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|By PR Newswire||
|December 3, 2012 04:00 PM EST||
HARBIN, China, Dec. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- China XD Plastics Company Limited (NASDAQ: CXDC, "China XD Plastics" or the "Company"), one of China's leading companies engaged in the development, manufacture, and sale of modified plastics primarily for automotive applications, today announced the successful opening of its new production lines as part of the Company's previously announced capacity expansion plan.
The event was marked by an official opening ceremony at the Company's newly developed production facilities in Harbin, China on December 3, 2012. The ceremony included remarks from the Company's senior management, a tour of its production facilities, and the official launch of the new production lines by Mr. Jie Han, Chairman and CEO of China XD Plastics.
Based on the Company's long-term development strategy, the new production lines will be utilized primarily for the manufacture of higher value-added modified plastics products. Once fully ramped up, the lines will increase the Company's total production capacity by 135,000 metric tons to 390,000 metric tons per annum. The additional capacity will start to contribute to the Company's production capacity during the first quarter of 2013.
The new production lines are stationed in the Company's three newly-built plants within the Company's Number 3 production base in Harbin. As part of the development of the new production lines, the Company also completed the purchase of over 60 sets of specialized research and development equipment to enhance its capability of higher value-added product development. The production expansion and addition of research and development equipment will facilitate China XD Plastics to meet the growing demand for higher value-added modified plastic products and further diversify the Company's leading product portfolio.
Mr. Jie Han said: "Today marks another important milestone in the Company's development, and along with our continuing investments in research and development, this new capacity is a significant part of our long-term growth strategy. The higher value-added and higher margin products manufactured on these new production lines will allow us to better accommodate the growing demand for our products and further diversify our modified plastics product portfolio. Going forward, we will continue to make strategic investments that strengthen our market-leading position and help us deliver long-term value to our shareholders."
About China XD Plastics Company Limited
China XD Plastics Company Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and sells modified plastics, primarily for automotive applications. The Company's products are used in the exterior and interior trim and in the functional components of 23 automobile brands manufactured in China, including AUDI, BMW, Toyota, Buick, Mazda, VW Golf, Jetta, and Hafei new energy vehicles. The Company's wholly-owned research center is dedicated to the research and development of modified plastics, and benefits from its cooperation with well-known scientists from prestigious universities in China. As of September 30, 2012, 236 of the Company's products have been certified for use by one or more of the automobile manufacturers in China. For more information please visit http://cxdc.irpage.net/.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, statements reflecting management's current beliefs regarding anticipated deployment of additional productions lines and capacity; expected utilization and contribution of newly purchased research and development equipment; market trends and growing demand for higher value-added modified plastic products; our ability to diversify our modified plastics product portfolio; and our future growth prospects and market position. These statements and other forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainties and risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website at http://www.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about the Company and the industry. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or to changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that its expectations will turn out to be correct, and investors are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results.
China XD Plastics
Mr. Taylor Zhang, CFO (New York)
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE China XD Plastics Company Limited
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Upping the e-commerce stakes in the competitive fast-food business, pizza chain Papa John’s (Nasdaq: PZZA) said Tuesday it is making online ordering available at all its free-standing restaurants across the United States.
The Louisville, Kentucky-based restaurant said it is the first pizza chain in the U.S. to offer online ordering throughout its entire domestic restaurant system, and also the first to operate its online ordering system in-house. According to Papa John’s, its primary rival Domino’s Pizza offers online ordering in about 15 percent of its outlets.
Yankee Group analyst Rob Lancaster said online ordering is “a logical nextstep” for Papa John’s. “The issue they all need to worry about istiming,” he told the E-Commerce Times. Setting up an e-commerce system isan expensive prospect, at least in the beginning, the analyst said, and fast-food companies need to ensure that their consumers will use it.
Papa John’s said its research shows customers like the system because theycan see the restaurant’s entire menu and review it at their own pace,allowing them to feel “in control of their ordering process.” About 75percent of online orders are from repeat customers, the company said.
Raking in the Dough
Though Papa John’s did not disclose how much money it spends on its e-tail efforts, spokesperson Karen Sherman said the company expects the e-commerce option will prove fruitful.
“It is in the process of paying for itself,” Sherman told the E-CommerceTimes. “It is something that is a viable opportunity for the company.”
John Black, vice president of information services at Papa John’s, saidthe online business performed in line with expectations last year and is ontrack to meet projections for 2002. “We are very pleased with our progressto date,” he said.
Targeting Customer Habits
The e-commerce system, which Sherman said was developed in collaborationwith Food.com, AT&T and other outside partners, also collects and analyzescustomer purchasing habits. With that data, the company plans to offer targetedspecials and promotional campaigns.
Sherman said Papa John’s system covers all of its outlets except those inmalls, stadiums and other public buildings.
Domino’s is also pursuing the e-commerce angle, although on a smaller scale. “We think there’s a place for online ordering because thereis a segment of the population that prefers to order that way,” Domino’s spokeswoman Holly Ryan told the E-Commerce Times, “but it’s a relatively small segment.”
The decision about how and whether to offer online ordering is left up toDomino’s franchisees, said Ryan. Ryan also said that Domino’s stores have individual agreements with outside vendors such as QuickOrder and Food.com. “It’s not a systemwideagreement,” she said.
About 1,000 of Domino’s more than 7,000 outlets offer onlineordering, Ryan estimated.
Papa John’s operates 2,729 company-owned and franchised restaurants in 47states and nine international markets.

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The new CTO of Oculus John Carmack hopes to ship a retail unit of the Rift sometime next year.
Speaking to Engadget, Oculus CTO John Carmack said that a new dev kit for the Oculus rift will be in developer’s hands in the near future. He also revealed his vision for the retail version of the device, explaining “The way I believe it’s going to play out is you will eventually have a head-mounted display that probably runs Android, as a standalone system, that has a system-on-a-chip that’s basically like what you have in mobile phones.”
Carmack hopes that the Rift will hit shelves sometime next year, though the team is still debating whether it will see a full retail release, a “direct-to-consumers” option, or something else entirely.
Carmack tells us that the Rift was made possible due to mobile technology’s constant push forward, meaning cheaper components that are more accessible to everyday consumers. He expects mobile tech to reach 4K resolution in the not-so-distant future, making future models of the Rift much sharper visually.
Head-tracking was the most difficult component of the device to bring down to a consumer price, says Carmack. “A lot of the work at Oculus has gone into working out better position tracking,” he told us. “The tracking side is something that there hasn’t been as much of a push for and we’re frantically working on a lot of that, because that is one of the other really large issues. But we expect that the next developer kit will have higher resolution and position tracking addressing some of these significant issues.”
Are you excited for the Oculus Rift? What would it have to cost for you to pick one up? I would get one if it was somewhere around the $250 price point.


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You are here
2013 Assessment Findings
More than half of Thailand’s wood demand is met by imports, and of these 20% is estimated to have been illegally sourced. However, the majority of this wood is consumed within the country, most of the timber used for exports coming from plantations in the country. Therefore, exports are at a lower risk of being illegal.
Around half of Thailand's wood furniture exports are destined for sensitive markets, but this proportion is declining, as it is for all its timber-sector exports. Until recently, the government response to the issue of illegal logging has been weak. However, in 2013 negotiations were launched with the EU for a voluntary partnership agreement and so this situation is likely to change.


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Lafarge Chile has inaugurated a new cement plant in southern city Puerto Montt, in region X, local press reported.
The plant required a US$30m investment and will have the capacity to produce an annual 300,000t, increasing the company’s production capacity to 1.9Mta.
The plant is the southern most facility of its kind in Chile and will supply the company’s increasing demand in the area, mainly in regions IX to XII.
The initiative is part of Lafarge Chile’s growth strategy, which seeks to consolidate the firm as the leading cement company in the country, as well as promoting the country’s development, general manager Xavier Blondot said.
According to Blondot, the plant’s technology allows the firm to control, mitigate and monitor environmental impact during the entire productive process.
The plant also includes a clinker reception dome in region X’s Calbuco port with capacity to store 50,000t of the material.
Lafarge Chile will also launch the construction of a new cement plant in central Chile’s Puerto Ventanas during the second quarter of this year.
The plant will require an investment of about US$50mn and will have the capacity to produce 600,000tpa.
The new plant is slated to begin operations by end-2009. The company will then reach a production capacity of 2.5Mta.


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“A suspect new report out of China claims to have a great deal of specifics on Apple’s rumored ‘iWatch,’ namely that it will debut in the third quarter of this year and will include advanced sensors to detect a user’s heart rate and blood pressure, among other things,” AppleInsider reports.
“The sketchily specific details from China’s Economic Daily News, reported on Tuesday, claim that the supply chain for the device was recently finalized. The report states that Taiwan’s Quanta Computer has received an exclusive contract to build the device, with 65 million units expected to be built in the first year of availability,” AppleInsider reports. “The report also goes on to say that the glass screen on Apple’s anticipated wrist-worn accessory will be made of sapphire.”
Read more in the full article here.


