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Tire and automotive equipment manufacturer Bridgestone Americas announced the issue of a $1.1 billion sustainability-linked credit facility. According to Bridgestone, the issue marks one of the first of its kind in the U.S. tire industry.
Paolo Ferrari, President and CEO of Bridgestone Americas, Inc., said:
“Sustainability is at the center of our company’s mission to realize innovations that improve the way people move, live, work and play. We will continue to take bold steps to fulfill our commitment to our customers and to society as we endeavor to be a world-leading sustainable solutions company.”
Sustainability linked securities are an emerging form of sustainable finance instruments, with attributes including interest payments tied to an issuer’s achievement of specific sustainability targets. In the case of the Bridgestone credit facility, the financing features a sustainability-linked pricing adjustment mechanism that adjusts interest rate based on the company’s ESG rating, as determined by ratings providers Sustainalytics and FTSE Russell, with borrowing costs falling as the ratings improve.
Jose Anes, Vice President and Corporate Treasurer of Bridgestone Americas, said:
“This committed credit facility reinforces our commitment to sustainability by linking the rate structure of the facility to independent assessments of our continued efforts to advance Bridgestone’s sustainability practices.”
Bridgestone stated that it partnered with SMBC, a leading global bank and pioneer in sustainable and positive impact loans, to execute its inaugural syndicated sustainability-linked credit facility. Hiro Hyakutome, CEO and Head of SMBC Americas Division, said:
“SMBC is excited to help our partners at Bridgestone Americas further elevate their position and stake as a sustainability leader in the tire industry through this revolving credit facility. Our deep and well-recognized expertise in green loans and sustainability-linked loans helps our global clients achieve their near- and longer-term ESG objectives. We look forward to continuing to help support Bridgestone’s sustainability initiatives.”


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Good Technology has caved in to competitive pressure to offer transparent pricing for its basic mobile device management suite.
The company, which has previously not published its pricing, has announced its Good for Enterprise Suite is to be "discounted" until the end of the year at $5 per seat, per month.
Good for Enterprise offers containerised email access on a variety of mobile platforms including Android, iOS and Windows Mobile.
The real competitive pressure on all three MDM providers, however, is pending solutions coming on to the market from both Apple and Samsung, both of which intend to provide basic MDM functionality directly from the mobile operating system.
BlackBerry has also announced it will extend its Enterprise Server (BES) platform to support a wider variety of devices aside from BlackBerry handsets, while hypervisor and security vendors are soon to release their own solutions.
Users can expect the discounts to continue - both Citrix and AirWatch have bundled premium options with basic packages or accounced discounts in recent months to counter the threat.
Several CIOs iTnews has interviewed for our ‘True Cost of BYOD’ study said they were holding off making purchasing decisions until a clear winner emerged.
What's your view on MDM? We'd like to know what you're looking for from a solution. Fill out our two-minute survey.

domain: news


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|By PR Newswire||
|March 24, 2014 05:01 PM EDT||
DALLAS, March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
According to a new market research report "Gesture Recognition For Smart TV Market by Software (2D & 3D Image Sensor), Hardware(Image Sensor, IR Proximity Sensor, IR Temperature Sensor, Light Sensors, & Semiconductor ICS), And Geography (Americas, EMEA, & APAC) - Analysis & Forecast to 2013 - 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, the total gesture recognition Smart TV market is expected to reach $479.88 Million by 2018 growing at a CAGR of 131.26% from 2012 to 2018.
Browse more than 32 market data tables with 31 figures spread through 116 pages and in-depth TOC on "Gesture Recognition For Smart TV Market"
Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.
The interactive nature of consumer electronics will drive the demand for contact free interaction which has boosted the gesture recognition market. In the overall Gesture Recognition for Smart TV Market, the consumer application will be the highest revenue generator and will lead the market from the demand side. The Americas lead the market for the rapid adaptability of technology, with the Europeans.
Microsoft's Kinect in 2010 has now given a major push to the concept of gesture recognition in the consumer electronics market. The innovative and superior user experience offered by various technologies has gathered attention from a number of OEMs across many applications. This has resulted in the launch of products ranging from Smart TVs that integrate with gesture recognition technologies.
The report's detailed segmentation by hardware technology, software, and geography covers all the existing and emerging technologies in the gesture recognition Smart TV market. The major technologies that have been extensively covered in the report are 2D camera based and 3D technologiesincluding stereoscopic, structured lighting, and 3D time-of-flight.
One of the objectives of the research study was to analyze the market trends for each of the gesture recognition technologies and their price trend. The growth rates of the various technologies and the gesture recognition enabled consumer electronic devices.
Browse Related Reports
Gesture Recognition & Touch-Less Sensing Market by Technology (2D, 3D, Ultrasonic, IR, Capacitive), Product (Biometric, Sanitary Equipment), Application (Healthcare, Consumer Electronics, Automotive), Geography (Americas, EMEA & APAC) - Global Forecasts and Analysis to 2013 - 2020
Europe Gesture Recognition & Touchless Sensing Market Technology (2D, 3D, Ultrasonic, IR, Capacitive); Product (Biometric, Sanitary); Application (Healthcare, Electronics, Automotive); Region (Germany, U.K., France, Italy, MEA) - (2013 - 2018)
MarketsandMarkets is a global market research and consulting company based in the U.S. We publish strategically analyzed market research reports and serve as a business intelligence partner to Fortune 500 companies across the world.
MarketsandMarkets also provides multi-client reports, company profiles, databases, and custom research services. MarketsandMarkets covers thirteen industry verticals; including advanced materials, automotive and transportation, banking and financial services, biotechnology, chemicals, consumer goods, telecommunications and IT, energy and power, food and beverages, industrial automation, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, semiconductor and electronics, aerospace & defense.
We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.
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"When you think about the data center today, there's constant evolution, The evolution of the data center and the needs of the consumer of technology change, and they change constantly," stated Matt Kalmenson, VP of Sales, Service and Cloud Providers at Veeam Software, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 18th Cloud Expo, held June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY.
Jul. 29, 2016 09:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,484
Internet of @ThingsExpo, taking place November 1-3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA, is co-located with the 19th International Cloud Expo and will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading industry players in the world and ThingsExpo Silicon Valley Call for Papers is now open.
Jul. 29, 2016 08:00 PM EDT Reads: 2,744
We all know the latest numbers: Gartner, Inc. forecasts that 6.4 billion connected things will be in use worldwide in 2016, up 30 percent from last year, and will reach 20.8 billion by 2020. We're rapidly approaching a data production of 40 zettabytes a day – more than we can every physically store, and exabytes and yottabytes are just around the corner. For many that’s a good sign, as data has been proven to equal money – IF it’s ingested, integrated, and analyzed fast enough. Without real-ti...
Jul. 29, 2016 07:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,172
Actian Corporation has announced the latest version of the Actian Vector in Hadoop (VectorH) database, generally available at the end of July. VectorH is based on the same query engine that powers Actian Vector, which recently doubled the TPC-H benchmark record for non-clustered systems at the 3000GB scale factor (see tpc.org/3323). The ability to easily ingest information from different data sources and rapidly develop queries to make better business decisions is becoming increasingly importan...
Jul. 29, 2016 06:15 PM EDT Reads: 952
SYS-CON Events announced today that 910Telecom will exhibit at the 19th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on November 1–3, 2016, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Housed in the classic Denver Gas & Electric Building, 910 15th St., 910Telecom is a carrier-neutral telecom hotel located in the heart of Denver. Adjacent to CenturyLink, AT&T, and Denver Main, 910Telecom offers connectivity to all major carriers, Internet service providers, Internet backbones and ...
Jul. 29, 2016 06:00 PM EDT Reads: 922
Big Data, cloud, analytics, contextual information, wearable tech, sensors, mobility, and WebRTC: together, these advances have created a perfect storm of technologies that are disrupting and transforming classic communications models and ecosystems. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Erik Perotti, Senior Manager of New Ventures on Plantronics’ Innovation team, provided an overview of this technological shift, including associated business and consumer communications impacts, and opportunities it ...
Jul. 29, 2016 05:15 PM EDT Reads: 383
Cloud analytics is dramatically altering business intelligence. Some businesses will capitalize on these promising new technologies and gain key insights that’ll help them gain competitive advantage. And others won’t. Whether you’re a business leader, an IT manager, or an analyst, we want to help you and the people you need to influence with a free copy of “Cloud Analytics for Dummies,” the essential guide to this explosive new space for business intelligence.
Jul. 29, 2016 05:15 PM EDT Reads: 983
You think you know what’s in your data. But do you? Most organizations are now aware of the business intelligence represented by their data. Data science stands to take this to a level you never thought of – literally. The techniques of data science, when used with the capabilities of Big Data technologies, can make connections you had not yet imagined, helping you discover new insights and ask new questions of your data. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Sarbjit Sarkaria, data science team lead ...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,246
ReadyTalk has expanded the capabilities of the FoxDen collaboration platform announced late last year to include FoxDen Connect, an in-room video collaboration experience that launches with a single touch. With FoxDen Connect, users can now not only engage in HD video conferencing between iOS and Android mobile devices or Chrome browsers, but also set up in-person meeting rooms for video interactions. A host’s mobile device automatically recognizes the presence of a meeting room via beacon tech...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 402
WebRTC is bringing significant change to the communications landscape that will bridge the worlds of web and telephony, making the Internet the new standard for communications. Cloud9 took the road less traveled and used WebRTC to create a downloadable enterprise-grade communications platform that is changing the communication dynamic in the financial sector. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Leo Papadopoulos, CTO of Cloud9, discussed the importance of WebRTC and how it enables companies to focus...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,081
Qosmos has announced new milestones in the detection of encrypted traffic and in protocol signature coverage. Qosmos latest software can accurately classify traffic encrypted with SSL/TLS (e.g., Google, Facebook, WhatsApp), P2P traffic (e.g., BitTorrent, MuTorrent, Vuze), and Skype, while preserving the privacy of communication content. These new classification techniques mean that traffic optimization, policy enforcement, and user experience are largely unaffected by encryption. In respect wit...
Jul. 29, 2016 04:15 PM EDT Reads: 443
Manufacturers are embracing the Industrial Internet the same way consumers are leveraging Fitbits – to improve overall health and wellness. Both can provide consistent measurement, visibility, and suggest performance improvements customized to help reach goals. Fitbit users can view real-time data and make adjustments to increase their activity. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Mark Bernardo Professional Services Leader, Americas, at GE Digital, discussed how leveraging the Industrial Internet a...
Jul. 29, 2016 03:15 PM EDT Reads: 667
On Dice.com, the number of job postings asking for skill in Amazon Web Services increased 76 percent between June 2015 and June 2016. Salesforce.com saw its own skill mentions increase 37 percent, while DevOps and Cloud rose 35 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Even as they expand their presence in the cloud, companies are also looking for tech professionals who can manage projects, crunch data, and figure out how to make systems run more autonomously. Mentions of ‘data science’ as a skill ...
Jul. 29, 2016 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 464
In his session at Cloud Expo, Robert Cohen, an economist and senior fellow at the Economic Strategy Institute, will provide economic scenarios that describe how the rapid adoption of software-defined everything including cloud services, SDDC and open networking will change GDP, industry growth, productivity and jobs. This session will also include a drill down for several industries such as finance, social media, cloud service providers and pharmaceuticals.
Jul. 29, 2016 02:15 PM EDT Reads: 390
IoT generates lots of temporal data. But how do you unlock its value? You need to discover patterns that are repeatable in vast quantities of data, understand their meaning, and implement scalable monitoring across multiple data streams in order to monetize the discoveries and insights. Motif discovery and deep learning platforms are emerging to visualize sensor data, to search for patterns and to build application that can monitor real time streams efficiently. In his session at @ThingsExpo, ...
Jul. 29, 2016 02:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,207


