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Author: Jonathan E. Hillman
Global powers are competing to shape the new economy and the future of digital trade. In recent years, three groups have emerged: liberalizers (as represented by the U.S.), regulators (the European Union), and mercantilists (China). Each group champions different degrees and types of government intervention, especially for cross-border data flows. The differences among these approaches, and various attempts to bridge them, could define digital trade rules in the coming years.
Liberalizers’ primary goal is ensuring the freedom and openness of the internet, and they aim to prevent and remove digital trade barriers. They highlight the importance of digital flows to economic growth and worry that foreign governments are increasingly jeopardizing those benefits. For a snapshot of the world through liberalizer eyes, see the U.S. Trade Representative’s list
of barriers to digital trade. Liberalizers emphasis the value of freely flowing data across borders, the costs of data localization, and the need to avoid unnecessary security measures, among other priorities.
As the leading liberalizer, the United States has been effective in introducing digital trade concerns into regional trade agreements (RTAs). A November 2017 study
by Mark Wu, a Harvard Law professor, identified 69 RTAs with an e-commerce chapter or article dedicated to e-commerce. More than 30 members of the World Trade Organization first agreed to one of these RTAs with the United States, Singapore, or Australia. Not every one of those 30 members can be considered a liberalizer, of course, but their adoption of e-commerce in trade agreements reflects liberalizers’ reach.
The liberalizers’ preferences are also clearly reflected in two major RTA negotiations, one completed and the other underway. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was signed in March 2018, does not include the United States but reflects many U.S. preferences in its e-commerce chapter. Reports suggest that negotiations to revise the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will likely incorporate many of the digital trade provisions that the original Trans-Pacific Partnership included.
Regulators share many of the liberalizers’ goals in principal, but call for greater government intervention to protect individual privacy. They recall 2013, when Edward Snowden leaked information about U.S. intelligence collection, and point to recent revelations that Cambridge Analytica harvested Facebook user data. Like liberalizers, regulators generally oppose introducing customs duties on digital products. While claiming to oppose data localization, some of their proposed safeguards
provide an opening for countries to do just that.
The European Union leads the regulator camp. To be sure, there is a range of opinion among the 28 countries within the European Union. For example, Denmark and Finland generally support fewer restrictions on digital trade, whereas Germany and France have been more vocal proponents of additional safeguards. These positions have coalesced around the General Data Protection Regulation, a new data privacy regime
that will take effect in May and could greatly constrain the EU’s ability to agree to more ambitious rules with its trading partners. The EU’s development of an ePrivacy regulation may further constrain data flows.
But the regulators’ views are not confined to the EU, and there is some evidence they are gaining traction globally. Sean Heather of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce notes
that Brazil and other countries in Latin America have adopted the EU’s practice of certifying that its partners have “adequate protection” of data. The EU’s preferences are also reflected in its RTAs with Japan and Canada, which place fewer restrictions on government intervention in digital trade than does the CPTPP. Bridging that gap would have major repercussions for shaping digital trade norms globally, but no one expects a breakthrough soon. Both Canada and Japan would have preferred stronger rules, but the EU’s position on data flows left little room for negotiation.
The mercantilist camp prioritizes industrial policy and security objectives. Mercantilists place restrictions on data flows, mandate data localization, and require technology transfers and source code disclosures, among other protectionist measures. These regulations are often justified on industrial or national security grounds, and they have the effect of undermining foreign competition. Many in this camp do less to protect intellectual property, which is often stolen through digital means.
China is the most active of the mercantilists, which include Indonesia, Russia, and several other emerging economies. China’s influence stems from the sheer size of its digital market, which is the largest in the world. China has been effective in convincing foreign firms to adopts its requirements as a condition for accessing its market.
It is unlikely these camps will bridge their digital divides anytime soon. Most negotiations underway are expected to yield lowest-common-denominator outcomes for digital trade. For example, reports suggest that ambitious e-commerce outcomes are unlikely for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), which includes 16 countries at present.
Uniting the World Trade Organization’s 164 members will only be more difficult. Roughly half of the WTO’s members have not entered an RTA with explicit e-commerce components. On the one hand, that leaves room for the liberalizers to attract additional supporters. But the absence of those commitments also represents a temporary victory for the regulators and mercantilists.
As these groups compete, technology will continue to change, creating new issues to address and potentially even calling into question areas of greater consensus. Competition is likely to intensify before digital trade norms are cemented globally.


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Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Bianyifang (便宜坊), the oldest Peking duck restaurant chain with over 600 years of history, announced yesterday they are opening a new flagship store in cooperation with Hebian Food and Beverage group (河邊集團) in Kaohsiung.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Whisky demand is rocketing in Japan, with producers scrambling to increase production as a period drama about the dram has the country hooked and after a homegrown single malt scooped the honors in a world taste test.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Hoby Wedler was born blind and curious 27 years ago. He's used those two traits — and a refined sense of smell and taste — to develop an expert palette that is garnering rave reviews in California's wine region.
Monday, February 16, 2015
A French fruit dessert maker in Taiwan has won an award for entrepreneurship in small business offered annually by the France Taiwan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFT).
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
France — the center of world gastronomy — wants to make its reputation for rude waiters a thing of the past.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Lucky gourmets experience the Renaissance period thanks to the culinary team from Villa d'Este, Italy
Monday, January 26, 2015
Put creative ideas in your hot chocolate and strive through winter happy and warm
Keeping the essence of traditional culture doesn't equal with being old-fashioned at enique
Monday, January 19, 2015
If the hot broth is the melody of a performance, then the noodles are the well-trained dancers
For those who are in charge of the kitchen battle zone, Chinese New Year holidays can be an extremely hectic period

domain: news


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#RIPFortnite Trends as Fans Complain of Game Changes
Twitter is seeing a new hashtag trending right now: #RIPFortnite, with more than 30,000 posts around the world.
The hashtag seems to be in protest to the current state of the game, the most popular battle-royale on the market. There doesn’t seem to be just one main reason for fans to be protesting, other than the general issue that the game is not what it used to be. Many fans claim the game’s focus on skill-based matchmaking has made the game far more serious, while others are upset at the server issues happening due to self-isolation around the world.
We're about to see #RipFortnite trending. I believe all of this could be easily avoided if Epic communicated with its fanbase. Such a great game and sad to see it drop so quickly. I truly hope Epic has something special up their sleeve soon.
To be fair, there are quite a few posts using the hashtag to ask what it means, so the number of people actually complaining is lower than those posted.
But we all know Fortnite isn’t going anywhere. It’s one of the biggest games EVER, and its playerbase is just too big to leave the game completely. There are plenty of people using the hashtag to poke fun at the game, especially those who prefer other games in the genre. Plus, we all know these same players will be playing the game again.
For all your gaming news and more, be sure to check back in here with ScoopHash.


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Google’s upcoming Pixel Watch, according to new rumors, will offer a cellular connection and all-day battery life.
With a flood of rumours and leaks about what to expect, the Pixel Watch is one of the most anticipated wearables. The Pixel Watch even had its own iPhone 4 moment when it was left at a Chicago restaurant, allowing customers to get a closer look at the design. 9to5Google insiders are now revealing details about the watch’s internal components, including the possibility of cellular connectivity and a 300mAh battery.
Read More: Google ‘Pixel Watch’ could beat Samsung’s Smartwatch
It’s totally unknown whether all three next models will have connections or just a few. In any case, cellular connectivity is a critical feature for Google to compete with Apple in the wearables industry.
Google’s decision to include a 300mAh battery should please those who require all-day battery life. Most smartwatches with a similar-sized battery last between 24 and 40 hours, though some are powered by less efficient processors than the ones Google is anticipated to utilise.
Google’s watch could be one of the greatest alternatives to the Apple Watch. If 9to5Google’s sources are right, it looks like the company is determined to give it its all.


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Google still on a roll as stock soars
Analysts expect even more good things to come
Published 10:00 pm, Friday, October 20, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Inc.'s stock price surged to a nine-month high Friday, reflecting Wall Street's deepening admiration of the Internet search leader as it continues to make extraordinary growth look routine.
The Mountain View, Calif.-based company's shares climbed as high as $460.10 before falling back slightly to close at $459.67, an increase of $33.61, or 7.9 percent, on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The run-up created more than $10 billion in shareholder wealth and left Google's market value at $143 billion after eight years in business.
By comparison, 67-year-old Hewlett-Packard Co. -- the world's largest technology company -- has a market value of $108 billion.
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Google's stock hasn't been this expensive since the first half of January, when the price reached its all-time high of $475.11. Most industry analysts expect Google to smash through that barrier soon, estimating the shares' value at anywhere between $500 and $600.
Those lofty price targets look more realistic after Google's third-quarter profit nearly doubled to $733 million, surprising even the most bullish analysts. Through the first nine months of the year, Google earned $2 billion on revenue of $7.4 billion.
The performance illustrates the substantial advantage that Google has built over its chief rivals, Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp., in the rapidly growing online advertising market.
"We believe the company is rapidly becoming the digital advertising agency for every company in the world," Stifel Nicolaus & Co. analyst Scott Devitt wrote in a research note Friday. "If it succeeds, the financial returns could potentially be significant."
Underscoring his confidence in the company, Devitt predicted that Google's stock price will hit $554 in the next year, up from his previous $500 estimate.
Google's robust third-quarter growth, generated in the typically sluggish summer season, bodes well for the upcoming holiday shopping season when ad spending peaks. And if recently declining gasoline prices should fall even further, Google could profit even more as advertisers step up their pursuit of the extra money in consumers' wallets.
The average analyst estimate for Google's fourth-quarter earnings rose Friday by more than $30 million, or 10 cents per share, according to Thomson Financial.
Even one-time Google skeptics see few headwinds facing the company.
When Google's stock reached its record highs earlier this year, Standard & Poor's analyst Scott Kessler concluded that investors had gotten carried away and lowered his price target to $370. The stock price subsequently slumped as low as $331.55 in early March.
This time, though, Kessler believes the best is yet to come, prompting him to raise his price target to $500 on Friday. "It looks like it's Google's game to lose," he said.
For all its success so far, Google may just be scratching the surface of its moneymaking potential.
To diversify, the company plans to sell more radio and print ads. Google also wants to deliver marketing messages to mobile phones and computing devices in the United States, something it already does in Japan.
Online video advertising represents another potential gold mine for Google. The company is eyeing an expansion into the still-developing field with its planned acquisition of video-sharing pioneer YouTube Inc. for $1.65 billion. That deal is expected to close in the next month.
YouTube's co-founders and other investors will be receiving their payment in Google stock -- a type of currency that company doesn't intend to use for future acquisitions. Google Chief Financial Officer George Reyes told analysts Thursday that the company will pay for future deals with its $10.4 billion cash hoard.
All that money has contributed to Google's rapid earnings growth this year. The company has collected $337 million in interest income so far this year -- six times more than the same time last year.
There's little pressure for Google to return any of that cash to shareholders because its stock has done so well since the company's initial public offering in August 2004, Sanderson said. The stock is up by more than fivefold from its IPO price of $85.


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In anything of a modify this earnings time, an electric carmaker (other than Tesla) truly described a revenue for the quarter.
Polestar (PSNY), the Swedish-based mostly firm backed by Volvo and China’s Geely, claimed its initial gross income as a community corporation since completing its SPAC merger before this year.
For the quarter, Polestar noted:
Though Polestar did miss on the best line, revenue ended up up 105% for the quarter as opposed to very last 12 months, and it was more than enough to eke out a $4 million gross earnings for the quarter. The firm was able to trim its functioning loss for Q3 by one-third as opposed to last 12 months as properly.
By means of the first 9 months of the calendar year, Polestar documented $54 million in gross revenue on $1.48 billion in profits. Throughout that time Polestar sent 30,424 cars globally, and the company mentioned it was on monitor to strike its shipping target of 50,000 vehicles for the 12 months. The corporation expects $2.4 billion in product sales for the year, predicting that general performance will be “driven by solid Q4 2022 profits.”
Polestar also stated it was adequately funded by means of 2023, citing its previously funding offer well worth $1.6 billion, delivered by its company dad and mom Volvo and Geely.
Polestar suggests its products pipeline is slated to expose new item launches like the Polestar 4 SUV in 2023, the Polestar 5 grand touring sedan in 2024, and the Polestar 6 roadster in 2026. Polestar previously declared its Polestar 3 SUV would be coming in the fourth quarter future yr, and will inevitably be developed at Volvo’s plant in South Carolina in mid-2024.
All was not good information however, as Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath reported offer chain issues and components shortages would hamper production.
“Will the scenario enhance upcoming year? No, we be expecting this once more to be one thing that keeps us hectic,” Ingenlath said in a media briefing. Earlier this 12 months Polestar trimmed its creation forecast to 50,000 from 65,000 thanks to COVID-related shutdowns in China. Polestar builds its automobiles at plant in Chengdu, China.
Nevertheless, Polestar shares are surging these days on the back of today’s outcomes. With the backing of its company moms and dads, Polestar has been ready to leverage the manufacturing and engineering capabilities of Volvo and Geely to see its “asset-light” enterprise product be successful when other pure-enjoy EV rivals like Rivian (RIVN), Lucid (LCID), and even Nio (NIO) battle for profitability.
Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can stick to him on Twitter and on Instagram.
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After years of flying high, the stocks of big technology companies from Facebook to Apple are either tumbling or struggling to maintain their altitude in 2018. But while the big players may be off to a rough start, a number of smaller tech stocks have been making strong gains, including ShotSpotter Inc. (SSTI), R1 RCM Inc. (RCM), Casa Systems Inc. (CASA), Twilio Inc. (TWLO) and Momo Inc. (MOMO). On average, these five stocks are up 78% so far this year, compared to the 2% return of the Nasdaq 100.
ShotSpotter leads this group of outperformers with a year to date return of 124.8%, as of the close of trading on Monday; R1 RCM is up 72.1% for the year; Casa is up 67.8%; Twilio is up 75.4%; and Momo is up 49.4%. These companies may have something to offer and at the very least, their “durable growth in a challenging stock market environment” makes it worth giving them a look, according to MarketWatch. (To read more, see: 5 Tech Stocks’ New Growth Engine.)
This young but fast-growing company designs and manufactures gunfire detection and location technology, which utilizes surveillance infrastructure to alert local law enforcement of gun shots in the area.
While the company has yet to turn a profit, revenue is expected to grow 35% this year and at least that much next year as well, and is likely to post positive earnings within a year, according to MarketWatch.
This software and services firm provides health-care companies with “revenue cycle management,” aiding hospitals and doctors with complex medical-billing processes. Saving time on these processes means being able to serve more patients.
While the company is still burning through cash to boost growth, it claims that it will earn consistent profits and bring in over $1 billion in sales by next year.
Another young company, Casa specializes in helping data network operators provide better data services to their clients, an important service in a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on being able to access data.
The company projects revenue to grow at 11% this year and 19% for the 2019 fiscal year. With demand for data only becoming bigger, it’s hard not to see how Casa won’t deliver.
This cloud-communications provider is turning things around after its shares lost more than half their value after the big run-up following its 2016 IPO. Since touching below $25 early this year, its shares have picked up enormous momentum partly owing to new products such as its Flex contact center.
With more new products set to launch this year, investors have good reason to be optimistic about the future, according to MarketWatch. (To read more, see: Twilio Stock Breaks Out to Retest Prior Highs.)
This China-based tech company provides messaging services, including an app similar to Tinder that allows users to interact with both friends and nearby strangers using their smartphones. Such applications will benefit from China’s urbanization trend.
Revenues are expected to rise 37% this year with earnings spiking 29%, and that strong performance is likely to continue next year with revenue and earnings growth of 25% and 24%, respectively.


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RubbeRecycle uses advanced technology to turn tires into new products like playground surfaces, rubber curbing and landscaping mulch
Lakewood, NJ (PRWEB) October 20, 2009
RubbeRecycle, a company that recycles tires into mulch for playgrounds, wants to extend the environmental benefits of the popular 'Cash for Clunkers' program. The program means over 800,000 cars were traded in for more fuel efficient models. The problem is that there are over 3 million tires from those cars that could end up in landfills.
Used tires can be managed in an environmentally sound manner by making tires into new products and finding new uses.
"RubbeRecycle uses advanced technology to turn tires into new products like playground surfaces, rubber curbing and landscaping mulch," said Keith Sacks, Vice President of RubbeRecycle.
Cities have been using recycled tire mulch in parks for more than a decade now. The White House recently chose to do the same. They built an environmentally-friendly playground at the nation's capital. The surface they used is the RubbeRecycle's Playsafer™ Mulch, which came recommended by the National Recreation and Park Association and the International Play Equipment Manufacturer's Association.
"The products made from recycled tires have been shown to be safe for kids and playgrounds. There have been more than a hundred studies over nearly two decades. It's recommended by the EPA and Consumer Reports has given it two thumbs up. It's safer than wood mulch, gravel and sand products," says Sacks.
He went on to say that besides the green aspect, playground safety is a focus: "Playsafer passed the egg test. That is, we dropped an egg from the top of a 14 ft. playground. It landed on our 6-inch cushion of Playsafer, bounced, but did not break," said Sacks.
The company currently processes between 10,000 and 12,000 tires a day and is designed to handle 2 million scrap tires annually.
RubbeRecycle introduced top quality rubber surfacing products to the commercial, residential and military markets in 1998. Our playground mulch conforms to all CPSC, ASTM, and IPEMA (The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association) safety guidelines and is ADA approved. The pioneer in the tire recycling industry, RubbeRecycle utilizes the most advanced technology and equipment to recycle tires on site.
For more information and to see the many uses of recycled tire products, go to http://www.rubberecycle.com/
Keith Sacks - Sales Manager
Phone # 888-436-6846
Lakewood, NJ, 08701


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This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on September 28 - October 4, 2015.
NATIONAL automaker Proton Holdings Bhd should be announcing its results for its financial year ended March 2015 within the next few days or by end-September.
There was a time when the national carmaker’s results would generate interest and dominate discussions among corporate players and analysts. Back then, circa 2002, Proton’s market share of the total industry volume was in excess of 60%.
In stark contrast, with the company no longer a publicly traded counter and struggling to make ends meet with a market share of less than 17%, the excitement is all but gone.
The last reported financials filed with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) indicate that Proton suffered an after-tax loss of RM821.4 million on the back of RM7.7 billion in revenue in FY2013. As at end-March 2013, the company had non-current assets of RM3.8 billion, current assets of RM3.5 billion, current liabilities of RM3.5 billion and long-term debt commitments of RM33 million.
Proton had yet to announce its FY2014 financials at press time. Judging by the dampened economic climate — auto sales fell almost 9% in August — the current financial year is likely to be challenging as well for the carmaker.
Nevertheless, firmly in Proton’s corner is Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who launched the company during his tenure as prime minister. He believes Proton could be a success story with adequate government support.
“Yes, I admit Proton is struggling now [but it is] because of the lack of government support,” he said candidly in a recent interview with The Edge TV.
He explained, “Because of the need to become very popular with consumers, the government opened the door to foreign imports, and these imports come from countries which closed their door to our exports. So, now, Proton has to compete against countries that are producing 10 million cars per year. How do you compete with them? The government is actually acting against Proton. Not giving any hope, support, at all.”
It seems it was difficult for Proton to venture into other countries such as South Korea, Japan or even China, as they had protectionist measures to safeguard their local industries.
“But there’s no more protection [for Proton]. Now, foreign cars are given exemptions. If they don’t comply with our needs, they are given exemptions. We have pointed out … there are 70 cars [that are being] given exemptions [but are] not complying with Malaysian requirements. But Proton does not get any exemptions,” said Mahathir.
To put things in perspective, Mahathir played a key role in the formation of Proton 32 years ago and put in place measures such as high taxes on imports to protect the national car. The government issued R&D grants amounting to hundreds of million ringgit to Proton. For instance, in the last financial results — for the nine-month period ended December 2011 — announced before its privatisation, Proton said it had received a RM175 million R&D grant in 2010.
Nevertheless, without Mahathir at the helm, Proton has been ailing and sales numbers have been dwindling.
In August, Proton sold only 9,040 cars. For the first eight months of the year, it managed to sell 70,113 cars, which is less than half of rival Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Kedua Sdn Bhd’s 143,048. Honda, the top selling non-national car brand, sold 6,853 cars in August and 58,892 in the first eight months of the year.
Some Honda marques are assembled in Pagoh, Melaka, under a collaboration between Honda of Japan, Proton’s parent DRB-Hicom Bhd and Oriental Holdings Bhd.
Mahathir laments, “Everything is opened up. The government says we want a cheap car — and foreign cars assembled in Malaysia are cheap.
“Do you know what it means to reduce the sales of Proton? It means that people who started engineering companies to supply components to Proton, they’re suffering … About 200,000 people are suffering because of [the] government’s policy to encourage imports and discourage local industries,” he said in reference to the Proton Vendor Development Programme.
The programme has been accused of producing auto parts manufacturers that make substandard goods but which managed to thrive because of strong political connections. It is not known how the companies are faring or whether they have improved.
Nevertheless, Mahathir said, “Malaysians always expect a poor-quality car [to be] selling cheaply. That is not Proton anymore. I’m excited about Proton. I think we can turn it around.”
Watch The Edge TV’s interview with Mahathir at www.theedgemarkets.com


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Brits get the taste for fruity tea, survey finds
Post by John Chappels
on 21 March 2012 in Food & Drink
An increasing number of British tea drinkers are swapping English Breakfast for something rather more fruity.
That's one finding of a new survey by research firm Mintel, which identified a 10 per cent increase in sales of fruit and herbal teas being purchased in the UK over the past two years. Sales of the more traditional English Breakfast variety however have fallen by 1.5 per cent to £463m.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, sales of green tea have really taken off over the past 24 months. Mintel said tea drinkers spent £22m on green tea bags last year, up from £12m in 2009. It's estimated that one in eight people now drink the beverage each week.
Jonny Forsyth, senior drinks analyst at Mintel, said today's young tea drinkers differ markedly from previous generations.
He said: "They have a much more adventurous attitude towards drinking tea, enjoying the variety of flitting between standard English breakfast, speciality and herbal tea rather than just sticking to one type; and they are keen to try new tea brands and new flavours."
It seems standard tea drinkers are not too keen on switching – 71 per cent told Mintel they thought the taste of herbal/fruit tea was inferior to standard varieties.
Please note, the contents of this news story are not supported or endorsed by The Co-operative Group.


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Matchbox Price Increase: After 14 years, matchbox prices are going to increase, know how much a box will sell from December
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The price of a matchbox is set to double — from Re 1 to Rs 2 — from December 1 because of an increase in the cost of raw materials used
Representatives of five major matchbox industry bodies met at Sivakasi and decided to increase the MRP of a matchbox, TOI reported.
The hike in price of a matchbox is after a gap of 14 years — last time it was revised from 50 paise to Re 1 in 2007.
Manufacturers pointed out that most of the 14 raw materials used are much costlier now. Red phosphorus now comes at Rs 810 instead of Rs 425 and wax at Rs 80 instead of Rs 58. Prices of box boards, paper, splints, potassium chlorate and sulphur have also increased since October 10.
Apart from the above, the hike in fuel prices increased the cost of transportation forcing them to go for an increase in price.
Secretary of the National Small Matchbox Manufacturers’ Association VS Sethurathinam told TOI that manufacturers are selling a bundle of 600 matchboxes for Rs 270 to Rs 300. “We have decided to increase the selling price from our units by 60% to Rs 430-480 per bundle. This is excluding 12% GST and cost of transportation,” he said.
The industry directly or indirectly employs more than four lakh people in Tamil Nadu. It is also facing an instability in its labour forces as many of the workers preferred to work under the better paying MGNREGA scheme.


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El Pollo Loco (LOCO) Tops Q1 EPS by 1c
El Pollo Loco (NASDAQ: LOCO) reported Q1 EPS of $0.13, $0.01 better than the analyst estimate of $0.12. Revenue for the quarter came in at $107.7 million versus the consensus estimate of $106.26 million.
System-wide comparable restaurant sales(1) increased 7.4%, including a 3.3% increase for company-operated restaurants, and a 10.5% increase for franchised restaurants. System-wide comparable restaurant sales increased 5.9% compared to the same period in 2019.
Bernard Acoca, President and Chief Executive Officer of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., stated, “We are pleased with our solid start to 2021, as we saw a significant improvement in sales trends during the first quarter, resulting in system-wide comparable restaurant sales growth of 7.4% compared to last year and an increase of 5.9% compared to 2019. Our momentum has continued into the second quarter with April system-wide comparable restaurant sales growth of 39.1% and two-year growth of 13.5%. Also highlighting our recovery, we recently achieved three consecutive records for average weekly sales and posted our highest single day of sales ever on National Burrito Day. While margins in January and February were challenged due to COVID-19 related expenses, March margins were strong at over 20.0%. These performance indicators along with declining COVID-19 cases, increasing vaccine availability, and loosening of dining room restrictions in California, give us confidence that the operating environment is normalizing and that we can now focus our efforts on our Acceleration Agenda, which provides a detailed roadmap for successful growth over the next three years.
For earnings history and earnings-related data on El Pollo Loco (LOCO) click here.


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First the good news. Arenar, the people behind the iBand+ EEG lucid dream sleep tracker have successfully finished their Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign today.
But guess what? It looks like €644,249 raised from 3,958 backers is not enough, since there is now a sneaky redirect to a new Indiegogo campaign for the iBand plus from the original Kickstarter page disguised as a big green CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW! button.
If one redirect is not enough and you miss it then there is a bright pink Pre-Order NOW! radio button which also leads to an Indiegogo pledge campaign page.
This campaign is either a ‘smash and grab’, a bad case of greed, or a total build miscalculation?
According to Indiegogo $719,509 USD total funds raised.
1289 % funded on October 27, 2016.
Price on Indiegogo is $169 (yes USD, not Euro).
1 out of 1000 Perks has been claimed so far.
However judging this latest behaviour, it looks like Arenar are after every cent they can get. So the initial target figure of €50,000 is totally ludicrous, given that the creators are looking for even more money and pledges.
They are trying to bleed the lucid dream fraternity dry!
I think Arenar should have been a bit more open and honest about this affair. Kickstarter are culpable too I feel. There should be better rules in place to stop so-called ‘pre-orders’ being made from their campaign page, or any main changes to the campaign platform, especially after the funding date has passed, apart from the usual comments and updates to the backers.
It seems that too many project creators use the crowdfunding project page past the sell by date as a convenient sandwich board to invite click-bait for their product(s), rather than their OWN website resources.
Image courtesy of Kickstarter.com/Arenar.


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SMTCL-Americas held its 4th Annual Open House at its Technical Center in City of Industry, Calif., on April 6th 2017.
The Open House featured discounts on machines, cutting demonstrations, and specialists from a variety of companies including Marposs, Index Designs, SurfCam, Fanuc, Siemens, CimCool, and Golden West Lubricants.
“This event was a great opportunity for Customers to talk to leaders in the Machine Tool Industry about products that can reduce cycle time, improve quality, and reduce costs. Our Customers need to compete with manufacturers all over the world and in addition to providing high quality, cost effective machine tools, SMTCL has developed relationships with large companies to provide special discounts to our customers,” said SMTCL National Sales Representative Chad Turner.
SMTCL displayed a variety of machines including a CNC Horizontal Boring Mill, a CNC Vertical Turning Center, as well as several CNC Vertical Machining Centers and CNC Lathes. SMTCL has such a large product line that they also gave large discounts on manual lathes, radial drills, and manual boring mills.
“In addition to the great values on machines, our customers got to our newest service van. The new Service Van was designed by the world famous “West Coast Customs” in Burbank, CA. Our technicians in Southern California have a stocked service vans with diagnostic tools and machine replacement parts to ensure our Customer’s machines are running efficiently and accurately,” said Jerry McCarty, Chief Operating Officer of SMTCL.
SMTCL is the largest machine tool manufacturer in the world producing 80,000 machine tools each year and has annual revenues of $2.9 billion. SMTCL has over 300 products including CNC boring mills, vertical turning centers, vertical machining centers, horizontal turning centers, horizontal machining centers, gantry type machining centers, pipe threading machines and tapping centers. SMTCL also makes conventional lathes, boring mills, and radial drills. SMTCL has design centers in Berlin, Germany and Shanghai, China as well as multiple factories in Germany and China. The SMTCL-Americas Technology Center is located in City of Industry, California and stocks machines, replacement parts, and accessories. SMTCL has a network of full service distributors in North America who have extensive training, parts, installation, and field service capabilities.


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Smartphone users could benefit from a third eye that observes and warns about oncoming obstacles. This is precisely what a South Korean industrial designer Paeng Min-wook has developed.
Paeng has created ‘Phono Sapiens’ artwork as a satire. However, the concept, called ‘The Third Eye’ works to alert “Smartphone Zombies” before they walk into a wall or other humans.
South Korean industrial designer invents device to keep smartphone addicts safe while walking:
There is an uncomfortably large number of videos on social media platforms that show people walking into walls, ponds, pedestrians, oncoming traffic. These people aren’t blind, but instead, are completely oblivious to their surroundings.
The sole reason for ignoring visual cues about simple everyday navigation is a rising phenomenon called smartphone addiction. These “Smartphone Zombies” not only endanger themselves but also the people and infrastructure around them.
To keep smartphone users safe, a South Korean inventor created this “third eye” to detects obstacles for pedestrians focused on their phones pic.twitter.com/SHhn0i2GD4
— SCMP News (@SCMPNews) June 4, 2021
To address the problem. Paeng Min-wook, 28, has developed a robotic eyeball. He calls his invention ‘The Third Eye’.
Smartphone addicts can strap this invention to their foreheads so that they continue staring into their devices while walking. Meanwhile, the robotic eye will observe the path ahead and caution the smartphone user about any obstacles.
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 4, 2021
The Third Eye is remarkably simple. It is essentially a couple of sensors with a translucent eyelid that activate if they sense the wearer has lowered his head to look at a smartphone. If the wearer of The Third Eye comes within one to two meters of an obstacle, it will sound an alert to warn about the danger.
The invention uses a gyro sensor to measure the oblique angle of the user’s neck and an ultrasonic sensor to calculate the distance between the robotic eye and any obstacles. A battery pack powers a simple board microcontroller that interfaces with the two sensors.
The Third Eye is part of artwork but the concept is promising, and perhaps life-saving as well:
Paeng has confirmed that The Third Eye is part of an artwork titled ‘Phono Sapiens’. The artwork presumably attempts to raise awareness about the rising number of Smartphone Zombies.
Smartphone addicts are practically blind. They are completely unaware or oblivious of their surroundings. Using a smartphone significantly lowers the ability of sensory organs to pick up mundane cues about navigation.
‘Phono sapiens’, la especie que llevará un tercer ojo en la frente. La necesidad de adaptarse a los cambios constantemente ha llevado a la tecnología a desarrollar gadgets que, poco a poco, nos van convirtiendo en auténticos cíborgs. @pedrodelcorral_
— La Razón (@larazon_es) May 29, 2021
Paeng reportedly indicated he has plans to develop a camera module for the Third Eye and a linked mobile phone application as well. However, he doesn’t plan on commercializing his invention.
Needless to mention, there’s a huge potential demand for such an invention. The South Korean industrial designer should, however, miniaturize his invention to make it a lot less obvious.


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Google Stadia Launch Lineup Is Horrendous and Shows a Lack of Interest
Google has shared its launch day lineup for the streaming device, Google Stadia. There are 12 games that will be playable through the service at launch.
When it comes to streaming services, the current big three are Microsoft with Project xCloud, Sony with PlayStation Now, and now Google is also joining them with their own streaming platform, Google Stadia.
Google had announced that Stadia will launch in limited regions on November 19, 2019. The first edition of the console won’t offer any free subscription choice and instead, the Founder or Premium Edition will come with three months of Stadia Pro that will allow its users to play Destiny 2. After the three months are up, you have to pay an additional $10 per month to access the service.
Google is planning to release a base or free version of Stadia that should be available in a lot more regions around the world. This version is still without a release date so if you want to get into the action with Google’s game streaming service this year, the choice is to get the expensive Founder’s Edition and pay a subscription and additional game price on top of it.
Here are the 12 games that will be available to purchase and play on Google’s streaming service when it launches on November 19.
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Destiny 2: The Collection (Available free as part of Stadia Pro subscription)
- Just Dance 2020
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Samurai Shodown
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
- Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
These games are the only ones that are confirmed to be a part of the streaming service at launch. The following games are also launching later in 2019.
- Attack on Titan 2: The Final Battle
- Borderlands 3
- Darksiders Genesis
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
- Farming Simulator 19
- Final Fantasy XV
- Football Manager 2020
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
- Metro Exodus
- NBA 2K20
- RAGE 2
- Trials Rising
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood.
More games will arrive for the streaming service in the future. These are the only confirmed ones to launch in 2019 for Google Stadia.


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Supporters of the bill say that barring people with a history in the illicit cannabis industry from joining legally supports unregulated cannabis operations.
The initiative would include all plants and fungi that naturally produce ibogaine, DMT, mescaline, psilocybin, or psilocin. The post Will D.C. Be the Next City to Decriminalize Shrooms? appeared first on High Times.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The District of Columbia is joining several states in suing the nation’s largest e-cigarette maker Juul Labs, saying the company’s online ads and promotions illegally targeted minors. Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine announced the lawsuit Tuesday, alleging that Juul’s viral marketing contributed to the surge in underage vaping by teens in […]
In September, Washington D.C. mayor Murial Bowser brought an end to months of anxious waiting on the part of city workers who lawfully consume cannabis. The new mayoral order clarified that the use of cannabis for any reason cannot prevent a person from getting or maintaining a government job. The order also blocked any city […]
On Thursday, Washington, DC may have become the medical marijuana mecca of the United States. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that dispensaries in the nation’s capital will now accept valid medical marjiuana cards from any of the 27 states that have such systems. “This emergency rulemaking is patient-centric,” the mayor stated in a press release. “It […]
As the political will to enact federal legalization of medicinal or recreational marijuana continues to evade Senate and Congress, smaller jurisdictions across the country are putting their own regulation ordinance on the books. But this time, such proposed legislation is striking close to home for federal lawmakers; Washington D.C.’s Mayor Muriel E. Bowser introduced a […]


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Automobiles and electronics have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent semiconductor shortage. A previous paper from AIR touched on the economic ramifications from the Covid-19 pandemic as a stark reminder of the importance in understanding complex vulnerabilities in today’s interconnected world.
The beginning of the pandemic lockdown in 2020 led to a sudden drop in manufacturing due to hastily canceled orders and just-in-time practices. However, demand for silicon chips rose due to pandemic working conditions as consumers increased their use of laptop computers, 5G phones, gaming systems, and other IT equipment. By Q3 2020, demand for semiconductors had surged, creating a V-shaped recovery for personal computers, mobile devices, automobiles, and wireless communications.
Read the full article at: www.air-worldwide.com


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According to Thai Custom Department, the total exports of PP in February have edged lower to 19.5k tons in February compared to January, at 76,984 tons.
The top 5 exports destination of PP Thailand in February were Japan, Indonesia, China, India and Vietnam. Japan had decreased by 1.3k tons compared to January at around 15,200 tons. Export to Indonesia had decreased by 4.3k tons compared to the previous month at 13,892 tons. While destinations to China had dropped the most by 11.9k tons at around 13,133 tons. Furthermore, contrasting with previous countries, India had an upsurge by 1.3k tons compared to January at 7,640 tons. The last, Vietnam had a reduction by 3.9k tons compared to January at 6,724 tons.
Tags: Asia Pacific,English,PP,SEA,Stats,ThailandPublished on June 18, 2020 10:45 AM (GMT+8)
Last Updated on June 19, 2020 2:02 PM (GMT+8)


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In the race to autonomy, Waymo is refining its self-driving technology in preparation of near-future real-world applications.
The 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show was packed with pickups, SUVs and crossover debuts that all represent a changing market that screams bigger is better. Here are Trucks.com's top picks.
Lexus is adapting to the needs of its customers by adding a three-row RX crossover and two-row LX to its luxury utility vehicle offerings.
Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled its rugged new FT-AC Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday.
Subaru debuted its all-new 2019 Ascent, a large SUV that holds up to eight passengers and is loaded with safety technology to protect precious cargo.
Lincoln is updating its new 2019 MKC compact crossover with a chrome mesh grille, new safety technology and more connectivity.
The California Air Resource Board’s new 380,000-square-foot headquarters in Riverside will feature a dedicated testing area for heavy- and medium-duty vehicles that run on diesel fuel.
Truck manufacturers are enhancing truck interiors to help motor carriers attract and retain drivers.
International Truck lifted the veil on the all-new HV Series work truck at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show.


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igeekphone July 15 news, news source @iice Universe recently tweeted, shared the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 mobile phone model photos, and admitted that the model is inferior, does not represent the real machine experience.
The machine has a speaker, USB Type-C port and microphone at the bottom, and three microphones and a speaker at the top. Igeekphone noted that the aircraft appeared to be equipped with stereo speakers and four microphones.
Samsung has developed a new drop-shaped hinge for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5, similar to those found in the new generation of foldable phones from brands like Huawei, OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi. This hinge can eliminate the gap between the two folded parts, reducing the crease of the inner screen.
igeekphone previously reported that the machine has a 6.2-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED external screen and a 7.6-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED internal screen, It will have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy processor, 12GB RAM, and 256GB / 512GB storage.
The machine supports GPS, 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, USB 3.2 Type-C interface and IPX7 waterproof rating, built-in 4400mAh battery, support 25W fast charge, It also supports wireless fast charge, Samsung DeX and Samsung Pay.
The post Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 foldable phone model photo exposure appeared first on IGeeKphone China Phone, Tablet PC, VR, RC Drone News, Reviews.


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A partylist lawmaker has proposed a measure prohibiting telecommunications companies from sending unsolicited materials such as ads and promotional messages to mobile phone subscribers via SMS.
Rep. Lorna Velasco (AMA, partylist) said these messages sent by SMS or short messaging service have led to higher monthly bills for mobile phone subscribers without them realizing it.
“On the other hand, some ads and promos sent as text messages may be free but they still intrude into the privacy of consumers,” she said.
In filing House Bill 4510 which seeks to ban telecommunications providers from sending unsolicited messages, Velasco noted that the Congress has a role to protect consumers from the “inappropriate practices of telecom companies.”
Under HB 4510, unsolicited materials include advertisements, offerings, promotions, subscriptions and other notifications sent via SMS to mobile phone subscribers.
The measures penalizes violators with a fine of P20,000 to P100,000 per violation.


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EC improves forecast on Romania’s GDP: +3.9% in 2022
Romania’s economy will expand by 3.9% this year and 2.9% in 2024, under the Summer Forecast published by the European Commission on July 14.
“Private consumption and investments are set to be the main growth drivers for this year and the next, while net exports are projected to act as a drag on GDP and lead to a widening of the trade deficit,” the report reads.
The EC revised upwards its forecast for this year from 2.6% under the Spring Forecast, in response to the strong 6.4% y/y GDP growth in Q1.
However, in line with the slower global and EU growth prospects, it adjusted its expectations for next year to 2.9%, from 3.6% under the Summer forecast.
Overall, there’s a 0.6% improvement in the combined growth rate for 2022-2023, from 6.3% to 6.9%.
For the rest of the forecast horizon, the EC sees both positive and negative factors intertwining. On the one hand, the high inflation is set to dent the purchasing power of households. On the other hand, the upbeat outlook in the labor market and the support measures announced by the government in April, notably for vulnerable households, should keep private consumption growing, albeit more moderately.
Prices are set to rise further over the forecast horizon because of energy, as not all consumers are covered by the capping scheme, and as numerous electricity and gas contracts will be renegotiated in the coming months.
Average annual HICP inflation is projected at 11.1% in 2022 before slowing down to 7.2% in 2023, as energy prices are set to moderate and base effects to kick-in.
Stronger wage dynamics than currently estimated represent an upward risk to the inflation forecast.
(Photo: Anyaberkut/ Dreamstime)


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Two Latvian-based Latvian-made companies Reputable Business Magazine of "Inc." Enter into Created on August 14 by 5000 fastest-growing companies. Both companies report that Printify ranked 24th, Printful at 564th. Inc.5000 is a list of American private companies compiled for the first time in 1982 and is a sign of business success.
Inc. The magazine's top company is based on company turnover data from 2015 to 2018. To qualify for the list, the minimum turnover was to reach at least $ 100,000 in 2015 and $ 2 million in 2018. Arizona-based marketing and advertising firm FreeStar is at the top of the list this year with 36680% growth. Inc.5000 also hosts an awards ceremony in Arizona to celebrate the achievements of listed companies.
Printify.Ink has grown 7926% in the last three years, is also ranked # 1 in the fastest growing San Francisco Group, ranked # 2 by technology companies and # 5 in California, where Printify was born. Janice Burdigans, Artis Cahris and Gettys Dukers. "The key to the quick success of Printify is in the combination of business thinking, customer attention and a combined, resultant team. Growth is our main focus," says Berdigan.
Dragium Group's printful ranks 564th with 786% growth. Similarly, Printform published its financials for the first time. And JSC Printful Latvia totaled $ 77 million in 2018, compared to 2017 with $ 46 million. "PrintFull's fiscal year has grown by about 70% over the past year. To continue this growth, we plan to open offices and production facilities and expand into new markets, as well as continuously develop new products and integrations," says Davis, co-founder of Printful. Founder and CEO. Belt. "Printful" E-masters prints and produces products for store orders and delivers them.
Printify Development Ltd. in Latvia, a subsidiary of Printify Inc. , Which employs more than 90 employees from 15 countries. In 2018, the company's total sales is expected to reach $ 10.5 million, and in 2019 it is expected to reach $ 30 million. Kehris says while the company's consumer stores are primarily registered in the United States, the entire print team is based here in Spicer, Riga, and is developing fast and plans to add to it this summer.
Printful Inc. Is a US-based printing outsourcing company that is part of the Latvian company "Dragim Group". Printful Latvia AS is a printable inc. Headquartered in Riga, a subsidiary that provides software software development, marketing, customer support, market research and financial services. Printful Inc. Works for North America market with divisions in the US (Los Angeles, California & Charlotte, North Carolina) & Mexico (Tijuana). European orders are provided by Latvian subsidiary Printful Latvia. A company office fee was opened in Barcelona this summer to quickly grow Spanish-speaking countries. Printful is a private company owned by Lauris Liberts and Agris Tamanis, founders of Dragium Group.
PrintFull and the European plant's headquarters, employing a team of more than 250 people, will continue in Latvia, the company promises. It currently employs more than 600 people worldwide. Printfull has printed more than 11.5 million products so far, while customers have sold more than $ 540 million (8478 million).
Inc.com The fastest growing U.S. A list of companies is available here.


text: America’s minority groups are getting bigger. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics, the largest minority group in the country, are growing at a faster rate than non-Hispanics and are on track to make up nearly 20% of the population by 2021. The only other racial group with a higher rate of expected growth is Asian Americans, expected to increase over 13% in the next five years. This increasingly diverse culture will have long-term implications for the financial services industry and marketers need to be aware of the concerns and priorities of these consumers in order to stay relevant. Hispanic Americans’ biggest impact over the next decade will be driven by younger consumers entering the labor force. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 30.5 million entrants into the labor force will be of Hispanic origin, nearly three times the number of entrants reported in 1990. This means that their financial focus will be navigating new careers, wealth management, taking care of their families and planning for retirement. According to Mintel’s Hispanics and Money Management US 2016 report, Hispanics are reluctant to own certain payment products, especially credit cards and prepaid cards, indicating an opportunity to increase awareness of these products and improve overall education around their benefits and uses. Hispanics also have over-indexed on use of large, national banks such as Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo, as compared to the rest of the population. This is driven in large part by the availability of branch locations, which is the top stated reason Hispanics choose one bank over another. In light of this, smaller banks, digital-only banks and credit unions will be challenged to compete for business from the Hispanic market, but financial brands could benefit from an increased focus on value, convenience and a trusted reputation. Hispanics are more likely than all other consumers to use mobile apps daily Digital features and services will also resonate with Hispanics as they are very digitally connected. According to Mintel’s Mobile Apps US 2016 report, Hispanics are more likely than all other consumers to use mobile apps daily. What’s more, 87% of Hispanics personally own a smartphone as compared to just three quarters of Americans overall, according to Mintel’s Digital Trends – Hispanics US 2015 report. Wells Fargo tapped into the young and digitally connected Hispanic consumer with its bilingual commercial showing a young man on his way to a job interview and stopping along the way to conduct a variety of quick financial transactions on his smartphone. Asian Americans, on the other hand, have been found to be slightly more financially engaged and confident than the rest of the population. Their biggest financial priority is taking care of family as one in five Asian Americans say they provide financial assistance to relatives, and one in three act as a caregiver to someone other than their children, according to a Prudential study. Asian Americans are also expecting to retire 15.5 months sooner than the general population and are more likely to own individual stocks. This focus on family translates into an increased demand for products and services that help consumers save for their children’s higher education costs. While many consumers are still unfamiliar with the benefits of a tax-advantaged college savings account such as a 529, fintech company CollegeBacker makes it easy to open an account, calculate a savings goal, and invite friends and family to contribute to it. At the end of the day, it is important for financial marketers to understand the changing dynamics of the country’s demographic profile. As consumer priorities and financial concerns begin to shift, brands will need to adjust their offerings and value proposition in order to not only meet their current needs, but also build trust and loyalty for a long-term relationship. Lily Harder is the Vice President of Research for Mintel Comperemedia. Lily specializes in the financial services industry, researching and presenting on the latest industry trends, competitive intelligence insights and newsworthy developments. You might also be interested in: Nurturing brand loyalty among Hispanic consumers Saving for retirement: The financial reality of the golden years Financial Services Marketing Trends 2016: How’d we do?


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Höegh, MOL sign LNG deal with Suez
HOEGH LNG and Mitsui OSK Lines, Ltd (MOL) have signed long-term time charter agreements for two shuttle and regasification vessels with Suez LNG Trading SA.
The two ships will be constructed by Samsung Heavy Industries, and are scheduled for delivery in 2009 and 2010.
The vessels are specifically designed to service an offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal to be built in Massachusetts Bay offshore Boston on the US East Coast.
The US Maritime Administration, which has given assurances of LNG safety, awarded Suez-owned Neptune LNG LLC the final license for construction of the terminal on Mar 23.
Neptune anticipates having a fully operational project, including construction of a pipeline connection, ships and a buoy system, to supply LNG in Massachusetts and the rest of New England from 2009.
Although such developments are controversial, Höegh and MOL said the LNG re-gasification vessels and the deepwater port installations can meet the most stringent environmental regulations anywhere in the US for such terminal facilities.
“The transportation of LNG by ship has an outstanding track record when it comes to safety,” the companies said.
Chinese industrial land booming
CHINA’S industrial real estate market is likely to see massive growth in the coming years, driven by strong manufacturing and retail activities, according to industry players and consultants.
China's logistics market, which includes freight, warehousing and distribution facilities, is expected to grow substantially in the near future, driven by dynamic retail activities, according to analysts at the China Industrial Real Estate Summit, a two-day conference held in Shanghai recently.
China's logistics market is expected to grow by almost 30% a year in the next 3-4 years, according to Trent Iliffe, director of Jones Lang LaSalle's Industrial Property team in China.
Iliffe told delegates that the booming manufacturing and retail sectors would serve as major engines for the expansion of the logistics industry in China. But he said the retail sector would be the biggest driver of logistics expansion.
The number of foreign retailers in China has tripled to 1,000 at the end of 2006 from 314 in 2004, according to Iliffe.
At the same time, he said, retailers such as Wal-Mart, BestBuy and B&Q have all set ambitious expansion goals in China and are expanding their retail networks in the country, creating huge demand for logistics needs.
India wants around-the-clock port operations
THE INDIAN Secretary of Shipping, A.K. Mohapatra, of the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport, and Highways, has released a draft report calling for around-the-clock operations at all Indian ports by Jan 1, 2008.
The goal would be to increase the efficiency of the ports by reducing dwell time, or the length of time cargo spends in storage at the port, awaiting to be loaded to a ship or to land transport for distribution inland.
According to the draft report, the average dwell time for major container terminals in India is 1.88 days for imports and 3.78 days for exports, and this compares unfavorably with other major international ports.
The Ministry of Shipping estimates the total cargo handling capacity of Indian major ports for 2005-06 to be 660mn tonnes.
The report also calls for mandatory VTMSs (Vessel Tracking Monitoring System) to be installed and implemented at all major ports in India by the end of 2007.
Major investment is also called for in the areas of infrastructure, connectivity, and electronic information exchange.
Prime Panamanian land up for sale
THE TIME is ripe for the purchase of a 167-acre parcel of industrial land along the Panama Canal, according to John Carver, executive director of the Multimodal Services Group at Colliers International, a commercial real-estate service firm that is brokering the deal.
Called Isla Margarita, the parcel was purchased by a group of Taiwanese businessmen 15 years ago, and they think it is time to sell due to the Panama Canal’s projected $5bn expansion, which will accommodate much larger ships and double the waterway’s traffic.
Carver said Colliers is marketing the property said to be one of the last undeveloped parcels of land on the area to port and terminal operators, but the site also could support hotels, restaurants, and retail.
The site formerly housed the US Army’s Fort Randolph, which was established as part of the Canal’s military defenses on Apr 9, 1920. Fort Randolph later became the very first US military installation to revert to Panamanian hands when the Carter-Torrijos Treaties went into effect on Dec 31, 1999.
Horizon Hawk enters service
A NEW 2,824-TEU containership in the Horizon Lines Inc. (NYSE: HRZ) fleet made its maiden call at the Port of Tacoma on Mar 30. The Horizon Hawk, the first of five new Hunter class ships that Horizon Lines will bring into service this year, was built in South Korea by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard.
The ship launches Horizon’s enhanced Trans-Pacific-1 (TP1) service between mainland US, Guam, Micronesia, and Asia.
John V. Keenan, senior vice president and chief transportation officer for Horizon Lines, said “These five new vessels ... are of a proven design incorporating the latest technology.”
Chuck Raymond, president and CEO of Horizon Lines, stated that the acquisition of the new vessels “commences our long-term vessel replacement strategy in a very cost-effective and capital-efficient manner [and will reduce] the age of our operated fleet to one of the lowest in the markets we serve."
The Horizon Hawk is a US-flag vessel with a service speed of more than 23 knots. Horizon Lines is chartering it and the other four ships from subsidiaries of Ship Finance International Ltd.
Wal-Mart announces new chief admin officer
WAL-MART Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) Mar 30 announced that Vice Chairman John Menzer will become Chief Administrative Officer, a new position, and as such will take a more active role in global procurement, an area of increasing strategic importance for the company.
Lee Scott, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in making the announcement said that Menzer will “play a critical role in leading our global procurement efforts” and that additionally Menzer “will focus his time and attention on expanding our growing financial services business to benefit the underserved." In mid-March Wal-Mart Stores withdrew a bid for a banking license.
Menzer will continue to oversee key administrative functions such as information systems, benefits, sustainability, compliance, and corporate planning.
It was also announced that Eduardo Castro-Wright, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores-USA, who had previously reported to Menzer, will now report directly to Scott. "Under the leadership of Eduardo and his team this year, Wal-Mart Stores in the US underwent more change in a shorter period of time than at any point in our history, while achieving record financial results," said Scott.
Asian economy robust in 2007
A key segment of Asia's business leaders believes their region's economy will continue to enjoy strong growth in 2007, but many are more excited about the growth of India than they are China a key finding in the latest UPS Asia Business Monitor.
The survey of 1,200 leaders of small- and mid-sized business enterprises (SME) in Asia also found wide agreement that China will surpass the US as the world's largest consumer economy in 10 years or less.
Only 5% of those surveyed said that China's consumer market would never grow as large as that of the US. Some 57% said the two markets would reach parity within 10 years, with 20% of those respondents expecting the gap to close within five years.
"These findings are significant because these small business leaders on the ground in many Asian economies say that China's consumer market is growing faster than some leading researchers project," said Alan Gershenhorn, president of UPS International (NYSE: UPS).
"American businesses must understand that their future customers are just as likely to hail from Beijing as from Boston," Gershenhorn said.
The UPS Asia Business Monitor is an annual survey designed to gauge the competitiveness of small- and mid-sized enterprises in Asia. About 1,200 SME decision-makers were interviewed across 12 different markets in the region.
Kuehne + Nagel signs with Celestica
Kuehne + Nagel has signed a new two-year contract with Celestica Inc. to supply logistics and global supply chain solutions to the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company.
Under the agreement, Kuehne + Nagel’s Lead Logistics Solutions unit will provide transportation and logistics management services to Celestica, including contract administration/bid management for logistics services, and global performance management of logistics service providers.
The agreement also covers global metrics management, in-transit visibility, logistics network analysis and design, and project management/execution of supply chainrelated improvement opportunities.
Richard Williamson, director of Global Logistics & Trade Compliance for Celestica, said Kuehne + Nagel will evaluate existing operations and systems.
He said Kuehne + Nagel also will identify possible improvements at various global manufacturing and warehouse facilities aimed at streamlining the flow of products from Celestica’s suppliers to its manufacturing facilities and on to its end users.
Chong new director at Meridian IQ
MERIDIAN IQ, a wholly owned subsidiary of YRC Worldwide Inc. (Nasdaq: YRCW), has announced the appointment of Roland Chong as managing director, Asia.
Chong, with significant experience in both logistics and freight forwarding, will be responsible for all Meridian IQ activities throughout Asia.
He will also oversee the China forwarding venture between JHJ International Transportation Co. Ltd. and Meridian IQ, China, through his position on its Board of Directors.
Chong joined Meridian IQ in April 2006 as senior vice president, logistics, Asia. He will report directly to Jim Ritchie, president and CEO, Meridian IQ, in his new position.
Chong is a Fellow of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, UK (FCILT), a committee member of China International Forwarding Association (CIFA), and a Committee member of China Customs Broker Association (CCBA).
He also serves as Economic Consultant and Advisor for the Chinese Government in the Tianjin Airport Industrial Park Administration, Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone Administration, and Shanghai North Bund Freight Development Committee.
Before joining Meridian IQ, Chong worked with Exel, Kyocera, AT&T, and Crown Pacific.
CN to build C$20mn yard in Prince George
CN announced Mar 30 it will construct a C$20mn transload operation and intermodal rail terminal in Prince George, BC, for the export of containerized products to and from Asian markets through the new rail/maritime intermodal facility at the Port of Prince Rupert, BC.
Prince George, 500 miles inland from Prince Rupert, is in close proximity to BC’s large fiber reserves and other natural resources and is CN’s divisional headquarters and main operations hub in northern BC.
“The Prince George facility is ideally located to tap backhaul export opportunities, filling empty containers moving to Asia via Prince Rupert with lumber, panels, wood pulp, and paper, as well as ores, plastics, and some metals products,” said Peter Marshall, senior vice president for CN’s Western Region.
CN’s new Prince George transload facility, expected to open in fall 2007 with an 84,000 sq-ft warehouse and 10 acres of outside storage, will load containers with products arriving by rail or truck and then lift them onto railway flatcars at the new intermodal rail yard. CN will offer daily service from this terminal to the Port of Prince Rupert.
Port of Tacoma makes room for development
THE PORT of Tacoma, seeking ways to create additional terminal space, has completed demolition work on a 96-acre parcel of land that formerly housed the Kaiser Aluminum Smelter.
Originally built in 1941, the aluminum smelter had been expanded to a total of 740,000 sq ft by 1980, including a 500-ft smokestack. According to Bill Evans, port project manager, it took less than a year to demolish the plant, recycle the steel and other assets, and dispose of waste.
“Our work here was fairly straightforward,” Evans said. “The real achievement was planning the overall plant dismantling.”
“We were able to recycle more than 150mn pounds of various products, including steel, copper, aluminum, lead, concrete, alumina ore, oil, and carbon anodes,” he said. Nearly 40mn pounds of waste, including asbestos, PCBs, and other dangerous materials, were disposed of properly, according to Evans.
Next the site will be raised with clean fill dirt, a process that should be completed by the close of 2007, said Evans.
Eventually, the site will be integrated into the port’s core maritime cargo business.
First-ever “Woman Trucker Award” announced
SCHNEIDER National Inc., a transportation, logistics, and intermodal services provider, announced Mar 27 that professional truck driver Glenda Campbell has won the first-ever “Woman Trucker Award.”
The award was presented to Campbell by officials from the Orlando Truckers’ Conference, DOTAuthority.com Inc., and the Women in Trucking (WIT) Association in February at the 2007 Orlando Truckers’ Conference (OTC).
The three organizations recently joined forces to spotlight one female truck driver every year who demonstrates dedication to the profession and to encourage women to enter the predominantly male trucking and freight brokerage industries.
Campbell decided to become a Schneider driver after a successful career in computer electronics. In her 50s when she began training, she earned her commercial driver’s license (CDL) through Schneider’s training program.
“I feel privileged to be the first winner of this award,” said Campbell. “I really enjoy driving. I hope I’m able to influence other women to pursue truck driving and enjoy its many rewards.”
Women make up just 4.5% of the industry’s drivers, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA).


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Papa John’s CEO Schnatter: ‘We are already thinking about Super Bowl 50’
Papa John’s International Inc. is well-known for its ties to athletes.
Manning, who formerly played for the Indianapolis Colts, owns 25 Papa John’s (NASDAQ: PZZA) stores in the Denver market and has been a company spokesman since 2011.
Earlier this year, Papa John’s founder, chairman and CEO John Schnatter credited Manning with helping drive the company’s sales.
During a call with analysts Wednesday, Schnatter admitted that, with football season over, company officials were concerned about “getting away from the NFL and getting away from Peyton with success we had” during last year’s fourth quarter.
The company saw a 9 percent increase in same-store sales during the fourth quarter of 2013 compared with the year-earlier period.
But Papa John’s executives noted during the call that the company has other sports ties besides Manning and the National Football League.
“Beyond the NFL, we do have a partnerships, local partnerships, in sports that are seasonal throughout the year. So right now, I think we’re reaping some of the benefits of the sports sponsorships that we have in baseball and basketball,” said Bob Kraut, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Papa John’s.
In Louisville, Papa John’s is a major sponsor of University of Louisville sports.
And Kraut added that just because the season is over, people don’t forget about football or Manning.
“Football and Peyton Manning is something that is watched throughout the year,” he said on the call. “And the draft is upon us right now, and we’re going to be leveraging that.”
Caitlin Bowling covers these beats: Restaurants, retail, human resources, and women & minority affairs.
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With news that Nintendo was going to directly stake a claim in the bolstering Korean games market, many in that market were happy to hear that the company with a knack for creating wonderful and original games would be arriving, saving them from horrible importing fees and lackluster customer service. Now that Nintendo has arrived and launched their DS Lite system, along with Brain Training
, some are finding the same technical flaws that plagued the game in America and Japan have come to Korea.
At least, one reporter for the Korea Times has discovered such, claiming that both the voice recognition exercises, as well as the written ones, are failing to register the proper data. Hmm, sounds familiar
, doesn't it?


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Check out the on-demand sessions from the Low-Code/No-Code Summit to learn how to successfully innovate and achieve efficiency by upskilling and scaling citizen developers. Watch now.
Amazon today announced the general availability of Amazon Braket, a fully managed Amazon Web Services (AWS) product that provides a development environment for exploring and designing novel quantum algorithms. Customers can tap Braket — which launched in preview last December — to test and troubleshoot algorithms on simulated quantum computers running in the cloud to help verify their implementation. Users can then run those algorithms on quantum processors in systems from D-Wave, IonQ, and Rigetti.
In theory, quantum computing has the potential to solve problems beyond the reach of classical computers by harnessing the laws of quantum mechanics to build powerful information-processing tools. Scientific discoveries arising from quantum computing could transform energy storage, chemical engineering, drug discovery, financial portfolio optimization, machine learning, and more. But advances require in-house expertise, access to quantum hardware, or a combination of both. Amazon asserts that managed quantum infrastructure could help facilitate research and education in quantum technologies and accelerate breakthroughs.
Using Jupyter notebooks and existing AWS services, Braket users can assess present and forthcoming capabilities, including quantum annealing, ion trap devices, and superconducting chips. Amazon says partners were chosen “for their quantum technologies” and that customers and hardware providers can design quantum algorithms using the Braket developer toolkit. They can also access a library of prebuilt algorithms and execute either low-level quantum circuits or fully managed hybrid algorithms, as well as selecting between software simulators running in AWS Elastic Cloud Compute and quantum hardware.
In addition to running quantum algorithms, customers can use Braket to run hybrid algorithms, which combine quantum and classical computing systems to overcome limitations inherent in today’s quantum technology. They’re also given access to Amazon’s Quantum Solutions Lab, which aims to connect users with quantum computing experts — including from 1Qbit, Rahko, Rigetti, QC Ware, QSimulate, Xanadu, and Zapata — to identify ways to apply quantum computing inside their organizations.
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Amazon says Volkswagen has tested Braket to gain an “in-depth understanding of the meaningful use of quantum computing in a corporate environment.” Other early adopters include multinational power company Enel, biotechnology organization Amgen, the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing, quantum machine learning startup Rahko, Qu & Co, and the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology.
Amazon Braket is available today in US East (N. Virginia), US West (N. California), and US West (Oregon) AWS Regions, with more regions planned.
Braket competes with Microsoft’s Azure Quantum, a service that offers select partners access to three prototype quantum computers from IonQ, Honeywell, and QCI. But Azure Quantum is still in preview. And other rival offerings from Google and IBM only deliver compute from single, proprietary quantum processors and machines.
In a sign of its commitment to quantum computing research, Amazon unveiled the AWS Center for Quantum Computing last December. The Caltech-based laboratory aims to “boost innovation in science and industry” by connecting Amazon researchers and engineers with academic institutions to develop more powerful quantum computing hardware and identify novel quantum applications.
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Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has withdrawn the initiative to suspend mobile internet and slash internet speed on SSC exam days.
The step was taken just after a night of severe backlash over the internet services across the country.
Confirming the matter, BTRC Secretary Sarwar Alam said that the previous decision has been withdrawn in this regard. From the now internet service will remain normal until further notice.
Earlier, according to the BTRC direction, internet services nationwide were suspended temporarily from 10:00pm to 10:30pm. Later, the internet service found slow from 8:00am to 10:00am on Monday.


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Rubber “wellies” are going global.
This story first appeared in the December 19, 2011 issue of WWD. Subscribe Today.
Known for its rubber boot, Hunter Boot Ltd. said Friday that it has a new controlling shareholder that is ready to help grow its business with everything from product line extensions to geographic expansion.
New majority shareholder Searchlight Capital Partners LP, a private investment firm operating in North America and Europe, would not reveal the percentage of Hunter that it acquired, but said that the brand’s existing shareholders, including its chairman Peter Mullen, would retain a “significant” investment.
“This transaction and future support from Searchlight will help us to capitalize on the growing demand for Hunter-branded products as we look to increase our presence in existing markets and expand in new regions around the world,” said Mullen.
As part of the expansion, Searchlight will beef up Hunter’s management team, which includes searching for a global chief executive officer and a creative director, according to a Hunter spokesman.
Mullen, who founded London-based haberdashery Thomas Pink with his brothers before selling it to LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, will remain chairman of the Edinburgh-based Hunter. Wendy Svarre, ceo of Hunter USA, will also retain her role.
Hunter products, which are sold in more than 30 countries, include rubber and leather boots, wedges, heels, ballerina flats and accessories such as tote bags, umbrellas and socks. But with the new investment, Hunter will develop categories such as apparel and other products intended to remain true to the brand’s DNA.
“Hunter is exactly the kind of high quality investment opportunity that we are looking for,” said Searchlight partner and co-founder Oliver Haarmann, who hinted at expansion into new and existing markets. According to Hunter’s spokesman, this includes Europe, North and South America and Asia.
Eric Zinterhofer is also a co-founding partner of Searchlight. A veteran of Apollo Management LP, he is the husband of Aerin Lauder, who remains the style and image director of the Estée Lauder division of the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. since forming Aerin LLC, of which she is chairman and creative director, earlier this year.
Last year, Hunter posted net income of 16 million pounds, or $24.8 million at current exchange, and sales of 56 million pounds, or $86.7 million.


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Beyond Bollywood & Yoga: DPGs, India’s new soft power, about to be on show
Last month, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) issued a press note (bit.ly/3ygqZhM). It identified the priorities of the next G20 forum, the powerful global high table that frames the collective responses to challenges impacting the world economy, once India inherits the presidency on December 1.
G20 is composed of both developed and developing countries, which between them account for 85% of the global GDP, 75% of international trade and two-thirds of the global population. Given the dysfunctional state of most multilateral bodies, G20 is now the go-to institution in the world.
Among other objectives, the walk-up identified a very interesting priority, 'Digital public infrastructure and tech-enabled development in areas ranging from health, agriculture and education to commerce, skill-mapping, culture and tourism.' Clearly, the emphasis here is on India's new calling card - digital public goods (DPGs) - that is rapidly gaining eyeballs and expanding its global footprint.
This was not an isolated reference by the foreign office. Earlier, addressing a gathering hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), former foreign secretary and serving G20 coordinator Harsh Shringla made a strong pitch for the need to showcase India's success with DPGs. He began by highlighting the innovations, 'Our startup sector, a world beating digital public goods and industrial policy, focused on technological innovation and growth show that we are capable of creating tech models that balance the need for global integration and priorities at a national level.'
And then he signalled India's plan during its upcoming presidency, 'At the G20, this model must be internationalised... The world needs new and innovative approaches to tackle today's complex challenges. Digital technologies present us with the tools to deal with some contemporary challenges.' Implicitly, Shringla and the MEA are acknowledging that India's soft power arsenal has a new inclusion: DPGs.
Traditionally, India's soft power has been defined around yoga, cuisine, Bollywood and, more recently, contemporary Indian art. Little over the last decade, with the launch of Aadhaar, India has begun to acquire international attention for its prowess in creating public digital infrastructure to deliver public good.
It has successfully created digital building blocks using Aadhaar as the foundation to create a public digital rail - on which anyone, government or private sector, can build applications to scales as staggering as one billion.
These protocols have been used to create the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which powered the fintech revolution in India and democratised payments - from a mere 1,000 in 2016, the average transactions a month have grown to a little under 7 billion.
Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/beyond-bollywood-yoga-dpgs-indias-new-soft-power-about-to-be-on-show/articleshow/94667272.cms


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By Sylvia Macdonald and Georgi Gyton
Production is to be cut at Finsbury Food Group’s premium cake business Memory Lane Cakes, as sales continue to fall in the recession.
The bread, cake and morning goods manufacturer said production at the Cardiff business is likely to be cut from seven to five days a week. A consultation with employees is currently taking place on changes to shift patterns, with 95 jobs out of Memory Lane’s 1,000-or-so staff at risk. This represents 4% of Finsbury’s total workforce of 2,500.
Memory Lane is the leading manufacturer of the UK retailers’ premium own-label cake ranges.Martin Lightbody, chairman and major shareholder at Finsbury, told British Baker: "There is a general decline in cake sales, including premium, and we have been at the forefront of premium, especially celebration and upper-tier cakes.
"The number of products sold on deals this year increased dramatically, so we have been looking at cost-cutting over innovation. We must show our customers that we can produce excellent products again."
He continued: "Our strategy is going to be to innovate for the future. In the industry I would like to see a general improvement in quality available to consumers, while affordable to our customers. We shall continue to look at opportunities to keep us competitive."
The job losses and changes to shift patterns are only being made at Memory Lane’s Cardiff site, "not company-wide".
A spokeswoman said: "In the current economic climate, the firm believes this is a necessary step to safeguard the long-term employment of as many staff as possible, while ensuring that the company continues to work efficiently in providing high-quality products. Finsbury is committed to full and complete consultation with the affected employees on this matter and will aim to deliver improvements to factory operations, while keeping job losses to a minimum."
In Finsbury’s November trading update it announced that "sales in its larger cake business had declined by 6% in value", slightly ahead of the overall market decline of 4%.
An analyst at stock-broking and advisory house KBC Peel Hunt said that the share price had gone down quite aggressively in the couple of days following the announcement, from around 24-25p to 20p, but had now flattened off.


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HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Since the city approved a new law aimed at regulating short-term vacation rentals, the number of illegal rentals on Oahu has dropped sharply, city officials say.
Kathy Sokugawa, acting director of the Department of Planning and Permitting, said when the city first started notifying owners of unpermitted vacation rentals in July, there were about 5,000 listings online.
Since then, the number has dropped to about 3,000, she said.
“It’s had tremendous impact on our communities, on the operators and their neighbors, a lot of positive effects,” Sokugawa said, at a news conference Tuesday.
The new law is getting some pushback, though.
Last week, the Hawaii Vacation Rental Owners Association sued the city, saying the legislation will make it impossible to advertise vacation rentals even if they are legal.
They said the law also will be devastating for tourism.
The condo owners of the Waikiki Banyan also plan to sue.
During Tuesday’s news conference, Mayor Kirk Caldwell said the suits will not stop the city from enforcing the new law.
“I don’t want anyone out there with an illegal vacation rental to think that because of this lawsuit and lawsuits out there that the City and County is not going to enforce the laws,” he said.
“We are in fact investigating a couple of hundred violations right now."
Paul Mayer, managing partner for Elite Pacific Properties in Kailua, contends the new law will take a huge economic toll on owners of vacation rentals ― and the businesses that rely on them.
“There’s a tremendous amount of concern among thousands of people whether they were doing it legally or illegally. That’s besides the point, there’s going to be a lot of pain for those folks," said Mayer, whose firm manages dozens of legal vacation rentals.
“There’s a whole ecosystem of service providers all around the vacation rental industry ― the cleaners, the landscapers, the pool guys ― all of that money goes away.”


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After over 50 years in business, Borah’s Awards, located in San Luis Obispo, California, will close its doors. Its last day in business will be Friday, October 12th. The owners state that they recently experienced a death in the family and will be relocating to Northern California.
First opened in 1965, the shop has been owned and operated by four different local families, according to Devon Brownell, office manager. Devon's father, Randy Brownell, currently owns the business. It got its name from the original owners, the Borah family. The business has also seen several locations over the years, Devon adds. “I believe its original location was 1404 Broad Street, and we have moved twice since then. 3001 Broad Street is our current location.”
While Friday, October 5th was the last day to place order, Devon Brownell assures customers that there are still options to get their awards needs met: “There is still one awards shop left in San Luis Obispo and their name is Trophy Hunters. They offer many of the same services we offer, and they are also a locally owned and operated business.”
“It’s been pretty amazing to work with so many locals, some who have been coming here for over 30 years,” Devon reflects. “The thing I will miss the most about Borah’s Awards is making fun and creative gifts for our customers with our engraving specialist, Nic (aka Doc), who has created hundreds of unique and creative designs for our customers’ awards, gifts, and keepsakes.”


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Those at the Daily News often take Christmas holiday off, those, that celebrate the holiday anyway. In 14 years, Sultan Khan, has never taken Christmas weekend off from his duties as the leader of this organization. This year, perhaps, was a bit different.
For the first time, Sultan Khan, hung up his crown for a weekend to spend time with his loved ones and family for Christmas. The occasion marked the first time Sultan Khan has ever stopped working.
The sudden move with no formal announcement nearly sent our customers and social media into a frenzy.
Returning briefly to check e-mails, we discovered some of these.
"I'm mad at your boss". one e-mailer wrote.
"What right does he have to take time off like that without telling the world. This is a man that the serves the ...


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The report stated that the APK file, which essentially contains the program code for an Android app, of the Google app beta version 15.6 has a line of code that contains an error message stating, “Gemini mobile app is working on expanding availability to make it accessible on your headphones”.
READ: Google’s Gemini AI app to land on phones in a bid to increase accessibility
Last week, Google announced that it is renaming its AI chatbot Bard to Gemini. Additionally, Google also launched a dedicated app for Gemini AI on Android devices. For iOS users, Gemini is accessible through the Google app.
The Android app, however, allows users to launch the Gemini AI similar to Google Assistant – by pressing the power button or saying the wake word “Hey Google”. Google Assistant voice features are also available through the Gemini app — including setting timers, making calls and controlling your smart home devices. Gemini Android app is available in the US and has started rolling out gradually to other regions.
First Published: Feb 13 2024 | 1:42 PM IST


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Laker Store now open
Monday, April 13 marked opening day for the new Grand Valley State University bookstore, now called the Laker Store, in the Marketplace. Located inside the Science Laboratory building in Allendale, the store encompasses 15,000 square feet and offers two floors of supplies and apparel for students, faculty, staff and community members to take advantage of.
Jerrod Nickels, bookstore manager, said the planning for the Laker Store began three years ago. He and others saw this change as a necessity because of the ever-growing campus population.
“The bookstore space in Kirkhof was designed in 1973 when Grand Valley had 5,000 students,” Nickels explained. “We had clearly outgrown the space, even though we always tried to use it as effectively as possible.”
Not only is the new space twice as big as the Kirkhof location, but also it is “brighter and more appealing,” Nickels said. He added that the bookstore is more visible and more accessible for visitors, who will often drive right past the new location on their way through campus.
“We hope that the new store gives students a space that will be a pleasure to visit and a source of pride for the campus community,” he said. “I’m especially excited about the windows. It’s great to be able to see the campus from inside the store and wonderful that customers can see us from outdoors. It is our hope that the store will become a destination and a place that students will enjoy shopping.”
GradFest is the first event held in the Marketplace this week. Graduating seniors can stop by the second floor anytime from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday to pick up their cap, gown and commencement tickets.
Although GradFest may not be a permanent event in the Marketplace, Nickels said it gives students the chance to visit the new space before they leave campus. He added that a grand opening event takes place in the fall semester as returning students get ready for another school year.
Auxiliary Services Director Doug Wentworth helped the bookstore team, a local moving company and vendors move the bookstore to its new location. Wentworth agreed with Nickels that the Marketplace was an important project.
“The bookstore, in its previous location, was one of the smallest in the country for a school our size,” Wentworth said. “We are able to design a space that we feel the students and GVSU community can be proud of, which allows us to provide the many services and products needed to help everyone be successful in their educational journey.”
He added that he hopes the Laker Store shows all guests the university’s pride and commitment to providing students with the best possible resources during their time on campus.
The second floor of Kirkhof will have more space for dining options in the absence of the bookstore. Renovations will start this summer and are expected to be completed in the fall.