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Apple Watch records “great” sales
Controversial Apple CEO, Tim Cook, who faced a lot of criticism as well as commendation from some sections of the crowd after coming out as gay last year, was happy to announce that his company’s latest product is doing just “great” days after sales of the smartwatch kicked off.
“Customers have been giving us great feedback and orders have been great, as well,” CEO Cook told journalists as he was spotted heading to an Apple Store in California on Friday.
The Apple Watch, unveiled with on the same day as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, only went on sale last week with the base model starting at $350 while the Edition model goes as premium as $17,000.
Invest in Demicoin ICO now - $0.25 current price


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(Wyoming) – According to the latest numbers released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation helped bolster the state’s economy during the pandemic, as demand for certain outdoor activities increased significantly.
During the height of the pandemic when most indoor recreation and entertainment options were unavailable and outdoor spaces were understood to be generally safer from COVID-19, millions of people rushed to the outdoors, particularly to destinations within driving distance of their homes.
“Many outdoor activities saw significant growth, including snowmobiling and ORV riding, which saw an increase in permit sales of over 18% and 16% respectively from 2019 to 2020,” said Chris Floyd, Manager of the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation. “Although the overall outdoor recreation economic impact numbers declined, most of the losses in the sector were due to limits on a few activities, such as snow skiing and outdoor events, which experienced heavy impacts due to closures and other restrictions during the pandemic.”
The total value added by outdoor recreation to the state’s GDP dropped from $1.69 billion in 2019 to $1.25 billion in 2020, with the percentage dropping from 4.2% to 3.4% of the total. Employment in the sector saw a decrease from 21,344 to 14,187 but the percentage of total wages declined only 0.1%.
Snow activities, particularly at ski resorts, saw a decrease of 37% or $40 million in economic impact, which wiped out many gains in other recreational activities. Equestrian activities and hunting and shooting sports also declined by 28% and 21% respectively.
Wyoming rose one spot to rank fourth nationally, however, in value added in both percentage of GDP and percentage of total wages in 2020, trailing only Hawaii, Vermont, and Montana.
There were also increases in the economic impact of boating and fishing by a whopping 79%, bicycling by 13%, climbing/hiking/tent camping by 6%, motorcycling and ATV riding by 5%, and RV camping by 2.5%.
Many businesses reported strong sales of outdoor recreation equipment and vehicles, which would have been even higher had supply chains been able to keep up with the demand.
“Our gross sales were up over 40% in 2020 compared to 2019 and it is continuing through 21 where we have surpassed 2020 gross sales year to date,” said Mark Black, owner of Cycle City Wyoming, a powersports business in Evanston. “Our issue now is the supply chain, where the manufacturers are limiting not only quantities but models as well, and sometimes shipping incomplete units that are waiting on chips for instrument clusters. The demand has been pretty consistent and I don’t see it dramatically decreasing for the near future.”
State Parks visitation in 2020 was up 41% over 2019 and other land managers reported similar increases in use, and these high numbers helped increase economic activity statewide as other economic sectors saw declines during the pandemic.
Next year’s BEA report is likely to show that outdoor recreation activities played a strong role in the state’s economic rebound, particularly since most closures and travel restrictions were eased or lifted this year.
For more information and to view the entire 2020 report, please visit https://www.bea.gov/data/special-topics/outdoor-recreation.


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Target reminds us why a healthy balance of value-growth stocks is important
Here’s big box retailer Target reminding us why a healthy balance of value-growth stocks is important.
5 years later, Target’s investments have paid off…
While Target didn’t have the big gains like high growth stocks (while it lasted), it benefited from being an essential business — beating the S&P 500 in the past two years. Now it’s trying to carry its growth past the pandemic.
Yesterday, Target reported a strong 2022 outlook and 12% earnings growth (ahead of estimates) — sending its stock up 10%.
It’s also investing $5B this year to scale operations — similar to its $7B of investments into digital and store growth 5 years ago. How’s it performed since? Not bad.
- 5 year return: 282% total return (33% compounded annually) — despite being down 15% from November — on top of paying a 1.6% dividend.
- This time, investors reacted differently to the investment announcement — whereas back in 2017, the stock fell 12%.
Clever tactics to attract store traffic…
Target can thank its clever strategy for its sales growth — its stores resembling mini malls:
- Featuring partners like Starbucks, Ulta Beauty and Disney (among others) within it.
- Rolling out its successful ear-piercing services to 200 stores.
Reel ‘em in with Starbucks… Hook ‘em with its own private brands — which are cheaper for consumers and more profitable for Target — and made up ~⅓ of Target’s 2021 sales.
Stores with Ulta shops also see stronger sales in beauty and adjacent categories. It’s all incredibly well thought out.
Don’t forget digital: Target is also investing in its same-day delivery and curbside pickup services — which tripled in the past two years. Last year, Target opened its first “sortation center” — warehouses using automation to pack orders — and plans to have six by April.
Investors: 2022 will be tough, even for Target
Retailers face a tough consumer environment in 2022 — with inflation and now WWIII concerns impacting spending.
- A tight labor market is forcing Target to raise wages and employee benefits.
- Supply chain issues and inflation are hitting the bottom line — but large retailers like Target and Walmart are managing better than small retailers.
To compete, Target is keeping prices low despite rising inflation — price increases being a last resort. If investors have learned anything in the past few months, it’s — don’t underestimate inflation.


