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Deere posts 17 percent profit increase, raises full-year earnings forecast
(AP) — Deere & Co. posted a 17 percent spike in profits for the second quarter Wednesday and boosted its outlook for the year, predicting record-high global demand for farm equipment.
The company beat Wall Street expectations on net income and revenue, posting a profit of $1.06 billion, or $2.61 per share, up from $904 million, or $2.12 per share, in the same quarter last year.
Revenue jumped 12 percent to $10 billion, from $8.9 billion, as global net equipment sales increased 13 percent to $9.41 billion.
"Our results are a reflection of positive conditions in the global farm economy, which is continuing to show impressive strength and endurance," Samuel Allen, the Moline-based company's chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.
Last week, the U.S. Agriculture Department predicted this year's corn production will hit a record 14.8 billion bushels. And corn exports between September and August 2013 are expected to hit 1.9 billion bushels, with demand rising from China.
China became the top market for U.S. agricultural goods last year, purchasing $20 billion in U.S. agricultural exports.
And the unprecedented crop production is showing up in Deere's numbers.
Equipment sales in the U.S. and Canada rose 18 percent, while overseas sales increased 6 percent.
Global sales of agricultural and turf equipment rose 11 percent to $7.74 billion, and construction and forestry equipment sales jumped 26 percent to $1.67 billion. Deere said both businesses got a boost from higher shipment volumes and pricing improvements.
The strong earnings arrive even as unfavorable exchange rates reduced international sales growth by four percentage points.
Financial services revenue rose 3.9 percent to $109.2 million, as the company's credit portfolio improved.
Deere said it still expects equipment sales to increase about 15 percent this year and raised its full-year profit prediction to about $3.35 billion. The company previously predicted a profit of $3.28 billion.
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The local electronics manufacturer Marcel has registered about 203 per cent growth in the sales of its air conditioner in January-April period of 2019 against the sales of the corresponding period of the previous year.
Marcel officials disclosed the growth at an ‘Achievement Celebration’ held at the company’s corporate office in the capital on Monday, according to a media release received today (Tuesday)
The release of latest technologies AC as well as the announcement of user-friendly offers are resulted in registering a sharp rise in their AC sales during the first four months of the current year, said Dr Md Shakhawat Hossen, head of Sales of Marcel.
Marcel announced some user-friendly facilities for the customers of Marcel ACs including six months replacement guaranty, free installation and 10 years guaranty on the compressor of Inverter AC, the release said.
Marcel AC buyers can also get sure cash vouchers up to Tk 0.1 million or free products like motorcycle, laptop, fridge, television etc.
Besides, customers are now offered instant cashback of Tk 1000 for setting Marcel AC tune as their mobile caller tune and uploading the picture of installed AC of Marcel in facebook.
© 2017 - All Rights with The Financial Express

domain: news


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The fashion brand has collaborated with developer WeMakeVR to produce virtual reality headsets for customers to watch the Fall 2015 Hilfiger Collection runway show.
Airbus has won a patent for a hypersonic plane, but Concorde's hydrogen-powered successor is unlikely to leave the drawing board any time soon.
US mutual funds are placing bigger bets on privately held companies to get a head start finding the next IPO superstar, a strategy that has yielded some dramatic payoffs and flameouts.
When luxury fashion house Dior revealed recently that it was launching its very own virtual reality headset, it was just the latest confirmation that high fashion is getting technical.
Allison Armour loves fashion, but doesn't need to keep it in her closet.
Crocodile-infested rivers, choppy seas and a lack of proper roads make it difficult for aid workers in remote areas of Papua New Guinea to transport medical supplies, but aid workers have come up with a new solution: drones.
Japan’s military has released a smartphone game featuring cutesy characters who dodge household objects, marking the latest effort to polish the force’s image and lure new recruits.


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Your fave candy hearts won't be available this Valentine's Day, so you'll have to be a little more direct with your crush
When you think of Valentine’s Day, it’s hard to imagine the holiday without candy—especially the heart-shaped variety. But if conversation hearts are your fave, you might want to start thinking about a backup…at least until next year.
Spangler Candy, the company responsible for bringing us treats like Dum-Dums lollipops, announced in a press release this week that since it acquired Sweethearts and Necco Wafers (which produced the candy conversation hearts for decades) from Necco’s bankruptcy, the factory is still being renovated. This means that Sweethearts will skip a year, relaunching in time for Valentine’s Day 2020.
“There are a lot of manufacturing challenges and unanswered questions at this point, and we want to make sure these brands meet consumer expectations when they re-enter the market,” Spangler CEO Kirk Vashaw said in a statement. “We look forward to announcing the Sweethearts relaunch for the 2020 Valentine season, and hope to reintroduce Necco Wafers to the marketplace in 2019.”
As Today.com pointed out, you may still find the candy on shelves if it was manufactured before July 2018, which is when the original factory shut down. So if you see a bag, you might want to snag it—because it seems like they’re going to be a rarity this year. Today.com did warn that if the candy you get is sticky or grainy, it’s better just to toss it because it may have gone sideways.
It’s hard to imagine Valentine’s Day without those yummy little hearts with phrases like “BE MINE” on them, but there are still tons of candies out there for you to enjoy this year. Maybe Valentine’s Day 2019 is the year we all find our new favorite? The possibilities are endless.


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Music streaming service Pandora Media Inc's founder and chief executive, Tim Westergren, plans to step down, Recode reported citing people familiar... ...http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/INtechnologyNews/~3/rslxu5ucV_I/pandora-media-ceo-idINKBN19H0IY
Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh has become the latest political battleground after five farmers were killed in police firing as the agrarian crisis... ...http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/bjp-woes-give-oppn-chance-comeback-190
edia Inc after talks to buy the music streaming company ended over price disagreements. A subsidiary of Sirius will buy issued series A convertible... ...http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/INtechnologyNews/~3/ykdXPPZVpvQ/pandora-media-m-a-sirius-xm-holdgs-idINKBN1901UK
Music streaming company Pandora Media Inc said on Thursday it would briefly extend the closing of private equity firm KKR & Co LP's $150 million... ...http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/INbusinessNews/~3/Y9O-0EDEJFM/pandora-media-strategic-alternatives-idINKBN18Z24K
* Futures up: Dow 38 pts, S&P 4 pts, Nasdaq 13 pts By Tanya Agrawal June 8 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were slightlyhigher on Thursday, a... ...http://www.sify.com/finance/us-stocks-futures-up-on-comey-testimony-relief-uk-polls-ecb-eyed-news-equity-rgira2gbjeeeg.html
Sleeping Dogs Crack Fix Pandora --...


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The editor of Emap bike title Ride is leaving to become deputy editor of sister paper Motor Cycle News (MCN).
Peter Baker will share the post with MCN’s editorial production director, Sean Warwick, who has also moved up to deputy editor. Baker will oversee the editorial creation, while Warwick will concentrate on the production side.
Commenting on the move, Baker said: “MCN is a much bigger title and because it’s a weekly, there is more possibility to do bigger, more exciting stuff.”
MCN was the first title Baker worked on when he joined Emap 12 years ago. He started off as a designer on MCN before moving across to Performance Bikes and Classic Bike. He was also a designer on the launch team of Ride in 1995, before returning in 2000 as editor.
Warwick is another long-serving member of staff, having joined MCN 15 years ago and worked on and off for the title ever since. He took over as editor for a brief period in 1994/95 before working across other titles in Emap Automotive and launching MCN’s website.
The changes follow the appointment in August of Marc Potter as editor of MCN.
Potter said it was “stage one”. The team is currently working on an eightpage consumer section featuring insider info from the trade, the best products and buying and selling advice. It is likely to emerge next spring.
By Ruth Addicott


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Earlier this morning Ubisoft officially revealed the next Assassin's Creed game, called Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and indirectly confirmed that it will get a Stadia release.
If you watch the cinematic reveal trailer for the game, you'll see at the very end of it that Stadia is listed alongside all the other platforms.
This probably isn't a huge surprise though. Ubisoft has been a big supporter of Stadia since the beginning. It already has a number of games on Stadia too, including The Division 2, and Ghost Recon Breakpoint just to name a couple.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla won't be the first AC game on Stadia
If you've subscribed since last Fall you already know but Assassin's Creed Valhalla won't be the first Assassin's Creed game on Stadia.
You can already play Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Which is currently the most recent game in the series. Ubisoft's Uplay+ is also supposed to be launching on Stadia this year. And when it does, that will bring other Assassin's Creed games.
When the game does launch for Stadia, expect it to be retail cost along with every other platform. Expect there to be multiple bundles available too. There will very likely be two or three editions of the game, with the non-standard ones offering bonus content, a year one pass with extra DLC, and potentially some currency for buying stuff.
This should be a simultaneous release
Ubisoft doesn't list any specific dates for the launch of the game. It only lists that it will release Holiday 2020. So it will be out in time for the next-gen consoles.
This should also be a simultaneous release with Stadia. Meaning every platform gets it at the same time. Stadia has just published its reveal trailer of the game on YouTube. And in the description it does say that it will release Holiday 2020 "on Stadia."
That doesn't mean however that it will actually launch on the same day as other platforms. It should, but it may not. It is of course more likely that it will.
Now that Stadia has been around for about six months and new game releases are starting to hit other platforms, Stadia's library of big-budget games is starting to expand. Pretty soon it will have a big lineup of "new" AAA games. Which is exactly what Stadia needs to entice even more people.
— Stadia (@GoogleStadia) April 30, 2020


