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Expectations maketh the event. "Let's take a field trip" was the tagline to Apple's March event this year. "Join us to hear creative new ideas for teachers and students" was the pitch.
An education event. Not an iPad event. Not a Mac event. Certainly not an iPhone event. But an event centered on creativity and the classroom, held not at the still shiny-new Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino, but at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago.
Despite that, as usual, we piled upon the event's agenda the sum of all our Product RED hopes and the expectations felt by the whole tech community from media to masses; and then, as if our chests had been wish-lists, we added new Macs upon it.
That resulted in the, just as usual, expectational debt: The angst and anger over what the event wasn't and was never going to be, rather than what it was — Apple celebrating 40 years in education with a love note passed in class to the teachers and students in attendance, the rest of us watching on.
And structurally, from beginning to end, that was terrific. Even if not everyone was happy with every beat in between.
Lane Tech College Prep
No, Jony Ive wasn't just repainting the Steve Jobs Theater in a more proper shade of space grey. And, no, the iTunes team didn't have it booked off for an early Infinity Wars screening. For this event, Apple wanted to go back to school. Literally.
Lane Tech College Prep is one of the biggest facilities of its kind in the U.S. It's also one of the most beautiful, filled with old woods and long legacies, but crackling with the energy of its students and faculty.
It was also spotless and looked freshly repaired and spruced up in a way only Apple Event resources can achieve. It's incidental, but a terrific bonus to all the staff and students for welcoming Apple into their scholastic home. (I heard more than one group of students remark how shiny everything looked as they walked by.)
Some high school journalists in attendance today with media badges, which is pretty darn cool of Apple. There's a junior here with a portable camera rig and Bose headphones and I want to high five her. I was that kid and this is SUCH a great opportunity for them. #AppleEventSome high school journalists in attendance today with media badges, which is pretty darn cool of Apple. There's a junior here with a portable camera rig and Bose headphones and I want to high five her. I was that kid and this is SUCH a great opportunity for them. #AppleEvent— Serenity Caldwell (@settern) March 27, 2018March 27, 2018
Steve Jobs Theater is likely the best presentation venue in the world right now. But for several hours yesterday, Lane Tech College Prep was something very different and very much more: A venue perfectly, centrally suited to host a keynote about education along with in-class sessions and hands-on labs. An Apple Educational Conference, so to speak, showcasing what Apple's technology could do for teachers, students, and the world.
Apple and Education
Apple's special event kicked off with a video of kids in the playground. As they ran and jumped rope, and blew bubbles, the voice-over featured children talked about creativity: You make something no one ever thinked of; you can make anything you want and it can change the world. Like one person could change the world.
There was the theme. Right up front.
Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, took the stage first. He briefly addressed the marches that had taken place over the weekend in Washington and other cities, and what he called the power of children to use their voices to bring about change. That was, perhaps, Apple's vision taken to its grandest scale.
Cook explained that the Chicago School System, one of the biggest and most diverse in the nation, shared Apple's belief that technology had an important role to play in the classroom.
It fit not only Apple's model of selling iPad and Mac, but of promoting coding as a primary language in education — hundreds of thousands of students in the area are already using Apple's curriculum for that.
Then Cook laid out Apple's focus: Creativity.
Apple has lot enormous ground to Google in the classroom. The combination of ultra-cheap Chrome Books and ultra-easy Google Accounts and GSuite and management services have catapulted it into schools across the country and around the world.
There's no way Apple can achieve any victories in education by fighting on Google's terms. Not without effectively becoming Google and more aggressively than Google itself. And Apple, as it exists today, would never do that.
So, rather than hit that train head-on, Cook took to the flank. Much as Apple had brought iOS user experience to an Android specs fight a decade ago, Apple was bringing creative empowerment to a budget docs fight now.
It wasn't just going to be about typing words or running numbers. It was going to be about music and art and photography and video and code and robots. It wasn't about massive sameness. It was about empowering the ability to be unique and custom at scale.
It's a magnificent sentiment but it's also one that will likely prove realistic to only a subset of schools that either already focused on the arts or are looking to differentiate themselves by adding that focus. Most schools are probably so budget-starved and standardized test burdened that, while Apple's message might appeal to their hearts, it remains out of reach of their day-to-day reality.
40-years of Apple in Education
Seeing Apple's slides of its 40-year history in the classroom brought back all the Apple and Wheels for the Mind feels. Apple seldom gets nostalgic, and typically only at pivotal moments before leaping forward. This wasn't that. But, in the education setting, it really resonated in terms of the company's history and evolution.
Apple's one advantage here is that it has more than just technology to offer. Beyond the hardware, software, and services, Apple fields several real-world initiatives at Apple Stores and in the school systems. Apple Stores remain one area in which Apple has little to no competition.
As much as mail, messaging, and social have become our new village, humans still thrive best when in the presence of other actual humans, and the combination of Apple Store creative classes — now including coding — and in-school outreach is powerful.
And once students get their hands on Apple's technology, even if they have Chrome Books in school, no matter how many IT and budget boxes those Chrome Books tick, they're going to instantly look and feel profoundly limited.
Apple's strategy in education today is similar to its strategy in business two decades ago: Instead of racing to zero margin against disposable atom vendors, it focuses on differentiated value delivered for customers who appreciate that, growing mindshare for personal purchases.Apple's strategy in education today is similar to its strategy in business two decades ago: Instead of racing to zero margin against disposable atom vendors, it focuses on differentiated value delivered for customers who appreciate that, growing mindshare for personal purchases.— Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) March 28, 2018March 28, 2018
In-house — and in-school — experts
Kathleen Richardson, a former teacher who now works for Apple in ConnectEd and travels across the country working with teachers and students who use Apple technology in classrooms, who spoke at the event, is a great example of Apple's approach.
While the company sometimes gets knocked for not consulting outside domain experts, Apple actively hires the domain experts it thinks will best help shape its products and initiatives.
Instead of just having a few consultants a few times a year, Apple has experienced, insightful staff not only throughout the process but with skin in the game.
Apple's updated 9.7-inch (non-pro) iPad — it's most affordable and hence most popular iPad in education and overall — is almost identical to last year's version but for two major additions: The iPhone 7's Apple A10 Fusion processor inside and the iPad Pro's Apple Pencil tech support in the touch layer.
Even the price is the same: US$329 retail, US$299 education. And no, Apple didn't keep last year's version around at a discount, which would have pleased everyone who hoped Apple would get more aggressive at fighting Google and Microsoft at the cheap hardware level.
It's not surprising, though. Apple has never been willing to compete for customers for whom price is the most important feature. Not in netbooks yesterday or iPads today.
Google and Microsoft typically have partners who make and zero-margin hardware for them, so if few or none of those partners remain profitable or even in business, it doesn't matter. That's the huge advantage services and software companies have. They just need cheap vassals. Any one will do.
Apple makes almost everything itself, so it carefully chooses the segments where it thinks it can provide the most value while maintaining its slightly-lower-than-retail margins.
There's an argument to be made that Apple could use retail margins to better subsidize education margins — and it's doing that now to some extent with 200GB of free storage for every Apple ID in Education. It wasn't the "unlimited for free" option some were hoping for but it was still huge. And Apple could theoretically push it even further. It could even be considered a long-term investment: Lose some education margin now in exchange for gaining even more retail margin later as students transition from school loaner into personal and business bought-and-paid-for products with Apple logos on them. I'm not sure how far that scales, especially internationally, but I'd be surprised if Apple hadn't at least modeled it.
Against Google's TCO (total cost of ownership), though, Apple is currently positioning its TVD (total value delivered). Even though an iPad costs more than most Chrome Books, it also offers much more. It can be a traditional computing device, yes, but it can also be a still camera in the woods, a video camera in the playground, a piano in the auditorium, a canvas in the studio, and more.
With the power of the A10 Fusion processor, it outperforms just about any Chrome Book and many Windows laptops for education, and with the App Store, it has over 200,000 unique, native ways for students to learn and create.
Given how much exists on the web, it's tough to weigh the advantages of apps. But, for everything the web makes available, it doesn't always do it in easy to find and persist ways, or in ways that take full advantage of the hardware. And it doesn't always do it with a lot of care, consideration, and respect. Especially when it's doing it all for "free". It also doesn't typically do it with a high degree of accessibility for everyone, much less every student.
That's Apple's pitch. Especially now that the new 9.7-inch iPad works with Pencil, which costs $99 retail and $89 education, and the upcoming Logitech Crayon, which costs $49 and uses the exact same technology to provide everything but pressure sensitivity in a more child-friendly form.
It's an incremental hardware update, to be sure. But absent a triangular display or built-in keyboard, those are the kind of year-over-year updates that push products forward.
Greg Joswiak, Apple's Vice President of product marketing, hammered on all of this: iPad's versatility, creativity, and immediacy. And with guest speakers like Cassey Williams from the Woodberry Down Primary School in London, he made the case that these differences lead to demonstrably better results in practice. (At least for the schools that can and choose afford to invest in it .)
Along with Pencil support for the new iPad comes Pencil support for iWork, Apple's productivity suite that includes Pages for documents, Numbers for spreadsheets, and Keynote for presentations.
That it took until almost two years after Pencil launched for iWork to gain that compatibility is a devastating critique of Apple's ability to keep all the balls it's currently juggling in there air. As much as hardware like Mac mini suffers from neglect, so does software, and it's something that Apple can't ignore away.
Still, iWork remains a great blend of power and presentation. It can't do everything Microsoft Office or even GSuite can do, but it can do an important subset in a way that's far better looking and often far less frustrating.
iWork has also proven valuable for creativity as well as productivity, used for everything from app and web design to animation to interactivity modeling. (Apple's prototype team once demonstrated the process of UX tweaking a theoretical toaster popping app using iWork.)
But, like so many other things, productivity has moved to the cloud and because Apple hasn't been updating it regularly, iWork hasn't kept up. There is iWork for iCloud. And there is collaboration, but they're not being relentlessly updated the way GSuites and Office 365 are.
iWork is already part of Apple's services organization, so the potential is there. But unless and until Apple starts treating iWork like a service and starts updating it just as constantly and relentlessly — instead of in monolithic, once-every-few-years cadence — I fear it's just going to fall further and further off most school's — and most people's — radar.
The one new feature that showed Apple continues to have magic up its collective sleeves was Smart Annotation. It's still in beta, but it already looks terrific. It's markup right inside Pages that, rather than adding a static graphics layer on top of the content, anchors dynamically at the element level to the content.
It's also accessible — if it recognizes hand-written words, those words will render via Apple's VoiceOver technology. Apple continues to treat accessibility not as an afterthought but as integral to everything and everyone.
Those slides though...
The slides Apple used for this presentation were among the best I've ever seen. Especially on the big, beautiful, Apple Store-style display the company had up on stage.
A break from the classic keynotes of old, they instead used magnificent single-line drawings and a fancy, whimsical cursive writing that came together marvelously.
Rumor has it much of the work was done with Apple Pencil on iPad. I don't know if Apple will keep using the style, but I hope they keep experimenting and pushing the boundaries of the keynote presentations.
And I hope Apple gets T-shirts with that art into the Infinite Loop and Apple Park stores soon.
Years ago, Apple introduced iBooks Author. And then promptly treated it as pseudo-abandonware. Whether it became apparent early on iBA wasn't the right solution but there was no timeline on a better replacement or not, I'll echo what I said previously about Apple not showing it can effectively juggle all the balls it has in motion. As a single provider, that's bad for everyone. It makes it difficult to trust at any time that an Apple device or service critical to you will be treated as such by the only company in control of its destiny. It's something Apple will have to reckon with — sticking to its "thousand nos for every yes", and making firm choices about all the "ah... dunnos?" that are piling up.
Hopefully, digital books is a sign the company is starting to do just that: Gone is iBooks Author and, in its place, digital book creation is moving into Pages — and for both iOS and macOS. That brings it, finally, to iPad.
It also feels like where Books should always have lived. It's one less app to develop, maintain, and advance for Apple and one less app to learn and manage for users.
There's some real transitional pain right now when it comes to formats and legacy files supported, and capabilities in general, but hopefully Apple will address that quickly.
If, soon enough, I can quickly put together a digital book in pages and push it either to friends (or classmates in education) or to the iBook Store (or Book Store) I will be ridiculously happy.
And so will everyone else who uses it.
Schoolwork & ClassKit
Apple marketing VP Susan Prescott took the stage to announce several features geared directly at education technology and teachers. Joz had previously gone over Classroom and Shared iPad, which Apple has offered for a couple years now. Prescott announced the new tools: Schoolwork and the associated ClassKit.
Schoolwork is basically a way for teachers to distribute and collect assignments, track student progress, and collaborate with students as and when needed. Conversely, students can use it to turn in assignments, track their own progress, and collaborate right back with teachers.
ClassKit lets developers make apps that work with Schoolwork.
Apple has success with these types of models before, from Health and HealthKit to Home and HomeKit. If it adds complexity to the already strained teaching model, that won't be great. If, instead, it makes life easier for teachers and students alike, then it'll be a huge win. It'll all depend on how well it integrates into the schools and how well and fully developers start offering support.
Here's where the education IT section ended, though. Which means many of the educational IT people at the event didn't get what they'd been hoping for — an end-to-end solution from Apple that included management, identity, documents, storage, services and everything else — one that could fully replace what Google or Microsoft offers.
Not everyone is comfortable with Google's business or Microsoft's experience and want a complete alternative from Apple. They want to go all in on iPad and Mac, but they feel they can't because it's Google and Microsoft providing the tools.
Apple can't do everything for everyone, but if education is really a core focus, figuring out as good an education story as it has a consumer story would be worth the company's attention.
My guess is, like in other areas such as enterprise, Apple will concentrate only on what it feels it can do best and partner with other services and integrators to get more deeply into schools. That's the efficient approach if not the ideal one for everyone.
I'm by no means an expert in Apple in education, though, so I'll link to two other takes, one optimistic, the other not so much:
- Apple Renews its Love for Education not the Education Market by Carolina Milanesi
- Why Apple's education strategy is not based on reality by Bradley Chambers
Everyone Can Create
Apple believes coding is a primary language that everyone needs to learn. Not that everyone needs to become a coder but that everyone at least needs to be familiar with code. In a world where automation will change the way we work, and jobs will move from real-world to digital, it provides a mechanism for us to change and adapt with it.
So, for a while now, Apple has been working with schools to offer Everyone Can Code, a program that helps provide training in programming for everyone of any background. (Apple recently began holding and promoting accessibility-focused versions of Everyone Can Code as well, making it truly for everyone.)
Everyone Can Create is yin to Code's yang. It's what you can do with all the apps and tools that are made. It focuses on art, photography, video, and music, and aims to give teachers a curriculum and students the access they need to develop the skills to create.
I love this stuff. I don't know how many schools will have the will or the way to implement it, but that it's available is fantastic. It means, just like with code, kids and families can also pick it up and engage with it themselves. For them, they have the will and this provides the way.
Apple has been great about driving its coding agenda. Hopefully, it'll be just as great about driving its creative agenda. It's something many schools have abandoned over the years but it's something that's just as important as math and language.
The classes and the labs
Apple's education event didn't end with the presentation. That was only the beginning. After being dismissed from the auditorium, we all split up and went to classes that covered topics like Clips and GarageBand.
The classes were run by actual educators and just like they would be in an actual classroom. I'm super-familiar with those apps already, but many people weren't. Either way, it was informative to see the topics not just talked about on stage but actually implemented in practice.
There were also labs where you could try out the Everyone can Code and Everyone can Create curriculums, and go hands on with VR, Swift Playgrounds — and drones! — and more.
And Apple didn't hold back. Helping out in the Swift Playgrounds lab was the VP of software engineering, the marketing lead for developer tools, and the engineering lead for developer publications. The product lead for iWork was there as well. And the list went on and on.
Developers were there as well, showing off and discussing their education apps. It made the event, in the words of my colleague Serenity Caldwell, feel like a mini WWDC.
School's out — but for how long?
For media types who just wanted to get in, film their hands-on, and get out, the event was probably a drag. Possibly even a non-event.
For anyone who cares about education, though, or who likes seeing Apple being Apple, it was one of the best event experiences the company has ever run.
A lot of #Apple commentary focuses on Apple regaining ownership of the education market but I am not sure that's the goal today as that market is very different from what it was. Apple wants to grow its army of distinguished educators so every kid they touch will love AppleA lot of #Apple commentary focuses on Apple regaining ownership of the education market but I am not sure that's the goal today as that market is very different from what it was. Apple wants to grow its army of distinguished educators so every kid they touch will love Apple— Carolina Milanesi (@caro_milanesi) March 28, 2018March 28, 2018
Looking at the products, the updates were iterative and relatively minor compared to an iPhone event. Looking at the company and, more importantly, the ongoing story of Apple, the event was huge.
In terms of education specifically, it really did feel like a love note, but one passed in school. One that's full of romance but short on details. Run away with me — I'll figure out getting a car and where we're going later! It's fantastic that Apple has this vision, but it's going to be the consistency and expansion of that vision that's key.
In terms of the event, like I said at the top, it was terrific. One of the best, freshest, most creative, I've been to. It was Apple getting out of its box and doing something different. It worked beyond well and I hope we see more like it. I think we need to see more like it. If, for no other reason, than Apple having to put on events like this means the company has to keep the momentum going on all the products, software, and services, that go into them.
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Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.


