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As of October 1, credit card users are expected to use the new computer chip-enabled cards for all purchases, including restaurant charges. While rollout of the new cards continues at a steady pace, only about 20% of merchants have the new credit card equipment in place to process the cards, CBS reports. That could prove costly to any merchants where card fraud is involved. According to industry sources, if the merchants are unable to process the new cards and fraud occurs, merchants could be held responsible for the charges. That alone should serve as incentive to get the systems in place in your restaurants.
Dunkin' Donuts Stumbles
Donut giant Dunkin' Donuts is reporting that prices are going up 1.9% while customer traffic is expected to drop for a number of reasons. Chief among them are the higher cost of eggs and the fact that the company overestimated the amount of increased traffic at Speedway stations due to cheaper gas prices. The company also says it grew too fast in certain markets, but vows to regain its momentum and own the afternoon market, its CEO promises.
Restaurant Sales Drop
First the good news. A majority of restaurants are reporting higher sales in August. Now the bad news… that majority number shrank by nearly 20% since July, National Restaurant is reporting. Sales performance is actually at its lowest point in nearly a year, giving rise to concerns of a softer market ahead. “The RPI's August decline was the result of broad-based declines in the current situation indicators,” says Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the NRA’s research and knowledge group, noting that all four of the factors measured declined.
How To Expand Your Brand
Growing your brand does not always require deep pockets, Fast Casual.com reports. One way is to bring your business to your customers—literally. An increasing number of restaurants are opening satellites within corporate buildings, airports, even college campuses. Another approach is to sow the seeds of growth for your business by allowing employees to get an inside track on becoming franchisees. Then, too, you might want to join forces with a related or complimentary business that could help share the cost of additional locations. Whatever you do, do not lose track of the basics. Maintain strong business relationships, do not stretch your talents and resources too thin, and always strive to provide a product that makes you and everyone associated with it proud. Good things just do not happen by themselves. You have to make them happen.
Clean Food Craze
Consumers are enamored with the idea of all natural foods that are devoid of everything artificial, from flavor and coloring to GMOs. Restaurants and producers have responded with a number of “clean” products, Nation’s Restaurant News reports, but is there a sound scientific reason behind the trend? According to two distinguished food nutritionists, natural is always a good thing, but there really is no hard science behind the removal of artificial ingredients that have been tested many times as safe for human consumption. Yes, they should appear in the ingredients for what they are. However, in the final analysis, the clean craze comes down to what all trends are about… giving customers what they want.
Leveraging Science To Feed Athletes
More college sports programs have taken on the task of offering all of their athletes a balanced diet, says The Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association. The result may come as a surprise to most people as major sports programs are pumping millions into food programs to fuel better athletic performances. The average expenditure, in fact, has more than doubled in the last year since the NCAA lifted food restrictions in spending for meals, snacks and dietary supplements. The increases have made for happier athletes and a boom for dieticians, who are joining college staffs in increasing numbers.
Futures Cattle Market Hits Two-year Low
The futures cattle market is down more than 3% on concerns that the overall slump in demand for beef will continue, reports MarketWatch. The drop came as a surprise to many in the industry who have been looking for a buying opportunity and lower prices. Beef prices have fallen some $30 per hundredweight, but that has only helped to stoke more volatility and fear in the market, one Texas broker says.
More Women In The Kitchen
The stereotype of a woman’s place is in the kitchen is about to be replaced by a new reality. According to The Portland Press Herald, almost half of the students at the famed Culinary Institute of America are now women, up from just 21% since the early 1990s. While more professional kitchens are destined to be run by female chefs, they are quick to point out that if that actually happens it is because they are better at what they do than the competition and gender has nothing to do with it. Bravo chefs!
Vegan Is No Longer Boring
High-end eateries are opening across the nation and hanging out the vegan sign, The New York Times reports. In an article entitled Vegan Goes Glam, NYT talks to “Julie Piatt and Rich Roll, the couple behind a recent cookbook and lifestyle guide called ‘The Plantpower Way.’” The book’s popularity is just one element in a growing trend around vegan dining as a healthy, sexy, and profitable way to live. Consider Crossroads, a restaurant on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, NYT says. The wait staff recently unveiled a “seafood” extravaganza fit for glutinous royalty. “Instead of lobster, it had lobster mushrooms; in place of calamari, sustainably harvested hearts of palm. And was that oysters Rockefeller? No, it was an artichoke leaf cradling a shiitake mushroom that had been poached in olive oil and covered with spinach and bread crumbs,” the NYT reports. And you know what they say about what appears in the Times, right? Better think about adding a few glamorous vegan dishes to your menu if you hope to partake in the next big trend in food service.


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Xiaomi designs smartphone Android One with screen with a fingerprint scannerResource XDA Developers reports that the Chinese company Xiaomi prepares to release a new Android One smartphones, the announcement of which may take place in the next quarter, writes the Chronicle.info with reference to Internetua
The design of the devices appear under code names bamboo_sprout and cosmos_sprout. On the commercial market, they are expected to be released under the names Mi Mi and A3 A3 Lite.
Feature of the device, according to the available information will be a fingerprint scanner integrated directly into the screen area. This fingerprint sensor will be implemented in optical technology.
It is argued that both the smartphone will have a front camera based on a 32-megapixel sensor. It is likely that it will be placed in a small cutout in the upper part of the display.
Other specifications are not revealed yet. According to observers, the devices will have Qualcomm Snapdragon average. It could be a Snapdragon chip 636, 660 Snapdragon, Snapdragon or Snapdragon 675 710.
The official announcement of Xiaomi smartphones and Mi Mi A3 A3 Lite is expected in late may or early June.
According to IDC, Xiaomi is in fourth place in the list of largest smartphone manufacturers. Last year the company sold 122.6 million vehicles, taking an 8.7 % global market share.

domain: news


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Soon, ads on Facebook will begin to feel as if they are a virtual fitting room. According to the reports that we got from our sources, the company made an announcement that it will start to incorporating augmented reality ads into the News Feed.
At the moment, these augmented reality ads are still in their experimental stages and for now, it is only users in the United States that will be able to see them. This new feature gives users the luxury to try on the products that are advertised through a process that is somewhat alike with Snapchat filter. In 2016, Facebook purchased an augmented reality face filter app called MSQRD and since that time, the company has been adding more filters directly on the Facebook and Messenger camera features. Facebook in an example showed off the new AR ad alongside a pair of Michael Kors sunglasses, however, it can be combined with several kinds of e-commerce goods. Users will have the ability to interact with digital of fashion accessories, cosmetics, and furniture before purchasing them via the app. There are a lot of big-name stores that are already available some of them which are Sephora, Wayfair, and Pottery Barn. These are among the few businesses that are prepared to start testing by this summer.
Our sources also report that Shopping, a feature for Instagram Stories, will soon be expanding beginning from the months that are leading up to the holidays. In June last month, Facebook commenced giving brands the opportunity to place stickers on an Instagram story and in that way, users were able to find the link to the advertised product and purchase them. At the time, only a few select brands were able to use the stickers, but now the program has started rolling out to the general public.


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JOUAV is excited to announce its participation in InterGEO 2023, the annual conference and trade show dedicated to geodesy, geoinformation, and land management. This prestigious event will take place from October 10th to October 12th in Berlin, Germany.
JOUAV will proudly showcase its cutting-edge CW Series VTOL UAV products, advanced LiDAR payloads, and the groundbreaking JOUAV VTOL Hangar system at Booth A3.035 in Hall 3.
To celebrate its participation in InterGEO 2023, JOUAV is launching an exclusive campaign. You can enter for a chance to win free tickets to the event by visiting its official website at https://www.jouav.com/intergeo and submitting your request.
Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the future of geospatial technology with JOUAV at InterGEO 2023. Visit us at Booth A3.035 in Hall 3 and discover how their innovative solutions are reshaping the industry.


