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Just about every business leader has heard the proverbial story of Chicken Little. A young bird gets bonged on the head by an acorn while walking in the forest, and mistakenly assumes “the sky is falling.” After convincing Henny Penny and other intellectually challenged feathered friends that the end is nigh, a sly and hungry Foxy Loxy offers the apocalyptic birds his foxhole for protection. The story typically ends either one of two ways: Foxy Loxy gobbles up the doomsayers or a noble king scares away the fox and provides Chicken Little with some basic insurance — an umbrella.
The threat of avian influenza now poses a Chicken Little-like challenge to our global economy. Most medical experts agree that the pandemic clock is ticking away as avian flu eats up tens of millions of factory chickens around the world. But given the fickleness of viruses, no one really knows whether the bird flu will actually explode into the human population as a severe 1918-like killer (50 million dead worldwide) or as a mild 1957-style visitor. Do companies assume the sky is falling or adopt the business equivalent of an umbrella — what economists call a continuity plan?
The growing answer is that modern economics favours the prepared CEO. Just last month, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), the nation's largest industry and trade association, published an 87-page planning guide for an influenza pandemic, complete with checklists, contact information and even illustrated handwashing instructions (the cheapest way to break the chain of infection). In just four weeks, managers downloaded about 40,000 copies. “I was blown away by the response. It was stunning and unprecedented,” says CME president Perrin Beatty. “There is an awareness among business about the need for planning, but a great lack of information about what questions to ask and where to start.”
The CME guide poses an essential yet stunning question: “How will you maintain your business operation when 15% to 35% of the workforce falls ill and up to 50% of your workforce may be absent at one time?” It's not an idle query. According to conservative Health Canada estimates, a flu pandemic could bury between 11,000 and 58,000 Canadians, infect up to a third of the population, come in three successive waves, and last for a year. As a consequence, says the CME guide, “it will not be business as usual.”
A 2005 report by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) came to similar conclusions. It considered two possible pandemic scenarios: a mild one and a severe killer with a 2.5% mortality rate. (The 1918 flu pandemic reached mortalities as high as 11% in some countries.) A viral Katrina, the CBO said, could sicken 90 million Americans, kill two million, cut U.S. GDP by 5% and potentially launch a “typical business-cycle recession.” In contrast, a mild scenario produced 75 million sick, 100,000 dead, and modest economic upheaval: a 1.5% hiccup in the economy.
When Sherry Cooper, executive vice-president of BMO Financial Group, tweaked the CBO model with more rigorous estimates on supply disruption, she came up with sobering numbers, too. A mild pandemic, Cooper predicted in a March report (The Avian Flu Crisis: An Economic Update), could shave $20 billion off Canada's GDP, but a major killer could deliver a $60-billion hit with considerable long-term effects. “The most productive sector of the population would be the most devastated with sustained labour shortages, reduced demand for housing, cars, electronics and other durable goods,” she wrote. “Consumption growth, in general, would be slower, and government and private pension plans would risk a fairly rapid insolvency. The same would be true of health-care systems.” Cooper's bottom-line advice: stockpile vital equipment and plan now.
Cooper also exposed the global economy's weak underbelly: a just-in-time supply chain. Although Wal-Mart, she notes, has led the charge in “minimizing inventories of inputs, goods, machine parts, labour, virtually everything,” the strategy only works with open borders and smoothly tuned global transportation networks. And such a system, which has no surge capacity, would be sorely tested by a pandemic, Cooper argues. In other words, if China were to come down with a bad case of avian flu, Wal-Mart's shelves would become bare rather quickly.
No group has considered the vulnerability of the supply chain more than the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors. “We've been working on a contingency plan for nine months,” says its chief executive, Nick Jennery. The grocery industry employs more than half a million Canadians at 24,000 stores, with a combined retail market of $72 billion a year. The system depends daily on 15,000 truckers, already a scarce commodity in Canada. “We have lived through Hurricane Juan and the ice storm and have ensured continuous supply of food,” says Jennery. But he admits a flu pandemic would be a challenge: “It would be a prolonged period of crisis.”
As a consequence, the entire industry, Canada's second largest, has begun continuity planning to ensure critical services and products are delivered. The industry is also sharing its plans with government pandemic planners. “It's a little bit like building a bridge from both sides of the river,” says Jennery. The Quebec government's response to the 1998 ice storm highlighted the importance of open communication. “They came into our stores and took out the generators,” says Jennery. “That was a real surprise.”
The council isn't the only organization studying plague scenarios. Most major companies, among them Air Canada, Inco and Manulife Financial, are all planning. The Conference Board of Canada will set up a “pandemic preparedness working group” in June for executives to study the implications on sales, operations and human resources. According to media reports, HSBC, with 245,000 employees in 79 countries, assumes that up to 60% of its staff could be off. So it's looking at beefing up call centres to help more people do their banking by phone. Maura Drew-Lytle, a spokesperson for the Canadian Bankers Association, says every financial institution has a plan, but adds that due to proprietary issues, “I don't think anyone would get into too many specifics.”
A 2005 U.S. grocery study acknowledged that surge or panic buying might well empty stores. But it predicted consumers would eventually shift to “fewer visits with increased basket size” or Internet shopping. Demand for chicken would tank, while demand for prepackaged goods would soar. “Many part-time and lower-pay employees will abandon their jobs as they perceive the risk being greater than the compensation,” the report added.
William Leiss, a risk analyst at the University of Ottawa, thinks business planning for a pandemic is vital, but he perceives a stunning weakness in most public efforts to date. “The government has done all the planning for health service professionals, but the public is not mentioned in the plan,” he says. Leiss sees the same critical omission in business plans that ignore the fears and concerns of rank-and-file workers. If you want your employees to work during a pandemic (either from home or at the office) you'd better talk to them up front about basic issues such as paycheques, vaccines and job security, Leiss stresses. In the absence of public and employee engagement, he says, “people will make bad decisions and not know what to do.”
The poultry industry learned the importance of preplanning in 2004, when a weak strain of avian flu ruffled B.C.'s factory farms, resulting in the slaughter of millions of birds and losses of $381 million. According to Marvin Friesen, a chicken breeder from Abbotsford whose flock was affected, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had no real strategy. “Where was the plan?” Friesen asked in a post-outbreak presentation to federal and provincial officials. “Industry didn't have one, and we never saw one from CFIA.”
That earlier outbreak, caused by poor biosecurity and the high population density of poultry farms, won't happen again, Friesen predicts. He says the industry has spent millions developing an emergency response plan. He also thinks the potential for a human pandemic has been overblown. “Public health authorities have seized upon avian flu as a mechanism for increasing government funding for public health,” he argues. When avian flu does come to Canada, Friesen doesn't expect more than “a little splash.”
Still, the business community, burned by the 2003 SARS outbreak (a $50-billion headache) and mad cow disease (a $7-billion-and-growing scandal), continues to pay more attention to pandemic possibilities. “I'm really struck by the attention it is getting,” says Crawford Kilian, a Vancouver science-fiction writer, teacher and noted flu blogger, whose site has received up to 5,000 hits a day. He's also struck by the “lack of communication between the planners and the planned for.” A pandemic, however, does not mean the sky is falling, Kilian insists. “Most of us won't catch it, and most of us will come through it.”
Still, the blogger agrees that being prepared makes more sense than jumping into the nearest foxhole. Concludes Kilian: “It's much better to have planned and not need it than it is to need it and not have planned.”


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"I think [removing the Start button] is going to be a brick wall, not even a roadblock," Copeland told CRN. "And, again, this is my opinion, but I believe that Microsoft is so worried about becoming hip and cool that they have forgotten the average Windows user is doing their job, and they're doing Word, and they're doing Excel ... they don't need tiles and they don't need to try to figure out where the new folders are and they don't want to have a learning curve. They just want to go to work."
What's more, some partners feel the success of Windows 8 is too closely tethered to the success of new touch-enabled convertible PCs and Ultrabooks, the super-thin notebook form factor Intel ushered in in 2011. To take full advantage of the software, touch is a must-have, which means some enterprises will want to refresh their hardware -- assuming they don't already have touch-enabled devices in-house -- before even considering a move to Windows 8.
"Windows 8 and Ultrabooks have to go hand in hand," said Joseph Awe, president of Exton, Pa.-based solution provider and Microsoft partner TechBldrs. "Without Ultrabooks and their [touch] technology, Windows 8 is dead in the water."
For this reason and others, most analysts project it will take several years for the enterprise to embrace Windows 8. Gartner projected in October that 90 percent of businesses will bypass broad-scale adoption of the software until at least 2014.
But Microsoft remains confident that its new OS will succeed in the enterprise space. The company did not make an executive available for an interview but in an email, a spokesperson told CRN it worked closely with "hundreds of business customers" to discuss its Windows 8 design plans before going to market with the product.
"From large to small businesses, customers said that they are planning to adopt Windows 8 for many different reasons -- some are eager to deploy devices that give their employees the convenience of a tablet with the productivity of a PC," the Microsoft spokesperson said.
While some Microsoft partners doubt Windows 8 will ever take off in the enterprise, others have faith it will succeed. According to Douglas Grosfield, president and CEO of Xylotek Solutions, an Ontario-based Microsoft partner, Windows 8 will at least be welcomed by IT teams grappling with the bring-your-own-device trend, since devices running the software will integrate more easily into existing Windows-based IT infrastructures than competing devices like Apple's iPad or Android-based tablets.
"There's continuity with the systems you are running in your office," Grosfield told CRN. "You've got the same tools, the same look and feel. That has to have a positive impact on your productivity."
Spencer Ferguson, president and CEO of Wasatch I.T., a Microsoft partner and Salt Lake City-based solution provider, believes Windows 8's revamped design was a necessary move for Microsoft to appeal to consumers, while prepping its enterprise users for the future of Windows. Like Grosfield, he also believes Windows 8 could have a leg up in the enterprise because of its compatibility with legacy Windows apps and infrastructures.
"We'll see a bit of an uptick based on refreshes over the next 12 to18 months. I believe in Windows 8," Ferguson said.