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Aurora Cannabis Inc. (“Aurora” or the “Company”) (ACB.TO) (ACBFF) ( Frankfurt : 21P; WKN: A1C4WM) announced today that it has established a partnership agreement (“the Agreement”) with Evio Beauty Group Ltd. (“Evio Beauty”) pursuant to which Aurora has made a strategic investment in Evio Beauty. Under the terms of the Agreement, Aurora and Evio Beauty Group will collaborate to develop a line of co-branded hemp seed oil cosmetic products (“Non-Infused Products”) as well as a collection of CBD infused cosmetic products (“Infused Products”).
Evio Beauty is a portfolio of conscious lifestyle brands. The well-developed cosmetic sister brand, Evelyn Iona , has a strong e-commerce presence based on inclusivity, empowerment and choice, aimed at people of all demographics. Evelyn Iona products are based on sustainability principles. They are made with natural ingredients and are always cruelty-free.
The partnership between Evio Beauty and Aurora is aimed at creating a new line of approved hemp seed oil based product formulations, as well as approved CBD based products. Aurora and Evio Beauty anticipate that the partnership will result in greater brand recognition and cross-selling opportunities to customers of both companies.
The concept for Evio Beauty Group was developed by founder Brandi Leifso who, while living in a women’s shelter, identified a need for lifestyle products that offered stakeholders a greater opportunity to engage. Evio Beauty Group’s brand personifies quality, sustainability, equality, and community engagement, as manifested through the company’s events, sponsorships, educational activities and outreach initiatives. A respected entrepreneur within lifestyle and social engagement circles, Brandi Leifso is a sought-after spokesperson for events that align with the company’s motto of empowerment. This broad recognition and high visibility have resulted in Evio Beauty successfully establishing relationships with over 50 coveted retailers.
Evio Beauty is supported by a strong board of directors including Paul Rosen , Managing Partner of BreakWater Venture Capital, Hugh Winters , President of Azure Beauty Inc and David Price , Vice President of sales for Hunter Amenities International.
“Through this partnership with Evio, Aurora further diversifies its rapidly growing offering across the cannabis value chain, while capturing a unique opportunity to bring the Aurora Standard to cannabis derived lifestyle and cosmetic products,” said Terry Booth , CEO. “Innovative, pioneering, noble entrepreneurs like Brandi closely align with Aurora’s internal culture, strengthening our spirit of diversity and furthering our female empowerment initiatives. My personal efforts have for many years supported the effort to end family violence, and have been aimed at helping society understand that we must support female empowerment. Aurora’s culture, since the first seed sown, has been one of fairness, inclusion and equality. This has resulted in positions being awarded based on merit, regardless of gender, race or religion. There is no alternative. We’re excited to work with Brandi and the team at Evio Beauty to develop and launch this innovative new line of hemp seed and CBD-based cosmetic products to a large and growing audience worldwide.”
Brandi Leifso , CEO of Evio Beauty, added, “The cannabis industry is uniquely positioned to champion more women in leadership roles. With the strong support of a dedicated partner like Aurora, we will continue to scale our female empowerment initiatives while addressing pain points in the cosmetics industry. By utilizing hemp seed oil and cannabis derivatives, we can enhance ingredient transparency, reducing the use of hurtful animal by-products and ecologically unsustainable inputs.”
Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta , with funded capacity in excess of 430,000 kg per year and sales and operations in 14 countries across five continents, Aurora is one of the world’s largest and leading cannabis companies. Aurora is vertically integrated and horizontally diversified across every key segment of the value chain, from facility engineering and design to cannabis breeding and genetics research, cannabis and hemp production, derivatives, high value-add product development, home cultivation, wholesale and retail distribution. Aurora, from day one of its existence, has been steadfast in its respect for the cannabis community, the culture and its pioneers, as well as has been a strong supporter of and advocate for access to cannabis.