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The second-generation 7-in. Nexus 7 tablet, which Google may unveil next week, includes two cameras and is expected to run Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean), according to leaked photos and video.
Tablets & eBook readers
In the same way that watched pots never boil, hotly anticipated Android versions often aren't released when we think they should be. However, turn your back for a second and bang – suddenly Jelly Bean 4.3's all over the Internet.
Mobile printing has never been easier. For a busy office, reliable and easy-to-use tools are essential. Samsung's latest smart printers are equipped for wireless printing from mobile devices. Find out more about what is all about.
Microsoft today took an unexpected $900 million charge to account for what it called "inventory adjustments" for the Surface RT, the poor-selling tablet that debuted last year.
Can the iPhone 5 charger be used for the iPad mini?
How do I make my wireless keyboard sync with my iPad?
Acer's Iconia W3 is still the one and only 8-inch Windows tablet in town, but it appears that the company isn't sitting on its heels after gaining that head start. A new report claims that the pint-sized slate is slated for a refresh this September, ...
Samsung has today announced the impending launch of its Galaxy Tab 3 range of Android tablets in 10.1in, 8in and 7in models, claiming the array of size options will not confuse consumers but instead offer them choice.
The next iPad mini may be delayed until next year due to issues, according to reports. The reason for the delay is Apple's decision to include a Retina display.
German supermarket chain Aldi will again sell a 3G, quad-core Android tablet for $249, and will also stock a 4in Android smartphone with dual-SIM capabilities. Both devices are set to go on sale in Australia from Saturday, 13 July.
We believe Apple will introduce the iPad 5 at a separate event in October, just like last year, and push the release date of the iPad 5, as well as the sequel to last year's iPad Mini, to late October 2013.
The new iPad 5 may be 1.5mm thinner than the iPad 4 when it launches, if leaked schematics published by a French website turn out to be real.
Amazon.com's Kindle e-reader has dominated the competition in Japan since its launch last year, according to new research, showing the company's low pricing and powerful brand may have overcome its late entrance into the market.
The bricks keep falling into place for Vine, Twitter's hot six-second microvideo app. Mere days after Vine for Android added selfie-inducing front camera support, version 1.2 of the app is now available in the Amazon App Store.
Mozilla says a tablet PC based on its new Firefox operating system is coming soon, although it won't say just how soon that could be.
The first Web-based Firefox mobile OS smartphones will be released soon in Spain and Poland, with more coming soon to other regions of the world, Mozilla announced Monday.
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GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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Maja Pawinska Sims 21 Aug 2019 // 8:02AM GMT
LONDON — It’s a 10, the professional haircare brand for salons and hairdressers in the US, has appointed independent communications agency Eulogy to support its UK launch – it's first expansion out of the US market.
The agency’s brief includes implementing a communications strategy to boost the brand’s awareness among the British hair industry and consumers, as well as an influencer engagement programme and corporate profiling.
The haircare brand’s products, including its original Miracle Leave-In, are available in more than 25,000 independent salons and 15,000 chains in the US, including Regis. It’s a 10 was founded by former salon entrepreneur Carolyn Aronson in 2005, and was the first independent haircare brand to run a national Super Bowl spot in 2017.
It’s a 10 president Jeff Aronson said: “We wanted an agency that shares our ambition for growth and Eulogy fits the bill perfectly. We’re proud of our unique approach to comms and need an agency with the creative flair and energy to match ours. Everything we do sets us far above our competition and we’re confident that our partnership will deliver the same success for us on British soil.”
Eulogy chairman Adrian Brady added: “It’s a 10 is a brand known for its top-quality products. It is a household name in the US, and our team are revved up to deliver the same result in the UK.”
It’s a 10 joins other clients on Eulogy's roster including American Express, Virgin Media Business, Headspace, Halo Top, Getty Images, Jack Daniel’s, Kantar Worldpanel, Renault and Molson Coors.


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STONECREST, Ga. — Some business owners say a mall that’s supposed to uplift them is instead setting them up for failure.
The New Black Wall Street opened in November to great fanfare. But now some are facing a leaky mess.
Some business owners told Channel 2 Action News they’ve had numerous problems at the mall.
Some say they’ve been kicked out for complaining about a leaky roof that was pouring water onto their inventory.
“I had very high hopes of the market being very successful,” vendor Cassandra Shields said.
Vendors who were fortunate enough to get coveted retail space inside the popular New Black Wall Street market say they envisioned nothing but great things from this venture.
“I felt like that was something I greatly wanted to be a part of,” vendor Jason Jones said.
But the vendors say almost from the beginning, problems started pouring in. Especially when it rained.
“Puddles, puddles, puddles. Waters and leaks,” Shields said.
She sent Jones video of numerous leaks in the building and also in her store.
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“Anytime that it rains, you’re going to see some buckets,” Jones said.
He said he had to deal with excessive leaks in his unit. Some of the water damaged his inventory.
“It was very serious because I work with electronic devices,” Jones said.
Jones said his lease was unlawfully terminated because he kept complaining about the leaks.
Shields said the mall’s owner also told her to get out.
“He said, ‘You could take your stuff and go.’ He said, ‘I don’t want any more people complaining about the rain,’” Shields said.
Shields and Jones said this was supposed to be a venture to uplift African American businesses and owners.
“I haven’t been uplifted yet,” Jones said.
“I am very disappointed and very saddened,” Shields said.
Matt Hampton, the director of the market, acknowledges it has had problems with leaks.
“We’re constantly working to make those repairs to the building,” Hampton said.
Hampton said the market is committed to taking minority businesses to the next level.
“We don’t want a few instances where it just didn’t work out for folks to represent this brand and to represent the direction we are going in,” Hampton said.
Hampton said this is all a part of the growing pains of the business. He said the market is having meetings with vendors to address their concerns.
He said market is doing well with over 6,000 visitors last week.
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April 22, 2005 – Posted at 4:24 p.m. CDT
JONESBORO -- A major announcement comes from a Region 8 factory, and it could mean more jobs for the area. The Frito Lay Plant came to Jonesboro in 1998 and since then has had a big impact on Region 8's growing economy.
“We are going to put in a new potato chip line that is scheduled to start up in March of 2006,” said spokesperson Al Gordon.
The expansion will change the landscape of Frito Lay, adding new facilities and new jobs. And making this manufacturing plant one of the top ten producers for the company.
“This should create in the neighborhood of about 100 jobs,” said Gordon. City officials say it's just what Jonesboro needs.
“We're really excited about it,” said Jonesboro Mayor Doug Formon, “Anytime you get news from an existing industry, especially Frito Lay that they are expanding, such a large expansion, it's really, really good news.”
Frito Lay currently employs more than 600 people in Jonesboro, strengthening its position as one of the city's largest employers.
“Jonesboro is a great community to do business in,” said Gordon, “The city father's make it easy to do business in, of course the work force is what really drives our business, we have great employees.”


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The first thing you notice about the pulled pork barbecue sandwich at Alpha Pitt Smokers is that the meat is indeed pulled. It’s not chopped or shredded. It is carefully pulled from a large pork butt that has been smoked for 12 to 16 hours.
The result is a tender but chunky meat that allows the diner to savor the act of chewing.
“We’ve always done it that way,” said Terry Burkhart, who recently joined Alpha Pitt after working at several restaurants in Williamsburg. “You don’t want to over-process it like some places do. You lose a lot of the flavor of the meat when you process it down like that. We literally pull it from the smoked meat and leave it like that — it’s always fresh.”
Jason Martocci — a Christopher Newport University grad and former Air Force pilot out of Langley — launched Alpha Pitt six years ago as a catering company, using a portable smoker to handle weddings, tailgates, parties and festivals. Over Memorial Day weekend, he opened Alpha Pitt’s brick-and-mortar location in York County — a small but neatly decorated shop that deals mostly in take-out, but with enough space to comfortably eat in.
The key to good pulled pork (or any smoked meat), Martocci said, is “attention to detail.” After much trial and error, they determined, to their surprise, that a larger pork butt cooks to the desired tenderness more quickly than a smaller one. He also cites choosing the right wood for the smoker and the right ratio of spices in the pre-smoke rub.
“You want to season the meat and bring out the flavor,” he said, “but not overpower it.”
For its barbecue sandwiches — pulled pork, brisket and chicken — Alpha Pitt buys buns on special order. Martocci wouldn’t say where he buys them, but acknowledges that it took a lot of comparison shopping to find a product that met his standards.
“We do a lot of takeout business,” he said. “That means it’s being taken home or to the office, and the bun’s got to hold up to the trip. It’s got to be firm enough to hold together, but still taste light and crisp when you eat it.”
A small amount of tangy sauce is put on the meet before serving, but customers also have the option of sweet, spicy or Carolina mustard sauces, which can be added after the fact or requested upon ordering.


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New York — The e-commerce channel has earned holiday huzzahs for breaking new sales records and taking its place within mainstream retail.
Thanks to savvy online marketing and wider Internet and broadband adoption by consumers, Web-based sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 20 were up 26 percent to $21.7 billion year-over-year, according to comScore Networks. E-tailers also lengthened their effective holiday season by extending on-time delivery guarantees to Dec. 21 and beyond. All this contributed to an all-time sales record on Dec. 13, comScore said, when consumers spent $667 million online in a single day, up 29 percent from the prior year.
What were they buying? Nielsen/NetRatings said consumer electronics was the third fastest-growing category for the week ending Dec. 10, up 27 percent year-over-year, following books/music/videos (up 46 percent) and toys/video games (up 49 percent).
Retailers confirmed the frenzy. Amazon.com said it enjoyed its best holiday season ever, with its busiest day falling on Dec. 11 when customers ordered 4 million items. Top CE sellers included iPods, Canon Powershot Digital Elph cameras and Garmin GPS systems. Newegg.com also reported robust holiday sales, although customers waited until the Tuesday before Christmas to send orders skyrocketing 40 percent year-over-year.
Multichannel retailers also had a field day online. Costco executive VP/cief financial officer Richard Galanti said sales at Costco.com were up 59 percent from September through November last year and would be well over $1 billion for 2006.
Circuit City said its Web-originated sales, aided by improved online checkout and solution selling, increased 67 percent during the same period and would also reach $1 billion or more in total revenue for the year. In a conference call, CEO Phil Schoonover said Circuitcity.com increased its market share 77 percent over the three months, and is now tied for third place in CE sales with Amazon.com, behind Apple and No. 1 seller Dell.
Sales at Bestbuy.com grew 30 percent during the period thanks to improvements to the Web site and its in-store pickup process, CEO Brad Anderson said.
Perhaps the biggest affirmation of e-tail came from First Lady Laura Bush, who told MSNBC last month that she does much of her holiday shopping online, under a pseudonym. She wouldn’t say where.