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Sears unveils Simply Indoors set
September 22, 2006,
Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears is in the process of rolling out a new theme and new merchandise for the home department: Simply Indoors.
This week, the company also broke a new advertising campaign featuring customer testimonials that highlight what Sears identifies as its core categories: apparel, home fashions, electronics, sporting goods, fitness, appliances and tools.
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Google Assistant Now Controls Smart Appliances; App to Download Streamed Netflix & HBO Shows to Watch Offline; BMW Charging Pad..for Cars; Microsoft Dives Into Quantum ComputingPosted: September 26, 2017
Google Assistant can now control more smart devices, including appliances from LG. 9to5google.com reports that included are fridges, AC, ovens, washers & dryers…almost 90 different appliances. There are also some new headphone models that utilize Google Assistant. LG is even offering a deal…get an LG smart Wi-Fi appliance between October 8th and October 25th, and you’re eligible for a free Google Home unit.
When you’re binge watching a show from Netflix. Amazon, Hulu, or HBO, sometimes things get glitchy. Now, there’s an app on Android and iOS that lets you download the shows for later viewing OFFLINE! According to thenextweb.com the app, PlayOn Cloud, also supports YouTube, Yahoo Views, CBS, PBS CW, ABC, NBC, & Fox. There is an extra charge, though. It’s $0.99 per recording, or there are bundles for $0.20 each. Netflix has offered offline downloads as has Amazon, but they expire. With PlayOn, the videos are deleted from the cloud after 30 days, but anything you have downloaded stays on your device.
We’ve all been in places like Starbucks and seen the wireless charging pads, and of course Apple has made a big deal about joining the wireless charging smartphone club now with Qi charging…pads are already available from Mophie and Kensington. Theverge.com says BMW is getting ready to roll out one for their 530e iPerformance plug in hybrid. They claim 3.5 hour charging without a cable. The pad requires a 22o volt outlet, and is still awaiting final testing and UL approval, so it may be a year or more away, but faster, hassle free charging for cars will only accelerate the move to electric vehicles.
On Monday, Microsoft announced that it is going to be moving into the next big thing in computing….quantum computing. According to arstechnica.com, this should allow computers to do absolutely amazing things in the future. Redmond plans to release a new quantum computing programming language late this year, with full Visual Studio integration. If quantum computing sounds like Greek to you, don’t feel bad. In a Wall St. Journal interview, Bill Gates noted that while he was good at math and physics…probably an understatement….when the quantum computing slides came up in a presentation, it looked like hieroglyphics to HIM!
HP Education Chromebook is Out; Sprint & T-Mobile Merger Talks; iOS 11 is Out for iPhone & iPad; Microsoft Mixed Reality EventPosted: September 19, 2017
HP has released their touted Chromebook x360. It had been only available as an education edition, but now is on sale to the public. According to theverge.com, it has a 1.1 Gig processor, 4 Gigs of RAM, and 32 Gigs of storage. The touch screen is Gorilla Glass, and it has 2 USB-C ports and two USB 3.0 ports. The rugged laptop will make it 11 hours on a charge. Best of all, it’s $299….and on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Costco.
We’ve heard this story before, but now, it appears that Sprint and T-Mobile are actually in serious talks about a merger. Engadget.com reports that CNBC has picked up on the scent that the two are in active talks about a merger. This was a story back in 2014 too, but now the regulatory environment may have loosened enough that they think it will work. While less competition is usually not great for customers, it can be a boon to investors…or not. Sometimes, it’s like tying two bricks together and seeing if they’ll float. Time will tell…stay tuned.
Today is iOS 11 release day…10 am is the usual time Apple makes operating system updates like this live. Cnet.com notes that this upgrade really shines on the iPad. The iPad gets a dock much like the Mac OS has on laptops and desktops, and a Files App keeps files and folders handy…much like on a regular desktop. Also, the App switcher supports drag and drop…text, images, and more. Apple has said that the send money feature to friends via Apple Pay won’t go live until later…maybe when the iPhone X comes out in November.
Microsoft has invited a small number of journalists to a ‘mixed reality’ event in San Francisco October 3rd. Mashable.com says they don’t expect a huge reveal of gear, but more about Microsoft’s mixed reality strategy and Redmond has teased the opportunity to ‘experience Windows Mixed Reality for yourself.’
Amazon Looks to Build 2nd HQ in 2nd US City; New Surface PCs Out Next Month; Apple Paying Dearly for Single OLED Supplier SamsungPosted: September 7, 2017
Amazon is ‘seeking proposals’ for a second US campus which they will drop about 5 billion on…and which will create as many as 50,000 jobs. According to geekwire.com, it would be the ‘full equal’ of the Seattle operation. They are looking at cities of over a million with a stable, business friendly environment and urban or suburban locations with the ability to attract and retain strong tech talent. Expect a bidding war like for the Olympics or a professional sports franchise from cities! Stay tuned.
Microsoft will drop at least one new Surface at its Future Decoded event in late October. Thenextweb.com reports there could be LTE versions of the Surface Pro, and maybe a refresh of the Surface Book, which dates to 2015. It’s also expected that Microsoft will show some Snapdragon powered Windows devices, but those may be third party, not Surface machines.
Apple is racing to help things along for a second supplier of OLED screens. Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities estimates that those Samsung displays for the iPhone 8 or Edition are running around $120-$130 per handset for Apple….compared with about $45-$55 per phone they pay for the LCD screens on the iPhone 7 Plus! This is one of the major reasons analysts think the new hero iPhone will run around $1000. At any rate, we’ll know for sure what it will cost next week!
Nest has dropped a new baby bird into the air to let it fly. The Nest E is the first really new Nest since 2011. Theverge.com reports a main feature is its plainness…it’s a white ring with a frosted screen. The really big selling point is the price…it’s way down from earlier nests, starting at $169. The traditional nest will still be sold at $249. The rub is, the new E model is compatible with less systems…about 85%, while the old school one will work in 95% of homes. It also lacks ‘farsight,’ which senses if you’re across the room and turns the screen on. Since mine is in a hall, like most people’s, I am never more than 2 feet away from it when I walk past, so this won’t be a feature you will miss. It works with the Nest app like the older Nests, and they claim it will save 12-15% on your heating and cooling bills.
Amazon and Microsoft have made a remarkable announcement: they are working on getting Alexa and Cortana to work together. According to businessinsider.com, the two AI voice assistants will be able to hand off to each other. There are no plans for them to completely merge, as both companies want to hold on to your data. Switching from Alexa to Cortana will help you use voice assist for Office 365, as well as connect with more IoT stuff in your home. Switching back to Alexa will be great for listening to streaming music and of course, buying stuff from Amazon.
There was a hint earlier this year, but now 9to5mac.com says the Korea Herald has added to it….the ‘it’ is a 6.46 inch iPhone for 2018. The new iPhone 8 is due to bow on the 12th of September, and will sport a 5.85 inch screen, but apparently there will be the new bigger Plus model a year from now. Samsung is reputedly building the world’s largest OLED factory in prep for these phones and their own. The bigger 2018 iPhone would have its own production line.
A new leak of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 shows it will keep the squared off, boxy shape of the Note 7, but uses a curved, edge-to-edge ‘Infinity Display’ that covers almost the entire front surface. There’s no physical home key. Businessinsider.com reports that it has a dual rear camera. On the front, there’s an infrared iris scanner for secure access, but the fingerprint reader is unfortunately on the back. Samsung will roll it out August 23rd in New York.
Ahh, planned obsolescence…something the tech industry has learned well from the auto industry. There are upgrade plans for your smartphone from both manufacturers and phone companies to keep you in the latest and greatest…for a price. Now, according to thenextweb.com, you can upgrade your PC every 18 months with Microsoft’s new Surface Plus program. The deal lets you pay off your computer in 24-month installments with zero interest if paid off in time (otherwise, it’s 19.99%!) If you trade in your old computer in working condition, you can start a new plan after 18 months. Check it out at microsoft.com or Microsoft Stores in the US.
Some of us who like cars have opted for a so-called ‘more aggressive’ exhaust system. Harley Davidson motorcycles have a characteristic sound. Now, Ford…which decades ago touted a model that was quieter than a Rolls Royce…has introduced ‘Good Neighbor Mode.’ Cnet.com notes that there are already a few cars like Aston Martin that have so-called silent start modes, but Ford is bringing one to the 2018 Mustang GT that you can schedule ahead of time. Starting in Quiet Exhaust mode cuts the sound level to about 72 decibels, close to what your dishwasher sounds like. You can program it ahead, so you can start off quiet at 7am, then let ‘er roar when you fire it up later in the day. Just the thing if you have crabby neighbors who don’t appreciate cars that are fun.
Microsoft is working on their own AI coprocessor for the next iteration of the HoloLens. Engadget.com says it will give the headset object and voice recognition ability in real time, without any cloud connection. They intend to bake in assistance to blind folks by recognizing objects and describing them. This will also work without a data connection. There isn’t a HoloLens 2, but we will see a HoloLens 3 in late 2018 or early 2019.
Here’s a number that will bring indigestion to cable and satellite providers…Netflix was the top grossing app in the 2nd quarter of this year, with mobile revenue up 233% year over year! According to techcrunch.com, Netflix hauled in $153 million, compared with $46 million a year ago. Average app revenue growth on both the Apple App Store and Google Play is 56%! In the same period, Hulu grew by just 22%.
The new iPhone 8 will feature OLED screens made by Samsung. Apple, like other major manufacturers, is not keen on having a single supplier, and has reportedly bought CVD machines and has set up an R&D line in Taiwan to make OLED screens. 9to5mac.com notes that Apple almost never does actual manufacturing, but has developed the processes and bought the equipment for suppliers in the past. Besides having multiple manufacturers for their own security, Apple may need the production ability….they are planning to make 3 OLED iPhone models next year, and that would require better yields than Samsung has been getting from its process.
Samsung Backs Away From Smart Speakers; Microsoft Reveals Cortana Controlled Thermostat; Sears Rolls Out Alexa Powered Appliances on AmazonPosted: July 20, 2017
We had reported, along with numerous others, that Samsung was working on a Bixby powered smart speaker to compete with Amazon’s, Google’s, and the upcoming Apple one. Now, thenextweb.com reports that Samsung has suddenly decided they are not marketable, with the dominance of Amazon, and Apple waiting in the Wings. Meanwhile, Global Market Insights predicts that the smart speaker market will grow to $13 billion by 2024. Almost half of smart speaker owners buy an additional one for their homes.
Microsoft has rolled out a great looking IOT thermostat today called GLAS. It’s made for them by Johnson Controls. According to theverge.com, it runs Windows 10 IoT Core, and has Cortana built in. Microsoft says it will detect if you are in the room or not, and also continuously monitor air quality inside and outside. Microsoft plans to add other appliances that will run their system and use Cortana.
Meanwhile, struggling retail giant Sears, which for decades had huge market share in appliances with its Kenmore brand, has started selling Alexa powered appliances via Amazon. Techcrunch.com says the retailer will bake in Alexa to air conditioners in addition to the expected refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers. You will e able to yell at Alexa to turn the AC up or down from your couch!


