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The operation of the new lines started on Wednesday, bringing the daily fabric production capacity to 12 tonnes, an amount sufficient to produce 12 million medical masks, according to Sinopec Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Co., Ltd.
As the essential material to make medical masks, melt-blown non-woven fabric is the filtering layer in the middle part of the mask.
The Sinopec Beijing subsidiary started building its first two production lines on Feb. 24, which was put into operation on March 8.
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, the company had produced 245.39 tonnes of melt-blown non-woven fabric, including 17.97 tonnes of fabric for the production of respirators.
Sinopec is the upstream producer of the polypropylene raw materials in the industrial mask chain. Faced with the market shortage of masks, the company invested 300 million yuan (42 million U.S. dollars) to build the production facilities in its subsidiary of Sinopec Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Co., Ltd. in Beijing and Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fibre in Jiangsu.


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A supermarket chain is under fire in Britain after it was revealed that products being sold as acceptable for Muslims actually contained pork.
Scottish company Punjab Pakora makes the black pudding product sold at Aldi stores in the U.K., and recently, it was revealed that despite being sold as halal, the food contains pork blood, pork stock and pork skins. Devout Muslims do not eat pork or any products from a pig.
"The mistake happened when we did the print run and unfortunately our manager failed to spot this error and got approval for printing,” Kushal and Vinita Duggal, owners of Punjab Pakora, said following the revelation. “We have been trying our very best and hardest (to correct the issue) and have contacted different clients involved and have sorted the issue.”
Aldi, a global supermarket chain, also released a statement saying it is working out the issue with Punjab Pakora and apologizing for their oversight.
“Regarding the Punjab Pakora Black Pudding Pakora (Supplied by Punjab Pakora), we have now investigated this matter with the supplier, who has advised that the packaging was incorrectly labeled as Halal-certified and the problem is currently being rectified,” Aldi said in a statement. “We apologize for any confusion caused by this unfortunate, isolated matter. While this is not a food safety or legal compliance issue, any customers who are not satisfied are welcome to return their purchase to store for a full refund.”
Despite apologies, Muslim people have expressed their outrage towards the supermarket and food company.
“It is demoralizing and goes against ones religious morals and scripture,” Manahil Khan told the Daily Mail. “And I speak on behalf of every Muslim and human that does not deserve to be misled by any sort of false claim of halal food or lies about what we consume.”
RELATED: 36 Gifs You’ll Never See Coming
Photo Sources: Via Metro, Daily Mail

domain: news


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The mobile unit has an equipment problem, too. Like most government agencies, the FTC issues Blackberries to key officials. Poss, the unit's director, has one. The Blackberry dominated when Al Gore ran for president, but today it's barely an also-ran with just 12 percent of the smartphone market. That's not a problem if you only use your Blackberry for texts, emails and calls. But it's a problem if, like Poss, your job is to keep track of what's happening in the smartphone market. Most consumers use Androids or iPhones, and most of the apps written for them are not available on the Blackberry.
If Poss wants to learn what's going on in the 88 percent of the smartphone market that her Blackberry cannot access, she would need to leave her office and go to one of the FTC labs, where she can use or check out an iPhone or Android. It's a clunky setup, so she resorts to a familiar workaround: She uses her personal smartphones. She has an iPhone as well as an Android.
A moment after she mentioned this in an interview, she added, "I probably shouldn't be saying that."
FTC officials are reluctant to talk about their lack of funding, partly because public whining, especially during hard economic times, is infrequently rewarded. It's also politically unwise. A vocal portion of the electorate believes the government and its regulatory arms have too much money and power as it is. Additionally, the FTC is trying to keep the tech industry honest by hinting that the feds are watching everything. It does not help if Silicon Valley realizes the FTC possesses just a handful of iPhones and Androids that are kept under lock and key in the basement.
The interview with Poss was conducted in an office on the third floor of the FTC's headquarters, with an FTC spokeswoman on hand. When Poss was asked whether it wouldn't make sense for the director of the Mobile Technology Unit to have a government-issued iPhone or Android, the spokeswoman, Claudia Farrell, interceded.
"He's trying to get you to bitch, Patti. Don't do it."
Poss, a lawyer who has worked at the FTC for more than 12 years, began to look uncomfortable, as though she was in the witness box, unsure what she was supposed to say. She made amends by noting she can use her office computer to look at the smartphone app descriptions posted on the websites where they are sold. Then she reversed herself.
"Actually, you can't," Poss said. "We have some restrictions on the sites we can visit on government computers."
She hesitantly mentioned that Apple's app store is among the sites blocked by the FTC's security system. If she wants to look at the most popular websites for mobile apps, she has to go to a basement lab.
Farrell joined the conversation again.
"You're not going to make this a gut-wrenching story about how Patti has to leave the confines of her office to do her work?"


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In the ebb and flow of technology trends, procurement models have generally been among the less volatile elements. However, extraordinary forces have emerged with the potential to seriously disrupt sourcing models.
Stories by Louis van Wyk
Microsoft New Zealand managing director Helen Robinson is leaving the company.
In a statement released on 21 September, Robinson announced she would officially leave Microsoft on 30 October 2007 to seek “new business challenges” after two years with the company.


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Spot rates have fallen for the first time since Q1 2020 following low peak season demand, inflation, decreased consumer confidence and high inventory levels. Contract rates rise again but the fall in spot rates, coupled with clear indicators of lower demand, suggest contract prices will eventually begin to fall too. Any impact on rates from falling demand will however be moderated by supply side cost pressures.
Use the Q4 2022 European Road Freight Rate Development Benchmark report to track volatile pricing and plan for future price changes as the market softens.
Please enter your details below to download the full report for free:


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Indonesia's ride-hailing company, Go-Jek, is considering to enter the ride-hailing industry in the Philippines. GoJek was founded in 2010, and has grown to provide 18 different services. It is looking to offer transport network vehicle service (TNVS), and has already talked to representatives of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Competition is a main concern among Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) operating in the Philippines. Plenty of attention was given to the sale that saw Grab buying the Southeast Asian operations of its long-time rival, Uber. A probe was initiated by the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), and it was even reported that Grab would get 93 percent of the Philippine market share.
“GoJek is interested to enter and provide TNVS (transport network vehicle service). which is only one of the 18 services they offer,” LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada told reporters on Monday this week.
“GoJek is big; we need to study well as we need to protect the local players,” she added, noting that the firm wanted to set up shop in all Philippine cities with taxi services.
Grab Philippines currently dominates the local ride-hailing industry after its parent bought Uber’s operations in Southeast Asia. In an effort to boost competition, the LTFRB has accredited smaller players such as Micab, Hirna, Hype, LagGo and Owto.
Lizada said that Indonesia does not regulate ride-hailing firms and noted that GoJek was implementing substantially higher surge prices.
“Go Jek can surge up to times five in Indonesia. I told them dito (here) up to times two only. Then I asked them , will you survive? They said they need to study [this],” she added.
The LTFRB had ordered Grab Philippines to lower its surge rate from the maximum 2.0x to 1.5x when the Uber acquisition was being completed.
As ride-hailing services have become indispensable to Southeast Asia's infrastructure, the abrupt rise of now-dominant player Grab has shaken up the industry in the region. With the exit of U.S.-based Uber Technologies, competition in the field is entering a new charter.
Grab announced in March that it would absorb the operations of erstwhile rival Uber in the eight Southeast Asian markets where they had previously competed.
In the region's biggest market, Indonesia, rival Go-Jek has taken off since introducing its own app in 2015. Go-Jek's market share is estimated to be larger than that of Grab, and it is Indonesia's first homegrown unicorn, counting Google among its investors.
Grab, which started out as a taxi-booking app provider in Malaysia in 2012, now operates in nearly 200 cities in eight Southeast Asian countries. Uber entered the region in 2013, and both services skyrocketed, thanks partly to a growing array of transport options, including cabs, private cars, and motorbikes that can weave through the gridlock that plagues many Southeast Asian cities.
According to U.S. research company Frost & Sullivan, ride-hailing services were used a total of 6.1 billion times in six major Southeast Asian countries in 2016. The company estimates the market size at $20.4 billion and sees growth of 6.5% a year through 2021.
A recent survey by Thailand's Assumption University showed that 89% of respondents found such services comfortable and convenient. Similarly, nearly 80% of Indonesians recently polled by Universitas Indonesia said they would be unsure what to do without local market leader Go-Jek.
Such positive market penetration has drawn investments from big multinational companies such as SoftBank Group, Honda Motor and Hyundai Motor, which have all provided financing to Grab. U.S. research company CB Insights calculates Grab's valuation at $6 billion, among Southeast Asia's few "unicorns" -- privately held companies worth $1 billion or more.
Yet rivals to Grab's dominance in markets other than Indonesia are already emerging. Japanese chat app provider Line has introduced a taxi-booking service in Thailand, while upstart MyCar started operations in Malaysia in April.
Even Go-Jek, which hasn't yet ventured outside of its home market of Indonesia, is said to be mulling expanding its business to other countries. The Philippines is likely one destination, as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Member Aileen Lizada confirmed to Nikkei Asian Review that the Indonesian company has requested a meeting with the regulator.
The competition goes beyond ride hailing, as companies expand into a variety of other fields in an effort to attract more customers and drivers. Many of these services are not typically found in the developed markets of the West, and represent an evolution for the region's motorbike taxis beyond just transporting people.
During a recent lunchtime in a Bangkok business district, a GrabFood driver was commissioned through the Grab app to drop off three orders of pork and rice. The driver paid for the meals himself before delivering them by scooter to an agreed location. There, he was repaid for the purchase and received an additional 100 baht ($3.20) for the delivery from Grab.
In Indonesia, Go-Jek Food also offers food delivery, one of a wide range of services it provides. Customers can request housecleaning, auto repair, and even massages. CEO Nadiem Makarim describes such services as "game-changers."
The next battleground among these companies may be finance. Much of Southeast Asia's population does not have access to banking services, and paying cash while shopping remains the norm. Just over 30% of Filipinos and Indonesians have bank accounts.
According to forecasts by Capgemini and BNP Paribas, noncash payments in emerging Asian markets are set to swell by an average of over 30% annually through 2020. In Indonesia, the value of e-money transactions jumped 130% between 2015 and 2017.
Such growth entices not only banks into the payments business, but retailers, telecommunications companies and rail operators as well.
Grab has 2.4 million drivers throughout Southeast Asia, while Go-Jek has 1 million in Indonesia. Roughly 84,000 passenger cars alone, not counting the ubiquitous motorbike taxis, are registered with ride-hailing services in Indonesia, surpassing the 62,000 cabs. In 2017, the country's largest taxi operator, Blue Bird Group, reported falls of more than 10% in revenue and net profit.
Source : Manila Times | Nikkei Asian Review


