text:
General Motors has revealed a new electric delivery vehicle that will feature an estimated 250 miles of range following the announcement of its BrightDrop business unit, which is designed to offer a new ecosystem of electric first-to-last-mile products, software, and services for delivery and logistics companies.
January 12, 2021
The all-electric 2022 E-Transit will be available with a starting price under $45,000 and features a targeted maximum payload of 3,800 pounds with up to 487.3 cubic feet of cargo space.
November 12, 2020
The global alliance between Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG announced plans to develop a new city delivery van and medium pickup truck.
June 10, 2020
The Velocity M3 from Utilimaster combines the fuel efficiency, driver ergonomics, and safety provisions of a cargo van with the expansive space of a traditional cargo walk-in van.
March 4, 2020
The 2021 Ram ProMaster is available in 18 different wheelbase and roof height configurations.
March 4, 2020
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the second generation model of Lightning Systems' battery-electric Ford Transit 350HD.
July 11, 2019
Ford's Transit full-size van will enter the 2020 model-year with a heavy refresh that adds an available all-wheel-drive system, two new engine choices, and a 10-speed automatic transmission to improve fuel efficiency.
March 5, 2019
As it builds out its delivery fleet, Amazon is moving toward using a battery-electric delivery vehicle produced by Rivian Automotive. Amazon is leading a $700-million investment in the company.
February 15, 2019
Ford is adding a few enhancements to its 2019 Transit full-size van ahead of a likely next-generation model on the cargo and passenger versions.
January 3, 2019
For the first time in North America, Mercedes-Benz Vans will demonstrate CoROS, an artificial intelligence-powered sensor system that transforms the Sprinter van into an intelligent cargo space.
September 18, 2018
Ryder System has ordered 500 Chanje Energy battery-electric panel vans and will add the medium-duty vehicles to its ChoiceLease truck leasing program, the company has announced.
June 8, 2018
Dana and Workhorse announced a new partnership on an electric city delivery vehicle using the new Spicer Electrified axle.
May 1, 2018
Agility Fuel Solutions unveiled a new, compressed natural gas-powered, Morgan Olson walk-in step van, on a chassis manufactured by Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.
May 1, 2018
Mercedes-Benz unveiled its third-generation Sprinter today in Duisburg, Germany, at the junction of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, as a versatile full-size van with a factory telematics service that will arrive in the U.S. later this year.
February 6, 2018
The 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter will add a gasoline engine, optional factory telematics offering, and more than 1,000 configurations to provide a "holistic mobility solution" when it debuts in February, the head of the company's van division told journalists in Stuttgart, Germany.
December 4, 2017


text:
There is little doubt that, in many countries, Netflix has become the standard for watching movies on the Internet.
Generally speaking, on-demand streaming services are convenient alternatives to piracy. However, millions of people stick to their old pirate habits, Netflix subscription or not.
Intrigued by this interplay of legal and unauthorized viewing, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Universidade Católica Portuguesa carried out an extensive study. They partnered with a major telco, which is not named, to analyze if BitTorrent downloading habits can be changed by offering legal alternatives.
The researchers used a piracy-tracking firm to get a sample of thousands of BitTorrent pirates at the associated ISP. Half of them were offered a free 45-day subscription to a premium TV and movies package, allowing them to watch popular content on demand.
To measure the effects of video-on-demand access on piracy, the researchers then monitored the legal viewing activity and BitTorrent transfers of the people who received the free offer, comparing it to a control group. The results show that piracy is harder to beat than some would expect.
Subscribers who received the free subscription watched more TV, but overall their torrenting habits didn’t change significantly.
“We find that, on average, households that received the gift increased overall TV consumption by 4.6% and reduced Internet downloads and uploads by 4.2% and 4.5%, respectively. However, and also on average, treated households did not change their likelihood of using BitTorrent during the experiment,” the researchers write.
One of the main problems was that these ‘pirates’ couldn’t get all their favorite shows and movies on the legal service, which is a common problem. For the small portion of subscribers who had access to their preferred content, the researchers did find an effect on torrent traffic.
“Households with preferences aligned with the gifted content reduced their probability of using BitTorrent during the experiment by 18% and decreased their amount of upload traffic by 45%,” the paper reads.
The video-on-demand service in the study had an average “fit” of just 12% with people’s viewing preferences, which means that they were missing a lot of content. But even Netflix, which has a library of thousands of titles, only has a fit of roughly 50%.
The researchers show that the lack of availability is partly caused by licensing windows, which makes it hard for legal video streaming services to compete with piracy.
“We show that licensing windows impose significant restrictions on the content that can be included in SVoD catalogs, which hampers the ability of content distributors to offer catalogs that cater to the preferences of pirates,” they write.
However, even if more content became available, piracy wouldn’t magically disappear. In the experiment, subscribers were offered free access to a video on demand service. In the real world, they would have to pay, which presents another barrier.
In this study, the pirate households were willing to pay at most $3.25 USD per month to access a service with a library as large as Netflix’s in the United States. That’s not enough.
This leads the researchers to the grim conclusion that video on demand services such as Netflix can’t significantly lower piracy rates. They could make a dent if they increase their content libraries while lowering the price at the same time, but that’s not going to happen.
“Together, our results show that, as a stand-alone strategy, using legal SVoD to curtail piracy will require, at the minimum, offering content much earlier and at much lower prices than those currently offered in the marketplace, changes that are likely to reduce industry revenue and that may damage overall incentives to produce new content while, at the same time, curbing only a small share of piracy,” the researchers conclude.
While Hollywood maintains that people can get pretty much anything they want legally, the current research shows that it’s not as simple as that. Most people are not going to pay for 22 separate subscriptions. Instead of more streaming services, it would be better to make more content available at the ones that are already out there.
The research was partially funded by the Carnegie Mellon University’s IDEA, which receives an unrestricted gift from the MPAA, so Hollywood will likely be clued in on the results.

domain: news


text:
GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Tom and Linda Steber have owned Astor House Bed and Breakfast for only a little over a year. In that short amount of time, they’ve seen their place anywhere from completely packed to totally empty.
“Everybody was eating together, and you've got opposing fans talking it up back-and-forth," said Tom Steber, recalling game day weekends last year. "People sharing Lyfts or Ubers to the game, and then just laughter and loud boisterous, not too crazy or anything, but it was just exciting, and everybody’s in their game gear.”
The game day weekends were incredible, said Steber.
“We are completely booked up solid for days before and after a game," he said. "We’ve got people coming in from as far away as the Philippines, Scotland, England and all across the United States.”
This season it’s been completely different, he said, despite thousands of fans returning to Lambeau last weekend. Most of the fans who went to the game live locally, he said.
“We got one room that was specifically a Packers fan that came up," said Steber.
Business is down around 50 percent compared to last year, he said.
“It was very odd and quiet, it seemed very strange," Steber said, describing the first few weekends of home games this season. "It was kind of sad, but I think we’ve gotten used to it.”
He's hopeful for 2021 though, and thinks more people will want to come and take a trip up to Green Bay.
“It’s truly the football mecca," said Steber. "It doesn’t matter if they win the Super Bowl or not. People still want to come and just see it, be around it.”
The bed and breakfast has still fared better than others, he said.
“You think about all the people that you know, from people earning money parking cars in their yard, to the wait staff at all the restaurants," said Steber. "It’s kind of sad, but at the same time, go Pack.”


text:
All across Europe, soccer teams are increasingly using fan tokens to raise funds and increase fan engagement.
Successful Use of Fan Tokens
The fan tokens created by soccer teams in Europe are powered by the blockchain. One major team that has been using blockchain-powered soccer fan tokens is Barcelona. The giant Spanish soccer club has raised $1.3 billion within two hours after the release of its fan tokens on June 22, 2020.
Barcelona released 600,000 crypto tokens with each token selling for $2.20. With the tokens, soccer fans will have exclusive voting rights in various polls regarding the club. Besides that, they can win rewards such as watching games in the VIP section as well as meet with the players.
According to the CEO of the Socios.com platform, which is behind the creation of the fan tokens, three decades ago, people thought the internet was all about sending emails. However, the internet has opened up millions of opportunities for people around the world. He compared this to blockchain technology. According to him, the technology could be used to create innovative products that did not exist before.
How the Fan Tokens can be used
Besides Barcelona, other major teams in Europe that have fan tokens are PSG, AS Roma, Atletico Madrid, and Juventus. Besides using the tokens to vote on issues, the owners of the tokens can trade them on the open market.
Market forces, based on the performance of the team and various actions, will determine the value of the tokens. For instance, if a team signs Neymar, they could see the value of their tokens rise. If a team is in the relegation zone, the value of its tokens could drop drastically.
On June 24, 2020, another batch of tokens was released. According to Socios.com, the value of the tokens rose by 200% within five minutes of trading with a $1 million trading volume in the first six minutes. Holders of the tokens can sell their tokens using the Chiliz cryptocoin via the Chiliz.net platform.
The main draw for most clubs using fan tokens is increased fan engagement. Most major soccer clubs have a global fan base. However, 99.99% of fans are not able to attend matches or even the city where the club resides.