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The European Union has threatened Google Inc. with a substantial fine after allegations of infringement in search results.
The European Union has been developing an antitrust case against Google Inc. for the last five years. According to the EU authorities Google has been unfairly promoting its own online service and ads in place of other rivals. If Google fails to share online market space with other rivals then it will be fined with a large sum good enough to ensure compliance.
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The document has been provided to Google specifying the changes they will have to make and the fines they will be charged if not. Google search dominates 90 percent of the space in the online market share, while it only has 65 percent in the US.
The EU officials claim Google has been using its position as the leading market search engine to promote its own services over rivals companies such as Microsoft and Yelp in search results.
Details of the antitrust bill by the EU have not been made public in deference with their law; however inside sources have revealed the document issued to Google is 120 pages long. The document has also allegedly asked Google to rate its services on the same criteria it treats other search products and not to give itself preference either intentionally or unintentionally.
The fine by the EU is based on the revenue Google generates in the European countries and may redefine the way Google services are available all around the world.
The case against Google apparently started in 2208 when allegations of foul play surfaced, as rivals complained the vertical searches especially in areas such as shopping, restaurants and travel are biased. Google has also been accused for unfairly diverting traffic from rival shopping sites to own services.
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Tesla is already under investigation for the death of Joshua Brown when his Model S slammed under the back of a truck and killed him whilst driving on autopilot. It turns out this isn't an isolated incident. In a remarkably similar crash in China in January, another driver was killed when his autopilot also didn't see a truck, and similar drove under the back of it at full speed. In the Chinese crash, a dashcam was recovered that shows the vehicle making no attempt to avoid the parked truck.
On top of these two autopilot deaths, a third driver has now died in his model S because of a severe electrical fire. In this latest case, the Dutch driver died when his Tesla crashed into a tree at 155kmh, in an accident so vicious that it split the battery in two and sparked the electrical fire. It seems autopilot wasn't responsible for this crash but it does call into question the integrity of the battery tub again (already investigated once due to a severe fire from road debris a couple of years ago).
Dutch first responders are extremely well-versed in dealing with electric cars - they're some of the best-trained first responders for these sorts of accidents. So when they tell you that the nature and severity of the wreckage was so bad that they could not be certain whether the car might be under high voltage, you ought to listen to them.
At the time, the driver was doing a reported 155kmh which would be a bad crash whichever way you look at it, in any car, but it ought to have been survivable.
With two confirmed deaths, it's not surprising then that the Israeli company that provides Tesla with part of the Autopilot system has broken ties with them. MobilEye don't want to be associated with a vehicle manufacturer that is killing it's driver with a flawed system. Ammon Shashua, chief technical officer for MobilEye said "No matter how you spin it, Autopilot is not designed for that. It is a driver assistance system and not a driverless system."
MobilEye abandons Tesla
Tesla autopilot caused second driver death?
Dashcam shows Chinese Tesla crash


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The Royal Parks Half Marathon presented by Royal Bank of Canada, has become one of the first major UK running events in the UK to go plastic bottle free.
For the first time since the race was started in 2009, plastic bottles will be completely removed from the route and runners will be offered bio-degradable cups at the water stations across the course. Runners are also being encouraged to bring reusable water bottles with them on race day.
In addition through the introduction of a newly launched environmental policy, the sustainability drive will also extend to all their partners, exhibitors and sponsors reinforcing the organisers commitment and continued efforts to make the race as sustainable as possible.
As a result a number of green initiatives will be introduced to the festival site which will include; no single use plastic being distributed to people attending the event, all plates, cutlery and food servings must be made from a compostable material, no products containing palm oil can be used on the event site and exhibitors will not be allowed to use balloons or leaflet anywhere on site.
It looks as though many mass participation events are catching on, introducing their own plastic free initiatives but the Royal Parks Half continues to lead the way with its sustainability efforts.
Persephone Deacon-Cole, Project Lead at the Royal Parks Half said:
“We recognise as guardians of 5,000 acres of incredible Royal parkland, it was our responsibility to prioritise the environment in everything we do, which includes the Half Marathon. We made a commitment to remove all plastic bottles from the course and festival site, which we will accomplish this year at the 2019 race.
She added: “We need everyone to play a role in helping us to be the greenest half marathon. This includes runners, charities, sponsors, and vendors.
“Response to our commitment has been overwhelming. We surveyed our runners last year and 64% said they would consider the environment and sustainability when choosing a race. The Royal Parks Half is engrained in the social fabric of this city and we’re proud to be taking the lead in prioritising the environment.”
Now in its 12th year, The Royal Parks Half Marathon remains one of the most iconic half marathons in the world. The route will take 16,000 runners through four of London’s eight Royal Parks including Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens, as well as passing by famed London landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and the Houses of Parliament.


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AT&T has misled millions of its mobile customers by promising unlimited data plans, then charging them and reducing their data speeds after they reach a monthly cap, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said in a complaint announced Tuesday.
A court has shut down a New York tech support vendor after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission accused the company of scamming computer users into paying hundreds of dollars for services they did not need.
A group of companies that allegedly promised mobile phone users supposedly free gift cards and electronic devices in a "massive" text-messaging spam operation will pay more than US$9 million to settle complaints from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission...
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's new chief technologist is high-profile digital privacy consultant Ashkan Soltani, a move that signals the agency's growing interest in policing online tracking and other Internet privacy issues.
President Barack Obama issued an executive order on Friday to have secure chip-and-PIN technology embedded into government-issued credit and debit cards as part of a broader move aimed at stemming payment data breaches.
AT&T will pay US$105 million to settle complaints from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and 51 state-level governments that it made millions of dollars through unauthorized third-party charges on customers' mob...
Yelp has agreed to pay US$450,000 to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to settle charges that the company accepted registrations to its services from children under 13 through its apps.
The collection and analysis of big data holds great promise, but may also lead some companies to create profiles of consumers leading to discrimination, the chairwoman of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Monday.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission should investigate security practices at Home Depot following media reports that the hardware retailer's payment systems have been breached, two U.S. senators said Tuesday.
Google has agreed to pay at least US$19 million to settle a U.S. Federal Trade Commission complaint that the company unfairly billed Android mobile device owners for in-app purchases made by their children, the agency said Thursday.
Thirty U.S. data brokers and data management firms, including Adobe Systems, AOL and Salesforce.com, are violating privacy promises they've made regarding their handling of the personal information of EU residents, a privacy group said in a complaint...
A company accused of sending unsolicited and deceptive email before the roll out of the U.S. Affordable Care Act will pay US$350,000 to settle a complaint from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission failed to adequately consider the consumer benefits of easy in-app purchases in its recent complaints accusing Apple and Amazon.com of allowing children to buy digital products without parental permission, according ...
Mobile carriers have pulled in hundreds of millions in profits through third-party charges tacked onto customers' bills without their consent, according to a report from a U.S. Senate committee.
U.S. and EU privacy and consumer groups called on privacy regulators to stop Facebook's plans to gather the Internet browsing patterns of its users while they visit other sites.
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A smarter way to print for busy small business owners, combining speedy printing with scanning and copying, making it easier to produce high quality documents and images at a touch of a button.
I've had a multifunction printer in the office going on 10 years now. It was a neat bit of kit back in the day -- print, copy, scan, fax -- when printing over WiFi felt a bit like magic. It’s seen better days though and an upgrade’s well overdue. This HP OfficeJet Pro 8730 looks like it ticks all the same boxes: print, copy, scan, and fax. (Really? Does anyone fax anything any more? I guess it's good to know the facility’s there, just in case.) Printing over WiFi is more-or- less standard these days.
As a freelance writer who is always on the go, I like my technology to be both efficient and effective so I can do my job well. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8730 Inkjet Printer ticks all the boxes in terms of form factor, performance and user interface.
I’d happily recommend this touchscreen laptop and Windows 10 as a great way to get serious work done at a desk or on the road.
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Chancellor Philip Hammond’s announcement of a new consultation on late payment has given a cautious welcome by the construction sector.
Delivering his Spring Statement to Parliament this week, the minister issued a call for evidence “on how we can eliminate the continuing scourge of late payments – a key ask from small businesses”.
Trade body the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group has been driving the construction industry’s efforts to improve cashflow security through the use of project bank accounts and by ring-fencing cash retentions.
SEC Group will be inviting the Chancellor to act swiftly to implement measures that will provide long-term payment security for small firms which comprise the overwhelming majority of businesses in the UK’s construction industry.
CEO Rudi Klein said that over the last 10 years there have been almost 25 different initiatives, reports, codes and charters concerned with improving payment performance in construction but the industry continues to be the worst sector for payment abuse.
He added: “All these initiatives etc. have not brought about the hoped-for improvements in cashflow security. However the wording of the Chancellor’s statement appears to show a determination to deal with the problem once and for all.”
SEC Group intends to urge the Chancellor to support legislation that will mandate the use of project bank accounts and ensure that retention monies are protected in the event of insolvencies up the supply chain.
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) said the Chancellor’s announcement should be the beginning of the end for unfair payment practices which hit small businesses across the UK.
Chief executive Brian Berry said: “The Chancellor’s announcement of a consultation to tackle the scourge of late payment today should mark a turning point on this issue. We should use this opportunity to bring about a spring clean of payment practices which negatively impact on small business. Construction giant Carillion’s collapse at the start of the year brought to light once again the need to eliminate poor payment practises that plague the construction sector particularly.
“Indeed, one London based small building firm was once paid more than 270 days late by a construction giant. Now is the time to move away from these unsustainable business models which threaten the existence of many firms and their supply chains. This announcement today should be followed by a fundamental rethink ending in the permanent abolition of late payment terms and the exploitative use of retention payments.”
Mr Berry added: “At first glance the Spring Statement has brought some other positive announcements for the UK’s small construction firms. The announcement of a doubling of funding to the Lloyd’s Housing Growth Partnership and an additional £80 million funding to support SME firms looking to engage an apprentice is welcome news. With Brexit looming large on the horizon and the construction industry facing a chronic skills crisis, it’s of the utmost importance that more skilled workers begin to join the sector. An additional £50m to support T level training will further aid this aim.”