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As part of the ambitious Smart Cities Mission, the researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have designed charging ports for drones atop streetlights.
Battery backup is a major challenge that drones are facing at the moment. The technical team working at the Robert Bosch Centre, IISC, has addressed this problem. Now, drones can skip returning to base stations or crash landing once the batteries are drained.
The innovation is the brainchild of Dr Ashish V Joglekar, a technical staff at the Robert Bosch Centre. Joglekar, along with the assistance of Vishwas Navada, designed the charging ports, which will be installed on top of streetlight poles.
At the recent IISc Open Day, the team demonstrated how the system works. “When the battery is about to be exhausted, drones will search for the nearest charging port installed on streetlight poles. Drones can independently search for the nearest port using GPS and can home in,” Joglekar told DH.
This will initially cater to online shopping platforms, planning to deliver merchandise using drones, where battery backup is the prime concern. A drone low on battery will complete charging within an hour.
“We are working on reducing the charging time,” said Vishwas Navada adding that the facility will serve many other purposes than just product delivery.”
The team is to hold talks with concerned authorities like the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and power generators bodies to bring in norms and specifications for the ports.
“We are expecting norms to be passed on the mode of drone landing assistance, types of drones that can have the feature, safety and charging capability,” Joglekar further added.
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The Fourth Industrial Revolution, known as Industry 4.0, is already bringing tremendous industrial growth and opportunities for innovation in the manufacturing sector. With increased outputs and significant logistical operations, maintaining a sustainable supply chain is crucial to managing the environmental impact and profitability of a business.
The importance of incorporating sustainability in supply chains has been a recent focus for academia and industry alike. To achieve sustainability, a company must address environmental, social, economic and legal concerns across its entire supply network.
Dr. Craig Marsh - Pro Vice Chancellor and Director of Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln
“From Green to Sustainable Supply Chains: Best Practices and Emerging Challenges”
Professor Charbel Jose Chiappetta Jabbour - Global Professor in Sustainable Operations & Supply Chain Management, University of Lincoln
“Eminox’s Path Towards a Sustainable Supply Chain”
Martin Catchpole, Eminox
The event will also include opportunities to engage with fellow manufacturing businesses in the region, facilitated by virtual breakout discussions.
For more information, please contact the GLMN team via firstname.lastname@example.org
With thanks to:
The University of Lincoln, The Greater Lincolnshire LEP Manufacturing Board, Business Lincolnshire and Make UK.


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Certain soaps may increase kids’ allergy risk
According to a recent report from New London, Connecticut, news provider The Day, parents that allow their children to use antibacterial soaps with triclosan could be putting them at risk for more acute seasonal allergies.
The report cited a study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan in its 2003 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey. In this document, the scientists found that children less than 18 years old who had high levels of triclosan were more likely to have hay fever and other forms of seasonal allergies.
Triclosan is a chemical that can be found in a number of sources, and parents may want to take note. For example, it can be found in toothpaste, acne products, deodorant and shaving gel, the news source reports. According to research from the National Resources Defense Council, the chemical can be found in about 75 percent of liquid soaps.
While parents will surely want to note the research when they conduct their daily shopping, moms and dads of children with allergies can take steps to help mitigate their symptoms. For example, parents who want to make a serious investment in their children's safety can choose to purchase powerful air cleaners and purifiers.
Air purifiers, for instance, are capable of removing pollen, mold spores and household dust from the air with ease. This type of product can release a certain square feet of air per minute, and some items are even available with a lifetime filter guarantee.
With this added incentive, parents could save up to $100 per year on replacement filters. In addition, by purchasing this item from an online reseller, parents can find prices that are 25 percent below the standard asking price they see at other retailers.


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The Top 6 Stories in Freight
Here’s what’s happening this week:
- An avalanche of port volume will press OTR freight into Q1
- Cass Index predicts elevated freight volumes and growth in 2021
- Holiday pause will create freight bottleneck in the new year
- Bracketing season has carriers trading pricing power for home time
- Vaccine distribution will put pressure on the whole cold chain business
- Analysts are predicting an accelerated truckload market in 2021
The hottest stories in freight can be found here, in the Weekly Freight Report:
1. Port volume will press OTR freight into Q1
Container volume is seeing the biggest upswing in 10 years. By now everyone is aware of the issue on the West Coast ports. But now the sheer volume is spilling over to East Coast ports. It’s an avalanche of volume that will press the over the load freight systems in the US well into Q1. This is a clear sign that January volumes and rates will not see the normal winter lull. Get the details here.
2. Freight volumes expected to grow in 2021
The Cass Freight Index shows shipping volumes dipped 2.2% in November when compared to October. This is the first dip in five consecutive months of strong recovery. But the slump isn’t expected to last. ACT Research expects a 3.9% U.S. GDP growth in 2021. And Cass predicts that low inventories at U.S. retailers and vaccine distributions will elevate shipping volumes in the new year. Shippers, this means rates are likely to accelerate as well. Get the full details.
3. Holiday pause will create freight bottlenecks
You can expect the new year to kick off with a bang in the freight world. Much of the supply chain will take the week off between Christmas and New Year’s. And when they return… they’ll come back to a massive backlog of freight. With volumes at all-time highs, freight will be left to pile up and ports and docks with far less capacity to move or store it. And when you throw holiday returns into the mix… all transportation modes and warehousing will be stressed. Read the article.
4. Carriers trade pricing power for home time
It’s bracketing season! And it could be good or bad news for shippers… depending on where your freight is located. The good news? If the shipment brings the carrier home, they’ll be more willing to give up pricing power. The bad news? If your load is out of the way, finding any capacity will be extremely difficult. Tender rejections are up and The Outbound Tender Rejection Index is sitting at 26.75%. That number is expected to go up and higher as we get closer to Christmas. Get the details here.
5. Vaccine demand puts pressure on supply chain
Everyone is talking about the vaccine. And those in the supply chain are talking about how distribution plays into an already thin supply of trucks. 300 million doses of the COVID vaccine will be shipped across the U.S. in the coming months. And while that normally wouldn’t phase the freight market, this year isn’t like any other. Capacity is tight everywhere. The distribution of the vaccine will extend beyond the small group in the pharma supply chain and will likely impact the whole cold chain business. While no one can completely predict the effect, look for reefer rates to stay high through the first half of 2021 as the spillover supplies touch the broader market. Get the story here.
6. Analysts expect accelerated market in 2021
What’s in store for the TL market in 2021? Most analysts expect the strong cycle to continue. A look into the crystal ball shows the economy re-opening, manufacturing recovering, delayed cap-ex getting back to normal and the re-stocking cycle to continue. All this points to continued high volume, limited capacity and, yes, high rates. When will it end? When the demand cycle rolls over. Get the details and strap in.
Need help moving freight across North America? FLS can help. Our network of 54,000 carriers and 400,000 trucks is a great asset to any shipper… and our service levels are impeccable. Give us a try… Get a quote today!


