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Rainbow's new glow
Published 4:00 am, Monday, May 20, 1996
1996-05-20 04:00:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Rainbow Grocery, a thriving reminder of counterculture San Francisco, is hoping to reach more customers at a larger, spiffier and safer location.
Rainbow, a 21-year-old health-food institution in The City, has opened for business at a new site at Folsom and 13th streets - a 25,000-square-foot building that's three times the size of its old store on Mission and 15th streets.
The store's grand opening, scheduled for May 24, will include appearances by Mayor Brown and state Sen. Milton Marks.
The Mission District store - founded in 1975 as a '60s-style collective - had outgrown its old digs and needed more space to display and stock its organic produce, specialty bulk foods and homeopathic remedies.
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"It was too crowded there and hard to shop," said Judy Davis, one of Rainbow's owner-employees.
Davis and the Rainbow collective had their eye on a new site for some time, but were able to make the move only after last November, when they received $1.5 million in public and private loans to renovate the Folsom Street building.
The new brightly lit site with wide aisles is a far cry from Rainbow's old dark, cramped quarters. Parking, a constant hassle around the old Mission Street location, isn't as much of a problem at the new store, which has its own lot with 45 slots.
But perhaps the biggest deterrent to shopping at the old Rainbow - street crime - has been virtually eliminated at the new site. The seedier elements that gravi-tated to Mission and 15th streets, Davis said, threatened the safety of Rainbow customers.
"It was rough," she recalled. "We'd call 911 all the time. An older customer got pick-pocketed right at the front door."
Rainbow's makeover didn't happen overnight. The health food store had wanted to move to a larger and safer spot in the Mission for the past five years. But to do so, it needed approval from the Folsom Street building's landlord and a large line of credit to renovate and stock the new store. Both proved to be difficult hurdles.
Davis said it took time for Rainbow to persuade the Catholic archdiocese - the building's owners - that a decidedly secular health food store on Folsom would be a boon to the community.
And despite Rainbow's longevity and sales of $10 million last year, the business had great difficulty getting financing to gut and renovate the old thrift shop building. As a collective, in which its 100 workers also own the business, Rainbow was ineligible for most loans, including ones for small businesses.
MEDA brought together the Mayor's Office of Community Development and the National Bank of Daly City to loan Rainbow $1.5 million for its move.
She noted that Rainbow's commitment to the Mission and its '60s idealism convinced MEDA to support its growth.
"The reason we helped (Rainbow) is because they are a very unique business that's San Francisco-born," she said. "It has a lot of traditions and idealism of San Francisco. They operate in a very poor area and provide a very good product."
Today, Rainbow is one of only a few remaining food collectives that sprang up in the Bay Area during the early '70s. Phil Bewley, one of Rainbow's worker-owners, said his business has survived the changing times because it's more structured than traditional collectives, which tend to be free-for-alls.
In addition, Bewley said Rainbow has always had a core group of bottom line-oriented workers that kept the business in check.
Other food collectives still operating in the Bay Area are Other Avenues in the Sunset District and the Cheese Board in Berkeley.
The much larger Folsom Street location is also allowing Rainbow to stock more and varied products. For example, the new store sells items like prepackaged salads and sushi.
And with more health-food stores opening up in The City, Rainbow should now be better poised to compete.
"But our prices are always competitive and we're part of the neighborhood (Noe Valley). I think our customers are going to remember that."
Otto Leuschel, assistant store manager at the soon-to-open Whole Foods Market on Franklin Street, doesn't think Rainbow's expansion poses a big threat.
"Our neighborhoods are different," he said. "They'll serve more Mission, Potrero Hill and South of Market areas," while Whole Foods will grab more business from Van Ness corridor shoppers.
Leuschel also noted that Whole Foods sells a few key products - meat and seafood - that Rainbow doesn't offer.
"Whole Foods is more of a complete, one-stop shopping center," he said.
But Rainbow customers were ecstatic about the new location.
"I'm thrilled to death," said Donna-Lee Powers of the new store. The South San Francisco resident has been a Rainbow customer for several years and makes a major shopping trip there about once a month.
"It's more reasonably priced than Whole Foods, and it has more of a hometown feeling," she said.
Noe Valley resident Phillip Kaan, another long-time Rainbow shopper, said the new store is "more inviting."
"It just makes you want to look around at everything." <


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By Sara Israfilbayova
Azerbaijan doesn’t import poultry meat and its products from the Kostroma region of Russia, where bird flu was detected, so there is no need to impose a ban on the imports of these products.
Yolchu Khanvali, head of the press service of the State Veterinary Control Service under the Agriculture Ministry of Azerbaijan told Trend that Azerbaijan imports poultry meat and its products from Turkey, Brazil and Ukraine, and eggs from Ukraine and Turkey.
Azerbaijan imposed a temporary ban on the import of poultry meat and its products after bird flu was detected in March-April last year in Moscow and the surrounding areas.
Russia exports to Azerbaijan mainly food products and agricultural raw materials, metals and metal products, machinery, equipment and vehicles, timber and pulp and paper products, chemical products, mineral products.
Russia is the main market for Azerbaijani fruit and vegetable products, accounting for 90 percent of exports of fruits and vegetables.
Even in winter Azerbaijan exports tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplants grown in greenhouses to Russia.
Azerbaijan is one of the main economic partners of Russia among the CIS countries. Interregional cooperation plays an important role in the development of Russian-Azerbaijani trade and economic relations and the increase in trade turnover.
At present, enterprises of 71 regions of the Russian Federation cooperate directly with Azerbaijan. Fifteen regions of Russia have relevant agreements with Azerbaijan on trade and economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation.
The trade turnover between Russia and Azerbaijan amounted to almost $951.32 million in January-June 2017.
Moreover, Azerbaijan will open its first Trade House in Russia in Arkhangelsk region.
Trade houses in foreign countries will facilitate the export process, promote an export of competitive Azerbaijani production and enable the countries to expand trade operations.
Azerbaijan’s first Trade House was opened in the Belarusian capital Minsk, on May 26.
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

domain: news


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Bread Prices in EU Increased by 18% over The Year – Eurostat
Bread, vegetables, meat – food products have become more expensive. The prices of oil and fats have risen particularly sharply, but important foodstuffs such as bread have also gone up significantly.
This is due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which significantly disrupted world markets, as Russia and Ukraine were major exporters of grains, wheat, corn, oilseeds (in particular sunflower), and fertilizers.
In August 2022, the price of bread in the EU was on average 18% higher than in August 2021. This is a huge increase compared to the previous year when the price of bread was on average 3% higher than in August 2020. The monthly data also show a significant increase in core inflation, although not as large (from +3% to +10%).
Some countries were much more affected than others. The highest average rate of change in bread prices was recorded in Hungary (+66% in August 2022), followed by Lithuania (+33%), Estonia, and Slovakia (both +32%).
Meanwhile, the lowest average rate of change in bread prices was recorded in France (+8% in August 2022), the Netherlands, and Luxembourg (both +10%).
At the same time, according to Ukraine’s State Statistics Service, the prices for fruits rose by 60.2%, vegetables – by 58.5%, fish – by 33.1%, bread – 29%, and sugar – by 27.9%.