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Keyword Results for 'fraud'
Is corporate fraud a menace waiting to erupt? (Correction) Apr 19, 6:49 pm
Rihanna drops 'fraud' lawsuit against ex-accountants Apr 18, 11:51 am
New York, April 18 (ANI): Rihanna has dropped her fraud lawsuit against her former accountants after they filed a countersuit stating that her "exorbitant" spending was the real reason she nearly went broke in 2010.
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Japanese researcher's stem cell study declared fraudulent Apr 2, 1:05 pm
Tokyo, April 2 (ANI): Researchers at the government-backed Riken institute in Japan have discredited parts of a high-profile stem cell study, claiming that they are fraudulent.
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New Delhi, Mar. 15 (ANI): Indian diplomat, Devyani Khobragade's father Uttam Khobragade, hit at U.S. on Saturday after a grand jury in New York re-indicted her, two days after charges of visa fraud were dismissed by the latter as she had diplomatic immunity back then.
US grand jury re-indicts Devyani Khobragade in visa-fraud case Mar 15, 10:49 am
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New York, Mar 13 (ANI): In major relief to Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, a US court has dropped all charges against her.
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London, Mar.11 (ANI): Bayern Munich President and Germany's "Mr. Football" Uli Hoeness has admitted to committing tax fraud, and could face a jail term if convicted.
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New Delhi, Feb 19 (ANI): A CBI special court in Mumbai has convicted Sanjiv Ramesh Sharma, then proprietor of a private firm and sentenced him to undergo four years rigorous imprisonment for causing an alleged loss of Rs.1.02 crore to Handicraft and Handloom Export Corporation of India Ltd. (HHEC).
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Imagine a town with a Wal-Mart and a small family shop. Both are ground level and perfectly wheelchair accessible, but a new wheelchair ramp requirement — conspicuously supported by Wal-Mart — passes as a town ordinance. Wal-Mart builds its unnecessary ramp, but the small family shop can’t afford the construction expense and must close.
This is a simple explanation of how the American Disabilities Act (ADA), passed in 1990, can hurt small businesses. This charter has increased legal requirements that benefit disabled people, but it’s also fashioned a new regulatory weapon to be used against small business. Now it’s being weaponized against small businesses too, through litigation that claims their websites discriminate against the disabled.
It’s common knowledge that most regulation tends to disadvantage small businesses. Major corporations with higher profits can better afford to pay for fines, facilities, legal defense, and other expenses associated with regulation, while smaller businesses can’t.
Large companies also go on offense by lobbying rent-seeking politicians to pass regulations that favor themselves and hurt their smaller competitors. The regulatory impact on small businesses was especially evident during the pandemic, as large corporations lobbied hard for business closures that disproportionately applied to their mom-and-pop competitors.
Sometimes, this type of lawfare becomes its own cottage industry — and the ADA is a prime example. One California man filed more than 180 disability lawsuits, including one that demanded $75,000 in compensation from a family restaurant where “Someone bumped into his wheelchair, which jostled him as he was eating.”
Frivolous ADA Website Lawsuits
A new frontier in this lawfare is in the borderless digital world: ADA website compliance.
The ADA was passed before most Americans used the internet, so it doesn’t provide specific guidance for websites. But disabilities like vision impairment are an issue for online customers, meaning the ADA can be used against any company with a web presence that lacks various software add-ons, such as coded text descriptions that can be robotically read aloud for every image on the page. In 2022, an estimated 97 percent of websites are still non-compliant.
As a result, an enterprising group of 10 law firms has been filing thousands of ADA website lawsuits every year. For many small businesses, like the boutique Avanti Hotel in Palm Springs, California, the cost of compliance, along with fines and the ADA’s punitive attorney fee rules, make settling easier than fighting it out in court.
“I would really like to fight it, but it just comes down to finances,” Avanti’s manager Jim Rutledge told the Los Angeles Times. Most business owners settle with the plaintiffs, which has prevented courts from developing a clear body of case law regarding compliance.
These frivolous lawsuits are the digital version of ambulance-chasing. A group of 103 congressional representatives, led by Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., made exactly this argument in a letter to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2018, asking the Department of Justice to clarify its website ADA rules. But Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd responded that the Department of Justice would not be issuing any clarifying guidelines on ADA for websites, encouraging Congress to pass legislation instead.
Budd immediately sought to do so, introducing a rules clarification bill called the Online Accessibility Act (H.R. 8478) with bipartisan co-sponsorship. Budd is a rare tech-savvy congressman, with a better-than-average understanding of technical issues like online censorship and cryptocurrency.
But most of his fellow members on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce are not, and H.R. 8478 failed to pass in the 116th Congress. Budd has reintroduced his bill in the current session. He is also running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina — so business owners may have some hope this issue will be resolved in coming years.
Lainey Feingold, one of the attorneys who has made a career out of filing ADA website settlements to recoup legal fees, penned an article in favor of current vague ADA guidelines for websites. That’s because as long as the rules are not clearly defined, winning settlements is easy, and there will always be plenty of targets — the 97 percent of businesses that have not yet taken steps to correct their websites. Feingold believes that as long as there is “a Democrat in the White House and Democratic control over the House and Senate,” the ADA will never be clarified.
The alliance between large corporations, these ambulance chasers, and the Democrats will continue hurting small businesses until somebody stands up for them. Congress must recognize, albeit 20 years late, that websites are the new storefronts — and the law should be clear about how they’re handled.