text:
Residents are welcoming a new grocer in the Seat Pleasant neighborhood of Prince George’s County, Maryland, with open arms, because the store is the first full-service grocery shop to have its doors open in the neighborhood since 2016.
“Our mission is to improve food access and community health,” said Philip Sambol, executive director of Oasis Community Partners, the nonprofit behind the store.
When shoppers enter Good Food Market and Cafe’s location in the Addison Plaza Shopping Center, they are greeted with displays featuring fresh produce and three aisles with many staples, including plant-based meats.
This is the second store for the organization, which is placing its stores in underserved communities that don’t have easy access to grocery stores.
“There’s no fresh food retailer within a mile of this store, hence making it a USDA-designated food desert,” Sambol said.
The store is located in a location that once housed a Safeway, which closed in 2016. Sambol said the Seat Pleasant shop is OCP’s second location in the region, with its first located in D.C.’s Ward 5.
Sambol said there is a need for such a store in Seat Pleasant, because the community has many seniors and 30% of people who live in the neighborhood don’t have access to cars.
“I love it, we needed something like this in the area,” said Donna McCain, who lives nearby. She is happy to once again have a grocer that’s a short walk from her home.
Sambol said after the D.C. location opened, some said the concept of putting stores in underserved communities wouldn’t work because of the cost of fresh foods and security concerns. However, he said, it was instead a success.
“Hiring locally, having people in the store who know the community and the community knows them, being active and present when we’re here in the store and making sure that we’re helping people out really gives us the opportunity to be that neighborhood grocer,” Sambol said.
The Seat Pleasant store is much smaller than a typical grocer, and Sambol said that was by design, because their concept revolves around small store formats.
“It’s less expensive to build, it’s more efficient to operate and really what we focus on is packing more products per square foot so that we can make a full-service offering in a smaller space,” he said.
In addition to selling groceries, the store also is partnering with the community to teach people about eating healthy. This includes an online cooking class with a local YMCA, in which the ingredients are delivered ahead of the class to homes of those taking part.
The store’s soft opening took place last week, with its grand opening set to take place Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.


text:
Netflix's Most Popular TV Shows & Movies Ranked By the Viewership Data!
Sunday, 20 October 2019 Netflix doesn’t often reveal their viewership and ratings data, but when they do, it gives us insight into just how popular their original titles are! We have compiled the data of all the times that the streaming service has revealed the number of people to watch their original shows and movies, and ranked them from [...]
Netflix Announces Their Top 10 Original Movies and TV Shows. Netflix recently released a list of their most-watched original movies and television shows from October 2019 to September 2019. . According to the streaming giant, each recorded view is based on a viewer who watched at least 70 percent of...
The same drones used to film Hollywood movies have been repurposed for Harvard researchers to study the Amazon. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), formerly used for filming blockbusters like Skyfall..
With the revolving-door slate of deals making it tough to keep track of what's coming and going to Netflix each month, we're here to help you catch some movies and shows you may have had on your list..


text:
Bar owners in Groningen voice mounting frustration and try to diversify their businesses, as current corona lockdown for the HoReCa sector is to be extended until March 2.
Whereas restaurants have the possibility for takeaway, and shops, which already offer online sales, are expected to be allowed a click-and-collect service starting February 10 in the Netherlands, bars have been closed since October 14 with very limited options to diversify.
“It’s always the bars that come last”, says Max de Witte, owner of Groningen’s “De Graanrepubliek” literature café-bar, about the new lockdown extension. “The only guy doing anything (for us) is Merlijn (Merlijn Poolman, Groningen’s night mayor) and he’s doing it from the passion of his heart”, he continues, referring to the Local Legends campaign, an ongoing GoFundMe effort involving the possibility for patrons to support more than 70 bars and music venues in the Netherlands and abroad.
Working with platforms like Thuisbezorgd, “even though the profit would be minimum”, is now on the cards for Max who has been waiting over 8 weeks for his TVL subsidy . This latest subsidy, however, only covers 1/8 of the revenue loss for the last quarter of 2020.
“People working from home don’t understand what it’s like for business owners- they think we’re getting funds from the government, but it’s just not enough”, says Sharon Doelwijt, co-owner of Le Petit Théâtre, an alcohol-licensed cultural events business in Groningen.
“I take it one day at a time”, she says about the psychological toll of trying to get by despite limited funds and official support. Nevertheless, she looks forward to the future, planning music events for the end of April, and a poems and songs recording for Valentine’s Day. “I need to focus on the positive things, because I can’t solve the financial problems”, she says.
Le Petit Théâtre is currently doing food-takeway on Fridays and will soon be selling cake and coffee-to-go from Thursdays to Sundays.


text:
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has just announced that the millionth Raspberry Pi Computer has been birthed at its UK production facility – Sony’s Pencoed factory in South Wales.
This is a huge milestone not just for the Raspberry Pi foundation, but also for the feasibility of quality tech manufacturing in the UK – something that in this day and age is almost always relegated the juggernaut tech factories in China.
The BBC is reporting the worldwide success of the Raspberry Pi has it on track to become the best selling British computer of all time, already beating out the BBC Micro’s sales from the 1980s (The BBC Micro was creator Eben Upton’s childhood computer and a point of well deserved pride for the father of the Pi) and hot on the heels of the king of the 80s British Microcomputers, the ZX Spectrum.
The total amount of Raspberry Pis out the wild is actually closer to 1.75 Million, as a number of units were produced in China for a brief period before production was brought back into the bosom of Her Majesty’s isles.
The popularity of the Pi is actually a bit of a deviation from its original intent. Despite being a stalwart of hackers, tinkerers and media junkies of more mature years, Upton wanted the tiny computer to revolutionise education by getting it into the hands of school kids – he hoped it would allow teachers and kids alike an accessible path towards learning the creativity and problem solving skills of using computers for coding and interacting with the objects in the real world.
Upton doesn’t begrudge the hackers and creators that made his credit-card-computer a smash hit, but does concede the progress on the Pi’s original mission is a concern, and has stated the focus of the foundation must now more than ever before be on education.
“I think we always knew we were going to see hobbyists being interested in it before we saw children… it still really is early days. I reckon maybe 75 or 80 percent of Pis even today are going into the hands of adult hobbyists, but… we’ve got more than 200,000 in the hands of kids.” Upton told BBC Technology Correspondant Rory Cellan-Jones.
And what about that millionth Raspberry Pi to roll off the production line? Sony made the landmark unit a special gold plated case that is now proudly displayed at The Raspberry Pi Foundation’s home base in the UK, fondly referred to as ‘Pi Towers’.


text:
50 years Gebr. Schwarz
50 years ago, the company Gebr. Schwarz was launched by Felix and Gebhard Schwarz and expanded until today to a 200 employee’s strong company and is specialist in injection molds and a global supplier of plastic injection molded parts.
The 50 year anniversary was celebrated on June 10th with business associates and employees. Managing director, Uwe Schwarz told proudly the audience with an historical review, how the company has achieved significant growth in infrastructure and portfolio expansion almost every 5 years. But not only the past was considered that evening, the future of Gebr. Schwarz GmbH has already set apart. In addition to innovative process developments for medicine/- and food industry, the company has self-sufficient energy visions and alternative raw materials processes such as bioplastics in mind, says CEO Jens Roth in his keynote speech.
On the following Saturday the gates were opened for all employees of Schwarz and their families. In an especially for this event erected beer tent, all guests celebrated proper with tasty food and drinks. The Polkamusicians of Stetten, the Music Club of Neukirch, and the dance group Pink Diamonds have made with their performance the afternoon to a memorable event. The youngest guests had also fun by offering a huge children's program from bouncy castle, goal wall shooting, children's make-up and Bobby Car race. Following the motto "Dad what do you work really?" Families were offered company tours to present the working environment at Schwarz.


text:
UPS has pulled out of its multi-billion Euro bid to take over TNT Express, almost a year after it first entered into talks with the parcel firm. It hoped the merger would create a €45bn (£37.4bn) logistics giant, increasing the US firm’s presence in the European market. However on Friday (11 January), the European Commission (EC) told both parties that it planned to prohibit the merger. MT.co.uk looks at how the story developed over the year. The merger process began […]
The European Commission (EC) has given the green light to FedEx’s €4.4bn (£3.2bn) bid for TNT Express announced in April last year.
FedEx has made an offer to acquire TNT Express, valuing the business at €4.4bn (£3.2bn), in a deal that both parties describe as having a high level of certainty.
Improved mirrors that eliminate HGV blind spots will become mandatory on newly registered vehicles from July of next year across the EU.


text:
Not only is the AT&T HTC One X
expected to launch this Sunday, but Sprint is also launching a new handset as well on the same day. The Sprint Samsung Galaxy Nexus
is said to hit the shelves on April 22, and has been confirmed and officially announced by Sprint.
You can pre-order your Samsung Galaxy Nexus, now, for $199.99 when you sign a new two year contract with Sprint and $549.99 if you want to buy it outright. For those who want to pre-order, Sprint says they will have your Galaxy Nexus to you before Sunday, if you pre-order now.


text:
Hyundai North American president and CEO John Krafcik will step down from his current role next week at the completion of his contract.
Current executive vice president of sales David Zuchowski, a 33-year industry veteran whose career began with Ford, will replace him when the succession takes place on January 1.
“On behalf of Hyundai Motor Company, we sincerely thank John for his visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction, which has driven Hyundai’s record growth over the past five years,” said Im Tak Uk, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Hyundai Motor Company. “John’s forward-looking perspective, commitment to quality and design, and pursuit of innovative new product offerings have elevated the Hyundai brand and introduced our vehicles to a new generation of satisfied and loyal customers.”
The announcement comes as a surprise to many because Krafcik’s time as Hyundai’s North American leader was especially successful. Under his watch, the company saw increased sales and weathered last year’s fuel consumption scandal with relative ease and grace. Krafcik was also named the 2013 Automotive Executive of the Year during his tenure with the South Korean brand.
“I am both humbled and excited to lead Hyundai Motor America into the next chapter by continuing to build on John’s great legacy, and focusing on what matters most – building the highest quality, safest and most diverse fleet of models that customers love,” said Zuchowski, who joined Hyundai in 2007.
Discuss this story at our Hyundai forum.


text:
Irrlamb is a 3D game that probably involves a lot of physics and frustrating gameplay.
Thunder&Lightning is an Open Source Futuristic Action Flight Simulator Game Inspired By Carrier Command.
More than four years after Pingus 0.6.0, Pingus 0.7.0 is released.
This is the first working version of Pingus that is based on SDL.
Wine 0.9.44 is out !
I have decided since today that english news are back !
New stable version, lots of bug fixes.
Updates and opening of the forum
Updates of SPIP
A new version of SuperTux was released some weeks ago.
Many improvements are visible.
A new release of Frozen Bubble has been out since 23th of November, review on what’s new
Two months and a half have passed since the official launch of Games4Linux.
Report, projects, ...