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Entrepreneurs, innovation and the future of the European economy
TFA Partner Alan Moore’s presentation during an event hosted in Athens (YES Execom) mid April, which brought entrepreneurs together from around Europe to discuss how innovation and entrepreneurship is going to play a key role in how Europe progress’s from our current crisis, exacerbated by the collapse of the banking industry to becoming globally competitive once again.
My presentation focuses on: Entrepreneurship, innovation and the future of the European economy. And I am making two central points  we need to think differently about innovation and the businesses we are trying to create, this requires what I call a non-linear approach, which requires us to creatively design innovative businesses in very different ways. Being literate in tools, software, eco-systems, platforms, processes, legal frameworks, understanding human motivation at a deep social level, for example, are all part of this way of thinking and designing. Here are a couple of presentations that explore this theme (mobile and institutions), (designing for innovation in a non-linear world: presentation 1 – presentation 2).
 Creating innovation eco-systems at a national and European wide level is also central to deciding whether we will compete successfully or not. Something which I argue we currently do not do well. This is not something that we can afford to pay lip service to, creating such an eco-system requires serious effort and cooperation.
The event was convened, by the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Regional Development and Competitiveness.


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Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has always been a great help to the needy. During the entire period of the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped many labourers reach their homes.
The ‘Dabangg’ star has achieved another milestone by becoming the brand ambassador of India at the Special Olympics to be held in Russia.
The actor posted an image on his Instagram account in which he was posing with the Special Olympics Red Ball wearing a jersey.
Sonu expressed his feelings and wrote that he is proud as he has been chosen as the brand ambassador of India for the Special Olympics to be held in Russia.
He wished all the best to our champions and said that they will make the nation proud.
Over 500 athletes, coaches, families, officials and volunteers were present in the virtual inaugural session of the games.
The announcement of Sonu Sood becoming a brand ambassador came after this virtual inaugural session.
The Actor will guide the Special team of Olympics Bharat Athletes. The Athletes will participate in the Special Olympics World Winter Games in 2022.


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Update: Niantic has now officially announced the Halloween event via their Pokemon Go blog. As well as the information that was already confirmed we now know that the event will go live today at 1:00 pm PT, all earned candy will be double, and that Giratina will become the new level 5 raid Pokemon. The Special Research task was also confirmed to be a limited time event so it seems if you don't complete it by the end of the event you will lose your chance at a Spiritomb. All of this will continue until November 1st at 1 pm PT.
Original Story: We're now getting closer and closer to Halloween as more stores are stocking jack-o-lanterns and fake witches but for a Pokemon Go player, that means it's almost time for the yearly Halloween event where we get to see more Ghost types and other spooky pokemon. While there hasn't been any official release, known Pokemon Go data miner Chrales has uncovered some of the changes we can expect.
First off for the fashion-focused, the avatar items that will be released include Gengar themed backpack, shirt, and hat, Drifloon hat, Drifblim shirt, Mismagius hat, and a Spiritomb shirt. While fashion might not be on the front of everyone's mind players will likely notice that Drifloon, Drifblim, and Mismagius are all Gen IV Pokemon that aren't currently available. This could mean that while Niantic is rolling out Gen IV we might get new additions as soon as the Halloween event. Current Pokemon that evolve into Gen IV Pokemon have also not rolled out yet, interestingly as Mismagius is the evolved form of Misdreavus this might mean other evolved forms like Dusknoir will also be in the event.
For Research Tasks gathered from Pokestops we know the different criteria to complete but not their rewards yet, they are as follows:
- Catch a number of Poocheyena or Houndoor
- Catch a number of Dark-Type Pokemon
- Catch a number of Ghost-Type Pokemon
- Evolve Duskull or Shuppet
- Transfer a number of Pokemon
The final big news is that there will be a new three-part special research task for players to earn a Spiritomb. Professor Willows text for completing each stage of the special research task was detailed in a tweet from Chrales.
While we don't have the exact requirements yet it seems that it's all going to center around collecting Ghost-Type Pokemon, as well as catching 108 Pokemon. The 108 Pokemon is a reference to Spiritomb's Pokedex entry.
A Pokémon that was formed by 108 spirits. It is bound to a fissure in an odd keystoneAt this point in time, we don't have a release date for the event but you can expect it soon with only a little bit over a week left of October.
What part of the Halloween event are you most looking forward to? Do you think we'll see more Gen IV evolutions with this event? Are you ready to catch 108 Pokemon!


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A pair of Canadians have filed a class action lawsuit against Electronic Arts, alleging that the company’s use of loot boxes violates the country’s Criminal Code.
As The Patch Notes report, the civil action has been instigated by Mark Sutherland, who bought some stuff in Madden, and Shawn Moore, who did likewise in NHL. The suit seeks “damages for unjust enrichment arising from defendants’ operation of an illegal gambling system through the sale of so-called ‘loot boxes’ in popular video games.”
The “illegal” part comes from their belief that loot boxes, which can be bought without knowing what’s inside them, constitute gambling, and that EA doesn’t have the appropriate license to offer that in Canada.
The suit covers not only Madden and NHL but a ton of other EA titles as well, ranging from mobile games to series like FIFA, Battlefield, Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
The case is awaiting EA’s response, but The Patch Notes—a legal blog—points out that unlike a lot of class action lawsuits, which can be hastily put together and as much about publicity as anything else, “This is not a self-represented litigant filing a nuisance lawsuit, but a well-pled claim brought by an experienced legal team who specializes in going after large corporations for stuff like this.”


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Nyamagana District Commissioner, Dr Philis Nyimbi said in Mwanza yesterday during at AccessBank Tanzania meeting for business women, that most of the businesses are run by women but get less support from lenders.
Dr Nyimbi commended AccessBank Tanzania for initiating the movement to promoted business women promising her full support to such initiatives.
“AccessBank’s initiative is in line with President John Magufuli’s government efforts to empower women and give them financial freedom,” she noted.
Speaking at the forum, AccessBank’s CEO, Armando Sirola noted that, the bank backs women’s businesses because it wants to see them grow.
“We want to connect, be closer and promote women in business, since we want to see them succeed. Bottom line: women clients are more risk adverse, reliable, trustworthy and overall a very good market segment to tap in,” said Sirola.
He urged women to change their mindset regarding his bank and instead consider it as a good business partner. “This is why we have brought with us Jennifer Bashwas; she is the co-founder and CEO of Alaska Tanzania Industries Limited, she is a popular businesswoman and excellent business coach with lots of experience running her own manufacturing and agro business,” he added while noting that a similar business forum is scheduled for Mbeya city in June.
The forum was organized in partnership with the European Investment Bank with Jennifer Bashwas as main business trainer who urged peers to trust AccessBank as a reliable business partner.
“AccessBank is on a drive to help women in business via loans for or saving aggressively to achieve your personal goals, these training sessions provide a platform to promote good leadership within your business as well as your personal lives,” Bashwas said.
AccessBank is a socially responsible commercial bank for small and medium businesses in the country with strong international shareholders such as AccessHoldings, International Finance Corporation (World Bank), KfW (German), African Development Bank and MicroVest.
ABT’s vision is commitment to the development of financial systems that support social progress by rendering services to all people with the same ambition for excellence and quality.