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After well-known international hotels in the US and London, as well as legendary prime real estate in several countries in Europe, Inter Milan – one of the continent’s well-known icons of football – has been sold to Suning Commerce Group, a Chinese investor.
Suning Commerce Group, a retail chain store selling household appliances and electronic products, has purchased 70% of Inter Milan football club. The group is owned by Chinese billionaire Jindong Zhang. Former ‘Internazionale’ owner Erick Thohir sold 40% of his 70% majority. Ex-Inter president Massimo Moratti sold his 30% stake.
China’s President Xi’s wants to get 50 million children to play football. His strategy is to 20,000 football training centres and 70,000 pitches by 2020, improving domestic talent, and national team aspirations for the World Cup. According to a Forbes’ report, Xi is also “relying on investment into the CSL by oligarchical owners, as dutiful diligence to China, to acquire the best managers or former players to manage CSL club teams.”
Further reading on forbes.com
Image by Johnny Vulkan, via Wikimedia Commons


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Some 45pc of the UK's high net worth individuals (HNWI) said that one of their main sources of wealth had been entrepreneurship. That is more than three times higher that inheritance as a source of wealth, which was only cited by 14pc of respondents.
"The finding reflects expert views that the growth of global wealth is now being driven by entrepreneurship, rather than inheritance, as entrepreneurs are found to accumulate wealth faster than HNWIs who have made their money through earnings, bonuses or inheritance," Barclays said in its latest Wealth Insight report, Origins and Legacy: The Changing Order of Wealth Creation.
The report, based on a global survey of more than 2,000 HNWIs comprising entrepreneurs, business leaders and investors, also found that entrepreneurship was a leading source of wealth globally, with the sale of, and/or the profits, from a business, cited by 40pc of respondents, while 26pc attributed their wealth to inheritance.
Barclays said the "explosion" of entrepreneurship as a key source of wealth among the world's richest was the result of technology, globalisation and the rise of emerging markets.
"We also find that entrepreneurs and business owners have been better able than other respondents to have increased their wealth during the downturn," the report added.
"For those who have built up their fortunes through the sale or profits of a business, they are more in tune to the rises and falls of the business world and can be more resilient to risk.
"They are often more willing to take risks on smaller, charitable organisations where they can make a real impact, as they have empathy towards, and often past experience of, being in a similar position," it added.
Entrepreneurs were also able to accumulate their wealth quicker, taking 16 years compared to 23 for other high net worth individuals. However, in the UK 17pc said they had made most of their money in less than 10 years, while almost half (45pc) said it was quicker to create wealth these days than it had been in the past.
The role of making your own money also played a "crucial part in [the] shift of wealth from the old world to new", the report said.
HNWIs in India (59pc) and South Africa (68pc), were more likely to have made their wealth from the sale of a business and/or business profits than those in more developed markets such as the US (21pc) and Japan (35pc).


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LONDON — Is the third time a charm?
The U.K. on Monday came out of its third — and strictest — lockdown, which had seen hospitality, nonessential retail — and even sitting on a bench with another person — restricted since last December.
But with fast vaccination rollouts and a dramatic drop in cases — there had been an average of 249 cases and three deaths a day in Greater London over the past week — it looks like Britons are ready to press restart.
While much of the excitement has been around the reopening of outdoor pubs — the U.K.’s most-treasured hangouts — fashion retailers have also pulled out all stops to welcome shoppers, and kickstart the recovery of the country’s high streets.
Pop-ups, flashy banners, new al fresco restaurants and design concepts all sent an optimistic message: In-person experiences and the brick-and-mortar store might be forever changed, but they’re here to stay.
The excitement on the streets was palpable from Day One, with crowds gathering outside stores ranging from Harrods and Chanel to Brandy Melville and Nike; shop assistants polishing countertops; parents and children waiting at the barbers to get a haircut, and people having breakfast and lunch at outdoor tables.
In central London, Liberty mounted a giant bright pink banner that read “Come On In,” while on Regent Street children are often spotted dancing outside the city’s famous toy store, Hamleys, which blasts music and covers its entrance in foam bubbles. Dover Street Market’s reopening was buzzing, too, and filled with longtime clients and their families.
The store features a special installation from Comme des Garçons Homme Plus spring 2021; Vans x DSM Checkerboard specials; a new space for designer Craig Green; Raf Simons’ spring 2021 debut women’s collection, and a dedicated Givenchy installation. The store’s Rose Bakery is open for takeout meals.
At the Westfield mall, lines of shoppers have been snaking around stores including Zara, Apple, Nike, Primark, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The site in west London has been busier than it would have ever been on typical weekdays, with teenagers — still on Easter break from school — wandering around, shopping bags and bubble teas in hand.
There are plenty of lines on Oxford and Bond Streets, too, from younger shoppers waiting outside Primark and JD Sports to luxury fanatics crowding outside Chanel, Hermès and Cartier.
Jia Wang, a Chinese student who traveled from Coventry to London on Monday morning to wait outside Hermès on Bond Street, said she was looking to buy a Picotin bag, as the style is usually sold out very quickly online. She was also planning to check out Chanel later in the day, arguing that “it’s a bargain” to purchase Chanel bags in the U.K., because they’re cheaper here than in China.
The new Browns also drew a sizeable crowd on reopening day, keen to check out the smartly renovated space and enjoying food and drinks provided by Native, the restaurant and café in the store’s courtyard.
On King’s Road, two teenagers, Gaby and Vi, rushed outside Brandy Melville early Monday. They said they were eager to socialize, shop and “see what things feel like, try them on.”
Nearby, on Sloane Street, Emilia Wickstead and her team were spiffing up the window displays and merchandising at the designer’s store. “It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for,” said Wickstead. “I’m shopgirl, and designer-in-residence today.” She said the store had already pre-booked a series of appointments, and was expecting walk-ins, too. Next week, they’ll be restarting in-person bridal appointments.
Men’s beach wear brand Love Brand & Co., another Chelsea resident, also debuted a new concept, adding a coffee garden and art exhibition to the store. It will now offer travel books, eco-conscious sun cream, ethically made chocolate, art and coffee to complement its beach wear ranges. Online travel-related purchases were up 300 percent this month according to the brand, which is building on the momentum by redesigning the store “to answer a holiday need in every corner.”
As for Cadogan Estates, which owns and manages a lot of those Sloane Street properties, they even went as far as to commission poet Ella Frears to write a poem that celebrates the joy and freedom of in-person shopping, to join in the reopening celebrations.
There have been some new openings, too: On King’s Road, the direct-to-consumer brand Dai opened a space, with the stories of its sustainable textiles or the accomplishments of its customers told across its walls and multiple in-store installations, while its basement was designed to double as a workout studio.
French couture jewelry specialist Goossens — part of Chanel’s Métiers d’Art group of artisanal brands — opened its first store outside Paris, in Mayfair’s Burlington Gardens. The light, airy space is filled with gold accents and it will stock the house’s classic pieces, as well as seasonal spring 2021 ranges.
The buzzy Covent Garden area saw five new openings, including jewelers Bucherer, Sacred Gold and Vashi; contemporary handbag label Strathberry and outerwear label Arc’teryx, while 800 outdoor dining seats, a weekly street food festival and an ongoing program of art installations and outdoor performances is being laid out to keep shoppers entertained and engaged.
Savile Row tailors are putting on a two-week Theatre of Craft, which will allow passersby to watch the craftspeople at work through the stores’ windows: Walking down the east side of the famous street, one can watch the process of creating a garment from scratch. On the west side of the street, artisans are demonstrating the process of repairing a suit.
In this post-lockdown world, brands are making it clear they are ready to take on a new approach to retail that’s less about the transaction or gimmicky experience and more about collaboration and the social aspect of shopping.
Stella McCartney plans a series of pop-ups scheduled to take over her Bond Street flagship, ranging from floral studio Flwr to the healthy eatery Farmacy, which will be offering takeout food, to Hackney Coffee Roasters Climpson & Sons serving coffee. Face Gym and Dr. Barbara Sturm will be offering in-store beauty appointments.
Friends of the brand — Sean Lennon, Neneh Cherry and Grimes — have also curated a new playlist for the store, while filmmaker Alice Aedy will be streaming live discussions from the store on the label’s Instagram.
“We are handing over space to our #StellaCommunity friends. This is the start of a new global rollout — that sees Stella McCartney stores around the world become a hub for our #Stellacommunity, giving them space to connect, collaborate and create,” said the brand.
Selfridges enlisted sustainable label Pangaia — whose colorful tracksuits were popular during lockdown — to take over its Corner Shop and asked SoulCycle to open an outdoor workout studio behind its Oxford Street flagship.
“We have been connecting with and listening to our customers and we understand what they have been missing — experiences and inspiration. Whether it’s a new outfit to wear for that first dinner with friends this year, the shared experience of group exercise or simply coming into the store to be inspired by Good Nature in person — people are daring to dream again. It’s our job to make the world brighter through everything our stores and our digital channels have to offer,” said Andrew Keith, Selfridges’ managing director.
Upon reopening, a Selfridges salesperson told WWD that the store never really stopped selling to its customers during lockdown via messaging apps. Now that the physical store is open, though, walk-in customers are expected to bring in more business, and the reopening will also encourage those who prefer to try on items to spend more liberally.
Harrods turned its focus to fashion, with pop-ups by Hermès, Givenchy and Loewe all coinciding with the store’s big reopening. Hermès opened a dedicated boutique of women’s ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories — the first of its kind outside its own boutiques — while Givenchy unveiled a space designed by Matthew Williams in collaboration with artist Ewan Macfarlane in the men’s department. Loewe debuted the latest iteration of its Paula’s Ibiza range. Later this week, the luxury accessories brand Au Départ will open a corner at Harrods.
On Monday, there were long lines outside Harrods’ many doors: “I’ve been working with a Harrods virtual shopper these last few months and have had clothing delivered to me, but now I can’t wait to actually browse and see the items in-store — seeing is believing,” said Charlie Chang, who was waiting outside the Knightsbridge store.
Another Harrods shopper, Jude Edri, said he was planning to pick up a pair of Chanel sneakers that were only available in-store. Two other shoppers-cum-resellers, Euan and Jeffrey, said they were hoping to pick up Nike Air Jordans and Yeezy sneakers. “It’s easier to buy them in-store rather than online,” they said.
With the majority of consumption set to continue taking place digitally, “identifying and meeting [these] new in-store expectations” is where the growth opportunity lies, according to McKinsey & Company’s senior partner Eric Hazan. “Seventy-two percent of consumers have changed stores, brands, or the way they shop. And many of these behaviors appear set to stay.”