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The World's Largest Starbucks Is Set to Open This November
It'll be a fantastic escape from the Midwest winters.
Chicago's Magnificent Mile will be the new home of a Starbucks Reserve Roastery this fall. The sixth and likely final Reserve Roastery is set to open November 15.
When it opens, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago will be the largest of the coffee chain's "theatrical, experiential shrines to coffee passion" with 43,000 square feet of space. The other five locations are in New York; Tokyo, which is currently the largest Roastery; Shanghai; Milan, Italy; and the roaster's hometown, Seattle, which opened its Reserve Roastery in 2014.
Chicago is a special spot to the company. It was the first city to serve as home to a Starbucks café outside of the Pacific Northwest. That original expansion store, which opened in 1987 in Chicago's Loop, has since closed.
In addition to selling coffee and tea, the new Roastery, which sits on the corner of North Michigan Avenue and Erie Street, will also have onsite roasting, interactive tours, and a full assortment of pizzas, salads, sandwiches, breads, and desserts from the coffee brand's artisan bakery concept, Princi.
For the late-night crowd, the Roastery will also offer specialty cocktails developed by Chicago mixologists Annie Beebe-Tron of Fat Rice, Julia Momose of Oriole and Kumiko, and Rachel Miller of Community Tavern, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago takes over what was a four-story Crate and Barrel. For the new space, Starbucks says it worked with Crate and Barrel founder Gordon Segal to preserve architectural details of the glassy corner building, which was built in 1990.
Starbucks once had eyes on opening more than two dozen of these large-scale coffee experience locations. In fact, when the Chicago spot was announced in 2017, the company said they would open 20 to 30 Roastery locations globally, with another 1000 Reserve stores.
But Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson told CNN Business that the company currently has no plans for additional Reserve Roastery locations.
The store is slated to open November 15 at 9 a.m. CT. After that, it will be open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays, and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays.


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For the past four years, Carlos and Vicki Santana have been visiting The Rocks Estate in Bethlehem to buy their Christmas tree on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
The Mansfield, Mass., couple heard from workplace colleagues about a potential shortage of Christmas trees this year, but they decided to stick to their schedule for their trip over the weekend to the 1,400-acre reservation.
This year, the couple had their 10-month-old daughter, Olivia, to share in the family tradition. Vicki Santana said she is following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Joseph Monahan, who grew up in the nearby Twin Mountain section of Carroll and used to get his tree at The Rocks, a forest reservation owned and managed by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
“It’s a great family tradition, and we want her to be a part of it,” said Santana, adding that visiting The Rocks to choose a tree “is a lot cooler” than buying a pre-cut tree at a big-box store.
Nigel Manley, director of North Country operations for the Forest Society, has been farming Christmas trees at The Rocks for 35 years. He’s certain 2021 will be a “banner year” for selling choose-and-cut as well as wholesale trees, but they’ll be a bit more expensive.
He’s watching for a possible spike in sales of natural trees. Supply-chain interruptions could leave artificial trees made overseas marooned on cargo ships that are waiting to be unloaded at U.S. ports.
The Rocks used a reservation system in 2020 because of the pandemic yet still sold about 2,000 cut-and-choose trees and upward of 4,000 trees to wholesalers, said Manley, who serves as the New Hampshire/Vermont representative to the National Christmas Tree Association.
The Rocks’ wholesale customers, which included other Christmas tree farms, were in the lower part of New Hampshire and also in Connecticut and Maine, he said.
After being cooped up by the pandemic, customers “bombarded” tree farms, including The Rocks, as soon as they opened this time last year, Manley said. For The Rocks that meant a more than 30% increase in sales, he said.
For 2021, the cost of both cut-and-choose trees and wholesale trees is up 10%, which Manley explained was “catching up, quite honest,” to where the prices should be, given years of below-cost pricing.
He said COVID-19 has made it difficult for the Rocks to hire employees and also to find trucks to deliver its trees to market.
In the past, the Rocks would fill three trailers full of trees; this year the trailers are being used elsewhere, and deliveries are being made using pickup trucks, Manley said.
Tim O’Connor, executive director of the Colorado-based National Christmas Tree Association, said while “there’s a lot going on” with the 2021 season, “the headlines that talk about shortages of Christmas trees are sensationalized and lacking the full story.”
In the 1990s, prices were high, and growers planted accordingly, said O’Connor, before they and the rest of the country encountered “the Great Recession” of 2008.
“The supply of trees is tight; it’s been tight since 2015,” O’Connor said in a phone interview last week. “Yet the entire time — with headlines year after year after year — we as an industry have never run out of Christmas trees. Anybody who wants to get one will be able to get one.”
He compared talk of a tree shortage to last year’s pandemic run on toilet paper.
“We saw a shortage in March and April of 2020 when you went to buy toilet paper or baking flour and couldn’t find it at the store, even at another store, and that’s what a shortage looks like,” he said. “With a Christmas tree, if one place is sold out, there’s another place down the road.”
An example of that on Sunday was the Lowe’s store in Tilton, which had plenty of trees on hand, while the Home Depot, a few miles to the east, had just a handful.
Home Depot says it’s not experiencing a shortage.
“Our supply of fresh cut trees is similar to previous years — we’re not seeing this in our business,” Home Depot corporate spokeswoman Margaret W. Smith wrote in an e-mail Monday.
Despite their availability, the supply of trees may not be spread evenly, though, and that may prove challenging for groups that sell trees for fundraisers, said O’Connor, who also said consumers should expect a 10% increase.
But the trees will be there. The season will end, O’Connor said, “with unsold precut Christmas trees, and that’s not a shortage.”


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Telecommunications operator Orange has launched a promotion aimed at growing the usage of Orange Money by its wide subscriber base. The promotion that runs till September 28 will see customers enjoy 25 percent airtime bonus once they top-up their airtime using Orange Money.
The campaign is meant to appreciate Orange Money account holders for their continued support. The bonus airtime applicable to Orange pre-paid customers can be used for on-net calls, text messages and data usage, with the minimum top-up amount being KSh10.
“Orange Money is rapidly being adopted by Kenyans in the payment of utility bills and purchase of goods and services across the country. We are continuously improving the mobile money platform to guarantee our customers of better services,” said Company CEO Mickael Ghossein.
The promo comes after Orange Money launched mobile to mobile money transfers between three different African countries such as Mali, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire.
Orange Money International Transfer allows money to be sent and received securely via mobile phones. Users no longer need to have cash with them when they travel, and sending cash doesn’t have to be done by a third party.


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Speaking to Multichannel News in the spring of 2019, Tubi founder and CEO Farhad Massoudi dismissed the notion that his AVOD platform would soon sprout original shows.
“Strategically, it doesn’t make sense for us to make original content, with Netflix spending $13 million or $14 million on originals” said Massoudi, who was still a year away from brokering the $440 million sale of his streaming company to Fox. “That’s way beyond what anyone in the AVOD ecosystem could spend.”
With so much competition in SVOD, Massoudi predicted that churn would get out of hand, with consumers signing up for streaming services just to see a coveted new show and then canceling soon after.
“That doesn’t pay for the price of the original—in fact, it suffocates the show,” Massoudi said. “It’s not a game the content companies can continue to play.”
Jump forward a little more than 700 days, several corporate mergers and one pandemic, and a lot about AVOD has changed. The ambition is much bigger overall.
Amazon is spending lavishly on its free-to-consumer IMDb TV platform, recently commissioning a spinoff of its long-running Prime Video original, Bosch, to the platform. Roku is ramping an apparatus to build originals and is already combing domestic and international markets for acquisitions.
And as Broadcasting & Cable reported, last week, Fox CFO Steve Tomsic, speaking at the Deutsche Bank’s Media, Internet & Telecom Conference, said that putting Fox hits like The Masked Singer has given Tubi a boost, the company is looking to put original programming on Tubi.
“Over time, as we look at genres that really work on Tubi, we will cost-effectively look at sort of originals, but I stress that it’s going to be cost effective,” Tomsic said.
Fox expects Tubi to generate $300 million of ad revenue this fiscal year, he added.
Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!
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» New Straight From The Heart Wbir Hd 2014
New Straight From The Heart Wbir Hd 2014
New Straight From The Heart Wbir Hd 2014 on Technology News and Updates AdmaTechnology.com at Saturday, April 19, 2014
Kim Jong Il reportedly often inject himself with the blood of virgin teens to slow down the aging process.
The younger human blood has long been believed to be a drug life. One of the people who know to believe it was the late North Korean leader Kim [...]
Basically, do not use the lights too bright at night.
Using iPad or watching TV late at night can make you depressed, according to a study showing that exposure to bright light during the hours of sleep can affect levels of stress and behavioral disorders.
From Windows 8, until Outlook.com and Windows Phone 8, Sinofsky gave the main color on the recent changes in Microsoft.
Less than a month after the launch of Windows 8 operating system, President of the Windows Division at Microsoft, Steven Sinofsky, [...]
Easy to find because it is positioned right next to the “Like”
Facebook are testing the “Reply” button at the comments posted on the Timeline each user, say a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable last weekend.
Moscow – Thousands of Russian citizens were mobilized to clean up the damage caused by the meteor hit near the Ural mountains failed to find the space rock fragments. Failing that later sparked a conversation about the conspiracy theories about [...]
iPad Mini shipments would begin on November 2.
After Apple issued invitations to a mysterious event on 23 October, rumors about the iPad Mini seems to have been confirmed.
In a simple invitation that Apple does mention “got a little more to show”. [...]
Stylish phone with a sleek body parts excellence and performance backed-powered phones.
Continuing the successful launch of the previous series, the LG Optimus L3, LG Optimus L5 and LG Optimus L7, LG Mobile Indonesia is taking the stylish range of phones [...]
Lenovo’s new hotshot in laptops for SMBs, M490s, offers several security features and maintenance through LSSB (Lenovo Solutions for Small Business).
Among them is a Software Monitor that works to improve security by ensuring the safety of the [...]
An average of 377 of every 1000 people who live to age 15 years will die before reaching the age of 60 years
Man who live in the tropics tend to die sooner, 7.7 years younger than other humans different hemisphere, according to a study initiated by the [...]
Electronic manufacturer Samsung Electronics continues to seriously working on portable computer market (notebook).
Despite playing for two years, Samsung has dared to issue a premium grade products at affordable prices.
Samsung Notebook Series 5 AMD [...]
Astounding number ready achieved by Apple. In the near future, the number of applications that have been downloaded from the App Store will touch the figure of 50 billion.
Quoted from Techradar, Saturday (4/5), Apple has already provided a gift for those [...]