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The remote that alerts the speed camera (Photo: screenshot, Twitter screenshot)
Lindell, Ohio is not known for its spectacular landscapes, nightlife, unusual architecture, or any other notable element. In fact, if you read about it on Wikipedia, the first sentence that opens the article about it is that it is the smallest village in Cuyahoga County. Just like that, it's his highlight how small? As of its last census in 2020, it had a population of 108 people. Where is it and where is its heyday in 1910 when it prospered with 512 people.
But Lindell is known for something else, notorious for it. On the 386-metre stretch of road from the road, the village conducts an open and institutionalized sting operation by limiting the speed limit from 35 miles (56 km/h) per hour to 25 (40 km/h), only in this section and photographing anyone who deviates from it.
How successful is this sting? In 2022, it recorded 17,300 reports from the speed camera, that's an average of 47 reports a day. Proceeds from this camera make up 80% of the village's million-dollar annual budget.
The Sting and the Warning Sign
Linndale has surprised thousands of drivers with its famed speed trap. In 2022, it had 17,300 speeding camera tickets — all in a town that's less than one square mile.
Now, that speed trap isn't so hidden, thanks to a new Planet of the Vapes billboard.https://t.co/yaSwPfdBEn pic.twitter.com/YNc3HFkUMn
— Cleveland Magazine (@ClevelandMag) May 10, 2023
But now that camera will have a little less work, thanks to an initiative by a smoke-related store called Planet of the Vapes, which placed a huge warning on its advertising sign for drivers that they are entering an area where the speed limit is 25 miles per hour. In this way, says its regional sales and marketing manager, they earn both advertising and public service "Customers thanked the store on the sign, it saved them from getting a ticket," he says.
The response from the people of the small village was not long in coming, there were calls to the store demanding that the sign be removed and also threatening legal action against it. But that's not going to happen anytime soon.
"We don't know if Lindell's authorities are behind these appeals, but we'll let anyone put bullying pressure on us to take him down, probably just because the authorities no longer profit from the camera," the store said.
- Car News
- Speed Camera


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M&S beefs up its booze range ahead of its official debut on Ocado by stocking SEVEN times more wines, beers and spirits than rival Waitrose including 26 new rosés and 10 varieties of pink fizz
- Marks & Spencer officially launches on online supermarket Ocado September 1
- Has added considerably more alcohol products to its range than Waitrose
- Stocks 10 sparking rose varieties and 26 roses – Waitrose has none on Ocado
- Is also also 13 more varieties of sparkling wine and much bigger range of reds
Marks and Spencer has beefed up its booze range ahead of its official launch on Ocado next month – and looks set to cash in on the pink fizz trend.
The British retailer is taking over the online supermarket when it parts ways with Waitrose on September 1.
And M&S is already stocking seven times more wines, beers and spirits than its rival and is clearly hoping to capitalise on the growing popularity of rose and sparkling wine.
According to new data from Edge by Ascential’s e-commerce analytics SaaS platform, Digital Shelf, M&S is gearing up to sell a much wider and bigger range of alcohol products than what Waitrose currently offers.
Marks and Spencer has beefed up its booze range ahead of its official launch on Ocado next month – and looks set to cash in on the pink fizz trend. Pictured: stock image
As of August 25, Waitrose sells no rose wine or sparkling rose on Ocado, while M&S is listing 26 and 10 respectively.
M&S also lists considerably more red wines – 102 compared to seven – as well as 82 varities of white wine against Waitrose’s 13.
The trend continues with spirits and beers, lagers, ales and ciders, with M&S listing 36 varieties of both the former and the latter, compared with Waitrose’s seven and eight.
When it comes to grocery products, M&S looks to be dominating in the shelf-stable food category, accounting for 46.3 per cent of the ranges on offer. This compares to 39 per cent for Waitrose.
But Waitrose – which is listing fewer products overall – has a higher percentage share (54.2 per cent) of products within the chilled food category despite it having less products than M&S.
M&S is already stocking seven times more wines, beers and spirits than its rival and is clearly hoping to capitalise on the growing popularity of rose and sparkling wine. As of August 25, Waitrose sells no rose wine or sparkling rose on Ocado, while M&S is listing 26 and 10 respectively (pictured)
Waitrose is currently ahead of M&S in the home care category (7.4 per cent of products compared to 0.3 per cent), which includes items such as cleaning products, as well as health and beauty (1.7 per cent versus 0.9 per cent).
The Edge Digital Shelf data also showed that the Waitrose range on Ocado has reduced by 33.5 per cent since the start of the year – which included an 8.5 per cent drop in the first week of January.
Ocado began listing its M&S range on the site in mid-August – though it wasn’t for sale. As of August 25, there were 20.7 per cent more M&S products on there than Waitrose items.
Chris Elliott, Digital Shelf analyst at Edge by Ascential, said: ‘Given all of these products are still listed as unavailable for purchase and we’re still seeing lines added, it’s reasonable to assume this is not the finalised range before full launch on September 1.
‘However, it does give us a good insight into the product ranges and offering we can expect from M&S on Ocado after the launch.
‘It appears that M&S is focussing on the convenience and grocery products that we are used to seeing in its M&S food halls, such as alcohol, chilled foods and shelf-stable products and we can expect this will be a strong aspect of M&S’ offering.
Ocado began listing its M&S range on the site in mid-August – though it wasn’t for sale. As of August 25, there were 20.7 per cent more M&S products on there than Waitrose items
‘However, there are certain categories where it seems that M&S will need to work harder on if it wants to measure up to Waitrose’s previous offering.
‘This includes investing more in the home care category – something that is an everyday essential and part of many consumers’ shopping baskets.’
Ahead of the Ocado tie-up launch M&S has dropped prices to undercut its upmarket rival on thousands of items such as honey roast ham, tinned tomatoes and organic cucumbers.
At the same time both supermarkets are preparing an advertising blitz in a bid to win over undecided customers.
M&S hopes the move will help expand its customer base by moving away from selling pricey ready meals and lunchtime sandwiches to commuters, to target price-savvy family shoppers.
But earlier this month M&S revealed it will axe 7,000 staff across its stores, hitting around 12 per cent of their 60,000 staff.
As part of its tie-up with Ocado, M&S will put 6,000 products online, including replacements for the 4,000 Waitrose products which are available through the online supermarket
It said sales had dropped 29.9 per cent in its clothing and home arm in the eight weeks since shops reopened, compared to last year, but held up in food, with a 2.5 per cent rise.
A smaller number of support centre and regional management workers will also be affected and the cuts represent just over 8 per cent of its 85,000 staff worldwide. But the retailer expects a ‘significant’ percentage will come through voluntary departures and early retirement.
It also said that it would create some jobs through investing further in online warehousing and its new ambient food warehouse.
As part of its tie-up with Ocado, which cost M&S £750million, it will put 6,000 of its products online, including replacements for the 4,000 Waitrose products which are available through the online supermarket.
M&S has pledged that all its replacement products will be the same price or cheaper than their equivalent Waitrose items, and in some cases it has priced items just a few pennies cheaper.
Source: Read Full Article