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Selena Gomez is all glammed up with nowhere to go.
On Sunday, the "Rare" singer treated fans to a series of selfies on Instagram, serving a big quarantine mood with her gorgeous snaps. Snuggling up in her bed and showing off her curls, Gomez can be seen flashing the camera a big smile and giving her followers another sneak peek at what's to come from her upcoming Rare Beauty line.
"I had an urge to put my make up on," she captioned the post. "My papa noticed then proceeded to ask "why do you look like that?" He whistled as he walked away. So there's that. Wearing all @rarebeauty."
Gomez's post was met with tons of positive comments from her celeb pals. Emily Ratajkowski left the "Lose You To Love Me Singer" a heart eyes emoji in the comments section, followed by Lily Collins, who wrote, "Gorgeous girl." Her longtime makeup artist Hung Vanngo also praised Gomez with emojis, dropping two red hearts to give her glam his seal of approval.
This isn't the first time that the Disney alum has tested out her Rare Beauty products for fans. For her "Boyfriend" music video, Gomez rocked some goodies from the collection to achieve her flawless makeup. In a photo shared by the official Rare Beauty Instagram account, she sported a bold red lip and winged liner for the shoot, possibly eluding that the launch will include products for the eyes and lips.
Back in February, Gomez announced that she was launching Rare Beauty with an exciting announcement. "Guys, I've been working on this special project for two years and can officially say Rare Beauty is launching in @sephora stores in North America this summer," she shared along with a video of her testing products and creating its concept.
While little is known about Rare Beauty's debut collection, the brand's trademark states that fans can expect to shop for "fragrances, cosmetics, hair care preparations, essential oils, skin care preparations, body care preparations" and more once the line is released.
"Our mission is to shape conversations around beauty, self-acceptance, and mental health," a post made by the Rare Beauty's social media account read. "We want to help people get more access to support and services, and help people feel more authentically connected to one another and less alone in the world."


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Bella is a pizza joint in New York City.
They’ve been around since 2004, but recently moved from the South Bronx.
Bella specializes in deep dish pizzas, and they’re currently in the process of opening a pizza restaurant in Brooklyn.
They serve a lot of deep dish, and are one of the few places in the city that do it in-house.
This week, Bella will open their second location in Brooklyn, just a couple blocks away from the original location in Queens.
In addition to deep dish pizza and other Italian-inspired pizzas they also offer other pizza dishes, like pizza rolls, pizza with sausage and garlic, and pizza topped with fresh veggies.
We got a sneak peek of what’s to come at their newest location, and Bella CEO, Michael Hennig, told us it’s a lot different from the old place.
“We’re doing everything to be a more contemporary place, so you can get fresh, and not just old pizza,” he said.
The space has a lot more space and a lot less lines, which is a good thing, since you’re not going to be coming in from Manhattan, Hennip said.
They also have more seating.
“You can sit at a table,” he added.
“It’s a great place to have a party or a meal, so it makes it really fun.”
Henni also said that Bella’s pizzas are made with “very high quality ingredients.”
He added that the pizzas “are delicious, but we always want to be creative with how we do it.
That’s what we’re trying to do, we’re constantly evolving.”
The original Bella in New Jersey was closed for two years.
The new location is a joint between Hennic and a couple of other Bella owners.
Hennigan said the new location will have a few more locations to come, but they’ll probably be in the New York area in a few years.
He also said Bella isn’t a fast-food franchise, but a family owned business.
“Our goal is to stay as local as possible, so we don’t have to change our whole menu,” Hennihig said.
“So, the pizza will be different from time to time.
But the pizza is really good, and we’ll be bringing in more pizza from the local area.”


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What is good for General Motors is good for America – Chairman and CEO, Charlie Wilson, 1955.
Today this could be,
What is true for General Motors is true for America
Are companies obligated to take care of ex-employees till they die? If there is no job guarantee, why should your life be guaranteed? What does a company do when they have negotiated unsustainable obligations?
A couple of weeks ago Pulitzer prize automotive writer Dan Neil wrote a column blasting Bob Lutz and Rick Wagoner, saying, basically, that the Pontiac G6 was another reason General Motors was going to go to metal heaven and that the top guy should go with it. I will give Mr. Neil that General Motors isn’t hitting the mark on some of their cars, especially when they are compared by price in their competitive segment.
Every car company has product cycle problems and many have ridden them out. General Motors has a problem that eats away at their profit like no other company, it is their legacy costs. These problems have been gathering steam since 1950 when negotiations for pension and health care started, long before Bob Lutz or Rick Wagoner were in power.
General Motors marketshare
General Motors marketshare is going down and has been for some time. Ford has the same problems. With every new car manufacturer coming to America, including China soon, their marketshare may continue to go down. According to Stefan Weinman spokesman for General Motors, General Motors spends $5.2 billion on health care for 1.1 million people, equaling $4,727 annually per person.
People can buy cheaper cars and get the same value without the health care costs of $1,525 built into every vehicle made. Add another $675 per car for pension costs. Other car companies may have these problems, but not for some time. BMW, Nissan, Toyota, and Mercedes all build cars here in the United States with American employees, but those employees are new, and very few have retired.
General Motors is the world’s largest automaker, selling nearly 9 million cars and trucks worldwide last year. It is the third-largest business in the United States, with revenue of $193 billion last year. Despite the incentives that kept sales high during America’s economic slowdown, General Motors is losing marketshare and people are saying it is because their cars are no good.
They are saying that the Big Three will have troubles because of the economic and production gaps between the non-union assembly lines set up South of the Mason Dixon line, save for a couple of plants, by Japanese and European competitors. They are saying that General Motors is too concerned about their big cars and not as concerned about smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles. They are saying that there are too many cars in general and that General Motors could get rid of a couple of lines.
General Motors’ oldest retiree will be 110 years old this year. The employee worked for GM for 32 years and has been collecting pension and health benefits for 47 years. If this employee dies and leaves behind a spouse, the spouse will get a partial part of his benefits.
General Motors reported it’s the worst financial quarter in 13 years on Tuesday, posting a net loss of $1.10 billion, or $1.95 per share. In the first quarter of 2004, GM earned a profit of $1.2 billion, or $2.12 per share. According to General Motors, it needs to be a 28-29 percent marketshare company to survive. They claim that 98 percent of their costs are fixed costs. The 1.2 billion profit was made from selling products helped along by incentives. If that 5.2 billion health care cost weren’t there General Motors would report a profit for the year.
Some of these problems are the same problems America itself is looking at when they look at Social Security and health care. When Social Security was enacted the average life expectancy was below 70 years of age. Today, General Motors is paying pensions to retired folks who are over 100 years old. Along with that, they pay a part of their medical costs. When these contracts were negotiated there were no stop-gap measures put in force. Now, General Motors is paying the price. Because of the excellent health care, they are able to receive, retired folks are living longer and collecting longer pensions.
For every worker working at General Motors, they are footing the bill for 2.5 retired workers. The picture is not going to get any better as long as the UAW isn’t willing to make concessions. What concessions could the UAW make? How about going on par with what the blue-collared salaried workers make and then negotiate to the national averages.
The UAW pays 7 percent for their medical benefits while the salaried employees pay 27 percent for the same medical benefits. The national average paid for medical benefits is 32 percent. According to Jerry Dubrowski, another help would be if all employees purchased generic drugs. “Even if you pay a $5 co-pay, GM pays the rest of the amount for the brand name drug. Generic drugs are cheaper. If we could educate our workers and negotiate a different co-pay amount if a person bought generic vs. brand name the savings would be substantial.”
The retirement program is just beginning. Nearly half of the 302,500 UAW members at the Big Three, Delphi, and Visteon will have the necessary combination of age and years of service to retire within the next five years. 60 percent of those UAW members are GM/Delphi, 39 percent Ford/Visteon, and 33 percent Daimler Chrysler. If General Motors 180,000 members retired before they were eligible for 80 percent of their Social Security GM would pay them $32,000 per year. After that GM would pay the retirees, or their spouse, an average of $16,900.
National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA)
These problems won’t go away, but they can be lessened. According to Paul Taylor, chief economist of, National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA), “GM still has plenty of time to turn in a decent sales year. With the economy continuing to show strength, automobile sales should hold up well, producing sales of 16.9 million units for the year says Paul Taylor, the NADAs chief economist.
Two key issues should be understood. Big 3 North American manufacturers will continue to have difficulty maintaining market share unless they are willing to price effectively as consumers desire. And luxury vehicle sales will continue to be lackluster as long as the stock market underperforms expectations for it driven by expected stronger earnings.”
The bigger more luxurious cars are the ones that carry more profit. As the dollar weakens it is more expensive for Europeans and Asians to bring their smaller cars to the United States. This could be the well-needed shot in the arm that General Motors and Ford need. The product will help both GM and Ford with their legacy costs. However, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda are making forays into the pickup truck market that will weaken the grip GM and Ford have on that segment of the market.
This week the United Auto Workers (UAW) union held their regularly scheduled annual conference. UAW Vice President Dick Shoemaker, in charge of the GM relationship, said “there is some flexibility within the agreement to do something” while UAW President Ron Gettelfinger stated that GM hasn’t asked the union to reopen the contract. According to Paul Krell, spokesman for the UAW, “The United States is the only advanced industrial nation that doesn’t have national health care. Our current President and Congress are not going to institute a single-payer insurance program.”
Even though foreign governments cover most healthcare and pension costs don’t expect our government to do so. President Bush is trying to convince the American public that they should invest in their own future so that the government doesn’t have to. If he wanted to put this country in a more competitive position globally he would talk about ensuring each person with basic health coverage, nationally.
According to Automotive News, “Daimler Chrysler is in talks to set up a China venture that would make and export Chrysler cars to North America, a top executive said on Thursday, sketching a politically charged move.” In China, carmakers generally pay about $1.95 an hour in wages and benefits. By comparison, DaimlerChrysler pays its German workers about $49.50 an hour, and its U.S. workers about $36.50 an hour.
The UAW countered with a press release that talked about unfair trade practices and said, “U.S. autoworkers are prepared to compete with workers anywhere in the world based on productivity, quality, and innovation. But it’s just plain wrong – for workers in China as well as the United States – to force workers to compete against each other based on who can do a job for the lowest possible wage.”
Does the United States care where their cars are made? Or do they consider cars the same as medicine; they are willing to buy generic cars that are cheaper as long as they have the same active ingredients in them?
According to uaw.org the following are vehicles built by UAW members; To be sure the vehicle you are buying is assembled in the United States, check the window sticker, which will list the location of final assembly, and the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which is attached to the driver’s side of the dashboard. A VIN beginning with “1,” “4” or “5” means the vehicle was assembled in the United States.
General Motors 2005 Cars and Trucks
Buick Park Avenue
Ford Five Hundred
Lincoln Town Car
Pontiac Grand Am
Lincoln Mark LT
Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT


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Ceragon Networks (News - Alert) Ltd. recently announced it has been able to retain its position as the world's largest long-haul wireless backhaul supplier for the second consecutive quarter.
Ceragon, which enjoys an impressive 26-percent share of the world's market, has been able to successfully increase and grow its long-haul business noticeably from 20 percent in Q4 2011. This data was obtained from a topical microwave point-to-point report from Sky Light Research, an independent research firm dealing in wireless last mile WAN technologies.
Sky Light Research's Microwave Radio Point-to-Point Market Share Report processes commercial unit shipments and manufacturer income from direct and indirect sales channels.
Ceragon Networks delivers versatile and affordable wireless backhaul solutions to mobile operators and other wired/wireless service providers to deliver 2G/3G, 4G/LTE (News - Alert) and other broadband services to its subscribers. Dealing primary with microwave technology to transfer voice and data traffic, the company can not only expand bandwidth efficiency, but deliver more capacity over longer distances.
More than 430 service providers in over 130 countries deploy Ceragon’s solutions.
"Ceragon is committed to making broadband more accessible for all, and to helping populations to bridge the digital divide," said Ira Palti, president and CEO at Ceragon Networks. "Africa is a key market for our long haul solutions, and we want to take this opportunity to thank our customers for continuing to partner with Ceragon as they build out their wireless networks."
"In many regions around the world, and Africa in particular, national telecom backbone networks rely on high-capacity long-haul microwave links," said Emmy Johnson, principal nalyst and founder of Sky Light Research. "This makes long-haul backhaul technology a strategic element in both fixed and mobile operators' planning processes, often choosing a vendor based on strategic offerings and benefits rather than just bottom line metrics. The emergence of Ceragon as a leading long haul wireless backhaul supplier demonstrates how Ceragon's specialist approach combined with its breadth of products is working and winning deals with customers."
Ceragon also announced the opening of their new offices Dakar, Senegal, highlighting the company’s commitment to the development of the telecoms infrastructure in West Africa.
Edited by Braden Becker


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WHO'S AFRAID OF FRANKENFOOD?
Stop Using Genetically Modified Food" -- Says Greenpeace. Battle Creek, Mich., -- Greenpeace brought a genetically engineered "FrankenTony the Tiger" to Kellogg’s headquarters, to demand that the company stop using ingredients from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in its products. As FrankenTony delivered a statement urging company President Carlos Gutierrez to pledge to remove GMO ingredients from Kellogg’s products, two Greenpeace activists climbed the awning in front of Kellogg’s Cereal City with a twenty-foot banner reading, “Kellogg’s Monstrous Experiment: Stop Genetically Modified Food!” Tony the Tiger is beloved throughout America as an icon of Kellogg’s cereals.
“Kellogg’s has created a monster,” said FrankenTony, who came to Greenpeace when he realized the risks of GMO foods. “Kids used to trust me, but they love butterflies, and the corn Kellogg’s uses in Frosted Flakes could kill butterflies. GMOs are a risk this company shouldn’t be taking with our kids or our environment.” A recent Cornell study showed that genetically engineered corn pollen killed monarch butterfly larvae.
Accompanied by Greenpeace Genetic Engineering Specialist, Charles Margulis, FrankenTony entered the corporate headquarters shortly after 10 this morning. The pair brought Mr. Gutierrez results of a survey showing that most Americans do not believe that Kellogg’s would use GMOs in its products. Only 30 percent of over 1,000 people surveyed by Caravan Opinion Research in October thought that Kellogg’s would use genetically engineered ingredients. Fifty-six percent said they would not buy food from a company that promises some countries uncontaminated food but will not make the same promise to Americans. Letters from Kellogg’s to European consumers say that the company’s products sold there do not contain GMOs, but Kellogg’s refuses to offer Americans this same assurance.
“Kellogg’s cannot maintain the trust of American consumers if they continue this double-standard,” said Margulis. “Doctors and scientists around the world are warning that GMO crops should not be in the food chain or the environment, yet Kellogg’s markets GMO cereal to our children. Kellogg’s should follow Gerber’s lead and stop using GMO food.” In July, a Greenpeace report showing the presence of GMOs in a Gerber product prompted the country’s largest baby food maker to announce that it would stop using GMO ingredients.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is holding the first of three public hearings on biotech foods. Though the agency announced the meetings less than a month ago, it has been flooded with hundreds of requests to attend and speak. “Kellogg’s says Americans are not concerned about biotech foods, but clearly the deluge of interest the FDA has received shows that people here care as much as anyone about what we eat,” added Margulis. “The only responsible thing for Kellogg’s to do is take immediate steps to stop using GMO food.”
Written by: Greenpeace
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TV advertising revenues are forecast to grow by +12.3 per cent in 2016, supported by strong spending from e-commerce companies and FMCG brands.
According to Jerry Buhlmann, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network, the strength of digital continue to be the dominant element in the growth of global advertising expenditure whilst TV spend remains as the foundations of the industry.
“As advertising becomes more data driven and complex, its crucial to move rapidly to navigate and meet the needs of the digital economy and this is reflected in the innovative capabilities and approach we provide to our clients,” expressed Buhlmann.
While TV is expected to remain dominant for many years to come, advertisers are increasingly utilising Online Video as an invaluable complement. However, share of total Digital advertising spend in India is still relatively low at 8.9 per cent (2016).
Unlike in other markets, positive Newspaper advertising spend growth is expected to continue in India at +10.5 per cent in 2016, primarily due to investment from e-commerce, Automotive and a small contribution from Government spending. Retail advertisers also continue to spend on Print.
Carat’s first forecasts for 2017 predict continuing strong growth for the advertising market in India with an estimated increase of +13.9 per cent and expected favourable economic conditions in which advertisers vie for consumers’ attention.
Based on data received from 59 markets across the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA, Carat’s latest global forecasts highlights that advertising spend will reach US$538 billion in 2016, accounting for a +4.5 per cent year-on-year increase.
Fuelled by high-interest media events taking place during the year– including the US presidential elections, Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics and the UEFA EURO 2016 championship – the positive outlook for 2016 is predicted to continue into 2017, with Carat’s forecast highlighting a consistently strong year-on-year global advertising growth of +4.5 per cent.
Carat’s latest forecasts reconfirm the rise of Digital as the established driver of global advertising spend growth. Powered by the upsurge of Mobile (+37.9 per cent), Online Video (+34.7 per cent) and Social Media (+29.8 per cent) in 2016, the strength of Digital is expected to continue to grow at double digit prediction levels of +15.0 per cent this year, and a further +13.6 per cent in 2017.
Overall, Carat predicts the upsurge of Digital to account for 27.0 per cent of advertising spend in 2016 and extend significantly to 29.3 per cent in 2017, reaching US$161 billion globally.