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As discussed in our previous article, developing virtual banks in Hong Kong is not easy. This article will explore why virtual banks still choose to grasp the nettle. Although FinTech’s future in Hong Kong is not yet bright, virtual banks need not be discouraged. Virtual banks’ comparative advantage over electronic banks is its service chain of the group behind its collection. SC Digital Solutions, led by standard chartered, said the virtual bank would take advantage of its partners’ unique telecommunications, entertainment, and travel services to market retail financial services and products, providing personalized customer service. Livi VB, a joint venture of Boc Hong Kong, will also use cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data, and intelligent risk modeling to create a simple, seamless and safe digital ecosystem.
Diversified in services and products, virtual banks are also convenient and cost-effective. Transactions are fast and interest savings are high. It is believed that virtual banks may disrupt traditional commercial banking industries, rending banking as a simple time-saving “behavior” rather than a physical “place”. As discussed before, virtual banks are not substitutes of electronic banks given it offers different competitive services and products.
Virtual banks in foreign countries are diversified and have different bargaining chips. Revoult in the UK offers free international remittances, free financial budgets, instant cash transfer and purchase of cryptocurrency; Germany’s Fidor links its interest rate to the number of “likes” on Facebook to attract customers. The Mainland’s Alibaba launches the “Zhima Credit“, a private crediting scoring that can be based on social media interactions and transactions done on Alibaba Group websites. A higher credit score means easier access to loans. Therefore, the financial sectors say that the objective of the HKMA launching virtual banks is to facilitate FinTech innovation and collaboration with creative institutions and foreign enterprises.
Interestingly enough, where social corporate responsibility is highly upheld in the 20th century, virtual banks promote financial inclusion—that individuals and businesses have equal access to useful financial services and products that are delivered responsibly and sustainably. The World Bank, the United Nations, and other international organizations proposed it in 2005, with an aim to benefit the disadvantaged neglected by the traditional finance system, such as rural poor groups and SMEs. If virtual banks flourish and take full advantage of technology, the issue of “financing banking’s discrimination against the poor” will be tackled. For example, the Global Development Laboratory in the US has made use of big data to grant loans to poor people who wish to start a business or become self-sufficient.
At the end of the day, the answer to the question “virtual banks: to be or not to be? to benefit or not to benefit?” depends on whether they can make the most of technology to tackle the pain points of the current financing banking system. The question follows then that is: are we solving a purely technical problem or a system one? If it is a system issue, can virtual banks generate additional value? If not, why would Hong Kong people open virtual bank accounts when they already own traditional or even electronic banking accounts? If not, are we setting up virtual banks just for the sake of it?
However, there is no doubt that whoever companies can systematically deal with the aforementioned banking pain points, whether they physical banks or virtual banks, Chinese-funded companies or British-funded companies, they will become unicorns. In the future, can virtual banks surmount all difficulties and rise up? Let’s look forward to it!
FinMonster provides a one-stop platform for Corporates to quickly obtain suitable banking support and compare the best prices. We regularly share the latest banking and FinTech trends, as well as quick tips like info pack that helps SMEs financing. Stay tuned with our website and Facebook.


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It’s not uncommon to receive a notice about a vehicle recall in the mail. Most of the time, the issues are related to something minor — like a faulty backup camera or software program causing issues.
There are times when those issues aren’t so minor, however. Remember that massive Toyota and Lexus recall that was issued a couple of months back? That recall was due to a serious safety issue with the fuel pump, causing some vehicles to stall unexpectedly while in motion.
Well, another massive and serious auto recall is happening right now. It was already the largest recall in history and another 5.9 million trucks and SUVs were just added to the list. Read on to find out what’s causing the recall and if your vehicle is on the list.
The biggest auto recall in history
The current recall is related to an ongoing issue with Takata air bags. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has noted on several occasions that these air bags can explode and deploy randomly, sending metal shrapnel into the air and causing serious injuries to drivers and passengers.
Explosions have already caused about 18 U.S. deaths and 27 worldwide. There are currently tens of millions of vehicles under recall due to faulty Takata air bags. Another 5.9 million trucks and SUVs were just added to the list by the NHTSA as well.
According to the NHTSA, “air bags that are part of this new recall have defective inflators that could explode or cause the air bag to not inflate properly when it deploys. A faulty seal on the inflator is believed to cause the problem. If the inflator is not sealed properly, moisture can get into the propellant used to inflate the air bag and cause the inflator to malfunction.
‘This could lead to the air bag deploying slowly during a crash, which means it won’t protect you as it’s designed. Or, it could also lead to the inflator deploying aggressively and even exploding. The metal parts from the exploding inflator could injure or kill someone.”
This new round of recalls focuses on affected GM vehicles. They include full-size pickup trucks and SUVs from the 2007 through 2014 model years, including the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups.
The Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe and Avalanche, the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 and the GMC Yukon are also included.
But while GM vehicles are the focus of this new recall, GM owners aren’t the only ones who should take note of the issue. Prior recalls included Subaru, Toyota, BMW, Audi, Honda, Chrysler, Ford, Nissan and Mitsubishi vehicles — as well as a ton of others.
The problem isn’t just that the issue is widespread. It’s also not being resolved as quickly as it should be. According to the NHTSA, as of September 2020, more than 11.1 million vehicles covered under the recall had not been fixed — not including this new round of recalls.
Related: This vehicle recall app is just one of the new tools you can use to get recall alerts
What vehicles are on the list?
Given the serious nature of the recall, it’s important to know whether your vehicle requires repairs. It could be one of the 11.1 million that hasn’t been repaired — or one of the new 5.9 million vehicles that were just added to the list.
NHTSA has given GM 30 days to hand over a proposed schedule to notify vehicle owners and start the recall. However, if you think your vehicle is affected, you can get a head start on the process.
To find out if your vehicle is part of the recall, you can visit the NHTSA website at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and key in your 17-digit vehicle identification number. Make sure you have your VIN on hand before you start to help streamline the process.
You can also sign up to get email alerts regarding the issue. If you confirm that your car is affected, you should get the recall fixed immediately by contacting your local auto dealer.


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Walmart is building its narrative about its role in labor, racial justice and environmental issues, following a year in which the success of big-box retail during the COVID-19 pandemic, in contrast to the conditions and wages of retail workers, has sparked renewed discussion.
In its latest environmental, social and governance report, a summary of which the retailer outlined Thursday, were metrics that painted a specific vision of the retailer’s operations. Walmart’s average hourly wage in the U.S. is now $19.50, the retailer has promoted more than 300,000 employees, shelled out some $2.8 billion in bonuses over the course of 2020, and the retailer is aiming to bring its emissions to zero by 2040, the report stated. Walmart also generated a record $560 billion in revenues last year, it acknowledged.
The company’s executives have recently had to field questions about wages for its lowest paid associates, who still make $11 an hour, as well about its own workers’ ability to have a greater say in safety protocols during the pandemic.
The retailer’s ability to deploy its vast employee base — some 1.5 million workers in the U.S. — toward executing its increasing emphasis on e-commerce and fulfillment operations has fueled questions about its store and warehouse workers’ role and agency in the company. Similar questions have arisen around Walmart’s biggest competitor, Amazon.
All the Looks at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival
“Our associates innovated to safely serve customers and aid relief efforts — many of which continue today,” Walmart chief executive officer Doug McMillon said in the company’s 2021 ESG report summary. “As a result, we fulfilled more online pickup and delivery orders than ever.”
In recent public appearances, Walmart executives have appeared to walk the line between celebrating the retailer’s record success during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic while signaling a message of consciousness.
At its annual shareholders’ meeting last month, Walmart’s board recommended voting against two measures that were targeted at addressing wages and workplace safety.
One, by Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Wisconsin, had called for the board to oversee a report addressing how its lowest wages align with its stated goals of advancing racial justice, given that many of its low-wage staff are people of color. Another, by longtime Walmart employee Cynthia Murray, a member of the worker group United for Respect, had called for the company to create a Pandemic Workforce Advisory Council, with workers at the helm of advocating for safety policies.
Walmart has responded to critiques of its wages by framing its approach toward staff as one of granting “opportunity.”
The company has said that in fiscal year 2021 so far, some 165,000 Walmart U.S. workers received raises in a model “tiered with new positions that provide a ladder of opportunity and allow more room for pay growth,” according to the retailer’s ESG summary.
“Through our ESG strategies, we aim to do more than operate responsibly and mitigate business risk; we want to create value for business by better serving our customers and stakeholders and helping to transform related societal systems (e.g. food systems, workforce development systems) for more equitable and sustainable outcomes,” Walmart’s chief sustainability officer Kathleen McLaughlin said in a letter Thursday.
“Events of the past year — the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, rising income inequality and intensifying climate and ecosystem decline — underscore the relevance of our shared value philosophy,” she wrote.
Source: Read Full Article


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Apple today introduced two new low-cost pricing tiers for macOS and iOS apps sold in Europe. The change comes as price increases came into effect in Tuesday morning’s refresh as a result of exchange rate fluctuations.
iOS and macOS developers are no longer allowed to mention price information in app titles.
Apple has previously discouraged users from including words like “free” in their App Store titles. Now the company has instigated a complete ban, and developers who don’t comply with its new rule will see their submissions rejected.
Over and over again over, most of the pre-launch chatter about the iPhone 5c was that this was Apple’s “budget” iPhone, meant to help Cupertino squeeze into the mid-range, and especially penetrate the emerging market in countries like China by being released at a price around $349.
So imagine China’s surprise when it turned out that the iPhone 5c wasn’t meant to be any more of a budget iPhone than the year-old iPhones Apple has sold before. In fact, in China, an iPhone 5c will cost, in dollars, more than what an iPhone 5s would cost an American unsubsididized. And the Chinese are underwhelmed, to say the least.
Vodafone has confirmed that it will roll out its new 4G LTE network in the United Kingdom this summer, ready for a launch “later this year.” The move follows the carrier’s £790 million ($1.2 billion) acquisition of a chunk of 4G spectrum back in February.
Apple just released its Q2 2013 Financial results, and even though Apple beat its own estimates, Tim Cook started the Quarterly Financial Call on the defensive.
Cook started the call by explaining how exceptional Apple’s 2012 financial results were for Apple, so it’s hard for the company to improve sales this quarter. Then Cook commented on Apple’s struggling stock price by saying he’s “very frustrated” with the stock’s declining value the last few quarters, but they’re staying focused on the future.
Hoping to appease investors, Apple announced today that it will payback $100 billion to investors by 2015. Apple has yet to release a major product in 2013, but Cook reassured investors that Apple can’t wait to release new hardware and software this Fall and throughout 2014.
Apple has today announced that it has updated its 13- and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro to add faster processors and lower prices. The 13-inch model now starts at $1,499 with 128GB of flash storage, rising to $1,699 for a new 2.6GHz processor and 256GB of flash.
The 15-inch model now offers a faster 2.4GHz quad-core processor as standard, while the top-of-the-line model gets a new 2.7GHz quad-core processor and 16GB of memory.
Square Enix has revealed that it may reconsider its pricing structure for mobile games following critical feedback from users in Western countries. While the Japanese developer is well-known among iOS users for its awesome RPGs, such as Final Fantasy and Chaos Rings, it’s also famous for its hefty price tags, which can often be as much as $18 per title.
When console-quality games are going for less then $5 these days, those prices are a big problem for some.
Did you know Cult of Mac has a brand new podcast? No lies! We’re calling it The CultCast, and it’s the best 30 minute conversation you’ll hear about Apple all week long.
And wouldn’t you know it, we just released episode two into the wild! Join Leander Kahney, Buster Heine, and me, Erfon Elijah, as we yay and nay our way though all the iPad 3 rumors you’ve been hearing; ponder how Apple’s stock price could make it to $1000 per share; and argue about whether AT&T should be allowed to throttle those of us with unlimited iPhone data plans.