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Farm Bureau economist: Phase 1 of US-China trade deal should provide relief
The American Farm Bureau Federation chief economist advised agriculture leaders to look for relief from tariffs in 2020 but warned not to bet the farm on economic recovery in 2020.
Farmers have been hard-hit since a record high in income since 2013, John Newton said at the Tennessee Farm Bureau’s Ag Industry Partner Meeting on Monday in Columbia. His words of caution came even with the promise of more trade between the U.S. and China and the possibility of $3.4 billion in additional government subsidies.
A $17 billion reduction in farm trade with China in the last two years has lowered commodities prices and reduced demand for American products, including pork, soybeans, corn, cotton and dairy.
“American agriculture has had a trade surplus for the last 40 years,” Newton said. “Over the last decade, we have had a trade surplus of $300 billion. In reaction to American tariffs around around the world, those countries retaliated against agriculture, and it has hurt us.
“Pork products going to China were hit with a 72% tariff. How can we be competitive with the Europeans with tariffs of 72%? Soybeans had a tariff of nearly 30% going into China. They retaliated on everything.”
Without trade and disaster assistance, farm bill and insurance indemnities, more farmers and ranchers would be out of business, filing for bankruptcy or spending their equity on loans. Farm debt reached a record-high $416 billion in 2019, Newton pointed out.
“That is because we have been in a down farm economy since 2013,” Newton said. “If you take government support off of the table, farm income in 2019 is in the bottom 30% all time.”
Translation: American farmers need change, but it might not be enough for immediate improvement.
The Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the American trade deficit of $887 billion hammered the farm economy, and without a favorable trade agreement with China, U.S. farmers will continue to struggle, Newton said.
The predicament leads up to a nerve-wracking announcement from the Trump administration on trade with China, expected Wednesday in Washington. Speculation has centered around the possibility of $200 billion in new trade agreements with China after a tariff war that forced the American government to send farmers $11 billion in subsidies last year and nearly $18 million in the last two years.
“Since China joined with the World Trade Organization in 2001, our trade deficit has doubled,” Newton said. “Our trade deficit in 2018 was a record $887 billion. So this administration has worked in a variety of efforts to reduce our trade deficit. That includes renegotiation of NAFTA, renegotiation of our trade deal with Japan, that includes what we have to do with China and its Phase 1 announcement.
“What we have seen in 2019 is that our trade deficit will likely go down by about $60 billion. It will go down with other trading partners as well.”
China, which has a $300 billion trade gap with the U.S., has said little Phase 1 trade deal ahead of Wednesday’s announcement. But published reports in Asia reveal the world’s second-largest economy has committed to making large scale purchases of $200 billion of American goods as part of the deal. That includes big investments in the energy and agricultural sectors, perhaps as high as $50 billion in agriculture.
On Monday, the U.S. removed China from a list of currency manipulators ahead of Phase 1, a sign of goodwill.
After a disastrous African Swine Flu hit China, wiping out half of its hogs, the country is in desperate need of pork products. American farmers, hammered last year by floods in the Midwest and likely ready for wide-scale production this spring to make up for 2019, need wide-open markets in China to sell corn and soybeans.
“We need to get the market back,” Newton said. “Even though the largest hog producer, China, has a 36% decline in pork production, hog prices did not go up in 2019.
Newton projected the pork industry could be a big beneficiary in Phase 1.
“Hog prices were like a roller-coaster in 2019,” he added. “Every time the prices were going up, the U.S. and China were meeting about trade, and we’re going to fix things. Every time they were going down, someone [Trump] was on Twitter saying, ‘Never mind … we’re raising tariffs on China.’ “
A rebound is not guaranteed because of competition with Europe, Brazil and other ag countries.
“China’s imports are going to accelerate because it needs to feed its population,” Newton said. “The question is, how much longer are they going to need it? What happens if we invest in pork processing and raising more animals, and China says its Phase 1 is done, we’re going back to what we were doing two years ago.”
James Bennett is editor of The Daily Herald. His column mixes exclusive reporting, oldschool storytelling and original commentary. He’s been a Tennessee Press Association firstplace award winner for editorial writing, news reporting and public service since joining the newspaper in 2014. Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to unilaterally impose blanket 25 per cent tariffs on steel imports and 10 per cent tariffs on aluminum imports from all exporting countries. This has significant impacts for Canada’s steel, aluminum and related industries.
The Trump administration claims the ability to levy these blanket tariffs through a seldom-used 1962 U.S. law that allows the president to implement safeguard tariffs without congressional approval based on "national security." President Trump — predisposed to the use of executive orders — would apply tariffs notwithstanding congressional powers to impose tariffs under the U.S. Constitution. Safeguard tariffs are emergency tariffs that are put in place to stop a sudden, unforeseen and damaging import that could seriously damage a particular industry. President Trump has stressed the need for the tariffs in order to protect U.S. national security on the basis that the military needs a domestic supply of aluminum and steel for its tanks and ships. He tweeted on March 5 that "To protect our Country we must protect American Steel!"
Impacts to Global Trade
The Trump administration’s actions threaten to have major implications for trade and the global economy as a whole, including significant impacts on the future of NAFTA, which President Trump has already targeted for overhaul dating back to his campaign for the Presidency.
The action undertaken by the U.S. can be technically considered legal under Article XXI of the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade 1994 ("GATT"), which allows WTO members to impose measures, “which it considers necessary for the protection of its essential security interests,” and the functionally equivalent national security defence set out in Article 2102 of NAFTA. The determination of what is necessary is left to the individual country. The Trump administration’s determination, whether reasonable or not, is therefore a theoretically adequate basis for the imposition of the tariffs.
However, it is clear that these provisions were intended to be reserved for "worst-case scenarios," and to be used sparingly to deal with only the most compelling of national security concerns. To date, these provisions have been used in extremely rare cases. Their only use by the U.S. has been to justify a trade embargo of Nicaragua in 1985, and various measures against Cuba in 1996. The only other known use of safeguard tariffs in these circumstances was in 1975, when Sweden imposed quotas on certain footwear imports for national security purposes, claiming that its army’s need for shoes made the protection of the domestic industry critical.
The international community has responded to President Trump’s announcement with near-universal condemnation, strongly disagreeing with his characterization of the blanket tariffs as a measure to protect national security. In particular, Canada, Mexico and the European Union have been outspoken, pointing out that if the tariffs were tailored to apply to only China and certain other countries which can reasonably be argued to be engaging in unfair trade practices respecting exports to the U.S., the national security claim might be defensible. Instead, these critics see the blanket application as revealing the true character of the tariffs — protectionism.
In rejecting the Trump administration’s classification of the tariffs as "national security" measures, trading partners led by the EU have indicated that they will consider them to be “safeguard” actions, governed under the WTO’s Agreement on Safeguards ("SG Agreement"). Under the SG Agreement, safeguard measures are legal, but other member states may immediately implement proportional countermeasures if they do not receive compensation for the new trade restrictions within 90 days. Such reprisals would require a ruling of a WTO dispute resolution panel if the tariffs were true national security measures, which would likely take at least 18 months to resolve, plus potential further delays for an appeal to the backlogged WTO Appellate Body. Therefore, this characterization of the tariffs as safeguards, which is unlikely to be susceptible to successful challenge by the U.S. (and even if it was, it could only be through the same dispute resolution procedure described above), will allow near-immediate reprisals in compliance with global trading rules, quite possibly facilitating a trade war.
Furthermore, other WTO members may choose to "fight fire with fire," and use the seemingly unfounded U.S. determination of national security concerns to justify, at least implicitly, their own ad hoc determinations of the need for tariffs in the interest of national security. While ideally these would be limited to retaliating against the U.S., countries may find it difficult to justify such a limitation, which could lead to borders closing or excess costs being imposed on imports from the rest of the world — a potentially disastrous result for global trade.
In that situation, the best hope for WTO system would be for the veracity of the American national security claims to be formally challenged before a WTO dispute resolution panel. This would be a precedent-setting case, as the use of national security exemptions in this manner has never been considered by a WTO panel or the Appellate Body. This case would, assuming WTO members abide by the decision, hopefully outline clear criteria as to the nature of national security concerns that can legitimately be addressed under GATT Article XXI and other similar provisions in global trade agreements. However, as noted above, this decision could be years away, potentially allowing serious economic damage to be done in the interim.
Unique Canadian Impacts
Although many Canadians held out hope that Canada would be exempt from any proposed steel or aluminum tariffs, it is clear that President Trump wants to use them as an incentive to gain other concessions from Canada and Mexico in the ongoing NAFTA renegotiations. Therefore, he has been clear to date that he will not provide exemptions for the U.S.’s NAFTA partners. Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau characterized this strategy on March 5 as President Trump "chang[ing] the terms of the discussion" in the middle of the negotiations, while other Canadian officials have strongly objected to the suggestion that imports of steel and/or aluminum from Canada could adversely affect U.S. national security, given the countries’ longstanding close military collaboration.
If the proposed tariffs are imposed against Canada, it could gravely effect Canadian businesses which depend on exporting steel and aluminum to the U.S. The export of steel and aluminum to the U.S. comprises an over $15 billion per year industry for Canada, with almost 90 per cent of Canadian steel exports going directly to the U.S. in 2017. In 2017, the U.S. imported 26.9 million tonnes of steel, and more than four million, or 16 per cent of this total, came from Canada, making Canada the U.S.’s biggest supplier of steel.
The supply chains of numerous major industries are integrated across Canada and the U.S., and in many cases Mexico as well, with steel and aluminum parts often crossing borders multiple times during the process of manufacturing a final product, such as a car. The proposed tariffs threaten to wholly disrupt this process, which in addition to leading to dead-weight loss by distorting steel and aluminum firms’ competitiveness for various contracts based on which side of the border they are on, would likely impose further such losses by forcing the whole-scale remaking of supply chains to remain on one side of the border.
On March 2, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland raised concerns about President Trump’s decision, noting that Canada buys more than half of U.S. steel exports, providing a US$2 billion surplus to the U.S. This veiled threat of retaliation by Canada’s imposing similar tariffs on imports of U.S. steel, combined with various other statements from Canadian officials, suggests that retaliation is being strongly considered.
Although Canadian retaliation through NAFTA channels is possible, this is not certain, as NAFTA does allow for exceptions for tariffs enacted in protection of national security. Despite this, there is a possibility that Canada could utilize the special dispute resolution mechanisms set out in NAFTA to remedy the situation. This process is, notably, currently in a state of flux, as the current NAFTA negotiations centre prominently on the future of Chapter 19, with the Trump administration wanting this chapter removed.
Canada is more likely to seek redress outside of NAFTA through the WTO, joining what is likely to be many other complainants, including the EU. This path is not unique, as demonstrated by Canada’s WTO challenge launched in January 2018 to American administration of its trade remedy laws, particularly its practice of treating export restrictions as a countervailable subsidy. This would permit Canada to follow the same procedure likely to be followed by the EU and others to impose countermeasures under the SG Agreement, while also pursuing a challenge through the WTO dispute resolution procedure. Recent reports from the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics noted that Canada could be entitled to trade retaliation measures worth in the neighbourhood of US$3.2 billion as a result of the proposed tariffs.
Overall, the implications of these tariffs risk are severe, starting with the fact that they may spark a global trade war. Furthermore, the tariffs are certain to factor into the continuing NAFTA renegotiations (and already have) which could fundamentally alter the nature of North American trade. North American businesses will also have to grapple with the changes likely to be forced on their supply chains and customer bases, including for Canadian and Mexican businesses, a potential for steel and aluminum from non-U.S. exporters suddenly foreclosed from the U.S. market.