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Jeff Bezos To Give Away Most Of His Wealth: Reports
Jeff Bezos has promised to give away most of his wealth during his lifetime.
Bezos, who is currently the world’s fourth richest person based on Forbes billionaires list, also admitted that he wants to ensure that the worthiest causes benefits from his charity.
Bezos made the pledge after donating $100 million to the country singer Dolly Parton to give to charities of her choice as part of Bezos’s annual Courage and Civility award.
Without providing further details, Bezos said he and partner journalist-turned-philanthropist Lauren Sánchez were “building the capacity to be able to give away this money”.
Bezos founded e-commerce giant Amazon in 1994 out of his garage in Seattle. He stepped down as CEO to become executive chairman in July 2021. He now owns a bit less than 10% of the company.
He and his wife MacKenzie divorced in 2019 after 25 years of marriage and he transferred a quarter of his then 16% Amazon stake to her. Bezos has donated more than $400 million worth of stock to nonprofits in 2022, though it’s unclear which organizations received those shares.
Bezos owns The Washington Post and Blue Origin, an aerospace company developing rockets.
In the past, Bezos has been heavily criticized for his relative lack of largesse toward charity compared with some fellow billionaires. Bezos is not a signatory to the Giving Pledge, which encourages the world’s wealthiest to give half their net worth to philanthropy and was set up by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. It has attracted more than 230 signatories including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
Nu Holdings Swings To Profit In Q3
Nu Holdings Ltd. (NU) Monday reported third-quarter net income of $7.8 million, compared to net loss of $34.4 million last year.
Adjusted net income was $63.1 million, compared to net loss of $1.2 million a year ago.
Revenues for the quarter surged to $1.31 billion from $480.9 million.
The company said it added 5.1 million customers in the quarter and 22.3 million year-on-year (YoY), reaching a total of 70.4 million customers, up 46% YoY.
Monthly Average Revenue per Active Customer (ARPAC) rose 61% to $7.9.
Puma Expands Partnership With Foot Locker
German multinational corporation Puma SE has expanded its partnership with American sportswear and footwear retailer Foot Locker Inc. (FL).
The expanded partnership will focus on basketball and the creation of exclusive product collections that meet the demands of next-generation market segment.
The companies also plan to roll out hyper-relevant creator engagements and brand partnerships that specifically resonate with a younger audience.
“PUMA’s long-standing relationship with Foot Locker has played an instrumental role in our ability to drive innovation and push the boundaries of sports, fashion, and technology globally,” said Bob Philion, President of PUMA North America. “Our enhanced partnership not only provides us with additional opportunities for collaboration and growth, but it will enable us to provide even greater experiences and inclusion for our evolving customer base around the world.”
Puma and Foot Locker have planned a series of exclusive collections and product collaborations with highly influential ambassadors reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Puma and Foot Locker will partner with Pokémon Company International and Niantic, publisher of the popular Pokémon GO mobile game, to turn, for the next six months, 400 Foot Locker, Champs Sports, and Kids Foot Locker stores across the U.S. and the PUMA NYC Flagship store into Gyms and Poké Stops in Pokémon GO.
PUMA x PAW PATROL, a new collection of playful and sporty styles for kids will be available at exclusively at Kids Foot Locker and Foot Locker in North America starting November 25.
Nordex 9-month Sales Down 2.1%; Tightens FY Operating Margin Outlook
Nordex AG (NRDXF.PK) reported that its sales for first nine months of the 2022 financial year declined 2.1% to 3.87 billion euros from 3.96 billion euros in the prior year.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to minus 200 million euros compared to 101 million euros in the prior year. It was hurt by the persistently strong inflationary environment and supply chain disruption in particular. The latest improving selling prices for new incoming orders will start to have a positive impact after some time next year.
Nordex Group tightened its guidance for the 2022 financial year: the operating margin (EBITDA margin) is now expected to be at the lower end of the guidance range issued on 24 May 2022 at around minus 4 percent. This is mainly due to the current market environment, issues with supply chain reliability and thus project delays.
For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com
Big Sky Granolas Recalled For Undeclared Milk
Urbandale, Iowa -based Big Sky Bread Co. is recalling certain Granola products citing undeclared milk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
The recall involves 14oz packages of Big Sky Chocolate Chunk Granola and Big Sky Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Chip Granola. The products were distributed in Iowa through retail stores and direct delivery. They were distributed through 11/07/2022.
The recall was initiated after it was discovered during a routine inspection that a product containing milk was distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of milk.
People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk may get serious allergic reaction if they consume these products.
However, the company has not received any reports of illnesses related to the recalled product to date.
Consumers are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund or it may be returned to Big Sky Bread Co. for a refund or product replacement.
In similar recalls citing undeclared milk, Salem, Oregon -based Momyer Distribution Inc. in late September recalled Dark Chocolate Almonds under PRODUCE and Holly Hill brands.
For More Such Health News, visit rttnews.com


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Whole Foods beneficial to Detroit community?
When the popular organic grocer Whole Foods first opened in Midtown Detroit last year, there was loud applause that a major food seller would serve the city.
However, questions soon followed.
Why Whole Foods? Could the vast majority of Detroiters afford the upscale grocer? Whole Foods management indicated that it would work towards keeping its products affordable for low-income residents. Was is successful in executing this goal?
Tune in to Stateside to find out the perspective of Tracie McMillan, author of the Food and Environment Reporting Network and Slate.com piece “Can Whole Foods Change the Way Poor People Eat”, on these issues and more.


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Xiaomi has announced its Redmi 2 smartphone which will replace the Redmi 1S with its price tag of CNY 700 (Rs. 7,123). The phone will launch in China on January 9th. The Redmi 2 is a dual-SIM phone and will support 4G LTE.
The new Redmi 2 from Xiaomi is powered by Qualcomm's latest 64-bit 410 Snapdragon chipset with its quad-cores clocked at 1.2GHz. The CPU is coupled with the Adreno 306 GPU and 1GB of RAM. On the memory side the phone has 8GB internal storage, which can be upgraded with a 32GB microSD card.
On the outside, the smartphone has a 4.7-inch 720p IPS display with a pixel density of 312ppi. It has an 8MP camera at the rear and a 2MP front-facing camera. The Redmi 2 also packs a 2,200mAh battery, which supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology.
The specs and looks suggest that Xiaomi hasn’t tried to change or sway away from the successful formula of its Redmi 1S.
No official dates for availability have been announced by the company but we believe that since India is big market for Xiaomi we may see the Redmi 2 on sale sooner than most of the world. In related news, Xiaomi could also announce a new Mi flagship by January 15.
Source: Xiaomi (in Chinese)
Light at the top, this odd looking creature lives under the heavy medication of video games.


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GO Outside is on the point of collapsing into administration, in what could be the most recent casualty to hit the UK excessive avenue.
The transfer might doubtlessly put 2,400 jobs in danger throughout its 67 shops.
Go Outside may very well be the following retailer to fall into administrationCredit score: Alamy
JD Sports activities, which owns Go Outside, has filed a discover of its intention to nominate directors.
This implies the corporate has not formally entered administration.
Go Outside, which sells tenting gear, bikes and garments, was pressured to shut all its shops in March as a result of ongoing coronavirus disaster.
However the outside actions retailer has been struggling lengthy earlier than the pandemic – it misplaced £54.9 million within the six months to August 3 final 12 months.
Companies in turmoil in 2019 and 2020
GO Outside is the most recent in a protracted record of companies to be dealing with bother.
In 2019 and to this point in 2020 we have seen:
- Jamie Oliver’s “Jamie’s Italian“ chain go bust, alongside his Fifteen and Barbecoa eating places
- Links of London go into administration placing 350 jobs in danger
- Marks and Spencer shut 35 extra shops because it pushes ahead with plans to axe 145 retailers throughout the UK
- Dozens of Monsoon and Accessorize shops shut
- Struggling shoe store Office has stated it “might shut retailers” as a part of restructuring plans
- Fears Pizza Express may very well be subsequent to enter administration because it “brings in emergency advisers”
- Hairdressing chain Supercuts went into administration in October 2019 placing 1,200 jobs and 220 salons in danger
- Maternity and child retailer Mothercare collapsed into administration in November 2019 after 58 years on the excessive avenue, placing 2,500 jobs in danger
- Division retailer chain Beales went into administration in January 2020 with 23 retailers and 1,052 jobs in danger
- Excessive finish vogue model Ted Baker stated it plans to axe 160 jobs in February 2020
- Cell phone retailer Carphone Warehouse stated in March 2020 that it will shut all 531 standalone shops in April
- Classic furnishing and vogue agency Cath Kidston stated it was closing all 60 excessive avenue shops in March 2020
- Style retailer Animal stated in April 2020 it was closing all 21 of its UK shops
- Division retailer chain Debenhams fell into administration for the second time in April 2020
- P&O Ferries stated in Could 2020 that it was taking a look at making 1,100 staff redundant
- TUI warned in Could 2020 that 8,000 jobs may very well be reduce as a result of ongoing coronavirus disaster
- British Airways stated in Could 2020 that it nonetheless plans on urgent forward with 12,000 job cuts
- Oasis and Warehouse went into administration in Could 2020, with 1,800 workers positioned on furlough
- Shoe chain Aldo collapsed into administration in June 2020 with 5 shops completely closed
- Victoria’s Secrets plunged into administration in June 2020, placing 800 jobs in danger
- Style chain Quiz put its store enterprise into administration in June 2020, placing 82 shops in danger
JD Sports activities purchased Go Outside in 2016 for £112 million.
On the time of writing, Go Outside has reopened 64 of its UK retailers, with simply three nonetheless listed as closed in Hathersage, Oxford and Southport.
In a press release on the London Stock Exchange web site, JD Sports activities Style PLC stated: “The Group can affirm that it has thought of quite a few strategic choices for Go Outside and that Go Outside’ administrators have lodged the Discover in Courtroom.
“Directors haven’t but been appointed.”
The Solar has contacted JD Sports activities group for added remark and we’ll replace this text once we hear again.
Shares in JD Sports activities dropped virtually two per cent as buying and selling began in London this morning, June 22.
Go Outside is not the one retailer to verify cash struggles through the coronavirus disaster.
We have got a full round-up of all of the shops and restaurants that have gone bust right here.