text:
Turning its focus to the retro Air Skylon II runner that has made its way back to popularity this year, designer Jerry Lorenzo is set to rework the shoe to fit his distinct aesthetics. Rumored to release in two black and white colorways, the latest informed renders are now contradicting initial mock-ups that originally surfaced. The biggest change displayed by the new renders is a toggle lacing system which would replace the traditional laces that come on Nike‘s vintage running model.
Priced at $140 USD, the two Fear of God x Nike Air Skylon II colorways are expected to release December 27 at select retailers and nike.com.
In case you missed it, jeffstaple was recently spotted in an alternate Nike SB Dunk Low “Pigeon” colorway.


text:
Downtown in Business welcomed over 80 business leaders to the superb Nuvo bar located in Brindley place for the opportunity to build new relationships over a few drinks. The evening also gave the opportunity for Birmingham’s best to unwind and share their success stories for the year so far with fellow business leaders. As with Downtown in Business’ previous social event back in April, the conversations were very similar, there is an undeniable momentum for businesses in the region and companies are growing at an ever-increasing rate. All were also in agreement that Birmingham is the place to be for work and leisure.
Natalie Mursion, GM of Nuvo Bar said “We were delighted to welcome Downtown in Business and their business leaders of Birmingham to our bar for drinks, nibbles and the chance to unwind and share business. We have worked with Downtown in Business for a number of years and have always been impressed with the quality of attendees and the style of events they hold.”


text:
Ford set to introduce inflatable air belts next year
The Ford Motor Company is set to introduce inflatable rear seatbealts for the first time in the UK, their innovative design means that that inflate in less than 40 milliseconds.
The blow up belts work by inflating almost instantly in an accident and are aimed especially at vulnerable passengers in the rear seat, such as children and the elderly. The air belt is deployed by a compressed gas cylinder below the rear seat and in turn disperses crash forces more than five time greater then normal seatbelts.
Ford announced the introduction of the air belts to the UK at their research and technology centre in Germany, with the 2013 Ford Mondeo announced as being the first of many Ford cars for sale to have them as an optional extra. You can expect to see both the Mondeo and its rear air seats released halfway through next year; sources have estimated the cost to be £250.
In the near future the seatbelts could become standard on all Ford models and giving an even greater piece of mind for owners.


text:
Jaguar Land Rover Heritage Parade in London for Queen’s Coronation FestivalMon, 08 Jul 2013
Jaguar Land Rover drive their Royal Heritage cars down the Mall to celebrate the Coronation Festival
Remarkably, considering 2012 was the 60th anniversary of the Queen coming to the throne and the celebratory events we had, we’ve heard very little about the 60th anniversary of the coronation. In fact, we’ve already passed the diamond anniversary of the Queen’s coronation (on 2nd June) without any huge fanfare but, for some reason, we have a ‘Coronation Festival’ from 11-17th July to celebrate the ‘Best of British’.
But it seems Jaguar Land Rover couldn’t wait for the event to start properly, so they’ve jumped the gun and gone parading a selection of Jaguars and Land Rovers with Royal connections round London this weekend.
It wasn’t exactly a huge parade of cars (nothing like Top Gear’s ‘Best of British’ on the Mall last week) but it did include everything from the Jaguar C-X75 by way of a 1955 Jaguar Mark VIIM once owned by the Queen mother and the very first Royal Land Rover.
JLR drove their Royal cars round a route in London yesterday that echoed the original coronation procession route, taking in famous London landmarks like Horse Guards, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, Marble Arch and the Mall.
It was all a bit low key – and not exactly publicised heavily – but at least Jaguar Land Rover made the effort.
By Cars UK


text:
E-cigarettes were seen by many as the way to get people to stop smoking traditional cigarettes. While they may have been successful in that regard, that does not necessarily mean they are any safer. Worse, products like Juul have now caused an epidemic in vaping amongst the youth in this country. Where teenage smoking was on the decline, e-cigarette use in youth is dramatically increased.
What has been in the news?
The news has been awash with stories about Juul and other e-cigarette issues. Recently, the CEO of Juul, Kevin Burns, came out and told non-smokers to stop using his product. “Don’t vape. Don’t use Juul,” he said.
He went on to say that the long-term effects of vaping are not known. The CDC and other US agencies are now looking into a string of serious lung diseases that may be linked to vaping.
What makes Juul different?
Vaping a Juul is similar to other vape devices, but the e-liquid used is 5% nicotine by volume, much more than other vaping products on the market. Researchers say that this increases the chance of addiction. In fact, a study by the UK’s Royal College of Psychiatrists showed that nicotine is as addictive as cocaine.
Of particular concern is the effect of Juuling on the development of the adolescent brain. The amount of nicotine in one Juul pod is equivalent to the amount found in an entire pack of cigarettes. Many teens and adults finish an entire pod in one sitting. Juul also uses “nicotine salts” as opposed to “freebase nicotine” in their liquid pods. This makes the nicotine easier to absorb in the bloodstream and causes the vapor to be less harsh, allowing for more to be inhaled for longer periods of time.
E-cigarette manufacturers have until August 2022 to submit their applications for approval to the FDA. In the meantime, these products remain largely unregulated.
Class action lawsuit filed against Juul
A recent class-action lawsuit was filed against Juul and Altri/Philip Morris. The named plaintiffs in the case include a 15-year-old Florida girl who began using Juul when she was 14, as well as her parents. She became addicted to the product because she did not understand it’s addictive potential and she also had seizures due to swallowing the e-liquid nicotine.
- The lawsuit discusses the “e-cigarette epidemic” using FDA and CDC statements.
- The complaint says that Juul “fraudulently concealed safety information about how much nicotine Juul contains or delivers, and about how addictive its e-cigarettes are.”
- Juul has not been approved as a smoking therapy and has not been found to be safe and effective by the FDA for smoking cessation.
Juul CEO says that if they knew their products were dangerous or toxic, they would not sell them. As we discover more and more health risks associated with these products, we wonder how long he will continue saying that.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) just recently posted a warning to all consumers of e-cigarettes in the US. They are studying the outbreak of severe pulmonary disease associated with e-cigarette product use.
- As of August 27, 2019, there have been 215 possible cases of severe pulmonary disease associated with electronic cigarette usage.
- Once the study is underway, they expect to find many more cases.
If you believe Juul caused significant health issues to you or a loved one, contact a Philadelphia personal injury attorney at Ciccarelli Law Offices.


text:
HID Global‘s NFC technology is being used in a new touchless menu system for restaurants, the company has announced.
Dubbed the “Menu Tile”, the solution is primarily software-based, but revolves around a simple piece of hardware – a square-shaped sign that features a QR code. Scanning the QR code of such a tile will open up a menu app for the restaurant to which it corresponds, allowing the end user to place an order without having to touch a shared surface.
In other words, a diner can walk up to a restaurant’s Menu Tile, scan the QR code, and order food. And thanks to the Menu Tile’s integration of HID’s NFC Tag technology, the customer has the option of paying for the app simply by tapping an NFC-enabled smartphone or tablet against the Menu Tile.
The solution was developed by a UK-based startup called Qiiosk, whose Director, Justin Clark, lauded HID’s technology in a statement. “HID NFC Tags now solidly underpin our Menu Tile product and others in development,” he said. “We chose the solution due to our experience and confidence in the tags after significant and fierce field trials. We are confident in HID products and use them not only within our organization, but also in organizations we support.”
According to HID, the technology enabled Qiiosk to “quickly upgrade their physical product and produce enough tiles to supply customers,” helping the startup to get a running start in the market as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Menu Tile has already been embraced by UK venues including Great Trunk Road and Pasta Che Musica in London, and Wold Top Brewery in East Yorkshire.
News of the partnership comes shortly after HID Global’s success in the 2020 ASTORS Homeland Security awards. The company was recognized for its NOMAD 30 Pocket Reader in the category of Best Law Enforcement Mobile Device, and for its WorkforceID solution in the category of Best Identification Management Solution.


text:
After casual-dining sales plummeted earlier this year in the worst three-month performance since 2010, talk among chain operators took a sobering turn.
In first-quarter presentations before analysts, executives at many of the nation’s largest publicly traded casual-dining chains began speaking openly about something industry observers have said privately for years: The rules that built such casual-dining juggernauts as Chili’s Grill & Bar and Olive Garden no
All access premium subscription
Why Upgrade your account?
NRN is your one-stop source for foodservice news and business intelligence. Upgrade today and get unlimited online access to all breaking news, in-depth analysis, data and tools. This includes digital versions of NRN flagship reports (Consumer Picks, Top 200) as well as Same Store Sales Data Tables, Quarterly Industry Snapshots and more.
Questions about your account or how to access content?
Contact: Desiree Torres [email protected]


text:
U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Tina Smith (D-MN) today introduced the Affordable Insulin Approvals Now Act, a bipartisan bill to speed up approvals of lower-cost, generic, and “follow-on” insulin products in order to help lower costs of the life-saving drug. Approximately 7.5 million Americans with diabetes rely on insulin every day to survive, yet the drug has experienced a price increase of more than 600 percent over the past two decades in the United States. Today’s legislation would lower the price of insulin by promoting competition and bringing lower-cost generic products to market sooner—specifically by requiring FDA to continue reviewing generic insulin applications even after the agency’s currently planned March 2020 cut-off date.
“America’s insulin pricing scandal is a disgrace. Basic insulin was first discovered nearly a century ago, yet Big Pharma’s price gouging is driving families and children to extraordinarily dangerous lengths – like rationing supplies – in order to afford a medication they need to survive. If we can create a faster path for FDA approval of generic insulin, we can finally help to lower costs and tell Big Pharma enough is enough,” Durbin said.
“More generic insulin in the market means lower costs for those in need. Our bill encourages competition and free market solutions to the rising cost of this life-saving drug,” said Cramer.
“People with diabetes in Minnesota and across the country who need insulin to survive should not be forced into economic distress or dangerous rationing practices to afford Big Pharma's skyrocketing prices,” said Smith. “By speeding up the FDA approval process to bring low-cost insulin products to market, we can make this life-sustaining medication more accessible and affordable for families.”


