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Attention to detail, determination, and adaptability are just a few of the key ingredients that helped Angie Montroy, chef-owner of Angie’s Pantry, achieve 10 years in business this month. She credits a steady, but manageable growth trajectory for the long-term success of the food-focused business she officially started in 2011. Thanks to perseverance, creativity, positive word-of-mouth, and a few pandemic pivots, business is booming at Angie’s Pantry, 809 South Blvd.
Angie’s Pantry started when Montroy offered her personal-chef services to four clients in the mid-nineties and grew to include small catered events. In time she started operating out of The Nineteenth Century Club before moving into the brick-and-mortar on South Boulevard where the bulk of her business now revolves around providing a vast array of heat-and-eat meals for individuals and families.
“I have to be careful about taking on catering orders now because the weekly meals are just jamming,” said Montroy. “The weekly meals are my baby.”
Montroy has spent nearly a decade building her recipe repertory while steadily increasing her customer base. Today, Angie’s Pantry has a client list of more than 1200 people and offers a weekly menu of healthy ala carte meals and devilish desserts for pre-order and pick up. Angie’s Pantry prepares 200-300 meals a week featuring signature dishes like parmesan crusted chicken and light tomato cheese pasta, spicy basil chicken with veggie fried rice and roasted salmon salad, spiked with parsley chives and dill relish.
In the kitchen Montroy sticks to an 80/20 philosophy. 80% of Angie’s Pantry offerings are prepared with health and wellness in mind while 20% are designed to be a true indulgence. All dishes at Angie’s Pantry are free of preservatives, artificial ingredients and trans fats, but Montroy admits she is a baker at heart and lets her “devil horns” show when she makes dessert. Massaged kale salads and “creamless” cream soups are an easy way to justify enjoying a slice of Montroy’s decadent streusel-topped apple bars or signature “baby cakes.” The three-layer cakes are just six inches in diameter, serve eight and come in festive flavors like mint, Oreo, and peanut butter.
Montroy learned to cook in her mother’s kitchen and recollects cutting herself “a million times” as she learned to cut potatoes using a steak knife. Though her skills have improved over the years, her mother’s recipes still hold a special place in her heart and Montroy strives to have a personal connection to her recipes. Her mother’s fried chicken remains her favorite meal and Montroy treasures a handwritten recipe card for the applesauce cake she enjoyed as a child.
An insatiable love of flavor, respect for global cuisine and curiosity about cooking methods form the foundation for the Angie’s Pantry menu. However, it’s the diversity of dishes that has aided Montroy in keeping her customers satisfied.
“I have spoiled my customers because I do everything I can to make them happy, said Montroy.
Angie’s Pantry was traditionally open on three days per week, but COVID made it logical to eliminate a pickup day. Demand for meals had not waned, but Montroy opted to close on Thursdays to minimize contact with the public to keep her staff of five as safe as possible. During the pandemic, Montroy and her staff added more a la carte options to the menu to create more options for customers to customize their orders despite limited business hours.
“When COVID hit our biggest problem was actually getting food here,” said Montroy. “Unlike other businesses the pandemic really increased business for us. I was running with my hair on fire to get everything done.”
Additionally, Montroy added an ala carte option to donate to Beyond Hunger or Housing Forward on her online order form. Her generous customers have been raising $400-$500 each month for the organizations.
Angie’s pantry benefits from a broad customer base. The business attracted young single working people, busy families and the elderly. Montroy has a dozen isolated senior citizens she prioritized throughout the pandemic.
“Some of my older customers live alone and are not capable of placing an online order,” said Montroy. “During the shutdown I called them every week to see if they needed something. Sometimes they ordered and sometimes they didn’t, but I always made sure they were doing okay.”
As the world opens again, Montroy is looking forward to adding a third day back to the schedule. She is preparing for increased business by seeking bookkeeping and kitchen help and has committed to keeping the a la carte style menu that has been pleasing her customers through the pandemic.
As Montroy celebrates a decade of cooking in the Oak Park community she is grateful for her loyal customers and is proud to be a veteran among the growing number of successful women-owned businesses on South Blvd.
“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” said Montroy. “When I think of where I started I feel a great deal of pride.”


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THERE’S still time for local traders to sign up to join one of Washington’s largest Christmas markets this winter.
The Holiday Inn at Emerson Road will host it’s Christmas Market on Sunday, December 10 from noon-4pm – and organisers are still looking to sign up more stallholders.
The afternoon is set to feature a host of exhibitors from across the region selling festive food, drink and crafts making it the perfect place to pick up gifts and stocking fillers.
There is still some availability for sellers, with tables prices at £40 each. For further information and a booking form, email: firstname.lastname@example.org

domain: news


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The media has been making a sizable effort to embrace curvy models lately.
Its plain to see across the fashion and media worlds. Vogue Italia chose a trio of plus-sized beauties to grace its June cover. V made an entire issue in January devoted to curvier models.
And MTV, known for glorifying the lives of the young and skinny, is set to debut a realty new series about an twenty-something moving to L.A. to pursue fashion -- and unlike Lauren Conrad, she weighs 324 pounds.
But a "Big is Beautiful" runway show at Sydney's Fashion Festival yesterday has critics arguing that the fashion industry's campaign for curves has taken an unhealthy turn in the opposite direction, the Daily Mail reports.
Robyn Lawley (Vogue Australia's first plus-size cover girl) opened the show, looking lovely in an asymmetrical black number. But other models, strutting the catwalk in looks spanning sizes 16 to 24, appeared alarmingly overweight, not simply "curvy."
The Daily Mail quotes Australian journalist Damian Woolbough, who took offense to the choice of models:
"There is a place for women of all sizes in the fashion media, as seen by the positive response to a plus-size shoot with Lawley in this month's Vogue Australia, but obese models send just as irresponsible a message about the need for healthy eating and exercise as models with protruding clavicles and ribcages."
Meanwhile, the National Obesity Forum counters that images of skeletal models do far more damage.
Fortunately, Harper's Bazaar's Edwina McCann was on hand to put things in perspective. She tells the Sydney Morning Herald, "I think the consumer is quite happy to accept the fact that a model, like an Olympic swimmer, is usually an exceptional beauty and doesn't look like the rest of us."
Where do you stand -- is plus-size fashion always a good thing? How big is too big?


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Relying on the hope that the iPad will appeal to current students, the Wall Street Journal reported today that major textbook publishers have struck deals with software company ScrollMotion Inc. in order to adapt their...
Windows 10 build 10532 rolls out to Windows Insiders
Known issues in build 10532
windows 10 update
Windows 10 Mobile news
windows 10 mobile
HP EliteBook 1020 Performance: Windows 8.1 vs. Windows 10
The Top 10 apps no Windows 10 PC should be without
ScrollMotion has signed contracts with major publishers such as Houghton Mifflin, Simon & Schuster, Random House and the Penguin Group. These publishers will bring hundreds of titles directly to the iPhone for reading. ...


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Some lucky gamers are going to be given the chance to play Star Wars: The Old Republic as early as five days before its official release on December 20th.
Those who have pre-ordered the PC title will shortly receive an Early Game Access code. Once redeemed it gives the customer a chance to access the game ahead of release.
However, it will be a staggered process with only a lucky few getting the chance to play from December 15th.
Early Game Access is staggered over five days to ensure a quality experience for players at launch,” the developer explained. Staggering access aids server stability and a gradual increase in player population through the game.
Early Game Access will be granted according to when your pre-order code is redeemed at the Code Redemption Center. If you have not yet pre-ordered Star Wars: The Old Republic, there’s still time!”


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The latest in entrepreneurial technology news for Kiwis
These search results are from across the Techday Network of sites
Govt forms Small Business Council to drive SME growth
"I want to make sure SMEs are well placed to maximise future opportunities and play their part in helping create a sustainable economy."
Reckon unveils web-based point of sale for SMEs
Reckon Cloud POS will enable small businesses to track sales, manage inventory and run reports on any device.
CASE STUDY: The digital transformation journeys of leading AU companies
Interactive conducted a case study that delves into the digital transformation experiences of thought leaders from across AU's business landscape.
NSP & Extreme Networks - two powerhouses ramping up NZ's cyber security market
What do Super Bowl XLVIII, the London Exchange, and a number of New Zealand’s largest City Councils have in common?
Telecom Managed Services Market - 22 billion by 2022, report says
The predicted growth of SMEs is expected to be the highest growth rate in the Telecom Managed Services Market during the forecast period.
More SMEs back tighter immigration laws despite skill shortages
Worries about the impact on public services and housing are likely behind the current high level of concern.
Threat or opportunity? Digital disruption divides SME sector
The split between those who see it as a threat compared to an opportunity points to a lack of understanding.
Reckon ups accounting ante with strategic match up
"We’re confident that OFX will help Reckon customers become more informed and reduce their costs."
Google, disruption, game-changing ideas: Spark's Innovation Month keynotes announced
Spark Lab’s Innovation Month will see innovative and successful characters arrive in NZ to share experiences and insights with local businesses.
How do NZ's SMEs really feel about cyber security, connectivity and more?
“By making it easy as possible for businesses in every sector to adopt the newest technologies, NZ’s economy will become even more competitive."
SMEs need to up their security game or risk becoming a target
“It will be interesting to look at these numbers in a year’s time and see whether the SMEs are stepping up their security spend, and why."
MYOB: It's out with paper, in with online GST services for Kiwi SMEs
According to MYOB, this is the first e-GST service for New Zealanders, and is the result of working with the IRD for several months.
Kiwi companies invest in R&D and innovation, new survey finds
“Research and Development activity is crucial for creating a strong and diversified economy, and moving into higher value products and services."
Emerson brings SmartCabinet to Australia and New Zealand
“The explosion of cloud and Internet-based data has prompted more organisations to move their infrastructure towards the network edge."
CommArc first Kiwi company to achieve Veeam platinum partner status
CommArc Consulting has become the first New Zealand company to achieve platinum partner status in the Veeam’s Cloud & Service Provider Programme.
Network security market grows rapidly in APAC region
High adoption of BYOD policies and cloud computing in the APAC region will aid the growth of the global network security market through to 2019.
ReachLocal snaps up three local Google SME partner awards
ReachLocal, the online digital marketing system, has won three Google Australia/New Zealand premier SME partner awards.
The world is changing... and it’s not all bad, folks
“Right now, NZ's potentially slipping into the mid-stream. What we need to do is be mindful of what our competitive advantage will be in the future."
Check Point looks to help the little guy with latest security offering
Check Point has released new appliances designed to help SMBs stand up against sophisticated cyber criminals and zero-day threats.
Big changes taking place in the SME NAS market
Hybrid storage arrays, increased use of flash storage, cloud-based NAS and big data analytics are significantly impacting the SMB NAS market.
Data breaches cost SMEs more than money
"A data breach could be far worse financially for SMEs, due to the often more personal relationship that they have with their customers."
Kiwi SMEs win out over Aussie counterparts
"What should be a priority for SMBs is making the most of the opportunities that technology can provide in order to remain competitive."
Dell launches two new productivity and communication tools
Capitalising on a growing demand for productivity and communication tools, Dell has made two new additions to its cloud client-computing portfolio.
Cyber security now about mitigating risk
“In 2016, cyber security will move further toward the boardroom as a corporate issue and become a continual process of risk mitigation."
Cutting through the noise with AI-driven threat analytics
SANS has provided an independent review of a new AI analytics solution designed to rescue businesses 'drowning in data' from SIEM platforms.
Infographic: Why an outdated unified comms solution hurts your business
Seventy-one percent of IT professionals say their organisations use multiple communication or collaboration solutions unnecessarily.
The features that should be front and centre when evaluating SIEMs
According to Frost & Sullivan, SIEM can either be an enabler or a retardant and there's a thin line between the two - here's the key attributes.
The six golden keys to successful identity assurance
When someone tries to access your internal systems, how can you be sure a user is who they claim to be?
Using SOLIDWORKS CAD to take an idea from prototype to product
Sound pioneer Nura had an ambitious concept to deliver when it raised almost two million dollars via crowdsourcing and then over five million dollars through a seed round.