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Charlotte Sidwell walks through the pink tulips at the Biltmore Estate in 2012. This year's Biltmore Blooms celebration runs March 20-May 23.
Can't make it to the Galapagos Islands or Venice, Italy? The USA TODAY travel website 10best.com picked those places for its recent list of "Perfect Destinations for a Spring Getaway," along with a place closer to home: Asheville.
Not surprisingly, the website focuses on Biltmore, reporting that "There's almost always a seasonal festivity taking place at Asheville's historic Biltmore Estate, but the annual spring Biltmore Blooms celebration is one of the most travel-worthy."
The area's surrounding beauty gets a supporting role in the post: ...


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With official signing of a bilateral trade agreement between the U.S. and Russia, U.S. beef has regained access to the Russian market, pending a plant audit tour by Russian inspectors. Eligible is U.S. boneless beef, bone-in beef and beef variety meats from cattle under 30 months of age with an approved export certificate.
A second step in the re-opening process will come in May 2007, when the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) General Assembly makes its final decision on the U.S. risk status for BSE. Pending the determination of the U.S. as an OIE-designated, controlled-risk or negligible-risk country, Russia will reopen to all U.S. beef and beef products from cattle of all ages with the removal of OIE-designated, specified-risk materials.
Russia previously was the largest export market for U.S. beef livers, importing more than 140 million lbs. of U.S. beef and beef variety meats valued at over $53 million in 2003.


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The 6th Street Market Returns Bigger than Ever
The Downtown Tempe Authority (DTA) invites the public to participate in two events this fall; one brand new, and one back by popular demand. Relaunching on Sunday October 14th, 2018, the 6th Street Market returns for the season and runs every Sunday (except two) at City Hall Plaza in Downtown Tempe with some exciting new additions for this year. The first-ever Halloween Stroll and costume contest kicks off at the 6th Street Market on Sunday October 28th, 2018 with free fun for the whole family.
The weekly artisan market features 30 – 40 vendors providing authentic, handmade art, goods, food and beverage. There will be weekly programming including live music and family-friendly activities like crafty DIY “make & takes”, games and more; culminating in festival-like atmosphere. The market is family-friendly -- for the entire family, as dogs are welcome, with several vendors offering locally-made, pet-themed products. Seasonal programming includes special holiday-themed markets this year, like free Selfies with Santa at the market and holiday-inspired gift-shopping (wrapping included), music and festivities on November 25th and December 9, 16 & 23. There is free parking at select downtown garages and all street meters on Sundays.
The market takes place from 10am until 3pm every Sunday in City Hall Plaza in Downtown Tempe from October 14th, 2018 through April 14th, 2019 with the exclusion of December 2nd, 2018 and March 31st, 2019; during the Tempe Festival of the Arts. Exciting new additions and programming this year include a substantial doubling in size of the market and vendors, as Tucson-based Food in Root joins the market every Sunday bringing a farmers market component to the weekly community event.
New this year, DTA is thrilled to announce it’s first-ever Halloween Stroll on Sunday, October 28th from 2pm to 5pm. Downtown Tempe invites families to come in costume for the 2pm kick-off at the 6th Street Market, hosted by Miss Arizona contestant Ariyanna Norman, who’ll oversee and MC the event and costume contest. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own trick-or-treat bags or jack-o’-lanterns, and will receive a map indicating the dozens of Downtown Tempe merchants to visit who’ll be giving away candy, treats and special discount offers for the whole family to enjoy. This not-so-spooky event will all take place in a safe, daytime event. There will be Halloween-themed “make & takes”, games, family photos inside Stella the Airstream vintage photobooth, and a costume contest with several prize-winning categories rounding out the event at 4:30pm.
“Our weekly market offers a unique shopping experience with local artisans and makers, and now we have expanded to include fresh produce, baked goods and other local food options,” said the Downtown Tempe Authority’s Director of Placemaking, Julie Kent. “We’re excited for the upcoming season!”
For more information about the 6th Street Market, please visit:
For more information about transportation options and parking, please visit:


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The EPP Group wants to use the Trade and Investment Agreements between Vietnam and the EU as a door opener to access other Asian markets. At the same time, the agreements shall raise environmental, labour and human rights standards in Vietnam.
“The Trade and Investment Agreements with Vietnam can boost our trade and therefore create growth and jobs, both in Europe and Vietnam. The agreements will also help to raise environmental and labour standards and engage Vietnam on human rights according to EU standards,” declared Iuliu Winkler MEP, who negotiated the approval of the agreements on behalf of the EPP Group.
Today, the Parliament’s Trade Committee gave the green light for the ratification of the Trade Agreement and Investment Protection Agreement between the European Union and Vietnam. Through these agreements, EU exports to Vietnam are estimated to increase by around 29 percent, while Vietnam exports to the EU are estimated to grow by up to 18 percent. These figures correspond to export gains of €8 billion by 2035 for EU firms, while Vietnam exports to the EU are expected to grow by €15 billion.
The EU’s main exports to Vietnam are high tech products, including electrical machinery and equipment, aircraft, vehicles, and pharmaceutical products. Vietnam’s main exports to the EU are telephone sets, electronic products, footwear, textiles and clothing, coffee, rice, seafood and furniture.
“In times when the Trump Administration destabilises international trade, we need to push for rules-based trade. The Vietnam Agreements are a door opener for European products and European standards in other parts of Asia. We need trade agreements to ensure stability, protection and benefits for companies and consumers on all sides,” insisted Winkler.
“Champagne, Rioja wine, feta cheese… we will also protect more than 160 traditional European food and drinks products from a specific geographical origin against imitation on the Vietnamese market. It’s clearly a step forward to defend our European products,” the MEP further stated.
A Joint Committee of EU and Vietnamese lawmakers, set up by the agreements, will ensure that environment and labour standards as well as human rights are respected.
“Of course, we do not give a ‘blank check’ to the Vietnamese authorities, but we will monitor the full observance and implementation of all the commitments made,” the MEP continued.
Together with the National Assembly of Vietnam, the European Parliament took up the initiative to set up a Joint Committee, which will scrutinise the implementation of the agreements. “Such direct contact with Vietnamese authorities will provide us with a good platform to engage and address early on any implementation issues that might arise,” Winkler concluded.
Source: EPP Group in the EP, Newsroom


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Business ads that have been featured on the air this week include the $5 bill.
The ad for the $1,000 credit card features a photo of an American flag and a statement: “The $5 Credit Card.”
The ad features a picture of a young woman holding a sign that reads: “We Are Here For You.”
The $2,000 card comes with a $200 credit to a credit card or debit card account, according to the ad.
The $3,000 Visa card comes in a red and black design.
The Visa card is available for purchase online or in stores, according, the ad, which is titled “What the Cashier Needs to Know.”
The $2.5 million Samsung smart phone ad features an American woman holding up a picture showing a man and woman holding hands and saying: “Let’s Make Money Together.”
The Samsung ad, entitled “Make Money Together,” features a black and white photo of the woman with her hands behind her back.
The phone is available to purchase online, the Samsung ad says.
The $3.5 billion Sony smartphone ad features two women holding hands, with a message: “Sony Smartphones Are The Future of Privacy.”
The image features a photograph of a man wearing a black suit and a white shirt.
The smartphone is available in select stores, the Sony ad says, and is available on Android and iOS.
The AdSense $2 million ad features three people in a car and a woman talking with a child.
The image is a black-and-white image with text reading “Take Me Out for a Drink.”
The smartphone ad is available online, and comes with ad-blocking software.
The ad for $500,000 in Apple products features a young girl in a yellow suit and white shirt, wearing an Apple Watch.
The Apple ad, titled “The Power of the Apple Watch,” features three women holding up watches and saying “Apple Watch.”
The iPhone app is available as an online download, and the watch is available at select Apple stores.
The Apple ad for “The Apple Watch Is Better Than You Think,” featuring a young boy, features a woman holding her hand in front of a camera.
The woman is in a green shirt and green pants.
The watch is sold separately at Apple stores and through Apple’s online store.
The Samsung ad features four people in black- and-white images holding hands.
The first image is of a woman with a man holding hands while holding a phone, the second image is an old man holding his cellphone and the third image is two men holding hands with their phones outstretched.
The ads come in a variety of sizes, and are available online and at Apple retail stores.
A $1.6 billion Google ad features six people in front and one in the background holding hands in a field.
The six people are holding hands as they stand next to a hill and the background is a tree with branches extending from the tree to the six people.
The photo is a photo showing a woman wearing a hat and holding a book, according the ad for ad revenue from Google ads.
The Google ad, “The Biggest Day of Your Life,” features six women standing behind a desk.
The women are in blue-and white, gold-colored dresses with their hands outstretched, the Google ad says in the ad description.
The Google ad comes in multiple sizes and colors, and it is available digitally.
The Coca-Cola ad features eight people in the front and two in the back of a car holding hands for a photo.
The images are all black-on-white.
The video is available through the video app on Apple devices and through YouTube.
The National Basketball Association ad features seven players standing in front with a picture in front, and a caption: “All Your Team Needs is Us.”
The player is wearing a shirt with the phrase “All the Team Needs,” the ad says as the video ends.
The NBA ad, available on Apple, Google, and YouTube, features the logo of the San Antonio Spurs.
The NBA is available from Apple devices, and from the Apple app on iOS devices.
The NFL and NFL Films ad features five players standing behind the screen with the caption: The NFL has a new brand name.
The player in the picture is wearing an orange and black hat, while a third player is holding a football in the other hand.
The league says the ad will run for five weeks and is also available online.
The McDonald’s ad features players holding hands holding a bowl of french fries, the caption says, adding: “McDonald’s has changed its name from the ‘Big Mac’ to the ‘Munchkin’ this week.”
The video shows players wearing hats with the words “Munchkins” on them.
The McDonald’s app is also accessible through the app.
The Gap ad features athletes holding hands at a stadium with a caption, “You are welcome at our games, we love you.
It’s all about love.”
The Gap app