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Posted Tue Aug 27, 2013 at 08:00 AM PDT by Tom Landy
Another Uwe Boll thriller has set its sights on Blu-ray next month.
In an early announcement to retailers, Gaiam/Vivendi will be releasing 'Suddenly (2013)' on Blu-ray on September 17.
Tod Shaw, a small-town cop, is a former Marine who lost his best friend in battle. Now unable to deal with the label war hero, he turns to alcoholism, which costs him his job. But after news hits that the President is coming through their town of Suddenly, he's allowed to remain on duty- and it couldn't come at a better time. Three assassins posing as Secret Service Agents have not only taken over his late friends' home, but has also taken his family hostage and it will be up to Shaw to come to grip with his demons and save not only them, but the President of the United States.
Specs and supplements haven't been revealed yet, but the suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $35.99.
You can find the latest specs for 'Suddenly (2013)' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under September 17.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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After more than a decade of chief marketing officers vowing to raise the creative game, P&G has made tangible progress on the creative front, marked by an Advertiser of the Year honor at this year's International Advertising Festival. It's added shops such as Wieden & Kennedy, TBWA and BBDO to its once-compressed roster. And, following the advice of some agency and internal executives, it's created VP-level "brand-franchise leaders" to steer creative development of its biggest global brands.
At the same time, however, the business results of some of P&G's most-heralded creative accomplishments appear mixed. The minds behind some of P&G's greatest creative glories -- the press Grand Prix and film Silver Lion last year -- have moved to non-P&G agencies owned or backed by P&G holding company WPP Group to work for, among others, Unilever. And P&G continues to struggle for more wins in its biggest medium, TV, or to match Unilever's award count.
Cannes, on the other hand, has become a place where suits and creatives must mingle (though some on both sides, loudly if privately, don't want to). And the festival's categories -- and entries -- in part due to P&G's influence, have swelled to include such things as shopper marketing and design.
Has it all been worth it? Absolutely, said P&G Global Marketing Officer Jim Stengel. "If you go back to 2003 and look at the state of our shares, our equities, our innovation and our creativity, I think we've taken it up to a different level," he said. "This has been a cultural intervention both for our agencies and P&G."
One goal was for P&G executives to get closer to their agencies. Of course, it wasn't hard for agency executives to notice them getting closer to new agencies as well.
On P&G's first trip to Cannes, Dan Wieden couldn't find time in his schedule to join a panel critiquing P&G ads. TBWA's then-CEO, Jean-Marie Dru, was there. A few months later, Mr. Wieden made a stop in Cincinnati to speak at a P&G seminar on influencer marketing. Wieden & Kennedy was on P&G's roster after two years, and TBWA joined last year. "I think [going to Cannes] did help us bring some of these agencies in," Mr. Stengel said.
But that wasn't the goal, he said. "Our objective ... was really to lift our standards on creativity and innovation. ... It was to be the magnet client for our agencies. We knew five years ago that we had talented agencies, but they weren't working to their potential on P&G brands."
Clearly it's also helped inspire competition among P&G shops and holding companies for awards and talent. It's less clear whether the competition has always been healthy for P&G.
By November 2007, Jan Jacobs and Leo Premutico, who created Tide to Go's talking-stain ad for the Super Bowl (a Silver Lion winner) and press ads for the brand that won a Grand Prix, had formed Johannes Leonardo, New York. Leonardo is backed by WPP, which also owns P&G shop Grey. Initial work includes the global launch of the Norris soccer-wear brand, Ford, HSBC -- and what Mr. Jacobs described as a potentially groundbreaking experimental project for Unilever in Italy.
Around the same time, WPP recruited Tony Granger, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, as worldwide creative director at Y&R, which handles another key P&G rival, Colgate-Palmolive Co.
"If someone is incented and wants to change companies," Mr. Stengel said, "there's limited impact anyone can have on that." He said agency creative talent on P&G brands is markedly stronger than it was five years ago.
Mary Baglivo, CEO of Saatchi's New York office, said in a statement: "Our team on the P&G business is stronger than ever, and we're incredibly excited that our client partners will be honored at this year's Cannes."
Of course, Unilever has been on a largely parallel journey to stronger creative and, at least by last year's Cannes hardware count, has moved further than P&G, with two Grand Prix, a titanium Lion and 37 Lions in all. But Unilever tends not to send nearly as many people to the festival as P&G does, leading to some skepticism about P&G's Advertiser of the Year honor.
Mr. Stengel has little doubt it's deserved. "It's the festival's call," he said. "They do look at history. They do look at trends. And they do look, I think, at a long-term commitment to changing the game."
An easy retort a few years ago -- that Unilever may win more awards but doesn't deliver the business results -- is no longer available. Unilever has matched or beaten P&G in organic sales growth in the past year, most recently by a 5% to 7% margin last quarter.
And it's unclear P&G's creative triumphs always bear fruit in the market. Despite Tide to Go's Super Bowl effort, for example, the brand's share has been down year over year in the first quarter and second quarters, according to Information Resources Inc. data reported by Deutsche Bank.
Mr. Stengel cautioned not to put too much stock in IRI scanner data, which don't cover fast-growing channels such as Wal-Mart and club stores. Tide to Go, for example, got club distribution. And Mr. Stengel said the product reversed a declining share trend going into the first quarter. "We invigorated growth in the variant," he said, "and that had a nice halo effect on the entire brand."
Broadly, Mr. Stengel said, he believes award-winning work sells for P&G and others.


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Three industry bodies, The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Media Federation of Australia (MFA) have released the second version of the 2020 Australian Digital Advertising Practices. This handbook outlines digital practices to support advertisers make informed decisions and build trust in the digital advertising supply chain.
The practices have been endorsed by the boards of these bodies. Developed by a cross-industry team of advertisers, media agencies, digital publishers, adtech companies and subject matter experts, the practices offer guidance, checklists and links to specialist sources and build upon and update the first version which was published in July 2018.
The guide now also includes market and regulatory updates and additional information on consumer privacy. The guide outlines five principles (below).
“Programmatic advertising is now an established choice within most marketers’ media mix," John Broome, CEO of AANA said in a release. "Yet it’s a complex and ever evolving supply chain. A cross industry approach to best practices that also includes embedding them through training and advancing capability is a powerful way to build trust, confidence and better business outcomes for all."
A recent report from Edelman pointed to the yawning trust gap Australians struggle with. The industry itself has struggled recently, with spend hit by the double whammy of the bushfires and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
To try to boost awareness of these issues, an education and training program is being developed to help marketers understand the these practices better and help learn how to put them into practice. There will be a number of training options including e-learning, face to face and workshops that will explore the six key issues addressed in the Australian Digital Advertising Practices: the digital value chain, viewability, ad fraud and brand safety, data governance, and consumer privacy.
“Given the rapid pace of change the inclusion of the strong framework of agreed standards and practices for digital advertising is an important step in continuing to build trust and instilling confidence in the digital advertising value chain," said Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia.
This document could be useful across the marketing ecosystem, industry representatives added. Sophie Madden, CEO of MFA, said that for agencies, this practice is a valuable tool and will help guide conversations with clients and should lead to improved effectiveness and better outcomes for clients.
"As an indicator of how important we consider the practices to be, the MFA requires all relevant media agency staff to undertake training to ensure they're across the updates," she added. The MFA Board has also committed to ensure all their relevant agency staff undertake the Australian Digital Advertising Practices training program and complete a proof of knowledge to ensure they are across the updated best practice standards.


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From beaches to blockchain - Portugal is quickly becoming a crypto haven. Here is why CMC's upcoming conference chose this vibrant country as its host!
Portugal, a small country that’s big in the crypto space.
Even though it has a population of just over 10 million people, Portugal has emerged as one of the most crypto-friendly countries in Europe and the world. It regularly gets praised as a “safe haven for European crypto lovers
But what makes Portugal so attractive for crypto lovers? This special report explains:
- How Portugal regulates and taxes crypto
- Examples of crypto innovation and adoption in Portugal
- Challenges and opportunities for crypto in Portugal
- A special announcement you don’t want to miss
Portugal has long been a haven for crypto lovers, thanks to its tax-free policy
for crypto transactions.That’s because it does not tax crypto gains or sales. Portugal considers cryptocurrencies as a means of payment, not an asset. This means that if you buy or sell crypto for personal use, you don't have to pay any tax
, as long as you're not doing it as a business or a profession.
However, crypto is not a free-for-all
in Portugal. The country still follows the EU's rules on anti-money laundering
and counter-terrorism financing. Also, if you provide services related to crypto, such as mining
, trading or investing, you have to pay corporate income tax and VAT on your profits and revenues. And if you trade crypto as your main job or source of income, you also have to pay personal income tax on your gains.
In 2023, Portugal made some changes and updates to its crypto regulation framework. The country adopted the new Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) proposed by the EU and a new tax framework for crypto assets based on the recommendations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
So what does this mean for you?
If you're a casual crypto user in Portugal, you might have to start paying taxes on your crypto profits next year. The government has proposed
a 28% tax on annual crypto trading profits
starting from 2024. This would apply to individuals who make more than EUR 5,000 in profits from crypto trading within a year. This proposal is part of the 2023 state budget document that is still subject to approval and amendments.
Portugal tries to balance the promotion of innovation and adoption of crypto with the prevention of illicit activities and risks. For now, the regulatory situation is still good, but stormy times seem to be ahead.
Crypto adoption in Portugal has come a long way for a developed nation. There are several indicators for that.
For example, the Central Bank of Portugal (Banco de Portugal) has granted licenses to several crypto service providers
, including a bank
, allowing them to operate legally in the country. The favorable tax regime has made Portugal an attractive destination for crypto investors who want to enjoy tax-free gains on their digital assets. This has fostered the rise of a vibrant and growing crypto community, with several initiatives and events that promote awareness and education about blockchain and digital currencies.
For instance, the island of Madeira announced
its plans to become a Bitcoin hub by integrating crypto payments into its tourism sector. Also, SL Benfica, one of the major football clubs in Portugal, became
the first in Europe to accept cryptocurrency as a payment method for tickets and merchandise. Portugal also offers various residency programs that appeal to crypto investors who want to relocate to the country. The number of crypto owners in Portugal is estimated
to be over 240,000 thousand, 2.37% of the total population.
Thus, Portugal has turned into a haven for European Bitcoiners
and other crypto enthusiasts. This has shown in the growing crypto startup scene in Portugal.
Portugal is not only a paradise for crypto users, but also a hotspot for crypto innovation and entrepreneurship. The country has a vibrant and diverse crypto ecosystem.
Many projects and startups in the European crypto industry operate out of Portugal. Crypto innovation in Portugal is thriving, thanks to Portugal’s educated labor force, its developed infrastructure and the local crypto community. Crypto enthusiasts organize meetups, hackathons, workshops and other initiatives to foster collaboration and learning.
One of the most notable events in the crypto space
is ETH Lisbon
, an annual Ethereum
conference which features workshops, hackathons, art exhibitions and parties, showcasing the creativity and diversity of the Ethereum community.
Another annual event highlighting the potential of crypto art and culture is the Rare Effect
. Upon its inception, it was Europe's first crypto art festival, featuring over 100 artists from 30 countries who displayed their works using non-fungible tokens
), digital tokens that represent unique and scarce digital assets.
So what would be a more fitting place in Europe to host a web3 conference than Portugal?
This is where CMC Lisbon comes in.
CoinMarketCap will host CMC Lisbon, our upcoming web3 conference in 2024 in Lisbon. It aims to bring together the world's brightest minds in technology, art, philosophy and finance to reimagine the future of money. It will provide a platform for innovative discussions and collaborations with industry professionals, all in Europe’s vibrant crypto capital of Lisbon.
Early Bird registrations are now open, with limited tickets available. We will release more information on the CMC Lisbon conference, including keynote speakers, panel discussions and workshops shortly.
For more information on the conference, visit the CMC Lisbon website
or follow @CoinMarketCap