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Ex-BT execs buy Net retailer
Two former senior executives of BT have taken control of Internet retailer Value-Direct through an investment company they plan to float in March.
Ian Adam, who set up BT ventures throughout Europe as its general manager of business development, on Tuesday said his company Bizzbuild.com had bought a 54% stake in Value-Direct, one of the most popular online retailers of electrical goods in the UK. Bizzbuild, which Adam set up in October with former BT colleague Ivan Sellers, has raised £7.6m ($12.19m) from private investors and paid £3.1m for its stake in Value-Direct.
It aims to raise another six million pounds from a flotation on London's Alternative Investment Market by the end of March. It will use the money to increase its financing of Value-Direct to 4.1 million pounds and invest in other e-commerce companies. Adam said Bizzbuild would be different from other Internet investment companies such as Jellyworks because it would help manage the firms it put money into.
'We're a million miles from being a passive investor,' he said. 'We'll be active on a day to day basis.' Adam and Sellers will use their wide experience of setting up BT ventures across Europe to help expand the companies they back.
Another difference with Bizzbuild is that small investors will have a realistic chance of buying into the company before its flotation. Those with at £5,000 can claim a stake through a new online share trading service launched on Monday by investment bank Durlacher Corp. Shares in Internet investment companies such as Jellyworks have soared after joining the market, in part because small investors were unable to buy into the initial public offering.
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Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Maybe the soaring temps are causing writer's block? In the past week, both the New York Times and WWD posted stories on men's Wall Street style in the context of the brutal heat wave that just passed through. And through the results of their extensive research, we've learned that they wear...suits. Still.
WWD prefaced their 36-page slideshow by informing readers that these power guys are "opting for lighter-colored suits, easy separates, and a lot of jacket holding." Um, just because you're holding a jacket doesn't mean you're not wearing a suit.
The pictures show guys wearing suits while wearing the jacket and not wearing the jacket. They even were able to snap a pic of a guy in his full suit walking next to a guy holding his jacket (pictured above, because it's just that brilliant).
And NYT went so far as to create a video interviewing passersby on how to dress weather-appropriate while still fitting the corporate dress code. "I work with a lot of guys [and] they're all in suits. There isn't a lot of style," commented a female sales trader, dressed in a knee-length skirt and a matching cami-cardi set. Clearly, the suit standard does not apply to her. Personally, we'd have liked to have seen an interview with a sweaty guy ruining his best suit—now that's hard-hitting stuff.—Laura Gurfein
·They Are Wearing: Wall Street Heat [WWD]
·Intersection: Keeping Cool On Wall St. [NYTimes]


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By Glen Hallick, MarketsFarm
WINNIPEG, Sept. 16 (MarketsFarm) – Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) canola futures turned lower on Thursday, unable to fend off the downward pressure from declines in Chicago soyoil.
Saskatchewan Agriculture issued its weekly crop report this afternoon, citing the province-wide harvest of all major crops was at 74 per cent complete. The combining of canola was at 54 per cent finished.
A trader said canola is very likely to continue trading sideways until there is fresh news. He suggested that if the seasonal rains in drought-stricken Brazil fail to materialize in the near future, that would push up soyoil and spillover into canola.
At mid-afternoon the Canadian dollar was lower and helped to temper losses in canola. The loonie was at 78.86 U.S. cents, compared to Wednesday’s close of 79.05.
There were 22,842 contracts traded on Thursday, which compares with Wednesday when 35,548 contracts changed hands. Spreading accounted for 18,442 contracts traded.
Settlement prices are in Canadian dollars per metric tonne.
Canola Nov 875.50 dn 4.30
Jan 867.50 dn 4.30
Mar 854.40 dn 4.20
May 836.60 dn 5.00
SOYBEAN futures at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) were slightly higher on Thursday with export sales on the high side of market expectations.
The United States Department of Agriculture reported weekly export sales for the week ended Sept. 9 were comprised of 1.26 million tonnes of 2021/22 soybeans and 2,000 tonnes for 2022/23.
Soymeal export sales tallied 95,400 tonnes of old crop and 42,400 tonnes of new crop. Soyoil incurred a net reduction of 1,700 tonnes of old crop and net sales of 6,100 tonnes of new crop, of which 6,000 tonnes was bought by Canada.
The USDA announced a private sale of 132,000 tonnes of soybeans to China. Delivery is to be during the current marketing year. That said, with U.S. shipments through the Gulf of Mexico still impaired, China has been seeking alternative sources for soybeans. One report cited China apparently buying 360,000 tonnes of soybeans from Brazil.
CORN futures were lower on Thursday, as global crude oil prices were either side of steady.
Rumours persist that the early U.S. corn harvest has produced lower than expected yields and the corn of poor quality. The USDA is scheduled to issues its next crop progress report on Sept. 20.
The USDA said export sales of corn amounted to 246,600 tonnes of 2021/22 crop and 2,300 tonnes for 2022/23. The sales were well under the trade estimate of 500,000 to 1 million tonnes.
In international purchases, South Korea made two acquisitions of corn, one for 201,000 tonnes and the other for 198,000 tonnes.
WHEAT futures were higher on Thursday, due to strong export sales.
Wheat export sales were up 59 per cent and hit a 2021/22 marketing year high at 617,100 tonnes and towards the high of trade predictions.
Strategie Grain cut its forecast of European Union wheat production in 2021/22 by 1.8 per cent at 129.1 million tonnes. Also, ahead of next week’s supply and demand report from the International Grains Council (IGC), Strategie Grain estimated global wheat production in 2021/22 to be 739.4 million tonnes, making for a 5.6 per cent cut to the IGC’s August estimate.
Russia reported its wheat harvest was 71 per cent complete, with yields said to be lower than those in 2020. Also, Russia kept its projection of next year’s wheat plantings at 69.9 million acres, 3.6 per cent less than what the USDA forecast earlier this month.
In international wheat sales, Morocco bought 363,000 tonnes and Jordan passed on offers for its tender of 120,000 tonnes.


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The Nut Bench is fun, colorful and made from pineapple paper to boot! Bangkok-based Yothaka International creates hand-woven, modern Asian designs using local natural fibrous materials available in Thailand. The firm that pioneered the use of water hyacinth and Yan Lipao (a fern-like vine found in the South of Thailand) in furniture making has introduced a Pineapple Paper collection made from locally produced pineapple paper fiber. Pineapple leaf fibers are pressed, dyed and made into eco-friendly chairs, stools and benches.
“We follow the world trends in décor when it comes to sizes, shapes and colors, but we maintain an Asian feel in our designs,” says Somchai Thanapolkiat, director of marketing and a partner in Yothaka. “It’s difficult to describe, but take a look at our products and it soon becomes apparent.”
Thailand is the first country to produce Pineapple Paper fiber and Yothaka’s new designs support the innovation by using it as the basis for its new furniture collection. While only Thai materials are used in their furniture pieces, Yothaka has ensured that Thai people based in rural areas benefit as well – roughly 90% of the company’s output is produced by Thais.