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Austin, Texas — FunnyOrDie.com was the brainchild of an aspiring comedian named Michael Kvamme, and then famous laugh-master Will Ferrell got involved. Four years later, according to recent data from comScore, it has been getting around seven million unique viewers a month.
The Los Angeles-based web site has even partnered with cable powerhouse HBO, which runs “Funny or Die Presents” episodes as part of its regular TV programming. And Hollywood stars like Lindsay Lohan, Jerry Seinfeld, and Patrick Stewart have made guest appearances.
With all of that going for it, brand advertisers like K-Swiss have naturally gotten on board. On Monday evening, ClickZ spoke with Marketing VP Patrick Starzan outside The Highball during SXSWi and learned what brands have been requesting from his site.
Facebook isn't just the world's largest social network. In the past two years, it has also become one of the world's most popular online destinations for consuming video content.
In 2015, Verizon purchased AOL for $4.4 billion. Now, the mega wireless carrier is leveraging its wireless network as part of a new ad offering called BrandBuilder by AOL.
As the ball drops on December 31st, make sure your media strategies are stacked with timely resolutions to make the most of 2017.
Easily spotted on the mobile web: holiday ad next to plane crash story; Muslim dating ad next to KKK story; beauty ad next to domestic violence story; car ad next to emissions scandal story.


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September 12, 2012 by Wilson Chua
In parts of rural Cambodia, farmers’ primary source of income comes from harvesting rice — once a year. This is a poor outcome compared to other ASEAN countries which harvest twice or thrice annually.
To help increase farmers’ income, Victor Combal-Weiss and Guillaume Virag founded Project Alba. Project Alba’s socially-minded, sustainable business model works by lowering the risk for farmers to start a second cropping. Farmers get their farm inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and technical knowhow from Project Alba along with a guaranteed buying price for their produce.
In Cambodia, Project Alba has already developed a market for lettuce — an entirely new crop that wasn’t previously produced in Cambodia. It turned out there was a ready market for the vegetable in the increasing number of high end hotels that were sprouting in Cambodia. Read more


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HTC One was this week presented officially, but the mobile industry has also featured other the past week – get an overview here.
The past week has been going in HTC’s characters, as they are in the week leading up to the world’s largest mobile phone trade show, Mobile World Congress, chose to hold an event in London and New York, where their new top HTC One was presented.
HTC is not the only one who even before the MWC has presented their new top model. Sony used CES in January to present their first top model this year. It reads the name Sony Xperia Z and comes in the Danish stores on 15 March, but already the country with our site and the test is in progress.
Sony Mobile Communications has been carried out a study of YouGov, which shows that Danes has gone from being a mid-end market to become a high-end market. The price of a smartphone is not important and more than half of smartphones sold in 2012 cost more than 4,000 dollars without subscription.
The study also showed that the alarm clock is still an important function in the smart phone and more than half of Danes using it to alarm clock so they can get out of bed.


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There is no shortage of up-and-comers jostling for a spot in China’s massive e-commerce industry, and oftentimes they pick a niche market and present a novel business model different from the establishment of Alibaba or JD.com.
Chinese social e-commerce app Fresh Buddy announced on Tuesday that it has raised $100 million in a Series B funding round led by Genesis Capital, a growth-stage fund founded by two former Tencent executives. SIG China, DCM Ventures and Vision Plus Capital also participated in the round, with China Renaissance serving as the exclusive financial advisor.
The new financial injection came just months after Fresh Buddy, or Meiri Yitao in Chinese, made its debut in April and raised $30 million from a Series A round led by DCM Ventures in July. Fresh Buddy plans to spend the proceeds to strengthen its supply chain and logistics center.
The company is a project incubated by Miss Fresh (branded as Meiri Youxian in China), a Tencent-backed service used by 50 percent of China’s online fresh produce shoppers as of June, according to research firm Trustdata. Zeng Bin, founder and president of Miss Fresh, owns 40.79 percent shares in Fresh Buddy while Miss Fresh has an 11.8 percent stake in the new app, according to enterprise registration information that’s publicly available.
Like its parent, Fresh Buddy sells and delivers vegetables and fruits, but it comes with a twist. While Miss Fresh goes after consumers in China’s megacities, the new project lures small-town consumers with a multilevel revenue-sharing scheme: Users get cash rewards when they get other people to use the app.
A social media account on Weibo marketed at Fresh Buddy’s money-grubbing users claim it’s normal for an average “recruiter” to earn 10,000 yuan, or $145, a month. Someone that’s reached the “advisor-level” can pocket no less than 1,000 yuan a day and a senior “advisor” can make more than 10,000 a day.
Fresh Buddy has utilized the social reach of Tencent’s billion-user messenger WeChat where shoppers can discuss potential purchases and recruit others. Other e-commerce apps that have taken off on WeChat include group-buying site Pinduoduo, which scored one of the biggest U.S. IPOs by a Chinese firm this year. Alibaba has also toyed with a few social e-commerce ideas, but the giant lacks a networking app that matches the size of WeChat, which has long blocked Alibaba’s range of products.
On the supply end, Fresh Buddy says it sources directly from farms, bypassing layers of distribution to cut costs.
The app grew 70 percent month-over-month to reach 30 million unique mobile installs in October, according to market research firm iResearch.
Cash rewards have been proven effective in acquiring users in China. Yunji Weidian, which also has a revenue-splitting program to incentivize users but covers a wider range of products, is reportedly targeting an initial public offering in the U.S. that could value the company between $7 billion to $10 billion. Qutoutiao, the NASDAQ-listed rival to TikTok’s sibling news distributor Jinri Toutiao, also has a similar scheme that lets users earn money by reading content and bringing in new users.


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We continue to cover the participation of the Chairman of the Board VV Stavynyuk. at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, to which the Ukrainian delegation arrived under the chairmanship of Stepan Kubiv, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine’s Minister for Economic Development and Trade.
An event, the value of which is difficult to assess in the context of world trade, will continue until November 10th. More than 2,800 companies (including the world’s 500 most powerful and more than 200 leading industry companies) and 150,000 buyers coming from different parts of the world will gather in the Chinese metropolis to participate in an unprecedentedly large trade event. The importance of the exhibition has already been appreciated by China President Xi Jinping, who noted that China’s international import EXPO is the world’s first national exhibition focused on imports, which is why EXPO is a “big step in the history of international trade development.”
It should be noted that Ukraine for the first time represents its National stand, trade, investment and tourism potential for events of such global significance. At the opening of our booth, First Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv congratulated the PRC’s real steps on diversification of markets and openness. In this he sees great potential for deepening economic cooperation between our countries. Especially, given that Ukraine is part of the initiative to build the “Greater Silk Road” economic belt and the transit hub between Europe and Asia.
SFII participation in this exhibition takes place as an exclusive active guide between Chinese business and domestic projects. We are convinced that thanks to EXPO Ukraine will receive not only an increase in trade turnover, but also implementation of compatible strategic projects, including innovative ones. After all, China has all the conditions and capabilities to provide a multilateral, open trade and economic platform to promote the development of global trade and joint technology development. The chairman of the Board of Directors, carrying out dozens of meetings with potential investors, noted the sincere interest of representatives of international business to the Ukrainian economy, in particular, to investment objects in which the State, in the person of the Office, may take part as a co-investor.
Together with this SFII leadership, attention was paid to the scientific and technological development of our countries, including digitalisation, which could contribute to industrial development, influence people’s lives, and provide an effective support for the sustainable development of the Ukrainian economy.


text: On April 25th, Chipotle Mexican Grill announced a security incident where unauthorized activity was detected on their network that supports payment processing for purchases made in their restaurants. Their investigation is focused on debit and credit card transactions that occurred from March 24, 2017 through April 18, 2017 in their restaurants. ASCU reminds their cardholders to monitor their account activity and to immediately report any unauthorized transactions to any of our seven branches. For more information related to the breach, please visit Chipotle’s website at https://www.chipotle.com/. Thank you.