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AMHERST, Va. – There are still businesses in Amherst County that are still closed because of the coronavirus pandemic and need help reopening to get back on their feet.
County leaders are looking to pump $800,000 into local businesses that meet certain qualifications.
Officials with the economic development office said there are two different grants people can apply for.
“Some business if they qualify, they can actually stack CARES Act money and the Back and Business money. There’s potential that they can get $20,000-$25,000 between the two grants,” Victoria Hanson, director, said.
The money can be used for things like: utility bills, rent, touchless payment systems, purchase of protective supplies (masks for employees/customers), tools, or equipment, cleaning and sanitizing supplies: sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, etc., modifications for limiting entering and exiting the business, sneeze and cough guards, signs and marking materials related to social distancing requirements.
- Locally or regionally-owned (Corporately-owned national chains are not eligible)
- 20 or fewer employees
- Has been impacted by COVID-19 (demonstrate 10% minimum loss)
- Must be up-to-date on local taxes and have a current Amherst Town/County business license (if required)
- Operational since March 1, 2019
- For-profit business with over $30,000 in gross receipts in 2019
To see more about the grants and see if you qualify click here for the application.


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Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:
Classroom Use of iPads Growing: During the third quarter, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) sold twice as many iPads to the education market than it did Macs, AllThingsD notes. That came during a period when Macs scored their highest ever education sector sales. Of the 17 million iPads sold during the quarter, 1million were sold to education market sources. Demand in the education sector appears to have been sparked after the iPad 2’s price was cut to $399 in the wake of the release of the newest iPad in March. Apple CEO Tim Cook said schools and other educational providers had wanted iPads, but needed lower prices to adopt them in large numbers.
Mountain Lion Debuts: Apple today released its next-generation Mac operating system exclusively for download through the Mac App Store, MacRumors notes. OS X Mountain Lion is priced at $19.99 and features iCloud integration, iMessage, Voice Dictation, and Game Center. The new Mac OS is designed to permit users to move documents and projects across multiple Apple devices, keeping track of editing changes and document updates. Apple has also released the server edition of OS X Mountain Lion for download at the Mac App Store.
Carrier iPhone Subsidies Will Continue: Discussing Apple’s third-quarter earnings, CEO Tim Cook called the subsidy paid by wireless carriers for the iPhone “fairly small” considering the money they reap from two-year contracts, Apple Insider said. Cook was responding to a conference call question about carriers that have complained about the subsidy. Cook countered by saying iPhone users switch carriers at a lower rate and are more likely to have other mobile devices, like iPads, compared to owners of smartphones running Google‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system, making them more valuable as subscribers. As long as Apple continues to create iPhones that generate so much consumer demand, it would remain in carriers’ interests to provide the subsidy, Cook noted.
For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.


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The fifth annual Southern Business Awards ceremony took place, and Petcover UK has been named the Most Trusted Pet Insurance Company for 2022.
The team at Petcover are committed to ensuring that our customers’ cherished pets are in the best care possible. This is crucial right now more than ever, as the rising cost of living is starting to significantly affect many people’s budgets. Our comprehensive cover gives our customers peace of mind and shields them from unforeseen vet costs.
“I am beyond thrilled that Petcover has been recognised as The Most Trusted Pet Insurance Company in the Southern Business Awards 2022,” said Andy Pearce, CEO of Petcover Group.
“The Petcover Group is committed to our clients’ pets and their owners, making sure that pet parents’ thoughts are not preoccupied with vet expenditures during difficult or emergency situations.
I would like to congratulate the entire Petcover team for their dedication and hard work, which is continually recognised with awards.
It is an honour to earn this award as a team of pet owners and lovers since praise like this helps to uphold our beliefs. We work hard to give our customers the finest service possible and are always changing our products to better meet their demands.”


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According to the reports coming from The Korea Economic Daily, Samsung could launch its first Tizen powered handset with model number SM-Z130H in next month of Jan 2015. The reports says that the Samsung official has declared that the handset would be launched on January 18, 2015 in India. Additionally, the official also confirmed that this new handset would not more than 100,000 Korean won or $90. It is said that Indian customers would be able to buy the handset online in addition to the company’s own sales networks across the country.
This Tizen powered handset known as the Smasung Z1 is basically an entry level handset as the company wants to have a strong hold in ultra cheap handset that are quite popular in the emerging markets. The Samsung Z1 is said to have a 4inch display with 480×480 pixel resolution and is powered with a 1.2GHz dual-core Spreatrum processor. It has a 512MB of RAM, 3.2MP primary camera and a VGA secondary camera. The device also supports features like dual-SIM, 3G and Wi-Fi.
Let’s wait till January to see the first Samsung device out there in the market. Following the launch in India next month, the device could hit China in February 2015 and even its home-town South Korea by mid 2015.
source: The Korea Economic Daily


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Thursday, November 4th, 2021
Used residential & office furniture, appliances, computers, printers, photocopiers, and shipping containers.
The sale will be held through sealed bids at the United States Embassy on Thursday, November 4 from 09:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Successful bidders will be notified on Friday, November 5.
All items will be sold “as is” and in lots. Successful bidders will pay cash (QAR) and pick up items on Saturday, November 6, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Due to covid-19 restrictions, masks and Ehteraz are required for entry.


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Among the dearly departed: Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, Mercury, Oldsmobile, Daewoo, Isuzu, Saab, Plymouth.
That’s nine. Which is a lot.
There are still arguably too many contenders for too few buyers. Hair-thin profit margins for a product that requires major investments of capital to R&D, market – and bring successfully to market. Increasingly onerous, expensive-to-comply-with government mandates – such as the soon-to-be-in-force 35.5 MPG mandate Obama, et al, crammed down the industry’s throat.
It’s getting much tougher to make a buck selling cars.
So, who’s next?
Here are some likely dead pool contenders – and some thoughts as to why they may not make it:
There are some dark clouds gathering above the sign of the triple diamond. Not one new model is on deck for 2013. Everything’s a carryover.
And nothing’s selling well.
The newest model – the iMiEV electric car – has barely registered its presence. Partially because it’s not yet available in all 50 states – and probably also because its maximum range under ideal conditions is only about 60-75 miles. For many otherwise-interested buyers, that’s cutting it too close. A safety recall this summer for defective airbag sensors hasn’t helped.
The once-popular Eclipse sports car has been eclipsed by the passage of time – and allowed to die on the vine. It hasn’t been significantly updated (mechanically, as opposed to minor cosmetic tweaks) since 2006. The current model is thus pushing seven years old. Production of this car actually ended mid-year, with no apparent replacement on deck.
The current Lancer sedan also dates back to prehistoric times, automotively speaking: 2008. It won’t be significantly updated for 2013, either.
Meanwhile, every competitor model is either all-new or significantly updated – leaving the Lancer looking (and feeling) like yesterday’s oatmeal.
The high-performance EVO version of the Lancer – which just a couple of years ago was considered one of the hottest cars on the market – has likewise become long in the tooth. The current EVO is five years old now. A lifetime in a market where three-year product cycles are becoming routine. The high-performing but also highly thirsty (17 city) car’s future is also threatened by the 35.5 MPG fuel efficiency edict that goes into effect in 2016.
Subaru, meanwhile, launched an all-new (and 34 MPG-capable) Impreza last year. And, of course, there’s the new BRZ … .
The 2013 Outlander is the same as the 2012 Outlander. Which was the same as the 2011 Outlander.
And the 2010.
A reboot is supposedly coming … but not before late 2013 as an early 2014 model. Can Mitsubishi afford to wait that long?
The truly ancient – and slow-selling – Galant is also being retired after this year. It has been the same for eight years.
A cursory look at Mitsubishi’s recent sales figures shows some truly titanic declines: Down 40.1 percent in June 2012 vs. June 2011; total exports from Japan to all overseas markets down 34.1 percent. Total passenger car production for the first six months of 2012 down 10.2 percent.
The one bright blip on the radar screen has been sales of the Outlander Sport – the only new – or at least, recent – model in the Mistubishi lineup, other than the MiEV electric car. In September, sales of this model (it’s different from the regular Outlander) were up 49 percent, with 2,253 sold. However, the bleak fact remains that Mitsubishi’s overall sales were down 17.2 percent for September. August was even worse: 46.8 percent. July: Down 47.4 percent. (See here for more.)
Such a nose-down trajectory can only end up one way: in a sleeps-with-the-fishes scenario.
Mitsubishi, a relatively small presence in the U.S., may not be able to stay in the U.S. much longer. It desperately needs new product – not just one or two models, but its entire lineup of vehicles . New product requires a monster investment of cash, which Mitsubishi may not have enough of. The fact that it hasn’t been able to significantly update most of its current models in several years bodes ill for its capacity to do it now – with the economy in terrible shape and the U.S. car market a tougher place to make a buck than it has been in decades. Add to this an occasionally iffy record in the quality/reliability department and the future does not look bright ahead.
Prediction: Mitsubishi will retire from the field to focus on the home market – and its commercial vehicle operations.
Ford is trying to figure out what to do with its flagship brand – which has fallen to a sort-of GMC level of mid-tierness. It is no longer a player spoken of in the same breath as Cadillac, Lexus, Audi or BMW.
The Town Car is an old man’s car – and on its way out. The Navigator – the model that once set the bar for super-sized SUV bling – is still there, but isn’t any kind of threat to the dominance of the Caddy Escalade. Which is ironic, given that back in the late ’90s, Lincoln actually outsold Cadillac on the strength of Navigator sales.
But they pissed it away.
Other miscues and outright disasters include the Blackwood, Aviator and Mark LT. Two models that showed lots of promise, once – and sold strongly at first – the Mark VII and the LS sedan – fell victim to poorly conceived restyles (Mark VIII) and neglect (LS).
But unlike Mitsubishi, Lincoln has some new product coming online, including the 2013 MKZ. It looks like a contender – though there’s some concern about its kinship to the Ford Fusion. Ditto the MKS – which is sourced from the Taurus. Just as the MKT is a facelifted Flex.
And the MKX a re-grilled Edge.
Lincoln is still doing the badge-engineering thing.
They’ve done a very good job of it, no doubt. For example, the ’13 MKZ has its own unique engines – not shared with the Fusion. But the fact remains that it’s directly related to the Fusion – and that could be a problem. The premium brands Lincoln hopes to compete with – including Cadillac – don’t do badge-engineering anymore.Well, maybe a little (Cadillac Escalade = tarted-up Tahoe; Lexus ES350 = really nice Camry). But overall, other premium-brand car lineups are not re-sells of bread-and-butter car lineups. People are wise to badge-engineering. It’s not 1985 anymore.
Will people be willing to pay premium bucks for badge-engineered luxury – no matter how well-executed?
Time will tell.
Like Mitsubishi, Suzuki’s a small shop – when it comes to cars, at least. (Bikers know Suzuki as one of the major players in the two-wheeled world. But that’s another story.)
Suzuki has some competitive cars – including the affordable (and AWD-available) Kizashi. The problem is there are too few Suzuki dealerships, spread too thinly. A buyer who might be interested in a Kizashi or SX4 discovers the closest Suzuki store is 50 miles down the road. Or 200 miles down the road. And decides to buy something else.
Suzuki’s also got CAFE worries. Not one of its current models makes the 35.5 MPG cut that goes into effect three model years from now – which means, two calendar years from now – 24 months from now.
That’s just around the corner.
To achieve compliance – and avoid jacking up the prices of its cars to offset the federal government’s CAFE fines – it will need to re-engineer all of them. Probably replace several of them. It will likely need hybrids – but doesn’t sell any and there are none (apparently) on the horizon.
Suzuki corporate may just decide it’s not worth doing, given the mere toehold it has in the U.S. when it comes to car sales.
It’s very possible the company will focus on overseas operations – and stick with selling bikes here.
Throw it in the Woods?


