract more checking, savings, and CD accounts. In time, Stevenson says, video bankers will take auto and home equity loan applications.
Not insignificantly, the ability to do wire transfers was big plus for its commercial customers. “It gives us a secure way of knowing who we’re talking to through video chat with ID capture and signatures,” Stevenson explains.
The bank, which has $750 million in assets, opens about 70 new accounts a month says Stevenson. With mobile video banking platform, the bank is opening an additional 12 new accounts a month. He relates how in one case, the video banker hearing a…


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How much would you pay for the best cup of coffee in the world? This podcast episode from Start Up explores the incredible story of the $16 cup of joe.
From the folks that brought you Nuba and Fayuca comes a new 15 seat tortilleria specializing in carnitas.
The Irish parliament knows how to roll. Via the BBC: “Bar bills racked up in Dublin’s parliament buildings will be written off because there is ‘no realistic prospect’ of them being paid.” Cheers.
Munchies tells the story of a Syrian refugee who has gone from dishwasher to the head of a famous burger joint in Denmark.
More praise pouring in for JC Poirier’s recently opened St. Lawrence, this time from Vancouver Sun food critic Mia Stainsby.
NPR pays a visit to a chicken farm to see how one industry leader has partnered with animal rights activists to change the future of poultry farming.
Have an extra $40 burning a hole in your pocket? A recent study shows that time-saving purchases (such as food delivery or cleaning services) tend to bring more happiness than physical objects.
How one fast food mogul is advocating for transgender rights and employment opportunities.
Bacon lovers be warned! This story may ruin your pork-based affections as SAVEUR delves into the troublesome world of North Carolina’s hog farming industry.
Sideways, Somm and Almost Famous? You read that right folks. Punch’s Jon Bonne makes the case for Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous as one of the best wine films of all time.
Liquor.com shares their picks for the most influential cocktail bars in America, including Portland’s Clyde Common and New York’s Mayahuel (which is set to close in a few short weeks).
Looking for a more extensive list? Eater shares their picks for the best bars in major cities across North America including Seattle, Portland and Montreal.
Food & Wine breaks down the facts of the current global plastic crisis as trillions of tons of plastic waste continue to pile up in our landfills.
Two powerhouse bartenders share their thoughts on gender inequality in the hospitality industry and what it means to advocate for change.
A new website is helping friends and family give the gift of food.
This week in food and science: Researchers at Columbia University have discovered a way to turn yeast into a biosensor to help doctors detect cholera. Fascinating!
From restaurants to bars and beaches to boutiques, Scout shares its guide to the best that Kitsilano has to offer.
Eating via Instagram honours this week go to The Real Dumpling King and this scrumptious bowl of dumplings, of course!
Looking for work in the industry? Check out who’s hiring!


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“The outcomes of your 2011 Federal Survey off Unbanked and Underbanked House imply that covered loan providers has actually an important possible opportunity Ohio title loan to build their customers of the expanding opportunities that promote unbanked and you may underbanked individuals to your traditional banking,” said President of one’s Federal Deposit Insurance rates Corporation Martin J. Gruenberg when he had been waiting around for verification.
The latest questionnaire is among the most current that conducted because of the FDIC, definition the data is slightly antiquated yet still generally relevant. Almost twenty four mil home in the us – one out of every five in the country – was indeed underbanked in 2011, depending on the questionnaire. This is up by the 821,100000 homes as past questionnaire, in 2009.
When you find yourself Gruenerg is right – the enormous quantity of unbanked and you will underbanked properties from the U.S. really does represent a massive chance of federally covered banking institutions – what’s more, it is short for a giant chance of non-federally insured quasi-creditors. One out of five American properties purchased one option economic services, with respect to the 2011 questionnaire, and you may twelve per cent of domiciles use you to each day.
Non-bank credit particularly keeps over the years come predatory. Most people are familiar with payday loans: short-term finance which have very high interest rates that all masters urge people to avoid if possible.