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Although President Donald Trump is considered more pro-business than his predecessor, there's clearly one area where the new administration appears not as friendly to the corporate set: mergers. One clear example is AT&T's (T 1.18%) acquisition offer for Time Warner (TWX), which is currently in the middle of an antitrust lawsuit with the Department of Justice.
While it's anybody's guess who will win the lawsuit, it's possible that cord cutters might be the biggest winner from the trial. That's because AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson announced a new streaming-based skinny television bundle, AT&T Watch, with reporting from The Wall Street Journal pegging the cost at $15 per month.
Scant details but the service appears interesting
Details about the service are still fluid, but there are reasons for cord-cutters to be encouraged. First is the price, the reported figure is among the lowest cost for streaming-based providers, particularly those providing access to live TV.
As a comparison, streaming-based Hulu (a joint venture of Disney, Fox, and Comcast's NBCUniversal) is offering a Hulu with live TV for $39.99 a month, although it boasts a large offering of approximately 65-70 channels. Dish Network's SlingTV offers a livestreaming package of 25 channels for $20 per month while AT&T's own DirecTV Now has a price tag of $35 per month.
Even more encouraging for cord-cutters are reports the service will not have any sports-based programming. Many cord-cutters eschew sports packages because programming costs -- often driven by the excessive cost of sporting leagues -- are the reason for expensive cable bundles. Disney's ESPN has been a cautionary tale for programming costs, as many subscribers are pushing back by asking cable companies for packages that exclude its host of networks and its cost of $9 per month.
An added benefit for wireless subscribers
The best feature of AT&T's new program is that the service will be free for AT&T customers with unlimited data plans. After years of competing on price, the wireless industry is quickly moving to valued-added features like free streaming video, both live and on-demand content, rather than a race to be the lowest-cost provider.
To date, disruption-focused T-Mobile has the highest-profile deal as streaming leader Netflix is provided to its subscriber base for free. Last year Verizon paid $1.5 billion for the right to offer streaming-based NFL games to its subs. Sprint partnered with Hulu to bring on-demand streaming to its customers. Currently AT&T offers DirecTV Now with HBO, both on-demand and live, for its unlimited subscribers.
Ironically, the Federal Communications Commission's decision to overturn net neutrality, which included a ban on zero metering, may lead to more creative add-ons to wireless service plans.
Is this a bonafide offer?
There's a huge elephant in the room: You must question AT&T's commitment to this new service as they benefit from large-package subscription television with both its Uverse TV services and the 2015 acquisition of DirecTV.
Stephenson's announcement is also noteworthy as he broke the news on the stand of the AT&T/Time Warner Cable merger case, apparently in response to the federal government's allegation that the acquisition would make it harder for the industry to offer cheaper, streaming-based options.
As such, it seems unlikely the service will be a cable killer. First, it's possible AT&T will abandon it in the event the federal government wins the lawsuit and disallows the merger. Even if AT&T triumphs, it's likely the service will be curtailed in the event it becomes too popular and steals business from AT&T's more-lucrative DirecTV division. That said, cord-cutters should look be hopeful about the new offering and the continued migration of products tailored to a post-cable viewership.


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ZyXEL Debuts LTE, VSDL2 Bonding, and 802.11ac Solutions at 2012 Broadband World Forum Europe
September 25, 2012, Hsinchu, Taiwan – ZyXEL Communications, a world-class broadband networking company that provides leading Internet solutions for customers ranging from telecommunications service providers, small- and medium-sized businesses to home users, today announced its presentation of leading-edge, end-to-end broadband solutions at Broadband World Forum Europe (BBWFE) 2012. The world-renowned event takes place 16-18 October, 2012 at the RAI Exhibit and Convention Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
ZyXEL will exhibit numerous products in Booth D40, featuring the latest technologies including LTE, VDSL2 Bonding, and 802.11ac. The offering features advances that enable Service Providers to deliver the caliber of broadband necessary to support subscriber demand for fast, highly-available, and cost effective connectivity. Also in the spotlight will be cutting-edge networking products geared specifically for small- and medium-sized businesses as well as digital home networking to enable consumers to enjoy all the benefits of Internet connectivity.
ZyXEL boasts more than two decades of experience delivering to service products, businesses and end users a broad spectrum of products and solutions that together form an end-to-end high-speed content delivery system. The company has applied its accumulated knowledge and created an end-to-end infrastructure to meet today’s as well as tomorrow’s broadband needs.
As a leader in the development and deployment of WiMAX in 2008, ZyXEL’s credentials in 4G is evident in the family of LTE devices being debuted at BBWFE. The company’s new indoor and outdoor LTE CPE and Mobile LTE Hotspot Router extend feature-rich wireless LTE connectivity to home, work, and while on-the-go.
Building on its legacy for increasing revenue for Service Providers through premium multi-service enabling devices, ZyXEL will display a broad range of distinctive VDSL2 IAD/CPE at the event including VDSL2 Bonding, and extreme range and throughput using the new 802.11ac wireless standard. These devices have been designed to support Service Providers offering wireless HD streaming, cloud services, surveillance, IPTV, and other competitive broadband applications.
Among the ADSL CPE ZyXEL will display is a new Gateway specifically designed to address the unique needs of Small Businesses. A total of 35 secure VPN connections reliably extend business range, while blazing fast 800Mbps throughput enhances productivity. The device features always-on and multi-WAN for operational efficiency, and separates 802.11n access specifically for guests increases convenience while protecting the business’s sensitive data.
Consumers who enjoy the benefits of the Digital Home will appreciate the breadth of solutions showcased by ZyXEL. Innovations on view include a Media Server with Personal Cloud availability, 5GHz wireless Media Streamers, and new HD Powerline networking adapters to create a fast HD home network without having to install new wiring.
From one end of Service Providers’ digital delivery infrastructure to the home - and every step in between - ZyXEL offers the ideal solution. See them on display at BBWFE.
ZyXEL Communications Corp.
ZyXEL Communications Corp., founded in 1989, is the world-class networking company providing innovative and reliable Internet solutions. As one of the early modem manufacturers, ZyXEL has gone through transformations in the fast-paced networking industry. Today, ZyXEL is one of the few companies in the world capable of offering complete networking solutions for Telcos, Small-Medium sized businesses, and digital home users for a wide range of deployment scenarios. Telco solutions include Central Office Equipments, Customer Premises Equipments, Wired and Wireless Access Network Devices, and Carrier Switches. SMB and Enterprise solutions include Unified Security Gateways, LAN Switches, WLAN, and IP Telephony. Digital Home solutions include Network Connectivity Devices and Multimedia Solutions.


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Over the past few years, the time period that traditionally marked the start of the holiday shopping season has turned into one that’s comprised of two deadlines — Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s also become a season that dominates ad spending in a way that promises to be unprecedented. The National Retail Federation estimates that this year, U.S. holiday sales will be just shy of $800 billion, which would mark the first time sales exceeded that level. In some ways, this points to two trends: One, that Black Friday is now a proxy for Christmas, and two, that more and more consumers are expecting to spend their money before Christmas.
But what happens when the season starts later? Can this year’s opening weekend— the last one before Thanksgiving— break the overall spending record? This Thanksgiving, it’s not the beginning of the holiday season that’s likely to be busiest. It’s not even Black Friday.
The figures below from Slice Intelligence show some initial projections for the shopping season, which vary by store location: Overall, Slice Intelligence predicts that more than 54 million Americans will either start shopping online from home on Thanksgiving day or afterward on Black Friday, which would set a new record. But the retail organization is projecting that shoppers will spend $31.8 billion online between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, which would also set a new record. The previous record was $29.6 billion last year, and The Wall Street Journal notes that consumers like how they can compare prices, order delivery on their phones and snag deals throughout the season.
The holiday shopping start comes at a time when the industry is dealing with the fallout from an ugly data breach at the Target chain, but let’s not overlook the other big threat to the season — the weather. Several hurricanes have caused the cancellation of many flights and kept shoppers and would-be shoppers away from malls.
Still, this season is certainly going to have its share of presents: Thanksgiving is expected to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year. For comparison, here’s a look at Black Friday sales last year.
Can Christmas 2016 break all previous records?
#Thanksgiving pic.twitter.com/UcwT35nhsB — Cagle Cartoons (@caglecartoons) September 18, 2017


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Most gyms and sports facilities are found in industrial areas, as this is usually the only place to find enough space at a reasonable price. But Huynh said she and Beio were sort of lucky with the old Best Buy location.
Five Below only took the front half of the store that faces 48th Street, leaving a back half that has poor street visibility and less appeal to retailers.
Huynh said it had been empty for about three years and the owner of the mall was more than happy to have the gym as a tenant.
5 companies named in Lincoln’s startup program
MW Climbing – which depending on who you ask means âMidwestâ or âMatt and Wendyâ – is a free or âboulderâ climbing gym, which means climbers don’t use ropes or of fasteners.
Huynh said the climbing style is safe even for beginners, as the tallest wall is only 16 feet high and all of the walls have soft padding underneath.
There are three different climbing walls of varying difficulty in the gym, as well as a training wall. She said they also plan to add free weights and exercise equipment to create a small fitness area.
MW Climbing offers monthly memberships as well as day passes, and Huynh said plans to partner with Lincoln Public Schools and other groups to expand access. The gymnasium also plans to start group classes in about a month.


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Daily NewsView All News
General Motors awarded the Bartech Group, a Livonia MI-based staffing firm, as its 2007 supplier of the year. The Bartech Group also received the award last year. Bartech Chairman and President Jon Barfield said General Motors was his company's first customer when it began in 1977.
TAC Automotive Group, a division of TAC Worldwide, said it was recognized as the top performing supplier of engineering and information technology staffing by Ford Motor Co.
Kforce Inc. (NASD: KFRC) received the Dale Carnegie Leadership Award from Dale Carnegie Training.