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US Food banks in California brace for the holidays amid surging food prices
As Europe virus cases surge, UK plows on with its new normal
LONDON (AP) — The bars are shut in Vienna, and the Christmas market is empty in Munich, as several European nations tighten up or even lock down to combat a spike in coronavirus infections. Meanwhile in London, couples sip mulled wine at a seasonal market near the River Thames, full-capacity audiences fill the seats at the nearby National Theatre, and friends huddle over pints in pubs throughout the city. Not for the first time in the pandemic, Britain is out of step with many of its neighbors. But this time, it’s happy to be different.The U.K.
ANAHEIM, California — Two food banks in California have been gearing up for a busy holiday season: One is spending tens of thousands amid rising food prices, and the other has been serving triple the number of people since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The Alameda County Community Food Bank in Oakland is dealing with the toll of rising food prices and supply chain issues as it serves families grappling with food insecurity.
“They’re depending on us,” said Elizabeth Gomez, director of client services at the food bank.
Over the past year, food prices have increased 5.3 percent, according to the.
Fact check: Gas prices when Trump left office were much higher than he now claims
Former President Donald Trump has been attacking President Joe Biden over this year's increase in gas prices -- and greatly exaggerating the size of that increase. © Joe Raedle/Getty Images A customer pumps gas into his vehicle at a Shell station on November 22, 2021 in Miami, Florida. In a Fox News interview that aired on Sunday, Trump said, "Look, when I left, gasoline was $1.87. That was a year ago. And now, it's I guess just hit $7.50 in California, the rest to follow..." In another Fox News interview that aired on Tuesday, Trump claimed the increase was even bigger: "Gas was at -- gasoline, $1.
Because of food price increases, the food bank is spending an additional $60,000 on food per month.
“We need to be ahead of the game as much as we can,” said Gomez, 48, who’s been working with the organization for 24 years.
She said the food bank has seen price increases across the board for seven core items, with oatmeal and frozen chicken seeing the highest increases at 17.1 percent and 13 percent respectively. In total, it is spending more than $1 million on food per month — compared to $250,000 each month before the pandemic.
“Part of the increase is because we’re willing to spend more on food to ensure that we actually secure it,” Gomez said. The backlog of shipments along the California coast has created supply chain issues and has contributed to less inventory and increased transportation costs for the food bank.
Two cheers for Democrats' proposed drug payment reforms
The proposed reform is mostly well-designed, but its price caps on older drugs need stronger safeguards.The recent proposal by congressional Democrats takes a better approach. It would reform Medicare's Part D benefit by capping seniors' exposure to catastrophic out-of-pocket costs, strengthen the incentive for drug plans to negotiate lower prices from manufacturers, and only cap prices for older post-patent drugs where competition is inadequate. The proposed reform is for the most part well-designed, but its price caps on older drugs need stronger safeguards to ensure they do not erode patent protections that are necessary to reward the development of new drugs.
The food bank has had to turn to alternatives such as single serve cereal bowls to replace oatmeal, and turned to Costco to get a variety of canned meats for canned tuna that has been running late.
“We are expecting more than 400,000 Alameda County residents,” Gomez said. “We’re bracing for what is to be the busiest month and a half ahead for us.”
In 2020, rough estimates indicate 45 million people, or 1 in 7, experienced food insecurity as the pandemic forced tens of millions to suffer from unemployment or saw their hours decline, according to anby , a nationwide nonprofit network aiming to ensure equitable access to food in the United States.
With a recovering economy and increasing vaccination records, the organization projects improved food insecurity conditions in the holiday season but still higher than pre-pandemic numbers.
Feeding America predicts that 42 million people — about 1 in 8 — may experience food insecurity, compared to about 1 in 9 in 2019, the lowest point reached then since food insecurity began being measured in the 1990s, according to the report.
Senate rules could undercut Democrats’ prescription drug plan
Democrats want to lower drug costs for commercial health plans — if the Byrd Rule will let them.Democrats have a multi-pronged strategy for addressing drug prices in the Build Back Better Act. First, they would allow Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers on the prices of a certain number of prescription drugs, something they have been promising to do for years. But Democrats also want to limit drug companies’ ability to hike the prices of their medications for everyone — regardless of what kind of health insurance they have — in the future.
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has been serving triple the number of people it usually saw before the pandemic — from 300,000 to 900,000 each month, according to Olivia Cervantes, 33, its marketing content manager.
It’s a number that aligns with a recent University of Southern Californiadetailing that 1 in 10 Los Angeles County residents experienced food insecurity in the first half of 2021 — and 59 percent of them were Latino.
“It was time to give back to my community as an Angeleno,” Cervantes said, explaining she felt compelled to help after witnessing the pandemic’s impact on the city's Hispanic community. “Even if we were to return back to normal or even if this lingers on, the issue is still there, hunger is a year-round issue.”
California is home to the nation’s largest Latino population. In Los Angeles County, Hispanics or Latinos account for almost half () of the population.
The Los Angeles food bank has been minimally impacted by the surge in food prices and supply chain issues because the majority of its food is donated and sourced locally.
White House looks to rein in gas prices ahead of busy travel season
The White House is pulling out various stops in an effort to get gas prices under control at the start of what is expected to be a busy holiday travel season. © Associated Press/Evan Vucci White House looks to rein in gas prices ahead of busy travel season The administration is tapping into the strategic petroleum reserve and President Biden has called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether oil companies are responsible for increased prices.
However, it has had to grapple with other issues: The number of volunteers declined from 30,000 to 15,000 because of Covid-19 safety protocols. The organization has turned to AmeriCorps for help with distribution.
"The food bank really does stretch the dollar to help as many people as possible," Cervantes said.
Organizers say those who want to volunteer or donate can contact the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank'sor call 323-234-3030 or the Alameda County Community Food Bank's or call 510-635-3663.
Followon , and .
Americans keep spending .
A surge in consumer prices is putting pressure on household budgets, derailing confidence in the economy and weighing on President Biden's approval rating - but it's not stopping Americans from a shopping spree as the holidays approach.Retail sales jumped for the third consecutive month in October, according to data released Tuesday by the Census Bureau, rising 1.7 percent on the month and beating analysts' expectations. While those figures are not adjusted for price changes, Americans are spending freely on a wide range of nonessential goods still in high demand and short supply.


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- 12:50 pm Saturday, May 14th, 2016 by M.M. Cloutier
With three floors, including a rooftop lounge, a new Mexican restaurant and bar opened earlier this week in downtown West Palm Beach—and right around the corner from another Mexican eatery that’s been long popular.
Banko Cantina may be a stroll away from longtime Rocco’s Tacos & Tequila Bar, but it’s following its own course.
Among other things, the restaurant, 114 S. Olive Ave., specializes in the smoky and often meaty regional cuisine of northern Mexico.
With its three levels, Banko Cantina, in the 1921 landmark building originally home to American National Bank, has some 13,000 square feet.
Its first and third floors are for drinking and dining, including the partially-covered [More]
- 11:15 am Monday, February 22nd, 2016 by M.M. Cloutier
Location, location, location: If the best is oceanfront, then a newly redesigned restaurant at Eau Palm Beach Resort is along prime real estate.
At the same time, it’s devoid of snooty.
Eau’s Breeze Ocean Kitchen, a 120-seat al fresco oceanfront restaurant and lounge that opened last month, exudes a beachy casual-chic.
Its yellow and blue hues echo the color palette of Eau’s guest rooms and suites redesigned about a year ago by designer and author Jonathan Adler, a seasonal Palm Beach resident.
According to Eau’s managing director, Michael King, Breeze Ocean Kitchen is an “exciting example of the fresh updates” Eau has made [More]
- 3:55 pm Thursday, September 4th, 2014 by M.M. Cloutier
When Meat Market, which debuted in 2008 in Miami Beach, opens its third location in Palm Beach on Sept. 22, local patrons will quickly figure out that it has as much to do with staples of a classic steakhouse—prime cuts, indulgent side dishes, refined wine list—as it does a divergence from them, too.
Case in point: a crudo bar, with crudo (“raw” in Italian) referring in this case to both raw-bar/raw items and dishes where proteins, such as fish, are “cooked” with something other than heat: That leaves the door wide open to everything from oysters and carpaccios to ceviches and tiraditos.
At the [More]
- 9:05 am Friday, November 4th, 2011 by M.M. Cloutier