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In 2015, when Paytm struck a Rs203-crore sponsorship deal with BCCI, it left many marketers baffled. A fintech start-up that was still limited to metro cities and yet to be a household name was ready to pay an astonishing amount for cricket sponsorship.
Three years later, Paytm has no less recall than the country’s largest bank, State Bank of India. Experts say sports sponsorship wields transformative power that is capable of driving exponential growth in brand awareness and affinity. Brands with specific objectives go for different sporting events to reach out to their target audience.
But with so many investment opportunities, including sponsoring leagues, sports teams, individual players and activities to choose from, how do brands ensure which sports and what format to choose?
Experts say that it isn’t a very tough choice. Brands as a company that is more premium in its offering would choose the on-going FIFA World Cup. Whereas a company such as Escorts tractor or Mahindra trucks would go for the Kabaddi league that has more reach in north India’s farm belt.
“Ideally, every brand should have a different reason to associate with a sport, but that’s not the reality. The reason usually is that sports guarantee you a certain amount of eyeballs and brands sit in this bandwagon. And the reason why we have associated with IPL for so long is that it is a single largest event in the country. I don’t call it a sport; it is like the biggest reality show in the country,” said Samar Sheikhawat, UB group, Senior VP of Marketing.
Sheikhawat thinks brands don’t have a particular reason for associating with a sport but Indranil Das Blah, Founding Partner, Kwan Entertainment, believes the opposite.
“It completely depends on the brand and what its objectives are. If you are looking at a mass product, then you will go for cricket while if you are targeting a metro, you will go for football. It totally depends on the budget and brand’s objective,” said Blah. According to a recent report by ESP properties, the overall media spend on sports increased by 16% from Rs 3,511 crore to Rs 4,065 crore.
Last year, Parle Products was an associate sponsor for IPL. Parle also came up with a campaign called ‘Naamtohsuna hi hoga’ and it ran extensively during the 2017 IPL season.
Explaining the reason behind choosing IPL, BK Rao, Deputy Marketing Manager, Parle Products, said, “IPL is not just a sport, it is an overall entertainment package. If you are launching a new campaign or a new product, you can get an instant reach with IPL. Niche brands target a niche sport like football or tennis though not kabaddi yet. However, if you invest in cricket, you become a talking point if the ad is really exciting.For example, people say, “Uskanayaadaaya, dekhakya? This is the kind of engagement. General entertainment channels don’t give the kind of viewership as IPL does because of the sheer excitement that it generates.”
However, Jigar Rambhia, National Director, Sports and Entertainment Sponsorships, Wavemaker India, feels that there are many more reasons for selecting a sports association for a brand. He explained, “The reasons for the choice of sport go beyond the target audience. It is equally about the locale and seasonality of the sport, about the time of the day that the sport will be telecast at (in India), the communication and messaging of the sport and many such things. In fact, the global events have a global sponsors too, but a national brand from the same category might not want to sponsor the same sport property. The brands have to weed out competition and conflict of interest both."
Though cricket still remains to be the first with high viewership and ad rate, it is not true that cricket always leads to better results. So, when advertisers pitch in a lot of money, the fear of under-deliverance follows back.
“When you are signing up for the world cup, there’s a fear of under-delivery. However, in IPL, irrespective of whichever team wins, the advertisers also win. While in the world cup or T-20, if the Indian team doesn’t play well in the first half, people switch off their television because they don’t want to see India losing. They do follow IPL till the end,” said Rao.
India is still the same country that worships cricket, but with new emerging sports and newer brands, the sports marketing and its ecosystem is changing. According to Star, the first day of PKL 2017 reached over 50 million people, leading to an increase in viewership by 59%. It saw big sponsors like Vivo and Gillette. However, old premium brands still continue to stick with the well-known sports.
“Kabaddi is not considered premium; it is about speed, stamina, strength and masculinity. It has done a brilliant job of packaging it, but it is still seen as a brand that has a rural appeal. We evaluated it ourselves, and we decided to not do it as it represents youth, power, but it is not considered premium. So it will make sense for a tractor or brands that represent strength,” said Sheikhawat.
However, after IPL, PKL is the second-most popular league in India and as these sports gain more popularity, sports marketing will continue to prosper.
Vinit Karnik, Business Head, ESP Properties, explains why sport is a great medium to reach the mass. “Advertisers look for consumers who match their passion point as the connection of the platform is strong. Sports is a popular culture because a lot of people who are not fans of sports, they still follow the game. This audience can be divided into three types – fanatics, fans, and flirts so advertisers have to meet their passion point accordingly,” he said.
Rambhiya interestingly pointed out examples of few big brands that are investing in multiple sports. "Vodafone spends on IPL and FIFA both, similarly, Vivo has spent big on IPL, FIFA and Kabaddi. It is not necessarily either-or situation for brands."
In fact, it might not always be the money that is driving the choice of sport. A lot of people feel that the bigger brands with deep pockets will spend on cricket, but that is not entirely true.
Rambhiya cited examples of Ceat associating with Table Tennis and even on badminton, there are big names.


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- Like Nigeria, South Africa’s Inflation Rises
Consumer prices in South Africa, Africa’s second largest economy, rose to a seven-month high in January as fuel price rises.
Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation rate, increased from 4 percent in December to 4.5 percent in January, according to Pretoria-based Statistics South Africa report released on Wednesday.
The report stated that inflation was driven largely by the increase in fuel price during the month under review as price of gasoline rose by 15 percent when compared to the same month of 2019.
However, annual core inflation, excluding fuel, prices of food, non-alcoholic drinks and electricity, slowed to 3.7 percent.
Bloomberg experts explained that “The increase is unlikely to put pressure on the central bank to pursue tight monetary policy as it sees the rate averaging 4.7% this year, before stabilizing at 4.5% from the third quarter of 2021. The monetary policy committee reduced its benchmark interest rate to the lowest level in four years in January and its quarterly projection model implies another cut of 25 basis points in fourth quarter of the year.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s inflation rose to 21 months high in the same month to hit 12.13 percent from 11.98 percent. The two Africa’s largest economies continue to struggle with rising prices, a situation that has forced the International Monetary Fund to lower Nigeria’s growth projection from 2.5 percent previously projected to 2 percent in 2020.


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The biggest news for v3 is that now – as the standard version – it includes a new version of Google Street View, which is built entirely in HTML so that it works across all of the mobile devices that v3 supports. Also new in the API are markers, info windows, and custom imagery.
At Where 2.0 in March, a Google rep pointed out that the Google Maps API is far and away the leader for third-party developers, and these upgrades will certainly be welcome additions to this already vibrant API.
In other geolocation news, we also expect that Google will launch an API for Latitude at Google I/O.
Pssst, hey you!
Do you want to get the sassiest daily tech newsletter every day, in your inbox, for FREE? Of course you do: sign up for Big Spam here.