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Lima, January 21, 2021Updated on 01/21/2021 03:00 pm
He dollar price in Peru it rose in the day of this Thursday amid the intervention of the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) to contain a sharp rise in the US currency.
At the end of operations, the exchange rate It was quoted at S / 3,627 in the interbank market, an increase of 0.27% compared to the S / 3,617 at the end of Wednesday, according to data from the BCR.
The monetary authority was forced to intervene three times in the session due to the appreciation of the greenback through exchange swaps sale for S / 200 million over 6 months, at an average rate of 0.22%; for S / 102 million at 6 months, at an average rate of 0.25% and for S / 80 million at 6 months, at an average rate of 0.24%.
The rise in the US currency would be linked to the fall in the international price of copper, the country’s main export metal, and upon maturity of BCR instruments.
The markets of the region showed an erratic behavior amid the global fall of the dollar and the expectations that the stimuli raised by the new American president, Joe Biden, will help cushion the damage of the coronavirus in the world’s largest economy.
Optimism for the new presidency of U.S it maintained generalized increases in riskier assets, which favored some currencies and bags in Latin America.
Many analysts expect the dollar to continue its downtrend, losing nearly 7% in 2020, amid ultra-expansive US monetary policy and hopes for a global recovery after the US pandemic is over COVID-19.
In the parallel market or exchange houses of Lima, the exchange rate was quoted at S / 3,610 for the purchase and S / 3,635 for the sale.
IT MAY INTEREST YOU


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There are several groundbreaking concepts that have been challenging the status quo. Restaurant owners have seen how consumers are shifting their spending priorities by choosing an experience over a single meal. Here are 5 groundbreaking restaurant concepts doing just that!
The latest expansion of the Reserve Roastery by Starbucks has received a lot of success. On their first day alone, Starbucks became the highest-grossing Starbucks in the world and during the location’s first eight weeks, the Roastery generated $64,000 a day—twice the sales a typical Starbucks generates in a week.
Starbucks has seen how consumers have been shifting their purchases in recent years. They have been focusing more on convenience as well as an experience! This Reserve Roastery was designed with experience in mind, while also giving Starbucks the opportunity to try out new products!
This Next Door American Eatery has found the way to automate their kitchen. Kimbal Musk, co-founder and chairman of Next Door American Eatery, uses BOH automation to serve upscale food at a low price!
Musk has been working on hiring a skilled culinary team among a small labor market where trained chefs aren’t easy to find. There are currently 6 locations with a 7th opening in Indianapolis which will have automated technology working behind the scenes! Next Door wants to keep their ‘back-of-house equipment out of sight of guests to fill in the missing skilled chef positions.
With fresh fruit ready to be grabbed off the shelves and a tavern inspired coffee draft bar, Dunkin’ Donuts is ready to streamline their operations. Above all, Dunkin’ is ready to aim for convenience. The bar-like cold-brew area allows orders to be filled faster! Additionally, Dunkin’ has a streamlined menu that allows the customer service to be completed faster. More concept stores are set to be testing around the West Coast this year.
Executive Chef, Jason Stude has been working to make Local and Seasonal ingredients a staple for his restaurant, Boiler Nine! It’s a multilevel eatery placed in a power station in Austin, TX. Stude works closely with Beverage Director, Jason Stevens to put sustainability front and center of the kitchen and bar.
Additionally, by further reducing its carbon footprint, Boiler Nine trains their staff to challenge themselves on maximizing every piece of food while minimizing waste.


text:
Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, announced today that it has successfully completed the acquisition of Cargill's cultures and enzymes business. The acquisition, announced on 26 October 2012, will enable DSM to become a global tier one dairy ingredients supplier.
The cultures and enzymes business of Cargill is a global leading manufacturer of cultures and enzymes for the dairy and meat industries with manufacturing operations in Wisconsin (USA) and France. It has a strong pipeline of new products built on three pillars of technology: culture texture toolbox, fast acidification for cheese yield improvements and culture flavor systems. The business generates net sales of about €45 million per year with approximately 200 employees.
The market for cultures and enzymes is valued at over €1 billion, growing steadily at more than 5% per annum. Applications are primarily found in dairy products which continue to have a healthy and tasty appeal to consumers worldwide. The growing diversity of dairy products requires versatile culture offerings enhancing taste, texture and mouth feel characteristics as well as health benefits (lower fat, less sugar, etc.) and convenience.
By combining Cargill's cultures and enzymes business with the dairy business of DSM Food Specialties, a strong global player will be created, enabling DSM to accelerate sales and capture meaningful synergies in global manufacturing and customer reach as well as innovation capabilities in biotechnology and SG&A.
The combination of the two businesses will allow DSM to achieve its ambition to become a tier one supplier of cultures and enzymes to the global dairy market and will greatly accelerate DSM's growth plans for its business, which continues to benefit from strong consumer demand for more versatile dairy products. The acquisition further strengthens DSM's global position in dairy ingredients with enzymes, PUFAs, vitamins, cultures, probiotics, bio actives, preservation systems and tests.
DSM - Bright Science. Brighter Living.(TM)
Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. By connecting its unique competences in Life Sciences and Materials Sciences DSM is driving economic prosperity, environmental progress and social advances to create sustainable value for all stakeholders. DSM delivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets such as food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials. DSM's 22,000 employees deliver annual net sales of around €9 billion. The company is listed on NYSE Euronext. More information can be found at www.dsm.com.
For more information:
DSM Corporate CommunicationsHerman Betten
tel. +31 (0) 45 5782017
DSM Investor RelationsDave Huizing
tel. +31 (0) 45 5782864
The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.
Source: DSM N.V. via Thomson Reuters ONE


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The new McLaren 720S is confirmed for Project CARS 2.
Slightly Mad Studios have confirmed that McLaren 720S – which debuted today at the Geneva International Motor Show – will be available in Project CARS 2.
The announcement comes after months of hush-hush talks between the London-based studio and the boffins at McLaren Automotive. According to today’s press release the 710hp supercar will be authentically recreated down to the very last bolt. It’s certainly a beautiful looking motor, as my dad would say, featuring active suspension and capable of a tidy 341km/h from its twin-turbo 4.0-litre V-8 engine.
Players will be able to drive the McClaren 720S for pretend when Project CARS 2 is released later this year. The recently announced racer will be published by Bandai Namco and will include over 60 tracks, 170 cars, plus a new online Championships game mode. The game is currently slated for released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
This is fantastic news for fans of Project CARS, but if Slightly Mad Studios think we are going to run a news story every time they announce a new car, they can think again. (Unless they give us a free car. In that case? Let’s talk.)
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Last minute Christmas shopping is in full swing
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The last minute Christmas shopping frenzy is in full swing and it's only going to get busier. A few major retailers will be staying open starting Friday, or this weekend, all the way through Christmas Eve.
Macy's will open Friday at 7 a.m. and will welcome costumers for the next 107 hours.
"Lots of jobs are not 9-5 anymore, so we are listening to the customers that wants to be able to come either because their schedule dictates it or their life dictates it. We have a lot of moms that like to shop when it's not as crazy," said Lori Randolph from Macy's.
Toys-R-Us will open on Saturday through Christmas Eve.
It's a good opportunity for those who complain our late Thanksgiving made for a shorter holiday shopping season.
The extended hours have an impact on other smaller businesses, such as the hot dog stand outside of Macy's in Union Square.
Retailers are still on track to meet the National Retail Federation's holiday sales forecast, projecting a growth of 3.9 percent. It's also been a strong week for online retail spending.
And now the Westfield San Francisco Centre is testing something new called digital storefronts. Shoppers can tap a glass area and begin shopping. Customers checkout on their phones, pay no shipping costs and they get next day delivery.
"So it's giving that consumer that kind of immediacy of what they look for when they come to the mall, but also doing it in a way that's new, and fun and interactive," said David Blumenfeld from the Westfield San Francisco Centre.
Some say it beats staying at home.
christmas, holiday, shopping, internet, business, lyanne melendez
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Naspers’s global fin-tech company, PayU, is in all plans to expand into Southeast Asia with the acquisition of Singapore-based Red Dot Payment as claimed by the company in a media statement on Friday. The deal is finalized at US$65 million and will see its founder along with chief executive officer Randy Tan retaining a stake in the company.
The move demonstrates PayU’s commitment to becoming the leading payments solution provider in high-growth markets and one of the largest fintech investors in the world – Laurent Le Moal, CEO, PayU
Founded in 2011 by a group of payment experts from various Fortune 500 industry companies, RDP has become the largest and most trusted fin-tech online payment Solution Company in Singapore, providing innovative, secure payment solutions customized for all Asian companies and everywhere. With a growing presence in Southeast Asia, including offices in Indonesia and Thailand, RDP has focused on booming verticals such as online retail, hospitality, charity, food delivery, and much more.
The region is home to 350 million Internet users in the six largest countries, exceeding that of the population of the US and “presenting an immense business potential for global merchants.”
The founder will continue to keep a stake in the company, and the other major shareholders will exit. RDP founder and CEO Randy Tan will continue to hold a minority stake in the company; most other shareholders will exit.