text:
An electric threat to Caltex
The internal combustion engine faces its most serious threat in a century. The Shanghai Motor Show recently showcased 32 new models of electric car from Chinese and international manufacturers. The worlds second largest carmaker, Volkswagen, already sells six electric models in China and, within the next few years, plans to increase its fleet to 20.
Toyota has gone a step further, releasing details of the first commercial hydrogen car, the Mirai (pictured), which will go on sale in December for around $70,000.
Petrol engines wont die soon or easily but, with every major manufacturer in the world boasting an electric car program and prices tumbling, a turning point is near.
For Caltex, the largest service station owner in Australia, electric engines are one threat to volumes; the relentless efficiency gains of traditional engines are another.
Caltex reports that sales of unleaded fuel have been falling for years. Profits have risen thanks to higher margins from premium fuels and diesel volumes but those margins cant go up forever and diesel margins already appear unsustainably high.
A threat to one business is an opportunity for another. Fuel stations might one day face decline but, if electric vehicles take off, energy retailers like Origin and AGL will benefit enormously.
Households all over the country will park their car in their garage and plug it into the grid to recharge over night, allowing generators, currently dormant at night, to be utilized profitably. Electric cars, the scourge of petrol stations might just be the saviour of the troubled electricity sector.
Want access to our latest research and new buy ideas?
Start a free 15 day trial and gain access to our research, recommendations and market-beating model portfolios.Sign up for free
Join the Conversation...
There are comments posted so far.


text:
One of the best launches ever witnessed in the mobile gaming industry, Call of Duty Mobile has created records of some sort. It is only a week since it got launched on Android and iOS, Tencent owned Timi Studio and Activision’s partnership mobile title crossed 100 million downloads. Its popularity has beaten the likes of Mario Kart Tour, Fortnite and PUBG.
Sensor Tower’s data suggests that the United States topped the list with 16.9% (17.3 million) downloads followed by India at 13.4% (13.7 million) downloads.
Given an unexpected launch, in a new in-game message, COD Mobile confirmed that it is coming with a new Free-for-All mode. It has arrived this Friday, October 11 but will last until Thursday, October 17.
Since its release, Free-for-All will be the leading mode to come to Call of Duty Mobile. It should be a classic everyone-for-themselves shootout if built on similar rulesets as followed by other Call of Duty games. It will be a welcome change from the game’s primarily team-based modes. If it works then you stand eligible to win on your own merits.
Call of Duty Mobile (also known as Legends of War) is the first installment of the ‘Call of Duty’ saga that attempts to transfer the PC and game console gaming experience to Android smartphones. In other words, just like Modern Warfare or Black Ops, this is a multiplayer FPS in every sense of the word.
Call of Duty Mobile hasn’t hit China market yet. As per reports from Forbes, Activision is in the process of soliciting consent to release the mobile version soon. Have fun till the time it lasts and let us know in comments how was the experience.


text:
Adobe Recognized for Strong Current Offering and Well-Defined Strategy with Adobe AudienceManager
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Aug. 22, 2013 — Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that Adobe® AudienceManager, a fully integrated component of Adobe Marketing Cloud, was recognized as a leader and received the highest score for Strategy in “The Forrester Wave™: Data Management Platforms, Q3 2013” report by Forrester Research, Inc. Adobe was one of the companies Forrester invited to participate in the independent report, which reviewed seven data management platform (DMP) vendors across a 70-criteria evaluation including vendors’ current offering, strategy and market presence.
“Adobe AudienceManager (AAM) leads the pack in this first-ever Data Management Platform Forrester Wave, with a strong current offering, well-defined strategy, and the force of a multibillion dollar company to help deliver on that strategy,” stated the recently published report. “Adobe’s 2010 acquisition of standalone DMP technology Demdex gave it a foothold in the space, but the real Adobe Marketing Cloud story – of which AAM is described as a critical component – has only just begun to come to fruition,” the report added.
In addition to Adobe’s position as a leader in the DMP evaluation, Forrester also noted Adobe AudienceManager’s “DMP clients describing the seamlessness across several Adobe products – including its Analytics and Target products…” The report noted, “[…] Adobe is well down the road in building out a marketing technology stack that broadly addresses data intelligence and audience delivery.”
Adobe AudienceManager, the industry’s first DMP that consolidates audience information from all available sources, helps identify and reach key audience segments so advertisers and publishers can consistently deliver more relevant, customized digital experiences to their customers. The solution enables advertisers and publishers to manage how their audience data is collected, shared and used among their partner technologies, systems and processes. Adobe AudienceManager customers include Condé Nast, Intuit, Sony, and Travelocity among others.
“The DMP market is heating up with expanded vendor offerings, broader audience insights and segmentation capabilities, as evidenced by Forrester’s latest industry report,” said Justin Merickel, senior director of new product innovation, Advertising Solutions, Adobe. “We are excited to see Adobe AudienceManager designated as a leader and we believe this recognition further validates our position in helping digital marketers deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time while driving revenue.”
A complimentary copy of “The Forrester Wave™: Data Management Platforms, Q3 2013” report is available here.
About Adobe Marketing Cloud
Now there’s a place that puts everything digital marketers need in one spot. It’s called Adobe Marketing Cloud. It includes a complete set of analytics, social, advertising, targeting, web experience management and cross-channel campaign management solutions and a social-enabled UI that brings together everything marketers need to know about their campaigns. So marketers can get from data to insights to action, faster and smarter than ever.


text:
Steve Ballmer is known for making big promises -- some bigger than the reality Microsoft can actually deliver. With the 2010 holiday shopping season rapidly approaching, Ballmer insists that we will see Windows tablets by Christmas. If Ballmer really...
Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which has dominated the Web browser market since blowing by Netscape in the late 1990s, last month fell below the 50 per cent market share level for the first time in years.
Symantec today announced that its mobile device management software now supports Apple iOS and Google Android, via Microsoft's Enterprise ActiveSync protocol, which both platforms support. The release is part of an expanded push by the security vendo...
A short clip from a 2004 movie about Adolf Hitler has ended up speaking for a generation of discontented Internet surfers, as well as pushed the boundaries of copyright law, noted a Massachusetts Institute of Technology social networking researcher w...
Microsoft confirmed weeks of rumor and speculation by revealing that it will, in fact, launch Windows Phone 7 on October 11. A joint event held with AT&T, and possibly T-Mobile, will unveil the Windows Phone 7 devices although they're not expected to...
Microsoft plans to phase in a limited number of Windows Phone 7 applications, starting with the formal unveiling of the first handsets next week. By starting small, Microsoft plans to give precedence to "first mover developers" at the outset, then in...
Most everyone who's had some experience with free open source software has learned about the OpenOffice.org suite of productivity programs: a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, database, and drawing tool that provide a good deal of the functi...
Does Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 have what it takes to compete against Apple's blockbuster iPhone and the Android army? We'll find out October 11 when Microsoft officially pulls back the curtain on its smartphone at an event titled Windows Phone 7 Wo...
A call by financial firm Goldman Sachs for Microsoft to spin off its Xbox video game line doesn't make sense, an analyst countered today.
The Google Apps tool that synchronizes the hosted communication and collaboration suite with Outlook now works with the latest version of the Microsoft e-mail desktop software.
Microsoft has definite plans to add Office Web Apps to its hosted Business Productivity Online Standard Suite (BPOS), but the company isn't providing a specific timetable for the integration.
Looking to provide the best shopping experience for mobile applications, Microsoft is engaging developers in a phased approach with its upcoming Windows Phone Marketplace relaunch.
Microsoft will launch its latest mobile phone operating system, Windows Phone 7, in New York on October 11, according to a posting on its website.
Microsoft will debut three new smartphones that carry its revamped Windows Phone 7 operating system on Oct. 11, offering them on wireless carrier AT&T a month later, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Microsoft filed patent infringement complaints against Motorola and its Android phones in the International Trade Commission and U.S. federal court Friday, indicating that the software giant may hope to use its strong patent position as one way to se...
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Ford Focus ST (2015) review: Absolutely mental styling, engine, handling
- 2 LG 65-inch UHD TV (65UF950T) review
- 3 Playing chicken with a Tesla Model S
- 4 Audi TT (2015) review: A smarter take on the sports coupe
- 5 Microsoft Lumia 640 review: Honouring Nokia's legacy
Join the Good Gear Guide newsletter!
Deals on Good Gear Guide
- Networking, Wireless & VoIP
Deals on Good Gear Guide
Latest News Articles
- Windows 10 launch draws a small group of Microsoft diehards in Boston
- Yahoo unveils app for texting with silent video
- HTC to reveal Vive final design and controller details in October
- Maliciously crafted MKV video files can be used to crash Android phones
- After Windows 8 debacle, OEMs wax rhapsodic over Windows 10
GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
- CCLead Generator - Software SolutionsNSW
- FTTechnical Sales Support Representative - The Worlds largest Search Engine!NSW
- CCMarketing Coordinator - World's largest search engine!NSW
- FTDevOps Consultant - Microsoft Experience - Digital ConsultancyVIC
- FTDesktop Engineering ManagerNSW
- FTField EngineerNSW
- FTAccount Manager - PR AgencyNSW
- FTBusiness Development Manager & Account ManagerVIC
- CCInternal Communications ExecutiveNSW
- CCAccount Strategist | Sales Executive | Global Search EngineNSW