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The $70 (£55) Bluetooth keyboard accessory stylishly packs a portable punch.
From the Cheapskate: Stop the keychain madness! This handy gizmo allows your keys to ride comfortably in a pocket, without the bulge or jingle.
Just wait until you see what's stuck between those keys.
The 2016 A8 L 4.0T Sport adds 15 horsepower while including a whole host of luxury- and safety-oriented tech.
The new Nexus device carries on the tradition as a budget-friendly phone without the frills and features often added by Android device makers.
A 60-year-old is the first person in a test to see whether the foundational cells can help reverse a vision problem called macular degeneration. Early results should arrive in December.
In a question-and-answer session at Facebook's headquarters, Indian prime minister discusses governing through social media and expanding Internet access.
A roundup of our favorite CNET videos covering news, gadgets and more.
Former Reddit CEO Yishan Wong says co-founder Alexis Ohanian was behind the abrupt dismissal of popular executive Victoria Taylor and let Pao "take the heat," leading to her resignation.
Photographers loyal to the Canon brand may now have a higher-resolution option than Nikon customers, but Nikon's scores in DxOMark -- a core part of image quality -- remain well ahead.


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Connecticut Reach Sports Wagering & Online Gaming Deal With Mohegan Tribe
- The deal is a first allowing non-tribal gambling operator to participate online in the state
- The announcement drew an immediate question from Mashantucket Pequot Tribe & Sportech
- The expectation is optimistic updated agreement can be accomplished to begin operation
The state of Connecticut crossed a major hurdle that will soon allow mobile wagering within the state but comes with a few roadblocks before anyone officially can make a bet online.
Gov. Ned Lamont and the Mohegan Tribe agreed on Tuesday to establish online gambling and sports betting in Connecticut that allows for the first-time nontribal gambling operators to compete for bettors. The deal with the Mohegan Tribe, owner of the Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville also includes new gaming options for the Connecticut Lottery Corp.
Upon the announcement, the agreement immediately came under fire from competitors, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and Connecticut’s state’s pari-mutuel operator.
The Mashantucket Pequot Nation, which operates the nationally known Foxwoods Resort Casino, made it known they are not a party to the agreement. Their chairman said the announcement failed to mention the tribe was “extremely disrespectful in terms of process and substance.”
Also dissatisfied was Sportech, Connecticut’s pari-mutuel operator, who would be sublicensed by the Connecticut Lottery Corp. Under the agreement, they would operate several retail sports betting sites. They responded, “they will sue because the agreement principally excludes it from expanded gaming”.
Gov. Lamont commented in a news release about the pact:
This agreement represents months of hard work and dedication to getting a deal that’s best for the residents of Connecticut and moves our state forward when it comes to the future of gaming. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a devoted partner in these efforts like the Mohegan Tribe, as they have been open to negotiation, honest discussion, and a positive path forward that is beneficial for both their tribe and the State of Connecticut.
Major Components of the Deal
Connecticut will institute a 20% tax rate on new online gaming or “iGaming” offerings and a 13.75% tax on sports wagering.
- The Connecticut Lottery will be allowed to operate 15 retail sports betting locations and operate (1) online sports betting skin.
- The Connecticut Lottery will have the right to sub-license a portion of those retail sports betting locations to the state-licensed pari-mutuel operator.
- The Connecticut Lottery will begin new retail sports betting venues in Hartford and Bridgeport.
The agreement is for 10 years with a five-year extension option. No specific timeline to launch online gaming operations was announced on Tuesday.
Ongoing Negotiations Will Continue
It is obvious and apparent no operations will begin without a settlement with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. Last December, DraftKings Sportsbook entered into a separate partnership agreement with the tribe to secure their online sports betting process.
Mashantucket Chairman Rodney Butler said during the public hearing heard virtually:
It literally comes down to a question of fairness and equity. In the context of the deal, the point is insignificant. It’s a revenue question. It’s a revenue question, which is less than a rounding error for the state, but to my nation it means sustainability. Just permitting Lottery to participate in full sports betting, absent tax, or revenue share, is a major allowance. I can assure you we’re in solidarity with our Mohegan cousins on this. We are so close. We are down to one final point and when we get there this is going to be a great deal for everyone.
Like other US regions, a major incentive for Connecticut involves a geographical push. New England states New Hampshire, and Rhode Island has made sports wagering legal with Massachusetts achieving steady progress. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has also changed his position, allowing his state going forward to pursue online sports wagering later this year.
The number one goal is financial Less than a month ago, Lamont expressed optimism about releasing his two-year budget indicating he expects $50 million in revenue from online sports wagering, iGaming, and iLottery.
Latest Sports Betting News
Larry Gibbs is both a seasoned journalist and a respected online gaming industry consultant. His wry commentary & sharp analysis have appeared in numerous top gaming and sports wagering publications. He has also served as Vice President of US Gaming Services, a marketing research organization with 15 years of experience in US online wagering. He has spoken at noted gaming industry conferences including G2E, GiGSE, and NCLGS.
Email: [email protected]


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Quick Note: Tesla Motors Lost Money on Every Roadster Sold, Plans 3-Series Rival
October 27, 2011 9:38 AM
comment(s) - last by
Tesla Motors' third generation electric car platform will spawn multiple vehicles
When it comes to modern all-electric vehicles, Tesla Motors is normally the first name the pops into the mind of car enthusiasts. The company burst onto the scene with its two-seat
, and later introduced the
According to a new report from
on every Roadster sold despite its $109,000 price tag ($128,500 for the Roadster Sport). Now that production on that first generation model has ceased, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk states that the next generation Roadster will arrive in 2014.
Tesla Roadster and Model S [Source: Tesla Motors]
The new third-generation platform that will underpin the new Roadster will also be shared with a new 3-Series sized vehicle according to Musk. “This platform will spawn a range of cars in the next four to five years,” Musk added. “It’ll be a more mass-market platform for cars like a 3-series as well as the new Roadster. These cars will supplement the Model S range.”
Tesla is launching its
all-electric Model S sedan
-- which is roughly the
size of a BMW 5-Series
-- next year. The Roadster was loosely based on the Lotus Elise, while the Model S is an all-new "from scratch" design. It will have a base price of $57,400, so we wonder how long it will take for the company to actually make money on the vehicle.
Companies like Fisker Automotive and Tesla Motors are currently in the news as many question their
worthiness of receiving government funding
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
10/27/2011 2:04:31 PM
They're handing out leases in areas that don't necessarily have oil while NOT handing out leases in areas that are known to have oil.
And no the oil companies make money largely by refining oil and selling the products produced by it. They have to buy oil otherwise. So the higher the cost, the higher the prices they have to charge for those products. And the less people buy. They gain nothing by drilling less.
A lot of the problems with offshore drilling is that there is a shortage of oil rigs in the world. And when Obama banned drilling in the gulf after the oil spill last year, many oil rigs were moved to places where oil could be drilled.
10/27/2011 2:48:39 PM
Many of those rigs went to Brazil where we(US) helped finance their drilling operations. Then we buy the oil we helped produce.
Would be like me giving someone $100 then paying them 10% interest to borrow it back.
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The proposal to promote the Cambodia-ROK FTA was put forward by Prime Minister Hun Sen when ROK President Moon Jae-in state-visited the Kingdom in March 2019. After the two countries announced the beginning of the negotiation process in July this year, bilateral rounds of negotiations have seen a steady yet rapid progress. As of October, both sides are expecting to see the outline of the negotiation results by the end of this year.
Overall, the Cambodia-ROK FTA is expected to serve as an important opportunity to increase trade and investment between the two countries. It is anticipated to accelerate growth in bilateral trade volume, which has increased by an average of 15.3% annually from 54 million dollars in 1997 to 1.03 billion dollars in 2019. Considering that bilateral trade volume has increased significantly since the conclusion of ASEAN-ROK FTA in 2007, the Cambodian-ROK FTA that reflects both countries’ specific needs and interests is highly likely to create another momentum for promoting trade and investment.
From the point of view of Cambodian consumers, benefits will increase as they will be able to access Korean goods and services such as beverages, vehicles and even cosmetics at a more reasonable price. Korean consumers will also benefit from the bilateral FTA, as they will be able to purchase products imported from Cambodia at a better bargain. The FTA will do good for many Korean companies that are established in Cambodia by improving the export price competitiveness of their products when selling back to Korea.
The Cambodia-ROK FTA could also serve as an opportunity to discover new economic growth engines for Cambodia, not only by expanding exports of already-established trade items but also by increasing investment attraction for both sides. From the standpoint of Korea, FTA will provide an opportunity to actively invest in Cambodia, a country that is seeking its development into a new hub of production and trade in the ASEAN region. The FTA will greatly improve the accessibility of businessmen from both countries to the other’s markets, contributing to employment and mutual economic growth.
At a time when the global trade environment is uncertain due to trade disputes of major countries in the world, and when countries around the world are suffering from economic hardships caused by the impact from COVID-19 pandemic, the promotion of Cambodia-ROK FTA has all the more special meaning. Should the FTA go into effect earlier, it will be able to add strength to measures to recover the economy after COVID-19.