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England Rugby chief hints that Amazon could poach Six Nations games from the BBC and ITV after successfully broadcasting the Autumn Nations Cup in which Eddie Jones’ men emerged victorious
- Amazon made their rugby broadcasting bow by airing the Autumn Nations Cup
- England won the tournament after beating France at Twickenham last weekend
- The tech giant now have their eyes on airing some Six Nations games from 2022
England Rugby chief Bill Sweeney has opened the door to Amazon buying part of the rights for the Six Nations.
Such a move would controversially take some of the games off terrestrial TV, with the BBC and ITV’s joint deal up for renewal in 2022.
Amazon made their rugby broadcasting bow as England secured the Autumn Nations Cup
Amazon made their rugby broadcasting debut in the Autumn Nations Cup and the online retail giants are also looking at rights for the Premiership.
Sweeney said: ‘The Amazon situation has gone really well and they are very happy after the end of the end of the Autumn Nations Cup in terms of what they were looking for ahead of Christmas.
‘It has gone very well for them and they see ways it can better as well. We would hope this will result in further conversations with them.’
Bill Sweeney has hinted that Amazon could take Six Nations matches off the BBC and ITV
Addressing the prospect of taking the Six Nations off free-to-air TV, Sweeney added: ‘You’ve got to balance commercial value – and pay TV can pay more – against the game being available to as many eyeballs as possible.
‘The interesting thing with Amazon is that because they are not a pure behind-a-paywall channel they are a lot more relaxed about a hybrid, a mix of terrestrial and pay. These will be conversations that will be ongoing into the New Year.’
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Recent announcements across the worlds of technology, media and venture capital are serving as a harbinger for how traditional media will be fundamentally transformed in the years ahead. While none of these events might appear seismic on their own, in the aggregate they mark clear territory for the battles ahead that will both determine the future of media and the lasting influence of the Creator Economy.
In May, one of the industry’s most prolific venture capital firms, Andreessen Horowitz, rebranded its content site, Future, and issued statements implying it was evolving into a new kind of organization — one some characterize as ‘a media company with a venture arm’. Weeks later, Harry Stebbings, the 24-year old founder of the popular 20-minute VC podcast, announced that he had raised $140mm across a pair of inaugural funds, making his fledgling firm, 20vc, one of the largest seed investors in Europe virtually overnight.
So, in the space of a month a respected VC fund announced plans to become a content creator, while a respected content creator announced plans to become a VC fund.
Separately, in late May, Amazon announced it was acquiring media giant Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), home of the James Bond franchise and 4000+ other iconic films, for roughly $8.5 Billion. The bold acquisition would ostensibly complement Amazon Studios, which has been occupied with producing TV programming, and would provide a wider audience (and greater monetization) for the deep MGM catalog of works.
Mega mergers between media companies and technology companies are nothing new, of course. Many still remember the AOL/Time Warner merger of 2000, the wave of mergers that that deal triggered, and the shadow that those pairings would cast over the industry for much of the next decade. Yet this Amazon/MGM acquisition feels different and has broad implications across media and tech. Let’s examine some history…
The Media consolidation era of 2000–’10
Twenty years ago, the media landscape looked very different. In the dot-com era, media companies were under enormous pressure as their traditional points of distribution — television stations, movie theaters et al — were increasingly being disintermediated by the internet. The level of centralized control and the cushy franchises that media companies had enjoyed for decades were eroding as consumers were increasingly able to access content by circumventing media companies entirely.
Telcos were facing an existential crisis of their own as consumers were increasingly going wireless and, hence, abandoning the landline services that had been the bread-and-butter of Telcos for generations. Yet, for Telcos the business of providing internet access was both not an especially attractive one and one that was rapidly becoming commoditized. In the face of this, Telcos such as AT&T and Verizon felt they needed to provide greater value to their consumers; accordingly, they went on a media company buying spree through much of the 2000s.
Over the next decade, Yahoo, AOL and TimeWarner would ultimately be passed around like hors d’oeuvres trays between these players as Telcos struggled to find ways to add value in combined offerings.
In the final analysis, however, many of these acquisitions failed and the acquired companies themselves were often spun off or otherwise disposed of.
2010–’21: Media rewires itself…
Over the subsequent decade, many media companies that avoided partnering with or selling out to a Telco during the 2000s went on to build internet businesses of their own. Tech companies, somewhat in parallel and in response to these potent offerings, determined that they needed to develop their own media companies.
Over the next decade, billions were invested in content development as companies such as Amazon and Netflix built their own robust film and television studios and, in short order, became major players on the media landscape.
…But not without an unwinding
More recently, many of the same Telcos that led the media buying binges of the 2000s have been shedding those assets. In 2019, Verizon unloaded Tumblr for a sum believed to be roughly $3 million, a far cry from the $1.1 Billion Verizon paid for the blogging platform in 2013. In 2020, Verizon sold Huffpost to Buzzfeed and took a $119mm loss on its quarterly earnings for doing so.
In early May, Verizon announced that it was selling AOL and Yahoo to PE firm Apollo for $5 Billion —half of the roughly $9 Billion it paid for the combined pair. This sale effectively ended Verizon’s decade-long troubled experiment with media production and advertising.
Separately, AT&T cut itself loose from Time Warner in a $43 Billion merger of WarnerMedia with Discovery, a deal that analysts have called a debacle for AT&T shareholders. Clearly, Telcos running media businesses turned out to be a bad idea whose time had passed.
Content becomes commoditized
Today, Telcos are grappling with the difficult question of where growth will come from in a world where consumers are increasingly circumventing their traditional business lines. Tech and media companies, for their part, are engaged in a fierce battle over slivers of market share across dozens of subscription services in an increasingly competitive landscape of siloed, balkanized content.
In response to all this upheaval, consumers are increasingly having to choose from whom they are going to purchase content; and those choices have only become more complex: “Do I go with the cable company bundle or just use Netflix? What about Hulu? or Disney+? Or Peacock? Would my Amazon Prime membership be duplicative to any of this?” And so on.
Will scale matter any longer in media?
In a world awash in media content, it’s clear that content itself has become commoditized and is no longer a differentiator. As such, no one platform can dominate when there is such diversity of quality content.
Traditionally, this is where size and scale brought enormous advantages. In the past, large media conglomerates would use their influence and scale to push content to consumers and, in the process, quash smaller players that didn’t have the balance sheet to compete in the content wars. But that world no longer exists.
The emerging threat to media companies is not coming from smaller media players any longer but from the creators themselves. Enter the Creator Economy.
How Creators are changing the content landscape
- Better Technologies. Fueled by vastly improved smartphones, inexpensive high-resolution cameras and user-friendly video editing software, user-generated content (UGC) has leapfrogged from the crudely produced parody videos of a decade ago to the full-length cinematic-quality videos of today. Across a host of social platforms from YouTube to TikTok, consumers are increasingly choosing to view this kind of content over the packaged offerings coming from major media outlets.
- UGC is edgier, more topical. Moreover, consumers find UGC more topical, edgy and relevant in the fast-paced media environment where a viral video can have global impact in minutes and can launch lucrative careers for content creators seemingly overnight.
- Immediacy. Current technologies enable a content creator to seize upon a news events or an emerging meme, produce a high-quality video, and distribute it to his or her millions of followers across an array of social platforms in just minutes. A media organization, with its Standards & Practices and other bureaucratic bottlenecks, cannot compete with that speed to market and relevancy.
- Content itself is changing. Formats are also becoming a factor. Less willing to sit through long, episodic content formats, an entire generation of consumers is being conditioned by TikTok and other social platforms to consume content in 15–30 second snippets. The staggering monthly active user numbers on these platforms bear this out. This shift is not temporal, and it’s changing how we think about content.
As content changes so do the economics of the media business
As the costs of producing high quality content continue to fall, as more content creators emerge, and as run-time lengths shrink, the economics of the media business will continue to erode. The increased balkanization of content means that producers of highly demographically-targeted content (i.e. Disney, et al) that can engender loyalty from niche consumer segments will have the advantage over producers of broad-based, mainstream content who will struggle to find an audience.
I predict that we will see another clumsy game of musical chairs across the media landscape as players scramble to partner or acquire their way to remaining relevant (and solvent) in the new world order of media fast coming into view.
Media decentralization and ‘Going direct’
This fundamental dismantling of ‘old media’ has many causes but one irrefutable driver is that content creators of all stripes are increasingly going direct. This includes groups as diverse as an Andreessen Horowitz or Coinbase—who’ve opted to tell their stories directly rather than relying on news organizations to do it — to a Tween influencer who still lives at home but has an 8k video camera and 2 million YouTube subscribers.
And that Tween influencer has no desire to communicate with her 2 million followers through an intermediary.
The ‘Creator Economy effect’ in the fields of music and journalism
This media decentralization is also evident in the fields of journalism and music. Musicians are increasingly producing their own music and distributing it directly to their fans, circumventing industry gatekeepers in the process. This is a dramatic shift from the days when industry players like now-defunct record store chain behemoth Tower Records (no relation, unfortunately) once held so much power that record labels would weigh which musical acts to sign based upon how artists would be marketed in the chain’s stores.
As with video content, audio content has also become dramatically less expensive to produce. What would once cost weeks of expensive recording studio time and take dozens of musicians to produce can often now be done on a Pro Tools-equipped laptop in a matter of hours.
In the world of literature and journalism, there is now Substack, which provides a platform for writers to build a following with loyal readers and then facilitates the means to charge for content.
‘Kardashianization’ of media and commerce
Once at scale, every content creator will want to control and monetize their relationships with their followers. One might call this new phenomenon the ‘Kardashianization’ of media and commerce — a nod to how Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner cleverly built billion-dollar media and branding empires by leveraging media platforms to get to scale and then migrating their millions of fans to their own platforms to monetize them through online and offline commerce. And we expect this trend to continue across broad swaths of the economy.
The Opportunities Ahead
While I believe we are likely in only the 3rd or 4th inning of a fundamental transformation of the media industry, the Creator Economy is as much a driver of this evolution as anything else on the media landscape today. As investors in the category, Catapult is enormously excited by the opportunities to support creators who wish to develop meaningful content, to find new audiences for that content across mediums they control, to communicate with their audience directly, and to generate significant remuneration for themselves, all unfettered by intermediaries. We believe transformational, billion dollar businesses will emerge from this period and look forward to partnering with many of those media innovators in the years ahead.


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Ultimately, the DEA can't create new laws, they can only enforce existing laws created by Congress. However, by making an administrative change, like updating codes, they can then include a product that hadn't been defined or included before. The CBD producers believe that this is overstepping by the DEA.
Basically, the hemp folks believe that since hemp isn't specifically called out under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA), it's legal. The HIA stated, “Cannabidiol is not listed on the federal schedule of controlled substances.” The DEA disagrees and believes that because hemp comes from the same genus family of plants – it is.
The HIA stressed that the new code did not change the status of CBD, but they did express concerns about the final rule. They stated, “DEA's addition of unscheduled substances to the Administration Controlled Substances Code list is problematic. Substances that have not been properly scheduled should not be on the list as this can create confusion in the marketplace and also result in other federal agencies improperly treating legal substances as controlled.”
There are hundreds of CBD products on the marketplace and the DEA believes every sale is an illegal one. That strikes up the fear of seizures of assets, which the DEA says won't happen because it has other enforcement priorities. So for now the customers and producers can continue business as usual. Many though fear this is just the beginning of a new attack on legalization efforts.
Article in Forbes
I'm done here. Just sharing what I find and question it.