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New Delhi [India], Mar 6 : Snapdeal's fully owned subsidiary Vulcan Express is all set to expand and start serving new clients in both the B2B and B2C space from next month onwards.
This will be in addition to its core business, which comes from Snapdeal. Focusing on a long term solution to India's deeply fractured supply chain sector, Snapdeal has invested in building an end-to-end logistics capability through Vulcan Express over the last 18 months.
This includes significant innovations across all legs of the delivery cycle warehousing, transportation, last mile and reverse journeys.
Today Vulcan boasts of an ability to deliver to 70 percent of the consumer market within two days with a 98 percent commitment rate.
The company's initial focus on strengthening Snapdeal's internal logistics value chain also led to industry first innovations like Wallet on Delivery, launched within 24 hours of demonetization.
This year onwards the company is looking at expanding aggressively in both the B2B and B2C sectors, across the country Vulcan's state of the art infrastructure spread across the top 10 metros, 80 key cities strategically connected to satellite towns in tier II and III will allow businesses to deliver an enhanced customer experience to the farthest ends of the country.
Businesses can also leverage Vulcan's superior technology, warehouse capacities and last mile networks as critical enablers for targeted and time sensitive consumer outreach initiatives.
With its wide geographical reach built around large consumer hubs and centralized technology infrastructure, Vulcan is all set emerge as the network of choice for companies looking to become GST compliant in a short span.
The design of network is eminently suited to the requirements of the impending GST regime, which is a destination based tax.
Vulcan's 360 network capabilities, which include warehousing, transportation, last mile delivery and reverse logistics makes it one of the most reliable and responsive networks in India and hence is being sought after by many B2B and B2C businesses in India.
"Given the business we are in, we recognized long back that a consistently good consumer experience can only ride on a well-controlled, transparent, and responsive logistics network.
Over the last year and a half, we have invested towards solving for every single pain point on each leg of the delivery journey," said CEO Vulcan, Hardeep Singh.
"Today, even as our delivery costs continue to go down, our consumer satisfaction scores steadily increase.
We are pleased to offer these services to businesses that require them, and are aligned with our consumer centric capabilities," added Singh.
With several leading businesses already onboard the Vulcan network and many other B2B and B2C players in the pipeline, Snapdeal estimates that Vulcan's business will grow 4 times over the 2017 financial year, making it a significant contributor to Snapdeal revenues.


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Work has begun on the fifth-generation Seat Ibiza ahead of an expected launch in 2017.
Until the new model arrives, the current fourth-generation Ibiza – which has been on sale since 2008 – is set to undergo a facelift next year to keep it fresh, with the main changes expected inside.
Company chief Jürgen Stackmann said the new Ibiza was now being "defined". He added: "It needs to be normal enough to be bought by everyone but different enough to stand out in the market."
Seat is this year celebrating 30 years of the Ibiza, and last night assembled key designers of the car from its past – including VW Group design boss Walter de Silva, Bentley design chief Luc Donckerwolke and current design boss Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos – to celebrate the car's past, present and future.
Mesonero-Romanos revealed a sketch showing how the Ibiza's key design themes have evolved, which also hinted at a future styling direction of the car. He said to not expect a smaller clone of the Leon, but themes developed on that car would continue on the Ibiza, perhaps in the LED front light graphic, for example.


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CBBC Met Premier LI Keqiang at CCPIT 70th Anniversary Symposium
Premier LI was joined at the meeting by Vice Premier HU Chunhua, State Council Secretary-General XIAO Jie, NDRC Minister HE Lifeng, and REN Hongbin, Chairman of CCPIT.
CBBC welcomes the opportunity to meet with Premier LI and the other officials present to discuss the economy and business issues at a time when many UK companies are experiencing difficulties due to covid restrictions. The meeting covered the importance of trade and finding the right balance between preventing the spread of covid and the economy. LI reaffirmed China’s commitment to supporting the economy despite recent challenges and regards foreign investment as a key part of both its past and future.


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"Consumers face the very real possibility of losing all their invested money if they buy these assets," the three EU authorities said in a statement.
It marks a racheting up of direct warnings to consumers about cryptoassets by EU authorities, spelling out that consumers have no protections or recourse to compensation under existing EU financial services law.
"Consumers should be alert to the risks of misleading advertisements, including via social media and influencers. Consumers should be particularly wary of promised fast or high returns, especially those that look too good to be true," the statement said.
Consumers should also be aware of that energy consumption for producing some cryptoassets is high and the environmental impact this has, the statement said.


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The successful implementation of GST has become a case study for global universities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during the 34th edition of the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme.
A month after Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the new tax regime has transformed the economy while ushering in a new culture.
“GST has transformed the economy … It has been one month since GST was implemented and its benefits can be seen already. GST is more than just a tax reform. It ushers in a new culture,” Modi said while addressing the nation during the 34th edition of the monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on Sunday.
Modi said he has received a number of ideas from people on successful rollout of GST.
“This time, I have got lot of calls and letters on GST. I feel very happy when a poor person writes to say how because of GST prices of various items essential for him have come down. All decisions have been taken unanimously by the States and the Centre together. As a result, the overriding priority for every government has been to ensure that there is no burden on the poor on account of GST,” he said.
The successful implementation of GST has become a case study for global universities.
“The speed at which the smooth transition has taken place, along with rapid migration and new registrations, has instilled a new sense of confidence in the entire country. And some day, the Pundits of Economics, Pundits of Management and Pundits of Technology, will certainly undertake researches and write about India’s GST experiment as a model for the world. It will become a case study for universities across the world,” he added.