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1. It’s taking over traditional marketing
Let’s face it, the rise in Digital Marketing should come as no surprise. We live in a digital age and are spending more time online than ever before.
According to the PWC Online Advertising Expenditure Report, Digital Marketing now accounts for 55% of overall Marketing budgets in Australia and that Digital Advertising spend in Australia has now reached over $8.5 billion […]


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AgroSpheres, a company developing the next generation of environmentally-friendly crop protection products, has raised £22 million in a Series B funding round led by Lewis & Clark AgriFood and Ospraie Ag Science.
Other participants also included Bidra Innovation Ventures and its existing investor, Cavallo Ventures.
The company will use the funds to accelerate product commercialisation, expand manufacturing capacity and “seed broader applications of the AgroSpheres AgriCell platform technology”.
AgriCell and AgriShell are patented technologies that enable the development of biological pesticides that have a multi-year shelf life and high efficacy in the field.
Payam Pourtaheri, founder and CEO of AgroSpheres, said: “In this unprecedented bear market, food security, environmental footprint, and supply chain resilience are of paramount importance. We are thankful for the support from our partners at Lewis & Clark, OAS, Bidra and Cavallo, as we take significant strides towards our vision of a future built by nature’s technologies and bring our biobased technologies to partners globally.”
Ameer Shakeel, founder and CTO of AgroSpheres, added: “The manufacturing expansion will allow us to deliver on the increasing demand for shelf-stable RNA and supply high-quality RNA at the lowest market price to partners in industry, in academia and at the farm gate”.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2022
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Apple Addresses Privacy Concerns Surrounding App Authentication in macOS
Following the release of macOS Big Sur on Thursday, Mac users began to experience issues with opening apps while connected to the internet. Apple's system status page attributed the situation to issues with its Developer ID notary service, with developer Jeff Johnson specifying that there were connection issues with Apple's OCSP server.
Shortly after, security researcher Jeffrey Paul shared a blog post titled "Your Computer Isn't Yours," in which he raised privacy and security concerns related to Macs "phoning home" to Apple's OCSP server. In short, Paul said that the OCSP traffic that macOS generates is not encrypted and could potentially be seen by ISPs or even the U.S. military.
Apple has since responded to the matter by updating its "Safely open apps on your Mac" support document with new information, as noted by iPhoneinCanada. Here's the new "Privacy protections" section of the support document in full:
macOS has been designed to keep users and their data safe while respecting their privacy.
Gatekeeper performs online checks to verify if an app contains known malware and whether the developer's signing certificate is revoked. We have never combined data from these checks with information about Apple users or their devices. We do not use data from these checks to learn what individual users are launching or running on their devices.
Notarization checks if the app contains known malware using an encrypted connection that is resilient to server failures.
These security checks have never included the user's Apple ID or the identity of their device. To further protect privacy, we have stopped logging IP addresses associated with Developer ID certificate checks, and we will ensure that any collected IP addresses are removed from logs.
Apple clarifies that user-specific data is not harvested during the security check and that it plans on removing all IP information from the logs. In addition, it plans on introducing several changes to the system over the next year, including:
- a new encrypted protocol for Developer ID certificate revocation checks
- strong protections against server failure
- a new preference for users to opt out of these security protections
Some users have advocated blocking the traffic to Apple's authentication servers, but it appears that Apple will provide this option to end-users in the future as well.


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Users will vote with their feet at any hint of revenue-raising on the back of new technology. The reaction comes in the wake of IBM's announcement it will continue to license its software on a per-processor basis regardless whether it is dual-core or not.
Sydney-based biotechnology company Proteome Systems' director of applications technology, Warren McDonald, said that depending on the scale of the system, users should consider a per-user licensing option if applicable.
"We use both licensing schemes - per-processor and per-user," McDonald said. "For high-end systems we use per-processor, and for the low-end per-user is better value."
McDonald, who manages IBM software on Power and Intel-based systems, is positive that IBM and Microsoft - by licensing software per-processor, not per-core - have made the right decision.
"Processor manufacturers have reached the limit with current technologies. Why should software users be punished with higher costs because of processor limitations?" he said.
"As some companies don't offer per-user licensing, the ones that are flexible will attract user interest."
Oracle has publicly stated that it intends to license its software per-core and not per-physical CPU. McDonald views this as "a little bit rude" and will be treating dual-core processors as a single processor.
"Users will probably vote with their feet [but] existing Oracle customers are unlikely to go to DB2 on price and would need other factors," he said. "But with a new venture, they may shy away from it."
McDonald said when chip manufacturers move to 65nm processes the processors may well go back to being single-core anyway.
He said Proteome is looking at Opteron, but some ISVs still lag on support for the architecture.
Regarding the likelihood of AMD charging a significant premium for its dual-core Opterons, McDonald said chip prices will only rise to a point where they are still competitive.
"They make take advantage of this at a single point in time to be competitive," he said. "Everyone pays a premium for the latest processor so they may get away with it [dual-core price hikes] once. As dual-core becomes more standard, users will adopt it."
IT manager Ken Foskey, who requested anonymity for his company, agrees saying a dual-core system is "simply a faster processor".
"Why is the extra core suddenly an extra CPU [and] there certainly are constraints on the CPU because they are within the one chip," Foskey said, adding that a 1.5 performance increase per-dual core CPU would be closer to the truth.
Foskey said the dual-core market will be 'leeched' by AMD for about six to 12 months after which the price will reduce to a "realistic figure".


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Star Wars: The Old Republic Smashes Subscriber Records
Unless you have spent the last few months living under a rock, you’re surely aware of the latest MMORPG release to cause waves, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Since launch, the game has already had numerous updates and fixes and new information released by EA has proven that they’re doing it right.
The report, that EA has prepared for the upcoming investors conference, included details on the current subscriber base, total sales and future content. The game sold over 2 million copies in one month, out of those 2 million, 1.7 million have continued to subscribe. These numbers have meant that EA’s The Old Republic is now one of the fastest growing subscription MMORPG games in history.
Expect more fixes, a major patch in March, and a lot of attention towards increasing PvP activity in coming months.
Featured MMORPG / MMO
LATEST MMORPG NEWS
- ROSE Online Welcomes Introduction Of Sikuku Underground March 2, 2015
- World Of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition Welcomes Japanese Vehicles March 2, 2015
- League Of Angels – Fire Raiders Coming Soon For Mobile February 27, 2015
- Echo Of Soul Class Line Up Is Without A Healer February 27, 2015


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The Inside our supermarkets: Assessment of the healthiness of Australian supermarkets report exposes how supermarkets give more shelf space and aggressively promote unhealthy products over healthier food, particularly in disadvantaged areas.
VicHealth CEO Dr Sandro Demaio said supermarkets are continuing to put the profits of unhealthy industries before the health of already struggling communities.
“Victorian families are facing tough times on many fronts right now. Now they’re also being bombarded by unhealthy food and drinks while trying to stock up on essentials and stay healthy,” Dr Demaio said.
“It’s incredibly concerning how some supermarkets strategically discount and give more shelf space to unhealthy food and drinks, including placing highly processed products at the end of aisles and near checkouts, making it difficult for shoppers – especially kids – to resist.
“We all need more fresh, healthy food in our lives. But it’s not easy when we’re surrounded by unhealthy, cheap food.”
In the most disadvantaged areas, the proportion of shelf space given to unhealthy food and drinks (versus fruit and vegetables) was nearly 10 per cent higher than in the least disadvantaged areas, the study found.
“It’s highly unethical for supermarkets to target shoppers in disadvantaged communities with more unhealthy food,” Dr Demaio said.
“Food packed with cheap ingredients like salt, sugar and fat is harming our health, and these communities already experience higher rates of diet-related health issues, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
“Supermarkets have a real opportunity to do more to support all Australians to enjoy a healthy diet by allocating less shelf-space to unhealthy items, offering fewer discounts on unhealthy food and drinks and replacing unhealthy items at end-of-aisle displays and checkouts with healthy products.”
The report, by Deakin University’s Global Obesity Centre in the Institute for Health Transformation, includes the results of in-store audits of 104 supermarkets in Victoria (26 Woolworths supermarkets, 26 Coles supermarkets, 26 Aldi supermarkets and 26 independent supermarkets).
Key findings include:
Unhealthy food was present at 90 per cent of all staff-assisted checkouts
‘Chocolate and confectionery’ and unhealthy drinks were the two most common types of food displayed at checkouts
Food on special at checkouts was 7.5 times more likely to be unhealthy than healthy
Of all end-of–aisles that displayed food and drinks, 80% had at least one type of unhealthy item. The top two types of food displayed were ‘chocolate and confectionery’ and chips
The proportion of shelf space allocated to unhealthy food and drinks (compared with fruit and vegetables) in the most disadvantaged areas was nearly 10% higher than in the least disadvantaged areas.
For the full report and findings, visit: https://www.insideourfoodcompanies.com.au/supermarkets