Although not, that have government minimum wage at just $7.twenty-five per hour rather than noted to help you inflation, more people are finding on their own economically disturb along with necessity of use of small-label financing to fund first cost of living.
The minimum salary issue is most certainly not the fresh new, although economic conditions of your post-drama day and age features revitalized debate. Minimum-wage is thrust with the spotlight during President Barack Obama’s 2013 State of your own Relationship address, in which he expected a rise in the newest federal lowest salary out-of $eight.twenty five each hour to $nine.00 per hour, and for the price to get noted so you can rising cost of living.
Recently, Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) – each other significant employers of lowest-wage professionals – have taken flak more than payroll and you will employment procedures. McDonald’s made headlines when it typed a spending plan-management file you to grossly underestimated the cost of living if you find yourself on the other hand recommending that the absolute minimum-wage worker functions 70 occasions per week and come up with finishes see. Wal-Mart is in the mix for a couple of causes: because of a combat along side minimum-wage when you look at the Arizona, D.
Nyc Attorney General Eric Schneiderman recently titled awareness of the latest practice of several biggest employers like Wal-Mart and McDonald’s in using payroll cards.
Payroll notes commonly another technology in any way. Look company Aite Classification states $34 mil is piled to cuatro.six billion productive payroll notes from inside the 2012. The group forecasts the number piled to payroll notes have a tendency to rise to help you $68.nine billion of the 2017, hence how many energetic notes is anticipated to expand so you’re able to ten.8 billion.
Instantly, good payroll credit properties including good debit cards. In place of becoming attached to a bank checking account, someone’s salary are credited into credit. Pages may then withdraw cash on an atm, spend directly from the brand new cards, otherwise transfer the cash in order to a bank account. But experts of your cards look for a very good range anywhere between this kind of economic device while the notion of a beneficial “business store,” where employees are paid down that have credit that may simply be redeemed at the team in which it works.
And you may, since if this new payroll notes just weren’t sufficient, Wal-Mart’s involvement during the a low-lender home loan company called Improvements Financial has arrived to light thank-you to Bloomberg’s Businessweek.
C., and since of its wedding from inside the a non-financial home loan company
Improvements Economic – or Progreso Financiero – was a low-financial monetary team concerned about brief, short-name funds. Especially, the brand new money was directed at this new almost 23 billion low-banked Hispanics in the U.S. that not able to availability antique banking attributes on account of bad otherwise minimal borrowing. Businessweek records that the company advertised 250,000 people to date and you may anticipates that it’ll features because the of many while the one million because of the middle from 2014.
The fresh fund approved because of the Advances Financial consist of $five-hundred and you will $step 3,five hundred and check a lot like pay day loan, except with some straight down rates out-of otherwise below thirty six %. For example payroll at Wal-Mart, loans might be received to the notes that can be used a beneficial package including debit otherwise handmade cards. Loan costs can be produced from the Wal-Mart and other involvement shops.
Immediately, this service membership is a good means for low-banked visitors to gain access to the financing they might you would like to possess very important instructions. But the proven fact that the company is provided because of the an old Wal-Mart manager, have a beneficial Wal-Mart director towards its panel, that’s a venture capital organization to the Waltons (Wal-ily) as company’s biggest stockholder enjoys elevated certain eye brows. Wal-Mart agencies enjoys showcased that there surely is no direct relationship ranging from the lender while the merchant.
While not all the solution monetary qualities is suspect, people who have undeveloped credit ratings are often at the mercy of pricey – otherwise predatory – financing and you can attributes methods
Wal-Mart tried to enter financial company during the early and you may mid-2000s but encountered opposition off unions and you may and also the based banking area. Advances Economic is actually a beneficial workaround that delivers the retailer a method being a lot more financially involved in many exact same some body who work for and you can store from the their places.
“We’d usually wished there would be certain relationship with shopping,” James Gutierrez, just who oriented Progress Economic from inside the 2005 and you will try its Ceo up until just last year, advised Businessweek. “Wal-Mart is the reasonable-price frontrunner, which lures a certain demographic. There’s a lot of overlap.”