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Contributing Editor Walter Olson is senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author of several books on law. He was appointed by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan as co-chair of redistricting commissions in 2015 and 2018.
Latest from Walter Olson
Restaurants and shops are already suffering enough.
You can’t overdose on fentanyl simply by touching it.
The state finds ever more ways to menace you with imprisonment...for your own good.
Hot goods orders being used by the feds in attack on blueberry growers in the Pacific Northwest.
The Supreme Court weighs a contentious dispute over adoption, Indian lineage, and child welfare.
The fight between HUD and Westchester County has implications for property owners in the rest of the country.
Does government protect us from hazardous products, or does it put us in harm's way?
Tales from an overlawyered America
How the Swiss kept their freedom in World War II


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Doctors have cautioned people against consuming street food during Ramadan this year, particularly since the holy month coincides with the summer season when bacteria can spread rapidly.
Dr. Wafa Redwan, a pediatrician at Halah Essa Bin Laden Polyclinic, told Arab News: “Traditional Ramadan favorites including kibda (liver), shawerma and balila (boiled chickpeas) sold in the open are susctible to bacteria like e-coli, salmonella and staphylococcus aureus, which can be quite dangerous or even life-threatening for children.”
She said most street vendors are located only a few meters from the dusty and exhaust-filled streets which can result in easy contamination.
Redwan said that since the beginning of Ramadan, she has had patients with gastritis, as well as serious cases of illness due to consumption of unhygienic food.
Dr. Sobhia Mahmoud, a family physician at the New Jeddah Clinic Hospital, also has similar views, stating that the increase in incidence of illnesses among residents could be because many people turn to street vendors to save time in preparing food for pre-dawn and pre-dusk meals. “What they don’t realize is that while trying to save time, they are actually taking chances with their health,” she said.
Over the past year, the Jeddah Municipality has been cracking down on restaurants and vendors selling rotten food to customers. In fact, last month, three high-end restaurants were shut down because they had violated health norms and were serving contaminated food. Authorities also resorted to cutting power supplies and imposing fines of SR130,000 on establishments which had violated health norms.
According to Jeddah Municipality records, more than 2,500 restaurants and eateries have been shut down in the city.


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Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
Lady Gaga teamed up with her manager Troy Carter and photographer, Terry Richardson (creative director) to launch Pop Water (maybe to coincide with Gaga’s new ARTPOP album). Pop Water, will be a hybrid water in a 11.2 oz can with favors like apple, orange, pineapple and grape. The beverage will be just 30 calories with 30 calories and 7 grams of sugar. Look for the water in January 2013.
Troy Carter, founder and CEO of entertainment company Atom Factory and manager of Lady Gaga, and photographer Terry Richardson are teaming up for a new consumer product, Pop Water, set for an early 2013 debut. The new beverage will be marketed as a healthier alternative to sugary soft drinks — an 11.2 oz can will contain 30 calories and 7 grams of sugar. Initial flavors will include apple, orange, pineapple and grape.
Carter tells Billboard the idea for Pop Water resulted from the various conversations his company had with Pepsi and Coca-Cola over the years regarding their respective music initiatives. “We noticed none of the brands had music in their DNA,” he says. “We felt we could build something with relevance to music and pop culture if we built something from scratch. Whether it’s flying to Kentucky with food scientists or flying around the world sourcing the packaging, the last two years has been an education for us in the beverage space.”
Pop Water will start with a soft January launch in Southern California before expanding nationally later in 2013. Musicians are expected to play a part of the marketing as well, though Carter was light on details. “We’re talking to a bunch of music and pop culture icons who’ve tasted the beverage. We’re gonna have a lot of support behind this,” he says.
Though Pop Water will have celebrity faces, they won’t be of the typical “sip-and ah!” variety. “The idea is not to be just an endorsement but to be a part of people’s lives,” Carter says. “Endorsements, where they’re just one-offs feels like the artists just got a check for it. For us, we set out to make something that’s a lot healthier than what’s in the market. It’s really hard to get 30 calories to taste good.”
And ultimately, Carter feels the biggest opportunity for Pop Water is to market itself around the current healthy-food movement. “We see what’s happening in New York with Mayor Bloomberg and this consciousness throughout the country where people want to get healthier, looking for alternatives,” he says. “When we saw what was happening with Subway and how they completely disrupted McDonald’s…it’s a bigger movement than what we expected.”


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Wragg was previously UK and Ireland managing director and a member of the European board with responsibility for media, digital, marketing, marketing sciences and healthcare.
In his new position he will be responsible for ensuring a strong focus on client relationships and helping accelerate growth for Millward Brown in Europe.
The company began integrating its UK and Ireland business with its mainland European operations last year. Millward Brown says that the new pan-European board has achieved enough to encourage further combining its business functions across the European region.
The European Board includes COO Juan Ferrer-Vidal, CEO of developing European markets Krzysztof Kruszewski, chief client officer Cath Booth, chief marketing officer Dan White, director of operations Paul Kessel and chief financial officer Elizabeth Brownhill.
Eileen Campbell, global CEO of Millward Brown says: “These changes continue to support the growth and development of our pan-European business, enabling us to better meet the needs of our clients.


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Inflation in eurozone hits record 8.6% as Ukraine war continues - short news
ECB plans first interest rate rise in 11 years as food prices increase and Putin’s invasion drives up energy costs
Inflation across the eurozone has soared to a fresh record of 8.6% in June as Russia’s war in Ukraine adds to the cost of living crisis.
Figures from the EU statistics agency Eurostat showed consumer price inflation increased from 8.1% in May, reaching the highest level since relevant records began in 1997, two years before the euro was launched.Continue..
source: The Guardian - 01.07.2022


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India to motivate its Domestic Mobile Market Industry seeks to ban Chinese smartphones below ₹12,000 range or $150, which will impact the major mobile industry players like Realme, Xiaomi and more.
Indian Seeks To Ban Chinese Smartphones Below ₹12,000
India is the World’s second biggest mobile market, and this movie is aimed to kick out the dominating Chinese Mobile Companies from it, as mentioned in News18. “ It coincides with mounting concern about high-volume brands like Realme and Transsion undercutting local manufacturers, they said, asking not to be identified discussing a sensitive matter.”
Restricting these Chinese Mobile Firms from the Indian market will hurt Xiaomi, Realme and its peers a lot as they majorly depend on our markets to drive income growth as at their homes the markets are impacted by a row of COVID-19 lockdowns.
“Smartphones under $150 contributed to a third of India’s sales volume for the quarter through June 2022, with Chinese companies accounting for up to 80% of those shipments,” as per Market Tracker Counterpoint.
Xiaomi’s shares dealt with a rise in losses in the last few minutes of trading in Hong Kong, on Monday. They tanked 3.5 per cent, which has taken their loss this year to around 35 per cent or more. “It’s unclear whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will announce any policies or use informal channels to convey its preference to Chinese companies,” as per people.
“The move shouldn’t affect Apple Inc. or Samsung Electronics Co., which price their phones higher. Representatives from Xiaomi, Realme and Transsion didn’t respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople from India’s technology ministry also didn’t respond to Bloomberg News inquiries,” mentioned by News18.
Also read:Hide Your Phone Number In WhatsApp Very Soon
“Chinese smartphone players now sell the vast majority of devices in India, but their market dominance has not been “on the basis of free and fair competition,” India’s junior tech minister told the Business Standard newspaper last week. Recurring annual losses posted by most Chinese handset makers in India, despite their leading position, add to criticism of unfair competition”.


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WASHINGTON - Joseph T. Hansen, international president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union here, asked Britain's Prince Andrew to help arrange a meeting with Tesco so the union can help the retailer gain a better understanding of the communities it serves. He made the request in a letter, dated last Friday, that the union said was hand-delivered to the prince, who is in the U.S. as an emissary for British trade. In it, Hansen wrote: "It has been reported that [Tesco's] first three months of business [in the U.S.] has been very slow. In fact, retail analysts speculate that Fresh & Easy is not meeting sales expectations. We have a great deal of experience working with employers and helping them better serve their employees, the community and their customers. We would like the opportunity to discuss this with Tesco. To date, they have refused to meet with us." The letter was signed by Hansen and distributed to the media. Tesco officials could not be reached for comment late Friday.
Read More of Today's Headlines


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Published: 1 August, 2012
AMD has been stranded in no-man's land as far as mobile processors are concerned, but that may be about to change. The company has hired Jim Keller, one of renowned CPU designers of his generation, poaching him from Apple.
Keller has designed several generations of processors for Apple, and will now be corporate VP and chief architect for microprocessor cores at AMD, reporting to CTO Mark Papermaster,. He has also worked at Broadcom and was a pioneer of modern RISC processors when he worked on Digital Equipment's Alpha architecture in the early 1990s.
AMD said its new recruit (who has spent a previous stint at the firm) will focus on the cores which will underpin the next wave of products, including high performance and low power chips. The latter may hint at AMD finally coming up with a convincing offering for power sensitive products like handsets and embedded gadgets. There have been persistent rumors that it would adopt the ARM architecture for this purpose, but so far has only signed an ARM licence specific to security - although it has also unveiled a processor neutral architecture which can support ARM or its usual x86.
Papermaster also stressed low power credentials in his statement, saying "Jim is one of the most widely respected and sought-after innovators in the industry and a very strong addition to our engineering team. We expect that his innovative spirit, low power design expertise, creativity and drive for success will help us shape our future and fuel our growth."
Keller was most recently a director in the platform architecture group at Apple, designing the chips which are found in the iPad, iPhone and Apple TV. He joined Apple when it acquired PA Semiconductor, where he was VP of design - PA, combined with a Samsung partnership, was the foundation of Apple's A4/A5/A6 processors and its bid to be self-sufficient in silicon.