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Growth in online shopping is expected grow faster in France with the growth of click and collect offer known "Drive", which will help France to overtake UK by 2016.
The market share of online FMCG in France will be 6.1% compared to 5.5% market share in UK.
Kantar Worldpanel Global Shopper and Retail director Stéphane Roger said although online only makes up a small share of FMCG sales at the moment, all countries are witnessing considerable growth.
"The future belongs to retailers and brands that see the bigger picture and leverage the opportunities provided to broaden their target markets," Roger said.
"Being a slow adopter has the potential to significantly damage sales and erode market share."
The report revealed that the online shoppers, typically middle and upper class likely to prefer branded products over own-label making it an ideal platform for brands.
Researchers also found that some retailers believe that having online presence will impact their physical store shopping, but the report finds that the concerns are not true.
"One of the main concerns for FMCG players, is that ecommerce will take spend away from physical channels. However, this is also one of the biggest misconceptions. Having an online offer helps retailers to secure additional revenue rather than cannibalising existing spend in brick and mortar stores," Roger said.
Photo courtesy: Kantar Worldpanel This article is from the CBROnline archive: some formatting and images may not be present.
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TV personality and events host Marc Nelson is what one would consider these days as a ‘multi-hyphenate’ personality. Apart from his work in front of the camera as a model and reality show star, Marc is also, unbeknownst to many, a supporter of numerous advocacies and causes.
From caring for orphans and disadvantaged kids, to promoting disaster preparedness and resiliency, environmental issues are also very close to his heart, leading to his being named as celebrity ambassador of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), a global organization.
It is because of these qualities and more that Marc was chosen as the newest brand ambassador of Landlite Philippines Corporation (LPC), a leading distributor of lighting fixtures and solutions in the country, and a recognized pioneer in LED lighting. Some of the brands exclusively distributed by LPC are Landlite, Faro and Uozu.
“I’m very honored to be part of the Landlite family,” says Marc. ”Landlite and I have a lot of very similar directions in life, as well as sharing in similar ideas and viewpoints.”
Specifically, Marc did not hesitate to accept the offer to be LPC’s brand ambassador because of Landlite’s thrust towards sustainable and eco-friendly light products, best represented by their extensive line of LED lighting solutions. After all, the company is credited with bringing in LED lighting technologies to the country, which allows for lower energy consumption and are longer lasting compared to regular bulbs.
“As a brand they are very conscious of the environment and of the community,” Marc relates. “I believe in what they do and what they stand for. I’m really after efficiency and practicality without sacrificing aesthetics. So Landlite’s decorative lightings plus LED bulbs are for me.”
Apart from helping spread the word on the value and importance of environmentally-friendly lighting through Landlite’s products, Marc, together with LPC CEO Jocelyn Li, are also collaborating on a number of environmental-related initiatives. One of the projects they did was to help provide clean water supply for the people of Paly Island in Palawan.
“From the moment we got Marc to host our event for the opening of our Lux Décor showroom in 2018, we already knew he was the perfect fit to be our ambassador,” LPC executive says. “We really couldn’t have chosen a better partner.””‹


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Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, Microsoft’s director of programming for Xbox Live, was at PAX Australia recently and was interviewed about the future of the console. He discussed how the company is blurring the line between Xbox as a console and as a platform, as well as moving forward to an all-digital future.
Hryb oversees projects and programs that’s all related to Xbox, including Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere initiative. Play Anywhere allowed users to purchase a game once and let them play the game on either the Xbox One or the PC. This has led to speculations that Microsoft might be aiming for an all-digital future for the console.
“I think the world is — with every passing year and month, every passing moment — the world is more and more comfortable with digital purchases, and frankly that’s what consumers are demanding,” Hryb told GameSpot in an interview. “They want to have that flexibility of content unlocking and being available the moment a game is released. Being able to download it at their leisure.”
Hryb also believes that Play Anywhere represents Xbox as a modern-day platform where Microsoft and Xbox are somewhat the same in terms of gaming. He added that the Xbox has always been console, but it’s also become Microsoft’s gaming brand recently. That said, Hryb emphasized that they want to make sure that everybody will be able to play games however and whenever they want.
Microsoft wants to make people look at the Xbox as a platform rather than just a piece of hardware that gets an upgraded version every few years. Hryb then discussed Project Scorpio and how that expands the consumers’ choice on how to play games. He explained that there are people who are capable of building their own PCs, while there are those who simply don’t have the time for that and that’s exactly where Project Scorpio steps in.
“We’re looking at Scorpio as part of the Xbox family. I mean, who defines generations? They used to be defined very clearly by perhaps processor, hardware releases, and the games that were on them,” Hryb said. “What we’re looking at doing now is something that’s a little more akin to the mobile phone space, where when you upgrade all your content goes with you.” Hryb is perhaps hinting once again at convincing customers to buy games through its digital storefront.
The only problem that Microsoft is facing with its digital-only future for Xbox is that not all gamers around the world have reliable, high-speed internet. There are still a lot of gamers in the rural parts of the United States that are still highly dependent on physical media, as pointed out by Shack News.


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1:10 PM New York – Stocks on Wall Street trended higher in volatile trading and gold, silver, copper and oil fell more than 1%. U.S. construction spending increased 1.1% in October after slipping 0.1% in September. Fiat Chrysler led November auto sales with 20% surge.
Stocks on Wall Street traded volatile but retained the upward bias and investors focused on oil futures trading and the direction of the U.S. dollar.
On Wall Street trading, Tollbooth Index edged up 0.09% or 8.74 to 9,964.20.
S&P 500 index gained 9.70 or 0.5% to 2,063.14 and the Nasdaq Composite Index increased 26.50 or 0.6% to 4,753.51.
Crude oil, gold and silver declined more than 1.6% in New York and European trading.
West Texas Crude oil futures of immediate month supply declined $1.24 to $67.71 and Brent Crude futures from the U.K. and Europe fell $1.20 to $71.137.
Gold futures dropped $18.70 or 1.54% to $1,199 an ounce and silver eased 1.6% to $16.43 an ounce.
Record Construction Spending Since May
Construction spending increased 1.1% in October after declining 0.1% in October, the Commerce Department said today in Washington, D.C.
Spending form a year ago, private residential construction increased 1.9% to annual rate of $353.8 billion and total construction spending increased 3.3% to $971 billion.
Ford Motor Co.
), the automobile company said U.S. Sales in November fell 1.8% to 187,000 vehicles from 190,449 vehicles a year ago month.
The automaker reported total car sales in the month dropped 6.4% to 55,186 units and truck sales declined 9.9% to 70,903 units but utilities sales soared 15.4% to 60,911 units.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV
), the automaker reported U.S. sales for November climbed 20% to 170,839 vehicles, 56th monthly increase in a row. Chrysler brand sales surged 30%.
Jeep sales surged 27% to 57,489 vehicles and Ram pickup sales soared 31% to 35,865 units and sales of the Chrysler 200 more than doubled to 14,317 vehicles.
Total light-vehicle sales are expected to jump 2.5% to about 1.28 million vehicles.
General Motors Co
), the automaker reported total U.S. vehicle sales for November climbed 6.5% to 225,818 units and retail sales jumped 5% and fleet deliveries soared 11% a year ago month.
The company announced to recall 316,357 vehicles primarily from North America to fix up the issues of headlights. General Motors recorded $2.7 billion charge to recall-related repairs in the first nine months of this year.
Toyota Motor Corp
), the Japan-based automaker reported U.S. sales in November jumped 3% to 183,346 units from a year ago month. Corolla sales climbed 14.2% and light trucks and SUVs set records sales in November.
In London trading, FTSE 100 index jumped 1.1% or 75.10 to 6,731.47 and in Frankfurt the DAX index fell 0.2% or 20.27 to 9,943.24.
In Paris, CAC 40 index rose 0.3% or 15.01 to 4,392.34.
In the European corporate news, Aryzta group revenue soared 14% to €1.3 billion. Aviva agreed to acquire rival Friends Life for about £5.6 billion. Aberdeen profit declined 7% to £307 million and assets under management surged 62%. ITE Group net dropped 4% on 9% decrease in revenues.
, the Switzerland-based bakery products maker said total group revenues in the first-quarter ending in October soared 13.8% to €1.26 billion from a year ago period.
The company reported revenue in the quarter from Europe segment climbed 7% to €404.1 million and revenues from North America segment surged 30.5% to €475.5 million. Total food group revenue soared 17.8% from a year ago to €937.8 million.
, the U.K.-based insurance company agreed to acquire rival Friends Life Group Limited for about £5.6 billion or $8.8 billion, 15% more than closing price of November 20.
The company said deal would add about £70 billion of U.K. assets of Friends Life and increase funds under administration to about £309 billion.
Stocks in Tokyo gained and market indexes closed at six-year new highs. Fast Retailing said November same-store sales increased 1.9% and total sales surged 4.1% from a year ago.
Otsuka Holdings agreed to acquire Avanir Pharma for about $5.3 billion or $17 a share.
Stocks in Japan reversed losses in the day and closed higher and market indexes reached a new six-year highs.
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 73.12 or 0.4% to 17,663.22 and the broader Topix index rose 6.20 to 1,427.85.
The yen increased 0.5% to 118.89 against one dollar.
In Mumbai trading, the Sensex Index dropped 115.61 or 0.4% to close at 28,444.01. The CNX Nifty fell 31.20 or 0.4% to 8,524.70.
Bajaj Auto Limited
, the second largest two-wheeler maker reported total sales in November slid 0.4% to 309,259 units compared to 310,591 units same period a year ago.
The company reported motorcycles sales declined 6% to 261,948 units from 278,703 units same period last year.
Commercial vehicles sales surged 48% to 47,311 units compared to 31,888 units a year earlier period.
Total export soared 24% to 165,733 units from 133,731 units same period last year.
Hero MotoCorp Limited
, the largest motorcycle maker said November sales rose 3.18% to 547,413 units compared to 530,530 units same period a year ago.
The company controlled or influenced by the former controlling shareholder Vijay Malaya were in focus after the corporate regulator in a rare move disapproved the filing by Kingfisher to reinstate Vijay Malaya as the company chairman.
Tata Motors Limited
, the truck and motor vehicle maker said November total sales increased 2.1% to 41,720 units compared to 40,863 units a same period last year.
In November, commercial and passenger vehicles sales were flat at 37,427 units.
Total exports jumped 17% to 4,293 units compared to 3,671 units same period last year.