text:
* Yum Brands falls on avian flu sales impact
* PC makers down after report says sales plummeted in Q1
* Futures: Dow up 17 pts, S&P up 0.5 pts, Nasdaq off 6.25 pts
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK, April 11 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were set to inch higher at the open on Thursday, indicating the Dow and S&P may continue to scale historic highs after data showed new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 42,000 to a seasonally adjusted 346,000 last week, the Labor Department said, beating expectations for a drop to 365,000, and unwinding a jump in the previous week.
Both the Dow and S&P climbed more than 1 percent on Wednesday to close at new record highs after three straight days of gains.
“It seems like it is all systems go here, I am not sensing any sense of fear on any level,” said Gordon Charlop, a managing director at Rosenblatt Securities in New York.
“With market conditions being what they are, with the data being what it is, the Fed policy being what it is, the climate for American equities is as good now as it’s been in the past five years.”
Other data showed import prices slipped 0.5 percent last month, in line with expectations, while export prices fell 0.4 percent, signaling inflation pressure remained tepid and would allow the Federal Reserve to continue with its current monetary policy.
S&P 500 futures rose 0.5 point and were slightly above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 17 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures dipped 6.25 points.
Shares of Yum Brands Inc dipped 2.8 percent to $64.90 in premarket trading after the biggest foreign fast-food chain operator in China said Wednesday the latest deadly avian flu outbreak would have a “significant, negative impact” on sales at KFC stores in China in April.
Retailers will be in focus as they post monthly sales results. Warehouse club chain Costco Wholesale Corp reported a 4 percent rise in March sales at stores open at least a year, missing analysts’ expectations, due to lower fuel prices and a strong dollar.
Microsoft Corp dropped 3.5 percent to $29.23 in premarket trading after Goldman Sachs cut its rating on the stock to “sell” from “neutral.”
A leading tech tracking firm said personal computer sales plunged 14 percent in the first three months of the year, the biggest decline in two decades of keeping records. Hewlett-Packard Co fell 6.1 percent to $21.12 and Intel Corp lost 2.1 percent to $21.80 in premarket trade.
Deutsche Telekom sweetened its terms for the proposed merger between T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS Communications by reducing the combined company’s debt, bowing to pressure from activists and proxy advisory firms. MetroPcs shares slipped 1.5 percent to $11.39 before the opening bell.
Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc surged 42.3 percent to $11.37 in premarket trading after the drugmaker said data from an initial late-stage trial would be sufficient to file for approval for its experimental Parkinson’s Disease drug, and it would not need to conduct an additional trial as it had planned earlier.


text:
NeoPhotonics Corp. (NYSE: NPTN) says it has begun sampling a coherent CFP Digital Coherent Optics (DCO) optical transceiver. The new ClearLight CFP-DCO sets up NeoPhotonics as a second source for those looking for an alternative to Acacia Communications' CFP-DCO (see "Acacia Communications shipping coherent CFP").
According to NeoPhotonics' director of marketing, Ferris Lipscomb, the currently sampling version of the ClearLight optical module will support 100-Gbps transmission. A future iteration, likely to start sampling in the next few quarters, will support 200 Gbps via 16-QAM modulation.
Lipscomb says that NeoPhotonics is engaged with about five customers on the transceiver, a list that includes not only systems vendors but data center operators as well. He said that potential customers are interested in the device to add 100-Gbps coherent capabilities to currently fielded systems as well as to support new line card designs. Contrary to what was stated here when this story was originally posted, not all of the customers have received samples yet, Lightwave has learned.
A NeoPhotonics press release states that the device leverages "the latest advances in 16-nm Digital Signal Processors (DSPs)." Lipscomb would not identify its DSP source, but noted the optical transceiver is designed to enable NeoPhotonics to leverage multiple DSP sources.
The coherent transceiver benefits from a number of already fielded NeoPhotonics components. It also features standard hard decision staircase forward error correction (FEC) to promote interoperability, as well as proprietary soft-decision FEC for high-performance applications.
Lipscomb said that NeoPhotonics is not yet discussing the potential for a CFP2-DCO module, but noted such a device would be a logical extension of the newly announced CFP transceiver.
For related articles, visit the Optical Technologies Topic Center.
For more information on optical transceivers and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.


text:
Filed under: Fun, Games, AndroidAndroid Angry Birds players, you're getting closer to catching with to your iPhone brethren. The 45 levels of Angry Birds Episode 4: The Big Setup are now available as an update from the Android Market, bringing the total number of levels on Android to a whopping 195. Version 1.42 of Angry Birds also fixes a blank screen issue on Android 1.6 devices and improves the graphics on small QVGA screens. The update is free, just as new levels on the iPhone have always been free.
In the same breath — okay, the same blog post — Rovio has opened preorders for Angry Birds plush toys. Although they're not downloadable, they're still worth mentioned because A) a mobile game has become so big that people want to buy real-life branded merchandise and B) the bird toys are really cute (in an angry sort of way)!
Angry Birds for Android gets 45 more levels (and Angry Birds now has plush toys!)
Fuente: Download Squad


text:
NEW DELHI: Ericsson
has said that it
is set to further scale up consumer additions for Reliance Jio
Infocomm after helping the new entrant onboard nearly a million subscribers a day as part of the telecom gear maker’s largest ever operations and business support solution deployments worldwide.
“The OSS suite that we have deployed with RJio has already set a world record of processing in excess of a million orders a day,” Ekow Nelson, region head-IT & cloud
at Ericsson India, told ET. “As Jio steps up its growth, we are working collaboratively on scaling these volumes manifold, well beyond what any operator is capable or has ever handled.”
In 2014, the Swedish company had bagged a Rs 60 crore end-to-end Operations Support Systems (OSS) order from billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio. Ericsson’s solution deployment included order and inventory management and activation services, through which it had helped Jio net 100 million users in a record 170 days.
The OSS system acts as an interface between Jio’s network and its customers and plays a critical role in enabling the telco deliver quality commitments, including enrolment of consumers, provisioning of large volumes of orders and activation of services.
“Ericsson OSS solutions enables faster service, customer agility and supports operators during every phase of the customer lifecycle,” Nelson said, adding that the suite meets the entire Plan to Build (P2B) and Order to Activation (O2A) for the operator.
With Jio building a pan-India LTE only network and adding more than 100 million subscribers in a very quick time, the sheer scale and pace makes this deployment unique, according to the Swedish company executive who spearheaded this project.
Mumbai-based Jio that launched commercial services on September 5 last year has been adding users at a record pace with users consuming more than 100 crore of Gigabytes (GB) of data per month.
The Indian internet user is consuming a lot of data and this fast changing consumption behaviour is putting greater focus on network performance, he said, adding that for the cost of delivering a gigabyte (GB) of data, Jio has set a new, lower cost benchmark.
As the subscriber consumes more data than ever before, issues of scale, quality of service (QoS
) and quality of experience (QoE) are intensifying the trend toward cloud and virtualisation of telecom networks, Nelson said, adding that Big Data analytics and insights would become key areas of differentiation and competitive advantage.
“The Indian telecom industry
is evolving rapidly with the introduction of disruptive pricing strategies as well as fast-changing user behaviour. Be it streaming videos, social media or chat-driven apps, data will continue to be the key driver for industry growth,” the company added.


text: Ericsson, the largest maker of equipment for mobile-phone networks, will post its first quarterly loss in nine years as phone companies cut spending and handset sales drop. The Swedish company forecast a first-quarter pretax loss of $406 million to $508 million, with sales unchanged or somewhat lower than a year earlier. In January, Ericsson said it would break even and sales would rise 15%. Ericsson and rivals such as Motorola Inc. are suffering amid slackening mobile-phone sales, reduced spending on networks and a weaker U.S. economy. Ericsson, which is farming out phone production to stem losses at its handset unit, said cellular-phone sales will fall considerably this quarter.


text:
LONDON (ICIS)–Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and performance additives producer Venator expects adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to decline further in the current quarter, following negative adjusted EBITDA of $57m and $8m in Q3 and Q4 2022, respectively.
For TiO2, sales volumes should increase in Q1, CEO Simon Turner said during Venator’s Q4 results call on Tuesday.
However, the volume increase would be more than offset by the higher cost of goods sold and lower average selling prices, “resulting in a meaningfully lower EBITDA result in the first quarter”, compared with Q4, Turner said.
The cost of goods sold will increase from Q4, when Venator recorded a one-time benefit from the sale of energy hedges and furlough schemes in Germany, he added.
The company furloughed most workers at its 50,000 tonne/year TiO2 site in Duisburg, Germany, as it suspended production there in Q4, Turner pointed out.
The Duisburg site has been impacted by high inflationary costs resulting in “unsustainably low” TiO2 contribution margins, he said.
The plant primarily makes products going into the fibre and active material end markets. Following the coronavirus pandemic, demand for these products has fallen, he said.
Although Venator is in the process of restarting production of both TiO2 and functional additives, it does not believe that it is economically viable to continue TiO2 production at Duisburg in the long term and plans to permanently close TiO2 production there.
The closure would go ahead, “unless economic conditions meaningfully improve,” the CEO said during the call.
TIO2 DEMAND REMAINS WEAK
Venator has seen “some recovery” in TiO2 sales volumes so far in Q1, and it believes that destocking in Europe “has primarily run its course”, although underlying demand remains weak, Turner said.
In Asia-Pacific, Venator’s sales volumes should improve toward the end of Q1 as Chinese domestic demand improves after the Lunar New Year, he said.
As for Venator’s performance additives segment, this business was more “resilient” than TiO2 during Q4.
Nevertheless, its adjusted EBITDA fell by nearly 74% year on year as sales volumes fell by 22% amid softer demand from the construction and coating end markets.
In Q1, the EBITDA for performance additives is expected to be “significantly lower” than in Q4, primarily due to the suspension of production at a functional additives facility that is co-located at the Duisburg TiO2 site, Turner said.
After Q1, total EBITDA should start improving as demand recovers, picking up pace in the second and third quarters, primarily within the TiO2 segment, he said.
In the meantime, Venator continues to work with advisors on a strategic review to improve its operations, strengthen is liquidity position and establish a sustainable capital structure, the CEO said.
“Cost reduction, operational optimisation and liquidity remain our near-term priorities,” he said.
Liquidity will improve on completion of the divestment of Venator’s iron oxide business, expected by the end of Q1, he said.
Venator, three months ended 31 December:
|(in million $)
|Costs of goods sold
Venator expects its 2022 audited financial statement to be issued with an unqualified audit opinion, “with explanatory language about our ability to continue as a going concern as a result of projected liquidity”, chief financial officer Kurt Ogden added.
The company did not take questions from analysts during the Q4 call.
As a manufacturer, Panzhihua Haifengxin has developed a range of tio2 pigment which is client-oriented and aims to address customer needs in the fields of coating, ink, plastic, paper, and so on.