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The demise of H&M’s “Conscious Choice” label is, most likely, only the beginning.
According to a leaked draft of a European Union proposal aimed at quashing unsubstantiated sustainable product claims, member states must put in place a system of authentication carried out by “independent verifiers.” Instead of nebulous terms like “green,” “eco,” “environmentally friendly” and, yes, “conscious,” companies will have to prove their bonafides against a standard, science-based methodology such as the bloc’s own Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), which assesses the impact of a good or service based on more than a dozen criteria, including ozone depletion, water pollution and climate change.
“Consumers lack reliable information about the sustainability of products and face misleading commercial practices like greenwashing or the lack of transparency and credibility of environmental labels,” a draft of the green claims directive said. “By fighting greenwashing, the proposal will ensure a level playing field for businesses when marketing their greenness.”
What this means for fashion is that virtually no in-house eco-designations currently in use—not H&M’s “Conscious Choice,” not Asos’s “Responsible Edit,” nor Zalando’s sustainability “flag”—will be allowed to stand, said Baptiste Carriere-Pradal, chair of the Policy Hub, a think tank founded by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Global Fashion Agenda and the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry, as well as chair of the technical secretariat involved in the PEF rollout.
Because any future claim must take into account the entire life cycle of say, a T-shirt or pair of jeans, “by default,” any claim that does not track a product from the cradle to the grave is verboten, he told Sourcing Journal. Neither will brands be able to say that a product is sustainable because of a single positive attribute—the presence of recycled materials, for instance, or the fact that it’s made with vegan leather and therefore cruelty-free. For the European Union, it’s a minimum of three of the most relevant impact categories, again as laid out in a benchmark based on scientific consensus, like the PEF, or bust. And if a product has a positive impact in one area but an negative one in another, that has to be declared, too.
“Just this section already removes a lot of claims,” said Carriere-Pradal. “It’s radical. The way that the industry will communicate about its impact, the way that it provides consumers with information to identify products with the lowest impact, this approach will radically change. You [must] have the full picture.” The only exceptions, he noted, might be “official” eco-labels such as the Nordic Swan and EU Ecolabel, which are backed and boosted by government entities. That will remain to be hammered out.
Such a reckoning has been a long time coming, the draft said. One 2020 study conducted by the European Commission found that more than half—53.3 percent, to be exact—of the environmental claims being made across the bloc were providing “vague, misleading or unfounded” information about the products’ environmental characteristics across a wide range of categories. In a sweep of websites by the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network the same year, authorities had “reasonable doubts” that 42 percent of the 344 sustainability claims they examined were false or deceptive. In 57.5 percent of the cases, they said, the trader did not provide “sufficient elements” to judge the claim’s accuracy. Officials also had trouble identifying whether the claim covered the whole product or only one of its components (50 percent), whether it related to the entire company or only certain products (36 percent) and to which stage of the product’s life cycle it referred (75 percent).
The official version of the proposal, which has been delayed several times, is set for release at the end of the month, at which point it will head to the European Parliament to be put to the vote. The earliest the measure could go into effect would be 2024, with 2025 also a distinct possibility.
Companies don’t necessarily have to use the PEF to justify their assertions, though the draft says that employing the framework creates an “assumption of compliance,” said Carriere-Pradal. Environmental claims based on an aggregated indicator, however, must be substantiated by EU, national or PEF category rules, per the document. Whether these provisions stay in the final document remains to be seen, he added.
One thing Carriere-Pradal says he’s sorry to see is that the green claims directive is exactly that—a directive, meaning that member states have a certain latitude to adjust the rules as they see fit. This “goes completely against the common market,” he said, since there’s the risk that data could be validated in one country but not another.
“We were keen to say that in the EU, if somebody wants to talk about the impact of a product, we should allow a consumer to be able to compare—hence, it should be one common method used, but that is not necessarily reflected in the document,” he said. “There is a high risk that consumers may have an impact calculated in two different ways; both sound but not comparable. Yet for the consumer, it’s impossible to make this distinction. And that’s probably another risk that we don’t see the draft preventing at all.”
In other words, a claim made in Berlin should use the same methodology as the same one in Paris, Carriere-Pradal said.
A common approach
This is something that Andrew Martin, executive vice president at the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the sustainability trade group behind the Higg Index suite of tools, including the Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), agrees with.
“I think we’re at a point now where we need the regulation,” he told Sourcing Journal. “And I think it’s absolutely critical to have a common, scientific-based approach. I think it has to be harmonized, and the EU has the opportunity to do that on a big scale.”
Before the PEF’s arrival, the Higg MSI was framed as an industry solution for assessing the environmental footprint of fashion’s favorite materials. Last summer, however, complaints about the accuracy of its scoring system exploded into a larger debate about how data, when clumsily applied, could mislead consumers into thinking one product is better for the planet than it actually is. Norrøna, an outdoor wear brand that used MSI data to play up the virtues of its organic cotton T-shirts, was accused by Norwegian regulators of “breaking the law.” H&M was warned against doing the same with its “Conscious Choice” range. The SAC ultimately suspended its Transparency Program, which provided a visual guide to the impact of various clothing items, and placed the Higg MSI under review with the help of KPMG. The review, which will focus on whether the tool is aligned with the technical standards that guide life-cycle assessment, should be complete by June.
While the green claims initiative won’t directly affect the Higg MSI review, Martin said, the SAC is “actively working” on aligning it with the PEF “as the most holistic, scientifically grounded method for assessing the environmental impact of a product.” This would mean some technical changes. Currently, the Higg MSI calculates impact in four categories: global warming, eutrophication, water scarcity and abiotic resource depletion/fossil fuels.
The biggest challenge with not having a single interpretation of what counts as greenwashing is that brands have to constantly adjust their communication strategy based on the market, said Martin.
“It really almost risks paralyzing brands with inaction, because they’re not quite clear what to do,” he said. “And it stops companies from stepping their game up.” Increased scrutiny isn’t a bad thing, but without a common approach from a regulator perspective this will only “hold the industry back.”
“I think we need to have a need to be able to be clear about who we are [and] what we’re doing because that helps avoid a lot of the very clear misinformation and misunderstanding that’s out there,” he said.
Making the label count
Like the Higg MSI, the PEF has its detractors. Among them is Dalena White, secretary-general of the International Wool Textile Organisation and spokesperson for Make the Label Count, an initiative that claims that the current framework gives petroleum-based fibers an advantage over natural ones, though this is something that Carriere-Pradal refutes.
“The PEF was created in 2013, so it’s almost at its 10-year anniversary,” White told Sourcing Journal. “Since then, we’ve seen a lot of science being published around microplastic pollution, around textile pollution, exactly what the effects are of the chemicals that are released into our land and water. So those issues need to be taken into account.”
The group has been campaigning for additional indicators, including one for plastic waste and another for microplastics. Though the second iteration of the PEF includes a circularity formula that accounts for biodegradability, Make the Label Count wants to see this as a standalone category, perhaps one that considers the repairability and recyclability of a garment. If the PEF will be the methodology for the green claims directive, White said, then the PEF “needs to be fixed.”
“We don’t think the PEF is that wrong,” she said, agreeing that harmonization is vital. “We think after 10 years of hard work and a lot of investment in it, it’s probably the most substantial method out there at the moment. And we just need to fix it. And it’s not a huge fix. It’s just bringing it in line with the latest science.”
What the European Commission is essentially doing through measures like the green claims directive is writing a rulebook for consumers to “make that green transition,” White said. Europe plans on becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050—though the term “carbon neutral,” like “climate neutral” and “100 percent CO2 compensated,” according to the draft, will need to be backed up by solid evidence, as will any claim about future environmental performance. All this, she said, is a positive thing.
“Although it’s really difficult and gets really complicated at times, we shouldn’t forget that,” White said. “It’s going to be better, right? We’re trying to work together to deal with our textile pollution problem. We got ourselves into this mess and we’re going to get ourselves out of this mess.”
What about ‘greenhushing’?
Striking the right balance on sustainability communication won’t be easy, said Christian Smith, head of sustainability stakeholder engagement at Zalando, which dropped its “sustainable” designation soon after a Norwegian jury presented the e-tailer with its inaugural grønnvaskingsprisen, or greenwashing prize, in October. Smith said it was already in the process of changing its tack, although he describes it as a “journey.” The German purveyor knew, from its own research, that customers don’t always understand what sustainability means in the context of fashion, meaning that more “specific and trustworthy” product information is necessary to avoid confusion.
Zalando is in the midst of this “data transition and validation process,” Smith said, though it will take some time. Understanding what kind of information it needs to present and how granular it wanted to get on details was the easy part. “Now the challenge is getting the data, the information from the brands, to then fulfill those criteria,” he said. “And that’s where we see the big gap at the moment.” Instead of the flags from before, products will feature a “tappable icon” that directs customers to more information.
Smith said that it’s important to bring customers on this journey. Greenhushing, where companies deliberately hide their efforts in order to avoid attention—and in so doing deflect criticism—isn’t the answer either.
“It’s important, I think, from a brand or retailer’s perspective, that the investments that companies make in these new approaches are recognized, because it’s also through that recognition that people put more money back into the system to their daily improvements,” he said. “What we want to do is find a way to create a much more virtuous cycle so that the customer’s behavior can be improved to justify the decisions that remain in the supply chain. And then we have good information to pull through so we can then fulfill our range of regulatory requirements.”
The idea, he said, is to ensure that “customers, governments, brands, retailers [and] suppliers are all on the same page, working toward the same goal.”
A ‘piece of the puzzle’
George Harding-Rolls, campaign manager at the Changing Markets Foundation, a corporate watchdog group, is intimately familiar with greenwashing. To tout the launch of Greenwash.com at London Fashion Week last March, he dressed up as a washing machine and handed out flyers to passers-by. Misleading claims, he said, dupe people into making sustainable choices when they’re not. It’s not just consumers, either.
“Part of the reason that greenwashing is dangerous is it misleads consumers,” he said. “But it also misleads policymakers and misleads those who have the power to pull on the true levers of change, such as regulation and legislation. It misleads them into thinking that the voluntary market-led approach that we’ve had for God knows how long is working.”
There are considerations that he thinks are missing from the draft proposal, including fashion’s growing reliance on plastic bottles for recycled polyester. A deeper look into this form of recycled PET was promised in the EU’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles but has so far remained undelivered, he said. He describes diverting plastic bottles from the beverage industry, where they can be recycled multiple times, as little more than “poaching” since the material, once turned into textiles, is challenging to recycle again at scale.
The role of certifications in substantiating green claims is also unclear. The proposal says they can be relevant, but a Changing Markets Foundation study found that most schemes are not fit for purpose. Many schemes—and that includes the EU Ecolabel—lack comprehensiveness by focusing on only a single material, product or “seemingly arbitrary” selection of a product’s life-cycle stages, requiring brands and retailers to use several labels and initiatives to cover the environmental impacts of their entire supply chain.
“I think a lot of our criticisms of certification schemes have been that historic lack of standardization and historic lack [of] regulatory oversight,” Harding-Roll said. “A lot of them have really operated in many ways like private enterprises.”
For its part, Textile Exchange, a sustainability multi-stakeholder group that manages a number of standards relating to organic and recycled content, as well as animal welfare, told Sourcing Journal that it’s still reviewing the leaked text and that it’s “seeking clarity on some key points related to the scope of applicability of the directive as well as its alignment with other developing legislation.”
While the green claims directive is a “piece of a puzzle” that’s sorely needed—and it’s going to create “a lot of work” for marketing teams in particular—Harding-Rolls doesn’t want to call a win exactly. It’s a starting point, not the final destination.
“It’s a really important part of the crackdown, and it’s a really important sign of progress,” he said. “But it’s almost like, ‘O.K., now we’ve done this, the real work can begin. Now we’ve talked about green claims and how to substantiate them, we need to do the true work, which is making sure that we are putting the right products on the market and creating sustainable supply chains.”