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Phones Editor, Tech AdvisorMAY 15, 2020 10:16 am BST
Xiaomi, the popular Chinese smartphone and gadget manufacturer has a subsidiary called Huami that produces smartwatches under the Amazfit brand. We’ve reviewed a few and
some are pretty good.
Now, Huami is gearing up to release the Amazfit Ares after teasing it on the company’s Weibo page (via
The Ares has a bit of a classic Casio G-Shock vibe to its octagonal stylings. Perhaps that means it’ll be a rugged or outdoors smartwatch, an area of the market currently owned by specialist brands like Garmin and Polar.
The Chinese poster, below, talks of 70 sports modes and professional sport analysis, so it looks like it could well be a worthy addition to the outdoor pursuits wearables that we sometimes forget about when faced with shiny new Apple or Samsung smartwatches. With Huami’s track record for reasonable pricing, the Ares could prove to be a canny buy if it packs in accurate GPS.
It looks like the launch is on 19 May. We’ll keep an eye out for more news on the Ares and hopefully get to review it when it drops.
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.


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Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari says he will not attend the Extraordinary African Union summit on free trade in Rwanda this week.
The meeting in Kigali is intended to formally launch the African Continental Free Trade Area Treaty, which would create a common market across the Continent – much like the EU.
Nigeria, along with South Africa and Angola, has one of the continent’s largest economies, the World Bank says. It also has the biggest population.
The trade plan, which was endorsed by Nigeria’s cabinet last week, is intended to help African economies retain more value from their resources.
But some analysts have concerns for jobs and how global companies could take advantage of the treaty. Dr Nazifi Darma, an economic analyst from the University of Abuja, told news men that, “free trade is an idea that is long overdue”:
“But you have to have an economic structure that is competitive enough to enable trade in a equal relationship, not on the basis of a subservient relationship.”
“If bigger, European companies will contract their production in Africa, and set up production facilities that will over-dominate the Nigerian market… Certainly it is against our national interests.”
“We must be able to look at every aspect of that agreement and make sure that it will wholeheartedly facilitate free trade between African countries.”


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Much of Microsoft’s 30-year history is a tale of bulldozing the rest of the world into doing what’s best for Redmond. Although the company has taken a gentler tack in recent years, its Surface tablet augurs a return to ruthlessness. This time, though, the erstwhile PC leader has good reason: It must betray old loyalties if it is to remain relevant to the future of personal computing.
When Microsoft developed the Surface tablet, it did so in Apple-like secrecy – outdoing Apple, for once, at that particular game. It’s been clear for years that Microsoft wanted its software on a tablet, but hardly anyone expected a tablet designed and manufactured under the company’s own brand. Even the hardware manufacturers, which have devotedly churned out machines running Windows for decades, claimed they were in the dark.
Those manufacturing partners must have been especially surprised by the revelation that Microsoft would be manufacturing its Surface tablet – or more likely, contracting the manufacturing to Pegatron, a Taiwan-based company that also manufactures Apple iPads. Surface tablets will be branded with the Microsoft name and sold through Microsoft’s site or in stores owned by Microsoft. This is exactly what Dell, HP and others didn’t want to hear from Microsoft right now.
Just as surprised are the millions of owners of devices running Windows Phone 7, the mobile operating software Microsoft launched in late 2010. When Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8 last week – again, to positive reviews – those early Windows Phone adopters discovered they will need to buy a new phone if they want to run Windows Phone 8. Their old OS will get an upgrade to a new version of Windows Phone 7, but it’s likely to leave out a lot of version 8’s best features.
Software developers, however, won’t have as much trouble with the move from Windows Phone 7 to version 8. Not only will apps already written for existing phones run on Windows Phone 8, but the same software kernel will be used for tablets, PCs and smartphones. Windows 8 was conceived with developers in mind, given their importance in attracting new consumers. Older consumers, however, don’t seem so important.
For PCs, Windows 8 will run on many machines that currently run Windows 7, but anyone who bought their Windows PC before June 2 will have to pay the full price for the OS, likely to be $199 if previous versions of Windows are any indication. Those who waited until after June 2 to buy a Windows PC will pay only $14.99. If you bought your Windows PC more than three weeks ago, you’re also out in the cold.
Many of the companies and consumers Microsoft is treating so cavalierly are ones who have been loyal to the company and its operating software even as PC sales have struggled. But that’s the problem: Windows revenue has been growing around 0.4% at an annual rate. At Apple, iPad revenue has been growing 132%.
To get anywhere close to Apple-like growth, Microsoft decided, it has to act more like Apple. So it retooled Windows Phone from scratch. But that meant leaving existing Windows Phone customers in the lurch. And to take on the iPad, Microsoft chose – wisely – to make its own tablet, seeing how Dell, HP and others have stumbled. But again, that meant cutting its longstanding manufacturing partners out of the process.
As in decades past, Microsoft is jerking others around. Only this time, it’s not rivals and software developers – it’s longstanding partners and loyal customers. Then again, Microsoft isn’t the same company it was a decade or so ago. It’s not the biggest player in the personal-computing industry anymore. Instead, it’s struggling to catch up with the current leader, Apple. It’s fighting to become an innovator in a software industry that’s rapidly changing. And right now, its hard work may be ready to pay off.
But Microsoft’s bid to remain relevant to the future of personal computing comes with a price, one that many people will remember from high school: If you’re going to run with the cool kids, sometimes you have to cut your uncool friends loose.


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Porsche completes the 911 lineup with this epic 620-hp machine.
When this Porsche 911 GT2 RS launches at the Moscow auto show in August, it will be the crown jewel of the 997 portfolio and complete the lineup. Compared with the last GT2, this new RS serves up a rather unexpected and extreme power boost, adding 90 hp for a total of 620, available at 6500 rpm. Torque from the twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six rises just slightly from 505 lb-ft to 516, available from 2250 to 5500 rpm. The huge power jolt likely explains why Porsche went straight to GT2 RS in naming this beast, completely skipping the plain GT2 moniker. Oh, and Porsche says this car will lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes, 18 seconds, which is skull-poppingly quick. For reference, that’s four seconds quicker than the Dodge Viper ACR and only 20 seconds behind the wicked Ferrari 599XX.
Keep Reading: 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS – Official Photos and Info


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Advertising agency LOLA MullenLowe were behind the marketing campaign, and said its aim was to “convince” meat-eaters that plant-based food could “replicate the taste of any meat”.
Tomas Ostilglia, Creative Director at LOLA MullenLowe, added: “And of course, a solution was to make a tasty plant-based human meat burger.”
The advertising campaign won Silver Prize at the Cannes Lions Festival – a prestigious international creative marketing award and festival.
Anders Linden, co-founder, corporate chef and head of innovation at Oumph! said: “Developing a plant-based burger that tastes of human meat was exciting, and a little bit scary, and then for this campaign to win in Cannes is incredibly exciting!
“We developed this burger in no time as soon as we knew what taste and texture we were after. This is our ultimate and weird way of showing that it’s possible to create any type of food by using just plants.”
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.


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Web3 news and trends from April 2023.
From the dawn of the radio, the compelling power of audio has been recognized. Thanks to technological innovations that seamlessly empower people to create podcasts, instantly translate speech to text, and build online communities via social media, it’s easier than ever to harness audio. And with a global pandemic starving people of human interaction, a growing desire for connection and closeness is on the rise. In fact, according to “The Spoken Word Audio Report” from Edison Research and NPR, more than half (52%) of people 18–34 and 58% of people 35-54 agree that spoken word audio is becoming a more important part of their lives. As of 2021, there are 22 million more people listening to spoken word audio compared to seven years ago.
As we inch closer to our next normal, people are reveling in sensory experiences that dimensionalize stories and provide relief – think of the many popular TikTok trends driven by viral sound clips and #ASMR TikTok which has 205B views. And with Snapchat’s partnership with NBCUniversal expanding their movie and TV sounds library, social audio is solidifying its place in online culture. Audio’s impact is encapsulated through our macrotrend Sense-thesized, where people are increasingly drawn to experiences that add or manipulate sensory elements to generate new perspectives or enhance feelings of wellbeing. The trend is embraced by values of exploration, curiosity, ingenuity, and sensation. Heading into 2022, audio is finding new spaces to influence and foster connections in our modern world. People are leaning into audio in the realms of online communities and dating. Read on to learn more.
Following Clubhouse’s success, more brands are now chiming into the social audio market. While bigger players like Facebook focus their efforts on making audio content addictive via sharable “Soundbites” and live audio rooms, other lesser known brands are leaning into audio’s affinity for authentic and intimate connection to fuel new habits. Social audio startup Quilt is harnessing audio to extend online self-care communities. The wellness-focused app has three categories of rooms: spiritual and personal development, career and purpose, and relationships, sex, and family. Anyone can start a room for conversation and/or people can explore the app’s calendar to join discussions of interest. People who choose to be the room moderator will welcome listeners individually to encourage participation, promoting inclusive etiquette. And the app’s design is fostering meaningful experiences. In just the first month of its release in February, the company noted 80% of sign-ups coming back for conversations every week. They also saw around 60% of conversations starting spontaneously, rather than being planned and promoted. Quilt founder Ashley Sumner sees this positively as she hopes people can find a healthy use for the app such as waking up and “listening to daily affirmations, or setting an intention with a room of 10 people” instead of doom scrolling. This vision sets a new optimistic standard for our digitally charged social lives.
Dating in the modern era is often met with a plethora of online apps and sites that feel grossly systematic and dull. Swiping on profiles based on pictures and prompts have left many desensitized to the real experience of getting to know a person. Audio-first dating app, Heart to Heart is bringing intentionality and intimacy back into the courting process. CEO Joshua Ogundu believes leading with a voice mechanism helps people be more considerate in their messages, compared to typing them. Thus, he believes it leads to more intentional actions around striking up conversations. In October, the company secured $750K in funding to bring the project to life and release a product by the end of the year. While the app is being developed, bigger dating app players are already capitalizing on the audio craze. Match Group’s Hinge added audio recording features to their UX just days after Heart to Hearts funding news. Users are now able to have audio recorded responses to prompts and send audio messages to their matches – although it’s important to note that the latter has been a feature on Bumble since the pandemic. Interactive media experiences that mix audio, video, image, and text features are undeniably captivating, and Hinge CEO Justin McLeod imagines empowering people with “the ability to tell a richer story about themselves on their profile.” The future of online dating is poised to explore all the senses people engage when meeting others, leaving the future curiously exciting.
Thanks to the global collective experience of the pandemic, people are primed to explore new modes of connecting, and audio formats are resonating due to their personable nature. Brands can explore ways to incorporate audio functions to create authentic touchpoints and deepen the experience. For example, a jewelry brand can create voice enabled reviews on their products. While beauty and resilience of the products will shine through photos and typed reviews, voice reviews can provide emotional draws to the memories created through the jewelry’s purchase or gift. Go a step further and consider ways to extend voice reviews to other platforms such as creating video ads that paint a picture of the review to complete the multimedia experience.


