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With Heavy Industry Lobbying and the Absence of Two Senators, SB 797 Falls Two Votes Short
Just after midnight on September 1, the California Senate failed to pass a bill to eliminate Bisphenol-A (BPA) from food and drink containers for children ages 3 and younger. Senator Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica) carried the legislation with advocate sponsors Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, Breast Cancer Fund, and Environmental Working Group.
While the bill had passed both an Assembly and Senate floor vote over the past year-and-half, heavy lobbying from industry groups and two supporting Senators being absent for serious health reasons, led to this children’s health measure failing by just two votes.
The leadership and members of the Senate had an opportunity to advance SB 797 (The Toxics-Free Toddlers and Infants Act) to the Governor’s desk by casting “courtesy votes” based on the medical absence of the two Senators. Shockingly, these votes were not granted by their colleagues.
A diverse coalition of health professionals, scientists, parents, and reproductive health and justice advocates supported this measure because it would have protected children from exposure to BPA, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to breast and prostate cancer, infertility, obesity, neurological and behavioral changes, autism and hyperactivity.
BPA has already been banned from baby bottles and children’s sippy cups in Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont and New York. Connecticut and Vermont limit the use of BPA in baby-food and infant-formula packaging. All states passed their BPA measure with near-unanimous consent and have had the bills signed by both Democrat and Republican governors.
“It is a sad day when chemical industry lobbyists matter more than protecting Californians from exposure to dangerous chemicals,” said Martha Dina Argüello, Executive Director of PSR-LA.
According the SF Chronicle, approximately $5 million was spent on a lobbying effort to prevent passage of SB 797. Retailers including CVS, Kmart, Safeway, Toys R Us and Wal-Mart have announced they will stop selling BPA-containing baby bottles, and many infant formula manufactures advertise their products as BPA-free. Even so, lack of access to information about BPA, and low availability of BPA-free products in smaller corner stores means that many low-income women with limited mobility may not have access to safe products for their family.
As a public health organization working on behalf of the bill, PSR-LA highlighted the more than 200 scientific studies that show BPA exposure, particularly during infancy, is associated with a wide range of adverse health effects in later life. According to the National Institutes of Health, a main route of human exposure is through the leaching of BPA from food and beverage containers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that BPA is found in 93% of Americans.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate that would ban BPA in infant food packaging, in addition to other food and beverage containers, and the national movement for eliminating this toxic chemical has been growing. With seven other states and several countries taking leadership on protecting children, California advocates and families are ready to continue the struggle to prioritize public health in our state, while growing a strong and healthy economy for all communities.
Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles (PSR-LA) informs the medical community and policymakers about toxic threats, and strengthens local community organizations to engage in meaningful public health and environmental health advocacy.
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As we recently discussed, data breach legislation continues to be a moving target, with legislative changes pending in 32 States, not to mention Federal legislation and Global laws such as the EU GDPR, which have the potential to impact US organizations. Outside of this wave of legal requirements, there are industry-specific laws (HIPAA) and regulators who set standards and impose fines following a data breach, and these regulators are in flux as well. Within just the last year, we’ve seen the SEC and FTC both stepping up their game, and the same can be said for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Liisa Thomas, chair of Winston’s Privacy and Data Security Practice, spoke at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform’s 16th Annuual Legal Reform Summit in Washington, D.C. recently on the topic of data privacy liability. Liisa presented a report, created by herself, and Associates Robert Newman and Alessandra Swanson: “A Perilous Patchwork: Data Privacy and Civil Liability in the Era of the Data Breach.” This is a topic we’ve been speaking on at length here at InTelligence, examining the growing complexities of compliance and liabilities in an era of multiple regulators as well as State / National and Global laws.
Compliance is a moving target for organizations today. Not only do we have State and National laws constantly in flux, but organizations must pay attention to industry regulators and regulations (HIPAA, SEC, the GrahamLeach-Bliley Act) in terms of compliance. Given the global nature of many organizations, laws such as the EU GDPR even have their impact on US organizations. Post-breach, the potential litigation net is even wider, with investigations and potential fines coming from the FTC, industry regulators, state attorney generals and the class action bar.
Being compliant does not mean your organization is safe, nor does it mean that your organization is immune to repercussions at the hands of a data breach. In an article on CSO Online, Compliant does not equal protection: our false sense of security, I discuss the nuances of regulatory compliance and how, while important in driving protection standards, they could lead to complacency in setting security standards.
The FTC held its first “Start with Security” conference earlier this month, designed to help organizations implement effective data security strategies. This supply on educational resources comes soon after the Third Circuit re-affirmed the FTC’s authority to regulate data security standards of commercial entities. With the FTC’s authority now on firmer ground, it could be that we see the FTC step up more strongly with data security enforcement.
The Third Circuit this week affirmed that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has the authority to regulate data security standards of commercial entities. In FTC v. Wyndham, the agency sued Wyndham hotels after customer financial data was exposed. The FTC alleged that the hotel chain failed to maintain reasonable data security practices, outlined in detail, which led to at the exposure of the consumer data between 2008 and 2010. The company argued that the FTC lacks authority to regulate data security standards of commercial entities, an argument that was overruled in the lower court and again at the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Earlier this year, we penned an article asking, HIPAA is Outdated: Does it Need an Update? In the article, we address the growing rate of healthcare data breaches, as well as the growing cost associated with these breaches, and posit that HIPAA may not be keeping up with the current issues of healthcare data protection.
Europe seems poised to finalize the terms of the EU General Data Protection Regulation by the end of the year. The EU GDPR is set to drastically chance data protection law, including an increase in penalties for a breach up to 2% of a corporation’s annual global turnover. While these new laws will have a large impact on European businesses and IT professionals, the GDPR will also have an impact on US IT departments.

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A key environmental policy to have almost a million electric vehicles on Irish roads by 2030 will be a “huge challenge” unless the Government incentivises and supports dealing with the oldest polluting cars, while exponentially increasing the charging infrastructure nationwide.
That’s according to a new report released by Arup and economist Jim Power on reducing light fleet carbon emissions to achieve Government targets.
The independent report, which was commissioned for the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI ), states that in order to deal with this older legacy fleet, help will be required for those with the least economic capacity to make the biggest change.
This requires more investment, not just at the top end of the market, to remain fair and equitable if Ireland is to provide all commuters with viable transport options.
According to the report, of equal importance is the urgent need to create a second-hand EV fleet.
The age profile of the national fleet has led to the continued use of older polluting vehicles with 31.1 percent of vehicles being Euro 4 (pre-2011 ) or older (700,429 cars ).
Analysis within the report shows that removal of all these cars and replacing them with EVs would reduce carbon emissions by 875,000 tonnes, which is the equivalent of planting over 1.1 billion trees.
Whilst the Government is leading the way by currently requiring all its fleets to be replaced with electric vehicles, this could be expedited by requiring a turn over every two or three years.
Ireland, which is a right-hand drive market, has a slower and smaller supply chain than most other European markets, with around 120,000 new car sales per annum (pre-Covid-19 ) and an average car fleet age of nine years (2021 ).
With the majority of motorists being used vehicle buyers there is currently three times as many used vehicles being sold as new vehicles, with an insignificant second-hand electric vehicle market. The creation of this secondary market can only happen via a vibrant overall new car market.
The reports states that the ambition to sell nearly a million electric vehicles by 2030 is “extremely challenging”. Supply disruptions wrought by Covid-19, Brexit and the global chip supply shortage, combined with potential rare mineral shortages keeping battery prices high, has further delayed the availability of electric vehicles.
The report also highlights that The European Commission aims to have 30 million EVs on the road by 2030 and estimates that three million public chargers will be needed to support them – by the same measure, Ireland would need 100,000 public chargers, with all new being fast chargers to serve the proposed one million EVs here by the same date.
Currently there are 1,900 chargers installed at 800 sites across the island of Ireland and with the current number of 47,000 EVs on Irish roads the number of charging points falls far short of the 4,700 realistically needed to serve these.
To achieve this investment in public charging infrastructure, a broader approach is required to include policies on charging at home, as well as diversifying the distribution of fast charge points across the country to ensure charging installations support a complete and robust network across the country.
There is scope to integrate private market investment into charging infrastructure to speed up the roll out process and to off-set the capital intensity required to build a widespread charger network.


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Choc Chip ‘n’ Chunk and Hazelnut Choc Chip ‘n’ Chunk have been developed to build on the success of the McVitie’s relaunch at the beginning of the year. They will join McVitie’s Chocolate & Orange Digestives, which were launched in February.
McVitie’s claims the pair contain up to 20% more chocolate than equivalent Maryland cookies.
The variants will come under the refreshed McVitie’s livery and are expected to create annual £8m of sales, according to United Biscuits. They are available in a 150g format and have an rsp of 59p.
McVitie’s brand director Sarah Heynen said: “McVitie’s is the ideal brand to inject growth and excitement into the cookies market.”
The launch is being supported by a £1.6m marketing campaign, including TV advertising and coupons in magazines.


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With news on: car brands joining EV campaign; Optare buses for Gateshead; University of Glasgow shipping research; Port of Hamburg carriers; and TfL contractor EVs
Three more car brands – Audi, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen – have joined the UK government’s Go Ultra Low campaign to boost awareness of the benefits of ultra-low emission vehicles, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced yesterday (February 18).
The three firms join existing members of the campaign BMW, Nissan, Renault and Toyota in working to increase the take-up of plug-in cars and vans by raising awareness of the various grants available.
Together, all the manufacturers supporting the campaign offer a range of 15 ULEVs, for which full details of the costs, performance and air quality benefits of each are available on the Go Ultra Low website.
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: “The public are increasingly seeing the benefits of ultra-low emission vehicles, which have low running costs and are easily chargeable at home or on the street. We now have seven manufacturers campaigning to show the wide range of styles and prices available so even more people will see what’s on offer, and the significant government help available.â€?
Hetal Shah, spokeswoman for Go Ultra Low, added: “We’ve discovered that once people learn more about the benefits of these cars and vans, they’re keen to take action – and once they’ve tried them, they’re hooked.â€?
Last week, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) announced that more than 25,000 grant claims have been submitted to the government since 2010 through the plug-in car and van scheme, which offers consumers up to £5,000 towards the purchase of a ULEV car and £8,000 towards a ULEV van (see airqualitynews.com story).
Bus manufacturer Optare has supplied five of its Euro 5 emission standard Optare Solo single decker buses to serve multiple routes around Gateshead on behalf of the Tyne and Wear passenger transport authority Nexus.
The 9m long Solo SR buses, which can each seat up to 31 people, will be added to transport firm Gateshead Central Taxi’s first service bus fleet. The company has more than 200 vehicles, including a 24 hour taxi fleet.
Scot Ryan, operations manager at Gateshead Central Taxis, said: “We look forward to a long working relationship with Optare and their support through these initial stages in our new venture.â€?
Tim Matthews, UK sales and national key account manager at Optare, said: “We are thrilled to be supplying Gateshead Taxis with what we hope will be the first of many Optare buses.â€?
Cambridge engineering firm Z-Tech Control Systems Ltd has launched its first two electric vehicles to join its London office in order to serve its pumping systems maintenance contract with Transport for London (TfL).
The two new zero emission Nissan eNV200s are some of the first all-electric commercial vehicles to be used by a TfL contractor as part of the its commitment to lower air pollution in the UK capital.
And, in order to help promote further uptake of zero emission vehicles, Z-Tech is also offering free charging points at both its London and Cambridge offices, which provide fast charging points for up to two vehicles at a time.
Z-Tech managing director, Michael Swinhoe, said: “We are early adopters of this technology, but having driven these vans, they offer a viable alternative to the combustion engine, particularly within central London.â€?
Ian Featherstone, knowledge manager for the Energy Saving Trust (EST) said: “There is a strong business case for the adoption of electric vehicles and this is shown through our work with over 150 of the UK’s fleets. The recent uptake of these vehicles has provided greater impetus to reduce CO2 emissions and harmful nitrogen dioxide emissions which pose a significant health risk.â€?
Ted Sakyi, fleet manager for London Underground, said: “By taking part in the Rapid Chargepoint Mapping project, Z-Tech will help shape the future deployment of rapid charge points in the capital, and as vans and other light goods vehicles account for more than three-quarters of the freight miles in London, this could have a real impact on reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality.â€?
Barry Beeston, corporate sales Director at Nissan Motor (GB), said: “We’re delighted that Z-Tech Control Systems is working with the Energy Saving Trust (EST) and Transport for London (TfL) on this project which will ultimately provide the rapid charging infrastructure that will help Nissan e-NV200 become a massive success.â€?
The University of Glasgow, marine engineering firm Sembcorp Marine and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), have signed an agreement to collaborate on developing new hull designs for large ocean vessels to boost fuel efficiency and reduce air pollution emissions.
Under the Under the three-year memorandum of understanding, the three organisations will use modelling to design vessels with improved hydrodynamics for better fuel efficiency.
In addition, they will collaborate to reduce harmful exhaust emissions and discharges by enhancing the vessel scrubbers and ballast treatment services. The research will see them analyse gas abatement technology to address emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrous oxides (NOx), particulate matter and greenhouse gases.
According to the University of Glasgow, such designs are needed to meet the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)’s new 2015 standards on air pollution from shipping. As such, the three partners are also considering the creation of a joint research and development laboratory on shipping efficiency.
Dr Gianmarco Radice, director of UGS – a partnership between the University of Glasgow and the Singapore Institute of Technology – said: “To achieve innovation, it is increasingly important for industry, research centres and academia to collaborate with each other. By leveraging on the capabilities from all partners, we can accelerate the innovation necessary to bring next-generation technologies in eco-shipping to the marine and offshore sector, quickly and cost-effectively.â€?
German logistics firm HHLA has begun operating what it claims are 12 of the world’s lowest-emission straddle carriers at its Burchardkai Container Terminal at the Port of Hamburg.
In operation since mid-January, the new diesel-electric vehicles are compliant with Euro 4 emission standards and “make an important contributionâ€? towards reducing emissions at the container terminal. A total of 133 straddle carriers are now in use at the Terminal.
According to HHLA, the new straddle carriers’ emissions of nitrogen oxides are 94% lower compared to their Euro 1 standard predecessors, while they also generate 95% less particulate matter.
HHLA executive board member responsible for the container segment, Dr. Stefan Behn, said: “By adding the twelve new straddle carriers, we have further expanded the fleet of vehicles at the Container Terminal Burchardkai. This enables us to further increase Burchardkai’s performance capabilities, especially at peak times.â€?
He added: “The Port of Hamburg is in the middle of the city. That makes it important to keep harmful emissions as low as possible. We at HHLA are using cutting-edge technologies and intelligent solutions to further reduce emissions at our terminals.â€?


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In case you’re unfamiliar with the “Retail Next” concept, it is marketing speak for a revamped dealership experience that BMW is currently rolling out in many parts of the world. The latest showroom to benefit from the new look is Grand Brasil in Alphaville, Sao Paulo. The building has no fewer than six floors and covers 14,500 square meters but it’s not packed with cars since the company believes less is more by displaying only a handful of vehicles.
The idea behind Retail Next is to mimic a fancy boutique hotel with lounge-like seating and premium furniture. Speaking of which, BMW Group Brasil says it hand-picked an “exclusive group of suppliers” to provide the swanky furniture. We’re being told that this new dealership experience is all about making the customer the “star of the showroom.”
Grand Brasil has everything that you could possibly need since it includes body and paint shops, along with a dedicated automotive detailing and customization studio. There’s a built-in coffee shop, not to mention a helipad. With Concept Next, BMW says it wants to put the customer in the center of attention and has designed private areas where clients can negotiate pricing and learn about the payment terms. On that note, BMW Financial Services workers provide the necessary assistance.
BMW had been working on the Retail Next concept before the coronavirus pandemic, according to Pieter Nota, the company’s man in charge of sales and marketing. However, the process was accelerated after discovering more and more people outside of Europe wanted to configure their cars instead of buying whatever was in stock. Internal research has shown that customers are willing to patiently wait to get their personally specced cars and are more satisfied with their purchase.
From 2026, BMW will adopt the agency model by switching to direct sales in Europe. The automaker will invoice customers directly and there will be no room to haggle since the cars will be sold at fixed prices. The middleman won’t be eliminated as dealers are going to finalize the deal from which they’ll earn a fixed commission. MINI will be the first brand from the BMW Group to switch to the agency model in 2024.


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US airline United Airlines has announced plans to equip 23,000 flight attendants
with the iPhone 6 Plus in a major corporate coup for Apple.
United said that the rollout to staff will begin in the second quarter of 2015, and that the handsets will be used to access company email and the firm’s intranet as well as policy documents and procedure manuals.
Interestingly, United also said that the iPhone 6 Plus will be used to handle in-flight retail transactions, suggesting use of the Apple Pay service.
Sam Risoli, United's senior vice president of in-flight services, explained that supplying staff with the handsets will offer enormous benefits.
"The iPhone 6 Plus will enable them to deliver an even higher level of flyer-friendly service and will offer our flight attendants simple, one-touch access to valuable work information, enabling them to better serve our customers," he said.
The rollout follows United’s deployment of iPads to pilots in 2011 in a move toward paperless aircraft and flight decks. United has now started deploying iPad Air 2s.
The deal represents a major coup for Apple, which is pushing more into the enterprise in an attempt to find new areas of revenue growth.
Apple's partnership with IBM, announced earlier this year, formed a major part of this strategy by looking to entice more businesses to use its hardware and software in corporate environments.
This partnership has borne its first fruit in the form of 10 IBM MobileFirst for iOS apps aimed at firms in the banking, retail, insurance, financial services, telecoms and airline sectors, and for governments and public sector bodies.
The use of the iPhone 6 by United is the latest deal in the airline sector for new, cutting-edge tech products. Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines announced recently that pilots will be given Surface Pro 3 devices.
Austrian Airlines has begun deploying 650 Surface Pro 3s to pilots, and expects to have deployed 1,000 units by the end of the year. Lufthansa will deploy 5,000 Surface Pro 3s to pilots by March 2015.
Finding refutes many earlier studies that suggest that galaxies don't have much dark matter at the time of their birth
Boris the robot outed as man in rented robot suit
Mission will provide vital data about the performance of rocket, spacecraft, autonomous docking system and the landing system
The flight will take off from California's Mojave Air and Space Port and could happen as soon as 13th December


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It included descriptions such as “auto-pilot” and “self-governing driving” and utilized terms such as: ” All you need to do is get in and inform your automobile where it’s going … Tesla identifies the very best path, through city streets, crossways and highways,” the claim stated.
Another claim made by the California DMV was deceptive: “This system is developed to permit brief and long journeys without the operator doing anything.”
” These ads are misleading acts” under California civil law, the DMV’s problem stated.
Tesla does not generally react to ask for remark.
The problem included that considering that June, Tesla has actually been releasing disclaimers cautioning that functions still need driver guidance, which breaches “deceptive labels and claims.”
The grievance cautioned that Tesla’s ad campaign might cause the momentary loss of its factory license and California license plate.
The information revealed that out of an overall of 497 crashes examined by NHTSA, 43% of crashes triggered by driver support innovation took place in California.
Tesla has 15 days Responding to a grievance to prevent a default judgment.
The Los Angeles Times was the very first news channel to report the grievance.
CNN’s Matt MacFarland added to this report.
” Social media fanatic. Bacon fanatic. Wannabe popular culture fanatic. Communicator. Licensed author.”


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Fusion-io, Star of Enterprise Storage, Files for an IPO, Cites Facebook Relationship
Remember when I said to keep a close eye on Fusion-io, the enterprise startup that uses flash memory to speed up data storage? I hope you were paying attention. Today it filed for an IPO. And here’s a news flash: Its biggest customer is Facebook.
Facebook’s new data center in Prineville, Oregon, is full of Fusion-io technology, and the one planned for Rutherford County, North Carolina will be as well. Fusion-io CEO David Flynn told me in an interview some time ago that servers running Fusion-io technology constitute about 80 percent of the hardware footprint inside the Facebook building. If you ever wondered what kind of secret sauce Facebook might have in its data center infrastructure, make no mistake: Fusion-io’s flash memory-based technology is it.
The close links between Facebook and Fusion-io have a lot to do with a mutual relationship. Venture capitalist Marc Andreesen sits on Facebook’s board and is an investor in Fusion-io. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are leading the offering with JP Morgan and Credit Suisse. The filing doesn’t say how much the company expects to raise in the offering.
Along with Facebook, Fusion-io’s hardware partners Hewlett-Packard, and IBM also account for more than 10 percent of revenue.
This filing is a surprise, because as recently as December, Flynn told me the company was in no hurry to go public. It had just raised a $45 million C-round from Meritech Capital Partners, with Accel Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, New Enterprise Associates, and Triangle Peak Partners also invested. Plus it has strategic investments from Samsung, the South Korean electronics and semiconductor giant–which also happens to be the world’s biggest supplier of the flash memory chips key to Fusion-io’s technology–and Dell Ventures.
But from the looks of the numbers, it appears the company needs to raise the kind of cash that an IPO can provide. The company finished 2010 with $36 million in revenue and a $31.5 million net loss despite a gross margin of 59 percent in the latest quarter. Operating expenses were nearly $52 million, led by $24 million in sales and marketing expenses. The balance sheet shows $3.5 million in cash and cash equivalents plus another $39 million in working capital. That’s not enough to fund operating expenses assuming they remain at the same level, which they won’t, given how fast the company is ramping up.
And ramping up it is. Fusion-io just last week announced a relationship with its fourth major server manufacturer, the white-box manufacturer Supermicro, and on the same day, IBM doubled the number of servers that include Fusion-io as an option. Before that, it scored a rare public disclosure from Credit Suisse that its technology was being used to speed up trading, and there are certainly more financial companies buying the technology and simply not talking about it.


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One in three (32%) commuters were delayed on their most recent train journey, according to Which? research.
Undercover researchers from Which? Travel successfully posted a series of fake listings and reviews in a test of the popular site TripAdvisor.
Which? compared the price of a basket of groceries, from toilet paper to tea bags and from bread to juice. Which supermarket was cheapest for our basket?
Car hire customers will get a fairer deal following a major Europe wide clean-up campaig leading 5 car hire companies to change their practices.
Find out which supermarket was cheapest for our basket of big brand groceries in June 2015. We compare the price of everything, from bread to tea bags.
Lush is your number one shop in the Which? shops survey 2015. Find out the best and worst 100 shops in our survey of nearly 9,500 people.
Which? finds that boxes of Twinings tea have shrunk, without a proportionate drop in price. Find out how Which? is campaigning to make supermarket prices fairer
Which? reveals the best and worst UK train companies with survey results and for companies including East Coast, Virgin, First Great Western and Grand Central
Which? Travel reveals the most and least punctual airlines flying to the UK including British Airways, Easyjet, Flybe, Thomas Cook, Thomson,Virgin, Ryanair
We asked more than 1,000 of you to share your holiday money-saving tips and we tested the best ones and added lots of our own


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Going back home to the UK for the holidays really brought home to me how very differently my home and adopted countries have fared during the pandemic. When I tell them, old friends can scarcely believe how successful Việt Nam has been in averting the disastrous consequences most of the western world’s nations have experienced. It truly has been a wonder how well both the health and economic fallout have been contained.
Naturally, Việt Nam has not been entirely untouched. The global nature of this scourge wrought huge disruption on trade, supply chains and tourism, dealing a heavy blow to Việt Nam’s previously blistering growth rates and leading to the death of a great many businesses. Yet overall, decisive action to close borders and enact containment measures paid off handsomely. Many in the west marvel that the country is still expected to record (according to Asian Development Bank forecasts) 2.3 per cent growth for 2020. This puts it among a handful of countries in positive territory. In this harshest of all tests, that is a real triumph.
And it looks like Việt Nam will truly be back with a vengeance in 2021 and posting the kind of growth figures that have brought it to global attention in recent years. Assuming all continues to go well with fighting the virus, experts are saying we can expect to see economic growth of 6-7 per cent this year – and many even believe that to be a modest projection.
Free trade foundations
Excellent foundations for a stunning comeback have been laid. First, in March, we entered the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; then in August, the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement was finally inked in a deal that will lift close to 99 per cent of customs duties and which is predicted to boost trade with the bloc by almost half over the next four years.
November then brought the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which is expected to turbocharge exports across the Asia-Pacific region when it comes into force in Q2. The year has really been a festival of free trade agreements, despite it all, and along with many others, I believe that the new Biden administration can only bode well for relations with the US.
Officials have also been working tirelessly to update Việt Nam’s labour and investment regulations and the improvements to the business environment coming into effect from the first quarter will only make the country more and more attractive to foreign investors. It is difficult to overstate how rapidly responsible investing has shot up the international agenda as a result of the crisis, and these formal reassurances really do count. There is also a significant cutting of red tape in the offing that will really help businesses of all kinds to flourish.
Big players will benefit, certainly, but I also think we are set for a boom for small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) and even in micro-commerce from household businesses being free from certain regulatory requirements. Grassroots entrepreneurialism very much feeds the dynamic business culture here and the time is ripe for innovation to flourish. The world may be very much changed, and some businesses have sadly fallen, but this sets the stage for new and better things to grow. Entrepreneurial women have long been a force to be reckoned with in Việt Nam and I’m especially looking forward to seeing how they can further fuel growth.
Deal-making and diversification
From a personal perspective, I’m particularly delighted to hear that merger and acquisition activity is predicted to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels by 2022, after falling by roughly half in 2020. That might seem like a brutal drop, but compared to the state many M&A markets internationally have been plunged into, I would say things have held up very well. At S&P Investments, we’ve certainly not slowed down in our advisory work. Indeed, our hands have been very much full as an appreciation of the value of impartial, experienced guidance continues to take hold in the business community.
When I again compare the UK to my adopted home, it is the diversity of Vietnamese productivity which really strikes me. While a services-orientated economy will naturally be devastated by lockdowns, a diversified one like Việt Nam’s has so many in which to thrive.
Our prowess in technology manufacture may be well known internationally, but our textiles and agricultural sectors are still not as widely understood as they soon will be. Previously, when I’ve told friends that Italian coffee brands are looking at production here I don’t know that they’ve really believed me. The EVFTA means that they, and the world, will be smelling the metaphorical coffee very rapidly indeed.
Nor should we forget tourism. It has been unavoidable that the battle with COVID-19 has caused the sector great pain, but there will be even greater appetite – both domestic and foreign – unleashed once the pandemic is finally at an end. We are luckily not as dependent on near neighbours on international tourism but will be equally poised to profit from global hunger to see the world once real freedoms have been returned.
All in all, as we turn a fresh page on a new year I’m filled with optimism – and even more full of gladness that I decided to make the big move over here when so many friends and colleagues thought I was a little mad to do so. 2021 is set to be the (re)start of some very great things for Việt Nam.
* Brian Spence is managing partner of S&P Investments. He has more than 35 years of experience in the UK financial services industry as an investment manager, financial planner and M&A specialist. He is a regular contributor to the UK financial press and has a deep understanding of the financial services community. Brian’s column will reflect on all the challenges and opportunities within the Vietnamese market, bringing a fresh perspective to today’s hottest issues. The columnist’s email address is firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Lea Michele Candies
Lea Michele has become somewhat of a staple in the fashion community and it looks like some brands are finally taking notice. E! News reports that the Glee starlet has been named the newest spokeswoman for Candie's, and you have to admit it's kind of the perfect fit. Her many red carpet appearances are enough to show just how fashionable this young actress can be - unlike her fictional character, Rachel Berry.


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Here’s a sneak peek at the ribbon cutting event that took place at downtown Melbourne’s newest EV charging station. The first DC fast charger in Brevard County, FL. The Space Coast EV Drivers were invited to do Q & A with attendees at the ribbon cutting. Stay tuned for photos and videos from the event. Lots of electric vehicle drivers were on hand to celebrate the unveiling.
Our next event will be at the Melbourne Beach Founders Day. We’ll be setting up our tent and table and banner as part of the car show on Ocean Avenue. Drop on by and ask real electric vehicle owners any question you have about driving electric! Go here for more information and the whole day’s schedule: http://www.melbournebeachfl.org/Pages/MelbourneBeachFL_News/01CE537B-000F8513
Saturday, May 3, 2014
We’ll set up at 9:30 am as part of the car show that will be 10 am to 3 pm.
Town of Melbourne Beach, Florida
Ryckman Park and Ocean Park


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A new limited edition picture disc from the legendary David Bowie has been announced, with a new vinyl release for ‘Sound And Vision’ confirmed.
The latest in a long-run of anniversary releases, the reissue of the lead single from Bowie’s seminal 1977 album ‘Low’ marks 40 years since its initial release – and will arrive on Friday 10 February.
Decorated with images from Bowie’s appearance in the film ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’, the A-side features a remastering of the single, while the flip-side contains the stripped-back 2013 remix of the track by Sonjay Prabhakar.
After releasing the ‘Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976)’ box set featuring ‘lost’ album ‘The Gouster’ last year, the new picture disc marks the start of the 40th anniversary of Bowie’s ‘Berlin trilogy’. It is believed that a deluxe reissue box set featuring material from ‘Low’, ‘Heroes’ and ‘Lodger’ will follow later in 2017.
Meanwhile, it was recently announced that Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’ was the highest-selling vinyl record of 2016 – helping to bring overall vinyl sales to a 25 year high. His final record sold more than double the number of copies of 2015’s biggest-seller, Adele’s ’25’.


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Apple may be keeping tight-lipped about its SDK plans, but clues continue to emerge about what's in the native app pipeline. The latest hints come from this week's Game Developer's Conference here in San Francisco and a new report about the BBC's updated iPlayer.
Hidden among other stats about the streaming TV service, the BBC divulged it will also be launching an iPlayer service on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch devices in "the next few weeks." Recall that Steve Jobs said the SDK would be available in late February and you'll note that the iPlayer service launch fits rather nicely within that release window.
Unfortunately, it's unclear whether the iPlayer, which comes in both web-streaming and Windows-only downloadable versions, will be native or simply an optimized streaming web version.
Then there are the games. As Wired.com observed last week, games are without a doubt some of the most likely candidates for native residency on the iPhone and iPod Touch. During Gameloft CEO and president Michel Guillemot's keynote at GDC, the iPhone made multiple appearances in several of his slides (see above), notes the U.K.'s Pocketgamer. And while the photo could be a mock-up, the fact remains that Gameloft already develops games for the iPod. Jumping over to the iPhone wouldn't be much of a stretch for the mobile game developer, especially with Guillemot predicting that touchscreen gaming, coupled with advanced handsets and the standardization of distribution costs will bring about a mobile-gaming renaissance later this year.
As for that supersecret Apple event that's supposed to happen during the final week of February -- the one that some are saying will be a venue for product refresh announcements and possibly an SDK unveiling -- the only clue that it might actually be happening comes from a post by Linkin Park frontman, Mike Shinoda.
"Looking forward to our first show at Madison Square Garden this week (sold out)!," he wrote on his site. "Also, look forward to a special show that we’re doing in NYC in conjunction with Apple…shh…it's a secret…"
Photo courtesy Pocketgamer


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GeoOrbital’s electric wheel is something straight out of the movies — literally.
Mike Burtov, the founder and CEO of the Cambridge-based company, was at home watching “Tron” when he was inspired to build an electric wheel modeled after the movie’s iconic light cycles.
“They kind of do it because it looks cool, and for special effect and all that kind of thing, but I was thinking, ‘We can make that practical. I can make a company and a product to make that actually a practical thing,’” he told the Chronicle.
Burtov began to build a prototype wheel in his kitchen, partnered up with former SpaceX engineer Dakota Decker — now GeoOrbital CTO — and the rest is history. In fact, the company was recently featured on an Oct. 29 episode of reality-investment show “Shark Tank.”
The wheel fits onto bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles, turning them electric in under 60 seconds. Three years after launching, GeoOrbital now represents approximately 5 percent of the U.S. electric bike market, according to Burtov. The company has received significant attention on crowdfunding website Kickstarter, raising $1.26 million in less than two months.
Swimming with the sharks
For Burtov, who has founded four startups and raised money “pretty much in every possible way you can imagine,” the experience on “Shark Tank” was a new one.
Unlike pitches to venture capitalists, angel investors or crowdfunding sites, raising money on a TV show requires concise pitches, getting the message across while keeping it interesting for the cameras, he said.
“That was really the first time I had been on a TV show like that, faced with investors like that. It’s a really high-stress environment, and you spend a long time prepping for it and making sure everything goes right, but when you’re there in front of the lights and the cameras, it’s an awing experience,” Burtov said. “It’s very different from anything you’d ever feel or encounter in the real world while you’re out there raising money and growing a company.”
While GeoOrbital did not make a deal on the episode — some of the Sharks expressed concern the wheel is more expensive than just buying an electric bicycle — Burtov said there is still a good deal of interest in his company’s product.
“People are genuinely excited about this tech, and people are genuinely excited about electric vehicles. And I think our approach is making regular bicycles that everybody has, everybody knows how to ride them, into electric vehicles,” Burtov said. “I think that’s something that is resonating with people as well.”
The company has also gotten more international attention since the episode aired, the kind that only a TV show can bring, Burtov said. “It’s the kind of coverage you couldn’t possibly get really any other way,” he added.
But even though the growing company is gaining traction internationally, its leaders make it a point to remember their local roots.
The wheels are manufactured in Peabody, and Burtov is out at the facilities two or three times a week to stand on the assembly line and check in with workers.
“When you’re standing next to the guys on the assembly line who are actually building it, when you’re getting live feedback from the marketplace from the people putting things together, you can actually control quality,” he said. “You get a much higher quality product. And it makes us more tied into the community as well.”
While staying local means building a community, it also makes practical business sense, Burtov added.
“It’s important for us not only just to be part of the community and just support American-made products, but it’s also because it’s a much higher quality product that we’re putting out there. And for a new company like ours and a new product like ours, quality is really, really important,” he said. “That’s really the focus for us.”
For more information about GeoOrbital, visit geoo.com.


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Mother Nurture, a natural-parenting store that for the past six years has offered support and education to new mothers, along with supplies such as cloth diapers, breast pumps and nursing bras, will close at the end of January.
Cerise Bouchard, who owns the Richmond Road store, had been searching for a buyer for the business recently; when one did not emerge, she said, she decided to close.
Bouchard said in an email interview that she paid off the store's original business loan in October, but because she had been "scraping by" for the past few years, she didn't have enough inventory to sell to be able to pay the store's bills anymore.
After consulting with a small-business counselor, Bouchard said, "I realized that I was at the point that I couldn't do it all and the business side of things is not where I want to spend my time. My passion is supporting women."
Now, she said, she's looking for a new job.
She said the shop's non-tangible assets, including its name and logo, would be for sale to anyone interested in reviving the business.
"One of the lessons in this is that if we want to keep cool stores in Lexington, we have to make an effort to buy local," Bouchard said, noting that it has been frustrating that people often came to the store for information, then went elsewhere to buy the items they needed.
Although the store is closing, some of its services will continue.
Lactation consulting and car-seat checks will continue through Baby Moon, the business next door to Mother Nurture. Both are in Shelton Place, the wooden building next to Lowe's on Richmond Road. Baby Moon offers a range of pregnancy and baby-related classes and workshops.
Bouchard has said that it was while attending a class at Baby Moon that she was first inspired and encouraged to open Mother Nurture.
What she didn't anticipate was that her customers would need her listening ear as much as the goods on the shelf.
"I thought I would just open a little shop and fill in the gap of products and services Lexington didn't have," Bouchard said. "I quickly realized that what new moms needed was support and someone to listen to their story.
"That is what I'll miss most — listening to a mom talk about her birth — whether it was great or traumatic, and helping her find some serenity."


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US fast food chain Burger King has opened its first restaurant in Poland through franchisee AmRest Holdings NV. This outlet is set to be first of many restaurants AmRest Holdings NV plan to open throughout the country over the next five years. The Poland based company already has franchise agreements with Pizza Hut, KFC and other fast-food restaurants in Central and Eastern Europe.
Published: 13 June 2007
Back to news


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Frans Kempen, IBM’s Blockchain Practice Leader for Banking and Insurance in The Netherlands, interviewed Adrián Garelik, the founder of Flixxo, at Bitcoin Wednesday on 6 September 2017. Adrián gave a world premiere demo of Flixxo at Bitcoin Wednesday later that evening.
Flixxo is a decentralized video distribution platform built on Ethereum and Rootstock that monetizes content distribution with Flixx tokens. During the interview, Adrián opened up about how he became fascinated with the idea of decentralized video distribution. In his opinion, users will eventually shift from older centralized distribution platforms, like Netflix and YouTube, to newer, decentralized ones that can better monetize their content.
“The prices for using centralized video platforms like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime are amazingly high because of their huge structural costs,” he said. “The only way of competing against these organizations is through better distribution of content. If videos are stored in computers of users, instead of central servers, the costs of keeping the content are zero.”
Flixxo will begin its crowd sale in the first half of October. The platform itself is officially scheduled to launch in May, 2018.


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California Tree Nut Report
Idaho Ag Today
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Farm Labor Reform Pt 1
American Wool Assurance Program Announces Exciting Additions
Whole Almond Orchard Recycling Improves Soil Health
David Sparks Ph.D.
Fruit Grower ReportThey are well worth the wait, but Northwest pears take a little time to ripen for that flavor perfection.
Fruit Grower ReportPear Bureau Northwest president Kevin Moffitt talks about pear conditioning and how it could help you bring home pears that are closer to ready-to-eat ripe.
Fruit Grower ReportDon't be impatient! Giving the pears you buy in the grocery store a few days to ripen is SO worth the wait!
The Agribusiness UpdateApril blueberries are out in Florida where the newest "Sentinel" blueberry debuts, and ranchers keep wary eye on Colorado animal-cruelty initiative.
Fruit Grower ReportPears are fantastic and flavorful ... when they're ripe ... and allowing your pears to ripen properly is something Pear Bureau Northwest wants consumers to do.
Fruit Grower ReportPear Bureau Northwest president Kevin Moffitt explains the process and benefits of conditioning pears with Ethylene.
Fruit Grower ReportPear Bureau Northwest president Kevin Moffitt talks about the use of Ethylene to help consumers find those delicious ready-to-eat pears.
The Agribusiness UpdateCalifornia cherries appear to have weathered recent heavy rains without too much loss, and USDA has new authority to keep meat packing houses open.
Fruit Grower ReportPear Bureau Northwest has long promoted the idea of ripening pears, but in this coronavirus reality we live in today storing them after ripening is important too.
Fruit Grower ReportPear Bureau Northwest is asking #WhatsInYourFruitBowl for a third straight year during March, National Nutrition Month.
The Agribusiness UpdateCornell researchers have developed a new, tasty GREEN tomato, and USMEF calls beef export outlook very positive for 2020.
California Ag TodayNaturipe Farms is a popular grower-owned brand of berries with a rich history and innovative mindset.


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Williams-Sonoma ranked the highest overall in the 15th Annual Mystery Shopping Study conducted in the fourth quarter of 2012 by the e-tailing group.
The e-tailing group released their Customer Experience Index results this week, according to a press release.
According to the results from the press release, Williams-Sonoma had a score of 83.50 for the fourth quarter 2012. For 2011, they had a score of 82.75 but ranked eighth on the 100 sites surveyed.
The top four in 2011 survey included Sears, L.L Bean, HSN and The Home Depot. These companies did not make the top four this year. Other companies included Overstock.com and QVC not making the list.
“It was tight race to the top as HSN, L.L. Bean and QVC all have strong scores and are in the top 15,” said Lauren Freedman, president of e-tailing group. “Sears, Overstock and Petco had significant declines in their overall merchandising and customer scores and the results are across a range of metrics versus consistent across all retailers.”
Freedman said these companies were mystery shopped.
No specifics were given as to why Sears who had the top score of 90.25 last year didn’t make the list this year.
“Our review is and always has been focusing on the winning sites and what they do well rather than critiquing those that don’t,” said Freedman.
The nine on the 2012 list of retailers who scored 80 out of 100 points met the e-tailing group’s challenge for the Customer Experience Index Results, according to the release.
“I think it’s also interesting that a lot of the larger players not only are making big investments in the front-end of the experience, but they also have to execute on the backend from the customer-service perspective,” said Freedman.
Toys ‘R’ Us reached a score of 81.50 for the fourth quarter of 2012. Last year’s results garnered a score of 83.75. Amazon saw a score of 81.50 and they have remained the same from last year. Barnes & Noble saw a score of 80.75, they have remained consistent with last year with a score of 80.00.
“The fact that you have a range of merchants from a range of different categories is also interesting,” said Freedman.
The e-tailing group index is calculated through quantitative analysis of metrics extrapolate from their mystery shopping study conducted annually in the fourth quarter with an objective of uniquely understanding how merchants stack-up against the e-tailing 100 websites, direct competitors and their categories, according to the press release.
The index provides an affordable overview that can help merchants prioritize which features and functions need attention first as they plan profitable 2013 initiatives, according to the press release.
“As the needle keeps moving in terms of the channel you have to deliver in – including mobile and social, it gets even harder and harder to achieve these performance levels,” said Freedman.
The category performance section of the index indicates that there is still work to be done by retailers. Office supplies tops the winners table as the only category to exceed 80 points followed by last year’s top category performer Mass Merchants of 76.03, despite seeing a 7% decline.
Other categories included baby/toys/games at 8%, food and gifting 7%, accessories and shoes at 7% and home/garden at 6%.


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HTC to close Durham unit
DURHAM – Taiwan-based smartphone maker HTC Corp. is closing its office in Durham, a move that likely will cost the area dozens of jobs and open up space in one of the Bull City’s best-known commercial real estate properties.
Spokeswoman Lori Rodney says employees were informed of the decision on June 20.
“HTC conducts ongoing reviews of all aspects of its business, and, as part of these reviews believes this is an important step to help HTC maintain its competitive edge and ability to deliver quality innovations for consumers,” reads a company response to a Triangle Business Journal inquiry.
The company confirmed the closure will happen “over the next several weeks,” but could not provide a specific date. Management will be meeting with impacted staff members individually and some will be able to relocate their positions or to work from home. Others will be laid off. HTC declined to say what the breakdown would be, but did confirm some of the local work force of 50 would be losing their jobs.
Then chief strategy officer for HTC Ron Louks had called Durham “a perfect place to open our new R&D office,” in December of 2010. That’s when HTC announced its plans to lease space for a new research and development office in downtown Durham. HTC planned to initially employ 45 people in its facility and grow further during 2011 and “into the future.” The city of Durham had even approved a $150,000 incentive offer if the company created 99 jobs and invested $2 million by 2014 in Durham. But that agreement was never signed, no incentive was ever issued and even Louks moved onto what HTC called “other opportunities.”
Lauren Ohnesorge covers technology, biotechnology and Durham County.
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The first draft of anything is terrible, Ernest Hemingway once said (though in slightly more colorful language). Facebook is applying some similar thinking and allowing users to edit their posts.
Google is now 15 years old, and the company is celebrating by smartening up its bread-and-butter technology, search, and adding new features such as comparisons and filters.
Twitter wants to bolster its position as a go-to source of information during emergencies and other crises with a new notifications feature.
Didn't catch that tweet all your friends were talking about? Twitter wants you to see it next time, using a new feature that will notify you of tweets and contacts that Twitter thinks you'll want to know about.
Forget the older crowd. LinkedIn now wants to help teenagers get into college and find a good job, in a strategy shift that analysts said could eventually pay off for the company.
Facebook is moving ahead with plans to test a new mobile feature to entice more people to buy products while shopping on smaller devices such as iPhones.
Pinterest already makes nice with outside businesses to better connect them with its site, but the social network is now thinking about consummating that relationship with promotional content.
The days of shrugging off Twitter may soon be over. Some 200 million users strong, the site is already one of the most prominent social networks, but going public could give it the muscle to become the next Facebook or Apple, one analyst said.
Twitter announced -- on Twitter, of course -- that the company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering.
How should Twitter handle an initial public offering? Mark Zuckerberg admits he's probably not the best person to ask.
The CEOs of Yahoo and Facebook were each on the hot seat Wednesday answering questions about the U.S. government's data surveillance programs.
Twitter has acquired MoPub, a mobile-focused advertising exchange that could help the social network grow its ad business as more users move away from the desktop.
Facebook, Google and Yahoo on Monday filed petitions with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court as part of a renewed collective effort to provide more information to their users about government data requests.
In perhaps China's toughest push to crack down on online defamation, authorities have unveiled measures that could send Internet users to jail for up to three years if found guilty of posting slanderous rumors.
Facebook revealed a new tool that enables news organisations to tap into user comments and display them online or on TV in real-time.
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Intuit said it plans to avoid the electronic filing delays that kept many last-minute tax returns from being processed last April.
"We want to make sure that never happens again," said Ian Campbell, director of marketing at the company. Intuit, which makes the TurboTax consumer line, and the Lacerte and ProSeries professional lines of tax prep software, has brought in outside experts to make sure it has enough redundancy and continuity in its e-filing systems.
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Members and fans of luxury online travel brand Mr & Mrs Smith are being invited to invest in its future.
The firm has announced a major crowdfunding campaign aimed at raising £1 million to invest in expanding the size and scope of its offering.
The funding bid is taking place on the crowdfunding platform Crowdcube and comes 15 years after Mr & Mrs launched with the intention of shaking up the boutique-hotel scene.
Mr & Mrs Smith is inviting members and fans become shareholders as it embarks on overseas expansion.
The crowdfunding campaign will run until September 11 and is the first time in the firm’s history that it has made equity in the business available to the public.
Mr & Mrs Smith said the capital raised will “unlock new growth ambitions for the company as it embarks on a period of rapid scale”. The US market is being targeted as well as adding more unique inventory including new hotels and villas.
It added total transaction value has increased 22% from £51.8 million to £63.5 million year on year to June 2018, while booked revenue has risen by 35%, from £7.9 million to £10.6 million.
The crowdfunding campaign is expected to be one of the largest conducted on Crowdcube, due to Mr & Mrs Smith’s high profile and track record.
James Lohan, co-founder of Mr & Mrs Smith, said: “We founded Mr & Mrs Smith because we were fed up of chintzy, old-fashioned luxury hotels and wanted people to experience a new breed of style-savvy, personality-led boutique hotels.
“Around that passion we have built a travel business that values quality curation, a seamless delivery of bookings, and experiences that will last a lifetime.
“This crowdfunding campaign reflects our commitment to stay at the forefront of the luxury travel industry and involve the community that has supported us over the last 15 years.”
Co-founder Tamara Lohan, James’s wife, added: “We want to inspire our members to discover extraordinary places with the people they love, and we’re hugely proud of the fact we have over 1.5 million members across the world.
“That’s why we want to invite investors and our members to buy a share of the company and help us reach our full potential.”
Luke Lang, co-founder of Crowdcube, said: “Mr & Mrs Smith is an iconic British brand and an entrepreneurial success story.
“We’re delighted that the team at Mr & Mrs Smith have chosen Crowdcube to support this crowdfunding campaign, which we expect will be the start of a new and exciting chapter for the company.”
The Lohans founded in 2003 providing inspiration for discerning travellers looking for luxury boutique hotel and villa experiences.
Each Mr & Mrs Smith hotel is personally visited and anonymously reviewed by a panel to provide members with “honest and engaging” reviews of every property featured.
The firm says over 1.5 million members in more than 100 countries use Mr & Mrs Smith.
It offers customer support through Smith24 – a 24/7 booking and member support service run by 45 specialists based in London, New York, Singapore and Los Angeles – and a “leading-edge” in-house booking technology.


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Microsoft late Thursday announced that development of Office 2013 is finished meaning the company will now focus on distributing the new version of Office to consumers and enterprises.
Microsoft today disavowed comments made by its Czech subsidiary that the company will roll out iOS and Android apps of its Office suite early next year.
Microsoft today patched 20 vulnerabilities in Word, Office, Windows, SharePoint Server, SQL Server and other products in its portfolio, including a critical bug used to attack the company's own online services
Toyota is making Office 365, Microsoft's cloud-based productivity suite, available to more than 200,000 employees around the world.
At the Microsoft Exchange Conference 2012, Microsoft revealed a variety of new data protection features for Exchange Server.
Microsoft has announced price increases for its Windows Office suite of as much as 17%, but its plans for Office on the Mac remain a mystery.
Microsoft announced pricing for the new Office 2013 suites, and the new Office 365 subscription model.
Small businesses don't always need Microsoft Office software for word processing, spreadsheets, email, database and publishing tools.
Buyers of computers running Windows RT, the Windows 8 version for ARM-based devices, will receive at no additional cost a version of Office.
Office 365 celebrated its first birthday in July, and the cloud service has attracted an impressive list of educational customers over the last year.


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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – How can you know if you’re getting the internet speeds you’re paying for?
It was announced Wednesday that the Federal Trade Commission and six states, including North Carolina, filed a civil lawsuit alleging internet service provider Frontier Communications misled consumers by providing slower internet speeds than promised.
Everybody who uses the internet has complained at one time or another about the speed of their service, but not everyone knows how to improve it.
For most people, the internet is just a thing that’s there and we don’t know how it does what it does.
Elle Ferebee said she didn’t know how to test her internet speed or if she was getting the internet speed she pays for. She also said she notices sometimes her internet is slow.
During the pandemic, everybody was together and all using the internet from home at the same time. What speeds do people need?
“Speed on the internet depends on what they do,” said Craig Petronella, an internet security specialist with the Petronella Technology Group. “A lot of people work from home, so the demands are greater than ever.”
He said many speed issued could come from the router.
“I recommend investing in your own equipment because often the wireless transmitter that comes with a provider’s router often isn’t powerful enough,” Petronella said.
Internet speeds should be tested, too. Fast.com offers an easy click-and-go speed check.
Download speeds of 100 megabytes or higher are considered fast because they’ll handle multiple online activities for multiple users simultaneously without major interruptions in service.
“When testing speed, connect directly to the modem or router to get the most accurate speed,” Petronella said.
The FCC also wants to know about your internet speed. There is an app that can be downloaded onto phones and other devices. The app provides a way to test the performance of mobile and in-home broadband networks.
To protect your privacy and confidentiality, the app anonymously sends internet speed information to the FCC. The agency will use that information to help close the digital divide in the United States.
Meanwhile, more and more folks are keeping an eye on their internet speed.
“I look for upload speed and download speed,” said Chip Hessenflow, who checks his internet speed. “It’s pretty consistent for what I’m paying for.”
If you test repeatedly and find your internet speeds are way below what you are paying for, you can complain to your provider.
There’s also a legal avenue you can take. In North Carolina, you can report it to the attorney general’s office.


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UnionPay International and Ctrip Release 2019 Chinese Outbound Travel Consumption Report Français
- Travel spend by Chinese outbound tourists in the first half of 2019 reached US$ 127.5 billion
- Consumer profile and spending scenarios increasingly varied, calling for mobile payment services of greater convenience
- A range of special offers from UnionPay unveiled for the New Year season are expected to drive consumer consumption during the holiday season
02 Dec, 2019, 02:21 ET
SHANGHAI, Dec. 2, 2019 /CNW/ -- UnionPay International ("UPI"), one of the world's largest bank card companies, together with China's largest online travel agency Ctrip issued the 2019 'Chinese Outbound Travel Consumption Report' on November 28th. Drawing on payment data from UPI and statistics of travel products booking from Ctrip, the report highlights China's burgeoning appetite for tourism and new trends in outbound consumption. The report shows that by 2019, Chinese travelers went to over 150 countries and regions. The highly segmented tourist group calls for an equally varied payment service of greater convenience and security.
Who are these global jet setters? Key Takeaways:
- In 2019, there were 10% more female outbound travelers than male;
- The average expenditure per person of male travelers is higher;
- There has been a steady growth in outbound tourists from second- and third-tier cities;
- By age, the post-80s and 60+ age bracket made up the highest spending, while people born in the 2000s are following the trend of solo travel.
The different customer profiles unveiled by the report all point to a growingly diverse set of travelers, all with different expectation and demands for services; for example, the young generation sees mobile payment services as essential while seniors seek information.
Growth in QR Payments and Outbound Travel to New Destinations
The report also finds that global travel spend by Chinese travelers in the first half of 2019 reached US$ 127.5 billion. Destinations in Europe, the United States and Australia remained top favorites, however, for the first time, there was substantial growth in visitors to countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, such as Belarus, Myanmar, Georgia and Nepal.
The report also points out that Chinese travelers care significantly about hospitality, dining and booking before arrival:
- 80% of travelers stay at high-end (five-star) hotels
- Spending on F&B in regions such as the South Pacific and the Middle East saw an increase of around 60%.
- The report also reveals substantial growth in online bookings for entertainment and attractions.
This highly segmented group of travelers are increasingly demanding more versatile services. To better appeal to emerging trends and varied needs of cross-border travelers, UnionPay International has stepped up efforts to improve product development and services and has expanded its acceptance footprint to 177 countries and regions.
UnionPay's contactless payment solution, QuickPass, is now accepted at 3.4 million merchants outside mainland China, with five new destinations – including Mexico and the Czech Republic – added in 2019. UnionPay QR Code payment is available at 450,000 acceptance points, up 50% compared to the first half of 2019; and in 32 markets, UnionPay cardholders can now make tap-and-go or scan-and-go payments in 52 countries and regions.
In terms of information, the "Cross-border Travel Service" section on the UnionPay app provides information on users' guidance of UnionPay cards, special offers, currency exchange rate, tax refunds and more.
Special Offers for New Year
For Chinese outbound travelers, UnionPay remains the prime option for payment and is accepted by 28.5 million merchants around the world, including 500 thousand new members from hit destinations in Italy, UK and India and over 70 international airlines.
As the New Year season is approaching, UPI has rolled out special offers at 30,000 merchants in 34 countries and regions, including a 30% discount for outbound cardholders, and will begin offering extra cashback rewards with partner, Ctrip, along with several other benefits:
- Travelers can enjoy exclusive offers at airport duty-free stores and savings on airport transportation when making payments by UnionPay QuickPass. Payment by QR code in some regions will also reward cardholders with 50RMB cashback.
- UnionPay has launched its cross-border cash back rewards program with eight commercial banks in China. Cardholders shopping at overseas or selected online merchants can enjoy 1% cashback for each purchase. The rewards are available in conjunction with other promotion benefits.
- UnionPay cardholders can enjoy 5% extra cashback while shopping at partner merchants of Ctrip.
- The special offers are available in 80 major business districts across the globe.
The number of UnionPay cards issued outside mainland China has reached 130 million. UPI has also launched special offers for overseas cardholders in over 2,000 merchants in 23 regions outside mainland China. In selected merchants of major Chinese cities, overseas cardholders can also enjoy discounts of up to 40%.
About UnionPay International
UnionPay International (UPI) is a subsidiary of China UnionPay focused on the growth and support of UnionPay's global business. In partnership with more than 2,000 institutions worldwide, UnionPay International has enabled card acceptance in 177 countries and regions with issuance in 58 countries and regions. UnionPay International provides high quality, cost-effective and secure cross-border payment services to the world's most extensive cardholder base and ensures convenient local services to a growing number of global UnionPay cardholders and merchants.
SOURCE UnionPay International
For further information: Hou Lingwei, +86-21-2026-5843, [email protected], www.unionpayintl.com
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Oreo started off the new year with a bold step of coming out with a new colourful limited-edition flavour inspired by the cosmic colours of the galaxy.
Lift off date of January 23rd Oreo launched their new flavour called Space Dunk. Each cookie is stuffed with layers of blue and pink “cosmic crème” with a marshmallow flavour, and with a surprise of popping candy mixed inside keeping you at the edge of your seat.
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The new Space Dunk cookies don’t just feature a whole “otherworldly” flavour but the biscuit itself consists of five never-before-seen galactic embossments too.
Furthermore, the company also claims that there is a small cut out in the cookie itself allowing fans to see the colourful cream behind the outer shell. As the brand’s websites states, the galactic cutout designs consist of a Telescope, Astronaut, Stargaze, Shooting Star and Rocket.
If you were wondering where Oreo came up with the idea of settling for this out of world concept, they did so by partnering with Space Perspective – the world’s first carbon-neutral spaceflight experience company, which aims to make space travel accessible for all.


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In our latest video Chief Investment Officer, Steve Johnson, talks to Analyst on the International Shares Fund, Chloe Stokes, about the stock markets recent selloff of a number of last year’s best performing momentum stocks.
Steve and Chloe discuss the key factors contributing to the selling spree including the collapse of Archegos Capital Management and the subsequent announcement of Credit Suisse’s expected multi-billion dollar loss.
Watch the video to find out some of the stocks that have been sold off and how the team have used it to their advantage.
Hi everyone and welcome. It’s Steve Johnson here, Chief Investment Officer at Forager Funds and I’m joined by Analyst on our International Fund, Chloe Stokes.
It’s been a crazy first quarter out there on stock markets. You’re not seeing dramatic moves in the overall index levels, but some of last year’s really big winners have been hammered so far this year. We’ve seen a large hedge fund called Archegos Capital blow up. First of all, Credit Suisse were out yesterday saying they’ve lost $4.7 billion against this one hedge fund. How does that happen?
It’s actually very hard to piece together how they could have lost so much money. But as you mentioned, what we have seen is the sell off in a number of large stocks that we haven’t been able to see at an overall index level.
I wrote a blog back in February talking about our selling some of our big winners from last year ourselves, Farfetch, Gan, Celsius, for example. Those three stocks are all completely out of our portfolio. They are in that cohort that are sold off a lot this year. What else have you seen?
A crazy example is Stitch Fix. It’s a US retailer that’s quite different because they use data to sell clothing. So during COVID the share price was down as low as $11. And then back in December, it was trading at $35 before they released earnings for their first quarter. They released some pretty impressive results. They had good revenue growth and good guidance and a lot of growth in new customers. The stock rose very significantly on the day and continued rising over the next two months. It got as high as $113 at the end of January, it started declining based on no news, really after that peak of $113. And there was another significant dip when they released their second quarter earnings, where revenue growth wasn’t quite what the market was expecting and they lowered their guidance for 2021.
The stock is now less than half of what it was, it’s at $50. We were kind of loosely interested in the stock back before the crazy price rise. And it’s getting to the levels where we might start looking at it again.
Up 100% and down 50% – it’s been pretty common out there amongst some of these stocks now. Viewers are going to be very surprised to hear this, but I’m much older than you and this sort of market activity, it does worry me and it makes me nervous. And I think there’s a lot of stuff going on under the surface that investors should be worried about here. It is not normal for large numbers of stocks to be doubling and then halving and I think you’re seeing a lot of leverage, like these hedge funds that we’ve seen. I think a lot of retail leverage as well, which is a fairly new phenomenon of people being able to buy options and CFDs and things at a retail level. And also just this whole environment, anyone that’s seen the Wolf of Wall Street knows about the pump and dump, where you create this excitement about a stock and then sell your stock into it.
But I think these new social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit have created the ability to do that on a scale that we haven’t seen before. It’s got me quite nervous that these are not isolated incidents. They’re all related to the same thing.
I’ll let you worry about the systemic issues. From my perspective, it’s been great. It’s meant we could buy Farfetch back below $20 in June last year, we sold it above $60, and now we’re getting a chance to buy it back again at significantly lower prices. So it’s great from my perspective.
It hasn’t all been crazy. There’s a large chunk of our portfolio invested in businesses that are getting on with making profits and paying dividends. One of those Chloe’s is going to write about it in our upcoming quarterly report. Hallenstein Glassons Holdings is still trading on very sensible multiples and showing some interesting growth optionality into the US. We’ll have that, a bunch of other sensible, boring businesses, as well as some further commentary about the madness we’ve been seeing out there. We’ve had a lot higher than usual turnover over the past 12 months. And I guess as long as this craziness keeps happening, you’re going to see more of it. Thanks for tuning in. Keep an eye out for our quarterly report out over the next couple of weeks and get in touch if you’ve got any questions.
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Wolfe: Sandy Sansing opens new Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership in Milton
If you're looking for someone to give you a great deal on a new or used car, Sandy Sansing can!
That slogan is so catchy. I had to open up this week's new business news with that line.
And for more than 30 years, that's exactly what Sandy Sansing dealerships have done — providing great deals on automobiles throughout the Alabama, Florida and Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Sansing recently expanded its Florida footprint and opened a new Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Dealership in Milton.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to expand our reach within the Milton Community," said Sandy Sansing, Sandy Sansing Dealership Group president. "We can't wait to continue the exceptional reputation and service established by the original dealership."
On April 30, the Sandy Sansing Dealership Group purchased the location, making it the 10th franchise dealership within the group.
"We're excited for the opportunity to have even more vehicles to offer our customers and to be able to further support the great community," Sansing said.
The new dealership, located at 6348 U.S. 90 West in Milton, offers new and used Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler and Ram model vehicles, along with access to its sprawling inventory of more than 1,100 new and used vehicles from all of the other locations.
Sandy Sansing Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, visit www.sandysansing.com or call 850-623-6866.
Henghold Skin Health & Surgery Group opens new Gulf Breeze Medical Center
Henghold Skin Health & Surgery Group held a grand opening celebration on Thursday.
The new medical center, located at 1200 Gulf Breeze Parkway in Gulf Breeze, specializes in Mohs surgery, reconstructive surgery, medical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology and skin health screening.
For more information, call 850-474-4775 or visit www.henghold.com.
Kalyn Wolfe is a freelance columnist for the News Journal. Send new business tips to firstname.lastname@example.org.


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As previously reported, Danielle Harris and Scout Taylor-Compton launched their own podcast entitled Talk Scary to Me.. Episodes drop on Sunday, and you can now check out the first four episodes [MORE]
Danielle Harris and Scout Taylor-Compton will be launching their own podcast, Talk Scary to Me! Confirming the news on her Instagram, Danielle Harris reports that the duo will be recording their [MORE]
Fittingly, it’s Scout Taylor Compton‘s 31ST birthday today! Make sure to visit her social media pages and wish her a happy birthday!
Bloody-Disgusting.com premiered their exclusive virtual short Stay Home on their YouTube channel earlier today, and the video is now available for everyone to watch freely! Stay Home features three Halloween stars, [MORE]


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Last week’s economic readings release included reports on inflation, core inflation retail sales and retail sales excluding autos. Consumer sentiment, along with weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims were also reported.
Inflation Exceeds Expectations, Retail Sales Lag
Consumer prices rose 0.40 percent in August, which surpassed expectations of 0.30 percent growth and July’s reading of 0.10 percent. Core consumer prices, which exclude volatile food and energy sectors, matched expectations with a reading of 0.20 percent growth and exceeded July’s growth of 0.10 percent.
August retail sales fell to -0.20 percent against expectations of no change from July’s reading of 0.30 percent.
Retail sales excluding auto sales grew by 0.20 percent, which was lower than expected growth of 0.40 percent, which was based on July’s growth rate of 0.40 percent.
Mortgage Rates Hold Steady, Weekly Jobless Claims Dip
Freddie Mac reported no change for averaged fixed mortgage rates; the rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was unchanged at 3.78 percent. Rates for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 3.08 percent and was also unchanged from last week’s reading. The average rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage dropped by two basis points to 3.13 percent. Discount points averaged 0.50 percent for fixed rate mortgages and 0.40 percent for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages. The readings for fixed rate mortgages were the lowest in 2017, and provided an ongoing incentive for home shoppers who continued to face high home prices and slim inventories of homes for sale.
New jobless claims were lower at 284,000 new claims filed than last week and were also lower than the expected reading of 300,000 first-time jobless claims The prior week’s reading reported 297,000 first-time jobless claims.
This week’s scheduled economic reports include readings on home builder sentiment, existing home sales, housing starts and building permits issued. The Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee will issue its post-meeting statement and Fed Chair Janet Yellen will give a press conference. Weekly readings for mortgage rates and new jobless claims will also be released.


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Two thieves made off like bandits at the 7-Eleven on 11700 South Tamiami Trail just after midnight Tuesday morning.
Surveillance video at the store caught two men estimated to be in their twenties wearing black masks and gloves.
Lee County Deputies said one of the suspects had a gun and waited for customers to leave the store before charging at two store clerks.
The crooks demanded cash and ran into the back office and stole a female employee’s purse, which had all of her personal belongings inside.
The employee said she quit her job because of the incident.
Anyone with information or who recognizes the masked men are asked to call Crime Stoppers.
© Copyright 2018 WBBH/WZVN (Waterman Broadcasting). All rights reserved.


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SNSD’s Jessica recently showed off her abs.
On June 7, Jessica attended the launch party for the ’10 Corso Como Girl Collaboration,’ held at the 10 Corso Como Flagship Store in Seoul.
Jessica wore white clothes with a blue collar. The sleeveless top and skirt complemented her abs and drew a lot of attention. Jessica’s tanned skin also impressed many people.
People responded: “Jessica has great abs.” “She exercises hard.” “Jessica has become a healthy beauty thanks to her abs.” “I envy her abs.”


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Customer review site Yelp recently analyzed its 75 major markets in the United States to find the cities with the largest concentration of highly-rated local businesses. It then compiled a list of the “top 20 cities to shop local for the holidays.”
The top three cities? Portland, Oregon; Lawrence, Kansas; and St. Petersburg, Florida. (Asheville, North Carolina and Santa Cruz, California rounded out the top 5.)
According to a Yelp news release, the point of the survey was to remind shoppers of the importance of shopping locally this holiday season and supporting businesses that do a good job of serving their communities:
Find a local brewery that bottles craft beer that’s super hot with locals in the know, or a dairy that produces to-die-for cheeses you can only find locally. Whether your recipient lives around the corner or is from out-of-town, they’ll appreciate a carefully selected, locally-made gift that gets them a ticket straight to the cool kids club!
Portland, Oregon was the only U.S. city to receive a perfect score in the Yelp analysis. Local business groups in Portland were pleased to be recognized for their longtime effort in building a strong local business community.
“I think it just shows that people in Portland know that if they don’t support our local businesses, we’ll end up looking like Anytown USA, with no sense of identity,” Debra Tenenbaum, a board member of Portland Buy Local, told the Portland Press Herald.
The new survey comes just a couple weeks after Yelp released a survey it did with Nielsen showing that eight out of 10 consumers plan to shop at local businesses this holiday season. About half of those surveyed said they plan to spend more than $100 at a local business, while 44 percent said they planned to start shopping before Thanksgiving.
Read more articles on customers.


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In an attempt to spur lagging sales, Ford and Chevrolet will offer 0-percent financing for 72 months on most models.
The two top-selling brands in the U.S., which typically promote deals toward the end of the summer, got an early start this year, according to Automotive News.
Adam Jonas, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, said in a report that slowing consumer demand is putting pressure on the industry as inventories rise and additional plant capacity comes on line.
“Despite ideal credit conditions and higher incentive spending, [automakers] are finding it increasingly difficult to find the incremental buyer,” Jonas said in an Aug. 4 report quoted by Automotive News.
Through the first seven months of the year, Chevrolet’s market share fell to 12.5 percent from 12.9 percent a year earlier.
Ford’s share fell even more dramatically, dropping to 14.8 percent from 15.7 percent a year earlier.
The Chevy Labor Day Sale, which runs through Sept. 2, offers 0 percent financing for 72 months on the 2014 Cruze, Malibu and Impala sedans; all Camaros; the Traverse crossover; and all Silverado light-duty and heavy-duty pickups.
In addition, payments on those vehicles will be deferred for 90 days, according to Automotive News.
Ford’s deals, which also run through Sept. 2, cover most 2014 vehicles with the exception of Mustangs, F-series pickups and vans.
Other brands also are offering summer-clearance deals.Toyota is offering 0-percent financing for 60 months on the 2014 Avalon, Sienna, Prius, Venza and Camry.
Likewise, Nissan is doing 0-for-72 months on the Maxima and Murano, 0-for-60 on the 370Z and Pathfinder Hybrid and 0-for-36 on the Altima Coupe, Versa sedan, Quest and Juke.
Meanwhile, Dodge is offering deferred payments for 90 days on 2014 and 2015 models through Sept. 2, Automotive News said.
"The easy sales are in the books," Karl Brauer, a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book, told Automotive News. "We haven't peeled away all the layers of pent-up demand, but there are signs we are entering a new period where additional catalysts are needed to strip away the next level."


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Salon owners hope business can survive through extended stay-at-home order
DETROIT – With the stay-at-home orders forcing barber shops and salons to close for the last six weeks, many salon owners can’t wait for the shops to reopen.
“I need a haircut every week,” said Tony Cutlass. “I’m looking crazy.”
Those in need of a haircut are going to have to wait a little longer. Gov. Whitmer extended the stay-at-home order Thursday through May 28.
George Nikollaj, owner of 6 Salon in Detroit, said he and his brothers put everything into their first salon. Now they own five that are not open with more than 100 employees who aren’t working.
“I don’t have a lobbyist fighting for what we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” Nikollaj said. “A little bit of guidance on what we need to do and how we need to do it is all we want.”
Nikollaj said he’s had customers asking when they can get back in.
“I think this is our seventh or eighth week,” Nikollaj said. “Again, there has to be something that gives us a little bit of an idea of when.”
- 103-year-old barber shop in Ann Arbor struggles amid pandemic
- Michigan beauty professionals organize to strategize salon reopenings
- Michigan hairstylists out of work, but still can’t make house calls
- How Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is loosening restrictions of coronavirus (COVID-19) shutdown
- Michigan Gov. Whitmer says decisions will not be political: ‘I’m not here to play games’
- Michigan militia puts armed protest in the spotlight
Copyright 2020 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.


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last week, an article about several big operators abroad joint mobile phone maker, decided in 2015 to all mobile phone pre-installed button “suicide” (Kill Switch), such as the function of mobile phone theft, caused the people cheered. However, this both in technology and cost are the basic function of without too much difficulty, but by next year to become the “standard”, this let a person feel. One should have the function, but because operators of greed, and was put on hold for a long time.
according to the latest figures from the FCC, the United States in 2012 only to the user for mobile phone theft losses more than $30 billion. In recent years, including apple launched mobile phone manufacturers such as “suicide” button. This feature is designed to help users in after the mobile phone is lost, the remote to clear all the content on the mobile phone, cell phone and lock, even after being flash also cannot use.
however, Wired wrote recently, operators in order to their own private, once one thousand to stop the mobile phone manufacturers to add this feature.
the user mobile phone theft in addition to the black market development has given rise to second-hand mobile phones and also to a certain extent, contributed to the operators, mobile subscription business growth. The stolen mobile phones sold at a lower price, buyers will choose to subscribe to a new package after purchase business. Compared to mobile phone makers, “black phone” fair to a certain extent, the interests of the erosion mobile phone manufacturer, but has good mobile phone operators. In addition, there is no mobile phone protection measures, such as “suicide” button will let operators to sell out more “mobile phone insurance”. Foreign operators to provide mobile phone insurance, besides can prolong the warranty period of the phone, also can be in mobile phone under the condition of accidental damage or loss, to the user to compensate.
for the above two reasons, consciously or unconsciously in the operator has long been a block button “suicide”, the introduction of the mobile phone anti-theft function. Media was exposed last year, according to companies such as samsung hopes to mobile phones with button “suicide” function, but the operator giant ask samsung to remove this feature.
not only that, the American association of wireless communication and Internet also play the operators “accomplice”. To defend operator, they said, is not to add button “suicide”, because it might give hackers an advantage. Suicide button can also be people with ulterior motives use, to remote control user’s mobile phone.
although apple, samsung, Google, HTC, huawei, MOTOROLA, Sprint, Verizon, t-mobile institutions such as the final decision, in 2015, for every phone button with suicide and other anti-theft function, but that was not enough to ensure the safety of Mobile phones. In view of the nature of merchants who pay, mobile intelligent device, the safety of users up to hundreds of dollars of personal computing products, or want to be in in the hands of the users themselves.


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HEAVY COMMERCIAL vehicle owners now will benefit from a new insurance cover by Orient Insurance.
According to the company, the new product dubbed 'Orient Commercial Insurance', targets to support the rapid growth in the transport sector.
The product is a comprehensive motor commercial insurance that covers trucks all across the COMESA jurisdiction in East Africa.
It offers personal accident covers for both the driver and loader, security for goods being ferried and vehicle on location.
It also offers cover against riots, strike and civil commotion.
Speaking on Saturday evening during the launch at the Nyali Golf Club in Mombasa, Kenya Orient Insurance MD Muema Muindi said the cover will go a long way in supporting and improving trade in the region.
"We have no doubt that this product will be a catalyst for growth in the transport sector, which is a key driver for our economy as our country works towards Vision 2030. It will also give investors in the transport business a peace of mind," said Muindi.


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On Oct. 25, CBS MarketWatch incorrectly reported the change in Pulte Homes'
third-quarter profit. It rose 60 percent. See corrected story.
NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- JetBlue's initial public offering soared 67 percent in quick action on the Nasdaq Friday as the discount airline replaced PayPal as the top first-day gainer of 2002.