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Integrated marketing agency partners with global accessibility initiative to create a call to action from disabled people to all organisations.
If you haven’t heard of the Purple Pound, you probably should. The consumer spending power of disabled people and their families stands at a staggering $13 trillion worldwide, and that’s a figure that’s rising at 14% per year. Despite this, fewer than 10% of businesses have a strategy to tap into this consumer group.
Purple Tuesday is a global social movement and the number one brand for improving the customer experience for disabled people, anchored in the lived experience of disabled customers, the issues they face every day, and the solutions needed. It’s more than just a brand, it’s also a celebratory day that promotes accessibility and inclusivity. Last year’s Purple Tuesday reached 23 million people globally, garnering over 6,000 participating organisations and 7,000 commitments from companies to improve*.
This year, Wunderman Thompson has partnered with the organisation to create a Piccadilly Lights takeover, which will air on 7th November and give often unseen disabled consumers a spot on the largest out-of-home site in Europe. The spot will highlight the power of the Purple Pound, and challenge organisations with Purple Tuesday ambassadors asking: ‘Are you my brand?’
Purple Tuesday first approached Wunderman Thompson through their employee resource group, Access All Areas (AAA), which exists to improve their work and workspaces for those with and without disabilities. The film they have produced for Purple Tuesday spotlights the personal experience of disabled people and focuses on how shopping does, and should, make them feel.
This professional campaign titled 'Are you my brand?' was published in United Kingdom in November, 2023. It was created for the brand: Purple Tuesday, by ad agency: Wunderman Thompson UK. This Film and Integrated media campaign is related to the Public Interest industry and contains 1 media asset. It was submitted 5 months ago.
Alex Horlock – Senior Copywriter
Sara Blackett – Senior Producer
Daryl Yeoman – Lead Editor
Abbie Keen – Project Manager
Patrick Kane – Global Growth Manager


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Originally published on Sat August 3, 2013 8:11 am
Chinese gamers may soon be able to settle by force a thorny international dispute between their government and Japan over who controls a small chain of islands in the East China Sea.
The basic platform of the newly released Glorious Mission Online was developed as a training tool for the People's Liberation Army. Game maker Giant Interactive Group (GIG) has expanded the "first-person shooter" game with a simulation of a Chinese amphibious assault on the Senkaku islands, as they are known in Tokyo, or Diaoyu, as Beijing calls them.
The U.S. women's cross-country ski team has never won an Olympic medal. But that could change in Sochi, Russia, in February. The team has a secret weapon: a pristine glacier high above the mountains of Anchorage.
On the ground, it's summer. But as soon as the helicopter crests the mountain: winter. The snowy white Eagle Glacier stretches out for miles, rimmed by rocky peaks.
Originally published on Fri August 2, 2013 1:55 pm
Taking acetaminophen causes rare but potentially deadly skin reactions in some people, the Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday.
The goal is not to scare people off Tylenol and other acetaminophen-based pain relievers, which are among the most popular medications in the United States, federal officials say.
Instead, they want people to be aware that these skin conditions can be a side effect of using acetaminophen, so that if they notice a rash or other skin reaction they can stop taking the drug and quickly get to a doctor.


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Here’s to You Pub & Grub was recently nominated, among 130 other Michigan restaurants, for “Best Outdoor Seating.”
With the help of local readers, Amy Sherman, reporter of MLive’s Michigan Best and former restaurant chef, nominated Pub & Grub for its reputation among diners for good food, good atmosphere, and a creative menu.
“They are known for being a fun place to visit and for having good food,” Sherman said. “The restaurants that are having the most success are ones like Pub & Grub that are really focusing on something unique.”
One feature of the Pub & Grub’s outdoor setting is a hibachi grill. Owner Kevin Conant said that he cuts his own steaks and makes his entire menu from scratch, including soups and sauces.
“It sounded fun to do,” Conant said. “I do a lot of Asian food and everybody really likes what I’ve done so I figured I’d take it to the next level and cook it in front of everyone.”
Conant said that the restaurant’s outdoor seating has also created a place for the community to get together.
“The outdoor seating is something fun for people to do because rather than being locked down for so long, people just come outside,” he said.
The local community has provided support for restaurants like Pub & Grub to thrive, Conant said.
Customers Ricardo Gomez and Lewis Miller eat at the restaurant frequently and said they always come away with a positive experience.
“As far as food goes, they have some really good creations,” said Miller, who added he especially likes the french fries. “They have unique takes on your typical burger that you can’t get elsewhere.”
Sherman agreed, saying it is one of her favorites in the area.
“We were impressed with the food when we were there in this little tiny restaurant,” Sherman said. “It’s not what you would expect, but I love that they are doing something different with their outdoor seating. Seeing a picture of the hibachi grill made me want to drive down to Pub & Grub.”
With so many people seeking places to eat out, Conant said his team has struggled to keep up with the demand.
“We’ve served the community for a long time and we have a huge clientele,” he said. “Most of the time it’s hard to keep people out of the doors.”
Conant added that he hopes to be at 50% capacity by the end of the month.


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Waitrose is to sell John Lewis kitchen and homewares products on its website and in its top performing stores.
Part of the John Lewis Partnership, the upmarket supermarket is now forging to closer links with the department store division in an attempt to compete with its high street rivals.
Under the joint venture, thousands of Waitrose and John Lewis products will be sold at the Waitrose.com homeshop from August 4. They will also be available in some stores.
Customers can have the goods they ordered through the new online service homeshop, either delivered to their homes or they can collect them directly from their local Waitrose branch.
The retailer said that it will also launch a Waitrose Foodhall at the John Lewis store in the Bluewater shopping centre, hoping to boost both brands.
All the homeware and kitchen products to be made available through the joint venture will be sold in Waitrose stores in future, the firms revealed in a joint statement.
Waitrose managing director Mark Price said: “Working in collaboration with John Lewis and having their products as part of our range will strengthen Waitrose’s presence on the high street even more and will give us a real opportunity to rival our four main competitors with an exceptional non-food offer which will be unmatched.”


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When South Africa went into a national lockdown on 27 March 2020, no one fully comprehended the deep, complex and devastatingly profound consequences it would hold for individuals, businesses and entire industry sectors.
South African banks rapidly responded to the imminent crisis facing their account holders, and as at 7 July 2020 had approved more than R30,6 billion in relief to individuals and businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and national lockdown, according to the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA).
According to a report prepared by specialist collections agency Shapiro Shaik Defries and Associates, – Navigating through South Africa’s Debt Relief Programme and the Implications for Indebted Consumers – the debt relief programme, while crucial at the time, has tremendous implications for both previously and newly indebted consumers, and for how banks go about collecting outstanding debt in future as well as supporting distressed customers.
“Given the urgency demanded in the circumstances, the debt relief extended by banks to customers was done on a broad-based account and product level, and not on a customer-specific level. As a result, many bank clients found themselves with more than one payment relief running across different products, all activated at different times, and potentially all with varying terms and conditions. Due to the severity, speed and far-reaching impact of the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown to livelihoods, there was an urgency to provide this relief, with little to no time to accurately assess, vet and address each situation on individual merit and risk assessments. South Africa was not unique in this approach with many of the world’s major economics following a similar approach,” explains Gareth Levinsohn, Commercial Director of Shapiro Shaik Defries and Associates.
The big question is, with the initial reaction of providing relief for distressed consumers passed, how will this impact the response and recovery phases for South Africa’s financial services sector, as well as the millions of individuals who continue to find themselves under significant financial duress?
“Banks are now facing masses of clients who are rolling into their collections portfolios phase, and this will be happening on different financial products, and at different times – credit cards, bonds, overdrafts and asset loans. For at least the next six to eight months, the financial services sector will need to implement its recovery stage and understand what exactly is appropriate for each customer given their unique and individual circumstances. Blanket, one-size-fits-all approaches to recovery and collections will not suffice given the changed circumstances,” explains Levinsohn.
“The value of having a direct line of sight of the primary transactional account to clarify the position of the customer will be crucial in terms of when they expect to return to full employment, and whether there are any extenuating family circumstances or health and related issues that could impact the customers’ ability to financially recover. There is a significant opportunity to arbitrage for efficiencies in the collection and analysis of such primary data.
“A return to individual, risk-based assessment as well as recoveries is also important. While single, unqualified offers were acceptable and necessary given the crisis circumstances when debt relief was provided, as we get deeper into the pandemic and its long-term economic impact, each customer must be managed and engaged on a merit basis. The three-month payment freeze in many instances has created indebtedness to an already vulnerable consumer, and affordability will now most certainly become an issue with the regulator,” says Levinsohn.
Banks also face major challenges in a post-Covid environment as far as collections are concerned. Firstly, in this economy there is a limited market to buy and sell repossessed assets as a means of recouping outstanding debts. Secondly, the landscape has changed dramatically for traditional collection practices. Banks can no longer contract with collections service providers who work solely on a ‘success basis’, and success cannot solely be measured in Rand Collections alone. There are numerous factors to consider, both from a legislative perspective as well as an ethical one. There is a fine balance to be struck – banks and their collections providers need to act in the best interests of the customer given the Covid uncertainty. However, the debts remain exactly that, and must be collected to ensure that financial services providers avoid blanket debt write-offs or any other actions that might place depositors’ funds at risk or otherwise undermine the integrity of the financial sector.
“As South Africa continues to navigate through the pandemic, it is abundantly clear that there has been profound damage to every facet of livelihoods and the economy. The full and long-term impact is still unfolding before us and will continue to do so in the months ahead. While the true magnitude of the financial distress facing both individuals and businesses remains to be seen, it is evident that there is no short-term fix for this Mach1, black swan disaster. It has taken South Africa and its citizenry, and indeed the world, to the wall in terms of plummeting household income, soaring unemployment, widespread business closures and crippling consumer indebtedness. For our financial services sector to navigate through the post-Covid economy will demand that a new approach is developed, and as such, there must be a readiness to restructure, with a more customer-centric, empathetic approach driven by current, forward looking customer data and analytics based on people’s changed realities,” concludes Levinsohn.