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Blue Label Telecoms has sold its interest in Blue Label Mexico to its partner in the business, multinational bakery products company Grupo Bimbo, for US$11.5-million (R188-million).
“On 16 September 2020, an agreement was concluded whereby Blue Label Telecoms would dispose
of its 47.56% interest in Blue Label Mexico…,” the company said in a statement on the JSE’s stock exchange news service on Thursday.
Blue Label said the disposal is in line with its strategy to refocus its efforts on its South African distribution
businesses and to deleverage the business “to ensure a more robust and liquid balance sheet going forward”.
The transaction is expected to be effective on Monday, 21 September, pending two outstanding conditions precedent: the waiver by a minority shareholder in Blue Label Mexico of its pre-emptive rights and the payment by Blue Label Mexico to Blue Label’s employee secondee of his salary up to 21 September.
“The agreement contains representations and warranties in favour of Grupo Bimbo, which are standard for a transaction of this nature,” Blue Label said.
The proceeds from the disposal will be used to settle Blue Label’s total parent guarantee obligations of $3.25-million payable to RBL Bank on behalf of Oxigen Services India as well as $5.37-million as a part payment by The Prepaid Company to a special purpose vehicle (created for the acquisition of Blue Label’s stake in Cell C) against its remaining liquidity support obligations of $10-million.
In line with Mexican taxation legislation, taxation is payable on the proceeds of the disposal, Blue Label said. As a result, the balance of the proceeds received will be applied to pay these taxes “up to a maximum of such residue”.
The equity accounted loss after tax attributable to the investment in Blue Label Mexico for the year ended 31 May 2020 was R5.8-million. — (c) 2020 NewsCentral Media


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USA/CANADA: USA threatens further WTO action against Canadian dairy exports
The US is threatening Canada with an application to the World Trade Organisation for the right to impose trade sanctions, because it claims that Ottawa has failed to comply with last year's WTO ruling that its two-tiered export pricing system for milk broke world trade rules. Two days of meetings between Canadian and US trade officials last week failed to resolve the row. It is now expected that WTO disputes procedures experts will be asked to re-examine the case to decide whether Canada has reformed its dairy export procedures in line with their decision last year.
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Following the Saudi Royal decree permitting women in the Kingdom to drive, automotive brands have been quick to adjust their marketing strategies.
Most jumped online to congratulate Saudi women – Nissan being the most prominent among them. Ford, too, was quick to put out the below tweet garnering 15,456 retweets and 34,113 likes till date – significantly more than Nissan’s 821 retweets and 826 likes, despite the fact that Ford’s ad was found to be a copy (or inspired) version of the ad by Lebanese media house Raseef22, which won at the Dubai Lynx last year.
As brands clamored to make their mark felt on social media, there is one brand that is taking action. Renault Middle East, along with its distributor, Gulf Advantage Automobiles, is giving away seven cars to the first seven Saudi females to visit one of Renault’s seven showrooms in the Kingdom. These women must present their driving license in order to qualify for a chance to win the Renault Captur. In a press statement, the brand says, “This initiative is the first of many expected from Renault as they look to establish a long-term relationship with Saudi female drivers.”
A spokesperson from Renault said: “The offer is open to the first seven Saudi females residing in the Kingdom who present their new KSA driving license in each of the seven Renault showrooms in Saudi Arabia. One Renault Captur per showroom will be given away. Since the news of the Royal Decree has broken, there has been much excitement and anticipation amongst Saudi females, who will no doubt start considering which car they will want to drive when they receive their new driving license. Renault is opening communication with Saudi females now, to lay the foundations for a long term relationship with this new car buying audience.”


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Thrifty fashionistas headed to Primark in their droves over Christmas with sales at the low-cost clothes chain up 19%.
Primark lured shoppers over Christmas with cheap fashion choices
Parent company Associated British Foods (AB Foods) said the strong year-on-year figure reflected an increase in selling space.
Sales were particularly strong in the UK and Spain.
"First quarter sales were 19% ahead of last year reflecting the increase in retail selling space and very good like-for-like sales growth, particularly in Spain and the UK, although sales in Ireland are seeing the effects of economic recession," AB Foods said.
Low prices at chain storeIncrease Page Rank
Overall sales growth for the group as a whole stood at 17%.
The London-based company markets Silver Spoon sugar, Twining tea and Ovaltine drinks.
AB Foods said it expects good revenue growth and a significant rise in operating profits in the year to September 2010 and is confident of a good rise in earnings.
The group, which is 55% owned by the family of chief executive George Weston, was reporting its first quarter sales which covers the 16 weeks to January 2.
"Trading results for this period were very encouraging and ahead of our expectations... We expect good revenue growth and a significant increase in operating profits this year," AB Foods said.
Fellow value clothes and homewear retailer Matalan this week celebrated a 13.7% rise in like-for-like sales over the festive period.


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Google Ads has announced that it will be updating App campaign modeling to attribute traffic to different creative assets.
App campaigns on Google Ads use the text, image, video, and HTML5 assets that have been uploaded, to deliver the most relevant ads to users who are interested in downloading apps.
Within the next few months, Google Ads will update its App campaign modeling to improve how campaigns choose and serve the right combinations of these assets.
Advertisers will be able to make more informed decisions on the design of their creative assets as Google will be updating its App campaign modeling to attribute traffic to specific assets.
Any active App campaigns will be updated with the new features, so no further is needed. However, there is no way to opt-out. Google says it doesn’t anticipate and “adverse impact” to the performance of App campaigns, but advertisers may notice “some shifts” in asset reporting metrics.
In any case, advertisers should stick to the asset best practices laid out by Google, like aligning them with their brand goals, voice, and style, by also the campaign goals, and the theme of each respective ad group.
Also, Google suggests that assets should be diversified to resonate with different users and may also need to be refreshed on a rolling basis ever 2 or 3 months.
You can find further information about asset best practices here.
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Two Khalifa University Mechanical Engineering students have presented their work at Innovator 2020 in Abu Dhabi to raise awareness of the important role additive manufacturing can have in medical fields. Abdulaziz Ali Alzurahi and Abdulla Mohammed Alkatheeri debuted a lower limb prosthetic device, designed with advanced creative engineering technologies and manufactured using the latest 3D printing technology.
“The project centers around producing patient-specific lower limb prosthetics for individuals who have lost their limbs due to genetics, diabetes, military combat, etc.,” explained Alzurahi.
Additive manufacturing, commonly called 3D printing, is a relatively new but promising technology available to prosthetists. A prosthetic hand can cost thousands of dollars and take months to produce using plastic molding techniques. The prosthetic limb showcased by Alzurahi and Alkatheeri costs less than USD1000 to print and can be produced in just 48 hours.
“Our goal is for this project to help people who cannot afford to buy a traditional prosthetic acquire a device for their daily assistive needs,” added Alzurahi. “Our work can help people in need in the UAE.”
Thanks to their relatively high accessibility and affordability, 3D printed prosthetics are slowly changing the face of medicine. While hands and arms are some of the most common printed prosthetics and can cost as little as USD50, Alzurahi and Alkatheeri chose to focus on lower limb prosthetics.
Traditionally, a prosthetist would create a socket from a reverse mold of the patient’s stump to measure as carefully as possible the precise pathology. Great care must be taken to avoid nerves and tender areas that may not tolerate the continuous pressure of resting on a prosthetic limb. This is a cumbersome and time-consuming process.
Uniquely, this 3D printed limb offers a huge advantage over conventional prosthetics currently on the market: using 3D printing and advanced medical software, Alzurahi and Alkatheeri can use advanced geometry to offer exact socket fittings for each patient, individualizing the prosthetic to a degree unheard of before. Additionally, 3D printed prostheses are a cost-effective way to keep up with a child as they grow or damage their current one as they enjoy their childhood.
“The other major advantage to a prosthetic that can be produced quickly and cheaply is that this is particularly helpful for children,” said Alzurahi. “A child’s lower limbs are continuously growing, which makes 3D printing the best current solution to their cases in particular. Usually, children have to change their sockets after six months of prosthetic use. That can get very expensive.”
Importantly, the prosthetic produced by Alzurahi and Alkatheeri can be manufactured using various 3D material types, geometrical shapes, images, and colors. They can make a prosthetic fun, which they say is crucial for encouraging children to like their prosthetics and interact more efficiently and enthusiastically with them.
“We can produce any design a child wants, based on their interests, hobbies or even cartoon characters,” said Alzurahi.
Alzurahi and Alkatheeri are continuing to develop their prosthetic and are currently working on a shock-absorbing technology to enhance the user experience.
3D printing materials cannot yet compete with the long-term durability of traditionally-made prostheses, and most printing plastics commercially available aren’t strong enough to support body weight. But this will soon change, and in the meantime, those with access to more advanced printers and materials are making cost-effective prosthetics a reality for those in need.
News and Features Writer
18 February 2020