text:
For the past few months we’ve only been hearing bad news reported about the hard drive sector. That’s all due to the flooding in Thailand and the impact it has had on hard drive pricing. Thankfully the flooding has receded, and manufacturing plants are coming back online. Pricing will remain high for a few months yet, but all signs point to a return to normal before the middle of next year.
If you’ve been trying to wait out the high prices before buying a new, big hard drive, the flooding may have actually been a blessing in disguise. While 3TB drives have been the biggest available until now, Hitachi has just set the bar higher with not one, but two 4TB drive announcements.
The new drives carry the names Deskstar 5K4000 and Touro Desk External Drive. As you’ve probably guessed, the 5K4000 is the 3.5-inch internal version that ships with a 32MB cache and uses CoolSpin technology to save power–a 28% saving when compared to a 7,200rpm Deskstar 7K3000. That’s a bit misleading though, as this new drive is thought to max out at 5,900rpm.
The Touro is the equivalent drive in external form and sporting a USB 3.0 connection. Hitachi also throws in an additional 3GB of cloud storage accessible through HitachiBackup.com, and the drive ships in a black, textured case.
◊Join ccnworldtech on Telegram and stay updated with latest discussions,informations and hacks --CLICK HERE
As with any new, high capacity drive, there is going to be a premium price applied. Where as you can get a fast 3TB drive for between $300-$350, the 5K4000 has an MSRP of $399.99. The Touro Desk is slightly more at $419.99. But remember, these prices should slide before the middle of next year, at which point competitors including Seagate , Samsung , and Western Digital will most likely have competing drives meaning prices will be squeezed even more.
Both Hitachi’s new drives should appear on the market early next year, with the Touro Desk arriving in January this year and the 5K4000 listed as Q1.


text:
The city may expand the scope of its Plastic Battles, potentially catching in its crosshairs disposable plastic forks, knives, and spoons—all single-use plasticware, really, could be targeted for banishment.
On Wednesday, Councilmember Rafael Espinal introduced a bill that would obligate the Departments of Consumer Affairs, Sanitation, and Environmental Protection to annually evaluate these plastic products, and "ban those items for which reasonable alternatives are available."
According to Eater, plastic cutlery would likely be among the first products on the chopping block, but the language could reasonably extend to takeout containers (which some of us repurpose as potentially carcinogenic tupperware, what of it), plastic bags, anything for which a recyclable or reusable replacement exists.
In May, Espinal also proposed a plastic straw ban for bars and restaurants citywide. In an op-ed for USA Today, he highlighted the staggering volume of plastic trash clogging up our oceans—currently, 5 trillion pieces; by 2050, quite possibly more plastics than fish—writing that "the scale of this crisis requires government action." A number of NYC establishments, including Eataly and the Barclays Center, have slashed their straw use, although the bill itself remains laid over in committee.
This year, the city's single-used polystyrene moratorium went into effect, and as part of his 2019 budget, Governor Cuomo also proposed banning single-use plastic bags statewide. Critics contend that the policy would simply cause consumers to lean more heavily on paper and thicker plastic bags, but in any case, a number of U.S. cities have taken plastic bags out of circulation or imposed a surcharge on all single-use carryalls. The European Union, meanwhile, has banned all single-use plastics, whether in the form of cutlery or plates or the little sticks in cotton swabs.
The bill's potential passage does not mean your preferred fast-casual lunch spot will transform overnight into a utensil desert, obligating you to eat your Just Salad Rat Bowl with your hands, or drink your soup straight from the carton because someone in your office keeps stealing the spoons you bring from home. It could take years to ban single-use plastics, during which time the city would need to evaluate both the consumer and economic cost of alternatives, as well as the city's recycling capacity.
Still, New York Harbor is (or, in 2016, was) really just a garbage bay, a natural extension of its being connected to the world's trash oceans I suppose. Seeking out plastic alternatives seems like a good and reasonable place to start, and while we're at it, why not make all disposable cutlery compostable sporks? If you design them correctly, you can kill all three silverware needs with one handy instrument. Just something to think about.


text:
Pre-Pay Gas Stations Becoming Sign Of Times
Posted August 19, 2005 3:04 a.m. EDT
RALEIGH, N.C. — Officials claim the rising cost of gas is fueling a surge in gas drive-offs, which is leading to an inconvenience at convenience stores.
In a matter of seconds, gas thieves can fill up their tank and empty the wallets of store owners. Stealing gas has become so widespread that the North Carolina Petroleum Marketers Association is thinking about asking lawmakers to force every store in the state to require customers to pay before they pump.
"It's difficult to catch and prosecute, so we always see drive-offs go up," said Gary Harris, the agency's director.
Forcing customers to pre-pay is something some stores in Knightdale and Raleigh are already doing. Many store owners strongly oppose requiring customers to prepay mainly because it goes against the very nature of their business, which is convenience.
Most customers do not seem to mind.
"I think that's the fair thing to do -- to prepay because the store needs its money," says Pat Flowers.
Store clerks at a Mobil station in Morrisville told WRAL News their employer is taking matters a step further by deducting money out of employee paychecks if a drive-off happens on their watch. A company spokesman would not comment on the claims.


text:
Unveiled at the 2014 New Delhi Auto Expo in India, Ford says the sub-four-metre Figo concept was designed with the Indian market in mind, but “created with global standards of design, quality and performance”.
Ford Australia led the design and engineering of the current, first-generation Ford Figo, which is produced in Chennai, India and sold in about 40 countries, though brand communications manager Neil McDonald confirmed the local division had no involvement with the new concept.
The design of the Figo concept was led by Ford North America chief designer Ehab Kaoud, who says the concept represents the brand’s vision of a “refined, no-compromise approach to designing a compact car”.
The Figo concept is effectively a sedan version of the Ford Ka concept – a micro-hatch unveiled in Brazil in November with a similar tilt towards emerging markets.
The two share near-identical front-end styling, featuring the same signature trapezoidal grille with four horizontal chrome slats, elongated headlights, and ribbed bonnet. Unique to the Figo concept is its front bumper and lower intake design, door contours and handle design, side mirrors with indictors, alloy wheel design, and of course its stubby three-box sedan-style boot and tail-light layout.
Ford global product development engineering vice president Kumar Galhotra describes the Figo concept as “the perfect symbol of how we continue to build on the One Ford plan”, though it’s unclear at this stage if the production model will target emerging markets only or developed ones too.
The original Figo was based on the previous-generation Ford Fiesta, and it’s believed the new Figo/Ka twins are based on the underpinnings of the current Fiesta.
The Ford Ka, which has been confirmed to launch in Europe in 2015, is being studied closely for the Australian market. Ford is yet to officially confirm its production plans for the Figo concept.
While not involved with this project, Ford Australia has been busy designing and engineering the reborn Ford Escort – a compact four-door sedan for the Chinese market – as well as the Ranger-based Everest SUV.


text:
Coty’s Philosophy brand is turning a page.Philosophy is emphasizing its skin-care roots while creating a new charity devoted to well-being. “Philosophy combines science and inspiration, empowering beauty from the inside out,” said Jill Scalamandre, chief marketing officer of the skin-care division of Coty Inc. Quoting from the brand’s new manifesto, she continued, “We encourage conversation, we embrace generosity, we inspire beautiful skin as well as beautiful days, so you can feel confident that everything is possible.”While the brand is known for emblazoning its philosophies on all of its products, Scalamandre pointed out that Philosophy was originally a spin-off of Biomedic, founder Cristina Carlino’s first company. Biomedic, which Carlino sold to L’Oréal in 2001, is widely credited with creating the “lunchtime peel,” and when Carlino founded Philosophy, she kept peels as the core of the brand’s skin-care sales. When Coty acquired Philosophy in 2010, it continued that skin-care emphasis, said Scalamandre. “Peels are still at the heart of our line,” said Scalamandre. Scalamandre noted that 58 percent of Philosophy’s sales are done in skin care. Fragrance accounts for 27 percent, she added, with the remainder done in bath and body and miscellaneous products.No Reason to Hide, the brand’s newest skin-care offering, is a product duo intended to treat a variety of skin imperfections, including blotchiness, darkened and enlarged pores, rough texture, redness, dark spots and acne scars. “We believe it’s the first all-in-one solution proven to treat skin imperfections from any source,” said Scalamandre. No Reason to Hide Multi-Imperfection Transforming Serum, $68 for 1 oz., is a daily treatment designed to be applied under moisturizer or foundation. No Reason to Hide Skin-tone Perfecting Moisturizer, $45 for 1 oz., is an instant skin-tone perfecting moisturizer, said Scalamandre. She noted that the duo is designed to “prevent further imperfections from appearing.”The key ingredient in both products is brown algae. “In general, brown algae contains superantioxidant powers and is excellent at combating free radical oxidation,” said Scalamandre. “Coty’s exclusive strain of brown algae was selected for its unique ability to follow and interrupt the complete pathway of melanin formation from the very first signals initiated by UV exposure or damage to skin.” The products will be available in August at philosophy.com and in September in the brand’s full distribution, about 1,800 department and specialty store doors in the U.S. While Scalamandre declined to discuss sales projections, industry sources estimated the duo could do upward of $10 million at retail in its first year on counter.Next week, the brand will unveil its charity arm, the Hope & Grace Initiative. Philosophy will dedicate 1 percent of all sales to community-based organizations working to empower women through the promotion and treatment of mental health. The program will be launched next week on philosophy.com. Beginning in January, 1 percent of all sales will be devoted to the cause. Scalamandre noted that within five years, the Hope & Grace Initiative is projected to donate more than $10 million. The charity takes its name from Philosophy’s two best-selling products, Hope in a Jar moisturizer and Amazing Grace fragrance. Philosophy will annually give multiple grants of $25,000 to support hundreds of qualified organizations around the world, said Scalamandre.“More than any other issue, mental well-being is directly connected to the spirit of the Philosophy brand,” she said, pointing out that the brand’s packaging has always carried uplifting messages. “In addition,” she said, “Philosophy becomes the first global skin-care and fragrance brand to make a brand-wide commitment to dedicate at least 1 percent of all sales toward philanthropic efforts — with no product restrictions.”The first grant is being given to Bring Change 2 Mind, a national antistigma organization cofounded by actress Glenn Close with the mission to raise awareness and work to end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness.
To celebrate Pride 2018, @themarcjacobs released the #GratefulNotHateful campaign, a social media initiative aimed at extending Pride beyond the parade. Inspired by Jacobs’ everyday outlook, the campaign features Jacobs along with a group of models and social media stars who are members and supporters of the LGBT community, all seen wearing @marcbeauty’s Highliner Gel Eye Crayons in colors of the rainbow. Head to our Instagram stories to see close-ups of the liner. #wwdbeauty
Virgil Abloh’s dad Nee and Don Crawley, cofounder of RSVP Gallery, were some of the hometown crew at the Chicago-born designer’s debut show for Louis Vuitton. (📸: @jdiderich ) #wwdmens #louisvuitton #virgilabloh
About last night: @marycharteris and @adwoaaboah hit up Hyde Park for the Serpentine Galleries’ annual summer party held in partnership with @chanelofficial. Head to WWD.com to see more photos. #wwdfashion
“This is Paris, my first show. I’m all about democracy. If some kid shows up, flew from New Jersey to just be around, let’s get him a seat.” — @virgilabloh tells WWD’s @jdiderich ahead of his first show for @louisvuitton men’s. (📸: @alfredo_piola ) #wwdmens #virgilabloh #louisvuitton
“Kate Spade was a true fashion icon who brought joy to the lives of women around the world, and inspired women to live life to the fullest. We are dedicated to carrying on her legacy,” said Anna Bakst, brand president and chief executive officer of @katespadeny. The Kate Spade Foundation announced that it will be donating $1 million to suicide prevention and mental health awareness in tribute to the recent death of Kate Spade. Read more on WWD.com. #wwdnews (📷: @chinseephoto)
A first look at @virgilabloh’s sneakers for @louisvuitton. Abloh spoke to WWD about his debut collection for Louis Vuitton, creating @kendalljenner’s #metgala outfit and redefining the heritage brand. Read the full story on WWD.com. #wwdfashion 📷: @alfredo_piola)
The world’s largest producer of denim @iskodenim is sharing the strategy behind its product development process. Read our full interview with ISKO’s product development manager Baris Ozden on the company’s extensive research practices, upcoming denim trends and the latest material innovations on WWD.com. #iskodenim