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Shanghai is preparing to ease its lockdown over the city’s 25 million people.
Via The Guardian:
Major companies including Tesla and Volkswagen are among 666 firms told they could restart production this week, under closed-loop management. A memo reportedly circulated at Tesla told employees they would have to sleep at the factory, with the company providing each with a sleeping bag and mattress, daily meals and a stipend.
Drone footage taken by Chinese media appeared to show Tesla employees arriving at the factory on Tuesday with luggage, and several people moving the frame of a Tesla car around the site. Volkswagen, which restarted production at its Changchun factories after restrictions there eased, said it was still studying the feasibility of resuming production in Shanghai, Reuters reported.
Shanghai prepares to ease Covid lockdown as factories reopen (The Guardian)
China It’s all Covid Theatre…The alleged Quarantined People dance with lanterns whilst the alleged Covid Storm Troopers direct the symphony…We are watching a C Grade China Propaganda Movie pic.twitter.com/g5zFQeQq1P
— (@risemelbourne) April 18, 2022


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The Minister of Information Technology said China will improve detection technologies to find “loopholes” to protect information as more efforts are made this year to regulate the country’s huge mobile application market.
“Those applications that refuse to accept the patch should be firmly removed,” said Xiao Yaqing, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, at a press release in Beijing on Monday.
“On the stewardship side, we must also improve the capabilities of our technical equipment … We must be able to discover loopholes in the protection of information, so that the masses can use (the apps) with confidence.”
In recent months, regulators in China have pressed ahead with a crackdown on the country’s tech giants, criticizing and punishing them in areas ranging from anti-competitive behavior to violations of consumer rights.
For example, they asked companies to suspend apps for the sake of correction and in December they unveiled draft guidelines seeking to limit mobile apps’ collection of personal data.


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Congress holds at-times-contentious game hearing
[UPDATE] Industry representatives, critics engage in debate before House subcommittee; blow-by-blow inside.
While bills regulating the sale of violent video games have been signed into law in states across the country, the issue hasn't been as high profile on the national level. Last year, senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) proposed the Family Entertainment Protection Act to prevent retailers from selling games rated M for Mature or AO for Adults Only to minors, but FEPA hasn't managed to get the traction of its state-level counterparts.
That may be changing. Earlier this year, the Senate's Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights held a hearing to discuss the issue of laws restricting game sales. Today the US House of Representatives followed suit. The House Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee held a hearing on objectionable content in games today, titled "Violent and Explicit Video Games: Informing Parents and Protecting Children."
Testifying before the Subcommittee were Lydia Parnes, director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection; Gary Severson, senior vice president of merchandising for Wal-Mart; Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association; Patricia Vance, president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board; Kimberly Thompson, Harvard associate professor; Warren Buckleitner, editor of Childrens Technology Review; and David Walsh, president of the National Institute on Media and the Family.
More than half an hour after the scheduled start time, subcommittee chairman Cliff Stearns (R-FL) opened the hearing by dishing out statistics providing some scope on "the spectacular rise of the video game juggernaut." He talked about the fun they offer to people, "especially children, still the core market."
It was then that Stearns segued into the topic of the hearings, bringing up Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and noting the numerous objectionable actions players can perform in the game, finishing with the ability to fly a plane into a skyscraper. Stearns chastised the industry for defending itself on First Amendment grounds, calling games like Grand Theft Auto "cultural pollution," and saying, "this sort of twisted, homicidal imagery is more akin to hate speech, not free speech."
Stearns then yielded the floor to other members of the subcommittee in turn. Like a number of his fellow Subcommittee members, Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA) commended the industry for setting up a self-regulatory system before he raised his concerns. His laudatory comments even went further than most, in that he said parents now have the tools to regulate what comes into their homes. However, he still had misgivings about what the ESRB was doing to protect kids whose parents don't monitor what they play.
"There's almost certainly a child somewhere in America who's going to be hurt by [Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]," Pitts said, suggesting this child's dad might be in jail or his brother selling drugs. "This game could be all it takes to nudge him onto the other side of the fence."
Not all the members were focused on the violent and/or criminal activity in games. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) focused her comments instead on the sexual aspects of games. She mentioned that an alarming number of teens are exploited by sexual predators over the Internet, adding that there's a generation of kids being desensitized to "aberrant sexual behavior" and the subcommittee "would be remiss to not discuss how games are contributing to that problem." Blackburn said there should be no sexual content in M-rated games and expressed interest in the industry's position on requiring age verification only for games with sexually explicit content.
In Lowenstein's opening remarks, he acknowledged that retail enforcement of the ratings system is not where it should be, but he noted that it is getting better. He also compared it favorably to retail enforcement rates of R-rated movies and music that carries a parental-advisory label. Comparing games to other entertainment media was a running theme of Lowenstein's remarks, notably when he cautioned against making generalizations about the industry based on the Grand Theft Auto series.
"Defining this industry based on its most controversial titles would be like defining the film industry based on Kill Bill, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Natural Born Killers," Lowenstein noted, "or the music industry based on Eminem, 50 Cent, and The Dixie Chicks."
Ultimately, he said, it's up to the parents. "No rating system, no parental-control technology, will work unless the parent is engaged," Lowenstein said. "But if the parent wants to be informed, the tools are there."
While they might have disagreed on how much work the industry ratings system needed, the panel members offered different ideas on how to improve it. Vance talked about recent changes to the ESRB's enforcement policies that will soon allow it to levy a $1 million fine against publishers that don't disclose all of a game's objectionable content during the ratings process.
Dr. Thompson suggested that the ESRB actually play the games it rates (currently ratings are determined based on a video tape of the most extreme content in a game provided by the publisher). She also called for more transparency from the ESRB in regards to its ratings policies and standards for assigning content descriptors more transparent.
Buckleitner said there was no better way for the industry to handle the ratings system than it already does but suggested more prominently associating the people who make the games with their products. His theory is that developers wouldn't want to put their name on a violent or unsavory product if their parents can see they were associated with it.
When it came time for Walsh to address the subcommittee, he suggested a universal ratings system, saying parents often complain to him that the current industry-specific ratings systems are too confusing. He also talked about labeling games in the same way as medicine. "We all know that there are medicines that are very helpful to children," Walsh said. "There are also meds that are very toxic. So part of what we do is we label them--we talk about side effects."
Walsh's idea of a universal ratings system resounded with the subcommittee members, who asked panel members to address the idea. As the game-industry representatives, Vance and Lowenstein both acknowledged the idea as a potential solution, but held out reservations. Vance said she wouldn't have a problem with a universal rating system but wanted to make sure the ESRB's system didn't get watered down in the process. Lowenstein said such a system was a wonderful goal, but "the devil is in the details."
The direct questioning of panel members was mildly contentious at times, with plenty of misunderstanding between participants, culminating in an exchange between Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PN) and Vance. After expressing concern that the ESRB's raters were all New Yorker and thus not representative of the nation as a whole, Murphy and Vance struggled to straighten out ESRB stats about how many parents were aware of the ratings and how many actually used them. Murphy pointed out that of those who are aware of the ratings, not all of them use them as a purchasing guide, and not all of those parents actually watch their children play the purchased game.
"Would you accept a babysitter service that said 75 percent of the time we're correct in screening these people to make sure they're not pedophiles," Murphy asked.
"We can't force parents to use the system," Vance said. "Is that what you're getting at?"
Murphy then asked Vance point-blank if games, "repetitively played, with violent content, affect the behavior of some children."
After several false starts and some badgering by Murphy, Vance replied that the research was inconclusive as the representative from Pennsylvania let out a heavy sigh.
After that exchange, Rep. Stearns adjourned the hearing, thanking the participants for their patience and saying it was "overall a balanced hearing."
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email email@example.com


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It's time to drop the credit card condoms. There's a better way to protect yourself against identity theft.
If you've ever had your credit card information stolen, you probably noticed that banks are pretty adept when it comes to clearing fraudulent charges and shipping you new plastic within a week.
But the truth is they could do a lot more to prevent identity theft in the first place–namely, investing in smart card technology.
What sets "smart cards" apart from whatever's in your wallet right now is the tiny EMV microchip buried inside.
The chip calls for a unique pin in order to use the card, which is different than the regular magnetic strips on the backs of credit cards. Those strips carry all your account information and can easily be scanned or deleted. (See 6 ways to prevent identity theft.)
The EMV microchip is also encrypted, meaning it can't be read by, say, a thief toting a credit card-scanner in their coat pocket on a crowded subway train.
The problem is the U.S. is way behind when it comes to adopting smart card technology. Canada recently started widespread use of EMV chips and they've been a part of the banking and health insurance sector in Europe for years.
A few banks offer the service, like Wells Fargo, and any Visa customer can sign up for Verified by Visa, which prompts customers for a username and password before they're able to complete an online purchase.
In December, Chase partnered with British Airways to offer its British Airways Visa card with an EMV chip.
Apart from making their financial information more secure, smart cards would make life for frequent travelers much simpler since EMV chip cards are more widely accepted than American credit cards abroad, according to Nerdwallet CEO Tim Chen.
Until the U.S. banking industry catches up with the rest of the world, the best you can do for now is check with your bank or credit card company to see if they offer a smart card option.