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Since the August 2007 acquisition of StandardAero (Booth No. 1918) by Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), the Tempe, Ariz.-based company has launched a number of new initiatives, including the expansion and redesign of some of its facilities, the opening of a new PW600 test cell and the implementation of a safety management system (SMS).
The past year has been “very busy,” with particularly strong performance within the helicopter sector, according to Brian Hughes, the company’s director of sales, marketing and business development for helicopter programs. Overall sales last year increased 4 percent over the previous year, and 2008 ended with a record 250 maintenance, repair and overhaul events.
The company expects sales to continue to increase through the rest of the year. “Where most companies are already forecasting that they’ll be off, we still think we have a chance to grow our business in a down economy,” Hughes said.
The company has implemented a freeze on hiring and wages, but has avoided “major” layoffs. “We had an eye on controlling costs while keeping the level of service exactly where it was without changing the workforce,” Hughes said, adding that the company is also implementing a freeze on the cost of exchange accessories, but hasn’t cut back on Heli-Expo exhibition costs. “Our exhibit is as big as ever.”
In addition to the $20 million expansion at the company’s Winnipeg, Canada facility, the redesign of the engine shop in Los Angeles and the addition of fabrication and upholstery shops at Associated Air Center in Dallas, the company also implemented a company-wide, employee-driven SMS program.
The objective of the Immune-SMS program–so called because the human system proactively seeks ways to identify and defend against hazards–is to expose safety hazards or vulnerabilities that can contribute to poor product quality or degrade systems. “SMS is big, it’s important and it’s coming down the pipe for everybody,” Hughes said. “And now we have a two- or three-year jump on most other companies in MRO. Customers won’t have to worry because they will have a vendor that already has it. They won’t have to pre-qualify us.”
Employees underwent a year of training and are encouraged to actively engage in the process, Hughes said. “Every employee in the company has been indoctrinated and is dedicated to safety issues. It’s a mindset, a safety culture, and every employee is empowered to stop production if they feel safety is being compromised.
Whether you’re a janitor or a safety inspector, you’re allowed to pull the fire alarm and stop work if you have any doubt of its safety.”
Last but not least, the company has also continued its efforts to be the “aviation industry environmental leader,” Hughes said, acknowledging that those are bold words. “The work that is being done does not involve spending a lot of money to be greener. We’re putting policies and procedures into place that add environmental benefits.” Processes include engineering controls to minimize and eliminate risk from hazardous materials and emissions, reducing waste water and waste disposal and reducing carbon dioxide and electrical use.


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It seems like PSP movies are selling much worse than it has been believed.
In a recent article from Home Media Retailing, they are reporting that "disappointing sales have slowed the flow of movies on the proprietary Universal Media Disc (UMD) to a mere trickle. At least two major studios have completely stopped releasing movies on UMD, while others are either toying with the idea or drastically cutting back."
There is even talk that Wal-Mart is considering dumping PSP movies entirely. In addition to this Universal, Paramount and Image Entertainment have also stopped creating UMD content.


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The project included merging the existing car club with Co-Cars, converting the existing two vehicles to telematics operation, re-launch, development of promotional materials and liaison with Wiltshire Council and other stakeholders. The two hOURCARS vehicles were converted to telematics operation and added to the Co-Cars booking system in January 2016.
A successful launch event was held in February 2016 and this received good coverage in the local media.
Promotional materials have been developed for residents and businesses which now feature the Salisbury vehicles and 4000 copies of the spring newsletter have been printed and distributed.
hOURCARS continue to work with Wiltshire Council to achieve the longer term goal of relocating the Toyota Yaris to an alternative city centre site which would provide better coverage of central Salisbury.
Since the merger, there has been an upward trend in membership, with 13 new members joining (the merger unfortunately resulted in the loss of five existing members).
The steering group are confident that under the Co-Cars umbrella there is now a much more marketable car share product in Salisbury, which will prove attractive to both businesses and residential users alike.


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With the right plan and the right discipline, you can get seriously shredded in just 28 days.Read article
Johnson posted a video of 2016 Mr. Olympia Phil Heath showcasing his trophy, alongside a very promising caption.
View this post on Instagram
Get ready. SEVEN BUCKS DIGITAL STUDIOS TAKEOVER: #TheOlympia2017 Last year I stood on the @MrOlympiaLLC stage and announced that @DanyGarciaCo, myself and the rest of our @SevenBucksProd team would work diligently to shine a light on the Olympia, its amazing competitors and the world it encompasses in a brand new and entertaining way. At its core, THE OLYMPIA has something for everyone and our #OlympiaTakeover will showcase the many complex, fascinating and inspiring layers our sport offers the world. Here we come Vegas. I need waffles. #OlympiaTakeover #SevenBucksDigitalStudios September 14-17 ???
In the post, he shared that his production company, Seven Bucks Digital Studios, will be “taking over” the Olympia to showcase the sport of bodybuilding and its inspiring competitors.
We also can’t wait to see what this year has in store for the athletes and celebrities at the Olympia, but the best part of the post was probably Johnson’s final sentiment: “Here we come Vegas. I need waffles.” After the competition’s over, everyone will probably be in need of some comfort food.


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Having a cup of coffee and a long chat with a friend in a McDonald’s restaurant was an expensive mistake for Karen Blakey.
She was charged £50 for staying too long in the restaurant’s car park at the Silverlink Shopping Park in Wallsend.
She paid up reluctantly but blames McDonald’s and the Silverlink - managed by Crown Estates which is legally owned by the Queen - for her confusion over parking rules.
Karen, of Washington, Tyne and Wear, was on her first visit to the centre.
She said: “Before going, I visited the Silverlink website and it said they had a total of 927 free parking spaces.
“Their site map includes McDonald’s and I thought it meant I could park in the McDonald’s car park without restriction.
“At the time there was no reference to the rules being different for McDonald’s.”
Karen said she parked and went into the restaurant.
Later, however, she received a charge through the post.
She said: “The charge was for parking an additional 30 minutes after the 90 minute allowance.
“Had I realised there was a restriction I would have either gone elsewhere or spoke to the staff.
“I was in the restaurant the whole time so it was not as if I went to other shops.
“I did not intend to stay so long but we were discussing something of a sensitive nature and time just passed us by.
“I could have bought a top of the range coffee machine for the price, including the charge, that I paid for a cup of coffee.
“They keep saying they have clear signs but I really did not see any at the time.”
Karen, who is only 5ft 5in in height, said she went back to check the location and realised she had not seen a sign.
She said it was hidden from view by her height and positioning.
Karen appealed against the decision but her appeal was rejected.
She said: “I paid up but I think it is so unfair because I felt misled by the website.
“When I looked at the site originally I did not see anything about special arrangements for McDonald’s.
“When I go on now there is a warning that the restaurant has its own parking restrictions and I am convinced it has been added since all of this happened.”
She said McDonald’s staff said the restaurant was technically not part of the Silverlink but just a neighbour.
A spokesman for McDonald’s said: “At a number of our restaurants, parking restrictions are in place to ensure there is adequate parking for customers.
“Where restrictions are in place, we work with industry-approved contractors to ensure any restrictions are clearly signposted and communicated in and around restaurants.
“McDonald’s does not profit from any penalty charges and restrictions are managed by industry-approved contractors, who in this instance, have dismissed Ms Blakey’s claim based on the evidence provided.”
A spokeswoman for Silverlink confirmed the Silverlink’s website did not carry a warning that the parking rules were different at the time of Karen’s visit.
But it has been added since.
She said: “Silverlink does not manage the McDonald’s restaurant unit or the car parking in this area. Any parking restrictions there are a matter for McDonald’s.
“However, in order to provide further clarity for visitors to the park, we have now added this information to our website” .


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For those looking to dip their toes into the food plot world, a new and improved resource is now available at the click of your mouse! The Whitetail Institute of North America, my food plot seed supplier of choice, has just launched a brand new and much, much improved website. Admittedly their old site was somewhat lacking to say the least, but that’s no longer the case! Not only can you purchase and learn about all of Whitetail Institute’s food plot products, but you now have access to a lot of great food plot resources. I’m a big fan of hunting companies that are doing this. Yea, seeing a brand’s products is all well and good. But if a company can deliver me value, just as a resource, I’m much more likely to be interested in their products. That being said, I’m glad to see this even more so from WINA.
Whitetail Institute now has a back log of tons of food plot related articles that are now easily accessible, as well as prior issues of their Whitetail News magazine in digital form! Additionally you can check out easy how to guides on the basics of food plotting, how/when to plant certain forages and plenty more. So if you’re looking for a few more good tips on food plots, I’d definitely suggest checking out the new Whitetail Institute site. I’m certainly excited to explore it more myself!
Check out the new Whitetail Institute of North America website here


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HTC has announced three devices that will officially be getting the Android N update, and they are the HTC 10, HTC One A9, and HTC One M9. Of course, these are the devices that were expected to get Android N, but at least HTC has made it official.
HTC Senior Global Online Communications Manager Jeff Gordon says that may not be all though, as more devices that will receive Android N will be announced when Google ships the software to manufacturers. That’s also when we’ll get timelines, because right now there are no announced times.
Unfortunately for One M8 owners, the Android N update may not be coming to the device. Gordon says the M8 is over two years old now, so it may or nay not be receiving the update. However, we’ll have to wait and see what devices are next in line for some Android N goodness.