text:
Indian businesses are making significant investments in technologies to unleash the power of data and capitalize on its vast potential, says Prasad Rai, Vice President, Global Strategic Clients Group, Oracle India
What is India’s role in the data economy today?
Over the last few years, India has begun a historic transition toward becoming a data economy fuelled by a variety of factors such as government support, rising internet penetration, mass urbanisation, digitization of skills, and the expansion of the startup ecosystem. Data is at the heart of these factors; its impact is redefining “intelligence” across industries and guiding Indian businesses toward innovation, growth, and well-being.
How has been the progress, so far? What more needs to be done?
In the past decade, India has experienced explosive growth in the data analytics industry due to the rise of internet users. The internet penetration has doubled from 20% in 2018 to 41% in 2019, according to World Bank, and is expected to add over 900 million users by 2025. Individuals and enterprises in India are generating a significant amount of personal data because of the proliferation of digital services. This vast collection of data has created a vast pool of data and prompting organizations to expand their data analysis capabilities.
This expansion has aided the data analytics industry by significantly increasing the collection of data that can potentially be used to enter new markets. The data analytics industry already recorded a substantial 26.5% year-on-year growth in 2021, with the market value reaching US$ 45.4 billion.
Indian businesses are making significant investments in technologies to unleash the power of data and capitalize on its vast potential. However, the broader economy has yet to capitalize on the wide opportunities offered by data-led insights. We are seeing a greater push from both the government and private players, and based on current trends, we may see a more synchronized framework to leverage the actual power of data to advance our economy to greater potential.
In the past decade, India has experienced explosive growth in the data analytics industry due to the rise of internet users. The internet penetration has doubled from 20% in 2018 to 41% in 2019, according to World Bank, and is expected to add over 900 million users by 2025.
The theme of 2022’s looming trends is how data integrates into core business processes. How has India been progressing?
While it is undeniable that data has emerged as a critical business resource and asset for organisations seeking to expand their operations at almost all the levels. We see data integration emerging as a ‘Megatrend,’ encompassing almost all economic sectors and industries, paving the way for the Indian economy to emerge as a data-led economy and a major contributor to the overall growth of the Asian economy in the coming decades. This, in turn, will boost overall industry growth, particularly our country’s rapidly expanding startup ecosystem. Businesses must now use data intelligently and integrate it into core processes. Many organisations in industries such as IT/ITES, BFSI, healthcare and pharma, e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, and others are heavily investing in smart technologies to integrate data into their business processes. Oracle, for example, works with a variety of organisations, including Safexpress, Apollo Tyres, Clix Capital, SBI Card, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Quess Corp, Apollo Hospitals, SBI General Insurance, IndiaFirst Life Insurance, HDFC ERGO Indira IVF, and many others, to integrate data into their core processes, which ranges from HR functions to financial management to supply chain management.
We are seeing a greater push from both the government and private players, and based on current trends, we may see a more synchronized framework to leverage the actual power of data to advance our economy to greater potential.
In terms of progress, India has come a long way, but there is still a long way to go to get into the core of the reaping the best benefits of data analytics. While the personal data revolution has clearly moved at breakneck speed because of rapid advancements in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, businesses have yet to develop a common ethical framework to govern data value chain choices.
Are there data-savvy leaders deployed across all functions of the business?
Globally, data has been doubling every three years and is expected to reach close to 180 Zettabytes (ZBs) by 2025. It is critical to identify the right data sets among the mountains of data that businesses have these days. While technology facilitates the collection, analysis, and use of data, it is critical to have leaders who are data-savvy and understand the data in order to efficiently deploy data across business functions. In this regard, given the extensive value that data provides, businesses should invest in skilling all business leaders, regardless of their roles, to ensure that they can make the best use of the inputs that technology provides. In fact, data knowledge should be a requirement for all business leaders in organisations.
How important is the role of data in the digital economy?
In this twenty-first century of digital transformation, data has emerged as the new oil for running to mechanism of digital economy. Data is the new fuel and the oxygen that contains enormous untapped potential. Individuals and organisations generate massive amounts of data every second in the form of documents, images, videos, social media messages, search queries, news, and so on. From public to private, all organizations across economic sector are gradually realizing the value data provides, as a key driving asset to promote strategic decision making for business leaders. Over the past few years data has emerged as a highly valuable business resource in the digital age. Data can provide enormous value and smart and foresighted insights if properly analysed and utilised.
Cloud computing is providing the right tools for this, laying the groundwork for leveraging data as an asset, and cloud providers such as Oracle are assisting businesses in becoming more effective.
How critical is it for Indian businesses to embrace the right use of data while also becoming highly secure and aligning their business processes in the midst of the digital transformation wave? What role does cloud players like Oracle play in driving the data economy megatrend?
There is an abundance of data, and the key to business growth is making the best use of it. The proper application of this wealth of information opens up a plethora of opportunities for businesses to embrace and promote a truly data-driven culture within their organisations. This is where technology comes into play; to enable intelligent use of data intelligently. Hence, organisations must implement the appropriate tools and technologies to collect, understand, analyse, and apply data to realise its full potential. Cloud computing is providing the right tools for this, laying the groundwork for leveraging data as an asset, and cloud providers such as Oracle are assisting businesses in becoming more effective. Consolidating clouds and analytics could help businesses store, interpret, and process big data to better meet the needs of their clients. The ease, accessibility, and capability of performing complex data analysis on very large data sets has rapidly increased thanks to cloud analytics.
Oracle has been collaborating with organisations globally and in India to provide the best data analysis capabilities. For example, in the healthcare sector, where data has become an essential tool for creating actionable insights and predictive analysis for disease detection and treatment. Oracle provide solutions to various hospitals and pharmaceutical companies in this sector to help them transform their internal and external processes, including Indira IVF, Apollo Hospitals, Omega Healthcare, Fortis Hospitals, Shri Ganga Ram Hospitals, SBI General Insurance, IndiaFirst Life Insurance, HDFC ERGO and many more. Oracle has partnered with global healthcare providers to integrate records onto a single source of data; for example, Oracle’s Cerner acquisition is a critical step toward creating a unified national health records database on top of thousands of separate hospital databases.
In this data-driven ecosystem, what are the key trends that will shape society and businesses alike? And, given that technology companies now have a dual role to play—as both consumers and contributors—how is technology evolving and taking centre stage?
Data-led economy and digital ecosystem have contributed a lot to the expansion of various other megatrends within the economy such as startup growth, disruption in the future of work, embedded finance, advancement of telecom services such as 5G proliferation, and many more. If one looks closely, one can see that all these trends are interconnected, integrated, and mutually beneficial. These ‘Megatrends’ are now shaping society and businesses alike and have the potential to change India’s economic fabric in the coming decade.
Technology companies play a critical role here as enablers, supporting and enhancing organisations in both the private and public sectors as they progress through their digital transformation journeys. For example, cloud providers such as Oracle are at the forefront of assisting their customers during disruptions and providing continuous innovation that aids in the evolution of the business dynamics and raising their standard. Our customers rely heavily on Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications to assist them in evolving by utilising smart embedded technologies such as AI, ML, blockchain, and data analytics to assist businesses in adopting to these trends and making the best use of data.
Vice President, Global Strategic Clients Group, Oracle India
By Aanchal Ghatak


text:
Oct 30, 2018
Tapestry tops sales estimates as Coach handbags draw shoppers
Oct 30, 2018
Net sales rose to $1.38 billion, above analysts’ expectations of $1.36 billion.
Sales at Coach, which makes up over 70 percent of Tapestry’s overall sales, rose 4 percent in the three months ended Sept. 29.
In an effort to maintain its exclusivity, Tapestry has been pulling inventory from department stores and cutting back on flash sales.
The fashion house, also known for Stuart Weitzman footwear, is also benefiting from lower tax rates.
Tapestry CEO Victor Luis said: “At the one year anniversary of establishing Tapestry as our new corporate identity, our results continue to reflect the benefits of our diversified multi-brand model. First quarter performance was consistent with our expectations as we achieved strong increases in sales and operating income, while earnings per share gains were further enhanced by a favorable tax rate.
“At Stuart Weitzman, trends improved from the prior quarter, though results, as anticipated, continued to be negatively impacted by development and delivery delays which pressured sales and margins."
Tapestry said quarterly net income was $122.3 million, compared with a loss of $17.7 million a year earlier.
© Thomson Reuters 2022 All rights reserved.