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50 Cent Leads 2008 Forbes Hip-Hop's Cash King
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has taken top spot of Forbes' annual list for Hip-Hop's Cash King from Jay-Z's hand. This year, 50 Cent leads the spot on the list with an estimated total wealth of over $150 million, almost twice from Jay-Z's earnings.
Signing a $100-millions deal with Vitamin Water, 50 Cent has shifted Jay-Z from the hot spot to runner-up by $18 million cash gap. His other huge investments include album sales, clothing sales for his label G-Unit, video games, and a mining partnership with a billionaire from South Africa Patrice Motsepe.
Sliding down one place, Jay-Z lingers at second spot with $82 millions earnings. He gets much of his money from his last album "American Gangster", which has been sold over 1,450,000 copies worldwide since it has been released in November 2007. Furthermore, he has also pocketed profits from his stakes in the New Jersey Nets and endorsement deals with Dell and Budweiser.
Meanwhile, twice in a row, rapper P. Diddy takes number three on the list. He has banked $35 million from his album sales, his record company Bad Boy and clothing line Sean John which won Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards in 2004. Besides that, he also got his money from reality TV shows and alcohol brand Absolut Vodka which sign him as their icon.
Top 10 of Forbes' 2008 Hip-Hop's Cash King:
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It’s easy to shrug off this week’s collapse of global trade talks. Amid the killing in Iraq and Lebanon, a war of words over “de minimis subsidies” and “amber box” payments seems esoteric at best. But the damage to the world’s poorest countries, which will now be denied their promised access to global markets and a chance to compete, will be enormous.
So will be — and should be — the resentment toward the world’s richest countries. Much of that blame ought to be directed at Europe and the United States, which again decided that the political clout of their farm lobbies outweighed their leaders’ repeated promises to do more to end global poverty.
This round of trade talks, started soon after the 2001 terrorist attacks, was supposed to redress decades of unfairness in the global trading system while showing that the civilized world could pull together in the face of barbarity.
Since World War II, global agreements have dismantled barriers against trade in industrial goods and services, the areas in which the rich countries have a huge comparative advantage. But they have done little to break down barriers against agricultural goods and textiles, areas in which poor countries can compete, if given a chance.
That was supposed to change this time around, with the Americans and Europeans promising to make deep cuts in agricultural subsidies and tariffs. Rich countries pour nearly $1 billion a day into propping up their farmers. That fuels overproduction, drives down prices, and makes it impossible for poor farmers to sell their unsubsidized products abroad or even at home.
The market, to which the developed world swears such fealty, isn’t allowed to work.
It’s hard to say who is more to blame for the talks’ failure, the United States or Europe. But with the White House nervously eyeing this fall’s Congressional elections and President Jacques Chirac of France — whose farmers are among the most cosseted in the world — nervously watching his polls, the agricultural lobbies on both sides of the Atlantic again carried the day. Brazil and India, which claim to be champions of the poorest, didn’t help by refusing to pry open their growing markets.
Nothing good will come of this. The developed countries won’t benefit from a further liberalization of trade in services and manufactured goods. The poor countries won’t get to compete with their agricultural goods. And the world economy, which grows faster as free trade expands, may falter — especially if governments choose trade wars rather than adjudication to settle their grievances.Continue reading the main story
As for the promises made in 2001 to do more to help the world’s poor climb out of poverty, those have been shrugged off.Continue reading the main story


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I just noticed time has passed so quickly. That is to say, Sony has announced PlayStation Plus will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. The service first released in 2010 has had major success for Sony, and now its time to give something back to the players.
In a blog post, Sony announced that they are thankful to everyone who used PlayStation Plus. Along with that, it also said that they will be giving massive discounts on the games. Likewise, NBA 2K20 and Rise of the Tomb Raider will be completely free on the service for the month of July. Moreover, another game will also join the list. The adventure game Erica will be available during July.
Apart from games, the PlayStation blog also noted that they will be releasing a free PS4 theme later this week. The Theme originally made to celebrate 10 years of PS Plug will be available for a limited time. Lastly, there will be online celebrations through a free multiplayer weekend starting July 14 at 2:01 AM through July 5 at 11:59 PM in your local time.
PlayStation’s Store Services GM Nick Maguire wrote on the PlayStation Blog: “It’s great to see how much PS Plus has grown over the years – starting with the very first PS Plus game offered, WipeOut HD, to offering more than one thousand games to PS Plus members over the last ten years.
“As we walk down memory lane, we’ll leave you with a quick snapshot of PS Plus from this past decade. Thank you again for your continued support and we look forward to celebrating with you!”


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Sometimes we just need to get out of the office. Such was the case yesterday, when the bulk of editorial made a field trip to the New York International Auto Show. Sure, we don’t cover new cars, but we still have to maintain our contacts, as Fitzgerald did with his buddies from Ferrari.
And there’s the occasional old vehicle on a stand next to the new cars, such as this Volvo helping to celebrate the company’s 80th anniversary.
But the real treat for us was the Heritage and Horsepower exhibit, a special display of several cars from the LeMay Museum. Above, a 1930 Lincoln Model L Willoughby limousine.


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In a 2020 global trend study, HealthFocus International found an increasing number of consumers are on the lookout for protein-packed snacks – up to 80% from 69% in 2014. And where there’s demand, there’s typically supply, and the protein bar offering is growing exponentially in retail.
With an increasingly saturated bar market, producers need to create not only something sensational but something that will stand out – and that typically is texture, a major driver of consumer purchasing decisions. However, most bars on the market today comprise more of a uniform mass than confectionary indulgence, due to a variety of complex processing challenges.
To overcome this, AFI has launched a protein bar concept that packs in 30% more protein, without affecting its taste or texture or increasing its size.
The new recipe is based on the company’s whey and milk protein ingredients, which raises the protein content in every part of the bar – including the mass, filling and coasting – and ensures the rich chocolate mass retains its flavour and softness throughout its shelf life. And as a plug and play solution, it can be used as it is or as the basis for a brand’s unique formulation.
New avenues for high-protein snacks
“In the crowded bar market, manufacturers need to capture the attention of consumers seeking high-protein options that are just as appealing as their confectionery counterparts,” said Laima Liepinyte, sale development manager, Health & Performance Nutrition at AFI.
“With Lacprodan ingredients, they can create multi-layer protein bars with a palette of textures and a soft, light and creamy mouthfeel. As well as delivering pathways to success for wellness-focused manufacturers, this new concept opens new doors for high-protein confectionery products.”
The new concept will be launched on 15 September in a webinar hosted by the Danish company in partnership with Nutrition Integrated. It will also be showcased at SupplySide West, being held in Las Vegas on 2-3 November.
Viby-headquartered AFI – a 100%-owned subsidiary of Arla Foods – is a global leader in value-added ingredients derived from whey to enable the development of natural, functional and nutritious foods.
The company’s functional and nutritional whey proteins, milk minerals, lactose and whey permeate have been proven to promote nutrition, improve texture, prolong freshness and increase yield.