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Electronics Production | December 09, 2010
Farnell with revenue growth of 23% in 3Q
MDD Europe’s sales grew 34.4% year on year, with third quarter sales per day at the highest ever level achieved by the business, reports distributor Premier Farnell.
The momentum from the prior quarter has continued into the third quarter with Group sales growing 23.3% and Group operating profit up 48.5%, despite tougher year on year comparators. The gross margin has improved for eight consecutive quarters, up 0.3 percentage points on the prior quarter to 41.1%. Strategic Highlights - All of its Asia Pacific businesses were rebranded as element14 in the quarter - Global EDE sales grew 41.0% year on year, a 21.2 percentage point outperformance of the wider market, and the company's MDD active customer base grew 7.6% year on year. Both clear indications of our market share gains. - EDE sales in the third quarter accounted for 52.1% of sales from MDD Europe and Asia Pacific and MDD Americas. In North America progress to increase sales mix towards the EDE sector continued, with EDE sales now accounting for 38.1% of the region’s total third quarter sales - Sales from developing markets continue to grow strongly and for the quarter sales in Greater China grew 83.2% year on year. Sales in India and Eastern Europe grew 55.0% and 71.0% year on year, respectively Commenting on the results, Harriet Green, Group Chief Executive, said: “The momentum which delivered a ten year high in the Group’s second quarter performance has continued into the third quarter. Group sales grew 23% year on year, which represents a 10 percentage point increase on the third quarter of two years ago, while sales per day for the month of October were the highest they have ever been. This positive performance is a clear reflection of the benefits associated with our business’ transformation and the execution of our strategy for profitable growth." “The strong sales growth in the third quarter has continued into November where sales were up 16% compared to November last year, which is when the Group returned to year on year growth following the downturn. The continuation of this strong momentum and the execution of our 1,000 day strategy gives the Board confidence that the Group will deliver significant profitable growth for the remainder of the financial year inline with its expectations and have good sales momentum as we enter the new year.”
EUV photoresist company Inpria raises $31 million in funding Inpria, a pioneer in high-resolution metal oxide photoresists for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), has secured USD 31 million in Series C funding from a broad syndicate including two of the biggest names within the semiconductor manufacturing space.
Semiconductor industry avoids direct impact of coronavirus The semiconductor industry appears to have escaped the direct impact of the coronavirus crisis so far, but the market is likely to suffer the repercussions as the outbreak slows or suspends production among electronics manufacturers, according to Omdia.
Plessey partners with Axus Technology Plessey, an embedded technologies developer, is partnering with Axus Technology (Axus), a provider of CMP, wafer thinning and wafer polishing surface-processing solutions for semiconductor applications, to bring high-performance GaN-on-Silicon monolithic microLED technology to the mass market.
GPV Electronics CN resumes production On 19 February 2020, the Chinese Central Government informed that all enterprises in the Guangdong province are now allowed to resume production.
Nano Dimension moves its main commercial activity to USA Nano Dimension announces that the company is establishing its headquarters for the Americas in South Florida.
Rockwell Automation inks deal for Italy’s ASEM Rockwell Automation Inc. has signed a purchase agreement to acquire digital automation technologies provider ASEM S.p.A.
IFR releases ‘Top Trends 2020 Robotics’ The International Federation of Robots (IFR) has forecasted an uptick of 2 million industrial factory robotic units in the next two years.
Paslin, Rivian fuel EV factory expansion The Paslin Company, a builder of robotic assembly lines for Tier 1 suppliers and OEM auto companies, is expanding in Warren, Michigan.
Nokia plans to acquire US-based company The Finnish telecom company is planning to acquire Elenion Technologies, a U.S.-based company focusing on silicon photonics technology.
neutec electronic to handle Asymtek and Dima in Switzerland Asymtek, a part of Nordson Electronics Solutions - announces that their distributor, neutec electronic AG, has expanded its representation of all Asymtek and DIMA products to the French-speaking areas of Switzerland.
BMZ subsidiary Poland reports successful business year 2019 BMZ Poland, the second largest production site of the BMZ Group, is expanding its production area and is reporting 10% sales growth and thereby reached record results for the business year 2019.
Scanfil CEO: ‘Our operations are making good progress’ The last quarter of 2019 was the strongest one for the EMS provider. Scanfil recorded a turnover of EUR 155 million, a growth of EUR 15 million or 10% year-over-year.
Prime Technological Services acquire ITS EMS provider Prime Technological Services LLC has acquired Georgia-based I Technical Services (ITS).
Florida’s Sypris snags BAE Systems contract Sypris Electronics LLC, a subsidiary of Sypris Solutions Inc., has won a contract award from London-based BAE Systems’ Electronic Systems sector.
Into the future, San Diego style IPC APEX EXPO, the North American electronics manufacturing industry’s biggest gig, has left the teenage years behind with this year’s 20th anniversary show held Feb 3-8 in San Diego.
5 semiconductor companies hold 53% of global wafer capacity The world’s top-five wafer capacity leaders each had capacity of more than 1,000,000 wafer starts per month, says IC Insights.
Global DRAM revenue holds steady in 4Q19 The DRAM inventory finally returned to a relatively normal level for most OEMs in 4Q19 after nearly three consecutive quarters of adjustments, says the DRAMeXchange research division of TrendForce.
Mitsubishi Electric completes new satellite production facility Mitsubishi Electric has completed construction of a new facility for the production of satellites at the company’s Kamakura Works in Kamakura, Japan.
ISS-Broadband delivered by Kongsberg Kongsberg equipment is to enable broadband transmission for the International Space Station (ISS) to 'significantly improve communication between the ESA astronauts manning the station and earth.
Mycronic receives order for an SLX mask writer Swedish equipment provider, Mycronic AB, has received an order for the new SLX mask writer from a customer in Asia. The customer already has mask writers from Mycronic.
A new production unit for mirror segments for ELT Safran's new production unit at the company's Saint-Benoît facility near Poitiers in central France will make the primary mirror segments for Europe's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
A more sustainable approach to semiconductor manufacturing Reuse; that is the key to driving environmental sustainability in global semiconductor manufacturing, says Steven Zhou, CEO of Moov Technologies.Load more news


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Amazon is expanding Alexa’s voices and speech style choices for voice app developers. Text-to-speech service Polly has more than a..
Tag Archives: Amazon Polly
Amazon has started offering help to companies that want a unique voice for their Alexa skills. The new Brand Voice..
Amazon Polly, a cloud-based Text-to-Speech (TTS) service that launched in 2016, has just introduced two new features: Newscaster and Neural..


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The last couple of weeks have seen some interesting figures confirming the decline of car culture in London. First, the 2011 Census results showed, as summarised by London City Cyclists, that the number of car-free households is growing across Inner London. Then the National Travel Survey showed that car travel per person in London fell 22% in just seven years (table NTS9904 here). Finally, as pointed out by Angus Hewlett on Twitter, here's a survey (admittedly from a fortnight ago) showing that "One in seven Britons said they were part of a household which owned a car that was only used occasionally", a figure that rose to one in five in London.
That survey suggests that car ownership has some way to fall yet in London. To get a better sense of this I plotted the trend in distance travelled by car (from DfT table TRA8905a) against the trend in the number of cars (from table VEH0204) for London and England as a whole in the chart below. Both series are rebased to start at 100 in 2000.
What this shows is that in England as whole the number of cars has risen 15% since 2000 and the distance travelled by car just 2%, while in the Greater London area the number of cars has risen 5% but the distance travelled by car has fallen 13%. The leftward turn in both lines is an indicator that distance driven per car is falling in both London and England, but it's falling particularly fast in London, in fact by 15% since 2000. The average car in London drives around 9,100 km per year (down from around 11,000 in 2000), compared to 13,800 km a year for the average car in England as a whole (also down, from 15,400 in 2000).
So it's no surprise that there are lots of 'ghost cars' hardly being driven in London, or that, particularly in the last few years, many Londoners are deciding that it's just not worth the cost and hassle of owning one. I'd expect this trend to continue for some time yet and the number of cars in London to shrink further (though it is worth bearing in mind that across London as a whole there are more cars than there were in 2000). I just hope we use the extra space freed up for useful things rather than just dropping the cost of parking even further.


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The results are compiled in a joint survey on the impact of the novel coronavirus that was conducted by the Vanuatu Tourism Office and Ministry of Tourism.
Vanuatu’s Tourism office said these businesses also reported that marketing, product development and financial management were the three main areas where they needed assistance with because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Respondents also indicated that they have significantly reduced their staff numbers in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. A total reduction of 2,077 full-time employees and 214 part-time employees is reported by respondents. These reductions represent a 70% fall in full time employment, and a fall of 33% in part-time employment.
The office stated that 1,633 employees have been placed on unpaid leave due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, 462 on paid leave and 300 employees have been terminated.
The Vanuatu Tourism Office stated that the majority of 74% respondents have heard of the Vanuatu Government’s economic stimulus package, although a significant proportion (30%) also report that they don’t know too much about it.
The office stated that 89% of respondents also report that the Vt30,000 monthly payment offered by Government for each employee will help their business to either retain their employees, rehire them or bring them back from leave.
These were the results of the joint survey by the Vanuatu Tourism Office and the Department of Tourism on the impacts of COVID-19 on Vanuatu's tourism businesses.
The office has also done a survey on the impact of TC Harold on Vanuatu's tourism businesses.
The results of this survey will be used to inform the tourism industry recovery plan to these crises that is currently being developed by VTO and DoT together with industry partners and stakeholders.
Photo Vanuatu Travel