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HONG KONG -- China's digital currency pilot program has picked up pace, with transaction volumes doubling over the past month, according to the country's central bank governor, who said the trial has so far been smooth.
There have been more than 4 million transactions worth over 2 billion yuan ($298.4 million) in total in the trial of the world's most advanced central bank digital currency so far, Yi Gang, governor of the People's Bank of China, said at the Hong Kong FinTech Week conference on Monday.
Last month, his deputy, Fan Yifei, said the program had so far seen 3.1 million transactions worth 1 billion yuan.
"We have completed the architecture design and started joint testing" across four cities with the digital yuan, Yi said. "So far, the experiment and pilot program have gone smoothly."
The digital yuan is aimed at giving Chinese authorities more control over a rapidly digitizing economy without ceding space to cryptocurrencies, which are banned in the world's second-largest economy. Work on the digital yuan started in 2014 but details began to emerge after Facebook unveiled its Libra digital currency project in June 2019.
Rising concern that the U.S. could try to throttle China's access to the global dollar-based financial system, amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing, have fed further interest in the effort.
The pilot is taking place in three cities -- Shenzhen, Suzhou and Chengdu -- and the Xiong'an New Area, south of Beijing. It began this past April and is set to be extended to 28 more cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing as well as Hong Kong and Macao.
The trial program has seen the digital yuan deployed in more than 12,000 different ways, including bill payments, transportation and government services, Yi said.
The digital yuan is designed to replace cash in circulation -- bank notes and coins -- not money deposited in bank accounts. The central bank and its distributors will keep databases to track flows of the digital yuan.
The digital yuan will give the authorities "controllable anonymity," which would support anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing efforts, Yi said.
China still is in the early stages of the pilot program, he said, noting that the digital yuan also will be tested at 2022 Winter Olympics venues around Beijing. He did not specify a timeline for the full launch of the digital yuan.
A number of major state-run commercial banks have begun large-scale internal testing of a digital wallet application for use with the virtual yuan, while lifestyle apps including ride-hailer Didi Chuxing and food delivery company Meituan have also been involved in the trials.
Yi said that China needs to formulate a comprehensive legal framework to govern use of the digital yuan, adding that the central bank wants to cooperate with the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board to discuss the regulation of central bank digital currencies and how to insure transparency.
"In the future, the central bank community will have a coordinated effort in the design" of central bank digital currencies to ensure the stability of the financial industry, he said.
Last month, China published a draft law that would give legal status to central bank digital currencies, or what it refers to as the Digital Currency Electronic Payment system, as part of the country's sovereign fiat currency.
The digital yuan will be issued by the central bank to authorized second-tier providers, including commercial banks, state-controlled telecommunications operators and online payment providers Ant Group and Tencent Holdings. The distributors must deposit exactly the same amount of their reserves with the central bank as the digital yuan they distribute.
China is far ahead of other major economies on plans for a digital currency. The U.S., European Union and Japan have yet to commit to issuing such legal tender.
The digital yuan "is a supplement of cash," Yi said, explaining that cash and digital currency will "coexist" in China for a long time.


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This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who’s ever used Twitter — or engaged with hardcore Tesla fans. What’s good for the automaker is apparently also good for its employees, even if they’re among the roughly 3,000 workers laid off this week as the company seeks profitability through restructuring.
Some employees are saying it’s a good thing Tesla gave them the heave-ho.
While there’s definitely a contingent that feels differently among the unlucky 9 percent of Tesla’s workforce, the fervent belief in Tesla-as-our-saviour means many took to Twitter to thank CEO Elon Musk for the opportunity to work for him. No flaming bag of dog shit on the front porch from this crowd.
“I was laid off from Tesla yesterday and although it hurts (a lot!), it is the right thing for the company,” said Twitter user @seekevinrun in response to Musk’s layoff announcement. “I don’t regret giving all I had and in a way bidding adieu is my last contribution. I’ll be cheering Tesla on knowing I did my part. Thanks for the years of memories!”
Bloomberg identified that user as now-former Tesla sales manager Kevin Throop, who told the publication, “People need to know that we need Tesla to succeed. It’s the front lines in the fight against climate change.”
Here’s another example. Note the word “mission.”
Despite the fact that many automakers offer electric cars, many of them cheaper and easier to source than a Tesla (the base $35,000 Model 3 isn’t expected to be built in large numbers until early 2019), Tesla devotees continue to believe that only a pure, untainted automaker like Musk’s can save the world. For many fans, purity trumps practicality (and maybe even reality) when it comes to electric cars.
Perhaps it’s a shallow status thing they can’t bring themselves to admit, but a Chevrolet Bolt or Nissan Leaf (or, heaven forbid, a Hyundai Ioniq) apparently won’t suffice. It often comes down to a “why have the rest when you can have the best?” argument, as if Mother Earth cares about the ability to adjust your dash vents via a touchscreen.
This level of devotion to one automaker and one man, Gene Munster of venture capital firm Loup Ventures told Bloomberg, is unheard of.
“The people thanking Elon for the opportunity to work there are authentic. It’s unprecedented,” he said. “One of Tesla’s secret weapons is the shared vision of clean energy, as well as how much people believe in Elon Musk and his leadership. It’s a unique asset for Tesla.”
If you need more proof of Tesla’s irritating disciples, the author of the Bloomberg piece, Dana Hull, was taken to task on Twitter for using the word “fired” in relation to the 3,000 job losses. What followed was a thread where two users, both investors, argued the author didn’t know the English language and will probably end up in the hospital as a result of “karma.”


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Mr. Wheeler will take the helm from outgoing CFO Deepak Nov. 30. Mr. Ahuja announced his intention to retire earlier this year, and will remain with the company “for the next few months” to help with the transition, according to a company press release.
Google ultimately chose Morgan Stanley CFO Ruth Porat, who left the investment bank after nearly three decades of service.
Mr. Wheeler was previously responsible for for the company’s accounting, tax, treasury, and financial planning and analysis operations.
Tesla didn’t immediately disclose compensation information for Mr. Wheeler. Mr. Ahuja received 2014 compensation valued at $3.8 million, including a salary of $338,000 and option awards valued at $3.4 million, which vest in 25% increments based on the achievement of four performance milestones.
A Tesla spokesman declined to make Mr. Wheeler available for an interview.
The luxury electric vehicle maker on Tuesday posted a wider third-quarter loss than the year-ago period, but predicted delivery of up to 19,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter. Investors pushed the stock up higher – about 9% – in after-hours trading.


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Lyonheart K sports car
The Lyonheart K, if you haven’t seen it before, is the modern supercar that unashamedly borrows its looks from the Jaguar E-Type. First unveiled in 2012, the car is still in the production process although with a 5 litre engine delivering 567 horsepower and a 0-62 speed of less than 4 seconds, it should be worth the wait.
But it’s not just speed and looks (it is incredibly good looking) that mark out the K – it’s also made in Coventry and, as the makers proudly proclaim, ‘every part of a Lyonheart car is developed, engineered, and hand-built in England.’ But with a production run of only 250, it seems doubtful that this car will cause a major shake-up of the British car manufacturing industry.
Whilst 250 may seem a small figure, the original plan was to build only 50, and it was the car’s unexpected popularity that made the increase necessary. Still, the chances of ever seeing one are pretty slim, especially considering that only half of the 250 are going to be sold in Europe, with the remainder going to China and the Middle East. So with numbers like this, you’re likely to see a few dozen real E-Types before spotting even a single one of its more modern counterparts.
Those who like the sound of the Lyonheart K, then, will be pleased to hear that there are actually still a few available to buy and also comes in two forms: a coupé and a convertible. Prices, of course, are predictably steep, although in the domain of the hideously expensive supercar, they’re probably to be expected: €375,000 for the convertible and €360,000 for the coupé.
One issue that remains though is the waiting time. Original delivery time for buyers was estimated at around 18 to 24 months, with production beginning in December of last year. Last month, however, Lyonheart announced that production has been delayed by up to a year, further delaying their new potential owners. This has been put down to a number of reasons, including Lyonheart’s wish to make use of the latest technology, regardless of the ensuing delay. Still, as those awaiting the arrival of their Lyonheart K are doubtless telling themselves, good things come to those who wait.


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tech2 News StaffJan 06, 2020 09:57:02 IST
Samsung Electronics said on Sunday that it will introduce new, innovative devices in San Francisco on 11 February, with the electronics giant widely expected to unveil its new foldable phone and a new version of its flagship S model.
This means the company might be launching its Galaxy S11 (or speculated to be named as Galaxy S20) series next month. In addition to this, it is also possible that the clamshell foldable smartphone, expected to be named as Galaxy Fold 2 might also arrive at the event.
The move comes as the world’s top smartphone maker seeks to maintain its lead in the foldable phone and 5G phone markets, with rivals plotting a catch-up in the nascent, but growing segments.
“Samsung Electronics will unveil new, innovative devices that will shape the next decade of mobile experiences,” the South Korean firm said at an invitation letter. It said the event at 11 am Pacific time (12.30 am IST on 12 February) will be live-streamed.
The official invitation video of Samsung Unpacked 2020 revealed that it will be held on 11 February in San Francisco.
In a teaser image, Samsung hinted at two phones — one shaped like a square and another with a rectangular form. This time, it is expected that Samsung's foldable phone will be square-shaped and will fold just like Motorola Razr 2019, unlike Galaxy Fold.
To catch the live updates of the event, you can click on this page.
With inputs from Reuters
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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Sumary of Valentino gives a new international look to its website and its electronic store:
- Adopting the digital transformation is another step in the evolution of the new business model of the Maison Valentino.
- Throughout this year, Valentino has also launched new augmented reality experiences in its app for customers, such as pop-up virtual stores and a virtual try-on service.
- Valentino’s customer advisors manage services such as appointment booking, click-and-collect, in-store merchandise pickup and more to come, as well as other engagement activities, through a single iPhone tool.
- The Italian luxury brand Valentino updates and internationalizes its website and its electronic store, adopting cutting-edge technologies and augmented reality to boost interaction with customers.
- The customer, closing the gap between physical stores and the online platform.
- Valentino’s new omnichannel platform is fully integrated with the existing Valentino Clienteling app.
- By internalizing e-commerce operations, Maison Valentino is fully committed to this digital journey, anticipating a natural adaptation to future technological challenges, according to Valentino.