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Via News Release
“MINNEAPOLIS — Code 42 Software Inc., developers of award-winning onsite, offsite and online backup solutions for consumers, businesses and the enterprise, today announced that Kirk Bowman of Accel Partners has joined its board of directors. Mr. Bowman will provide strategic insight and guidance to Code 42 Software as the company continues accelerating product development and increasing global market share.
His appointment follows Code 42’s $52.5 million first round of funding in January 2012. The investment was by led by Accel Partners with participation from Split Rock Partners. It was the first major investment from Accel Partners’ Big Data Fund, dedicated to funding category-defining infrastructure and application companies specializing in “Big Data.”


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India is the world’s second-largest telecommunications market, with 957.61million subscribers by the
end of FY14. It stood third-highest in terms of total internet users in 2014, with 254.40 million internet
The acceleration of internet growth in India can be gauged from the fact that India took 10 years to
move from 10 to 100 million. It took 3 years to move from 100 to 200 million, whereas the next 100
million (from 200 to 300M) milestone was achieved in just 1 year. Even if the same growth is
maintained, India will reach??500 million users before end of 2016. 4G will be the future of India.
Increasing income has been a key determinant of demand growth in the telecommunication sector in
India. The IMF forecasts income to expand at a CAGR of 5.7 per cent during 2013-18.
The Government of India plans to cut license fees by up to 33 per cent for operators that cover services
for more than 95 per cent of the residential areas in a calling circle. The Department of Information
Technology intends to set up over one million internet-enabled common service centers across India as
per the National e-Governance Plan.
The mobile application (app) market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 70.4 per cent to US$ 100 billion
during 2012-15. The segment’s growth is expected to be driven by increasing mobile connections and
availability of low-range smartphones.
In the wearable’s space, Indian consumers have shown most interest in buying fitness monitors (80%),
smart watches (76%) and internet-enabled eyeglasses (74%). Price points are expected to go down with
Chinese and local manufacturing.
The major trends to look out for in telecommunication industry in India in 2015 are:’?? The obvious upcoming force is 4G-LTE
‘ Smart Wearable Technology
‘ Public Wi-Fi to penetrate ; wired broadband to remain work-in progress
‘ Resolution of spectrum issues and intense competition foreseen in the telecom industry due
to delayed M&A activities
‘ Internet of Things
Availability of affordable smartphones and lower rates are expected to drive growth in the Indian
telecom industry. Telecom penetration in the nation’s rural market is expected to increase to 70 per
cent by 2017 from 41.0 per cent as of March 2013. India is expected to become the second-largest
internet market in 2014.
The government has been proactive in its efforts to transform India into a global telecommunication
hub; prudent regulatory support has also helped.
Top 5 Trends to look out for in telecommunication industry in India in 2015
The obvious upcoming force is 4G-LTE: In 2015, we will witness multiple Indian players launching 4G on
a more efficient 1800 MHz spectrum. Indian subscribers will accept 4G enthusiastically to gratify their
need for mobile data. 4G LTE subscribers are expected to reach 10 million to 15 million by December
2015 driven by competitive pricing, superior network experience and affordable smartphones.
Smart Wearable Technology: In the wearable’s space, Indian consumers have shown most interest in
buying fitness monitors (80%), smart watches (76%) and internet-enabled eyeglasses (74%). Price points
are expected to go down with Chinese and local manufacturing.
Public Wi-Fi to penetrate ; wired broadband to remain work-in progress: India is expected to see
a considerable surge in Wi-Fi hotspots driven by both the government ‘smart cities’ and ‘digital India’ as
well as private sector initiatives. Wired broadband, however, for retail consumers is likely to remain
work-in-progress by the end of 2015.
Resolution of spectrum issues and intense competition foreseen in the telecom industry due to
delayed M&A activities: Current M&A guidelines have not been able to encourage any consolidation in
the sector despite all policymakers expressing the need for it. With new network launches the rapidly
growing data market is expected to observe intense price competition and will revive the memories of
2010 voice-led price wars.
Internet of Things: The Interconnection of devices via embedded apps which communicate over the
internet. It is supposed to be the next big boom in the industry that a device next to you connects with
devices miles away and does some work which can be a routine work of a pending task.
1. The obvious upcoming force is 4G-LTE.
Some facts on Telecom industry ‘ The Big Picture
‘ Telephone subscribers in India increased to 957.61 million at the end of Sep-14.This reflects
year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth of 6.42%.
Particulars Wireless Wired Total (Wireless+
Total Telephone Subscribers (Million) 930.20 27.41 957.61
Urban Telephone Subscribers (Million) 547.70 21.85 569.56
Rural Telephone Subscribers (Million) 382.50 5.55 388.05
Overall Tele-density 74.55 2.20 76.75
Share of Urban Subscribers 58.88% 79.74% 59.48%
Share of Rural Subscribers 41.12% 20.26% 40.52%
Broadband Subscribers (Million) 60.61 15.13 75.73
‘ Drilling down further. Of the total population:
Total Internet Subscribers 254.40 Million
Broadband subscribers 75.73 Million
Wireless Internet Subscribers 235.70 Million
‘ Internet subscribers increased by 6.44% from 2013. Past trend of Internet subscription is as follows.
‘ The number of Internet subscribers
increased at a CAGR of 60.8 per cent
to 239 million in 2013 from .9 million
These stats portray the increasing
telecom density with increasing Total
wireless and internet subscribers.
Further Smartphone facts are listed
‘ Growing at 89 percent year-on-year
Smartphone growth in urban India
has taken off 51 million people in
urban India were using Smartphone
‘ 116 million Smartphone users in
India of them 51 million in urban
India. Rising 3G connection trend
point at the growing market size
‘ Online activity time spend: services (23%)/ social networking (25%)/ entertainment (11%)/ retail
(3%) / news + information (3%) / all other (35%)
‘ 27% increase in the Indian online video audience over a year and 427% increase in tablet sales in
India with 51% users spending more than 2 hours a day on tablet
‘ 31.5 million users watched videos on Google sites (YouTube)
‘ The acceleration of internet growth in India can be gauged from the fact that India took 10 years
to move from 10 to 100 million. It took 3 years to move from 100 to 200 million, whereas the
next 100 million (from 200 to 300M) milestone was achieved in just 1 year. Even if the same
growth is maintained, India will reach??500 million users before end of 2016.
‘ According to the report around 173 million or 57 percent of Indian internet users’ access
internet from their mobile phones. The percent of mobile internet users has grown more rapidly
than traditional broadband users. 49 million new mobile internet users have been added during
Oct 2013 to Oct 2014.
‘ The 4G Internet service is currently estimated at just .5 million subscribers due to the availability
of 4G services in selected location, high cost and limited number of players. It is estimated that
the number of 4G users will increase from 0.5 million users to 10-15 million users in 2015 as per
‘ The above assumption also can be justified with the ever growing number of players in the field
like Reliance Jio, Airtel, Aircel and Tikona also plans to launch its LTE network soon. Also based
on above stats and growing market size this looks not even possible but it might exceed the
2. Smart Wearable Technology
The technology advanced to become a part of us in the form of wearable will be the next big hype. Be it
personal, social or business use it has its benefits in each domain. These can be worn by the user and
has features if tracking information related to health, social activities and emails or even your
The wearable health devices market in India is pegged at Rs.25 crores in 2014, and expected to touch
one million units in 2015 in India compared with the US, which stands at $1 billion touching eight million
units in 2014.
...(download the rest of the essay above)


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- The current average price of a used car is up 2.8% year-on-year (YoY), at £17,975.
- Auto Trader records 20% YoY increase in consumer demand during July.
According to the latest data from Auto Trader’s Retail Price Index, a decline from the 3.2% YoY increase recorded in June, to the 2.8% YOY increase in July, signifies used car retail values are softening. On the other hand, retail prices have risen 0.3% month on month.
The current average retail value of a second-hand car aged over 15 years old has increased 8.7% in July 2022, now valued at £5,805. Furthermore, this indicates a 2.6% increase from June 2023. Average prices of 10-15-year-old cars (£6,634) are up a slightly more conservative 1.4% MoM, but have increased a whopping 11.1% YoY.
Supply pressures, overlooking robust consumer appetite, are driving the rapid increase in demand, established by the current levels of demand outpacing the availability of stock. Supply constraints of older age cohorts today are the consequence of the financial crisis of 2008, which saw a slower quantity of brand-new cars flowing through into the retail market.
The rate of supply growth for electric vehicles (+174% YoY) is remaining to overtake the levels of growth in consumer demand (+6% YoY). This had implications on electric vehicle retail prices, which is down -20.7% on last year at £31,622. In contrast, the average retail price of used petrol (£16,519) and diesel (£16,570) cars, of any age group, is up 5.2% and 5.1% YoY respectively.
Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), added: “The used car market continues to function in good stead; values are rising, supply is improving, and demand is robust. Electric vehicle prices are also stabilising which is positive, the price parity between EVs and ICE has always been one of the significant barriers to adoption for motorists. With used EV prices declining and edging increasingly closer to the price range of consumer budgets, the data is starting to show an uptick in demand, opening doors of opportunity for retailers to take advantage of this market.”