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Everyone across the UK has been affected by the staff shortages after the global pandemic. Now, competition for hires has brought on major pay increases, the most since the 1990s. The REC Chief Executive is urging the government in the UK to encourage business investment, avoid anything blocking international trade, improve skills training, and relax post-Brexit UK immigration laws. He said the entire country has seen either empty gas stations or less goods on the grocery store shelves.
If you are looking for a job opportunity, now is the time to consider moving where the position is located. Companies are willing to pay more for talent and there are plenty of jobs available. Contact Jobs Across the World and be matched with a position that matches your skillset. As jobs become available that match your skillset, you will be notified. You have the option whether to follow up on the job or not.
A recent survey was just released and is being studied by the Bank of England to consider how perpetual the latest increase in inflation may last. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation said industries across the sectors are still in need of workers, but a shortage in hires has skyrocketed, which in turn challenges companies to pay more for permanent and temporary staff.
There are many opportunities around the world for good paying jobs. Jobs Across the World matches your resume with open jobs in some of the world’s top destinations for expat workers and will keep you updated on new job postings.


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The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Janet Woodcock, was pushed by the administration to ban all the flavored vapes across the US, as the fruity flavors in such vapes are alluring to children and teenagers.
FDA Chief Manages To Maintain Silence On Plans Of Banning Flavored Vapes In The US
However, Woodcock has not made any clarifications whether the FDA plans to put a complete ban of restricting the sale of flavored e-cigarettes towards the end of this year.
The e-cigarette manufacturer companies need permission from the FDA to sell their product in the market.
The FDA has time till the 9th of September to decide if the manufacturers will get the permission.
Tobacco use among the youth:
According to the data of the FDA, more than 80% of teenagers and children who smoke e-cigarette opt for flavored varieties. Hence the FDA has been pushed for since long to ban flavored vapes.
Woodcock implies that although the future is hard to predict, the limiting of the sales and advertisement of the products are very much likely.
Significance of e-cigarette among young adults:
The advocacy groups like the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and certain other medical groups have long been pressing for a complete ban on vapes, but the manufactures of these products state that these products are safer compared to the conventional cigarette and quite appealing among young smokers.
However as Woodcock implies that the future cannot be predicted, some experts are not willing to accept it and are of the opinion that it is just a commitment that can save millions of American youth from becoming addicted to vaping.
The stance of the administration:
As stated by House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the e-cigarette manufacturing companies have shown no concerns for the health and wellbeing of young people across the US.
Maloney has termed their action as appalling while making a clear point that the federal governments across the US are no longer going to allow to encourage this industry to promote addiction among the younger generation for its hazardous products.
Maloney urges the FDA to implement steps like putting a ban on the sake of the flavored products that are still available in the market, limiting the nicotine levels in the e-cigarettes, and withdrawing the illegal products from the market, like the products sold in puff bars.
However, despite such uproar from the federal officials, the FDA spokesperson, Woodcock has not made any comments on banning the sale of menthol-flavored cigarettes, given the popular belief that the menthol flavoring further accentuates the action of the nicotine.
Why is flavoring more harmful when combined with nicotine:
Menthol has certain pharmacologic properties that enhance the effect of nicotine addiction and makes it difficult for the individual to quit smoking or vaping.
FDA had issued a press release in March after banning the menthol-flavored combustible cigarette stating that the menthol flavoring evidently increases the appeal of the tobacco products and encourages regular smoking, especially among young adults.
Moreover, such new products make it difficult to treat nicotine addiction, doctors and healthcare providers might not be knowing how to deal with nicotine addiction arising out of vaping or smoking flavored products.
Woodcock implies that the work has to be carried on to help the children and teenagers to remove their nicotine addiction, however, it will not be easy as not much is known about how to help individuals who are addicted to nicotine but not to a cigarette.
The risk lies in the fact that that now there is a sizable population of young kids addicted to nicotine, and there is evidence that shows that prolonged exposure to various addictive products at an early age can impact the brain in such a way that it becomes more difficult to quit to them at a later stage.
With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.


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On Mar 13, 2014, we issued an updated research report on Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) after its mixed performance in the third quarter.
Although the company’s revenues declined year over year, better cost management though business realignment strategy had resulted in a year-over-year increase in its bottom line.
Fiscal year-to-date, the company has reduced cost by approximately $415 million and management now expects the savings to be at the higher end of the guided range of $500–$550 million for the full year.
Moreover, the company is reinvesting these savings in strategic areas to propel growth. Year-to-date, Computer Sciences had $195 million and plans to reinvest approximately $300 to $325 million. Given the fact that revenue growth initiatives may take some time to gain momentum, these cost-cutting actions will go a long way toward earnings per share growth.
It is noteworthy that the company is focusing on cyber business, cloud computing market and Big Data business. Computer Sciences’ cyber business gets its primary contribution from the federal government and, to an extent, the commercial sector.
Moreover, the company’s continuous share buybacks and dividend payments are expected to support earnings and instill investors’ confidence.
However, the market is becoming competitive with companies like CACI International Inc. and Accenture making their presence felt. Delay in the government’s order renewal process and constricted federal spending are the near-term headwinds for the company.
Despite sales team reorganization, the revenues remain subdued. Full effect of the sales team restructuring could take more time than expected which is a near-term concern.
Currently, Computer Sciences sports a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).