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Grass Valley Introduces 3D Editing Technology
James Cameron and Vince Pace's Cameron | Pace Group is reviewing the new toolset from the broadcast equipment manufacturer with an eye toward incorporating it into a live 3D workflow.
Broadcast equipment manufacturer Grass Valley has introduced a new 3D toolset for its Edius multiformat nonlinear editing software.
“We see 3D production and post projects increasing around the world,” said Charlie Dunn, executive vp products at Grass Valley. “Now anyone working on an Edius system can instantly add 3D post capability to their arsenal of production tools and generate new revenue by expanding their client base.”
In September, James Cameron and Vince Pace’s Cameron | Pace Group and Grass Valley entered into a strategic alliance aimed at expanding the use of 3D in the broadcast industry through technology development.
As part of the alliance, CPG is currently reviewing the Edius 3D toolset with an eye toward incorporating it into a live 3D workflow, according to the manufacturer.
In December, a 30-day preview of the 3D version of Edius will be available online for testing purposes.
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Grab has recently concluded its historic public debut on Nasdaq last Dec. 2, with a bell-ringing ceremony that took place in Singapore, with images of driver-, delivery-, and merchant-partners as well as employees from all across Grab’s vast network in Southeast Asia displayed on Nasdaq’s LED Billboard in Times Square New York throughout the day.
Apart from being a tech platform and a superapp, what sets Grab apart from the rest of the pack is that it is truly hyperlocal with the way it does and solves for things. Southeast Asia is a vast region with hundreds of millions of people with different cultures and needs to address. Through the years, Grab has been relentlessly tailoring its technology, products, and solutions to suit different market conditions—one of the company’s key edge in winning its battle against Uber in Southeast Asia. Which is why when Grab debuted on Nasdaq last Dec. 2, it brought its bell-ringing ceremony in Southeast Asia, and took the opportunity to pay homage to its partners, merchants, and employees who are pivotal in Grab’s journey leading to this incredible milestone.
Indeed, it is a milestone not just for Grab, but for millions of local partners and MSMEs—and these include a number of Pinoy Grab drivers, riders, and merchants such as Justin Liu of Angel’s Pizza and Sheril Lazaro, a Grab delivery-partner.
Justin Liu, owner of Angel’s Pizza, marvels at how much his venture has grown in the past few years, especially despite the pandemic. It was not too long ago that his start-up enterprise was trying to break into the very competitive market. He longed to reach out to more customers, but it was an uphill battle. One day, he decided to join Grab’s growing network of merchant-partners, hoping to reach more customers through the platform.
To his surprise, orders came one after the other, allowing her business to expand and hire more people. Currently, Angel’s Pizza’s Spinach Dip pizza is one of the best-selling pizza flavors in the GrabFood platform.
Sheril Lazaro is one of GrabFood’s delivery-partners. She lost her job when the lockdown started, so she signed up to be one of the platform’s delivery-partners. She did not think he would be able to make as much as she previously did, but to her surprise, her earnings from Grab have surpassed her expectations. In fact, she has been able to pay for the needs of her family, helping them through the pandemic.
With Grab’s NASDAQ debut, both shared how delighted they are to be part of the company’s successes throughout Asia. “I am very honored to be a part of this celebration as Grab gets listed in the US. Being able to be recognized through our contributions as small entrepreneurs just shows how much Grab values its partnership with us, and reinforces how we are all part of this big milestone with them,” said Liu.
He shared how Grab has helped merchants like his to raise their operational standards with training and guidance on food safety, food handling, and hygiene protocols, with the goal of improving customer satisfaction. Grab also continuously provides merchant partners with insights and data on customer trends to help them address evolving customer preferences. Grab’s platform innovations such as long-distance delivery and special promos have also helped merchants keep consumers happy.
“Nakakatuwang malaman na ang isang kompanya na walang sawang naghahatid ng tulong sa mga malilit na mga negosyo at mga ordinaryong tao katulad ko ay patuloy na nabibigyan ng pagkakataon para maibahagi pa ito sa mas madaming taong nangagailangan. Sa pagtrabaho ko sa Grab, nakita ko talaga kung gaano nila pinapahalagaan kaming mga riders, na umaabot hanggang sa aming mga customer (I am proud that Grab, a homegrown company that partners with small businesses and ordinary people like myself, is succeeding and that it continues to grow. Grab has repeatedly shown us how much they care for us and the local community all this time),” shared Lazaro.
She recalls how Grab came to the assistance of delivery partners during the pandemic by providing them a host of benefits that matter the most. Foremost of these was providing delivery partners with early access to vaccines, as Grab rallied for delivery riders to be considered economic frontliners. Grab also rolled out rewards and incentives, on top of post-vaccination livelihood protection and medical assistance. Other incentives include fuel discounts, price-friendly rice meals, and training opportunities, to name a few.
The sentiments of Liu and Lazaro are shared by the thousands of merchants and delivery partners who have seen their businesses grow with Grab as their enabler, creating opportunities for small entrepreneurs and local communities to be part of an ecosystem of growth and innovation. With its NASDAQ listing, Grab is better placed to take its community of merchant and driver- and delivery-partners further in their journey of growth.
Reinforcing their commitment of being able to provide the everyday needs of the everyday Filipino through its services, Grab Philippines country head Grace Vera Cruz shared on LinkedIn how significant this milestone is not just for the company, but to Grab’s stakeholders in the Philippines as well. “Grab’s debut at NASDAQ will enable the company to accelerate its efforts to help support more Filipinos. Through this milestone, we are hopeful that we will be able to reach more small business owners and driver- and delivery-partners like Justin and Sheril in more parts of the country,” Vera Cruz concluded.


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By Rob Roper
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vermont Legislature passed a law banning the use of plastic bags at retail stores beginning in July 2020. Whether or not you agreed or disagreed with that decision before health and safety concerns took center spotlight, today this policy is indefensible. The ban should be repealed, or at the very least postponed until such a time as a vaccine for the virus is readily available.
Unfortunately, legislators hellbent on pushing forward with their ideological agenda show no interest in pursuing this commonsense step. Speaking in a meeting of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, which he chairs, Sen. Chris Bray (D-Addison) said, “We’re not interested in changing the law.”
The purpose of the plastic bag ban was to forcibly “nudge” Vermonters into having to use reusable bags to do their shopping. However, several studies have shown that there are health risks associated with doing so (COVID-19 related and otherwise). Asking checkout clerks to handle bags that may not be sanitary, as well as encouraging shoppers to bring bags that may not be sanitary into stores in the first place, are totally unnecessary risks when dealing with a contagion.
Ironically perhaps, many stores in the wake of COVID-19 outright banned the use of reusable bags or put restrictions on their use (customers have to bag their own groceries if they want to use them, and, in some cases, do so outside of the building) precisely because of the potential health risks they pose.
The virus is not going away before July. There is a good chance it comes back in force next fall. By most estimates, we are at least a year away from a vaccine, if we ever get one. To deny stores an option to better protect the health and safety of their employees and customers is just deranged.
Proponents of the plastic bag ban argue that the danger from reusable bags is small. Even if they are correct, our lawmakers have been demanding of us citizens that we do and don’t do many things that would involve small risk of spreading the disease — everything from wearing masks to not being able to purchase “non-essential” items in a store we’re already in. And, for the most part we have complied out of respect for the public good.
People have given up their livelihoods to help fight COVID-19 based on what these politicians have told us to do. But, asked to give up a small piece of their radical agenda, even temporarily, for the greater good, their answer is a resounding “NO.” And that, folks, is mighty telling.


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The all-new July 2013 issue of Guitar World magazine is available now! This month's cover stars are Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath.
The new issue features Black Sabbath's amazing comeback, and Tony Iommi opens up about his fight with cancer and the struggle to make 13, the group's new record with Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler.
Guitar World's July 2013 issue also features Led Zeppelin's official photographer, Neal Preston, who reveals what went on behind the scenes in Led Zeppelin: Sound and Fury, his new, innovative digital book featuring more than 100 previously unpublished images of the band.
We've also got everybody's favorite guitar virtuoso, Joe Satriani, who lets his imagination and fingers run wild on his new album, Unstoppable Momentum. Satch also reveals the inspiration behind some the new album's key tracks.
Plus, Ghost B.C. on their new album, Infestissumam, Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts, an Anthrax set list, Dear Guitar Hero with Mick Jones and much more!
Gear reviews include new products by Strymon, Ibanez, Bugera, Traynor, Electro-Harmonix and Musicvox.
Four Songs with Tabs for Guitar and Bass!
- Jason Becker - "Perpetual Burn"
- Black Sabbath - "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath"
- AC/DC - "Girls Got Rhythm"
- Jason Aldean - "My Kinda Party"


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The event, invented by Canadian coffee competitor Cole Torode, is currently entering its eighth season.
BY CHRIS RYAN
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Photos courtesy of Cole Torode
When Cole Torode launched green coffee company Forward in 2019, he wanted to change his mindset. A former coffee roaster who had been focused on finding exclusive coffees for his company, Cole wanted to encourage the idea that roasters don’t have to find coffees no one else has—rather, they can differentiate themselves through the roasting process. “My thought was, how do we get roasters comfortable in roasting the same coffee and looking at it in a more collaborative, opportune sort of way?” Cole says.
The result is the Forward Lottery, a quarterly event launched in 2019 that, as the website puts it, aims to “push roasters outside their comfort zones and challenge their perspectives using a fun, community-driven, and playful concept.” Season eight of the Forward Lottery is currently underway; while the event is sold out, roasters will have a chance to participate in future seasons, including season nine that will kick off this fall.
How the Forward Lottery works
Each season features a different coffee, and Forward provides no information on that coffee. Roasters pay a $30 buy-in per kilogram for the featured green coffee and other supplies, plus shipping, that counts as their ticket—and they can buy up to six tickets. Roasters then use their senses and experience to develop a profile and roast the coffee, then send back 400 grams of it to the Forward team as their lottery submission. Forward then evaluates the submitted coffees with a team of coffee professionals and crowns the winners, who receive online buying credit with Forward, among other prizes.
Cole says the Forward Lottery is a marketing campaign, first and foremost, but it’s designed to be fun for roasters and to create positivity throughout the supply chain. “(The lottery) supports the brand of a coffee producer, getting one of their coffees into the hands of many roasters, who will work intimately and competitively with it, without details of what that coffee is until the season wraps,” Cole says. “Additionally, it supports roasters with the top five winning prizes and also opening some marketing opportunities.”
The Forward Lottery Judging Panel
Cole, a two-time World Barista Championship finalist representing Canada, has enlisted a diverse selection of judges for each season; season seven, which was held in Monza, Italy, included a panel featuring Justin Boudeman of Longboard Specialty Coffee in Panama, a Best of Panama judge and committee member; Calvin Lee, a multi-sensory expert and World Coffee Events judge based in Hong Kong; and Paolo Scimone, a Q Robusta and Arabica grader, and owner of His Majesty the Coffee.
The opportunity to taste different roasters’ approaches for each lottery’s coffee has been eye-opening, Cole explains. “I think the experience of tasting so many different roast expressions of the same coffee is one of the more fascinating things I’ve had the opportunity to do in my near-15 year coffee career,” Cole says. “In season seven, we evaluated 43 different roasts, with a range of flavours that jumped all over the map. There was of course a consistent underlying structure to the flavour experience; however, the tops notes, or low notes, or textures would change depending on the style of roast.”
At the end of each season of the Forward Lottery, Cole shares data-driven feedback with all participants on their roast submissions, regardless of their placement—feedback data from season seven of the lottery can be found here.
Season Nine is Coming Up Soon
With four lottery campaigns each year, Cole is starting to take the event outside of Canada—including the aforementioned season seven in Monza—and has longer-term plans to host the lottery at coffee events and origin countries. “I would love it if the lottery became some what of a roadshow, bringing in participation and education from a plethora of coffee pros,” he says.
While the first six seasons of the Forward Lottery were limited to Canadian participants, the event has since branched out, and the current season eight features entrants from Hong Kong, Singapore, and beyond. “Though I’m Canadian and I love the Canadian coffee scene, my scope and effort is not limited here,” Cole says. “I think it’s critical that we work toward a global industry, where all baristas, roasters, consumers, and producers have the same access and availability for knowledge. The world of coffee would be stronger without borders, in my opinion.”
Interested roasters can keep an eye out here for season nine of the Forward Lottery; tickets will go on sale September 1, and coffees are scheduled to ship the second week of October.