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Chinese tech firm Tencent is to launch its industrial chain cooperation with nine cities on the G60 High-tech Corridor vision, following an investment of 15 billion yuan (US$2.1 billion) in building its Yangtze River Delta supercomputing center and industrial base in Songjiang in March 2020, a recent conference between the company and the G60 High-tech Corridor cities revealed.
The G60 High-tech Corridor is an urban-rural development axis that connects Songjiang with eight cities in the Yangtze River Delta, namely, Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Jinhua and Huzhou cities in Zhejiang Province, Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province, and Xuancheng, Wuhu and Hefei cities in Anhui Province.
A renowned global internet technology company, Tencent has more than 8,000 industrial partners and more than 300,000 corporate customers currently use or enjoy its internet products or services.
“The supercomputing center we’ve planned to build in Songjiang will help attract about 100 related companies on big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence to be based in the district,” said Dao Feng, vice president of Tencent Cloud. “Apart from Songjiang, we hope to also show our strengths on AI, big data, cloud computing and industrial internet in the remaining eight cities along the G60 High-tech Corridor and help them develop.”
During the conference, Tencent also inked agreements with its first batch of 20 Tencent Cloud cooperative companies. Its 20 partners include China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, China Broadcasting Network Corp (four major internet operators in China) and companies from the nine cities. Tencent agreed to help the companies with product sales solutions, market activity support, and offer them technology or business support or privileges.
“We plan to set up our second headquarters in Songjiang to provide solutions in the field of cloud primary technologies. Our technology, research and development and selling departments will also be based in Songjiang,” said Zuo Yue, CEO of Beijing Alauda Science and Technology Co, one of the 20 cooperative companies.
The giant industrial chains Tencent will bring to Songjiang is also encouraging local companies.
“We felt we were fighting alone previously. With Tencent joining, we are confident of making better products,” said Zhang Zhantao, CEO of Shanghai Tianfu Information & Technology Co.


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Construction contractors in central Ohio and throughout the nation are suffering from supply chain shortages as well as escalating costs. Many do not know when the items will become available.
As a result, some project managers and contractors hesitate to build in the current environment.
Central Ohio contractors face a lack of drywall and roofing materials, according to Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer Dorsey Hager.
“Our contractors are working around these shortages,” Hager said. “Steel and iron look to be next.”
As of early November, material shortages have only affected progress when a particular trade comes onsite. Project completion dates have not been dramatically pushed back.
Chris Naegele, IUPAT District Council 6 Business Representative for Local 1275 in Columbus and Local 555 in Portsmouth, confirmed reports about material shortages. The issue has kept members of the finishing trades on the bench.
Painters and drywall finishers received steady work from January through August. By September, a lack of drywall began affecting projects. Roughly two months later, once full warehouses now sit empty.
In addition to Central Ohio, the problem has affected work in the Dayton, Cincinnati and Portsmouth areas. Naegele believes the problem will continue into the second quarter of 2022, based on conversations with his contractors.
“It affects morale,” Naegele admitted. “Not being able to work weighs heavily on them, especially with the holidays coming up.”
The producer price index for new non-residential construction – a measure of what contractors say they would charge to erect five types of non-residential buildings – rose 5.2 percent over the past 12 months, despite a decline of 0.9 percent in the latest month, according to an October AGC report.
Compared to September 2020, the producer price index in September 2021 for products has been staggering. Steel mill products (+134 percent), copper and brass mill shapes (+39.5 percent), aluminum mill shapes (+35.1 percent), plastic construction products (+29.5 percent), gypsum products such as drywall, which is in short supply in certain parts of Ohio (+23 percent), insulation materials (+19 percent) and asphalt and tar roofing and siding products (+13.1 percent).


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When Andy Graff, sales director for Galpin Motors Inc., didn't call his mother on her birthday, he got an earful the next day.
But Graff also learned his store's customer-relationship management software was working well.
When he belatedly spoke with his mother, she lightly scolded him, saying, “The only person who cares enough to call is the salesperson who sold me the car at your dealership.”
She probably is going to tell 20 of her friends that the Galpin salesperson phoned on her birthday, but not her son, Graff quips.
The hero salesman had help from the dealership's CRM system. It leverages customer information and allows dealers to manage leads; personalize messages to customers; market to them and contact them at important times, such as when (using buying-behavior data) they might be ready to buy a new vehicle and on special occasions — such as birthdays.
“That's the power of CRM,” Graff says. “The salesperson doesn't know my mom's birthday, but it came up on his agenda and he calls on the prescribed day and wishes her a happy birthday.”
Galpin Ford, the nation's No. 1 Ford dealer and part of a 10-brand dealership group north of Los Angeles uses CRM software from DealerSocket Inc.
Some dealerships, facing recent tough times, have dumped their CRM software to reduce expenses. Graff warns against that.
“During this economic downturn, CRM has become more and more valuable because most dealers, ourselves included, are not spending more money to attract new business,” he says. “You've got to try to keep your existing business.”
CRM can range from an automated birthday-call reminder to sending emails during, say, a cross/utility vehicle sales campaign that targets customers who have previously purchased such a vehicle.
The National Automobile Dealers Assn. compares features of 14 of the larger CRM vendors on its website. CRM works best when it complements business processes and provides information that aids dealerships' daily sales activities, says Dick Malaise, NADA's chief information officer.
DealerSocket CEO Jonathan Ord has seen some of his customers drop CRM to reduce expenses — usually about six months before they go out of business.
“CRM in this day and age is absolutely needed,” he says. “If they don't use us, they should be using somebody. When they don't do anything on the CRM side, it's usually the tell-tale signs that they're just sticking their heads in the sand and hoping it will blow over.”
Although some dealerships are shying away from CRM this year, many others are adding the systems to enhance sales opportunities.
While dealers continue to cut costs, DealerSocket and other CRM vendors say their sales have increased this year as they add functionality.
DealerSocket, based in San Clemente, CA, is installing its software in about 60 dealerships a month, Ord says. The company added a call center this year to serve as a safety net, he says.
For example, an inbound service call to the dealership can automatically be routed to the call center if the service department doesn't answer after three rings.
Another CRM firm, Autobase Inc., of Indianapolis has set numerous record sales months this year, says Steve Lausch, marketing manager.
“No longer is CRM an early adoption type of tool,” he says. “This is mainstream. I often call it the central nervous system of the dealership. We help identify the best opportunities in the database through data mining.”
Autobase this year added Managed Marketing Services, which provides business consultants to conduct dealership database marketing. This is for dealers who may lack the manpower, time or understanding to leverage their CRM software for all its worth, Lausch says.
CRM provider OneCommand, of Costa Mesa, CA, hit a wall last year, did not grow for the first time and had to readjust, CEO Al Babbington says.
“What we're seeing now, both at the OEM and dealership level, is a renewed awareness, excitement and interest in doing a much better job of maintaining their own customer base, of generating higher levels of repurchase and higher levels of service frequency,” Babbington says.
Dealers are starting to reconsider resources that can give them a guaranteed return on investment, he adds.
This year, OneCommand is providing its Preference Manager to all of its customers. Consumers use this tool to inform dealerships of their preference, such as how they want to communicate with the store. Consumers who provide preference information spend more and come in more often, Babbington says.
ADP Dealer Services, one of the two largest dealership-management system suppliers, says sales of its CRM application are ahead of its “fairly strong” expectations.
With the latest improvements this summer, dealers easily can navigate between ADP's CRM and DMS offerings in a setup called ADP Drive, says Kirsten Von Busch, an ADP product manager.
When the economy nosedives, CRM sales increase, says Saphura Long, vice president of iCRM, the CRM offering from Izmocars.
The San Francisco-based company offers iCRM to dealers as a Web-based, on-demand service. Long has seen an upsurge in the number of inquiries from prospective dealers since mid-year.
Dealers used to give lip service to CRM, “but in today's market, they really can't live without it,” Long adds.


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Following a seed round of funding from Nexus Venture Partners (formerly Nexus India Capital) last year, video advertising network VDOPIA has raised a Series A round of $4 million from the same fund. According to a filing with the American Securities & Exchange Commission, which was first reported by VentureBeat last week, the total amount was $$4,714,302. Speaking to MediaNama, Saurabh Bhatia, co-Founder and CBO at VDOPIA, clarified that the current Series A round is $4 million, and the rest is from a convertible seed note, which was a part of the seed round of funding. VDOPIA has appointed Rohit Sharma, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and former EVP and CTO of ONI Systems as President & CEO.
Why Does VDOPIA Need The Money?
Bhatia says that VDOPIA is raising the money primarily to fuel its expansion into the US Market, for its iPhone video advertising network iVDOPIA: “There’s a need to expand to sales & marketing (for iVDOPIA) in the US, R&D in India, expand sales and oeprations in India, and exploring new markets. We’re eying the Latin American market.” He declined to comment on how much of the funding is being allocated to a US expansion, saying that that is going to be looked at quarter on quarter, depending on market requirements.
Indian Market Trends
VDOPIA Growth: According to Bhatia, among their publisher network is the entire NDTV group, TEN Sports, NEO Sports with Cricket Nirvana for the India-Australia series, Zee News and Web18. We’re the only ones who have livestreaming. Metacafe in India. ZEE News, Web18. On Web18, exclusivity isn’t in the picture. VDOPIA claims 60% marketshare, in terms of publisher reach, for pre-roll advertising , given that YouTube, the largest video serving platform in the country, isn’t serving pre-rolls yet. Bhatia claims that over the past three quarters, VDOPIA has seen 70-100% growth each quarter. Now that kind of percentage growth is usually seen on a very small base. Bhatia clarified that that was the situation last year, but the company saw growth in revenues in the Jan-Feb-March quarter, which he claims was the tipping point for revenues for VDOPIA in India. In June, the company added Metacafe as a publisher, which he says has an India inventory of 20-25 million views per month.
Growth Drivers: Bhatia says there has been month on month growth for on-demand viewership of content, like for the NDTV group, and publishers are putting up new content on demand regularly. He expects the growth in inventory to continue.
The other key driver for growth has been event based online live-streaming: the company claims they got a huge boost during the Compaq Cup with TenSports & NBC Universal, with brands like Airtel, Xerox, Nokia and Samsung as sponsors. VDOPIA claims that the Compaq Cup saw 1 million unique streams across matches, and average viewership 59 minutes, hence a total of 10 million hours. “Even media companies are looking at these complementing their media revenues. and We’ve added livestreaming ad insertions, talk to me ads, and also expanded our publisher network.
Revenue Models: On whether we will a deterioration of the model (at least from a publishers perspective) to CPC in video advertising, Bhatia said that CPC deals don’t make much sense. “We’re running the ads on brand sales content, and it’s comparable to TV. A few clients who have come back to us for TV type deals, for reach. Ours is a CPM or a CPV (cost per view, when ads are viewed till completion), and with live streaming it’s Cost Per Spot.
Responding to our question about whether we’ll see the end of exclusive deals, and whether VDOPIA offers any minimum guarantees for exclusive deals, Bhatia said that with exclusivity, they provide certain addons like dynamic skin branding which increases yield per video. They don’t pay a minimum guarantee to clients, but exclusivity allows deeper technology integration. Bhatia believes that the future belongs to exclusive deals since, unlike banner advertising, video content has these opportunities involved at a tech and brand positioning level.
— NBCU Ties Up With Ten Sports For Cricket Streaming; Vdopia Ad Sales Partner; Challenge
— Video Ad Network VDOPIA Raises Funding From Nexus India Capital
— Updated: VDOPIA To Power Video Advertising For Tubaah And NDTVProfit.com