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Survey: More than half of Americans prefer general purpose gift cards
New York – More than half of Americans (53%) prefer general purpose gift cards as opposed to branded gift cards. In addition, new survey data from Bankrate.com shows that almost two in three Americans have given a gift card, and more than three in four have received one.
The most common value of gift cards, both given and received, is between $25 and $50. People older than 65 and those between 18 and 29 years old are the least likely to give a gift card. As income level increases, Americans are more likely to give and receive gift cards.
Other findings include:
- 53% of the gift cards that Bankrate.com surveyed can be reloaded, up slightly from 51% last year.
- 56% can be delivered electronically, in line with each of the past two years.
- 69% of gift card issuers will replace the card and/or funds in the event of loss or theft.
Poll: Slightly fewer consumers buying toys this year
New York — Half of Americans (50%) say they will be purchasing toys as gifts this holiday season. This is slightly down from the 52% of U.S. adults who said they were purchasing toys last year, according to results of a new Harris Poll.
Being a parent to someone younger than 18 impacts purchase intent considerably, as four-in-five of these parents (81%) say they plan to purchase toys, compared to 41% of those who are not parents of a child younger than 18. And while one in five Americans who will purchase toys (20%) say they will be spending more than they did last year on toys, one-third of toy purchasers (32%) will be spending less; 44% say their spending on toys will be no different than last year. Among toy-shopping parents, 26% say they will spend more than they did last year, 38% say their spending will be no different and one-third (33%) say they will spend less than they did last year.
Judging by what parents will be purchasing, half of kids will be unwrapping games for consoles (51%). Two-in-five parents will be purchasing children’s books (43%), board games (39%) and building blocks and bricks (38%), while 37% will be buying arts and crafts supplies this year. Just more than one-third of parents will be buying dolls (35%) and 32% will purchase handheld electronic games, while 29% will buy sports equipment and 27% will be buying game consoles.
Among non-parents, the top toy purchase this year will be children’s books (39%), followed by arts and crafts products (27%) and dolls (23%).
When it comes to making these toy purchases, almost half (47%) of shoppers will purchase from a large discount store and 33% will buy online. One-in-10 (11%) will buy their toys from a national toy store retail chain and 4% from a local toy store. This is a small change from last year, when 51% of toy shoppers were buying from large discount stores and 27% said they would buy their toys online.
Shop It To Me releases iPhone app
San Francisco – Free digital personal shopping assistant Shop It To Me has released an iPhone app. This makes Shop It To Me, previously available via Internet and e-mail, available to smartphone users.
Shop It To Me searches more than 100 online department stores and specialty retailers to uncover sales on items that exactly match each shopper’s preferences. Relevant sale items are compiled into a single email and delivered to the shopper, who can click through to a retailer to make the purchase.
Shop It To Me for iPhone is part of a new unified interface that enables shoppers to check their latest sales, to save favorite items for later and find out what’s trending. The mobile app is available exclusively through the App Store in the Lifestyle category. Shop It To Me plans to add social shopping to its offerings this winter.
"Consumers want to shop sales but are tired of being bombarded with emails from dozens of different retailers pushing everything under the sun," said Charlie Graham, founder and CEO of Shop It To Me. "We let you see when just the items you care about go on sale in your size."


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Facebook Co-Founder Eduardo Saverin cautioned that the social network’s rapid growth brings both positive and negative consequences.
Since 2010, PayPal has been one of the main methods of payment for Facebook developers. But as Facebook grows, the company is changing its PayPal policies for new developers in emerging markets, such as China, Brazil, and India. According to TechCrunch, developers in several countries must show extra identification as a means of authentication, such as photo IDs or incorporation papers, in order to be paid via direct deposit.
A study of Facebook usage in Singapore by social media marketing firm Rock Publicity projected that more than two-thirds of the country’s population will use the social network by 2013, and average usage levels will increase.
It’s well-known that more people are accessing Facebook on mobile devices, and the trend is definitely not lost among the site’s younger users. According to a study from Macquarie Research, 56 percent of users between ages 15 and 25 surveyed said they check Facebook from their phones, up from 24 percent last year. Macquarie feels that this could rise to 70 percent next year.
Back in July, we wrote about ecommerce site Limited Run, which shuttered its Limited Pressing Facebook page, claiming that 80 percent of click-throughs to its page from Facebook were initiated by bots, according to a page logger that it built when it found that only 20 percent of click-throughs were actually arriving at its site. Online advertising firm Solve Media took a closer look at the issue of bots and uncovered some alarming statistics.
Facebook Co-Founder Eduardo Saverin is making himself at home in his new country, having reached No. 8 on Forbes’ list of Singapore’s richest people.
What do Chicago’s Wrigley Field, Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris, and T.G.I. Friday’s in Oslo, Norway, have in common? They were all the top destinations in their respective cities in terms of check-ins on third-party applications using Facebook’s application-programming interface since its August 2010 launch, according to a new post from the social network, Social Landmarks Around the World.
Do you remember all that tax money Facebook Co-Founder Eduardo Saverin was set to save on Facebook’s initial public offering by renouncing his U.S. citizenship and establishing residency in Singapore? Not so fast, said Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.).
Facebook Co-Founder Eduardo Saverin is no longer a U.S. citizen, and that move may save him millions of dollars in taxes once the social network’s initial public offering takes place, slated for next Friday.


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Peer-to-peer payments in the US had an eventful month in June. PayPal, one of the leaders in digital payments, announced that it would begin offering instantaneous bank transfers via Visa and Mastercard debit cards. In addition, Early Warning Services unveiled its new Zelle peer-to-peer payments service, which will be supported by over 30 banks over the course of the next year. Together, these two announcements illustrate the growing importance of peer-to-peer payments to financial service providers.
PayPal implements instant transfer
PayPal spent much of 2016 and 2017 building relationships with the traditional card networks – inking deals with Discover, Mastercard, and Visa. In June 2017, the company announced that it would be adding a feature which allows consumers to instantaneously cash out their balances to their bank account using a Mastercard or Visa debit card. The new option does come at a price, however, as consumers will be charged 25 cents per transaction, which could deter some individuals from using the service, particularly for smaller transactions.
Zelle enters the peer-to-peer market in the US
Also in June, Early Warning Services LLC, a service provider co-owned by several of the largest banks in the US, introduced Zelle – its peer-to-peer payments platform. The platform serves as a successor to the earlier “clearXchange” peer-to-peer service. Zelle will be rolled out among more than 30 banks throughout the coming year, and will also leverage relationships with some of the largest acquirers to provide service through a separate app to additional financial institutions. The service cuts out a number of steps and makes it easy for consumers to make payments using only the email address or phone number of a recipient with a US bank account.
Instant payments, bank integration, building loyalty
Peer-to-peer payments are not a particularly attractive endeavor from a pure value perspective. The revenue stream is fairly constrained because many consumers have a relatively low cost tolerance threshold for peer-to-peer payments. This could pose a challenge to PayPal’s fee-based model for bank transfers. For larger transactions, the cost associated may well be worth it, but consumers are less likely to pay a 25-cent fee to transfer USD5 for their share of the takeaway meal.
Where PayPal and Venmo do exhibit strength is in their large user base. Peer-to-peer platforms based on the systems of individual banks must contend with the limitations this places on their users. Platforms which can only transfer money to other users at a single bank – or other users of an Apple product as is the case with Apple’s new peer-to-peer Apple Pay offering – are inherently limited because they are not platform or bank agnostic. This is where Zelle may have a leg up. The large number of initial institutions on board with Zelle should make it easier to reach a critical mass of customers quickly, particularly if both Early Warning and its partner banks are willing to dedicate the necessary resources to advertise the service.
Zelle also jumps on the growing API trend in financial services by integrating directly into the mobile apps of its partner banks. Direct app integration serves two simultaneous purposes. First, it makes the feature more accessible, as consumers do not need to download an additional app in order to access it. Second, it fosters loyalty and engagement with the partner institution by funneling additional client interaction through the bank’s proprietary app. Much of the digital payments industry is fragmented, so by providing a money transfer service that is directly linked with existing banking interactions, banks not only remove barriers to participation but also capitalize on an opportunity to interact directly with their customers, increasing cross-sell opportunities and reinforcing their brand in the consumer’s mind.
Physical card payments have been incredibly successful in part because the growth of card networks created a centralized means of facilitating payments. Card networks thrive as they approach near universal acceptance, and help to ensure seamless processes behind the scenes. Initiatives such as Zelle have great potential to mirror this model in the digital landscape, offering considerable advantages over the patchwork of peer-to-peer options currently available to consumers. It remains to be seen how successful Zelle will be at driving consumer adoption, but if consumers are receptive, Zelle could prove to be a serious challenger to Venmo’s peer-to-peer market share.