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Is he a Tesla stalker or just a very meticulous researcher? A judge will decide
Is Randeep Hothi a stalker, a harasser, a perpetrator of violence and an imminent threat? Or is he a mild-mannered academic engaged in legal if unorthodox research for his investments?
Is Tesla’s Elon Musk an intimidator who uses his wealth, power and Twitter account to silence critics? Or is he simply trying to protect his employees from possible harm?
Those questions are being asked in Alameda County Superior Court, where Tesla seeks a permanent restraining order against Hothi.
Tesla says Hothi struck a Tesla security employee with his car at the company’s Fremont, Calif., assembly plant, and that he later endangered workers in a Tesla Model 3 who were testing driverless technology at highway speeds on Interstate 880 between Fremont and the Oakland side of the Bay Bridge.
Hothi, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan and Tesla critic who lives near the Fremont plant, says Tesla is lying to smear him and shut him up.
The case took a turn in Hothi’s favor last week, when Judge Jeffrey Brand backed a request by his lawyers that Tesla release video recordings that they say are relevant to the case. Brand ordered Tesla to turn the videos over — along with any relevant photographs and audio recordings — by July 16.
Tesla asked the judge to bar the media from future hearings. The judge declined to do so.
Hothi is part of a Twitter group of short sellers and other Tesla critics known as $TslaQ. Participants monitor Tesla for flaws in its business model and evidence that the company’s stock price is far higher than it should be, based on business fundamentals. Many of them, including Hothi, have bet on the stock price falling — which it has been doing, for the most part, recently. It closed at $230.34 on Monday, down 1.2% on the day and 27% year to date.
Another member of the group, Lawrence Fossi, an investment manager who goes by the Twitter handle Montana Skeptic, set up a GoFundMe page for Hothi’s legal expenses. So far, it has raised $118,000.
According to Hothi’s court response to Tesla’s accusations, “Tesla has a history of using the legal system to silence its critics.” The document pointed to the widely publicized story of Martin Tripp, a former employee who became a whistleblower, saying Tesla knowingly manufactured and sold defective batteries. “Tesla CEO Musk set out to destroy him,” the court response said. Tesla sued Tripp for $167 million. An anonymous caller had contacted the company to say that Tripp was planning a mass shooting, a report that was relayed to police. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, “Tesla’s PR department spread rumors that Tripp was possibly homicidal and had been part of a grand conspiracy” and the company fired another whistleblower, former Tesla security manager Sean Gouthro.
Tesla said at the time that the allegations concerning Tripp were “untrue and sensationalized.” The case is pending in the U.S. District Court in Nevada.
After Fossi’s identity was revealed last year, Musk called Fossi’s boss and threatened a lawsuit. And Hothi’s court filing brought up the case of Tesla regional manager Adam Williams, who reported to superiors that employees were knowingly selling defective cars; the document said Williams was demoted and later fired. He sued Tesla last year. Tesla said at the time that Williams was fired only for poor performance and that his suit had “no merit” and “it’s also at odds with the fact that we rank highest in customer satisfaction of any car brand.”
Musk, openly contemptuous of short sellers on Twitter, may be especially sensitive to criticism of the company’s autonomous driving technology, a key strategic program whose successes and failures are bound to affect the company’s stock price.
Hothi had kept an eye on production at Tesla’s assembly plant, counting cars to match against Tesla’s production claims. He often took photographs from just outside the plant, and sometimes positioned a camera (on public property, he said) to remotely record activity. He posted his observations under the Twitter handle Skabooshka.
On Feb. 21, Hothi sat in his car in a publicly accessible area of the Fremont plant’s parking lot near a Tesla sales showroom. When confronted by a security guard, Tesla said in court documents, Hothi “fled the scene” and “hit Tesla’s security employee Tyler James with his car” resulting in “minor injuries.”
Fremont police reviewed the case and concluded it did not meet the elements of a hit and run, according to court records filed by Hothi’s attorney. Police forwarded the case to the county district attorney’s office, which declined to prosecute, stating there was insufficient evidence that Hothi hit James with his car, according to court records. Hothi never returned to the Fremont plant after that day, his lawyer said.
On April 16, according to Tesla, three employees sat in a Model 3 mounted with camera equipment while testing the car’s autonomous driving capabilities. The company said in court filings that Hothi “pursued” the employees for 35 minutes, “driving ahead of, beside, and behind them, and swerving dangerously close to the vehicle,” perhaps to spark a response from the car’s autonomous system. The employees feared that Hothi’s “road conduct would cause a collision and injure them.” Hothi said those statements are false.
In a court response, Hothi’s lawyer said, “Randeep was critically researching Tesla’s extravagant claims” about the capabilities of its “full self driving” systems.
“I did not swerve at any vehicle whatsoever,” Hothi said in an interview. He assumed the video footage being shot that day would be used as marketing material, said D. Gill Sperlein, Hothi’s lawyer. Hothi intended to record the car’s journey to compare it with any edited version that Tesla might show in the future.
After that incident, Tesla sought and was granted a temporary restraining order against Hothi.
Sperlein cited the camera system mounted on the test car, and the eight cameras typically installed on all Teslas to enable autonomous driving, in his request that the company provide footage to use as evidence.
The case is being tried in a court loaded with workplace harassment and other cases involving restraining order requests. On the same day the Hothi hearings began, Judge Brand heard a case involving an argument between a bus driver and a retired bus driver that ended in fisticuffs, and another involving a long-running dispute between two elderly neighbors in which one allegedly brandished his walking stick as a weapon and the other pulled out a knife and vowed to “cut you open like a fish.” To speed such cases along, legal discovery — the process of gathering evidence from the other side — usually is not allowed.
In Tesla’s case, though, the judge made an exception, writing that despite the company’s objections based on confidentiality and privacy, among other things, “Production of any such recordings would impose a minimal burden on the parties.”
He added, “If any party were in possession of such recordings and decided not to present them at trial, then the court might be inclined to draw an adverse influence.”
Hothi told The Times he believes no video exists that shows him driving in the manner Tesla is claiming.
Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.
The next court hearing is set for July 26.


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Working from a pool overlooking the turquoise sea, with a fitness track, hot tubs and several delicious restaurants to eat from: what better than to “work from home” aboard a luxury cruise liner?
Like many companies in the travel industry, cruises have been hit hard by the pandemic and the resulting tourism slump. Now Ocean Builders has its eyes on the cheap inventory so it can transform cruise ships into floating offices. Ocean Builders is seeking to capitalise on digital nomads who, without the constraints of families or mortgages, can up sticks and work from anywhere in the world – Covid travel restrictions permitting.
The organisation, which is in the early stages of developing floating seapods off the coast of Panama, is calling on the elites of London, San Francisco and New York to join them on their floating office in warmer climes.
Google, Twitter and Dropbox are just some


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The end of ''Survivor''
The end of ''Survivor'' -- Tips for planning a party around the reality show's finale
Our national obsession comes to an end Aug. 23, when CBS airs Survivor‘s three-hour finale. To say ”sarong,” expect a wave of Survivor shindigs. Already, Evite, a San Francisco-based party-planning site, has a template with the show’s graphics. Michael Gapinski of Along Came Mary — the Los Angeles event production company that will throw CBS’ own Survivor fete — offers these tips for a memorable tribal council guaranteed to keep you from being voted off the island.
1. For exotic nibbles, stores like Modesto, Calif.’s Bugfully Delightful sell ”dry-roasted-cricket-filled chocolates — sort of Nestle’s Crunch à la Survivor.”
2. Home Depot has great bamboo-type matting. Throw it down for a Survivor picnic.
3. Hack the tops off fresh green coconuts for pina coladas.
4. Don’t forget the marshmallows. Nothing says immunity idol like a s’more.