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- Apr 12, 2001
Apple is working on new Smart Battery Cases designed for the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro according to assets found by MacRumors in the latest version of iOS 13.
There are three different model numbers for the battery cases, and each battery case image found by MacRumors has a slightly different look, indicating Apple will release separate Smart Battery Cases for iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max.
Design wise, the battery cases are similar to the cases created for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, but with a larger square-shaped camera cutout to accommodate the new dual and triple-lens camera design.
There's no word on when Apple plans to release new battery cases for its latest iPhones, but last year, Apple launched battery cases designed for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR January following the September/October debut of the devices.
The appearance of battery case images in the iOS 13.2 beta suggests this year's release could perhaps come earlier, maybe even before the end of the year.
Article Link: Images of New Smart Battery Cases for iPhone 11 and 11 Pro Found in iOS 13.2


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Retail & Services
February 17, 2013
Drake & Scull Construction (DSC), the Civil contracting arm of Drake & Scull International signed today a AED 450 million Civil Contract in the Western province in KSA.
Bayt.com and YouGov has shown that in the next three months, 30% of Middle East and North Africa employers are definitely hiring with an additional 27% stating that they are probably hiring.
February 14, 2013
Bakeries in Lebanon are threatening to halt production of the Middle East's staple food if the government fails to increase quantities of flour
H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahed, UAE Minister of Environment and Water, has inaugurated the state-of-the-art Imdaad Mechanical Workshop.
Drake & Scull International reported today the preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2012 ended December 31st.
February 13, 2013
Tamkeen is once again come on board to support the exhibitors of Bahrain Boat Show International (BBSI) through the “Tarweej” Scheme.
February 12, 2013
Tamkeen and the Southern Governorate signed an agreement at Tamkeen's headquarters to launch Al Basta.
The Lebanese firm that imports European frozen food meals found to contain horsemeat said Monday that the mislabeled “beef” products have been pulled from local supermarket shelves.
FINE Hygienic Paper Company launched a new initiative for its employees allowing their families and children to visit them at their work site.
Jotun Powder Coatings has announced the global launch of Guard Endure.
February 11, 2013
Qatar Tourism Authority announced the tenth anniversary of Doha Jewelry and Watches Exhibition, in a press conference held at the Doha Exhibition Centre.
Hamad Medical Corporation has signed a strategic agreement with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
February 10, 2013
Biolab inaugurated its new branch in Marj Al Hamam area, expanding its network of branches to include a total of six spread across the capital city.
OSN kicks off February with a tour de force of some of the most popular programmes on television.
KidZania and Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo demonstrated their commitment to promoting primary education among children around the world by taking part in the ‘Walk for Education,’ organised by Dubai Cares.


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Peugeot has rebranded with a new logo to mark its 200th anniversary.
The French manufacturer has also revealed its new SR1 concept which marks a radical new design direction.
The SR1 concept incorporates HYbrid4 technology with a 1.6 litre THP 218bhp petrol engine combined with a rear electric motor developing 95bhp. In electric only mode, the car becomes a zero emission vehicle (ZEV), with a combined cycle fuel consumption of 57.7 mpg or 119 g/km of CO2.
When the two power trains operate simultaneously, the SR1 develops a potential maximum power output of 313bhp, while benefiting also from four-wheel drive.
The HYbrid4 technology will eventually be available on four different models in the Peugeot range.
The Peugeot SR1 concept car will be unveiled to the general public at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March.
The first production vehicle to display the new Lion will be the RCZ which is to be launched this spring.
UK dealers will have to update their corporate identity to match the new logo, but Peugeot has not revealed how quickly it wants this to take place.


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Christopher Schott of JPMorgan asks about why the Rx business is not seeing more margin erosion given the competitive dynamics and pricing. $PRGO CEO John Hendrickson said there have been pricing pressures, but looking at the whole basket of mix within the Rx business, it's still a profitable mix. And the acquisition has contributed to the margin.
The latest earnings report by $VZ shows how it is losing customers despite offering the unlimited data plans, a record for the company.
$BEBE is closing down all its stores by the end of May.
$WFC agreed to hike its payout in a class-action settlement over unauthorized accounts by $32 million to $142 million for its retail sales practices. The settlement will now include customers who were impacted as early as May 2002.


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NEW YORK (AP) — H.J. Heinz Co., the world's biggest ketchup maker, says it gave its CEO a pay package worth $14.4 million in its fiscal 2012, down 8 percent from last year, according to an Associated Press analysis of a regulatory filing.
The drop in pay for William Johnson, who has been chief executive since 2000, was largely the result of lower performance-based bonus pay. The company's net income for the fiscal year ending April 29 declined 7 percent from the previous year.
The 63-year old Johnson, who also serves as chairman and president, was given a salary $1.3 million, up 4 percent from the previous year. His stock and options came to $4.1 million, compared with $4 million the previous year.
His bonus pay came to $7.7 million, down 13 percent from $8.9 million. The incentive pay is based on a company formula that uses metrics including the company's sales growth and profitability.
All other compensation, which included car allowances and contributions to retirement plans, amounted to $1.3 million, down from $1.4 million.
Like other food companies, Heinz in the past year has raised prices on its products — like Ore-Ida frozen potatoes and Classico pasta sauces — to offset rising commodity costs. The Pittsburgh-based company has also said it would cut jobs and close plants to lower costs and improve productivity.
As growth struggles at home, the company is also focusing on countries such as Brazil, China Russia and Indonesia, which are growing faster than the U.S. and Western Europe.
Looking ahead Heinz foresees fiscal 2013 earnings per share rising 5 to 8 percent, excluding special items.
The AP formula calculates an executive's total compensation by adding salary, bonuses, perks, above-market interest the company pays on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock and stock options awarded.
The formula doesn't count changes in the present value of pension benefits. That makes the AP total slightly different in most cases from the total reported by companies to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The value that a company assigned to an executive's stock and option awards was the present value of what the company expected the awards to be worth to the executive over time. Companies use one of several formulas to calculate that value. The number is just an estimate and what an executive ultimately receives will depend on the performance of the company's stock in the years after the awards are granted.
Most stock compensation programs require an executive to wait a specified amount of time to receive shares or exercise options.


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With Facebook consistently rolling out new features and subsequent privacy settings, many people may be unaware as to how to best protect their online information. This article, which appeared on February 6, 2013 in the New York Times. The article suggests four questions to ask yourself so as to best be able to format your privacy settings. First is “How You Would Like To Be Found.” It gives tips on how to disable search engines from linking to your facebook timeline and how to determine what the privacy settings are for something posted by a friend. The next question is “what do you want the world to know about you?” It urges readers to reconsider including seemingly harmless pieces of information, such as gender and birthday, which can be exploited by hackers. The article also identifies online tools which can identify pieces of information, such as profanity, and gives you the option of deleting it from your profile. Third asks “do you mind being tracked by advertisers?” and explains how to remove targeted advertising from your homepage. Finally, the article asks “Whom do you want to befriend?” and asks readers to carefully consider who they create connections with over Facebook. It identifies two more pieces of software that can prevent a Facebook friend’s actions from displaying pieces of your own information publicly.
This article is an important read even for those who think they have a good handle on Facebook’s privacy settings. The new version of Facebook, released this past December, will allow all users–including strangers–to search for pieces of information such as what you do and where you go. It is imperative that users know how to protect this information in the best way possible.


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One TikTok creator raises money to open a brick and mortar store.
A collection of NFTs make up the first metaverse music group.
One report reveals the top stressors among creators
Gary Vaynerchuk on NFTs and how creators can get involved
A Publish Press Exclusive
Family-friendly YouTubers host their first explicit livestream
Over 9,000 creators join together for a cleaner ocean
One Twitch star is launching a talent agency
Esport creators are coming to the Nasdaq
Exploring the future of the creator economy
How shorter videos are driving massive growth
Why CashApp is giving artists free money


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H-E-B and COSTCO have been tremendous partners and we are pleased to be able to bring our line of all-natural pasta sauces and salad dressings to the plates of even more of their customers.
San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) October 09, 2012
Moni’s Natural, a premier pasta sauce and salad dressing manufacturer, announced today that it has expanded its presence to an additional 121 H-E-B locations and all 3 San Antonio-area COSTCO stores.
Based in Frisco, Texas, Moni’s Natural is currently carried in San Antonio-area Whole Food Markets and Central Market. The expansion into a wider number of San Antonio grocery stores indicates the consumer’s growing demand for the product and the company’s desire to further enhance its presence in metro area. It also showcases the confidence retailers have in the brand.
The expanded agreement with H-E-B will bring over 2,000 additional units of the company’s Tangy Tomato Vinaigrette, Light Tangy Tomato Vinaigrette, and Italian Country Balsamic Vinaigrette to store shelves and is projected to spur expansion into more locations as sales are established. COSTCO will carry the company’s Garlic and Basil Marinara Sauce.
Moni’s Natural owners Dritan and Sanida Saliovski believe San Antonio is a perfect location for the company’s line of products and that it is enjoying a renaissance in its food and beverage industry.
“We were drawn to San Antonio because of its incredibly diverse population,” said Dritan Saliovski. “It has shed its reputation as a sleepy town and become a community of quality-conscious consumers that have responded very well to our products. H-E-B and COSTCO have been tremendous partners and we are pleased to be able to bring our line of all-natural pasta sauces and salad dressings to the plates of even more of their customers, who have shown great loyalty to their stores and our brand.”
Moni’s Natural is available now at all San Antonio COSTCO locations, while availability at H-E-B is expected by November 2012.
About Moni’s Natural
Frisco, TX-based Moni’s Natural has offered its line of products in independent Italian restaurants and pizza shops for more than 30 years. Currently, it can be found in over 200 family restaurants across Texas and in a grocery aisle near you. All of Moni’s Natural products are 100% Natural and Gluten Free, with fresh ingredients including hand-steamed basil and garlic cloves, onions and carrots. For more information on where to purchase any of Moni’s Natural products, please visit http://www.monisnatural.com.