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Nissan Leaf all-electric taxis start pilot program in NYC [w/video]Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST
When New York City picked the Nissan NV200 as its Taxi of Tomorrow, many were surprised that the vehicle wasn't electric, or even a hybrid for that matter. With NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg on hand, Nissan celebrated Earth Day on Monday by unveiling a pilot program of electric taxis for the city consisting of six 2013 Nissan Leaf EVs, which the mayor referred to as the "taxi of the day after tomorrow."
This pilot program is aimed to show how EVs can operate as taxi cabs, and Mayor Bloomberg said that New York City hopes to have a third of its taxi fleet electrified by 2020. In addition to the six cars, Nissan has also provided three quick chargers around Manhattan, allowing the Leafs to get an 80-percent recharge in just 30 minutes.
According to David Yassky, commissioner of the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, "What we have to do now is figure out how you integrate the charging of an electric vehicle into the duty of a taxi cab."
Scroll down for a press release about the pilot program as well as a video interviewing Mayor Bloomberg, Yassky and even one of the pilot drivers.
Nissan, New York City Launch LEAF Electric Vehicle Taxi Pilot
New York – To celebrate Earth Day, Nissan and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg today launched a new electric vehicle taxi pilot with the world's best-selling electric car, Nissan LEAF. This pilot program, which puts six LEAF taxis into service beginning this spring, will help Nissan, the city, the taxi industry and the public understand how zero emission vehicles can be integrated into future taxi fleets.
Joe Castelli, vice president, Nissan Commercial Vehicles said: "As part of our commitment to zero emission vehicles for the mass-market, Nissan is looking for ways to broaden the use of electric cars, including commercial applications like taxis. Following the selection of Nissan NV200 as New York City's Taxi of Tomorrow, our relationship with the city provides us the ultimate proving ground to conduct this LEAF taxi pilot to help optimize the use of electric vehicle technology for future applications."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: "Even though the Taxi of Tomorrow won't be on the road for another six months, we're already looking ahead to the taxi of the day after tomorrow. Nissan's proven track record with electric vehicles will put us ahead of the curve in helping us answer important questions about incorporating electric taxis into the fleet so that we can achieve the goal of a one-third electric taxi fleet by 2020."
As part of the pilot, Nissan and partners in New York City will also install several CHAdeMO-based DC quick chargers, which will enable drivers to re-charge their electric taxis quickly during their shift. With quick charging, Nissan LEAF can be recharged to about 80 percent in under 30 minutes.
About the 2013 Nissan LEAF
Now in its third model year, Nissan LEAF is the world's best-selling pure electric vehicle with nearly 60,000 cumulative sales worldwide. For 2013, LEAF features numerous customer-focused upgrades and is now being assembled at Nissan's plant in Smryna, Tenn. LEAF is powered by a responsive 80kW AC synchronous motor produced at Nissan's Powertrain Assembly plant in Decherd, Tenn., with energy supplied by an advanced 48-module lithium-ion battery assembled at Nissan's new battery plant in Smyrna.
About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2012 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.9 million vehicles in 2012, generating revenue of 9.4 trillion yen ($US 118.95 billion) in fiscal 2011. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of 64 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero-emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades, including the prestigious 2011-2012 Car of the Year Japan and 2011 World Car of the Year awards. For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.
By Jeffrey N. Ross
See also: Syrena Sport returns as rebodied Nissan 370Z, Dongfeng-Nissan surprises with Viwa Concept EV for Venucia, Nissan Friend-Me Concept is cooler than its name.


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A new Aite Group LLC report explores industry best practices for driving increased end-user adoption of remote deposit capture (RDC) technology. The report provides RDC vendors with insight into the factors that drive community banks to deploy RDC. It also offers recommendations to banks and technology vendors for improving customer success with remote deposit solutions.
Despite low overall adoption, Aite said RDC is a "must-have" technology for financial institutions wishing to remain competitive in today's marketplace. In a survey of more than 700 community banks with less than $3 billion in assets, 36 percent of respondents indicated deployment of RDC solutions was a "high priority."
"Banks taking a strategic approach to remote deposit by assigning staff specifically to this product and emphasizing end-user education have not only seen higher adoption levels, but have also enjoyed deposit growth, new customer acquisitions and an expanded geographic footprint," said Christine Barry, Aite's Research Director and the report's author. "As more banks implement RDC and adoption spreads, technology providers should see a huge upswing in business."
The latest Credit Card Index results from Fitch Ratings Ltd. indicated U.S. consumers fell past due and defaulted on their credit cards at record rates in April 2009.
Fitch's Prime Credit Card Chargeoff Index increased 48 basis points to 8.89 percent, the second consecutive record high. Chargebacks have also risen since the beginning of this year and are now 44 percent above 2008 levels.
In May 2009, representatives from scores of Canadian businesses descended on Ottawa for the start of the House of Commons Committee hearings, focused on what they describe as the runaway fees merchants are forced to pay to accept credit cards at the POS.
These hearings mark the first time that credit and debit card issues have been examined by the Canadian Parliament.
"Parliamentary hearings on the abuse of Canadian merchants and consumers by credit card companies represent a historic opportunity for Canada to craft its own financial future," said Diane J. Brisebois, President and Chief Executive Officer, Retail Council of Canada and Chairman of the StopStickingItToUs Coalition.
"American credit card companies say that deregulation is best, but in a financial crisis largely caused by a lack of appropriate oversight, we hope that Canadian lawmakers will see the folly of that approach," she added.
Merchants have asked Parliament to examine the uncontrolled escalation in credit card fees, as well as the imminent destruction of Canada's debit system, as Visa Inc. and MasterCard Worldwide prepare to enter the Canadian market with their own debit products.
Ed Uzialko, who sold U.S. payment processor Lynk Systems Inc. to the Royal Bank of Scotland for $525 million in 2004, was rejected by RBS in his efforts to reacquire the company.
After purchasing Lynk Systems, the bank changed the company's name to RBS Lynk and then again to RBS WorldPay in 2008.
RBS WorldPay, which reportedly developed the world's first "tap and go" contactless card payment service, is now 70 percent owned by the British government and is retrenching its core businesses.
It plans to eliminate or downsize its footprint in 36 of the 54 countries in which it operates. Uzialko said he may retain one of Lynk's original investment banks to renew his acquisition efforts.
In other company news, RBS WorldPay validated its compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS), following its annual PCI DSS assessment. Verizon Business/Cybertrust, a company approved by the PCI Security Standards Council as a Qualified Security Assessor, did the assessment.
In an ABI Research evaluation of worldwide mobile banking vendors, Fidelity National Information Services was ranked first in the Vendor Matrix, an analytical tool developed by ABI to provide a clear understanding of vendors' positions in specific markets. Fiserv Inc. and Sybase Inc. claimed the second and third spots, respectively.
Security and fraud solutions company Acculynk reported that its PaySecure payment method for Internet PIN debit is available at e-commerce solutions provider 2Checkout.com. According to Acculynk, it is the first software-only service in the United States that enables consumers to pay for online purchases via PIN debit. Consumers only need their existing debit cards and PINs to use PaySecure and can run transactions as PIN or signature debit payments.
The U.K. and Ireland divisions of Borders Inc. selected YESpay's Emboss payment processing service to provide level 1 PCI DSS-compliant and Europay International, MasterCard and Visa.-compliant solutions to Borders' 41 stores. The YESpay Emboss logs all transactions in real time during online authorization and, with overnight settlement, eliminates a merchant's need to store cardholder data.
Technology solutions company ePayware Inc. introduced its EZPay ISO Portal for all Elavon Inc. ISOs and sub-ISOs. EZPay enables ISOs to take their monthly residual files and upload them using a simple Web interface. Offered as a software-as-a-service solution, it instantly calculates residuals, displays them on the Web for all merchant level salespeople and ISOs, and eliminates monthly manual residual calculation.
E-commerce solutions provider GSI Commerce Inc. signed a multiyear extension with Bath and Body Works, a division of Limited Brands. GSI will continue providing the online store's e-commerce technology and fulfillment services.
Following the completion of its annual PCI DSS assessment, Heartland Payment Systems Inc. successfully validated its compliance with the PCI DSS and was returned to Visa Inc.'s List of PCI DSS Validated Service Providers on May 4, 2009.
International payment and foreign exchange services organization Ruesch International Inc., acquired by Travelex Currency Services Inc. in 2007, is now Travelex Global Business Payments Inc.
The acquisition - and subsequent reorganization - consolidated global operations to develop payment platforms to meet the needs of small and large businesses worldwide.
In May 2009, the Smart Card Alliance revealed the winners of its 2009 Outstanding Smart Card Achievement (OSCA) Awards from the Alliance Annual Conference in New Orleans.
The winners were:
Southwest Corporate Federal Credit Union deployed Endpoint Exchange LLC's implementation service for check image exchange. This will enable the credit union to send and receive electronic packages of individual check images, known as commingled image cash letters, directly through Endpoint Exchange.
Information technology (IT) solutions provider Targusinfo said fraud and risk management firm Kount Inc. will offer Targusinfo's On-Demand Insight Verification, which will enhance Kount's fraud detection technology. The Targusinfo technology is designed to increase the security of customer data, rate the risk of a particular order and increase order approval rates during the manual review process.
Processor TSYS Acquiring Solutions Class B certified RDM Corp.'s Synergy II All-In-One payment terminal. Synergy II is now certified to process Visa, MasterCard and Discover Financial Services transactions on the TSYS network.
Management and security software provider American Technology Corp. and IT governance firm Coalfire Systems Inc. joined forces to help small and mid-size convenience stores achieve PCI DSS compliance despite budget and staff limitations. ATC's OmegaScan, a hosted service for PCI compliance, now includes Coalfire's automated scanning and Self Assessment Questionnaire services engineered to help merchants stay current with PCI requirements.
Payment solutions company Delego Software Inc. and IT consultancy Seven Principles, both long-time payment solutions partners with German-based business software developer SAP AG, teamed up to deliver a payment solution for companies running SAP software.
Delego's and Seven Principles' payment solution is designated to enhance reporting and simplify configuration management in SAP credit card transaction applications.
E-commerce solutions company Digital River Inc. partnered with several software publishing companies from Europe and North America and will offer these organizations its Element 5 Global e-commerce services to manage their online businesses. Some of the new clients include Proxma AG, a European software distributor, RocketStream Inc., an Internet Protocol network digital content delivery solutions firm, and TrustPort Inc., a security solutions provider.
Payment processor First American Payment Systems LP signed Texas National Bank as a referral partner. Under this agreement, Texas National will actively promote First American as a preferred payment provider to its clients.
Integrated Bank Technology joined Palo Alto, Calif.,-based payment network provider Bling Nation Ltd. to help the company deliver its Community Payments Service platform to local and regional banks.
Alternative payment processor MyECheck Inc. signed Ascent Processing Inc. as an authorized agent to integrate MyECheck's Check 21 processing software into its property management and rental industries payment platforms.
"RCC's [remotely created checks] have been used for decades by mortgage, insurance and credit card companies to collect recurring payments from their customers," said Ed Starrs, CEO of MyECheck.
"Our solution allows these new verticals to fully automate check payment, eliminate paper and speed collection by at least two days."
Opex Corp., a mailroom automation and document imaging firm, added image-based payment processing provider RP Solutions Inc. as a reseller of its AS and DS series scanners. "We have a long history working with Opex equipment at a majority of our customers' sites and are excited to add Opex products to our offerings," said David Johnson, President, RP Solutions.
Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase Inc., partnered with business development firm Swisscontact (the Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation) to offer Sybase's Mobile Money Transfer and Mobile Money for the Unbanked in emerging markets around the world. "The Sybase 365 and Swiss- contact partnership will help deliver innovative e-commerce solutions for millions of mobile users," said Matthew Talbot, Vice President, E-Commerce, Sybase 365.
Doin' it right
Payment product and services provider Apriva Inc. and mobile and wireless computing solutions company Psion Teklogix Inc. formed an alliance that might appear serendipitous to outside observers. But for executives from both companies, the partnership was more destiny than chance - and an opportunity to expand each other's vertical market reach and geographic footprint.
"Our founder, Paul Coppinger, and Bill Clark, the head of our POS division, are famous for running around to various tradeshows," said Bill Ramsey, Vice President of Business Development for Apriva. "They love being in the trenches, walking the floor. They came across Psion at the National Retail Federation show.
"Nothing happened for many months, but when I took over the payment engine product and was looking for different channels and partners, Psion was on our list - and Bill [Clark] remembered those folks and gave me the contact. So we started discussions, and it just went from there."
Payment platform accessibility
Psion Teklogix integrated Apriva's Secure POS for Windows Mobile and Payment Engine with its Ik“n rugged personal digital assistant (PDA). This new offering gives field service representatives the ability to accept all payment application types on the Ikôn PDA. Gregg Anderson, Wireless Carrier Alliance Manager for Psion Teklogix, said its PDA offers multifunctionality in one device.
"We can offer bar code readers, GPS [global positioning system] units, voice communications, data capture, e-mail, SMS [short message service] and text messages," Anderson said. "And now that Psion has added Apriva's POS payment solutions, we can provide technology that previously we simply were not able to do. The benefit from our partnership with Apriva is that they understand the payment world far better than us."
The Ikôn accepts check, debit and credit card, electronic benefits transfer and gift and loyalty payment transactions. Ramsey noted that the value-added reseller channels Psion typically deals with are interested in incorporating electronic payment options for their field agents and merchants. Some companies have even considered becoming ISOs because of this offering, he added.
ISO channel reliability
"This is an opportunity to bring on either new ISOs or to expand our partnership channel," Ramsey said. "I believe there is tremendous potential to bring a lot of new business to the traditional payment processing arena, as well as partner with companies that are not running payments today."
Apriva offers its products and services strictly through its ISO reseller channel. "We rely on our ISOs to bring new merchants into the fold and new payment opportunities, not this zero-sum game of shuffling merchants from one ISO to another," Ramsey said. "For us and our ISO partners, our alliance with Psion gives us tremendous leverage and opens new areas for payments." Psion is based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and has operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and the Asia Pacific. Future joint development efforts include integration of a Bluetooth combination PIN pad, mag stripe and chip card reader for additional Psion Teklogix devices.
A natural compatibility
"It's a good marriage in that we bring our specific expertise together into one solution," Anderson said. "We're eliminating receivables errors, speeding up transaction settlement time and improving utilization of our resources. Our partner community is smaller than most of our competitors, but quite loyal, and I do feel that we made the right choice with Apriva."
Ramsey echoed that sentiment and said the partnership is a good cultural fit that will ultimately create significant return on investment. "We are excited about this relationship because we think that Psion, even though it is a $400 million company, acts more like a start-up than anyone else," he said.
"They have agility and a hunger to satisfy customers; they look at things from an end-user standpoint.
"When companies get big, they sometimes forget about that. We've always been big believers in mulitfunction mobile computing devices since we started 10 years ago, so in a way this is a return to our roots. And like us, Psion does what is right for the customer, and I think that's why we get along so well," Ramsey added. For more information, visit http://www.apriva.com/about.aspx.
Trustwave and INetU Managed Hosting partnered to deliver a security program in a managed hosting environment for merchants seeking compliance with the PCI DSS, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and other standards.
The intent of combining INetU's managed hosting services and Trustwave's managed security solutions is to put merchants in an excellent position to validate compliance with the PCI DSS and other regulatory standards.
Payment solutions company BankServ acquired the assets of mobile payment processing solutions firm Commerciant. The acquisition enables BankServ to process and manage all forms of electronic payment anywhere a merchant does business - from the office, via the Internet or in the field.
Payment processor Pipeline Data Inc. completed its acquisition of payment solutions company PayPassage Inc.
The merger, according to Pipeline Data's CEO Randy McCoy, will "enable the company to effectively expand its sales capabilities through the creation of strategic relationships with high-quality ISOs and continue to deploy its capital to increase market share during these tumultuous economic times."
The Western Union Co. signed an agreement to acquire Canada-based international business-to-business payment solutions company Custom House Ltd.
Western Union officials expect the $370 million cash transaction to be finalized in the third quarter 2009, pending regulatory approvals.
Card-not-present payment provider Payvision introduced three new executives. Jeffrey De Petro was named Vice President, Security and Risk; Doug McDougall assumed the role of Vice President of Financial Institution Sales; Donna Neary took over as Director of Business Development. Together, the three bring over 30 years of payment experience to Payvision.
Jeffrey A. Fisher joined electronic payment services provider Solveras Payment Solutions as the company's Chief Information Officer. Fisher, who has more than 20 years' experience in financial services, will guide the company's technology development, delivery and implementation.
Additionally, he will be responsible for the company's existing IT infrastructure and all mission critical systems operated by Solveras.
Merchant Data Systems Inc. appointed Drew Freeman as President and Partner of its Miami Beach credit card processing ISO. Freeman's career spans 25 years in the payments industry; he will be responsible for expanding the company's ISO partner portfolio.
BlueStar Inc. a distributor of automatic identification, POS, mobility, and radio frequency identification products, promoted Ryan Girvin to Vice President and Corporate Controller. Girvin will supervise the worldwide financial reporting activities of the company, including accountability for the development of financial strategies to support the company's organizational goals in the Americas and Europe.
Card-not-present transaction services provider Verifi Inc. appointed Jennifer Schulz as its new CEO. Schulz succeeds founder Matthew Katz, who will remain with Verifi as the company's Chairman.
E-payment processor Encore Payment Systems appointed Bobby Lousier as its new Director of Sales. Lousier now oversees sales development for Encore, as well as for its related companies Prodigy Payment Systems and Monument Payment Systems.
His responsibilities also include outside sales representative recruiting and training.
The Green Sheet Inc. is now a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals. Click here for more information.
Notice to readers: These are archived articles. Contact names or information may be out of date. We regret any inconvenience.Prev Next


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71% of data breaches occurred in small businesses with fewer than 100 employees
SOURCE: 2015 Verizon Data Breach Report
Every day the media reports new cybersecurity attacks on large, well-known companies. What is not reported are the growing number of small businesses that are being targeted. It’s a common misconception that hackers primarily target organizations and business. The reality is the risky behavior of individuals, whether intentional or not, is what often leads to security breaches.


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Employers who allow freedom of web use are not educating their staff about online risks.
ISACA has carried out three simultaneous surveys (two in the US and one in the UK) to look at the latest trends in online shopping and workplace internet safety. It has revealed that companies are allowing employees to shop online but do not educate users about risk, exposing them to spam, malware, phishing and loss of productivity in the workplace.
Only 21 per cent of respondents said their organisation's employees fully understood the risks associated with shopping online from their workplace computers. More than 82 per cent said their organisation either does not have, or they are not aware of, a policy that prohibits employees from shopping online.
Thirty two per cent of organisations that allow online shopping educate employees about the risks. Despite this, over 40 per cent of organisations thought they were going to lose an average of £2,000 or more in productivity per employee from online holiday shopping at work during November and December.
Just over one in 10 organisations had security measures in place to prevent employees from shopping online at work.
In a separate survey of 973 US consumers, ISACA found that 63 per cent of employees plan to shop online from their work computer during November and December, but 26 per cent do not know how to, or do not bother to check, whether a website is secure.
One third of workers were more concerned about the security of their personal computer than their work computer, but for younger workers aged 18-25, this figure rose up to 49 per cent paying less attention to the security of their employer's computer. A quarter of employees either did not check or were not sure how to check if a website was secure before they made a purchase.
Lynn Lawton, international president of ISACA and the IT Governance Institute, said: “Shopping from the workplace looks set to continue, especially with the increased pressures inevitable in a recessionary environment. It is clear that more needs to be done to improve employee awareness of the hidden dangers of shopping online, particularly regarding clicking on links from unsolicited emails or making sure that a website is safe before shopping.
“The challenge for organisations is not only to educate workers about information security, but also to change their behaviour. For example, it is one thing to make someone aware that it is wrong to click on a link from a spam email, but quite another to change their behaviour so that they do not click on these suspicious links.”


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As he was wrapping up his Macworld 2007 keynote--you know, the one with the iPhone--Steve Jobs quoted Wayne Gretzky, comparing his playing philosophy to Apple's: "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." It was a testament to Apple's innovation, its ability to see three steps ahead of its competitors.
The Mac. The iMac. OS X. The iPod. The iPhone. The iPad.
Critics like to point to this track record as proof that Apple is no longer innovating, no longer skating to where the puck is headed. There's a certain perverse logic this line of thinking: if tens of millions of people will rush out to buy a new iPhone just because it has a better camera or a fingerprint sensor, then Apple could conceivably rest on its laurels, failing to realizing the tide is turning before it's too late.
Following a rousing kickoff by CEO Tim Cook, Apple software boss Craig Federighi took the stage in San Francisco to reintroduce the latest version of Mac OS X, which Cupertino will begin shipping today.
Apple kicked off its October 22 media event with a artsy video that served to set the tone for the event, revealing its design values. The video was previously shown at June's developer conference, and in some ways it seemed like a swipe at critics who claim that Apple's taking too long to innovate in some fields. Apple CEO Tim Cook also included some words about the recent launches of the iPhone 5s and 5c and iTunes Radio, as well as some words about the App Store.


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Aleksandrovskiy Bank completed a project to connect to the partner network of ATMs Alfa-Bank. “As a result of connecting to a partner network of ATMs Alfa-Bank the clients of Bank “Aleksandrovsky” became available for free cash withdrawals of more than 2.5 thousand ATMs across Russia”, — said in a release “the Alexander”.
In addition, the Bank completed a project to migrate card processing center “Cardstandard” (group of companies “CFT”), the project was implemented under the sponsorship of the rnko “Payment Center”.
In the framework of the migration project implemented by integration of the processing center with Bank ABS, opened direct settlements with payment systems, including the full interchange fee connected online system for fraud monitoring of card transactions, the possibility of issuing cards of the payment system and introduced a service to install and change your PIN over the phone.
At the end of this — early next year the Bank of Russia jointly with the human rights center “Cardstandard” plans to launch new card products with enhanced functionality and a loyalty system, payment technologies Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, realize online interaction between the banking system with processing offer transfers from card to card, to increase the list of service providers for payment at ATMs and to implement other services for customers.
Read more •••


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Socialite and former singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura debuted her new short hairstyle on her social media accounts. The change comes years after Cassie shaved one side of her head — sparking a new trend that was copied by her fans and celebrities alike. According to celebrity blog, The Life Files, Cassie is the new face of Young & Restless fashion brand for their new ad campaign.
Rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs runs Coldwater Canyon in Beverly Hills with his longtime concubine, Cassie, on Friday.
More from Sandrarose.com:


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Every year millions of footy fans hit retailers to purchase the next installment of Electronic Arts’ FIFA franchise. This year, FIFA 10 promises to be one of the best in the business and perhaps maybe the greatest in its sport of all time. With 10-on-10 Be A Pro online play and the new extensive offline Be A Pro mode, football fans around the world will all have something to cheer for. Considering no other sport in the world features fandemonium of this magnitude, it comes as no surprise that rivalries run deep and sometimes blood is the only satisfaction.
One of the keys to being successful on the pitch, however, is defense. Without defense, the opposition is going to put in goal after goal leading to a very annoying battle cry from your opponent. While this may lead to his satisfaction, it may lead to broken controllers for you. Thankfully, EA Sports has sent us this exclusive video for FIFA 10 displaying advanced defensive techniques. This way, you’ll be able to get a leg — or foot — up on your opponent when the game launches next month.
We’ve included the video below. Enjoy and don’t share with your friend — keep the tips to yourself, right?


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NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump embraced new Cabinet officers Wednesday whose backgrounds suggest he's primed to put tough actions behind his campaign rhetoric on immigration and the environment, even as he seemed to soften his yearlong stance on immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
Japan's economy grew at a slower pace than earlier estimated in the July to September quarter, expanding at an annual pace of 1.3 percent. The figure released Thursday downgraded a preliminary estimate ...
By Solarina Ho TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian yoga and leisure apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica Inc on Wednesday reported quarterly profit that beat analysts' forecasts, helped by higher-than-expected gross margins and sales. "The gross margin expansion is a key element in the earnings recovery that we see today and expect going forward." Gross margin, or revenue less the cost of goods sold, rose to 51.1 percent, from 46.9 percent a year ago.


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Park open until Christmas
4:00pm Thursday 30th August 2012 in News
THE Cotswold Farm Park at Guiting Power will be staying open this year until Christmas Eve.
The popular tourist attraction usually closes its gates to visitors at end of October, but due to popular demand will now open until December 24. Manager Kate Henderson said: “Many attractions close once October half-term is over, but thanks to the space in our new barns, we’ll be able to offer a great place to visit in the Cotswolds over winter.
“This is fantastic news for all annual pass holders as they now have nearly two more months of making the most of the farm park’s facilities.”
From November 5 until December 24, the opening hours will be 10.30am-4pm, with 10 per cent off admission prices.


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Supporting Local businesses during COVID 19 Lockdown
With the lockdown weighing heavy on customers and businesses alike, a local retailer has truly stepped up to the plate during the national crisis.
Many restaurants have elected not to open for takeaway service delisted the relaxation of lockdown regulations in Level 4, mainly due to the high price of operating kitchens damning any hopes of making a genuine charge for profits.
To mitigate some of this misery, Beacon Island Kwik Spar in Plettenberg Bay, is offering local stores and restaurants shelf space to help them survive during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“Support the guys who can’t welcome you into their businesses,” Beacon Isle Kwikspar urged its customers.
Kwik Spar is currently stocking a large range of products from local shops, as well as meals prepared by four restaurants who are unable to open during the lockdown. Currently on sale are products from Zanzos, Ouland Royale, Roost, and Clares.
The store said they are not adding any markups to the products, which are being sold at the same price as from their businesses.
“As the sun sets over our store tonight, we are overwhelmed with gratitude. We are open, we are serving our community and our staff are able to earn an income while we are doing what we love,” said the store.
“As business owners, now more than ever, we need to support each other.”


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29 Dec Resuinsa consolidates and strengthens its internationalization strategy in 90 countries
The internationalization strategy of Resuinsa, a leading hotel linen company, has become stronger throughout 2016. The company is now present in 90 countries, in contrast with the 81 countries it was present in at the beginning of the year.
“This has definitely been the year of Resuinsa’s internationalization. Not only have we opened new companies, as the one in Sri Lanka, but we also have signed a collaboration agreement with the 8 Michelin star chef Martín Berasategui who is now our world ambassador” says CEO Mr. Félix Martí.
He also claims that these 9 new contries “represent a step closer to being present in 120 countries by 2019”
According to Resuinsa’s CEO, this situation “can be seen at the several fairs we have taken part in, with the warm welcome by the foreign visitors to the fairs” That explains why people from over 50 different nationalities visited the stand of Resuinsa at the last EquipHotel Paris. Even though most of the people were French because Paris is the host for this event, people from Argelia, Belgium, Guadeloupe, Italy, Russia, Tunisia, Spain, the Arab Emirates, Madagascar, Martinique or San Bartolomé also visited us.
The company’s international impact could also be seen at Hostelco. The stand of the company was visited by people from Andorra, Morocco, the Arab Emirates and Portugal among others. However, 80% of the visitors were Spaniards since this event is aimed at the hotel and restaurant industries in our country.
According to Resuinsa’s CEO, “the data confirm the company’s international projection which, on occasion of our 40th anniversary, has been reinforced in 2016 and has thus become a strategy to be followed in the upcoming year”.
Better tourism rates in Spain
Likewise, Mr. Félix Martí has pointed out the “excellent moment” of tourism in Spain, with a historical record of visitors during this past year. “It is good news for our country and we should make the most of this situation so that the hotel and restaurant industries can experience an improvement on the quality of their services along with a rise in the number of their resources”. Therefore, Resuinsa’s CEO confirmed that Atelier a new service is now on, “a service through which our designers are available for our clients so that they can get customized and exclusive designs in their hospitality linen with the higher standards of quality and elegance”
Mr. Martí also claims that the boost experienced by the tourism area in Spain should come with an improvement in the infrastructures, due to the fact that “new hotels are being built up and they should be equipped with the latest conveniences to help tourists move around comfortably. Otherwise, this optimistic situation could have the opposite effect and turn out to be less appealing to the visitors”


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A burglary to a house under construction. Construction tools and building materials taken.
A traffic stop for speeding resulted in an arrest for other agency misdemeanor warrant(s).
A possible in-progress car prowl, resulted in the arrest of a felony warrant suspect who was arrested and booked in to jail.
Victim reported an internet scam that defrauded him out of personal info, and suspect(s) were able to access his banking account.
A window in a local business was broken by unknown person/cause.
Officers assisted unincorporated Deputies with a domestic violence call.
Unknown male adult stole skateboard from retail store.
Adult male arrested for shoplifting clothing and other items from local retail store.
Reporting person wished to report car stolen. Officers determined that report was a civil issue between seller/buyer.
Apparent natural death of elderly man.
Adult male attempted to commit suicide by overdosing on OTC medication.
Victim’s wallet stolen from her purse while dining at local restaurant.
Two adult males contacted for behaving strangely in area of recent burglaries.


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According to the Fiscal Policy Office (FPO), a unit under Thailand’s Finance Ministry, the 2022 economic growth outlook has risen to 3.4%, owing to the “Thailand Pass” registration scheme being lifted, increasing the number of foreign tourists in Thailand for the first nine months of 2022 to about 5.7 million. The growth is also partly due to the recovery in private consumption.
Exports this year also continued their growth and are expected to rise 8.1%, thanks to the higher requirement for food products and the improvement of the shortage of production parts in the electronics industry.
In 2023, the FPO predicts higher economic growth of 3.8%. Foreign tourists are projected at 21.5 million, especially those from Asia, Europe, and the United States. (PRD)


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There is the customary common sense and wisdom in these comments from Neil Woodford, Invesco Perpetual’s star fund manager, yesterday.
On the outlook for the UK
“I think the outlook for the UK and indeed the entire world economy deteriorated in the final months of 2008. There is significant further downside in the three interconnected factors of consumer spending, the housing market and economic growth. Taking house prices first, we have already seen a drop in average UK house prices of 20% from the peak level in August 2007. But house prices are still high in relation to average earnings, especially for first time buyers. In the early 1990s, the house/price earnings ratio fell very markedly, from almost five to just over three. Even if the fall is not as marked in the current phase of adjustment, it is quite possible that we will see another15%-20% drop in house prices nationally”.
“The rise in house prices in the early part of this decade was fuelled by, and also facilitated, an increase in consumer borrowing. It too has risen to very high levels relative to earnings. Household balance sheets now need to be rebuilt, notably by reducing debt levels. But this is, by its very nature, likely to be a slow process. Lower house prices have already meant that home equity withdrawal (the process whereby households borrow against the equity in their homes), a previously strong support for consumer spending, has evaporated. As consumer spending is such a large component of UK GDP (60% in 2008) weaker consumer spending will inevitably impact GDP growth. The latest Treasury forecast of a 1% fall in UK GDP in 2009 looks far too optimistic. Furthermore, the recovery from that is unlikely to be a sharp, ‘V’ shaped one. With consumers and banks deleveraging and with the prospect of a very large government fiscal deficit, the recovery after 2009 is likely to be pretty anaemic”.
On the prospects for equities
“With the sharp falls in the UK and global stockmarket in late 2008, the UK market seems to be discounting an outlook which is at least as bad as that which I foresee. Overall UK equity market indices are now lower than ten years ago and I think there are good grounds for thinking the overall market has bottomed. But, as always, it is important to look at individual stocks and sectors and at that level there is some very good value indeed. The best value lies in companies that will be able to get through this difficult period for the economy with rising earnings, cashflow and dividends, and where this prospect is not appropriately valued by the market. I would highlight sectors such as pharmaceuticals, utilities and tobacco”.
I have nothing to add, as Charlies Munger likes to say.


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According to recent update to the official Netflix Help Center webpage, Airplay is no longer supported for use with Netflix due to “technical limitations.” AirPlay lets you share videos, photos, music, and more from Apple devices to your Apple TV, favorite speakers, and soon, popular smart TVs.
I find this a bit strange and questionable. My suspicious mind thinks that it a bit of retaliation for Apple’s plans to launch its own video streaming service, Apple TV+, this fall. But perhaps I’m just a conspiracy nut; we’ll see if Netflix gets those technical difficulties worked out soon.
Update: my theory may be wrong. Netflix issued this statement to MacRumors: "We want to make sure our members have a great Netflix experience on any device they use. With AirPlay support rolling out to third-party devices, there isn't a way for us to distinguish between devices (what is an Apple TV vs. what isn't) or certify these experiences. Therefore, we have decided to discontinue Netflix AirPlay support to ensure our standard of quality for viewing is being met. Members can continue to access Netflix on the built-in app across Apple TV and other devices."


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Remmington has additionally since acquired a DM from the model on Instagram, explaining that alongside the video, Uniqlo had meant to privately message Remmington and provide him a alternative umbrella and an apology present. The person who messaged Remmington expressed familiarity together with his TikTok content material—it seems they knew he usually joked about himself and so they had been merely trying to hitch in. Remmington was proud of the apology and says he bears no sick will towards the model.
All’s effectively that ends effectively, however will fake pas like this develop into more and more widespread as corporations attempt to navigate TikTok? Language app Duolingo has 5 million followers on the video platform who love “unhinged” content material that includes its owl mascot, however in Might one of many model’s social media managers issued an apology after joking about Amber Heard’s home abuse testimony on the app.
In September—after an unpopular redesign left its customers aggravated—Duolingo responded sarcastically to a buyer saying they had been leaving the app with a preferred TikTok sound: “Oh no, it’s Melanie. That’s a disgrace. She’s very nice.” The video’s caption reads, “Y’all really need me to cry once you say you’re leaving” and consists of the hashtags #boybye and #leavemealone. A remark beneath the video says, “Glad you care about your prospects …” The remark has virtually 500 likes.
For Duolingo, the mixup appears to be that the corporate would not see TikTok as a spot to deal with buyer points. “Our assist group usually replies instantly to assist prospects resolve points on Twitter,” says Katherine Chan, the corporate’s head of social media and influencer technique, however would not use TikTok in the identical means. As for that #leavemealone response, Chan provides, “we had been responding to at least one learner who insists on calling us a hen, when in reality, Duo is clearly and owl.”
On Twitter, Instagram, and Fb, manufacturers can open their DMs to everybody, however on TikTok they will’t. TikTok’s safeguarding guidelines imply that customers can’t message accounts that don’t comply with them, so the app will not be the pure residence of customer support. Maybe it’s comprehensible that corporations due to this fact primarily use TikTok to joke round, however this could trigger issues once they’re confronted with official buyer complaints.
Sphurti Sewak is a advertising and marketing and logistics instructing assistant at Florida Worldwide College who has researched the best way manufacturers use memes on social media. She says that corporations first adopted sassy personas on Twitter—Wendy’s, for instance, has been “roasting” its rivals on the app since 2017. Sewak believes Ryanair doesn’t deserve credit score for adopting a daring social media technique, arguing “they most likely adopted Wendy’s and simply took it a step additional.” However now that Ryanair has seen a lot success, different manufacturers may go a step additional than a step additional, angering their prospects.
“Sassy replies drive a number of shopper engagement, however it could possibly undoubtedly be hit-or-miss,” Sewak says, “Price range airways like Ryanair could possibly get away with being impolite as a result of they’ve the benefit of providing what their rivals usually are not providing.” For different manufacturers, rudeness might be riskier. “Being sassy is one factor, however being constantly impolite is one other. Finally prospects are those retaining you in enterprise,” Sewak says. Her analysis has discovered that some folks discover this sort of social media habits inappropriate and cease giving their enterprise to manufacturers—she herself is certainly one of these folks.
Remmington would have had no complaints if Uniqlo had sassed him publicly and apologized privately, and he’s pleased now that that is the case. Although it’s a fable that model social media accounts are run by interns, finally the folks behind these accounts are simply human beings who can and do make errors. Nonetheless, plainly face-to-face interplay can usually beat account-to-account. Shortly after seeing Uniqlo’s TikTok, Remmington returned the umbrella to the shop the place he purchased it and obtained a full refund.


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Here, we showcase the fizz, pinks and fortified wines praised by industry professionals throughout Wine Australia’s recent 2014 Inspired tasting.
An inebriated Australian fought off a death-rolling crocodile by poking it in the eye – a feat that could have come straight out of a Crocodile Dundee film.
John Casella is shifting his focus to premium wine categories with a view to improving the standing of Casella Family Brands in the US.
Australian researchers have developed a technique for converting winery waste into compounds that could have potential value as biofuels or medicines.
We round up a second batch of Aussie winemakers making a name for themselves down under.
Treasury Wine Estates has announced it has ceased its discussions with the American equity firm that had put forward a takeover bid.
Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates has received formal takeover offers from two private equity firms, according to the Australian Financial Review.
Wolf Blass has revived one of its original wines, Brown Label Shiraz, to celebrate the 80th birthday of the founder and announced that Watson’s Wines will have the initial distribution rights in Hong Kong.
We meet a visionary and dynamic set of winemakers who represent the cutting edge of Australia’s fine wine mission.
An alcohol charity is calling on Australian airlines to ban alcohol following a string of mid-flight incidents.
© 2014 Union Press Ltd | Unit 122, 30 Great Guildford Street, London SE1 0HS, UK | Registered in England and Wales No. 03606414 | Tel: +44 (0)20 7803 2420


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Art students at University of the Pacific will take their skills out for a spin this winter and design an art car.
The artists will design, prep and paint a 1982 BMW 320, following the same road paved by celebrated artists such as Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder and Roy Lichtenstein. Along the way, students will learn about the rich history of the automobile as an art form.
The project is the brainchild of Stockton car collector and former Pacific art student, Dick McClure ’78. He bought and donated the car the students will transform. It was unveiled Homecoming weekend.
“I have been a large fan of the art cars that were created by BMW back in the 1970s and ’80s,” McClure said.
BMW’s art car projects were started in the 1970s by French racecar driver and auctioneer Hervé Poulain, who invited artists to use the automobiles as a canvas. American artist Alexander Calder painted the first art car in 1975, and Poulain raced it in the LeMans endurance races that year. Andy Warhol painted what is perhaps the most famous and certainly the most valuable BMW in 1979.
Last spring McClure shared his love of that car history with Pacific art department chairs Brett DeBoer and Daniel Kasser as well as the university’s art curator, Lisa Cooperman. They said they were looking for projects, and McClure told them about BMW and other famous art cars of the past such as Janis Joplin’s psychedelic Porsche.
“We Googled up some of the BMW stuff, and they were absolutely floored,” McClure said.
They were interested not just in the process but in the idea of a moving piece of art that’s one of a kind.
From there, they decided to create a class called “Shifting Gears” for a select group of students. Those students will turn the donated BMW into an art piece while learning about the history of art cars, from the art deco cars of the 1930s to the low riders of the ’50s and ’60s and how Hispanic culture, for example, created its own genre of art cars.
Becoming part of the project is a competitive process. Students interested in participating submitted three examples of their best work and a personal statement about why the project interests them.
“We’re looking to see how creative you are,” DeBoer told students during an informational meeting on the project Oct. 27.
Prajakja Prasana ’18, who is double majoring in graphic design and studio art, said she doesn’t know much about cars but is interested in working as part of a team on a big piece.
“I’m pretty excited to work with other students for something that’s not a class project,” she said.
McClure said he has no preconceived notions about how the car should look.
“It will be their own blank canvas and they can create whatever they so choose,” he said.
In January, students will begin working on designs and priming the car so it can be painted. From Feb. 19 to March 7, they will paint the car while it is on display in the Reynolds Art Gallery. During the project, drawings and plans will also be posted in the gallery.
“The process is essential here,” said DeBoer.
The car will be unveiled during a reception March 8. After that, McClure plans to show it at car shows in Northern California, auction it and donate the proceeds to Pacific’s art department, which he is happy to do because of his long attachment to the school.
“What I loved about this school is that were no barriers or boundaries,” he said. “I was a communication arts major but I loved art. I got into the art department and I was welcomed with open arms.”
Learn more about Pacific’s Department of Art and Graphic Design.


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Police from Gostyń (Greater Poland Voivodeship) detained a 23-year-old suspected of selling clothes online, charging customers but not sending them goods. The woman deceived more than 50 people in this way. She pleaded guilty and submitted to punishment voluntarily.
According to the findings of the police, a 23-year-old resident of the Gostyń poviat (Greater Poland Voivodeship) had to cheat her clients from December 2019, for almost a year. How did it work? Using one of the social networks, she offered to sell various things. “The woman was selling jackets, dresses, blouses, handbags, vests, a mobile phone or latex gloves, so necessary during the pandemic. After receiving the money, she did not send the goods” – Gostyń police said in a press release.
It worked from several accounts
To avoid responsibility, the 23-year-old kept creating more accounts and profiles. She demanded from several dozen to several hundred zlotys for goods. In total, the woman was to deceive over 50 people from all over the country. The police said that the woman pleaded guilty to the alleged offenses and sentenced her voluntarily. For fraud, she was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment suspended for 2 years, a fine and was placed under the supervision of a probation officer
If you would like us to be interested in a topic related to your region – we are waiting for your signals / materials. Write to email@example.com.
Main photo source: Shutterstock


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Last week saw yet more grueling unemployment news. Since the coronavirus outbreak began ravaging the U.S., there have been 38.6 million unemployment filings, and 27.3 million people are now collecting benefits. Congress drastically expanded unemployment benefits and eligibility with the CARES Act, and it is clear that super-unemployment is the most important system keeping the bulk of downscale Americans from starving. Many are certainly still falling through the cracks, but many millions are able to feed their families only thanks to this program.
This is leading to worries about inflation. Nouriel "Dr. Doom" Roubini, an economist who predicted the 2008 financial crisis, says that we're in for an "inflationary conflagration by mid-decade." At the Financial Times, Martin Wolf suggests that it's not certain, but possible: "I will not forget the almost universally unexpected surge in inflation in the 1970s. This could happen again."
It's just possible they are right — but if so, it will be a good thing. If super-unemployment continues, the masses might have enough money to pole-vault the United States out of the economic sandpit it has been trapped in since 2008.
The coronavirus pandemic is having two contradictory effects on the world economy. First, spending is collapsing as people are buying dramatically less in most categories of consumption. Sales of cars, appliances, flights, hotel rooms, clothes, restaurant meals, and so forth have fallen sharply or all but collapsed. Thus people who are still getting income are saving a lot — indeed, in March the savings rate shot up to the highest level since the early 1980s. Second, the pandemic is playing hell with global supply chains. Manufacturing is fouled up, agriculture is a mess, and international shipping has become difficult. More broadly, globalization is starting to be rolled back thanks to the pandemic and Trump's trade war with China — something that may only accelerate as American elites blearily realize how vulnerable America is without some domestic manufacturing capacity.
So the argument for inflation is that once the virus passes, most Americans will have saved up a substantial amount of money, and will try to catch up on all the missed purchases — only to run headlong into supply bottlenecks. There will not be enough goods and services to go around, and prices will rise as people bid against each other.
Now, as my former colleague Jeff Spross argues, it's important to be clear on the distinction between broad-based inflation and price spikes in certain sectors. The former is caused by spending in general outstripping productive capacity, while the latter is caused by either a particular supply disruption, or a sudden surge of demand for some particular item. These are blurred together in inflation indexes, which measure the price of a representative "basket" of goods and services, but the conceptual difference is clear. If we see the prices of a few particular items shooting up, it's isolated supply issues, but if basically everything is becoming more expensive at once, it's true inflation.
So why would broad inflation be a good thing? From 2008 up to when the pandemic hit, the U.S. economy was stuck in a mild depression. When interest rates are high, the Federal Reserve (or Fed) can stimulate the economy by lowering them — but rates hit zero in 2008, and the economy remained depressed. Congress and President Obama passed the Recovery Act spending package in 2009 to compensate, which indeed stopped the immediate crisis. However, this was only about half as big as it needed to be, and there were no further rounds of stimulus — on the contrary, the various levels of American government passed a bunch of austerity instead, slowing the recovery.
As a result, growth never recovered to its pre-crisis level, inflation remained low, and unemployment remained high for years. Only in 2016 did the unemployment rate fall to 5 percent — about what analysts had been supposing was full employment. But one can only be sure that full employment has been reached when prices start to rise, implying that the spending from new jobs is bumping up against the economy's productive capacity. Instead, inflation remained consistently at or below the Fed's 2 percent target as unemployment continued to drop all the way to 3.5 percent in February this year.
In other words, we were clearly well short of full employment and full production even in February — and now the coronavirus has thrown a wrench in everything. So far the fall in spending is far outstripping any supply problems, as some inflation indexes have dipped below zero. But that doesn't rule out inflation in the future — if I had to guess, it seems highly improbable, but then again nothing like this pandemic has happened in modern times. Who knows what will happen?
Let's suppose most Americans end the crisis with a sizable bucket of cash, and there is a broad supply crunch, leading to inflation in the 4-10 percent range. This will mean several things. First, the Fed will be able to raise interest rates off the zero lower bound. Second, there will no longer be a shortage of demand — prices can only rise if there is bidding happening. Third, job creation will explode as businesses start or expand to increase production. In other words, all the major problems of the Great Recession will be solved at a stroke.
This will be uncomfortable in the short-term for some, but not nearly as bad as a years-long mild depression — and more importantly, it will be a much more favorable position for policymakers. A bit of moderate price pressure would put some badly needed steam into the boiler of the American economy, and if inflation gets too high, the Fed can solve it relatively easily with higher interest rates (or Congress could with higher taxes, or credit and price controls). Insofar as the government decides to untangle global supply chains to increase American manufacturing employment and make the production system more resilient, that will be much easier with high spending, because it means guaranteed profits for anybody who figures out how to re-shore production.
But this optimistic future depends on Congress keeping the money taps open for as long as the crisis lasts. Super-unemployment is set to expire at the end of July, and there is zero chance the pandemic will be solved by then. The unemployment boost, other rescue payments to individuals, and support for businesses to protect payroll, should continue until there is a vaccine and life can return to something like normal. (A future Biden administration could further improve the situation by seizing the post-coronavirus opportunity to boost labor organizing and attack climate change, but that's a subject for another article.)
There is some risk in the inflation strategy, but that is true for every policy choice. Americans leaving the crisis with too little money in their pockets risks tipping us straight back into the same depressed sandpit we were stuck in after 2008. Too much money, and we might see inflation come back to maybe where it was in the late 1980s. It's clear which option is better.
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First Citizens National Bank continues its investment in technology by implementing advanced, cloud-enabled self-service options across all its branches with Diebold Nixdorf’s VynamicTM Software suite.
As a strong, successful community bank of 132 years, FirstCNB understands the importance of ensuring their consumers have a positive and more personalized experience at the branch. In order to enable new transaction types, the bank will implement Diebold Nixdorf’s Vynamic platform, which provides API-based integration to the bank’s FIS core banking system in an easy-to-deploy, as-as-service model. Diebold Nixdorf’s Vynamic Transaction Automation will enable more teller-like transactions at the ATM by connecting to FirstCNB’s banking core, increasing self-service options for “on-us” consumers to include the ability to:
Authorize and process credit and debit transactions in-house
Access deposits in real-time and provide the flexibility to allocate proceeds to multiple accounts
Pay bills at the ATM by transferring funds or payment with cash or check
Additionally, the core integration will enhance branch efficiency by enabling assisted self-service for more complex transactions, where branch employees can conduct overrides and approvals at the ATMs directly by utilizing tablets in the branch.
First Citizens National Bank President and Chief Operating Officer, Judy Long, said: “We are always striving to deliver an exceptional experience for our customers – and now we can offer advanced transactions through self-service capabilities at the ATM that were previously only available over the counter. By implementing Diebold Nixdorf’s Vynamic Tra
nsaction Automation, our ATM network plays a more significant role for our consumers and enhances their banking experience by bringing advanced self-service solutions to them.”
Diebold Nixdorf Senior Vice President, Global Banking, Octavio Marquez, said: “We’re proud to be able to expand our longstanding relationship with First Citizens National Bank that began nearly a decade ago with Diebold Nixdorf’s Advisory Services team. Their core integration strategy drives efficiency within the branch, empowers innovative transactions and sets the stage for future technology investments. Vynamic Transaction Automation provides their ‘on us’ customers with a personalized experience and more advanced capabilities.”
FIS Head of Digital and Banking, Rob Lee, said: “We are excited that FIS’ Code Connect Open APIs are powering First Citizens National Bank’s ability to deliver enhanced digital experiences for their customers. This technology shows how customer-focused innovation can meet the increasing expectations of consumers while also allowing our clients to improve their services and efficiencies.”
About First Citizens National Bank
Founded in 1889 and headquartered in Dyersburg, TN, First Citizens National Bank serves customers at 26 financial center locations across the state of Tennessee. First Citizens National Bank is a major subsidiary of First Citizens Bancshares, Inc., which has more than $2 billion in assets. For more information, call toll free 800.321.3176 or visit FirstCNB.com. First Citizens National Bank. Unbelievably Good.
About Diebold Nixdorf
Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated is a world leader in enabling connected commerce. We automate, digitize and transform the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world’s top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, our integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of consumers each day. The company has a presence in more than 100 countries with approximately 22,000 employees worldwide.


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TIME TO GO BANANAS: Sara Lee Brings Back its Fan Favourite Banana Cake
This is not a drill. Sara Lee has listened to the masses and decided to give the people what they want with the return of its much-missed Banana Cake.
After being discontinued several years ago, Aussies will be lining the streets to get their hands on the banana beauty come its re-launch on March 13.
Returning just in time for Easter, the light and fluffy banana cake is coming back in all its original glory.
On the Banana Cake’s long-awaited return, Sara Lee Head of Marketing Jo Matthews says “Australians have asked, and we’ve listened. Sara Lee fans haven’t been subtle in their desire to see the Banana Cake return, from petitioning online to demanding on socials, there was no chance we could miss their dedication and devotion to see it back.”
“We know the Banana Cake sparks special memories of good times spent with friends and family, and because of this, we’re incredibly excited to bring back this offering to those who rallied for it.”
This true crowd pleaser is perfect to have on hand in the freezer for all occasions, so Aussies are always only moments away from their first bite of nostalgia.
This easy-to-prepare dessert can be elevated with creative toppings, from crushed walnuts to caramel sauce; there’s an abundance of flavours that complement the cake’s sweet banana taste.
Banana Cake will be available in the frozen dessert section of select independent grocery stores from 13 March.
The Sara Lee Banana Cake is made in Australia and suitable to serve 8 people, RRP $6.50.


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The online extension of a print-based promotion has generated Dutch-owned brewer Heineken USA Inc. an estimated 60,000 e-mail addresses in its database since it began in July.
Though not all have opted in for offers — the number is being determined — the viral promotion is central to the brewer's plan to appeal to people ages 21-28 in a medium they are most comfortable with — the Internet.
“They're stretching their target audience,” said Mark Galley, associate creative director at Heineken interactive agency Modem Media, East Norwalk, CT. “Where it used to be white, affluent, yachtsmen-type, now they're expanding to include a younger, more urban audience.”
The Heineken Headline Hoax is not the only promotion begun this year as part of the new mission. But it is the most successful in terms of capturing e-mail addresses.
In January, the Heineken online database stood at roughly 5,000 opted-in names. Counting intervening promotions before Headline Hoax, the database now is estimated at 90,000 to 100,000 names. Not all of those names have given permission to contact them with offers or updates.
Most of those intervening promotions were sweepstakes: Win a trip to the U.S. Open tennis tournament. Win a trip to Heineken's Mardi Gras Mansion. Win a big-screen TV. Win a trip to the ESPY Awards. Win a trip to a Jamaican House Party.
What makes Headline Hoax more successful is the television trend on which it rides: hidden-camera shows like the “Jamie Kennedy Experiment” and the lesser-known “Punk'd” that play pranks on people.
For Heineken, this trend is a stroke of luck. The online promotion, available at www.heineken.com/headlines, was adapted from an ongoing print campaign called “News Clippings.” The advertisements, by New York ad agency Publicis, feature funny newspaper headlines about Heineken.
Applying that logic online, the Headline Hoax encourages consumers to trick their friends by choosing from a predetermined list of amusing headlines and photographs.
A popular headline is “[Person's name] caught stroking Heineken bottle at picnic.” The accompanying picture shows a hand stroking a Heineken bottle on a picnic table.
Another favorite is “[Person's name] too touchy at touch football game.” The visual shows one footballer tackling another. The tackler has one hand up the other's shirt and another hand pulling at the shorts.
The first of five steps requires the recipient's name and e-mail address. Copy states, “First, we want to know who the sucker is. All we ask is that you make it up to them by buying them a cold Heineken sometime soon.”
The e-mailed article is intended to trick the recipient into thinking the fictitious story is on the front page of a major Web site, in this case either Maxim magazine's Maximonline.com or TheSportingNews.com.
The process of hoaxing generates multiple addresses for Heineken. Along with the addresses of the hoaxer and the victim, the hoaxer can forward that e-mail to mutual friends, alerting them to the hoax. Of course, Heineken takes care not to pre-empt the hoax. The mutual friends get news of the hoax only after the intended victim has opened his e-mail.
While registering for the hoax, consumers can opt in for updates and information from Heineken. They are asked for their name and mailing and e-mail address in a separate registration process on another part of the Heineken site.
“2003 was really gathering these names through a variety of promotions,” Galley said. “2004 is really about utilizing those names in ways that offer relevant value to the recipients.
“They're not going to be spammed with e-mails,” he said. “They're going to be relevant offers as to what they indicated, as to what motivates them more. This is the foundation for more viral marketing, which we believe in wholeheartedly. Whenever we can, we want to make it viral.”
The viral aspect gets a further boost through a function that lets the victim play a hoax on another person. Again, mutual friends are let in on the hoax, and the cycle goes on.
“We obviously want to be able to market to these names and sell more to them,” Galley said, “and through experiences on the Web and off, reinforce Heineken with this target audience that it's cool, fun, witty, smart, hip.”
Heineken publicized the hoax promotion with a Flash banner and four GIF versions. The Flash unit is headlined, “Get a taste of the Heineken Headline Hoax.” Viewers can enter a friend's name in that unit and see a sample of the fake headline on, say, Maximonline.com.
The GIF banners have headlines like “Hoax campaign plunges nation into chaos.” They show images of picketers with signs, “Stop the hoax.” Once clicked on, the units take the viewer to the Heineken site.
Banners ran on Sports Illustrated's SI.com, ESPN.com, Yahoo, TheOnion.com, Maximonline.com and TheSportingNews.com.
“Not only were people interacting with the banner, but they were coming to the site and engaging with it for an average of five to seven minutes,” Galley said. “Think about what would be the value of that on television and print.”