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NYC Eateries Ready for Trans Fat Switch
Tuesday, June 26, 2007; 8:39 PM
NEW YORK -- No more trans fats with those french fries? No problem. The city's ballyhooed ban on trans fat cooking oils in all New York restaurants _ an idea that gave chefs indigestion when first proposed _ seems to be going surprisingly smoothly. Across the city, most fast food chains say they've already made the switch days before the July 1 deadline, which is Sunday.
The same cannot be said for a second restaurant rule taking effect then: the posting of calories on fast-food menus. The major chains are defying that regulation and hope a lawsuit will overturn it.
The city doesn't plan to fine anyone for violating either rule until Oct. 1.
Still, the trans fat overhaul is viewed as a major victory by health advocates. Trans fats, found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, clog arteries and contribute to heart disease. But they are also cheaper and have a longer shelf life, so industry at first stubbornly resisted dumping them.
That began to change last winter.
Cooking oil companies had already ramped up production of trans-fat alternatives. Restaurant supply companies began stocking kitchens with replacement products.
Big fast food chains that relied heavily on the old oils, from Burger King to Carl's Jr. to Kentucky Fried Chicken, announced they would eliminate the stuff from their fryers nationwide.
Even McDonald's, which had anguished over the potential impact on its french fries, said its phase-in of the new oils in thousands of restaurants has gone unnoticed by customers.
"The transition has been absolutely seamless," said spokesman Walt Riker.
While the city health department hasn't finished tallying results of a recent survey on oil use, there is evidence that smaller restaurants are ready too.
A special help line, set up by the city for chefs trying to reform their kitchens, has been lightly used.
The ease of the switch to zero-trans oils may have been aided by the behind-the-scenes work of seed and oil companies.


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Want to join the conversation?
Deutsche Bank analyst Ross Seymore questions $AVGO on its traditional Avago ASIC business and its growth going forward. CEO Hock Tan says that ASIC business is still chugging along nicely. The company still sees growth in fiber optics and on traditional ASIC.
$WBA is yet to receive US anti-trust clearance for its Rite Aid acquisition. The deadline for the deal expires on January 27.
$BMY plunge 7.2%. No credits to the non-acceleration of approval for lung cancer combination treatment.
Well this is big! I don’t know if it’s someone’s monopoly or genuine excitement, but either way, $CSX is up 23% after market closed. I heard some activist investor is going to blow big money into CSX Corp. Anyone mind explaining?


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The 120 Hz of the iPhone 13 and other novelties of its screen — 2022
That the iPhone 12 Pro did not incorporate a screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz was a jug of cold water for many and more when prototypes had been seen that did incorporate it. The excessive battery consumption of this technology added to that of 5G connectivity would have been the main culprits for Apple deciding to back down. But now with an eye on next year's models, we have been able to learn details about the panels, which we hope will not cause as many problems as theiPhone 12 yellow screens.
Samsung and LG among manufacturers
This is not really a novelty and it is that the apple company has been relying on these two South Korean brands for the supply of OLED panels for its iPhone for several years. Thanks to a report by The Elec, also Korean, it has been confirmed that for the next iPhone run, Apple will continue to rely on these companies, as well as BOE, a Chinese manufacturer that has already begun to receive orders from Californians. Therefore they are confirmedwho will make the iPhoneor at least a part of them.
With LTPO technology and Always On Display?
LTPO technology allows the pixels to be turned on and off more quickly, which favors two possible functionalities: a higher refresh rate or, on the contrary, being able to have a minimum refresh rate that allows a part of the screen to be illuminated with a low battery consumption. Precisely the latter is what makes the Apple Watch Series 5 and Series 6 have the option of having the screen always on, since they have this LTPO technology on their screens. Of course, this technology would only be applied to the 2021 'Pro' models.
The fact of being able to have the same option in iOS as in watchOS regarding the screen always on opens the possibility for Apple to add new possibilities in order to have certain information on the lock screen such as the time, temperature or notifications through icons of apps. This would not be new in the sector, since Samsung itself has been incorporating these functions for years and other brands have been joining. However, it would be a new possibility to explore on the iPhone and one that would surely be welcomed.
The battery will have to be better
And iPhone 12 Pro Max is the device that, according to numerous tests, is the one with the greatest autonomy on the market. This is surprising if we consider that it reduced the battery capacity compared to its predecessor. However, the good management of the A14 Bionic processor and the operating system itself allow this to be possible. However, the iPhone 13 may already need an increase in capacity to support everything.
As good as the hypothetical A15 chip is and that iOS 15 is also optimized, Apple would be forced to expand its batteries to be able to support the consumption of functions such as those described in reference to the refresh rate of its screens. If we also take into account that 5G will continue to be present, consumption will be even higher. Here is an important challenge for the company to be able to balance all these factors without harming the user experience.


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Intel’s Wind River POWERING Mars Exploration and 4 Tech Titans on the Move
Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB): Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is rumored to be in talks regarding the purchase of Pinterest rival The Fancy, which is a social commerce site backed by both Twitter and Facebook co-founders, according to Business Insider. The shares traded up $0.56 (2.65%) recently at $21.65.
Don’t Miss: Facebook: Fake Out?
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) senior marketing and software executives took the stand on Friday in the Apple vs. Samsung patent infringement case. Both executives reaffirmed the special effort and investment Apple put into the iPhone, and both followed Apple’s chief designer Christopher Stringer’s lead in claiming that they felt “ripped off” by Samsung. Before the trial was able to continue with witnesses, Judge Lucy Koh announced she denied an Apple motion requesting her to declare Apple’s patents valid and Samsung guilty of infringement. The motion was filed by Apple on Wednesday following an incident in which a Samsung attorney offered to the press a link to documents revealing evidence he believed should have been shown to the jury. The shares traded up $8.97 (1.46%) recently at $624.67.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG): Following the block of cybersecurity legislation from passing the upper chamber Senate by Republicans, President Obama considers options for implementing cybersecurity measures via an executive order, a White House spokesman indicated, reports The Hill. The shares traded up $6.65 (1.04%) recently at $647.98.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is attempting to make a bridge between the physical and digital worlds. This “bridge” is called IllumiShare, and it is an Internet-connected projector-camera combination enabling users to display physical objects to one another in real-time.The shares traded up $0.31 (1.03%) recently at $30.06.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC): NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, or JPL, made a successful landing of the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity, which is powered by Wind River technology. Curiosity, which landed on Mars at around 10:31 p.m. PDT, on Aug. 5, is currently the most complex robotic interplanetary probe to ever be designed. It runs on Wind River’s industry-leading real-time operating system, or RTOS, VxWorks. Wind River, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel (NASDAQ:INTC). The shares traded up $0.28 (1.07%) recently at $26.51.
Want news like this in real-time so you can get an edge? Click here for Wall St. Cheat Sheet Pro.


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Rook Coffee Coming to Colts Neck
Rook Coffee continues to grow with the announcement of a new location coming to Colts Neck!
According to a release from Rook Coffee, Monmouth County spoke and they listened. There was overwhelming demand for a coffee bar in Colts Neck. Soon that will be a reality.
What's different about this Rook location? It's their biggest yet! 1500 square feet to be exact.
Rook will be located within The Orchards Shopping Plaza of Colts Neck, which sits
at the intersection of 537 and 34, just north of Delicious
The Manalapan location is currently under construction and with the addition of Colts Neck, that brings the grand total of Rook's Coffee locations to eight!


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Bowers & Wilkins is often cited for the great sound quality of its Px7 noise-canceling over-ear headphones, released in 2019, and a worthy rival to AirPods Max. Now the British audio specialists have overhauled the model with release of the Px7 S2 — but without a price increase.
And what’s more, the company said a new flagship model, the “luxurious” Px8, is coming soon.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
Bowers & Wilkins overhauls PX7 over-ear headphones with Px7 S2 release, plans Px8 flagship rollout
Bowers & Wilkins said it completely overhauled its Px7 headphones, including elements of design, sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC).
And what’s surprising here is that all of these upgrades come with the same price tag as the previous model — $399. That’s not cheap, but substantial upgrades often bring some sort of price hike.
Featuring “all-new construction” for comfort during long listening sessions, the Px7 S2 slimmed down and added better cushioning in the earpads compared to the Px7, which has been lauded for great sound but not so much comfort.
The headphones’ physical controls include buttons for power, volume, track controls and calls on the right side. On the left ear cup, you get a customizable button for quick access to noise canceling settings or a voice assistant.
New acoustic platform
Inside the cans, Bowers & Wilkins said it built a new acoustic platform that powers 40mm drivers. The company said the speakers feature “ultra-fast response” capable of hitting “every nuance” of a listener’s music.
Placed at an angle, the drivers allow “consistent distance” from your ear for a more natural soundstage.
The company’s digital signal processing (DSP) works with 24-bit streaming from music services with support for aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC codecs.
For ANC, the Px7 takes advantage of four microphones. Two measure the driver output and two monitor ambient sound. The company says it also revised the noise-canceling algorithm for better performance.
For clearer calls, Bowers & Wilkins changed the microphone position and tweaked digital signal processing for better performance in noisy venues.
And for the first time, you can activate ANC settings and transparency mode as well as the equalizer in the company’s Music App. Soon, the company said, an update will allow the software to stream music via an in-app player.
The Px7 S2 will last up to 30 hours on a charge, the company said, though it didn’t specify if that’s with ANC on or off. But it mentioned it upgraded the quick-charge feature, giving you seven hours of listening time in 15 minutes. That’s an increase of two hours from the previous model.
New flagship on the way
And finally, Bowers & Wilkins teased its upcoming flagship headphone model, the Px8, coming later this year.
Right now details remain elusive. But the company said you should expect “reference-level” sound and “luxurious materials” for a price of $549.
And if you can’t wait the next flagship model, the nicely upgraded Px7 S2 is available now from the company’s website and select retailers.
You can pick up the new Px7 S2 model in three new color options: grey, blue and black.