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An NTT DoCoMo spokesman said the company was considering various options for its overseas operations but that nothing had been decided.
Tata Sons has received formal communication from Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc about exercising its sale option in Tata Teleservices Ltd, a company spokeswoman said.
Trading volumes on the counter have surged times as 4.1 million shares have changed hands compared to two-week average of 1 million shares.
Tatas have reached an understanding with NTT DoCo-Mo to use the brand name for GSM services for at least a year after the Japanese co exits the joint venture.
NTT DoCoMo decision to exit its Indian telecom JV may have been fuelled by a stalemate in negotiations between Vodafone and Tatas, sources say.
The Japanese company is exiting the Indian telecom venture since it is known to prefer owning a majority in its ventures & it feels it can't control management actions adequately in India.
DoCoMo’s move last month to exit the loss-making Tata Tele means the Indian conglomerate has to either buy the stake or find a buyer for it.
The 5G services will be here in a few years. Kalyan Parbat explains the functioning and technology.


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If you were surprised when your grandparents started using the Internet, just wait until your air conditioner jumps online. Companies in Northeast Ohio are working to connect all sorts of consumer and industrial products to the Internet. Thermostats. Diesel generators. Insulin pumps. Even beer taps. The companies are among the many around the world that are creating online versions of what traditionally have been offline products, a trend often referred to as “the Internet of Things.” For instance, a new line of compact fluorescent light bulbs that Aurora-based TCP Inc. released in January can be turned on and off from afar. So, even if you're on the beach, you can use your smart phone to make sure you turned off your basement lights, or you can turn on a few lights at night to make it look like you're at home, said Jim Crowcroft, vice president of marketing at TCP. The software also lets consumers turn entire groups of bulbs on and off at once while monitoring how much energy they use. The Internet-connected light bulbs are expensive; a four-pack costs $200. But now that the software to operate them is developed and the engineering is done, prices should fall as TCP releases more of the lights, Mr. Crowcroft said. TCP already has started approaching retail stores and hotel chains that might be interested in controlling large numbers of lights remotely. “This is ready for prime time,” Mr. Crowcroft said. “It's not future stuff.” American Electric Power of Columbus is trying to figure out whether technology from a Chagrin Falls company, Intwine Energy, is ready for widespread adoption. Today, more than 300 AEP customers in Oklahoma have opted to let the utility install Intwine's Wi-Fi enabled thermostats and outlets in their homes. The hardware gives the utility a way to turn down homeowners' air conditioners and turn off whatever they choose to plug into Intwine's Internet-connected outlets when AEP has trouble keeping up with demand for electricity, said Dave Martin, co-founder of Intwine. The technology also lets AEP charge higher rates to customers who run those devices during peak hours versus those who turn them on when demand tends to be low. “This gives them (AEP officials) just another tool in the tool box to manage supply and demand,” Mr. Martin said. He noted that AEP this summer plans to add more homes to the pilot and to start using Intwine technology to control water heaters and pool pumps.
All things can click from afar
Internet makes a lot possible, even controlling beer at
AEP isn't the only large corporation interested in connecting offline products to the Internet. Korean conglomerate LG in January announced it would release several “smart” home appliances, including a refrigerator that can let its owner look at what's inside while out shopping and washer and dryer that can alert the owner when there is a mechanical problem. In February, Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers said the maker of computer networking hardware is “all in” on the Internet of Things trend, declaring it will be a “fundamental change in the whole IT industry,” according to a story by Information Week. The San Jose, Calif., company plans to make huge investments in the sector. One of many big companies helping Cisco plan its coming Internet of Things World Forum is Rockwell Automation Inc., a Milwaukee-based company with offices in Mayfield Heights, Twinsburg and Warrensville Heights. Rockwell's Mayfield Heights office last year helped M.G. Bryan Equipment Co. of Grand Prairie, Texas, create a system to monitor the performance of equipment used during the hydraulic fracturing process, a technique for drilling for oil and gas trapped beneath shale rock formations. The Internet-connected system tells M.G. Bryan customers when the machine's diesel engine needs a new oil filter or its transmission needs work, said John Dyck, director of software business development at Rockwell's Mayfield Heights office. That office also recently developed systems designed to monitor remotely the health of equipment used at power plants and water treatment facilities, Mr. Dyck said. Rockwell plans to keep looking for new ways to connect industrial machines to the Internet, he said. “I foresee a future where virtually every asset in a manufacturing facility will have some and in some cases most of its data in the cloud,” Mr. Dyck said.
There's a lot of opportunity to create Internet-connected medical products, too, said Jim Ohneck, chief marketing officer for Valtronic, a Swiss electronics maker with its U.S. headquarters in Solon. Valtronic is working with another Swiss company to create an insulin pump that would be controlled via a dedicated smart phone. However, many of Valtronic's other products are designed to be implanted in the body. Although many are built to communicate wirelessly with other devices, federal regulators still are leery about letting medical implant makers connect their products to the Internet because they “don't want to set up a situation that enables you to hack into somebody's device that's in their body,” Mr. Ohneck said. But the demand for Internet-connected implants is building, he said. “Almost every medical company that walks in our door with a project has something in mind,” Mr. Ohneck said. Tony Pietrocola said he believes demand for all sorts of Internet-connected devices will continue to grow. That's one reason why Mr. Pietrocola — who founded and sold Tenth Floor Inc., a Cleveland-based interactive marketing and web content management software company — invested in a Shaker Heights startup called iOTOS in January. Through a distributor, iOTOS, which stands for “Internet of Things Operating System,” recently started selling a beer tap that lets bars give customers the ability to order a drink with a smart phone and open the tap by waving a hand over a sensor on top of it. The company also is starting to sell a product that lets users open their garages via a smart phone. However, the startup's main goal is to sell hardware and software that lets other companies connect their products to the Internet, said Mr. Pietrocola, who now is vice president of sales at iOTOS. He argues that being based in the Midwest is an advantage for the company, given how many manufacturing companies are in the region Opportunities for companies such as his only are going to grow, Mr. Pietrocola added. He cited Cisco's prediction that the number of devices connected to the Internet will climb from 10 billion today — a figure that includes computers, smart phones and tablets — to 50 billion in 2020. “You're talking about monster numbers,” he said. “And when you think of all these things being connected, how are you going to control them?”


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Apple news was a little light this week – the calm before the storm, we suspect, as next week is set to be absolutely fit to bursting with exciting announcements and reveals. We still managed to find some interesting tidbits from around the web, though, so read on for the best stories of the past seven days…
1. Staggered schedule
Supply and manufacturing issues could mean that we see the iPhone 8 hit the shelves a little late this year, with a delay of up to a month compared with this year’s two “standard” iPhones. Read the story!
2. Naming conventions
If a recent report is to be believed, the iPhone 8 won’t be called the iPhone 8 at all. Instead, the iterative updates will steal that moniker for themselves and the premium model will be called iPhone Edition. Read the story!
3. Steve Jobs Theater
Amazing new drone footage shows off Apple’s new campus ahead of its public debut on September 12, including a look at the 1000-seater auditorium named for the late Steve Jobs. Read the story!
TIME uses iPhone to shoot magazine covers for ‘Firsts’ documentary series – AppleInsider
How Apple finally made Siri sound more human – WIRED
This ultimate ARKit powered measuring app will blow you away – iDownloadBlog


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Kindred Group Launches Proprietary Platform in New Jersey
Kindred Group plc, a global online gaming operator, has received final approval from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) to launch its proprietary platform in New Jersey.
The Kindred platform is expected to offer customers a more personalized gaming experience, improved analytics, and flexibility, which will allow Kindred to better tailor its offerings to meet local needs and requirements.
The platform is expected to go live in mid-May and will see continuous improvements post-launch. Kindred plans to continue rolling out the platform, with Pennsylvania as the next state on the list. This move marks an important step for the company as it expands its North American footprint.
The platform will provide customers with a range of benefits, including an enhanced user experience, greater product and content options, and a safer gambling approach in accordance with local needs and gambling regulations. The platform will also give Kindred greater control over its offerings and enable the company to better compete in the New Jersey market.
I am very pleased that we are now able to launch our own Kindred platform in New Jersey, and I am immensely proud of everybody at Kindred who has made this possible. Introducing the Kindred platform to our customers in New Jersey will provide the entertainment and experience enjoyed by our customers in Europe. We are now finally able to show off our true Unibet product. I also want to thank the NJDGE for a professional collaboration during the approval process.
In conclusion, the launch of the Kindred platform in New Jersey represents an important milestone for Kindred Group plc as it expands its North American footprint. The platform is expected to offer customers an enhanced gaming experience, improved analytics, and flexibility, enabling Kindred to better compete in the New Jersey market.
With the launch of the Kindred platform, the company is well-positioned to continue its growth in the region and provide innovative and engaging gaming experiences to customers across the United States.
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