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The influential Swedish brand, which had retail sales of $6.7 million last year, in February will open its first store at Grev Turegatan 18 in Stockholm, where it will sell only sustainable products with Good Choice hangtags, indicating that the items are part of a responsible collection. Additional circular services will include clothing rentals for special occasions.
A portion of the label’s e-commerce site is dedicated to sustainable items such as the Kin dress made of sustainable FSC-certified viscose for 3,195 Swedish Kroner, or $333, and Naoko chrome-free leather pants for 5,995 Swedish Kroner or $626.
House of Dagmar is committed to becoming climate-neutral by 2025, and offering 100 percent sustainable collections. It’s planning to open a green flagship and Dagmar Decades store where consumers will be encouraged to hand in and buy secondhand clothes.
The brand is one of the first European fashion labels to reveal climate-impact results, which it began measuring in 2017. European Clothing Action Plan and Anthesis Group monitored House of Dagmar’s efforts. The environmentally friendly materials in collections received international certificates ensuring that they were produced with less CO2, less water, fewer chemicals and less waste.
“We decided to go all the way in the last two years,” said Karin Söderlind, House of Dagmar founder. “We’re not 100 percent sustainable yet, but we decided that we can still inspire other brands. We’ve gone through a good transformation. We’re celebrating 16 years in business this year. It’s time to be transparent. It’s all about communicating and educating. No one in our fashion segment is doing this at the moment.”
Kristina Tjader, founder and sustainability driver at House of Dagmar, said 71 percent of House of Dagmar’s carbon dioxide emissions are a result of fiber production. “That says a lot about what companies like us should focus on to help improve the environment,” she added. “By starting to measure our climate footprint, we learned a great deal and made several major changes, and increased the amount of fibers in the production by no less than 185 percent in the first year.”
Production of viscose, cotton and wool take a big toll on the environment. “Viscose and cotton need a lot of water and a lot of energy,” Söderlind said. “What we didn’t know is that they use a lot of bad chemicals that go into the ground water and spread to villages and farmers. Trying to use as much organic cotton as possible is very important. You need to put pressure on the factories to have this closed loop. We’ve done a lot of research and have found good factories that see this as the only way forward because they see the demand for sustainable fibers.”
House of Dagmar in 2018 replaced all of its conventional cotton with GOTS-certified organic cotton, and used cupro, a sleek and smooth material that feels like silk, instead of some of the viscose in the collection. “We’re working together with chemists to melt down old fibers to make new fibers,” Söderlind said. “We’re trying to make new fibers from old clothes. We’re on our way to finding this perfect fiber. There are lots of interesting projects going on, but we’re very early in the process.”
Sustainability has reached an inflection point with consumers, who are starting to recognize the gravity of the issue. “In the past, the customer hasn’t been interested in it and the market wasn’t ready,” Söderlind said. “People get tired of it. It’s not so sexy and kind of boring. But now, when we’re out talking to women and meeting them in different situations, they’re saying they want to start buying sustainable clothes.”
Söderlind admitted that producing sustainable garments “does cost a little bit more, but not too much more. It costs a lot to start out and search for materials and find the right production. We want to launch this forward in our financial statements, as important as financial accounting. Maybe you don’t do a fashion show, and you do a presentation,” she said. “This year, we chose to do a presentation instead of a show.”


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PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners have reported issues on Wednesday with connecting to servers for Elden Ring, Grand Theft Auto Online, Call of Duty: Vanguard, and other titles. Attempts to get online with those games are being met with an error message: “Could not verify PlayStation Plus subscription.”
According to Sony’s PlayStation Network service status page, “some services are experiencing issues.” That includes gaming and social features, PlayStation Now game streaming, and the PlayStation Store.
As reported by Eurogamer, the error appears to be tied to a new software update for PS4 and PS5, resulting in Elden Ring players being greeted with an error message and the game starting in offline mode. Though the error was initially attributed to FromSoftware’s game’s maintenance, which was scheduled for this morning, the issue appears to be independent of this; affecting several other games’ multiplayer servers with the same message regarding players’ PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
In the time since the error was first reported, The Elden Ring Twitter account has since published an update stating that, “the server maintenance for PlayStation/Steam will be prolonged.” A subsequent update stated that maintenance for Steam was now over, though without any mention regarding the ongoing error for PlayStation 5 owners.
Update: Maintenance for Steam is now over. Thank you for your patience.— ELDEN RING (@ELDENRING) March 23, 2022
Polygon has reached out to Sony for comment regarding the error and will update when we hear back.


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The $6 million bet on Resolution Games is Silicon Valley's largest yet on a company looking to create virtual reality games.
Virtual reality is supposed to go prime time this year.
After all, over the next half year, a handful of tech giants such as Samsung, HTC and Facebook-owned Oculus all plan to release for mass consumption their own versions of headsets designed to immerse users in digital worlds imagined by software developers.
But the significance of this next generation of virtual reality headsets has been muted by a bigger question: Once they're ready to be sold, what will people actually be doing with them?
A $6 million bet on Resolution Games provides one answer: gaming.
On Wednesday, the Stockholm-based company led by one of the head creators of the popular games series Candy Crash Saga received the largest investment to date of any company looking to create virtual reality games, according to venture capital research firm PitchBook.
The investment, which was led by the venture capital arm of Google, comes amid Silicon Valley's growing obsession with virtual reality, particularly in gaming and entertainment.
Investment in virtual reality is exploding. Last year, venture capital spending on virtual reality-focused startups jumped by 530 percent to $660 million, per PitchBook. And so far this year, virtual reality startups have raised $107 million.
"VR is the next big gaming platform," Joe Kraus, general partner at Google Ventures, said in a statement. "The pace of development in VR will be very high over the next five years, with mobile VR at the forefront because anyone with a smartphone has the core of a VR experience already in their pocket."
Tommy Palm, the CEO of Resolution Games, said the company would be using the funds to pump out more games. Only one game -- Solitaire Jester -- is currently listed as complete on the company's rather surrealistic website. The company says it's working on a fishing game that will be ready early next year.
Before founding Resolution Games this year, Palm was an executive at King Digital Entertainment credited with playing a key role in the development of its Candy Crash Saga game series.


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German trade surplus hits record high in 2013
BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s trade surplus hit a new high in 2013, official figures showed Friday, underscoring concerns that Europe’s largest economy is relying too heavily on exports and not doing enough to encourage domestic demand.
The Federal Statistical Office said exports in 2013 dropped by 0.2 percent over 2012 to 1.09 trillion euros ($1.47 trillion) as imports fell 1.2 percent to 895 billion euros. The resulting trade surplus of 198.9 billion euros was the highest value ever recorded, beating the 195.3 billion-euro surplus of 2007 and up from last year’s 189.8 billion euros.
Exports decreased by 0.9 percent from November to December, to 92.5 billion euros, while imports dropped 0.6 percent to 74 billion euros, according to figures adjusted for calendar and seasonal effects.
Germany has long faced criticism from the U.S., the International Monetary Fund and others for relying too heavily on its exports and, some contend, not importing enough to boost other economies in Europe.
Last month during a visit to Berlin, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew pressed for Germany to do more to fuel domestic demand. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble dismissed the criticism, saying that “without the German surplus toward third countries, the eurozone would have no surplus at all, but a deficit.”
In 2013, German exports to other countries using the euro currency fell 1.2 percent, while they rose 2.6 to other countries in the European Union, the new report showed. Imports from eurozone countries dropped 0.2 percent, while rising 3 percent from other European Union countries.
In a separate report, the Economy Ministry said German industrial production dropped 0.6 in December over the previous month. That followed an unexpected decline Thursday in industrial orders, which dropped 0.5 percent during the same period.
Even though opinion surveys have recently showed strong economic sentiment in Germany, the hard numbers on industrial production and exports tell a different story, said ING economist Carsten Brzeski.
“Today’s numbers were another illustration that the economy did not stage the expected year-end-sprint but rather slowed down,” he said in a research note.
The German economy grew by a modest 0.4 percent in 2013 but growth is expected to accelerate this year.