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Adds details on results, background, shares
Feb 10 (Reuters) – Canada Goose Holdings Inc GOOS.TO, GOOS.N cut its full-year revenue forecast on Thursday, as Omicron-related restrictions weigh on demand for the company’s luxury parkas and footwear, sending its U.S. shares down nearly 6% in premarket trade.
Sales of the luxury parka maker have been dampened by a resurgence in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant in key markets, including China and Europe, that kept shoppers home during the all-important holiday quarter.
The company said it now expects revenue for fiscal 2022 to be between C$1.090 billion and C$1.105 billion, compared with its prior estimate of between C$1.125 billion and C$1.175 billion.
The company’s third-quarter revenue rose to C$586.1 million ($462.59 million) from C$474 million a year earlier, beating the average analyst estimate of C$583.2 million, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
($1 = 1.27 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Aditi Sebastian in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
((email@example.com;; outside U.S. +91 7760 787 976;))


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HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WDTN) – The Kroger on Needmore Road in Harrison Township closed indefinitely Wednesday night.
The announcement came in October.
Wednesday, hundreds visited the store to take advantage of the closing deals and even say goodbye to those they’ve grown to know and connect with since the store’s opening.
“This is like our second family. We love everybody here. All of our coworkers are like family, like, we became really, really, really, close,” said Aiyanna Moss and India Wade, two Kroger’s employees emotionally touched by the store’s closing.
Many of the employees will be transferred to different Kroger locations in the Miami Valley, however they say they are worried about what’s to come for those in this area.
“I’m a little depressed, not only for us [employees] but for our customers,” said Marilyn Watson, a Kroger employee.
“It’s really heartbreaking, especially for the people who live across the street who don’t have cars and it’s cold now,” said Moss.
In October, Harrison Township officials said in a statement that they were disappointed in the decision made by Kroger’s corporate offices to close the store and that it was coming at a vulnerable time for a community recovering from the Memorial Day tornadoes.
Right now there is no information on what will be done with the building once the Kroger has completely moved out.Grab the FREE WDTN News App from the Apple Store or Google play. Stay up to date with all the local news, weather and sports as well as live newscasts and events as they happen.
- Christmas trees for tornado relief: Holiday fundraiser gives back to Trotwood community
- House to vote on bill lowering prescription drug prices
- Lawmakers at odds over how to lower prescription drug prices
- Judiciary Committee begins deliberations on articles of impeachment
- FAA predicted more deadly MAX jet crashes


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Fans’ outcry became the catalyst
Jim Ryan, President and CEO and Sony Interactive Entertainment, has written a blog stating the company has made the wrong decision in discontinuing the PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita.
Due to fans’ passionate desire to purchase older titles on these platforms, Ryan announced the company would reverse its decision and continue store operations. The PSP Store will however still be retired as per planned on July 2, 2021.
Ryan says the original reasons for discontinuing PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita was “commerce support challenges for older devices and the ability for us to focus more of our resources on newer devices where a majority of our gamers are playing on”.
Looks like the power of the people has won in a time where Sony has been getting negative press for recent decisions.
Are you all happy to hear that PS Store is staying and being able to purchase classic titles?


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Europe and E-commerce
June 29, 2021
The world is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic in more ways than one, but little by little things like online shopping trends have been going back to normal.
According to a survey by Nexi, European e-commerce was going strong as of 2021, with Germany showing the fastest growth (18%), followed by Nordic countries Denmark (11%), Sweden (10%), and Norway (3%). But not all is growth; Austria showed negative growth at -0.3%.
Out of all online purchases, physical goods accounted for 75% in some European markets in 2020, and in 2021, they accounted for about half to two-thirds. The most purchased item was clothing.
Before the pandemic, purchases related to traveling were one of the most common, however, during the pandemic, this came to a halt.
It will be a while before travel-related purchases catch up to physical goods, but as people become more comfortable going out and about, the industry will recover and soon be a strong contender for the number one place in online purchases. Countries such as Switzerland, Norway, and Italy are already seeing increased spending on flights and hotels.
According to the survey, most countries spend between 13% and 15% on services, with Italy being more likely to spend in this category, and Germany being the least likely to do so.
Out of all online services, streaming and movies were the most popular, Norway spending the highest percentage at 59%, compared to a low 35% in Switzerland.
As the world reopens, some markets will begin to level out. However as the pandemic showed consumers the joys of shopping from the comfort of their own homes, certain trends previously thought to be temporary might be here to stay.


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- U.S. equities gave up early gains and ended little changed, with the S&P 500 down 0.2%, following a report showing a modest rise in inflation.
- Cost-cutting and further expansion into AI helped Salesforce beat profit and sales estimates, and the company raised its outlook.
- Dollar General shares plunged as the discount retailer reported slowing sales, rising capital costs, and higher theft of its products.
U.S. equities ended August little changed, with the S&P 500 slipping 0.2%, snapping its four-day winning streak. The markets gave up early gains that had been driven by an inflation report favored by the Fed which indicated prices made modest gains last month. That lifted hopes policymakers might back off raising interest rates any more. Despite a strong performance in the past week, the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all posted monthly losses.
Salesforce (CRM) shares rose 3% after the cloud computing platform beat profit and sales estimates and boosted its full-year guidance on cost-cutting and expansion of its reach into artificial intelligence (AI). Arista Networks (ANET) shares climbed 4% as Citi upgraded the stock and lifted its price target, saying the networking equipment company is an early AI stock play.
Morgan Stanley upgraded 3M (MMM) and increased the price target because of the conglomerate’s recent settlements of lawsuits involving so-called “forever chemical” and earplugs. 3M shares moved 2% higher. Amazon (AMZN) shares added 2% after the online retailing giant struck a deal with Shopify (SHOP) allowing the Canadian e-commerce company to offer its “Buy with Prime” to merchants. Shopify shares soared almost 11%.
Dollar General (DG) shares plummeted 12% after the discount retailer’s earnings and revenue fell short of forecasts and it cut its 2023 outlook, blaming softer sales, higher expenses, and theft. Shares of rival Dollar Tree (DLTR) also lost ground, falling more than 1.7%. Hormel Foods (HRL) shares dropped 2.7% after the maker of Spam and other foods slashed its full-year forecast on lower meat prices and declining demand in China.
C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW) shares sank almost 4% after a Susquehanna analyst warned that demand for trucking logistics will be weak in 2024. Extra Space Storage (EXR) shares tumbled 1.5% after Raymond James lowered the price target as shares traded near their lowest levels in more than two years.


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In May 2008, the BBC Watchdog programme alerted viewers that a number of people were reporting itches, blisters, burns and rashes after buying imported Chinese leather sofas.
The reason: sachets containing the chemical dimethyl fumarate (DMF) had been used by Chinese manufacturer Linkwise to prevent mould from growing on their leather sofas during transportation and storage.
Unfortunately, the chemical, which is sometimes used as a fungicide, led to severe allergic reactions in some people using the sofas.
Tests have shown that DMF can cause severe eczema, a term referring to a range of skin conditions which are difficult to treat. The allergic reactions occur when the substance warms up.
Consultant dermatologist Dr Sandra Winhoven explained the condition at the time: ‘The substance that's causing the sofa dermatitis outbreak is a fungicide, and this fungicide has a very low vapour point. So when it gets warm, more of it gets released.' As a result, the summer months led to higher numbers of allergic reactions.
Symptoms of eczema
Eczema, which is sometimes known as dermatitis, can refer to a range of unpleasant and distressing symptoms including itching, blistering, redness, swelling, dryness, crusting, flaking, cracking, oozing and bleeding of the skin. These symptoms can be very damaging to a person's quality of life, and some of the sofa rash sufferers reported symptoms of depression as a result.
With up to 50,000 households having been sold a contaminated sofa, and many people suffering from increasingly severe reactions, sufferers were often unaware that the reaction they were experiencing was connected to their sofa.
Some sufferers even unwittingly aggravated their injuries by staying at home to recover from their symptoms, thereby further increasing their contact with the problem sofa.
How the stores reacted
The sofas were sold by Argos, Land of Leather and Walmsley Furnishing. After learning of the problem with their sofas, the shops selling them responded in different ways. According to a Daily Mail report from June 21, 2008, Argos, who had sold the most contaminated sofas, withdrew the sofas from their shops and notified buyers, contacting them to arrange collection of the products.
Land of Leather, meanwhile, withdrew the sofas but was criticised for not notifying buyers, while Walmsley said they had removed the sachets from sofas they sold after they learned of the issue, though they also did not recall the sofas which had already been sold, as Argos had done.
Claiming compensation for sofa rash
In the UK's largest ever consumer injury claim, thousands claimed for compensation against the stores where they bought their sofas. Compensation is expected to total up to £10m for this initial class action.
Along with the thousands already claiming compensation, an estimated tens of thousands could have suffered or still be suffering from burns which have not yet been linked to their sofas. These cases could lead to further claims for compensation.
If you have been affected by a ‘toxic' sofa and experienced skin problems as a result, you could be entitled to claim compensation for your injuries and money lost due to time off work.


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Low earners miss out on fuel grants
Wednesday 17 October 2012
A government scheme aimed at helping those in fuel poverty is failing, a charity has warned. Low earners are missing out on valuable fuel handouts because they don't know about them, according to Turn2us.
The charity says that two-thirds of struggling families believe that paying this winter's soaring energy bills will cause them financial hardship. Yet almost half fail to claim the state benefits they may be entitled to.
- 1 PlayStation and Xbox hacked by Lizard Squad
- 3 The Grace Dent Christmas Questionnaire
- 4 The 'Black Museum': After 150 years, public set to see exhibits from police’s grisly crime museum
PlayStation and Xbox hacked by Lizard Squad
Antonio Martin shooting: Black teenager may have tried to ambush patrolman, says police officer's lawyer
Katie Hopkins speaks out on childhood obesity: 'Parents of fat children should be prosecuted for child cruelty'
Boxing Day snowfall set to push even more bargain-hunters online for sales
The 'Black Museum': After 150 years, public set to see exhibits from police’s grisly crime museum
British actor Idris Elba cannot star as James Bond because he is black, says shock jock Rush Limbaugh
Rozanne Duncan: Ukip expels councillor for 'jaw-dropping' comments made in BBC TV interview
Germany anti-Islam protests: 17,000 march on Dresden against 'Islamification of the West'
Ukip member gets into Christmas spirit with Union Flag plea to Santa 'for our country back'
BBC director Danny Cohen: Rising UK antisemitism makes me feel more uncomfortable than ever
Alex Salmond has 'broken his word to the Scottish people' says Scottish Lib Dem leader
£40000 - £43000 per annum + benefits: Ashdown Group: Senior Marketing Executiv...
£40000 - £43000 per annum + benefits: Ashdown Group: An international organisa...
£25000 - £30000 per annum: Ashdown Group: Internal Recruiter -Rugby, Warwicksh...
£70000 - £75000 per annum + benefits: Ashdown Group: Marketing Manager/Marketi...