text:
This year’s G20 Summit will be held in Osaka, Japan. The Global Commission on the Stability in Cyberspace participated in two successive meetings on the digital economy, helping to inform the G20 members on issues pertaining to responsible behavior in cyberspace.
Prior to the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Trade and Digital Economy in Tsukuba, Japan, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) will hold a G20 Digital Economy Multi-Stakeholder Conference on May 10.
GCSC Commissioner Virgilio Almeida will give a keynote address about the work of the Commission at the conference, which provides an opportunity for a variety of stakeholders and experts to hold discussions on major subjects of the G20 ministerial meeting.
In another event also leading up to the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Trade and Digital Economy, GCSC Commissioner Motohiro Tsuchiya took part in a Public-Private Dialogue session on May 9 along with the B20, U20, W20, C20, T20 representatives. He highlighted some of the current work of the GCSC, advocated in favor of the multi-stakeholder approach to cybersecurity at the ministerial meeting and encouraged further discussions on norms of responsible behavior.
The G20 Ministerial Meeting on Trade and Digital Economy will take place from June 8-9 in Tsukuba, Ibaraki. Later that month, on June 28-29 the G20 Summit Meeting will be held in Osaka, Japan.


text:
Every year, Travel + Leisure recognizes the best hotels and tourist destinations around the world. This year, T +L’s World’s Best Awards named Mexico’s San Miguel Allende as the best city in the world!
This year’s No. 1 winner — for the first time ever in the World’s Best Awards’ 22-year history — is Mexico’s San Miguel de Allende. “San Miguel is one of the most authentic, creative and cost-effective destinations we’ve visited,” says a T+L reader of the colonial city, a part of which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. “Over the years we’ve discovered more great restaurants and activities, but the town still maintains its Mexican heritage, culture and charm.”
Wach Top Chef host, Padma Lakshmi, announce why this charming colonial city has been recognized with this award and why she looks forward to coming back soon!!
Are you ready to travel to San Miguel de Allende?
Check these incredible experience in San Miguel Allende
Take an exclusive, one-of-a-kind journey to San Miguel de Allende to discover why this colorful town and thriving center for art and culture is a favorite among world travelers.
Visit Mexico during the Day of the Dead Celebration (Día de Muertos) to experience this colorful, intimate holiday of love, loss, and life after death…


text:
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
The New York Auto Show is under way. It is the last big showcase of new cars before the auto industry moves into its summer selling season. This year, special attention is being paid to Japanese automakers as they recover from last month's earthquake and tsunami.
NPR's Sonari Glinton reports from the New York Auto Show on the health of the Japanese car industry.
SONARI GLINTON: Auto shows are usually just really big industry parties - a time for car executives to show off their cool new stuff, tease their rivals, put on a new face for the public. Don't get me wrong, this show had all of that, but it also had a little more, a touch of melancholy.
Mr. TAKESHI TACHIMORI (Chairman, Subaru of America): During these trying times, we have received warm encouragement and tremendous support from many in the United States.
GLINTON: That's the new chairman of Subaru of America, Takeshi Tachimori. But that note of somberness and gratitude is about as far as the execs will go. The rest of the show and the product launches were full of the typical sort of weird, hyped-up auto-show exuberance.
Mr. JACK HOLLIS (Vice President, Scion): You know, I get excitable about a lot of things.
GLINTON: Like Jack Hollis of Scion unveiling a new concept car.
Mr. HOLLIS: But I love this car.
GLINTON: Besides the strange mix of happy and sad, when pressed about the realities of the situation in Japan, executives are polite, and they deflect. Here's Bob Carter. He's the head of Toyota North America.
Mr. BOB CARTER (Group Vice President and General Manager, Toyota Motor Sales USA, Incorporated): It's affecting the entire industry. There's really - there will not be an automotive brand that will remain unaffected by this tragedy.
GLINTON: That is true. It's also true the earthquake and tsunami have had a greater effect on the Japanese car companies. Toyota announced today that it won't get back to full production in the U.S. until this summer. And globally, they won't get back on track until this winter.
Despite the setbacks, Bob Carter of Toyota and all the other executives of Japanese companies take great pains to remain upbeat.
Mr. CARTER: We remain focused on bringing the best products to market, at a great value for American consumers, at a high mpg for American consumers. And that has been the heritage of Toyota, and you'll see us continue to do that.
GLINTON: Some of Toyota's problems may have shown the Japanese automakers the importance of skillful PR.
Mr. AARON BRAGMAN (Analyst, IHS Automotive): They've been facing some very interesting issues in the last couple of years that they've never faced before.
GLINTON: That's Aaron Bragman. He's an analyst with IHS Automotive. He says the Japanese car industry hasn't had much experience dealing with PR nightmares like, say, their Detroit brethren. That's affected how they've responded to this disaster.
Mr. BRAGMAN: We're very concerned that the production disruption that we've seen from the suppliers in Japan is going to be more serious than the Japanese automakers are letting on.
GLINTON: He says there's one reason the car companies are putting on as happy a face as possible.
Mr. BRAGMAN: Stock price. You don't want to alarm any investors, you don't want to alarm the market. If the market thinks that you're not going to have the same kind of strong earnings this year that you're claiming that you're going to have, it could adversely affect your stock price.
GLINTON: Bragman says he doesn't expect the Japanese automakers to be completely forthright about conditions until it's absolutely necessary. The reality is, Bragman says, the supply chain problems couldn't come at a worse time.
Mr. BRAGMAN: We're just about to go into the hottest selling months of the year, spring and summer, and this is combined with the fact that we have high fuel prices. The vehicles that are going to be in higher demand are the smaller vehicles, which are typically the strongest for the Japanese.
GLINTON: So who benefits if the Japanese carmakers aren't able to get their cars to market?
Mr. DAVE ZUCHOWSKI (Hyundai): I'm Dave Zuchowski. I'm the executive vice president for sales for Hyundai Motor America.
GLINTON: The Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia have been snapping at the heels of the Japanese automakers long before the recent disaster.
Mr. ZUCHOWSKI: We are, thankfully, relatively unaffected by the component shortages resulting from Japan-sourced parts because we don't have many of them. So that's really not affecting our availability.
GLINTON: Dave Zuchowski of Hyundai and his company are careful not say or even suggest that they'll benefit if the Japanese carmakers stumble.
Mr. ZUCHOWSKI: But I think we have the best lineup of cars, maybe the best positioned for escalating fuel prices. From a freshness of product and positioning of product, we're in great shape.
GLINTON: The harsh reality is there's a pent-up demand in the U.S. for cars. With gas prices climbing higher and higher, the company with the most fuel-efficient vehicles on dealer lots is likely to win, at least this round.
Sonari Glinton, NPR News, New York.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


text:
FORGET Paris, New York and Milan —if you want to be a fashion leader, then Hackney and Dalston are the places to be seen in, literally!
Trendy designer Т-shirts bearing both place names are this summer’s “must-have” buy for the fashion conscious.
The distinctive black and red tops have turned the borough into the consummate of cool, thanks to top designer Kaveh Savage, who sells them exclusively from his West End shop in Soho.
The only other area featured on the T-j shirts besides Hackney and Dalston is Peckham in south London.
“Kaveh Savage visited America and noticed they had their own T-shirts for tough areas like the Bronx and Harlem,” said his assistant. Магу-Ellen Prendergast.
“He thought about the three shi***est areas of London and came up with Hackney, Dalston and Peckham, “but it’s all done very much tongue in cheek because Hackney especially is really hip and happening,” she added.
The shirts, which cost £19.50 each, are being snapped up so fast the shop can hardly keep up with demand. In the three weeks since they went on sale, the shop has sold an average of 60 a week.
The “Hackney” Т-shirt sells the best, with the Dalston one outselling the Peckham T-shirt “Most of the people who buy them are professional people in their early 20s or 30s who live in the borough or once lived there,” said Mary-Ellen Prendergast. “They are wearing them like a badge of honour to show they are proud of the place.”


text:
In many respects, 2005 is beginning to look a lot like 2004. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA; Rockville, MD) is still promising the “imminent” publication of good manufacturing practices (GMPs) for dietary supplements.
The more consumers learn and remember about brain and memory support supplements, the more likely they are to turn to them for a mental boost.
While the ban did eliminate a top-selling ingredient, in the long run it may have ended up helping, rather than hurting, the industry. As manufacturers have backed away from stimulant-based approaches to weight loss, other ingredients have rushed in to fill the void. Moreover, manufacturers are now asking for more clinical and safety data.
In October, a skeptical American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG; Washington, DC) task force issued a new set of HRT guidelines for women—guidelines that do not recommend botanicals. According to the ACOG, “Few nutritional supplements have been rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness.”
The dietary supplement industry is on an upward curve, spurred by more university research and scientific partnerships linking together U.S. and international developers, suppliers, and research centers. One result of this positive trajectory is that raw-material suppliers are now refining and introducing compounds backed by science that address the issues that matter most to consumers: cardiovascular health, antioxidant and immune support, healthy glucose levels, smooth digestion, weight control, energy and stress reduction, and detoxification.
Dietary supplements cannot improve memory or mental acuity, but several new products offer support for those hoping to keep their faculties sharp for years to come.
Once regarded as fringe therapies, dietary supplements and botanicals have become the subjects of serious cancer research, particularly at the National Institutes of Health’s (Bethesda, MD) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS).