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When assessing risk of cargo theft, moving goods by sea appears to be a relatively less risky mode of transport compared with other modes, according to a recent report.
Maritime cargo continues to face risk of larger-level criminality at sea, such as piracy and armed robbery. However, in terms of lower risk such as theft from cargo in transit, the report – the BSI Supply Chain Services and Solutions and TT Club annual cargo theft assessment for 2018 – indicates that theft from road-based transport and from shore-based fixed facilities presents the largest risk to freight cargo security.
In assessing cargo theft risk to help prevent freight crime, the reported highlighted the global trends in types of cargo theft risk, modalities of transport and nature of commodities targeted, and theft tactics employed.
According to the report’s data, in terms of the top two modalities of theft, 84% occurred from vehicles, with 13% occurring from fixed facilities, and 1% occurred from rail transport. The total figure for all other modes – including shipping at sea – was 2%.
BSI confirmed to SAS that the 2% figure for ‘other’ modalities included maritime cargo security statistics. However, BSI global intelligence manager Jim Yarbrough told SAS, “We do not typically see many incidents of theft involving maritime cargo in transit.”
Elaborating on potential explanations for this, Yarbrough added, “There are much fewer vulnerability points on transport once it is at sea. The real risk is at the point of loading or off-loading, where we do see greater numbers of thefts and attempts.”
Certainly, with the report noting that goods remain vulnerable ashore in a range of circumstances – for example on road and rail transport, and at fixed facilities – risk remains for maritime cargo when it is transported by land.
Ashore, the report noted that the primary risk is ‘slash-and-grab’ theft from soft-skinned vehicles (26%), with thefts from vehicles and hijacking of vehicles being the next two risks (19% and 17% respectively). Risk to maritime cargo in port remains, with theft from facilities featuring as the fourth risk (13%).
An obvious conclusion is that the very nature of moving goods by sea – containerised cargo, embarked onboard large vessels, which move constantly at speed, and in isolation over large distances and at significant distance from shore – builds an inherent layer of security. Nonetheless, risk remains for maritime cargo once goods are ashore, for example in fixed facilities such as ports.
In terms of theft from facilities, Asia was noted in the report as the region of largest risk, with 43% of cargo thefts across the region occurring at fixed facilities. In the Middle East/Africa region, facility theft accounted for 23% of thefts. Figures for North America, South America, and Europe were 9%, 8%, and 4% respectively.
The report also highlighted the risk of insider assistance for criminals. “As organisations implement increasingly sophisticated physical, procedural, and cyber security measures to protect their assets from external threats, the recruitment of insiders becomes a more attractive option for those attempting to gain access,” the report stated. Risks here included unauthorised disclosure of sensitive information and facilitation of third party access to an organisation’s assets, it noted.
As regards information disclosure, the report also noted the risk of inadvertent disclosure by individuals through social media use. For example, it noted that an individual posting on social media the arrival of a container carrying high-value cargo or popular video game materials “has the potential to raise awareness among the perpetrators of theft”. Highlighting a growing focus across the transport industry on security risks created by social media use, the report recommended that – among critical considerations within the development and implementation of policies, management control procedures, and awareness training to improve cargo security – companies should “Employ a sound communication policy, both internal and external, [relating to] the use of mobile devices and social media.”


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Kimchi in South Korea has undergone a significant amount of controversy recent months, starting with China attempting to claim this as a food of its own, followed by viral videos rousing food safety concerns about China-made ‘pao cai’ or another form of pickled cabbage made differently from Korean kimchi, but known by the same name in the Mandarin Chinese language.
All of this has resulted in substantial impact to the imported kimchi sector in the country. According to a recent report by the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), imports as of June 2021 have dropped by a whopping 21.8% year-on-year to hit 17,906 tonnes from 22,885 tonnes in June 2020.
“The year-on-year disparity has been getting larger since March this year [when the video on China-made ‘kimchi’ was reported] – in April we saw a 7.2% (1,376 tonnes) decrease, then in May a 13.2% (3,168) tonnes decrease and now this 21.8% (4,979 tonnes) decrease in June,” said MAFRA via the report.
Korea Rural Economic Research Institute researcher Park Ki-hwan also attributed this drop to consumers’ rising food safety concerns.
“Kimchi imports saw a decline in the first half of 2020 due to COVID-19 related concerns, but this year the reason is different – after the video of Chinese pickled cabbage was reported in March, consumers have become increasingly concerned about the hygiene and safety of these products.
“This phenomenon has led to them avoiding imported kimchi provided by restaurants. We predict that these negative perceptions will persist into the second half of the year.”
Prior to the controversy, China was consistently the top source of imported Chinese kimchi into South Korea, mostly utilized at restaurants and eateries that do not make their own kimchi due to lower prices.
A separate government survey on the kimchi industry also highlighted food safety and hygiene concerns as a major concern, with consumer focus group discussions showing negative perceptions of imported kimchi and the relevant country of origin in relation the kimchi scandal and media portrayals.
The situation has also not been helped by kimchi taking the top spot in terms of country of origin labelling violations between January and June 2021.
In a separate statement, MAFRA announced that its crackdowns during the first half of the year yielded 1,771 violations, with 20% (420 cases) dominated by kimchi, followed by pork at 14% (290 cases), beef at 10% (198 cases), soybeans at 5% (101 cases) rice at 4% (90 cases) and chicken at 3% (65 cases).
“We conducted a special crackdown between March 29 to April on Chinese cabbage ‘kimchi’ in consideration of consumer concerns, and found multiple violations from false labelling to completely unmarked products,” said MAFRA.
“Some restaurants even mixed up China-imported kimchi with domestic-produced product and sold this labelled as domestic kimchi – acts such as these have been subject to criminal prosecution.”
The government has also taken steps to further control kimchi imports via the regulatory pathway – according to the Enforcement Rules of the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management, an article has just been added where imported foods ‘subject to certification’ will now include ‘pickled/stewed kimchi with cabbage as the main ingredient’, indicating that imported kimchi will be subject to tougher pre-import checks moving forward.
Enforcement of this regulation will be implemented in October 2021.
Rise in Korean kimchi exports
Conversely, the MAFRA report also showed that locally-produced kimchi had been gaining popularity globally, with kimchi already seeing massive growth and leading South Korea’s food export boom amidst the COVID-19 outbreak last year, and seeing even further growth this year.
“Korean kimchi exports hit record highs of 40,000 tons by volume and US$145mn by value in 2020,” said the ministry.
“In the first half of this year we have already seen exports of 22,000 tons and US$87mn, up 9.3% and 20.1% respectively year-on-year, which [is indicative of a continuing rising] export trend.
“Local firms using kimchi are participating in a self-labelling system via the Domestic Kimchi Autonomous Labelling System to certify the use of 100% locally-made kimchi via a special certification mark.”

domain: news


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The Craig Daily Press reports…
Municipal voters in Craig could have three marijuana questions on the November ballot after city councilors hashed out much of the city’s new marijuana ordinance late Tuesday night.
Among the highlights of the new proposal are a 5% sales tax and 5% excise tax on marijuana in Craig that councilors will use to fund Moffat County Libraries’ Craig branch and the Museum of Northwest Colorado for a period of five years, after which any new city council can appropriate the additional tax dollars at their discretion.
The taxes narrowly passed a 4-3 vote with councilors Andrea Camp, Paul James, and Steve Mazzuca dissenting.
The sales and excise taxes are in addition to existing local and state taxes on marijuana sales in Colorado.
Councilors also decided to ask the marijuana ballot question of voters in two separate parts:
• Should retail sales through dispensaries be allowed in Craig?
• Should all other areas of marijuana business be allowed in Craig, including warehousing, courier operations, manufacturing, growing, and testing?
A third ballot question will ask voters whether the proposed sales and excise taxes should be passed.
According to City Attorney Sherman Romney, if the ballot questions are approved by voters, Craig’s marijuana ordinance would be finalized and voted on by city council.
“City council would still have to pass it after the election; do a first reading and second reading,” Romney said.
Councilors started their license discussion with the idea that four licenses be allowed for each area of marijuana business in Craig, though James did not exactly concur with fellow council members on that number.
“I think the market will dictate how many will be successful,” James said.
Councilors ultimately decided the city would begin by allowing residents to apply for three licenses for each area of marijuana business in Craig. Applications fees for the licenses would be non-refundable. If an application is denied, the city would keep that money to help offset the cost of ongoing operations and enforcement.
Zoning and hours of operation
Councilor Chris Nichols made many of the marijuana motions Tuesday and was first to suggest allowing just retail sales inside many of Craig’s business zones — including the city’s commercial zone, both industrial zones and both mixed use zones.
Council passed the retail sales zones unanimously, but Nichols was the only dissenting vote for allowing the other areas of marijuana business into the same zones to include Craig’s agricultural zone for larger marijuana operations.
Council also determined that marijuana businesses be kept at least 800 feet from parks, residences, schools, child care facilities, and churches. Potential operation hours in Craig would be from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Security, background checks, shopping local
Councilors at first were torn on whether to require background checks, though City Manager Peter Brixius and Craig Police Department’s Jerry DeLong told council they didn’t think it was needed.
“I’m suggesting we don’t,” Brixius said of the city conducting extensive background checks. “I’m suggesting we find whether they’re a legal resident of the United States and go from there.”
Chief DeLong agreed.
“For us to do the same background check as the state does, no,” he said when asked if he thought his office needed to do additional background checks.
Councilors also decided not to require a portion of any retail operation’s marijuana be grown locally.
Lastly, despite reservations from both DeLong and Capt. Bill Leonard, councilors declined to require offsite video surveillance recording to deter burglaries.
“I just don’t think we should be forcing businesses to be paying more money,” James said.


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Wockhardt's Waluj plant approved by US FDA
Mumbai, May 11: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Wockhardt's cephalosporin injectables plant at Waluj in Aurangabad.
The Company informed this to the BSE today. Now, the Waluj plant has become Wockhardts' sixth plant to receive the US FDA approval.
However, three of the Company's cephalosporin products, to be manufactured at the Waluj plant, are pending approval with US FDA.
The company expects them to be approved soon.
Wockhardt's plant in Chikalthana in Aurangabad accounts for majority of the eleven formulations exported to US and is already approved by the US FDA.


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When we first learned Settlers of Catan was coming to VR, not much was revealed at the time. We were told the multiplayer experience would be “optimized for virtual reality” and stay “true to the classic”. But no gameplay was shared, so we had no idea what to expect.
Now the creators of the best-selling board game, with over 22 million copies in 30 languages sold over the past couple decades, is finally teasing us with a first look.
Developed by game studio Experiment 7 in collaboration with the creators of the original creators of Catan, you can check out Catan VR’s announcement trailer below.
Staying true to Catan, you can build settlements, roads, cities and place them on your virtual game board that you and three other players gather around.
One hand shows your resource cards that can be played and traded with the other players.
Catan VR also has cross-play functionality, which means you can play against friends no matter if they have an Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear VR. Catan VR is expected to launch on additional VR headsets, likely after the closed beta.
You can sign-up for the free closed beta by entering your email here.


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InnJoo today announced the launch of its new 4G LTE Fire Pro smartphone exclusively through Souq.com in Saudi Arabia. The Fire Pro comes in three colours Black, White and Gold.
The new smartphone is powered by InnJoo’s own proprietary software and is priced at SAR 444, making it the most affordable 4G-LTE smartphone in the market.
The 4G LTE will now enable users to enjoy high speed internet with 150/50mbps download/upload speed. And, also offers a great LTE speed to stream videos or play games online.
The new device is equipped with 2GB RAM, Dual SIM, Quad-Core processor and Android Lollipop operating system. The 5 inch HD IPS display, while plus a 5 MP front and 8MP rear camera, it ensures a stunning display and browsing effect as well as clear angle for capturing.
The smartphone is equipped with an internal storage of 16GB which can be further expanded via microSD card. The built-in InnUI also ensures longer usage with its power saving settings, which allow users the comfort to enjoy browsing the Internet, playing games, watching videos, listening to music and talking on the phone for longer periods.
Tim Chen, Co-founder and CEO at InnJoo, said: “With the launch of Fire Pro, we are confident of propelling the next wave of mobile internet ecosystem in the Kingdom and strengthen our position further in the market.” Chen said. “With the sales for our smartphones and the users of our own software on rise, we also plan to increase our investments to beef up our infrastructure and offer after sales service support in the region especially in KSA.”


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PCs & Laptops
PCs & Laptops
Ask Graeme - Adding Mesh to your network
A reader sent in some great questions about his home network last month, and asks how easy is it ‘really’ to add Mesh Wi-Fi to his existing home network?
Sep 14 2018, 4:36PM
Ask Graeme: PowerLine Technology – The Forgotten Networking Solution
Graeme discusses the new Homeplug AV2 technology, and how it’s breathing new life into powerline extenders.
Sep 6 2018, 12:51PM
Explainer: What is latency?
We explore the nature of network latency and the steps you can take to reduce it
a Staff Writer
Aug 22 2018, 4:35PM
Basic Wi-Fi could be used to detect weapons and bombs
Researchers say the discovery will help cut down on the need for expensive scanning technology.
a Staff Writer
Aug 17 2018, 11:18AM
How to: Change your Wi-Fi channel
Internet speeds seem slow? You might be on the wrong Wi-Fi channel.
Aug 16 2018, 10:43AM
Dasan and D-Link routers targeted by apparent botnet in new wave of exploit attacks
An apparent botnet comprised of more than 3,000 separate source IPs generated a large, sudden spike in exploit attacks on 19 July, targeting D-Link 2750B and certain Dasan GPON small and home office routers.
Jul 25 2018, 11:45AM
NBN and the ever shifting goalposts
Replying to our reader James' question, Graeme discusses the different types of NBN connectivity types, and the issues they cause.
Jul 9 2018, 10:34AM
Review: Billion BiPAC 8700VAX–1600 VDSL2 Wi-Fi Router
Billion is back and solid as usual, but the rest of the industry has moved on.
Jul 5 2018, 1:12PM
WPA3 offers better security - but not today
Long-mooted Wi-Fi standard is finally certified, including enhanced authentication and encryption measures, but experts fear adoption rates could be slow.
Jun 29 2018, 10:36AM
Wi-Fi Alliance rolls out WPA3 to boost wireless security
WPA3 makes it easier to connect devices to a network securely.
a Staff Writer
Jun 28 2018, 8:39AM
What a nice multi-port dock this is
Quite the sexy slice of versatile aluminium, this
Jun 25 2018, 10:55AM
Review: Draytek Vigor2862Vac VDSL2 Wi-Fi VoIP Router
An FTTN NBN compatible Wi-Fi router full of high end features and VoIP support.
Jun 18 2018, 12:49PM
How to: Get faster Wi-Fi
Boost Wi-Fi and data speeds on your phone, laptop and PC and stop neighbours stealing your bandwidth.
May 31 2018, 10:47AM
How to: Turn a Raspberry Pi into a VPN server
A guide to building an encrypted connection to your home network from anywhere.
May 30 2018, 10:34AM
Review: Asus DSL-AC3100 Wi-Fi modem-router
Pricey, but an excellent all-in-one Wi-Fi router for NBN FTTN users.
May 22 2018, 12:07PM
DNS flaw allows hackers to change DNS settings in 800,000 Draytek routers
Network equipment vendor Draytek has said several of its wireless routers are vulnerable to exploits allowing hackers to remotely change the device's DNS and DHCP settings and potentially steal personal data to hijack web traffic.
May 22 2018, 11:51AM
Review: Asus Blue Cave Wi-Fi Router
A solid Wi-Fi router for the image conscious.
May 16 2018, 12:00PM
Norton now has a router with built-in protection
The first of its kind brings a deeper level of security
May 16 2018, 10:10AM
Asus’ Lyra Trio wants to prove mesh is best
Wi-Fi gone wild.
May 15 2018, 1:04PM
D-Link's mesh Wi-Fi lands in Australia
High speeds and wide-area coverage, plus quite nice looks
May 7 2018, 4:14PM
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Smartphone manufacturers across the globe are getting ready to pitch into the MWC 2018this month to introduce the new smartphones. Many Chinese companies including Meizu, Huawei, etc. were spotted working on a couple of smartphones. Several days ago, Meizu’s Blue Charm E3 smartphone was photographed allegedly, showing the fingerprint scanner placement of the smartphone. Now, another set of smartphone images have been leaked, and now the device gets exposed completely.
Meizu Blue Charm E3 resembled the Meizu M6s at a glance. So the smartphone was leaked back in January, suspected to be the Meizu M6s. From the latest set of leaks, it is apparently clear that the company is working on with a smartphone design pattern matches the trends in the market. The device has an 18:9 taller display. But the bezels are not too narrow to be considered as bezel-less. Coming to the rear panel, the dual-camera combo sensors are mounted on the top left corner vertically. The rear design including the camera assembly looks familiar with the Apple iPhone X.
From the previous leaks, the smartphone was spotted to be sporting a fingerprint scanner on the side power button, like Sony Xperia smartphones. The Meizu Blue CHarm E3 carries a USB Type-C port, along with a 3.5mm HEadphone jack. The device is expected to arrive in midrange sector at an affordable price tag.


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ELKHART — When Monaco RV closed its doors Feb. 10, they did it suddenly and without warning.
The move not only shocked the suddenly jobless men and women who showed up for work that morning. It also left a 200,000-square-foot facility at 2700 S. Nappanee St. full of materials.
Hahn Auctioneers Inc. will be selling off everything in the plant at a public auction beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday, March 25.
Available are three completed RVs, several partially finished vehicles and a list of supplies including everything from flat-screen TVs to nuts and bolts.
Phil Hahn said it's not unusual for his company to auction off the remnants of a shuttered RV plant, but he doesn't usually see this much needing liquidation.
"The doors were shut fairly quick, so there are work-in-progress units and everything," Hahn said. "Normally the companies will use up as much as they can."
Hahn said he expects the auction to draw a mix of RV company representatives, RV owners and the public.
"There will be a lot of interest in all of it," he said.
Those interested can come in and view everything from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, March 24.
Thor has announced plans to occupy the building next and begin producing motorhomes sometime before July 31.


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South Carolina Federal Credit Union and the South Carolina Credit Union League may have the workaround for a national credit union brand awareness campaign.
Record numbers of member enrollments are continuing among California credit unions, according to the California Credit Union League, and at Maryland’s largest credit union.
It’s an opportunity credit unions shouldn’t waste. The sun is shining; it’s time to make hay.
Record account openings reported by California Credit Union League, SECU in Maryland.
South Carolina Federal Credit Union and the state League may have the workaround for a national credit union brand awareness campaign.
Facebook page for moving credit card business now emerges.
Is Bank Transfer Day more hype than consumer revolution?
Credit unions really may stand to benefit from Bank Transfer Day and consumer dissatisfaction with big banks, a new Harris Poll shows.
Credit unions, trades, leagues keep up offensive as banks retreat, Saturday approaches.
New song outlines consumer path from big bank customer to CU member.


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The economy is choking small-business development centers in Pennsylvania as demand remains fairly constant but services decline, according to a newly released annual report.
The report said funding for the 18 centers has been reduced by more than 30 percent over the past six years, with the 108,000 hours of consulting in 2012 the lowest since 1998. The number of entrepreneurs and small-business owners who received no-fee, expert, confidential business management advice held steady at 12,254.
“With fewer professional consultants, we are spending less time per client since the demand has not lessened,” Pennsylvania SBDC state director Christian Conroy said in a news release.
Fewer hours spent assisting businesses also resulted in a drop in start-up and expansion capital acquired. In 2012, the SBDCs helped companies raise $106.8 million in debt and equity financing — less than half the amount raised in 2008 during the height of the financial crisis.
The number of educational programs, 744, and program attendees, 13,983, held steady from 2011, although they are down approximately 30 percent from a decade ago.
The report said the network is bracing for an influx of small businesses struggling to deal with the effects of sequestration, especially small businesses that contract with the defense sector.
Other highlights from the 2012 services summary are as follows.
• Client government contracts — $150.4 million
• Assets preserved — $72.3 million
• Most requested consulting topics — start-up assistance, business plan development and marketing, sales and customer relations.
• Business sizes — 59 percent of clients had between one and five employees; 16 percent had six to 10 employees.
• Client industries — 56 percent service industry, 15 percent retailers, 14 percent manufacturers, 7 percent other and 4 percent each construction and wholesalers.
The top 10 business sectors served were as follows.
1. Professional, scientific and technical services
2. Accommodation and food services
3. Other services (except public administration)
4. Manufacturing, metal products
5. Health care and social assistance
6. Retail trade
8. Retail: tobacco, fuel, mail order
9. Manufacturing: food
10. Administrative, support, waste management and remediation services


text: “Fairy Tails” is this year’s theme as the Ky Humane Society brings the 15th annual auction and benefit to the Downtown Marriott, Saturday August 16th at 6 pm. It is black-tie optional this year, but the need is as great as ever! Guests will find both a silent and live auction of over 100 items, with proceeds benefiting the society’s local chapters. Some of the items available for auction include: Two tickets to the Ryder Cup next month at Valhalla Golf Club, a Four Star African safari, beachcfront stay in Belize, autographed Peyton Manning Colts’ jersey and much, much more. Along with the auctions, for $135 a ticket, guests will enjoy a red carpet valet start to the evening; hors d’oeuvres and open bar, intimate dinner, featured furry animals, and live music performed by Flashpoint. For those animal lovers who think they have the cutest pet in the world and want to show it off, you will have an opportunity during the live auction to bid on a chance to have your pet on the cover of the 2009 Kentucky Humane Society Calendar. According to the KHS, “There also will be a special “Golden Ticket” drawing where the lucky winner, drawn from the 100 tickets sold that evening, will have the opportunity to select a live auction item.” Tickets are still available as well as corporate table sponsorships. Please visit www.kyhumane.org for ticket purchases and more information.


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Published : Oct. 27, 2021 - 10:49
Samsung SDI CEO Jun Young-hyun (R) shakes hands with Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares in this photo provided by Samsung SDI, on Wednesday. (Samsung SDI)
The chiefs of South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI Co. and global automaker Stallantis N.V. have met in Hungary, company officials said Wednesday, days after announcing a partnership to build an electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in the United States.
The meeting between Samsung SDI CEO Jun Young-hyun and Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, came after the two companies announced a plan to jointly build an EV battery plant in the US, with the production to begin in the first half of 2025. It will be Samsung SDI's first EV plant in the US
"We discussed ways to continue the business cooperation and maximize the synergy in the future," a Samsung SDI official said.
They also held a ceremony marking the signing of their partnership and toured the production plant, according to SDI officials.
The Hungary plant, established in 2001, produced cathode ray tubes and plasma display panels for television sets, before being converted to a lithium ion battery production facility in 2016.
Since last month, it has been producing Samsung SDI's high-performance "Gen.5."
The latest US EV battery plant deal paves the way for Samsung SDI to secure a stable supply foothold in America ahead of the free trade agreement among the US, Canada and Mexico, which requires carmakers to sell EVs installed with locally produced parts. The trade deal will take effect in July 2025.
The deal also gives Stellantis more room to diversify its EV battery supplies as it is pushing to increase EV sales in North America, amid its active investment in the transition to EVs.
The US plant, whose output will be supplied to Stellantis' plug-in hybrid and EV lineups from its North America production lines, will have an annual production capacity of 23 gigawatt hours (GWh) and aims to have 40 GWh going forward. (Yonhap)


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The International Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES, is a mishmash of media, buyers, sellers, celebrities and companies, all strolling into Las Vegas to see what everyone will be talking about for the next year. As is our tradition, we’re on the ground to bring you the best items from the show. Here’s our focused synopsis of the highlights from the world’s biggest technology event.
Technics SL-1200G and SL-1200GAE
Supposedly scrapped a few years back, Technics has revived its iconic direct-drive turntables with the 50th-anniversary limited-edition Grand Class SL-1200GAE and the non-limited-edition Grand Class SL-1200G models, perfect for those looking to rediscover the pleasures of listening to vinyl.
Audeze SINE Headphones
The Audeze SINE headphones offer a 80 x 70mm planar magnetic driver (the largest surface area of any on-ear headphone in its class) in a lightweight, foldable package that’s perfect for traveling.
Panasonic DMP-UB900 HD Blu-ray Player
Introducing a replacement for standard Blu-ray players, the Panasonic DMP-UB900 HD Blu-ray Player delivers 4K-resolution pictures thanks to a new 4K High-Precision Chroma Processor, so you can see video images at home with studio-level precision.
Panasonic DX900 LED LCD TV
Panasonic released the DX900 LED LCD TV, the first of its kind to meet the UHD Alliance’s “Ultra HD Premium” specification.
Samsung KS9500 TV
The Samsung KS9500 TV has quantum-dot color enhancement and HDR capabilities with stunning brightness, but it’s also a smart home control center (for all SmartThings-compatible) and will have the ability to play PlayStation Now and Gamefly games without the console.
LG OLED G6 TV
With the OLED G6 TV, LG offers incredible-looking OLED pictures (think: best contrast and deepest blacks) in an incredibly thin screen (1/10th of an inch).
Sony’s 4K Ultra HD TVs
Sony released it’s new 4K Ultra HD TVs with the XBR-X930D/XBR-X940D and the XBR-X850D series, ready to bring 4K and HDR from the lens to the living room.
Tablo Apple TV App
Tablo, the company that gave consumers the ability to get free over-the-air programming, has released an Apple TV App, which will enable users to enjoy live news, sports and network broadcast programming, all within the slick interface of the Apple TV.
Sony HDR-AS50 Action Cam
Stepping up the design and functionality, Sony released the 11.1MP HDR-AS50 camera, the latest in its Action Cam POV lineup. The camera features a ZEISS Tessar lens and utilizes SteadyShot image stabilization to keep the picture steady while mounted on a bike helmet or an aerial drone.
Nikon released its first action camera, the KeyMission360, which will shoot in 4K UHD 360-degree video.
Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook
Gamers can add their own video cards to the Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook, an ultralight .52-inch-thick gaming laptop with a 12.5-inch high-res touch display.
Xiaomi Ninebot Segway Concept
Xiaomi, who bought Segway last year, unveiled the self-balancing Ninebot Segway, which, when not being ridden by the user, transforms into a robot helper with a voice, live-streaming camera, facial recognition and object detection.
Yunneec Typhoon H Drone
Yunneec offers a bit of competition to DJI’s drones with the release of its Typhoon H Drone, equipped with a CGO3+ 4K camera and offering 22 minutes of flight time.


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CNN's Marketplace Africa offers viewers a unique window into African business on and off the continent. This week Christian Purefoy speaks to Sunil Mittal, CEO of Indian telecoms giant Bharti Group, about its expansion into Africa.
(CNN) -- As the founder and chief executive of telecoms giant Bharti Group, Sunil Mittal is one of India's most successful business leaders.
The 53-year-old entrepreneur is widely credited with starting the cell phone revolution in India, bringing mobile phones to the masses.
And now he has set his sights on the African market, following Bharti's recent acquisition of the African assets of Zain -- Kuwait's biggest phone operator -- in a deal worth $10.7 billion.
Mittal sat down with CNN's Christian Purefoy and talked about what he hopes to accomplish in Africa.
CNN: You're the largest mobile operator in India -- why have you come into Africa?
Sunil Mittal: Well, I can really preface that by saying, why not? We have been looking towards Africa for a long period of time so our entry into Africa has been part of a very well-considered strategy of carrying the low-cost, high-volume minutes factory that we've developed in India to be brought into Africa. So when Zain came to us as an opportunity we were very quick to move onto that.
CNN: This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, investment by India in Africa -- over $10 billion dollars. What do you feel you can bring from India to Africa?
SM: For our business model to succeed you need to have scale. As you deepen your networks into more rural, difficult, areas and as you re-balance tariffs you see the usage going up -- both of existing customers and new customers that come onboard.
So, I'm very confident that our model of low-cost affordable tariffs and widespread networks will bring an amazing difference to the countries we want to be in.
CNN: Africa is, of course, not India. What are the challenges you've faced and are still facing?
SM: I think infrastructure -- we're deep in the Indian Ocean, we're in mountains in Kashmir, so we've handled tough terrains but some of the areas here are tougher in terms of availability of electricity.
And finally -- I say this in India and I can say it here -- use telecoms as a tool for development and not necessarily as an industry that needs to be taxed the most.
While a government needs to get its taxes and share of revenues, I think it needs to be moderated so that the companies can plough back investment into more rural areas, making countries internet-ready and bridging the digital divide.
CNN: You have some very entrenched competition here -- MTN -- is that going to be a challenge?
SM: We are a product of competition. I wouldn't be sitting here in front of you if competition was not allowed in our country. I'm a first-generation entrepreneur -- we got a chance to compete with the big boys and we took them and we did better because we understood the customers' needs better.
When we come here we have a dominant player, like in Nigeria we have one. We're confident we will shake the market, we will claim our position, and the passion with which we have built this company replicated here in Africa and particularly in Nigeria. But I have to say, out of the 16 countries, we are number one in 11.
CNN: A lot of people talk about mobile phones bringing social development, changing the lives of people. Do you want to do that or is this a business?
SM: Well, at the basic starting point it's got to be a business. To my mind if the business does not do well, everything else becomes talk. You can just say that you want to do good things but you are not in a position to do so. But this company's DNA is one of social good.
CNN: Everyone talks of Chinese investment into Africa -- as we've said this is one of the biggest investments by India in Africa. Are you finding that you are welcomed here?
SM: Absolutely. I can tell you India and Africa have had a long-standing history; our ties are not recent, our ties go back centuries.
I have to confess in the last 10 years, the Chinese have taken a big space that we've vacated in Africa as Indians. I personally believe that our coming into Africa has rekindled big activity in the Indian corporate boardrooms.
We are here to reclaim India's glorious relationship with Africa. The welcome here as an Indian company is absolutely fantastic. We can say that people want a balance between India and China investing into Africa and our welcome suggests that African countries are keen for India to take a bigger position in Africa.


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Undercurrent News – August 22, 2018
North American companies need to be more aggressively seeking access to raw material resources overseas, believes Birgir Brynjolfsson of Antarctica Advisors.
Speaking to Undercurrent News, Brynjolfsson – who worked as the exclusive advisor to Mitsui & Co on its March 2018 deal for Mark Foods – noted there is a perception that US companies in the seafood sector are interested in looking overseas for expansion.
“But what we’ve seen is that there are so many opportunities within North America that there is no need for the companies to start looking overseas.”
“We get a lot of inbound communications from advisors in Asia and Latin America asking ‘hey, we’ve got this opportunity, are you guys interested?’ And our recommendation is that the North American companies have not been aggressively going abroad acquiring the right resources.”
This, he believes, is not the right attitude, as the vast majority of US seafood consumption is imported. Suppliers should be looking to secure access to resources, “driving this critical integration – while they are not”.
He did concede that their US-focused approach has driven consolidation domestically; a good thing for the sector and consumers. But he warned, “if you don’t secure access to the resource, then the resource will become more expensive, and that’s not going to be good for the companies and the consumers”.
He called Red Chamber Group-owned US importer Aqua Star’s 2018 investment in Indian shrimp processor Sagar Grandhi Exports a “great move”, adding the US needs more moves like this one.
“It was a great move for a US company, with the market access going to acquire or invest in the resource. It’s excellent. I would like to see more US companies go overseas to acquire the resources to secure access to them.”
More investments from US shrimp importers are expected in Indian processors and farmers, sources said. “At least” one other US importer is looking at a similar investment in India, said one source with a packer there.
It makes sense for US importers to invest in shrimp producing countries such as India, both due to market requirements and also the application of the seafood import monitoring program (SIMP) for shrimp in nine months, sources suggested.
Investing in countries like India “makes sense now, especially with SIMP”, which will mean importers must comply with the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) new record keeping rules, said Kevin Tang, CEO of Sunnyvale Seafood, the US operation of China’s Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products.
In March 2018 Brynjolfsson told Undercurrent global groups were realizing acquiring or investing in US distributors was the fastest way to get access to the market. Now, he has noted the “whole US value chain has continued to consolidate” in 2018.
“What we’re seeing here in the US is that the big retailers are starting to look to do business with bigger players that can ensure constant supply and traceability, and I think that the industry is going to have to adapt to that,” he said.
Retailers will not find it easy to simply cut distributors out of the chain, he said, as said distributors have “built a lifetime’s worth of supplier relationships”.
“Even if your name is Walmart, or Costco, or Publix, you don’t just build those relationships, and that quality supply chain, that easily. So I doubt that the big retailers will easily cut them out, but I think that they will start working with bigger importers and distributors more closely.”
The key US distributors – and this is likely the case in other countries, Brynjolfsson added – make themselves vital to customers through both relationships and diversity of product.
“Sure, shrimp and salmon may be a big part of what they’re supplying, but there’s a whole range of other species that they’re supplying. I don’t think that the big retailers are going to start going to New Zealand to buy mussels. This isn’t going to be a trend where the distributors are going to be cut out.”
Those that will be successful are those with scale, a diversified product offering, and a diversified supply chain of raw materials, he said. The challenge, on the other hand, will be for the “single species, small-scale businesses”.
On this front, the US remains a sector ripe for consolidation, he said.
“[It] is getting old, there’s so many grey hairs in the industry, and not everybody has thought about succession planning. We are at a time right now where the landscape for business owners to start thinking about selling is ideal, because you have low interest rates, you have the private equity funds full of dry powder, and now at least in the US, you have a tax cut that may or may not be temporary. We are starting to see interest from business owners that want to transact.”
Under incumbent president Donald Trump and his tax cuts for business, cash flows have looked healthier and so valuations should be up for the projected period, he said.
“The other thing is that, for the owners, a transaction is usually a highly taxable event. So if you have higher after-tax proceeds, now is actually a good time for these companies to transact. And we are definitely seeing interest from those business owners who want to start doing something.”
Innovation investment still awaiting pioneer results
As investment advisors, Antarctic is seeing most companies with innovative production plans still waiting on the results of the field’s pioneers, said Brynjolfsson.
“What’s happening with Atlantic Sapphire, what’s happening with the guys [Nordic Aquafarms] up in Maine, those are massive investment amounts that are being put into R&D and greenfield projects, and that’s very good for the industry,” he said.
“I cannot tell you how many people approach us with innovative ideas, and I would say that many of them… they’re not properly thought through. Those that are well thought-through, and well executed, will definitely be successful. I think everybody’s looking at Atlantic Sapphire saying ‘I’m not going to be the first dollar, but if this takes off, then at least you have a proof of concept, and it’s been done before’.”
He agreed that plenty of US retailers may be ready to jump at the chance to market “locally-produced”, environmentally-friendly fish.
On the wider M&A picture, he suggested the sector is still yet to see some more examples of cross-sector deals, be that salmon players going into whitefish, whitefish companies going into farming, or perhaps fishing companies going into the development of aquaculture.
Cooke leading the way
On Brynjolfsson’s earlier points regarding US firms looking overseas for access to raw material, one of the key companies leading the way in this department has been Cooke Aquaculture and its wild catch sister, Cooke Seafood USA.
In May 2018 the firm made an offer for a 39.43-meter Argentine shrimp trawler owned by Grupo Continental Armadores de Pesca, sources with knowledge of process told Undercurrent.
In June Cooke was also said to be the favorite to buy Latin American shrimp producer Seajoy Group, according to sources. Seajoy, which has operations in Central America, in Honduras and Nicaragua, has been on the market for a few months.
“It’s been on the market for a while now and Cooke would make sense. Seajoy has done a great job at being a low-cost producer, with all the environmental approvals; it’s a good company,” one source told Undercurrent.


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SME Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp) has appointed syariah-compliant peer-to-peer (P2P) financing platform microLEAP as the financial intermediary under its Digital Financing Initiative (DFI) pilot project.
In a statement, microLEAP said the collaboration will see SME Corp disburse RM10 million worth of syariah-compliant financing to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through a readily available, fully online platform that provides an array of syariah-compliant financing services.
It said that although banks had introduced a variety of solutions to aid businesses, there is still more to be done to reach out to MSMEs that make up 98.5% of registered businesses in Malaysia.
It said MSMEs that qualify will be given access to an online payment schedule, automated payment reminders and an end-to-end default management system.
With this, issuers (borrowers) are able to raise low-cost financing from RM50,000 to RM500,000, with the option of monthly repayments between one and 36 months.
These funds will be disbursed to businesses within four working days (excluding public holidays) upon approval and completion of the Islamic Commodity Murabahah Trade. MSMEs need to apply to be SME Corp members to qualify for the DFI programme.
microLEAP founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Tunku Danny Nasaifuddin Mudzaffar said the firm is thrilled to be given this opportunity to assist the government to facilitate syariah-compliant financing for more businesses in need.
“We look forward to this partnership and hope that we are able to continue making a positive impact,” he said.
Meanwhile, SME Corp CEO Rizal Nainy said MSMEs in particular had been severely affected by disruptions to their cash flow.
“As the bedrock of our economy, it is important to ensure that these businesses are able to raise funds in a timely manner alongside reliable, online and syariah-compliant platforms such as microLEAP,” he said.


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The Boston Globe ran an article today, "Modders" breathe new life into video games, which talks about game modifications. Of course, Counter-Strike is mentioned: [Thanks Fragmaster @ PHL for the news]
"Counter-Strike used the same underlying engine as Half-Life, but the mod had completely new maps, weaponry, graphics and sound effects."
"Half-Life's owners liked it so much, they decided a year later to release Counter-Strike commercially. They wound end up selling 1.5 million copies, generating $40 million in sales. The Internet game remains among the most popular around."


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Autodesk Debuts Clean Tech Partner Program
Jul 21, 2009
Company Commits Significant Investment via Software Grants to Encourage Clean Technology Innovation
SAN FRANCISCO, July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At today's Clean Tech Open (CTO) Renewable Energy Symposium, Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK), a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, introduced the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program. The program awards "seed" grants consisting of free bundles of Autodesk software to early-stage, clean technology companies working to solve some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges.
"We understand the significant role design plays in creating a sustainable future," said Lynelle Cameron, director of sustainability for Autodesk. "The Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program is designed to accelerate innovation and leadership in the clean tech market. As part of our ongoing commitment to global sustainability, Autodesk will be working together with emerging clean tech companies to help bring their ideas to market faster and more cost-effectively."
Recipients of the Autodesk Clean Tech software grant will receive a collection of Autodesk's top applications:
Autodesk Inventor Professional
Autodesk Showcase Professional
Autodesk Vault Manufacturing
Autodesk Navisworks Manage
Autodesk Revit Architecture
Autodesk Alias Design
Each grant has a retail value of up to U.S. $150,000, and will include up to five full commercial licenses of each application.
"Autodesk and the Clean Tech Open are committed to enabling green entrepreneurs expand upon their innovative ideas," said Michael Santullo, co-founder of the CTO. "Many participants in the Clean Tech Open are first-time entrepreneurs - they have a great idea, but could really use some assistance. This is where Clean Tech Open steps in: we connect entrepreneurs with the expertise, talent and funding necessary to create successful, sustainable businesses."
As a precursor to the Clean Tech Partner Program, 13 startups have already received similar packages from Autodesk. Syncromatics was rewarded for its use of sustainable green technology in providing innovative, customized solutions for transit agencies nationwide. Autodesk also named the company Inventor of the Month in June. "Autodesk provided critical design and engineering tools that enable our company to rapidly develop quality products. These tools are the cornerstone of our success and have fueled our company's growth and profitability," said Stephen Salazar, chief operating officer of Syncromatics.
Serious Materials, a company that develops and manufactures award-winning, advanced green building materials designed to save energy and money, also benefitted from an Autodesk seed grant. "Autodesk products allow us to digitally model our prototypes before they're built," said Kevin Surace, Serious Materials chief executive officer. "This has shortened our development and manufacturing cycles and allowed us to bring our products to market much faster."
As a Gold Sponsor of the Clean Tech Open, Autodesk has already teamed with the CTO to help numerous entrepreneurs launch companies. The collaboration is an innovation catalyst, helping great ideas become viable clean tech businesses. In partnering with these emerging clean tech companies, Autodesk aims to help them make smarter business decisions, save money and collaborate more effectively.
Autodesk has set a goal of awarding clean tech software grants to 100 companies by the end of January 2010. Full program information, including application process details for the Clean Tech software grant, is available at www.autodesk.com/cleantech.
KETIV Technologies is a leading Autodesk solutions provider with 25 years' experience delivering CAD software and services in California, Arizona, and Nevada. Focused on the manufacturing, civil engineering and process plant industries, KETIV's team of industry experts increase the profitability of engineering companies by helping them simplify the process of conceptualization, design and production.
Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Alias, Inventor, and Showcase are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. Moldflow is a registered trademark of Moldflow Corp., a subsidiary of Autodesk, Inc., in the United States. Macintosh and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.


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With the NFL season about to kick-off, Paddy Power, a brand of Flutter Entertainment, have launched their first Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) product for customers to make good use of. The NFL DFS will be available for players in the UK and in Ireland for the first time as the league begins on the 6th of September. Let’s take a look.
If you check out the latest online gambling news, you’ll find out that the kick-start of the NFL league has been much anticipated. In the US, several states such as West Virginia were in a hurry to make sure that they have the right timing in order to be available for players at the start of the new season.
NFL DFS Launched for the First time by Paddy Power
In this edition of the NFL DFS, Paddy Power have established that players will be able to enter specific games which they are interested in, instead of needing to enter every game throughout the season.
The main source behind the new NFL DFS is taken from the English Premier League’s Fantasy Football game, which has proven to be highly-popular in the UK.
This coming opening weekend, Paddy Power customers have an opportunity to win up to £3.5m with two headline contests being promoted.
The Paddy Power Fantasy option will be available for customers who use the operator’s app.
To top it all off, a Paddy Power spokesperson came out and stated the following for the operator:
“We believe there is a real appetite for a fantasy-based product that offers rewards each week, while reducing the burden of regularly updating a team.
“While the NFL market will be the most popular to begin with, we think this will shift toward other sports, including football, through a mixture of cross-selling and product marketing.”
Do you back the Paddy Power NFL DFS to be a success in the UK? It begs the question whether or not the Fantasy League can keep in competition with the highly-rated Premier League Fantasy Football. After-all, this is the UK and football is the most dominant sport.


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Sporting News partners with digital video provider
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Sporting News will add online highlight clips as part of a new business deal.
Parent company American City Business Journals and digital video provider Perform will work together on Sporting News Media in the United States and Canada. The venture will combine the two organizations’ management, sales, content, technology, editorial and media assets.
Perform owns ePlayer, which streams highlights and news from the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL, colleges and other sports.
American City Business Journals CEO Whitney Shaw says “we are combining the heritage and editorial excellence of one of the U.S.’s oldest sports media brands with a forward-looking, digitally focused organization.”
The joint venture will be owned 65 percent by Perform and 35 percent by ACBJ.


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XPO Logistics has renewed its contract with online fashion retailer Matchesfashion.com, after two years of working with the brand. The former Norbert Dentressangle will continue to pick, pack and deliver orders from the online store; receive, handle and store the products; and deliver to Matchesfashion.com stores across London. XPO was unable to disclose the length of the renewed contract, which it originally signed in 2013. Matchesfashion.com chief executive Ulric Jerome said: “XPO Logistics provides a scalable, high quality logistics solution, […]
Potter Logistics has won a storage contract with pet food supplier Wagg Foods.
Culina has signed a deal to distribute Weightwatchers low fat spreads and chilled portfolio through its distribution centre in Stafford. The deal with Glanbia Consumer Foods will see Culina handle the Irish food and dairy produce manufacturer’s products throughout the UK. “A bigger presence in the UK is important to us and we recognised that branded products represented the right way to go,” says William Wake, UK country manager for Glanbia Consumer Foods. “To be successful we needed a supply […]
CM Downton has continued its winning streak, securing a three-year contract extension worth £12m with aluminium extrusion producer Sapa Profiles UK.


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Lowcountry Farm Fest Raises Over $4,200 for Forsyth Farmers’ Market
The first-ever event featured live music, food trucks, pop-up vendors, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle.
SAVANNAH, GA (November 30, 2021) — Hustle & Blow Dry Bar is thrilled to announce that the first annual Lowcountry Farm Fest raised over $4,200 in support of the Forsyth Farmers’ Market. The event was held on Thursday, November 18 at Starland Yard in Savannah. “As Savannah’s only certified Green Circle salon, the Hustle & Blow team and I have been proud to support the Forsyth Farmers’ Market,” said Hannah Mills, Owner of Hustle & Blow Dry Bar. “It was also extra special to partner with several like-minded businesses that are also working toward a more sustainable Savannah.” “A huge thank you to all those who made this event possible, especially Hustle & Blow Dry Bar,” said Jeb Bush, Executive Director of the Forsyth Farmers’ Market. “It was a fun evening that not only helped raise funds for Forsyth Farmers’ Market but brought awareness and excitement about the importance of buying local.” The Lowcountry Farm Fest raised a total of $4,291.32 from a variety of generous contributions. Hustle & Blow Dry Bar and Forsyth Farmers’ Market (FFM) attribute the outstanding success of the event to the following businesses:
- Over 40 local businesses donated over $4,000 worth of items to the silent auction.
- Pop-up vendors—Balance Mobile Spa, Ember + Element and Laughing Tansy—each contributed a portion of their sales during the event to FFM.
- Starland Yard donated $1 from the sale of every draft beer during the event to FFM.
- Pizzeria Vittoria and food trucks Loki and Strangebird donated a portion of the evening’s sales to FFM.
- Buy Local Savannah, the band DRAUCKER, Good Cause Marketing and Haley G Hunter Photography were all event sponsors.
Donations for the Forsyth Farmers’ Market can still be made at forsythfarmersmarket.com/give.
About Forsyth Farmers’ Market The Forsyth Farmers’ Market is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that was founded in 2009 by six women who came together with the intention of supporting their common vision of a local food system that is good for the health of all people and the environment. The mission of the Forsyth Farmers’ Market is to promote understanding and participation in a local food system that supports sustainable production and increases access to local products. Visit forsythfarmersmarket.com
About Hustle & Blow Dry Bar Salon Hustle & Blow is a bloom-to-bottle lifestyle salon passionate about contributing to its clients’ overall well-being through hair, skin and cosmetic beauty. Hustle & Blow is Savannah’s first and only certified sustainable salon. It diverts 95% of its daily waste including foils, hair clippings and even color out of landfills and waterways and into repurposed tools such as bicycles and green energy. Visit hustleandblowdrybar.com


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Yesterday morning, Ginger announced that it acquired fellow digital mental-wellness company LiveBetter's technology assets.
LiveBetter has focused on bringing virtual mental health tools to smartphone users for free. Meanwhile Ginger focuses on providing digital mental health services including behavior-health coaching, video therapy, tele-psychiatry visits and other self-guided content. It specifically targets those dealing with anxiety and depression. The platform offers human-to-human support as well as technology-enabled insights.
"Over the past five years, LiveBetter has reached thousands of people around the world through our interactive, conversational app experience paired with engaging, evidence-based activities," Mike Nolet, founder of LiveBetter said in a Medium post announcing the deal. "Our research has proven that the use of LiveBetter can decrease stress, boost confidence and support people with challenges including anxiety, stress and self-confidence. And most importantly, unlike many other mental health technologies, our service is entirely free."
LiveBetter also announced that it is now transferring to a nonprofit from a for-profit organization. After the purchase, Ginger is granting LiveBetter a perpetual license, which will enable it to operate the app for free.
WHY IT MATTERS
As part of the deal, Ginger will be able to integrate LiveBetter's technology into its member-based behavioral-health platform.
"Our research has shown that pairing real people with our technology delivers the best results," Nolet wrote. "And with this, we feel that bringing together our technology with Ginger's existing platform and team of providers will help maximize the positive impact they are already having on their customer base."
THE LARGER TREND
There is no shortage of digital mental-health tools on the market today. There are also plenty of venture dollars pouring into the space. Rock Health reported that through the third quarter of 2019 digital mental-health companies had raised $416 million. Some of the big names industry include Talkspace, Meru and Ieso.
But it hasn't been all smoothing sailing for these tools. Last year Nature Digital Medicine published a study that found a majority of the apps studied do not provide evidence or peer-reviewed studies to back up their products.
ON THE RECORD
"Not only will our technology now extend to Ginger's growing customer base around the world, we can also focus our energy on what we are passionate about – figuring out a way to reach those that are being left behind," Nolet wrote in the blog.


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Goodyear names commercial technology director
Jon Bellissimo has been named director of technology for commercial tire systems for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
He had been the director of global technology for Goodyear Engineered Products since August 2000.
Steve McClellan, vice president, commercial tire systems for Goodyear´s North American region, said Bellissimo´s experience in tire modeling and tire composite science will be valuable in expediting industry-leading technologies in medium truck tires.
"Goodyear plans to lead the industry in delivering new technology that can be used by our fleet customers, independent dealers and truck manufacturers. We plan to lead in ´smart´ truck tires that use computer chips to improve tire maintenance and increased miles to removal.
"Through Goodyear computer modeling, we are gaining product leadership in line haul and regional haul tire applications, line haul drive and urban steer position," McClellan said.


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Third-party entertainment accessory provider Mad Catz Interactive has signed a multiyear licensing deal with Microsoft to produce a range of Xbox 360-branded wireless specialty controllers.
Mad Catz will first launch a wireless Fender bass guitar for the Rock Band video game later this month.
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A new £6 million (€6.69 million) programme has been announced which will provide funding to UK businesses working towards reducing plastic waste.
With more than eight million tonnes of plastic entering the world’s oceans each year and the total amount of plastic in the sea set to triple by 2025, Innovate UK and Sky Ocean Ventures have formed a partnership to reward plastic reduction projects by British businesses. The public-private partnership will see Innovate UK, the government’s innovation agency, and Sky Ocean Ventures, a subsidiary of Sky, each contribute £3 million (€3.35 million) to fund projects reducing plastic waste in the ocean.
The partnership is welcoming funding applications from small and micro UK-based businesses, proposing feasibility studies, development experiments and industrial research for reducing plastic waste. Successful applicants will receive up to 100 per cent of their proposed funding for totals between £100,000 (€111,552) and £200,000 (€223,103), divided evenly between Innovate UK and Sky Ocean Ventures.
Projects reducing plastic waste may include:
- Creating sustainable alternatives to plastic;
- Developing systems of resource use and design which support a circular economy;
- New product designs and plastics recycling processes; and
- Devising models to change consumer behaviour using technology.
Ian Campbell, Interim Executive Chair of Innovate UK, said of the need for reducing plastic waste: “Plastic waste has created a crisis that needs a global resolution. We need businesses, investors, government and researchers pulling in the same direction, creating workable solutions that people will be able to see on the shelves before it’s too late.”
Fred Michel, Group Director at Impact Investment and Sky Ocean Ventures, said: “Our aim is to enable entrepreneurs to support innovative new ideas at the earliest stages with both investment and mentorship. We will use the reach and voice of Sky’s platforms to highlight their solutions and help consumers change behaviours.”


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York University expert is available to explain how influencers are changing their game
TORONTO, April 27, 2020 – Influencers are known for using social media to flaunt their extravagant lifestyle of luxury trips, shopping hauls and fine dining but the COVID-19 shutdown has put a stop to most of their “aspirational” posts, says Mangala Rao-D’Sa, an influencer marketing expert in York’s School of Continuing Studies.
D’Sa, who is an instructor in York’s Digital Marketing certificate program, says influencers, who earn money from brands by posting sponsored social media content, are having to pivot. With most people staying at home, paid influencers are switching it up to promote more of a back-to-basics lifestyle.
“Everyone is on their screens right now and they’re hungry for content so influencers are capitalizing on this by creating different content,” says D’Sa.
“Prior to COVID-19, influencers were sharing a lot of aspirational content like travelling the world and showing how they are leading their best life,” she says. “These influencers have now pivoted to more of a community focus and they’re sharing how they are leading their best COVID-19 life indoors – doing workout videos, cooking meals at home and giving back to their communities.”
The World Health Organization has even recognized the power of influencers. WHO has teamed up with influencers to spread safe practices to combat the virus and solicit donations to its COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
D’Sa says mega influencers, like celebrity Taylor Swift and media mogul Arianna Huffington, are also using their Instagram accounts to urge millions of their fans to practice social distancing and follow the recommendations from public health officials. Canadian influencers are helping too, she says, citing the example of actor Ryan Reynolds amplifying Hockey Hall of Famer Hayley Wickenheiser’s Twitter call for medical supplies for front-line health care workers, which sparked a crush of donations.
For paid influencers, companies are still relying on them to keep their brands top of mind for consumers.
“Brands are using influencers to stay relevant to people so that when the stay-at-home order is relaxed, influencers will show their followers how to come back to their favourite brands,” explains D’Sa. “Brands still want to stay engaged and top of mind during this time with their community, but still in a way that is authentic to the brand.”
D’Sa is a senior marketing executive with more than 20 years of experience working in the food and retail sectors. She has an MBA in digital transformation and is an expert in influencer marketing, digital marketing and advertising
She can comment on:
- How influencers are changing their game during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Why brands are still using influencers to promote their products and services
- How mega influencers are using their voices to combat the virus
- The difference between mega, macro and micro influencers and why it matters
- How brands are planning to use influencers once the shutdown ends
York University champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.
York U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.
Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, York University Media Relations, 647-654-9452, email@example.com


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Few other companies outside Google are capitalizing more on marketer dollars moving to the web than aQuantive. The company's revenue was up 55% and net income nearly doubled to $14.2 million or 16 cents a share from $7.6 million or 10 cents a share the year prior. The company said organic growth accounted for 42% of that revenue growth and also increased full-year guidance.
Shares in mid-afternoon trading were up $3.58, or 12%, to $33.29, on the news, from yesterday's closing of $29.71.
AQuantive's three businesses
AQuantive has three different types of business, which it calls digital-marketing services (Avenue A/ Razorfish and international agencies), digital-marketing technologies (Atlas and Accipiter) and digital-performance media (the drivePM network). Revenue at aQuantive's digital-marketing services division outpaced most analyst expectations, growing about 50% year over year.
On the call with analysts this morning, CEO Brian McAndrews touted the company's entry into the top 10 marketing organizations, as recently ranked by Ad Age, noting it was the first time a dedicated interactive organization had cracked the list.
"Last year we were ranked 13 and this year moved up to nine," he said later in an interview. "The other eight stayed exactly where they were. We're in the high-growth area and clearly marketers are moving money there."
May benefit from Google/DoubleClick
The company is also expecting strong growth in its Atlas division should the Google acquisition of DoubleClick go through, as it expects DoubleClick clients -- both ad agencies and publishers -- to have concerns about objectivity when the biggest ad-serving network is owned by the biggest interactive advertising seller. Agencies, he said, are counting on DoubleClick to give objective measurement and direction on where ad dollars are working best.
Mr. McAndrews said aQuantive would not join any challenges to the Google acquisition of DoubleClick, saying that "there are people with deeper pockets than us that have expressed questions and we'll let them fight that fight."
AQuantive's name has been thrown into the rumor ring more than a few times before and after Google's DoubleClick acquisition. The company would certainly be expensive for any propspective buyer; thanks to its large market cap any sale would likely be at least $3 billion, half the price of the No. 3 marketing services company Interpublic Group of Cos., and it may need to be broken up to fit within any of the major players in the space.
"We're a public company so anything can happen, but the reality is we're very focused on our clients and growing our business and growing as an independent company," Mr. McAndrews said, addressing the question of potential acquisition.
Areas of innovation
He said he's looking to web video and online ad measurement as two areas of major innovation in the next few years, particularly the way in which conversion credit gets attributed to online ads. Conversion credit should not just be assigned to the last ad impression, as it often is now, because in reality people see multiple ads along the path to conversion. Credit should be applied not only to the final search that led to the sale but also to the combination of ad events that led to it.
"Within Atlas and Razorfish are working on tools to measure that better," he said. "It'll be a significant change to way measurement is done."


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Unity has secured $12 million in funding to help expand the business into Asia.
The series B funding comes from China's WestSummit Capital and Singapore's iGlobe Partners, as well as current investor Sequoia Capital.
"For our next expansion phase, we decided to work with WestSummit Capital and iGlobe Partners because of their incredible understanding of and networks in Asia - our most strategic growth area - and their understanding of the region's market dynamics," said CEO David Helgasson.
Raymond Yang, founding partner at WestSummit Capital added: "Unity's cross platform solution has been highly regarded as the best 3D game development platform among China developers and enabled them to develop highly differentiated gaming products.
"We see China as the largest growing market for Unity Technologies, and we are strategically well positioned to help the company further penetrate the market and realize the full potential of doing business in China."


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Azureus, creator of the popular P2P torrent client, inhabits a bursting-at-the-seams second-floor office in Palo Alto, just off the main drag, above Jing Jings and the gelato place. The 33-person company is working to capitalize on its 1.6 million average concurrent users by fashioning a legit IPTV destination, but there’s still a lot of tweaking to go, we learned from CEO Gilles BianRosa in an interview Tuesday.
Azureus, which we have to admit we stopped paying close attention to earlier this year after it changed the name of its commercial platform so many times, is somewhat upset about being left out of recent discussion about Joost, Babelgum, Veoh, and all its other well-funded and well-publicized competitors.
However, “Vuze” (we’re told that’s the final name), Azureus’ fast and well-designed platform for uploading, finding, and quickly downloading big video files, is making steady progress, with 5 million unique visitors of its own in June, up from 1 million when it launched in January. Hence, the update meeting in Palo Alto today. “But you don’t even have a player,” was my explanation for the relative lack of inclusion in internet TV hype, to which BianRosa replied “That’s not something that is hard to change.”
Nearly any feature or business model I asked him about, BianRosa replied it was in development or it had recently soft-launched on Vuze without a formal announcement. The company says it is about a month away from a major release with a bunch of new content partners, and it appears to be saving up the news.
What else is in the works? Along with a player (once Azureus figures out whose codec it likes) BianRosa promises streaming, flexible self-service business models, a partnership with YuMe Networks (which competitor BitTorrent also signed with) for contextual video ads, direct payment options for independent creators, collaborative filtering (which will eventually turn into personal recommendations), a web-based UI, and — of course — a Facebook app.
“What won’t you do?” was my last question. “I’m not interested in sub-par quality videos, short pirated videos, or a movie download service for the studios,” said BianRosa. “I’m not interested in recreating the TV world with its same limitations.”
The app is the core of the business, he said, with its capability to organize content and send it elsewhere. Still, he knows that’s a bet. “I don’t think users will have the appetite to download three IPTV apps,” he said. “That’s different from the web, where you’ll watch video on YouTube and then MySpace.”
BianRosa’s theory is that the key to successful video offering is tying together brand-name content, which is inevitably commoditizing but is still a big draw, and “vertical entertainment” that corresponds to a viewer’s specific interests. Using brand name to attract the audience, and then matching it with their specific interests is something that has worked in the past. Like Netflix and its very popular recommendation system.
A demo was held up by slow internet access. “You guys have slow internet? I asked. Well, we have about 15 people in the next room running Azureus,” explained BianRosa. Fancy that!


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The Gambia joined the rest of the world in commemorating world Consumer Rights Day, March 15, 2018. The day is dedicated to raising global awareness about consumer rights and needs.
The theme of this year’s celebrations is “Making Digital Marketplaces Fairer.” According to Consumers International (CI), the 2018 campaign will aim to promote digital marketplaces that are more accessible, safer and fairer for consumers across the globe.
The GCCPC aired a thirty minutes program on the country’s only national television, The Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS). The program featured interviews from the following officials:
Fatima Sonko- Director, Consumer Protection GCCPC
Justin Macmullan- Advocacy Director, CI
John Kamau Daina- Senior Analyst, Competition Authority of Kenya
The program also featured relevant sessions from the recently concluded 9th Annual African Consumer Protection Dialogue Conference held in The Gambia from the 6th-9th March 2018 under the theme: “Protecting Every Consumer in the Digital Age.”
In addition, the GCCPC held a one hour radio show on one of the leading radio stations in the country, West Coast Radio. The panelists discussed the theme, ecommerce in the Gambia, consumer protection issues rising from the growth and the role of sector regulators in finding means of responding to changing times.
Consumers were able to phone-in during the show to ask questions, raise concern and/or contribute to the program.


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Volkswagen is worried that a row between the United States and Russia concerning new sanctions imposed by the United States could hit collaboration with its Russian partner GAZ Group, Chief Executive Herbert Diess stated on Friday. “Possible sanctions are naturally a concern,” Diess stated. “We are looking into the matter very closely. If it really […]
Russia’s standards agency Rosstandart said on Friday it had been informed about the recall of 30,777 Volkswagen Polo cars sold in Russia in 2015-2017. The vehicles were being recalled due to a defect which might prevent the engine starting, Rosstandart said.
President of Russia, Vladimir Putin met Volkswagen Chief Executive Matthias Mueller in Moscow on Wednesday and stated he was ready to help the German automaker establish its business in Russia at a time of moving sales and weak demand. Putin stated he comprehended the difficulties the automaker dealt with Russia where the nation’s once-rising auto […]
Russian standards agency Rosstandart stated on Tuesday it had been known about a voluntary recall by Volkswagen of 4,481 Caddy, Golf and Jetta cars which had a potential fault. The recall impacted cars sold between 2013 and 2016, the agency said in a statement. Volkswagen has factory in Kaluga Oblast, Russia. Full annual output capacity […]


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Urdhva Management under the brand Recommerce enables circular economy vision among industries in India. It is a category-defining company dedicated to building a sustainable reverse commerce ecosystem in India. Kianna Media Ventures Private Limited is a recognized startup by Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DIPP) as a startup working as media and entertainment industry and digital media news sector.
We aim to create an ecosystem of community members from various fields to address the critical discussions that can act as a bridge to revamp the industry. Sustainable Clothing and Textile Recycling is one of the key topics that need to be addressed in order to build a green future for the upcoming generation.
The improvement of living standards around the world due to economic development could be affected by the textile industry. The textile industry faces huge challenges related to environmental issues. The volume of textile waste that is primarily being disposed of in landfills or incinerators is continuing to significantly increase. Less than 1% of the material used to produce clothing was recycled into new clothing.
The third edition of the Sustainable Clothing and Textile Recycling conference focused on Textile Recycling, Upcycling, Reuse and Circular economy in apparel industries will be a One-day comprehensive B2B platform that will promote the exchange of ideas and the development of new opportunities. The conference will bring together 15+ distinguished speakers and 100+ textile industry delegates to network and discuss the growing sustainability initiative in the industry.
The Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Shri Piyush Goyal will grace the third edition of the “Recommerce: Sustainable Clothing and Textile Recycling conference” as Chief Guest on August 10, 2022, at the Residency Towers in Coimbatore.
Mr. Venkatreddy Patil, Founder and CEO, Urdhva Management Pvt Ltd is a serial entrepreneur with a boldly rational vision to build an entire ecosystem to manage scrap generated by industries said, “It will be a pleasure hosting Hon’ble Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal as Chief Guest for the Sustainable Clothing and Textile Recycling conference. The conference will focus on developing a holistic approach to developing a sustainable textile industry through research, innovation, and development. To mitigate climate change, industry sectors are working harder to reduce carbon emissions. Textile industry makes a sizeable contribution to climate change. I hope his inspiring and encouraging words and anecdotes would help the attendees in envisioning a future roadmap for the country.”
The most renowned figures in the field of the Textile industry will be hosted for very useful and informative presentation and panels at the event. This exclusive B2B networking event conference will bring together leading textile manufacturers interested in textile recycling technologies and business cooperation, experts in waste management and environment-friendly technologies for recycling of textile waste, recycling equipment manufacturers, up cyclers and recyclers, research centres, policy makers and industry stakeholders with esteemed participants.
In order to ensure sustainability and reduce environmental impacts in the textile sector, utilizing a circular economy is of utmost importance. The objective of this event is to encourage textile recycling, promote business co-operation and development in the areas of textile recycling, up cycling and sustainable fashion in India.


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Throughout Salesforce World Tour London 2016, one message rang out loud and clear. The world’s most customer-focused companies are upping their service game – whether their industries are ready or not.
With every new case study, a picture emerged of companies finding fresh ways to engage and delight their customer – whether using the Internet of Things, mobile apps, or better information for customer service agents. And that, in turn, is influencing customer expectations, not only for those companies’ competitors, but across the board.
“Customers’ idea of ‘what is fast’ has changed phenomenally,” observed Salesforce Senior Director for Strategy and Operations, Mark Bloom, during the Service Cloud keynote. “We must be much quicker in resolving problems.”
Opening the proceedings, Salesforce Chief Adoption Officer Polly Sumner gave us a glimpse of the cross-channel journey that brought her to the venue that day – including…
At every stage, companies are using technology to make the customer’s life easier – and in the process altering their perception of what good service looks like.
Throughout the event, companies were lining up to share the realities of meeting that challenge in the real world. And it’s not just high-street brands and high-tech giants leading the innovation.
VAX is the UK’s number one floorcare brand, serving both consumer and business customers. But the rapid journey from challenger brand to market leader left the company struggling to provide a consistent customer service experience.
Just 18 months ago, a VAX customer service agent might have needed to juggle information from a dozen different systems during a single call – and the frustration took its toll. Customers were understandably unhappy, and team members could be left in tears at the end of a shift.
“It’s painful to recall,” says Carole Edwards, Head of VAX’s Contact Centre. “We had downtime every week – we were failing our customers, and failing our people. If you called us five times in a day, we’d ask you for the same information each time.”
In addition, customer expectations were rising – making the challenge greater every day. VAX urgently needed to personalise customer engagements, make training easier and – importantly – empower service agents to have better conversations.
VAX put its customer service agents front and centre as it chose its new CRM system, asking which would best help them serve customers better. Unanimously, they chose the Salesforce Service Cloud. It worked.
“Today we have improved our first contact resolution dramatically,” says Carole. “Our agents are happy too. Within one year, we’ve gone from being the lowest-scoring department for employee engagement to leading the company. We’re in a different place completely.”
The customer service transformation came with a surprise bonus: a surge in sales.
Carole explains: “Just by enabling our agents to have better conversations with our customers, we’ve seen a 30% increase in their basket – with little or no effort. Having that single customer view has transformed our business.”
But VAX’s innovation doesn’t stop there. To speed up service to commercial customers, VAX cleaners are increasingly connected direct to Salesforce Service Cloud Lightning – alerting the company to take action before the customer even knows there’s a problem.
Incorporating the Internet of Things into VAX’s 360-degree view of its corporate customers makes service much more efficient. The agent can resolve several problems at once, and also spot patterns in a company’s service history that might hint at other underlying causes. Perhaps there’s a particular gap in operator training leading to a recurring fault – in which case, sending more materials and arranging refresher training takes a single click.
Meanwhile, field service agents have access to all the same information, wherever they are – along with instructions and schematics for completing the job – getting it right first time.
In the Age of the Customer, customers expect you to know them, and for that knowledge to inform every interaction. If you’re providing customer service, that’s no longer aspirational – it’s the price of admission.
“When people get a sense you don’t know who they are, it really detracts from their overall experience,” says Mark Bloom. “Customers know you have a lot of data about them, and they expect you to put that to use to personalise their experience.
“Customers have all the options, and all the power. That raises the bar if we’re going to drive loyalty by providing positive customer service.
“That’s why old, siloed systems don’t work. Marketing, sales, and service need to come together on a single platform, and deliver one customer experience that the entire organisation can get behind.”
If you’d like to see for yourself how VAX has embraced the Age of the Customer, check out the Service Cloud Keynote:


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Elder economic insecurity is a problem for all races, but it’s far more common for people of color, particularly in certain states.
Fast fashion is far from green. But the rapid expansion of online clothing resale platforms could help shrink the garment industry’s negative impact on the environment.
It’s time to reset Canada’s housing policies to make cities more affordable and more socially just places to live.
Gentrification often leads to the eviction of poor and largely racialized populations. When a university campus drives the change, they can choose to do something about it.
Turkey has become easier to produce over the years, making it easier on American wallets – with some environmental benefits as well.
The prices households pay for drinking water and wastewater services have been rising faster than the rate of inflation.


text: Last month, LeBron James added yet another career milestone to his resume, earning himself the title of the youngest player to reach a total of 25,000 career points. To mark the occasion, the Swoosh revealed a special edition Nike LeBron 13 "25k" iD Quickstrike option, which you know closed out quickly. However, we are now starting to get a look at just how good the kicks turned out with this Nike LeBron 13 "25k" shared by Adam Brisbane. Boasting almost every color under the sun and just as many layers, this sneakerhead clearly took his time designing out this honorary set. Brisbane has these up for sale on eBay with a lofty sticker price, but checking out the additional preview shots below will always be free.


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Though Walt Disney executives have remained mum on when the corporate’s theme parks will reopen within the U.S., current steps by the leisure large counsel it’s preparing to unlock the doors soon.
One signal is that Disney Springs, the restaurant and procuring space inside Walt Disney World Resort exterior Orlando, Florida, will reopen Could 20. The transfer hints that Disney believes it may well deal with 1000’s of holiday makers on its property whereas making certain nobody will catch the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 illness. It additionally implies that the resort resort and theme park rides and water points of interest might reopen subsequent as a result of these are the one two sections that may nonetheless be closed.
One other signal: Disney Shanghai Resort welcoming again guests Could 11. Reserve tickets in China have already bought out, with some days’ slots going inside minutes.
A precise date for U.S. theme parks reopening is unknown, however there’s one factor for sure: Guests will stroll into right into a vastly totally different park expertise than what they keep in mind pre-coronavirus. There will likely be fewer folks within the park as a means to make sure social distancing, everybody will likely be sporting masks — employees and guests — and households doubtless gained’t have the ability to take photos with Elsa, Aladdin and among the different widespread Disney characters.
“They’ll must maintain their prices down, in order that they’re not going to open each sizzling canine stand, and a few rides gained’t be out there,” mentioned Martin Lewison, a enterprise professor at Farmingdale State School in New York who research the amusement parks trade.
Disney would possibly make guests reserve a time slot to trip Area Mountain as an alternative of letting guests wait in prolonged rollercoaster strains, mentioned Scott Smith, who teaches amusement park administration on the College of South Carolina.
Disney workers who don full costumes to painting Goofy, Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse will doubtless work together with households as a result of the costume headpieces can act as masks, Smith mentioned.
However workers who painting unmasked characters like Princess Jasmine or Pocahontas doubtless gained’t be current as a result of they’d have to take action whereas sporting masks — and Disney would hardly need photos or movies surfacing of their key characters in masks, mentioned Smith, a former Disney worker.
It’s value reopening theme parks quickly, regardless of the bounds, as a result of utility payments are piling up on the amenities and there will likely be excessive demand initially, the specialists mentioned.
“Folks have been cloistered of their houses they usually simply must get out,” Smith mentioned.
Disney World and Disneyland were closed by March 15 as coronavirus circumstances elevated throughout the nation. Days later, Disney halted its cruiselines. The corporate’s retail shops and theater reveals even have closed.
The corporate is probably going dropping about $500 million for each two weeks the Disneyland and DisneyWorld theme parks stay closed, Chief Monetary Officer Christine McCarthy mentioned throughout a convention name with analysts this week.
Disney will likely be working at a loss instantly after reopening the parks, however getting some earnings from fewer guests is healthier than getting no cash in any respect, Lewison mentioned.
A lesson from China?
The theme park specialists cautioned that their ideas are educated guesses. There’s no means of understanding what guidelines Disney will impose. The corporate’s reopening procedures in China, nevertheless, would possibly function a sneak peek at what’s to return stateside.
When Disney Shanghai reopens, guests and employees should put on masks besides when consuming.
“The one characters that won’t put on masks are the face characters they usually’ll be at a distance from crowds,” CEO Bob Chapek mentioned in an earnings name this week to debate the corporate’s.
Disney Shanghai guests should additionally endure a temperature screening on the gate and keep correct distance whereas ready in line for rides and eating places. There will likely be hand sanitizer stations on the restaurant and shops. Tickets will likely be bought on-line solely and supply particular dates and entrance occasions.
To attenuate crowds, Chinese language officers additionally positioned a 30% capability restrict on the Shanghai resort, a facility that usually sees 80,000 guests every day. Meaning the park can solely accommodate 24,000 patrons per day
“We’re going to truly open up far under that simply to have our coaching wheels on with our new procedures and processes to verify we don’t have any strains backing up both as visitors are getting into into the park or as they wade by means of the park,” Chapek mentioned within the earnings name.
There’s no promise the corporate will deal with U.S. theme parks by means of reservations the identical means it’s doing in Shanghai, Chapek added. However a few of those self same measures will doubtless seem in Florida and California, each Lewison and Smith mentioned, significantly the decreased capability limits, masks and hand sanitizing stations.
Disney plans to reopen Disney Springs with “limitations on capability, parking and working hours,” Vice President Matt Simon said in a press release this week. Disney hasn’t launched specifics on the capability, parking or hours, however mentioned workers and visitors should put on masks.
— to www.winknews.com


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Upcoming Google Pixel 5 and 4A 5G are in rumours and we are getting several leaks. This time we have got some images that show pixel 5 in black color whereas Pixel 4A 5G in white. These images appeared on Reddit however deleted abruptly which shows it was accidentally released. These images released along with the details regarding the features of both the devices which perfectly matches the information of previously leaked features. Now we have come across the very first Picture of the Pixel 5.
This is the first picture of the Pixel 5
Pixel 4A was launched by the start of this month and at the same time, it announced Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A 5G. Both these devices will be launched by the end of October 2020. Last week we came across renders of Pixel 5 showcasing fingerprint sensor on the rear of the device along with a square-shaped camera array housing two cameras, a holed punch, and a front-facing camera.
If the images which were leaked on Reddit are real, it confirms that the leaked specifications of the device are accurate. Pixel 5 will have a snapdragon 765G processor. The device will have a powerful 4000 mAh battery, 8GB RAM and 90 Hz display. The back is beautiful plastic having a 3.5mm headphone jack. Pixel 5 will have 0.5x wide-angle lens and 12.2 MP main camera.
On the other hand, 4A 5G will have the same specifications having 3,800 mAh battery, 6GB RAM, and 60Hz display. It will also include a 3.5mm headphone jack.
However, these are just leaks and the company has not announced or confirmed any of these features. As the original post is deleted, we cannot verify whether this information is accurate or not. As the release date of both the devices come near, we will see more information about these flagship devices.


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Despite the rise in virtual meetings, business executives prefer face-to-face meetings, according to the results of a recent Forbes Insights study.
The study, ‘’Business Meetings: The Case for Face-to-Face,”” was based on a June survey of 760 business executives. It found that 84% prefer in-person
contact to virtual because face-to-face meetings enable them to build stronger relationships (85%) and provide greater opportunity to “read”
another person (77%).
Nonetheless, teleconferences, videoconferences and Web conferences have grown as 58% of respondents said they were travelling less for business now
than in January 2008.Those that preferred virtual meetings cited the time savings (92%) and the financial savings (88%).
This is further proof that a person’s use of any tools needs to be carefully weighed against advantages and disadvantages.


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Dateline 2016-12-28, Cili Sos:
You don’t need to be an economist to see how badly our economy is doing. Oil prices have been going down worldwide and that (coupled with other factors of course), has really taken a toll on our Ringgit.
In a previous article about Petronas, we mentioned that this one company alone supplies 30% of our country’s GDP (and some say 40%). In fact, the oil price drop hit Petronas so heavily that the first half of 2016 has not been kind to Petronas. They announced in August this year that their profits had fallen a staggering 96% when compared to their profits at the same time last year.