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TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp 6502.T and Western Digital Corp WDC.O have agreed in principle to settle a dispute over the Japanese firm's plans to sell its $18 billion chip unit and aim to have a final agreement in place next week, sources familiar with the matter said.
The board of the embattled Japanese conglomerate approved a framework for a settlement on Wednesday, one of the sources said.
The potential for Western Digital - Toshiba’s partner in its main semiconductor plant and jilted suitor in the auction - to block a deal has been seen as the main obstacle to the planned sale of the unit to a Bain Capital-led consortium.
The settlement under discussion calls for Western Digital to drop arbitration claims seeking to stop the sale in exchange for Toshiba allowing it to invest in a new production line for advanced flash memory chips that is slated to start next year, two sources said.
All sources declined to be identified as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
A Toshiba spokesman said that while the company was open to a settlement, it would not disclose discussion specifics or details of board of directors meetings. “It is not a fact that we have reached an agreement with Western Digital,” he said.
Western Digital declined to comment.
Toshiba was forced to put the unit - the world’s no. 2 producer of NAND chips - on the block to cover billions of dollars in liabilities arising from its now bankrupt U.S. nuclear power unit Westinghouse.
The deal with the Bain-led consortium will, however, see it reinvest in the unit and together with Hoya Corp 7741.T, a maker of parts for chip devices, Japanese firms will hold more than 50 percent of the business - a keen wish of the Japanese government.
As part of the planned settlement, Toshiba and Western Digital would extend existing agreements for their chip joint ventures in Yokkaichi, central Japan, one of the sources said. The current agreements are set to start expiring from 2021.
Western Digital would also invest in a completely new chip plant that Toshiba will start building next year in northern Japan, the source said.
Western Digital, one of world’s leading makers of hard disk drives, paid some $16 billion last year to acquire SanDisk, Toshiba’s chip joint venture partner since 2000.
With data storage key to most next-generation technologies from artificial intelligence and autonomous driving to the Internet of Things, NAND chips have only grown in importance and Western Digital has been desperate to keep the business out of the hands of rival chipmakers.
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix's 000660.KS participation in the Bain consortium has infuriated Western Digital and a key sticking point in recent weeks has been how to ensure it will be blocked from accessing proprietary information that belongs to the chip unit, separate sources have previously said.
While it was not immediately clear if this issue had been completely resolved, one of the sources said agreements on aspects that had been under contention were “not far off”.
Toshiba gained the upper hand in negotiations with Western Digital after securing a $5.4 billion cash injection from overseas funds that will allow it to bolster its balance sheet before the end of March and avoid a delisting.
The sale still needs to clear regulatory reviews but they are not expected to scuttle the deal.
Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Additional reporting by Yoshiyasu Shida and Junko Fujita; Editing by Edwina Gibbs
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Consumers in the United States are expected to spend $9.1 billion on Halloween-related products this year, up from $8.4 billion in 2016, according to recent research from the National Retail Federation (NRF).
The report was based on NRF forecasts as well data from a September 2017 survey of 7,013 consumers in the United States.
Consumers are expected to spend $3.4 billion on costumes (69% of Halloween shoppers plan to purchase), $2.7 billion on candy (95%), $2.7 billion on decorations (72%), and $410 million on greeting cards (37%).
Some 35% of Halloween shoppers say they look for inspirational ideas via online search; 30% say they look for inspiration in retail stores.
Some 47% of Halloween shoppers plan to make purchases in discount stores; 38% plan to make purchases in Halloween-themed stores.
Action/superhero is expected to be the most popular children's costume this year. Witch is expected to be the most popular adult costume, and pumpkin is expected to be the most popular pet costume.
About the research: The report was based on NRF forecasts as well data from a survey conducted in September 2017 of 7,013 consumers in the United States.


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Sustainable digital textile solutions on show
It’s been announced that Eindhoven-based Hollanders Printing Systems (HPS) will participate as a founding exhibitor at EcoPrint in Berlin in September. The company, a specialist manufacturer of wide-format digital textile solutions, is keen to demonstrate how its philosophy incorporates environmentally aware targets in its Best Practice Workflow and believes this new event is the ideal opportunity to showcase them.
HPS will be joined by three of its key Competence Centre partners at the event – colour management specialist X-Rite/Pantone, viewing booth manufacturer GTI and Georg+Otto Friedrich, a leading European manufacturer of fabrics for digital printing. With support from other Competence Centre partners such as Enfocus, EFKA and Q-Lab, HPS has said that it will introduce the full cycle A-to-Z workflow approach that includes solutions for every step in the digital textile production flow. It also confirmed that full information will be available about the environmental benefits of working with fabrics to create eco aware soft signs, banners, flags, interior décor and other applications.
“EcoPrint gives us the ideal opportunity for showcasing our Competence Centre and Best Practice Workflow initiative, in-line with more environmentally aware practices,” commented Roland Biemans, Sales and Marketing Manager at Hollanders Printing Systems. “We know that brand owners, marketing specialists, specifiers and end users are all eager to work within greener parameters, and this new event offers a unique, practical focus on sustainability.”
HPS says its system encompasses all the hardware and software needed for printing digital textile applications. The company collaborates with specialist partners to unite their expertise in pre-press, colour management, finishing and materials. Its Competence Centre is designed to provide customers with a complete understanding of how sustainability and effective work-flow combine to give end users greater control over their environmental performance and consistently accurate high quality output.
Hollanders Printing Systems manufactures turnkey solutions for digital textile printing. The range includes its ColorBooster digital textile printers complemented by the ColorFix sublimation/fixation unit, the ColorWash washing machine and the ColorEdge cutting unit. The company stated that its modular approach to production is designed to simplify work-flow and generate greener practices as the machines use less power and water than traditional systems, with waste being minimised.
EcoPrint takes place on the 26 and 27 September.
Copyright © 2012, DPNLIVE – All Rights Reserved


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AP / Richard Drew, File
Lifestyle queen Martha Stewart’s battle with her New York neighbors has inspired a protest song.
Stewart enraged residents of Katonah in New York state’s Westchester County when she attempted to trademark the village’s name for a range of furniture and home products.
Native Americans were particularly angry at her attempt to trademark Katonah, claiming the village was named after a tribal chief.
Now Marc Black has written a song about the conflict. He says, “The bottom line is, I’m just hoping, I think we all are, that Martha will hear the song.”
Its lyrics include the line, “We love you Martha. And that’s why, I wrote this song. We like you here, you can belong. But you just can’t buy us, and simply own.”
Stewart, meanwhile, has protested her innocence — a spokesperson for her company is insisting place names are frequently used to sell products, and that Stewart only wants to trademark the name to stop her products being copied.
Diane Paterson says, “Place names are commonly used by well-known brands, from Philadelphia Cream Cheese to Nantucket Nectars, without any harm to the residents of those towns.”


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Networking giant and server upstart Cisco Systems' financial results for its most recent quarter show that it's moving in the right direction – even though it has some ways to go and a rabble of competitors that want to take a piece out of its hide. And what direction might that be? It's coming back to its senses and competing …
Not pissing away a Billion $$ on Flip Video...
... would have also helped profits.
- Beijing leans on Microsoft to maintain Windows XP support
- Internet Explorer 11 at it again, breaks Microsoft's own CRM software
- Microsoft tarts up software licensing to fend off 'a few clicks and a credit card' rivals
- Microsoft 'cautiously optimistic' about Christmas sales
- Oi, Obama. Rein your spooks in, demands web giants' alliance


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Dubai has been focussing heavily on boosting its cruise tourism industry, with a goal to welcome one million cruise tourists in the 2020/ 21 season.
In its current 2018/2019 season, the Dubai Cruise Terminals welcomed five international cruise liners in-port on a single day on December 7, with five such instances expected this season.
One of the five cruise ships that arrived on Dubai’s shores on December 7 is Spanish ship Horizon, operated by Pullmantur cruise line.
Making her maiden call to Dubai, Horizon is the first Spanish ship to be deployed in the region.
It is also the first time a Spanish cruise line is homeporting from Dubai.
With Dubai’s Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal serving as its official home port for three months (until March 7), the ship makes weekly trips across the UAE and Oman.
During each homeport, the ship docks for over 36 hours in Dubai, allowing passengers to visit the city.
Gulf Business got an exclusive opportunity to take a tour inside the massive ship, which at 208 meters long and weighing 46,811 tonnes, can accommodate a total of 2,433 people on board including over 1,800 tourists.
The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal – the biggest cruise terminal in the world in term of size and handling capacity – received more than 2.3 million tourists since its inauguration in 2014 and up to till end of 2018.
In 2018, the terminal received 632,700 visitors and welcomed 120 ships.
According to Dubai Tourism, the number of cruise tourists arriving in the emirate is expected to reach 725,000 in the 2018/19 season.
Looking ahead, the emirate is also hoping to serve as the homeport for 10 of the world’s leading international cruise lines.


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Since I took over the editor-in-chief chair at Soundings Trade Only nearly two years back, acquisitions and consolidations have garnered copious coverage both here and in our daily e-newsletter, Trade Only Today.
From the powerhouse moves that
Brunswick, MarineMax and Winnebago have made in just the past few months to the news that Warbird Marine Holdings and Limestone Boats are adding established brands to their arsenals, the shift to addition by acquisition is a big part of the today’s boating business.
In all cases, the parent companies will usher new staff into the fold with their own systems, servers and the like. This may be the riskiest move they make.
After reading Kim Kavin’s truly frightening feature on cybersecurity (see “Are You Ready for Ransomware,” Page 34), I learned that a great deal of companies are sitting ducks for what could be a devastating cyberattack.
While high-profile ransomware attacks on massive companies are the ones that make the news, it’s the small- to medium-sized business that are most vulnerable. As cybersecurity expert John Sileo points out, it just takes a single person to let down his guard and click on a link, and an entire organization’s infrastructure can be crippled.
Planning a defense is a process that goes well beyond drilling employees to be wary of suspicious emails. Mark Oslund, director of standards at the National Marine Electronics Association, sees opportunity, saying robust cybersecurity measures are a way to protect companies and create niche roles within an organization.
If he were a boatbuilder, Oslund says, “I’d be thinking that the [IT] integrator is just as important as the fiberglasser. I’d have an IT guy for computers in the office, and I’d have an IT guy on the floor at every stage, ensuring that the components going into the boat are the latest technology with security in mind.”
Oslund says that NMEA’s OneNet standard for maritime data networking was designed with a closed security system that gives on-board networks an encryption layer to “talk” to a vessel’s other connected devices. As today’s boats become more connected than ever, Oslund says, having a robust security network will be seen as a desirable brand accolade in which buyers will take comfort.
And a new level of comfort is something today’s boaters are looking for in more than just cybersecurity. Take gyrostabilizers; they’ve come a long way in a relatively short time. A colleague reminded me that the early days for industry leader Seakeeper were not that far off, recalling founder Shep McKenney sweating it out at the Miami Beach Convention Center during that city’s February boat show, converting one disciple at a time.
A pair of Italian companies are now looking to make a name in the gyro market (see “On a Roll,” Page 42) with machines that offer modular assembly or air-cooling, taking a different approach that they hope will help them slow Seakeeper’s dominance in the space.
And with corporations big and small embracing a remote-work ethos, sat-com companies are at the ready. Diane Byrne talked to segment leaders Inmarsat and KVH (see “Connectivity Convenience,” Page 40) about a line of products that all but ensures boaters can work from anywhere.
By the time this issue makes it to your inbox or mailbox, I’d all but guarantee that another well-known, substantial brand — as well as a few of those successful, decades-old mom-and-pop outfits — will be under new ownership. I don’t have any inside information; as Bob Dylan aptly sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”
This article was originally published in the October 2021 issue.


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The Coahuila Wines brand, a project involving 22 partners in the wine industry, has won a Gourmet Excellence 2018 award at the International Tourism Fair in Spain.
The award was given in recognition of the Coahuila Wine Association’s creation of the brand, which has seen enormous growth since its beginning in 2014.
The area of land devoted to growing grapes has grown from 400 to 1,000 hectares and the number of wines has grown from 30 to 100 different offerings of red, white, and rosé wines that have won 29 national and international awards in the four years since the brand’s creation.
In 2017, Coahuila Wines produced more than four million bottles, 8.5% of national production.
The brand’s partner companies employ more than 1,500 families in the region, which has also seen an increase in tourism.
The state government provided support to the brand with publicity such as a special edition by Mexico Desconocido magazine along with a video that can still be found on the magazine’s website.
Coahuila faced stiff competition from countries all over the world with 50 different projects nominated in the innovative gastronomical projects category. Coahuila Wines was among the top 10 selected.
The prize was created in 2005 by the international communications conglomerate Excellence Group to promote excellence in markets associated with tourism and culture in the Ibero-American world.
Source: Milenio (sp)


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Testing the Application of Old Laws on New Technology
MIN READOct 12, 2016 | 01:00 GMT
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide in the next few months how much Samsung should pay Apple for infringing patented design elements of the iPhone.
(PETER MACDIARMID/Getty Images)
Representatives for two cellphone giants, Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics, stood before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, presenting their sides in a case of patent infringement. The original dispute is not over Samsung's infringement of a patent on a technical component of its rival's smartphone but rather its copying of distinctive design elements of the iPhone. In lower courts, Apple has prevailed on the merits of the case, and Samsung is not trying to reverse those decisions. The culmination of the four-year legal battle will be about the amount of money that the design infringement should be worth.
Under U.S. law governing design patents, Apple was awarded damages equal to the South Korean conglomerate's entire profit on its infringing smartphone. Apple contends that its patented iPhone design is the key to the benefit and utility of the device, and thus the award is justified, while Samsung argues that the internal...
To empower members to confidently understand and navigate a continuously changing and complex global environment.


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A “Sold Out” sign stands outside a house after a snowfall in Geneseo, Illinois.
Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Closed sales of previously owned homes in December fell 4.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.18 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales fell 7.1% year over year.
However, December ended a year of strong sales, most of which were fueled by the pandemic and the largest generation, millennials, who are ahead of their home buying years. Full-year 2021 sales were 6.12 million, an 8.5% increase over 2020. Sales were the strongest year since 2006.
Sales would have been higher had it not been for the incredibly low supply. There were only 910,000 homes for sale at the end of December, down 14.2% from December 2020. At the current sales pace, that supply represents 1.8 months. A balanced market between buyers and sellers is usually on offer for 4-6 months. Both total supply and month supply have been at all-time lows in NAR’s inventory count, since tracking began in 1982.
“Home builders have already made strides in 2022 to increase supply, but reversing gaps like the ones we saw recently will take years to correct,” said Lawrence Yun, Realtors chief economist.
Low supply continued to put pressure on prices. The median price of an existing home sold in December was $358,000, an increase of 15.8% over December 2020. This is a slight acceleration of home price gains, meaning that demand is still very strong.
By price category, sales continue to be stronger at the higher end of the market, simply because there is so much on offer out there. Sales of homes between $100,000 and $250,000 were down 23% in December compared to last December, while sales of homes between $750,000 and $1 million were up 32%. Sales of homes over $1 million are up 38%.
For the full year, the median price was $346,900, a record high and the fastest price growth since 1999. With the price up 17% year over year, the average homeowner gained $50,200 in housing wealth in the past year alone.
Strong demand was also evident in the average number of days it took to sell a home in December, just 19, which is considered very fast. In December 2020, the number of days on the market was 21. All cash purchases remained high at 23% of total sales. Investors are also staying active, accounting for 17% of December sales, up from 14% a year earlier.
Home prices have risen over the past two years, in part due to very low interest rates. This may be about to change. The average price on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in October and November, when most December sales contracts were signed, was about 60 basis points lower than it is today. Mortgage rates have risen rapidly over the past month, and some expect this to ease home prices going forward.
First-time buyers appear to be returning to the market, making up 30% of sales after a weaker 24% showing in November. These buyers may be impulsive, worried that mortgage rates will move higher, and may end up with exorbitant rates.
“We expect mortgage rates to continue to rise, and some people may want to go up as rates go up more, but others may be priced in,” Yoon said. “But higher rates usually lower home sales.”


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Warning over scam email that asks to help stranded traveller
POLICE are warning residents of central Somerset of a scam email doing the rounds.
This week residents have been receiving emails from friends and associates, saying they had been visiting Malmö in Sweden.
Their bag containing their money, passport and credit cards had been stolen and they needed help.
A second variation of the email states that they have lost their wallet and phone, and a hotel has taken their passport custody, until payment has been made.
FREE WHEATGERM WITH EVERY POND HEATER www.blagdon-water-gardens.c...View details
Protect your pond fish this winter. Purchase the resun 100w pond heater £39.99 from www.blagdon-water-gardens.co.uk and we will give you a pot of Tetra wheatgerm 1l winter fishfood worth £4.99 FREE
Contact: 01934 316673
Valid until: Friday, February 28 2014
Both the Glastonbury Food Bank in Glastonbury and a number of private email addresses have been used to send out the email.
But, in all cases, the sender is actually safe and well at home, and their email account has been hacked and the password changed.
In most cases, the owner of the email account has received an message falsely claiming to be from their email provider, asking for their user name and password because of problems opening emails.
Ros Smith from the Glastonbury Foodbank hurriedly emailed all her contacts to let them know she was actually safe and well, and still in the UK.
"I'm safely in Glastonbury, so please ignore any messages to the contrary," she said.
The con is a variation on the internet crime known as a '419' scam that have cost victims thousands of pounds.
Internet security site net-security.org says that although the scam is a convincing one, there are a few things people can look out for:
The "To" field often contains the same address as the "From" field as the scammer has BCC-ed the entire contact list.
No personal touches in the email
You may not be a close friend with the supposed sender, perhaps merely acquaintances.
It has been estimated that internet scams in which criminals use information they trick from gullible victims, and commonly strip their bank accounts, cost the United Kingdom economy £150 million per year, with the average victim losing £31,000.
For more information, visit www.hoax-slayer.com/stran ded-scam.shtml.


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Is this the End of Crumb Rubber Infill?
After consultation and discussion, the European Chemicals Agency has decided to recommend the ban on the use of crumb rubber infill on artificial sports surfaces.
The Future of the Crumb Rubber Infill Market Lies in the Balance
The impact this will have on many operations which are dedicated to supplying crumb rubber will be immense. Only this week EuRIC argued the case for crumb rubber in a belated last-ditch defence of crumb rubber infill.
The proposed restriction appears not to impact polymer-bonded surfaces such as running tracks or play surfaces. However, the larger...


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Galax revealed the GeForce RTX 2080 Super and RTX 2070 Super EX Pink Edition.
Researchers changed the clock rates on an AMD Radeon GPU to transmit data via radio waves to steal data.
The ASRock Radeon RX 5500 XT Challenger ITX graphics card targets tiny systems but punches above its weight.
A rep from Schenker revealed that Nvidia quietly refreshed the GeForce RTX 2070 and RTX 2060 graphics cards for laptops.
Following the release of new CoWoS tech last month, TSMC is witnessing a surge in demand and is operating CoWoS packaging at full capacity.
EVGA's GTX 1650 line is the latest to receive the GDDR6 treatment, with EVGA claiming a 5% performance increase.
Chinese media revealed the first test results for the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card with GDDR6 memory instead of GDDR5.
3DMark benchmarks for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super mobile and a new RTX 2060 mobile have arrived.
DLSS 2.0 adds improved performance, image quality, customizability, and should be much easier for devs to implement.
Intel proof-of-concept combines Intel HD 530 integrated graphics with an AMD Radeon RX 480 graphics card to simulate four million particles.
DigiTimes sources claimed motherboard and GPU shipments may not rebound in Q3 as expected due to the coronavirus outbreak.
We expected news about the Ampere GPU architecture from the online-only GTC happening in a few days, but we'll have to wait a little longer.


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Equity Group Holding, Kenya’s biggest bank by market value, expects its financial-technology unit to bring in as much as 2.2 billion shillings ($22 million) of revenue in its first year of independent operations, according to Chief Executive Officer James Mwangi.
The bank “has resolved to make Finserve an independent commercial subsidiary,” Mwangi said in a statement published in the Nairobi-based Sunday Nation newspaper. The unit serves 1.96 million subscribers on its mobile-banking platform, Equitel, he said.
The unit, Finserve Africa Ltd., became an independent entity this year and facilitates cross-border transactions in seven Eastern African nations worth 2 billion shillings each month, according to the statement. It has a startup capital base of 1 billion shillings and its assets are valued at 1.98 billion shillings, Mwangi said.
The wholly owned subsidiary will use its parent’s partnerships with companies including American Express Co., Alipay and WeChat to capitalize on global transactions and payments through Equitel, which operates Equity’s Jenga Payment Gateway.
Equity introduced Equitel in May 2014 as profitability from some regional units declined, and to take advantage of Kenyans’ affinity for mobile money for payments and micro-loans. Kenya’s biggest mobile-money platform known as M-Pesa, belonging to the local unit of Vodacom Group Ltd., processed 1.48 trillion shillings of transactions in the first quarter, or 79 percent of the country’s total.
Finserve has been in negotiations with six Ethiopian banks on cross-border mobile payments and e-commerce, Managing Director Jack Ngare said in August. Ethiopians living abroad sent about $4.6 billion back home last year, about a quarter of the nation’s annual foreign-exchange earnings.


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Apple isn’t the world’s most valuable company for no reason, but does the iPhone-maker need to tread lightly amid an App Store ‘rebellion’?
Aug. 14, 2020
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has always had an ‘interesting’ relationship with app developers, to say the least. Sure, it’s the second-largest app market in the world — behind Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Play Store — but the 30% cut on digital sales that Apple takes from developers appears to have left the company on the verge of a full-scale developer revolt. And it’s all because of Fortnite.
Just look at our returns versus that of the S&P 500! Click here to find out how we continue to beat the market and view the list of stocks we think will turn out to be the next Amazon, Tesla, or Netflix!
An ‘Epic’ legal battle
On Thursday, one of the most popular games in modern history, Fortnite, was removed from the App Store after the iPhone-maker claimed that the game’s creator, Epic Games, had violated App Store policies. The game has been downloaded on the App Store 2.4 million times in the past 30 days alone, highlighting its popularity. Apple gave a statement on the matter:
“Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users. As a result, their Fortnite app has been removed from the store.”
How did Epic Games respond? Well, they’ve had enough and they’re suing the world’s most valuable company, stating:
“Apple’s removal of Fortnite is yet another example of Apple flexing its enormous power in order to impose unreasonable restraints and unlawfully maintain its 100% monopoly over the iOS In-App Payment Processing Market.”
Epic actually used Apple’s own tactics against them, creating a Fortnite version of Apple’s own famous ‘1984’ advert, and I must admit it’s pretty fantastic:
I did a side by side comparison between Apple’s 1984 AD & Fortnite’s 1984 Parody.
(Watch using Headphones to hear audio separately) pic.twitter.com/qwMHX1whJu
— SexyNutella (@SexyNutella_) August 13, 2020
The game was also removed from the Google Play store, and Epic is also suing them, but nobody seems all that interested in talking about that part of the story…
Smells like revolution
Although this is neither the first, nor likely the last of such an instance, Apple is definitely treading on thin ice right now having just come out of a fresh investigation into its anticompetitive behavior. When CEO Tim Cook dialed into Capitol Hill last month — alongside the heads of Google, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), and Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) — he did defend the company rather well, pointing out that Apple has no monopoly over any market, nor should it be punished for simply being “a good business”. Cook also defended Apple’s App Store policies at the hearing and said that if customers don’t like its rules, “you can buy a Samsung.”
However, app developers may now have a champion that they can all get behind to prove that Apple is pricing out ‘smaller’ businesses — Epic is worth $18 billion, but I guess everyone’s a small business when compared to Apple. Some other big names such as Tinder-parent Match (NASDAQ: MTCH) and Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) have shown their support for Epic on social media, having had their own gripes with Apple’s 30% policy in the past. Not sure Spotify has a toe to stand on here though, never mind a leg if you consider its abhorrent pay of artists that stream on their platform, but that’s another story.
And let’s not forget about the power of the consumers’ voice. Roughly $519 billion in commerce is generated on the App Store by its estimated 1.4 billion device users, and Apple has just infuriated an entire subsection of them: gamers.
One quick browse of Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) will show just how irritated the gaming community is, with calls for boycotts of the App Store and Apple products swirling. This might seem far-fetched, but so was the Facebook ad boycott, and look how far that’s gotten?
Will there be repercussions?
It’s still far too early to say and coming back to my Facebook ad boycott example, we already saw that this did not massively affect its revenue — which smashed expectations in Q2. Though one could argue that this is also too early to analyze, while the long-term damage to Facebook’s already sketchy reputation may not be felt for some time.
Apple could face a similar staining of its relatively clean reputation, whilst also prompting a further antitrust investigation, or even sanctions, against its App Store practices. And also, never underestimate the power of Gen Zers! Fortnite is their game, and much like when TikTok users messed with President Trump’s rally numbers, they could also find creative ways to mess with Apple too for taking away their favorite game.
Perhaps this influence is why Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is really after TikTok…
MyWallSt operates a full disclosure policy. MyWallSt staff currently hold positions in companies mentioned above. Read our full disclosure policy here.


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Smart video advertising at the petrol pump – rolling out in 115 countries globally
July 26, 2007 Pay-at-the-pump petrol is a great convenience for drivers, but it sucks profit away from the retailer, who makes the majority of his profit from convenience store sales. Petrol buyers are the perfect target for point-of-sale advertising – they’re already out of their car, and what’s another five dollars of snacks or coffee on top of a $50 fill-up? To catch more of these disposable dollars as they come through, a global partnership between three market giants is about to target every petrol customer in 115 countries with a sophisticated video advertising campaign right at the pump, and it promises to change the gas station experience for good.
Fuel sales account for 70 percent of convenience store revenues, yet 68 percent of the industry's gross profit dollars come from in-store sales, according to a recent survey. With only 53 percent of gas customers visiting the convenience store, there’s a clear opportunity to raise profits just by getting people in the door – and a new partnership between digital merchandising specialists EK3, software giant Microsoft and petrol pump manufacturer Dresser Wayne is about to go all-out to convert gasoline buyers into convenience store customers.
Using video screens built into the petrol pump apparatus, the partnership will display targeted video advertising to highlight in-store deals and promotions and draw people into the store. The EK3/Dresser Wayne partnership allows station owners of any size to customize promotions, offer printable coupons, build brand loyalty and engage in "day-parting" - such as promoting coffee and breakfast foods in the morning and soft drinks and snacks in the afternoon.
The media is loaded through a simple Web interface that enables new promotions to be put together and trialed very quickly – opening up opportunities for store owners to sell advertising space to other local businesses as a further revenue stream. Owners of multiple stores and national petroleum networks can “narrowcast” their nationwide or network-wide offers with similar ease.
Under the new partnership, the system will be rolled out in a massive 115 countries around the world through Dresser Wayne’s gas pump distribution networks. It’s already being utilized in some chains, such as BP sites and The Home Depot gasoline stations and the Army Air Force Exchange Services in the USA. It is due to launch in Europe in September.