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Running from 21-24 November, The Big 5 2016 is expected to attract 75,000 participants and 3,000 exhibitors who will be able to access the 113,526 square metre Dubai World Trade Centre floor space. The Big 5 in Dubai is the largest, most influential and renowned construction industry event in the Middle East. The show, organised by dmg events Middle East, Asia and Africa, is considered the number one choice for construction professionals to network and source thousands of innovative products.
Josine Heijmans, Event Director of The Big 5 2016, announced a brand new floor plan this year which will be clustered in five product sectors: Building Interiors & Finishes, MEP Services, Building Envelop & Special Construction, Construction Tools & Building Materials, and Smart Building & Design Technologies. Heijmans is confident that the new layout of the show will facilitate quality business opportunities, while effectively responding to the current needs of construction industry professionals.
Alongside the exhibition, The Big 5 2016 will offer 30 live product demonstrations and advanced educational features. These include 75 free CPD-certified workshops and the free-to-attend ‘Excellence in Construction Summit’, giving delegates unique insights into strategies, opportunities and challenges facing designers and planners in the GCC.
Additionally, The Big 5 has been hosting the Gaia Awards since 2008; the industry’s most respected awards honouring those construction equipment and products that integrated the concept of moving towards a more sustainable built environment. A panel of industry experts will carefully select this year’s winners who are expected to demonstrate an exceptional product that has been integrated successfully into the built environment in the MENA region.
WHEN: 21-24 November, 2016
WHERE: Dubai World Trade Centre


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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Law enforcement agencies Montgomery County are warning residents about numerous scams targeting senior citizens around the region.
The scams have increased in frequency with recent weeks and months.
Here’s a list of common scams, according to the Upper Providence Township Police Department:
Tech support scams
“Tech support scammers tell victims their computers have problems or viruses that they can help resolve,” police say. They then make money by asking victims to pay for services that aren’t needed. Sometimes, these scammers call people directly, warning about ‘computer problems,’ but the most common way tech support scammers connect with victims is online.”
“On certain websites, pop-up warnings may appear that notify users of a virus or security issue on their computers. Though the message sounds urgent and may use official-looking logos, it’s just a way to trick the user into making contact and sending money. Often, tech scammers claim they are from a well-known company like Microsoft or Apple.”
Legitimate businesses will never ask for these details.
“In family imposter scams, fraudsters pose as a loved one by creating an online profile that looks like them or hacking personal emails or social media accounts,” police note. “They will often claim that an emergency has left them in desperate need of money and request an immediate transfer of funds. If a family member is asking you to send them money online, it’s important to vet the person you’re talking to and ask them questions only your loved one would know.”
“Scammers bank on your fear and anxiety, but if you take a moment to call your relative directly, you can confirm if they actually need your help.”
“Social Security imposters may tell victims that their Social Security number (SSN) has been linked to criminal activity and/or suspended,” authorities warn. “The scammer will claim they can reactivate the number once the victim confirms their SSN. Other Social Security scams may tell victims their benefits are eligible for an increase and request that they confirm their name, date of birth and SSN. Both of these approaches are simply ploys to gain access to personal information that can be used to raid a victim’s financial accounts.”
Real SSA agents would never ask for your number over the phone, nor warn of arrest in this manner.
Online shopping scams
“While the internet has become many consumers’ primary means of shopping, it’s also become home to scammers posing as online retail stores. Sometimes these websites will appear legitimate, and the domain name may even be a slight modification of a well-known brand. Consumers are lured into these sites by their low prices, but the products they advertise are often drastically different from what’s received — if the buyer gets anything at all. It can be hard to identify online shopping scams. But be wary if an online merchant asks you to pay in an unconventional way, like with a money order or wire transfer. You can also weed out a phony retailer by searching for reviews.”
“Romance scams have become increasingly common in recent years, thanks to the growing popularity of online dating,” police said. “Typically, a romance scammer will create a fake profile on dating sites or social media, then reach out to vulnerable people and develop a relationship through chatting or texting. Scammers generally make excuses for why they can’t meet in person. COVID-19 facilitated these excuses for scammers; the FTC cited that some scammers said they were unable to meet due to a COVID-19 test. At some point, romance scammers ask their victims for money.”


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CyanogenMod is virtually the best-known custom ROM out there, and for good reason: it brings the newest version of Android to devices that would otherwise have to wait much longer to receive it, or would never receive it at all. This week, quite a few popular devices have received CyanogenMod 14.1, which is based on Android 7.1 Nougat. Read More
Steve Kondik has left a statement about the rather troubling news coming out of Cyanogen Inc. this week on the [private] official CyanogenMod developer Google+ community, and things aren't looking pretty. Read More
TWRP is an awesome tool for us Android enthusiasts; it allows users to make and restore backups, flash ROMs and other files, and is often the stepping stone to root access. Now, TWRP has become available for three smartphones and one Android TV device. Read More
Earlier today, some disappointing news came from Steve Kondik, CyanogenMod's founder and Cyanogen Inc.'s cofounder; because of Cyanogen Inc.'s failure, "(CyanogenMod) is very much affected." For the time being, though, CyanogenMod maintainers are still churning out new builds of CM14.1 (Android 7.1 Nougat) for many devices. We've got seven new devices with CyanogenMod 14.1 nightlies this time around (well, more like five, since two pairs of the devices are almost exactly the same). Read More
For a lot of Android fans, intense interest in the platform can lead to more questions about the technical underpinnings. And when you're so attuned to Android and its ecosystem, you might even have some original ideas for apps that haven't been made—yet. With this one-day offer from Packt, you can get a free ebook to take you from zero to...well, not hero, but well on your way to making Android apps. Read More
Cyanogen Inc. may be dying as a company, but the voluntarily-maintained CyanogenMod ROMs are still alive and kicking. Case in point: seven more devices are joining CyanogenMod 14.1, which is based on Android 7.1 Nougat. Six of these Android-powered machines have builds already up, but one doesn't yet. Read More
Few LG devices are lucky enough to get an official bootloader unlock method, so it's always worthy of a mention when a new phone gets supported on LG's bootloader unlock tool. We've seen the G4 and G5 for the EU open market, the V10 for Europe except France, and this is the first time a device from North America makes it onto the list.
The LG V20 "for the US open market" codenamed US996.USA is now listed on LG's bootloader unlock page. That page also has a detailed set of instructions to follow to unlock the bootloader. It also explains that the LG warranty is voided when you're done and that the process can't be undone. Read More
A post by the manager of the Android Beta Program's Google+ page seems to indicate that Developer Preview 2 of Android 7.1 is slated to go live shortly. Orrin Hancock, owner of the page, says that DP2 actually began rolling out today, but we've not received any tips suggesting that's the case. No one who has replied to the thread seems to have gotten it, either, so perhaps the rollout has been slightly delayed or extremely, incredibly, strangely limited (I would hedge on the former).
Anyway, Android 7.1.1 DP2 will apparently be available for the Nexus 6P, 5X, Nexus 9, Android One, and Pixel C. Read More
Android 2.3 Gingerbread, according to Google, still runs on approximately 1.3% of devices hitting the Play Store every month. But with Google Play Services 10.0.x, Google is placing an end-marker for the OS's support of the Play Services package going forward, which signals what is essentially the final death of the platform as far as Google is concerned. When Play Services 10.2 arrives, it will leave behind Android's crunchiest iteration. Read More
CyanogenMod 14.1 nightlies have been rolling out for more than a week now and bringing Android 7.1 to several devices including Nexuses and other phones and tablets that don't have the official update yet and likely won't for many more months.
After Steve Kondik's announcement of the 14.1 nightlies rollout, several more devices have joined the fold in the past days. Some have already received a couple of nightly revisions, others are on the list but don't have any 14.1 nightly up yet. Here is the full list: Read More


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A restaurant in Atlanta called Le Bilboquet is receiving a lot of negative press after basketball legend Dominique Wilkins tweeted that he was turned away for his outfit. Wilkins was apparently told that his outfit was against the dress code, but many former guests say they have seen the dress code being enforced as a way to keep Black people from eating at the restaurant.
“In my many years in the world, I’ve eaten at some of the greatest restaurants in the world,” wrote Wilkins, “but never have I felt prejudice or been turned away because of the color of my skin, until today in #atlanta In @LeBilboquetAtl #turnedawaybecauseimblack.”
“We went there to have lunch, and I was dressed very sporty, casual, I had a nice pair of casual pants on with a stripe, nice red shirts, and sneakers on,” Wilkins told CBS 46. “As I’m walking in, I notice right away, that they’re sizing me up, they’re looking me up before I even said a word.”
When he asked for an outside table he was told there were no reservations available, though he saw many empty tables. The hostess then told him “plus, you have sweatpants on, and we’re trying to keep a level of elegance.”
But Wilkins claims he saw other patrons come in wearing sneakers and shorts and otherwise dressed informally, but they were not turned away. BroBible found older reviews of the restaurant in which several claim discriminatory dress code enforcement as well:
Le Bilboquet has been trying to do some damage control, but they’re not doing an amazing job. The General Manager Mark Hoefer said they “do not have an issue with shorts or jeans, but they do not allow athleticwear,” which sure doesn’t make any sense. Also, this woman is clearly wearing a sports bra:
On Sunday, the restaurant posted an apology to Wilkins:
But will that actually change their dress code policies or the racist ways they enforce it? Maybe getting shut down would do it.


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The shares, part of the FT-SE 100 index, fell 3.5p to close at 409p.
Grand Met is reshaping its IDV drinks arm and its European businesses at a cost of pounds 280m. This follows last year's restructuring of the Pillsbury food operation and the Pearle optical subsidiary.
The group wants to focus on international food and drinks brands. It also announced the withdrawal from pet food in the US by selling Alpo to Nestle, the Swiss company, for dollars 510m (pounds 327m) in cash.
Alpo, based in Pennsylvania, is the seventh-largest petfood business in the US. It has a 6 per cent market share of the cat and dog food business. Grand Met forecasts that Alpo will make profits of dollars 47m on sales of dollars 430m for the financial year that ends later this month. The sale will yield a pounds 200m exceptional profit.
Gerald Cobett, who was recruited as finance director last December, would not be drawn on the precise details of what closures will take place and how many jobs will go, but analysts put the figure at about 4,000. Grand Met employs 87,000 worldwide.
'We will be looking at 200 different projects in 50 different countries for IDV alone,' he said. 'We will spell out the changes in detail when we announce results on 1 December . . . because we have not communicated it to all of our staff yet.'
IDV, the drinks business which generated more than half of previously announced group operating profits of pounds 474m for the six months to 31 March, will absorb pounds 145m of the restructuring charge.
Restructuring the European food business will cost pounds 55m and involve the closure of some of its 50 Haagen-Dazs ice cream outlets. Another pounds 32m will be spent on the expansion of the 're-engineering programme' at Burger King, the fast food company.
There are also pounds 28m of charges connected with property activities. These relate to a further reduction in the property portfolio and restructuring Inntrepreneur, the pub company jointly owned with Courage, the brewer.
Inntrepreneur does not form part of Grand Met's long-term plans. Speculation has been mounting in the industry that it will withdraw from the business by selling off pubs in small parcels and possibly sell up to 2,000 pubs to Courage.
Total net cash cost of the restructuring programme will be less than pounds 100m. Grand Met said it would lead to a pounds 90m saving per annum progressively over the next two years, which comes on top of the pounds 70m savings arising from last year's action.
Analysts were sceptical about yesterday's restructuring announcement and the suggestion from the company that it was using cost savings to increase marketing expenditure.
Mr Cobett said marketing spending was up pounds 50m to pounds 879m, which equalled the benefit from the 1993 restructuring. 'This is a clean sweep that sets us up for the 1990s.'
View from City Road, page 15
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100,000 Register for Chinese WOW Closed Beta
9:31 AM | Galen Wiley | Comment on this story
Record-breaking numbers of fans rushed to the sign up pages this morning for the closed beta of World of Warcraft in China. In only the first hour, over 100,000 prospective participants registered for a chance to be the first to play the popular MMORPG from Blizzard already available in North America and Europe. An article at GameSpot News has the full scoop:
After breaking records in North America and Europe, World of Warcraft is storming China, and it isn't even available yet. According to the Chinese game-industry newsletter Pacific Epoch, in the first hour that registration was open, 100,000 gamers signed up for accounts hoping to participate in the game's closed beta test. Beta testing is slated to begin in about two weeks, according to the game's local operator in China, the9.com.Beta testing for WOW in China is expected to begin in two weeks.
Gamers swarm Chinese WOW beta test
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Sick of bureaucratic red tapes in Indonesia? Now with a new initiative from Indonesia’s Ministry of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform, registering a company will supposedly take a mere 6 days versus the 17 weeks that many businesses are accustomed to (although our experts indicate the latter still being the norm.).
The 6 days timeframe should allow a business to tie up administrative paper work from various agencies such as Human Rights Ministry, Trade Ministry, Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the Social Management Agency.
Saving all that time is definitely a boon for businesses looking to set up shop in Indonesia. There also seems to be other improvements like online tools and directories that should make business registration a relative breeze. We have not seen this taken effect yet but any saving in setup time is definitely welcome.
For more information, click here to read the full article.


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Innsbruck municipal companies run on green electricity | The major virtual event in the automotive world! | Dossiers
The change to environmentally friendly vehicles at Innsbrucker Kommunalbetriebe (IKB) began more than ten years ago. Experience with electric vehicles has been gained since 2010, and the IKB now has 32 e-cars, 32 e-bikes and 9 e-scooters. “Our goal is to make our entire vehicle fleet climate-neutral by 2030,” emphasizes IKB CEO Helmuth Müller. “So that we are also one big step closer to the goal of climate neutrality for the entire IKB. Environmentally friendly mobility makes a decisive contribution to achieving the climate goals.”
Every year, the e-vehicle fleet saves more than 30 tons of direct CO2 emissions compared to fossil-fueled vehicles. In addition to e-cars, many IKB employees and employees are also switching to electrically powered bicycles or scooters for their business trips. The e-bike fleet covers around 5,000 kilometers every year.
In addition to the company’s internal vehicle fleet, IKB supports electromobility in Innsbruck and Tyrol. More than 150 charging points have already been installed in the public charging network in central Tyrol. “With the expansion of the e-charging stations, we are making it easier for Tyroleans to switch to environmentally friendly vehicles,” said IKB board director Thomas Pühringer. The most frequently visited IKB e-charging stations are in Schönberg, on Salurner Strasse in Innsbruck and at the DEZ shopping center.


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DMGT’S national and regional titles axe nearly 600 jobs.
WPP has appointed Deborah Kerr to oversee Team News, its new agency unit that launched to service the News International business.
Chris Lewis, the marketing director of Wells & Young’s Brewing Company, is leaving the brewer to set up his own marketing consultancy.
Vanessa Clifford, the head of press at Mindshare, is joining the national press marketing body, Newsworks, as its director of client services and strategy.
Breakdown service RAC has appointed former News International sales director John Orriss to head its marketing team.
Thomas Cook appoints chief executive Harriet Green, currently chief executive of Premier Farnell.
Virgin Media’s new celebrity frontman David Tennant has been “incredibly successful” for the brand, according to Nigel Gilbert, chief marketing officer.
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO
The bank has hired former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement chief William McLucas to assist the firm in probes of its loss of at least $2 billion on credit derivatives trades, according to bank spokesman Joseph Evangelisti.
The investment banking firm named John Lawrence as a managing director and senior analyst. Previously, Lawrence was a managing director in specialty retail at Morgan Keegan.


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I have written about the behavior shaping role of the entertainment and news media before, but of course, marketing plays a huge role too. And the behavior shaping role of marketing has been in the spotlight this past month, specifically in the context of marketing of junk food to children. Between the continual delays and watering down of what are alreadycompletely voluntary recommended nutrition standards for marketing foods to kids (composed by the Federal Trade Commission’s Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children) and the release of a study revealing that popular cereal brands “pack more sugar than snack cakes and cookies”, it seems like a good time to take a closer look at the world of fast food and junk food marketing to kids.
*The food and beverage industry spends approximately $2 billion per year marketing to children.
*The fast food industry spends more than $5 million every day marketing unhealthy foods to children.
*Kids watch an average of over ten food-related ads every day (nearly 4,000/year).
*Nearly all (98 percent) of food advertisements viewed by children are for products that are high in fat, sugar or sodium. Most (79 percent) are low in fiber.
In a study comparing the nutritional content of food items observed during advertisements (during 84 hours of primetime and 12 hours of Saturday-morning TV broadcast during the fall of 2004) to the recommended daily values, researchers found that a diet consisting of observed food items would provide 2,560% of the recommended daily servings for sugars, 2,080% of the recommended daily servings for fat, 40% of the recommended daily servings for vegetables, 32% of the recommended daily servings for dairy, and 27% of the recommended daily servings for fruits.
This disproportional marketing of foods high in fat and sugar might be concerning in and of itself – but the real problem is that it’s working. Beyond the evident fact that childhood obesity is an enormous problem in the United States, numerousresearchers and government agencies have found specifically that marketing and advertising of foods does in fact impact children’s food preferences, as well as purchase requests directed to parents and short- and long-term dietary consumption.
Moreover, in recent years, researchers at the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity have concluded that “the traditional models used to explain advertising effects have overemphasized the importance of children’s understanding of persuasive intent”, echoing an Institute of Medicine Report which points out that although the most common models used to explain the effects of food marketing assume a conscious and rational path from exposure to behavior via persuasion, more recent psychological models suggest repeated exposure to food advertising can lead directly to beliefs and behaviors without active, deliberate processing of the information presented.
In this context, branding and cues such as cartoon spokescharacters, colorful packaging, and pictures have been identified as important in this link between food advertising and beliefs and behaviors. Studies have shown that children 3-5 years prefer the taste of baby carrots, milk, and other products out of a McDonald’s bag and that kids 4-6 years prefer the taste of graham crackers and gummy fruit snacks with Dora, Shrek or Scooby Doo on packaging.
If that’s not worrisome enough, the Prevention Institute has more statistics for us:
*Nearly 40% of children’s diets come from added sugars and unhealthy fats.
*Each day, African-American children see twice as many caloriesadvertised in fast-food commercials as White children.
*Even five years after children have been exposed to promotions of unhealthy foods, researchers found that they purchased fewer fruits, vegetables and whole grains, but increased their consumption of fast foods, fried foods and sugar-sweetened beverages.
*By 2030, healthcare costs attributable to poor diet and inactivity could range from $860 billion to $956 billion, which would account for 15.8 to 17.6 percent of total healthcare costs, or one in every six dollars spent on healthcare.
So what can we do? I think the solution lies in not only in trying to limit the marketing of unhealthy foods to children but also in tapping into their strategies (which clearly work) to promote healthy options to kids. As the Institute of Medicine points out, the field has “underutilized the potential to devote creativity and resources in promoting food, beverages, and meals that support healthful diets for children”. One of the few examples I’ve come across: the recent baby carrots campaign, which “takes a page out of junk foods’ playbook and applies it to baby carrots” with Doritos-like packaging, seasonal tie-ins like “scarrots” during Halloween, and TV spots that portray baby carrots as extreme and futuristic.
We have a responsibility to be creative and tap into strategies that work when it comes to marketing healthy foods – not just preach and list facts (since we all know how appealing kids find that technique).
We also have a responsibility to step up and speak up against the massive junk food and fast food industries in their aggressive marketing to children – the Prevention Institute has a great video and easy action items on this front.
Check it out and add your voice to the discussion!
(This post is cross-posted at http://occupyhealthcare.net)


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At the start of July, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) went into effect. While overtly, the agreement does not differ greatly from NAFTA which originated roughly a quarter of a century ago, The finer points could open up opportunities for the Unites States trucking industry and the economy as a whole.
The USMCA Benefits American Industries
Provisions in the USMCA favor trade in the United States. While the agreement will have very little impact on the trucking industry in the immediate future, the long-term plan will drive more business to carriers.
The USMCA is designed to place the focus on domestic production in hopes of attracting more manufacturers and factories to the United States. Additionally, there is a push for increased agricultural trade between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The long-term benefits could result in higher demand in the trucking industry to transport goods and effectively allow carriers to hire more drivers over the upcoming years. The agreement is projected to increase our GDP by an additional $60 billion.
A Jumpstart for the Economy
Experts in the freight industry have noted that the USMCA could not have come at a better time. While the economy has been relying on the trucking industry no more than ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, that work has been to keep supply chains moving and to expedite medical equipment where it is needed most. The new agreement will help to spur commerce and growth across a number of sectors, which will hopefully get the US out of its holding pattern and boost domestic revenue.
Building a Long-Term Strategy
Even though we are in the early stages of the USMCA, the trucking industry is already forming a long-term strategy in anticipations of economic growth. However, unlike the spending that was done at the end of 2018, carriers are preparing by building up capital reserves.
To do this, trucking companies are using freight factoring to eliminate waiting periods on unpaid receivables. This gives carriers fast access to revenue so they can build up capital that they can use for equipment, hiring, and anything else they need once the economy hits its stride.
At Express Freight Finance, we provide comprehensive freight factoring solutions to the trucking industry. Contact our offices today to eliminate the lag in client and broker payments.


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Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading.
Braze — Shares of the consumer engagement platform rallied more than 18%. On Thursday, Braze posted a non-GAAP loss of 13 cents on revenue of $101.8 million. Analysts called for a loss of 18 cents per share and revenue of $98.8 million, according to FactSet. Goldman Sachs reiterated its buy rating on the stock following the report, noting that artificial intelligence should help the company gain market share.
related investing news
Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation — On Friday, Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage of Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation with a buy rating, saying the urban air mobility firms are positioned for the long term. Joby shares jumped about 9%, while Archer shares rose 3.3%.
Tesla, General Motors — Tesla rallied 4%, and General Motors added nearly 2%. On Thursday, the companies announced a partnership that gives GM access to Tesla’s North America charging stations. GM CEO Mary Barra said it will save the company up to $400 million of its previously announced $750 million investment to build out EV charging.
DocuSign — DocuSign shares slid 4%. In an earnings call Thursday, CEO Allan C. Thygesen said, “We are seeing more moderate pipeline and cautious customer behavior coupled with smaller deal sizes and lower volumes.” Initially, shares rose in extended trading Thursday after DocuSign beat fiscal first-quarter expectations on the top and bottom lines, posting adjusted earnings of 72 cents a share on $661 million in revenue. Analysts polled by Refinitiv called for earnings of 56 cents a share and $642 million of revenue.
Target — Target declined almost 2% after Citi downgraded the retail stock to neutral from buy, saying sales may have peaked at the big-box merchandiser.
— CNBC’s Michelle Fox, Alex Harring and Samantha Subin contributed reporting


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Virtual technology streamlines Ford’s manufacturing
Dearborn — Ford Motor Co. is using virtual reality to keep its workers safe and assist them on nearly every part of the car-building process.
The Dearborn automaker on Thursday invited media for a first-look inside its new Ergonomics and Variation Analysis Lab, a 1,800-square-foot facility that opened in January and serves as a testing hub for everything from attaching transmissions to engines to connecting hoses and pushing in headlamps. Using virtual reality demos, Ford has been able to streamline the manufacturing process and make it safer, resulting in a 70 percent drop in worker injury rate and 90 percent drop in ergonomic issues like overextended movements and difficult hand clearance.
“Virtual manufacturing plays a key role in the genesis of our new vehicle launches,” said Allison Stephens, technical leader for assembly ergonomics at Ford. “Ford has really embraced this technology to make sure the design of our workplace is safe and well-thought out.”
The ergonomics lab — the only Ford facility of its kind — includes a small team of about three employees, but it constantly brings in product specialists from across Ford’s lineup to look at building vehicles safer and easier. Ford’s been using some form of virtual reality testing for ten years and has applied it to 100 vehicle launch programs like the 2015 Mustang and 2016 Explorer. But today’s technology is much more advanced than what the automaker used to work with.
The ergonomics team uses virtual reality to simulate the build process about 2-3 years before a product hits the showroom.
One process used is called full-body motion capture, where the automaker uses data on how an employee moves around their work station at the plant to complete certain tasks. They use 52 motion-capturing sensors and 23 cameras to track body movement and muscle strength for pushing, pulling and connecting car parts. It’s the same technology used by professional athletes to simulate a golf swing or tennis serve.
Ford puts the motion-capture into a highly-detailed 360-degree virtual reality plant, and includes details like how lights and shadows affect certain vehicle parts. In a demo Thursday, Ford showed how it used the technology to streamline the process of attaching a transmission to the engine of its 2015 F-150 pickup.
Jae Perry, a product specialist at the Dearborn Truck Plant, said the technology helped reduce the time it takes to fix parts or processes from weeks to hours.
“My first day in the lab was like being beamed in from Star Trek,” she said. “I was able to find problems we hadn’t seen before.”
The automaker also uses 3D printing to help its ergonomists decide if an employee’s hands will be able to fit in certain places to connect hoses or other vehicle parts. It can even print models with some parts that are flexible and some that are rigid to help better simulate real parts on a car.
“This is a technology we embrace,” said Marty Smets, an ergonomics engineer. “We really do use it to make engineering decisions all the time.”


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A five-year-old Irish boy who was wrongly accused by a supermarket of stealing a bag of crisps has won €7,500 (£6,300) in damages for defamation of character.
An Irish court heard that Tadhg Mooney, from Balbriggan in Co Dublin, had been in a local branch of Lidl with his mother on June 24, 2009 when a shop assistant grabbed his arm and made the accusation.
His barrister told the Circuit Civil Court that her client had suffered injury to his reputation and had been caused to suffer distress and inconvenience.
She added that the shop assistant's grabbing the boy's arm was false imprisonment and assault.
Yesterday, the family's lawyer Dermot McNamara told the AFP wire service that Tadhg's mother had shown a receipt for the bag of crisps to the store.
“We managed to settle it over negotiations lasting for a month or two,” Mr McNamara said.


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October 22, 2020
When it comes to logistics data, it’s hard to see how we could work without it. Literally, in the case of Capacity, as it cuts to the core of everything we do and the value proposition we offer to our clients.
In a recent interview with supply chain software experts Tecsys, our CSO Thom Campbell highlights the essential nature of data and metrics to our services. Continue reading Logistics Data and Decision-Making: The Importance of Metrics
March 14, 2020
While everything has changed in recent days regarding how and where large groups can congregate, things were much less tense when our engineering team headed out to Atlanta for MODEX 2020 earlier this month. They’re home safe and sound now, of course, and we’d love to share some of the sights and themes that they brought us from the show.
Even though we won’t be out in exhibition halls for the foreseeable future, we hope these images and smiles act as a reminder that things will eventually return to a more stable footing. Until then, we wish everyone a safe and healthy transition period. Continue reading Capacity at MODEX 2020: Themes & Highlights
February 6, 2020
When the only tool at your disposal is a hammer, the temptation exists to strike every stray nail that you see. But what if that nail is embedded in a valuable piece of furniture? Hopefully, that would prompt you to think twice before taking a swing!
Just as different DIY tasks require distinct tools to get the job done, so do different order fulfillment scenarios.
If you’re a CPG company shipping huge volumes to a major retailer, your existing logistics provider is probably getting the job done just fine.
When it comes to shipping premium skincare products to individual customers, however, it’s time for a more refined service as your eCommerce fulfillment provider. Continue reading 3 Reasons to Find a New Partner as Your eCommerce Fulfillment Provider
January 16, 2020
At this time of year, it’s not uncommon to see various predictions pop up around what’s happening in our industry and expectations for the next twelve months. However, this change of calendar is more consequential than most, as it marks not just another year but a new decade dawning.
There’s no denying that things have changed significantly over the last ten years (this blog didn’t exist, for one thing!) The retail world has been disrupted in almost every sector, primarily by Amazon but with new brands and digital startups also shaking things up.
Meanwhile, technology has evolved to such a degree that consumers can shop almost anywhere, any time, and expect to see their purchases within a couple of days, if not hours in some metropolitan areas.
Against that backdrop of consistent disruption and game-changing technology, what can we expect to see around the supply chain, retail, and eCommerce spaces as we move into 2020? Continue reading Fulfillment and Supply Chain Trends to Watch For in 2020
October 30, 2019
Analysis by Bain & Company recently highlighted that, when it comes to investment in new technology, Amazon will outspend its average retail competitor by a factor of ten over the next five years. At their current rate of investment, that equates to every one of its ten closest retail competitors allocating an estimated $100 billion less than Amazon for information technology by 2023.
Why does this matter? Isn’t Amazon simply spending far more because its core business is delivered online?
While underpinning its dominant eCommerce platforms is clearly a factor for Amazon, such reasoning overlooks some crucial aspects of the retail landscape that are helping Amazon become even more dominant. Continue reading Why Investment in Technology is Crucial to eCommerce Competition