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Rick Osterloh, president and chief operating officer, compares Motorola Mobility's recent attempt at a turnaround to Apple's own situation in the late '90s.
The company already cut the price tag of its not-yet-a-year-old game console by $100 when it removed the Kinect camera accessory. Now, it's nipping off another $50 as the holiday-shopping season kicks in.
The Audiophiliac was on the prowl at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest last week in Denver for the best sounding gear, priced from affordable up to "sky's the-limit!"
Check out our video review of the LG G3 S, a 5-inch Android phone with low-end specs, but the same design as the high-performance flagship G3.
Whether its the best drip you can make at home or robotic smarts there's a slick coffeemaker here for you.
The 6-inch slate starts at an affordable $99 (€78, AU$112).
Amazon debuts two new e-ink readers for 2014: the high-end Voyage and the new entry-level touch-screen Kindle.
Lego has succumbed to pressure from Greenpeace over its long-term promotional contract with petroleum giant Shell.
There's a psychic, a Ouija board and eyes that go...oh, you just have to see this thing. It's advertising a horror movie, of course.
The eBay auction for the prototype has come to a halt, and the item is no longer available. Could Apple have stepped in to put the kibosh on it?


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Edmonton— AMVIC has suspended the automotive business licence of Autos R Less Corp. in Medicine Hat for knowingly selling vehicles with outstanding liens to consumers. AMVIC is aware that 21 registered vehicle seizure notices have been issued in relation to Autos R Less Corp., of which nine have been purchased by Alberta consumers. These vehiclesRead More
Edmonton— Alberta automotive consumers should be aware that a Receivership Order was granted by the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta effective May 18, 2018 against the following AMVIC licensees: Crossline Truck & Auto Sales Ltd. (a.k.a. City Auto Truck Sales, Crossline Trucks and Toys Yellowhead, City Auto Truck Sales, Signature Tire @ Crossline YellowheadRead More
UPDATE: a news release on City Ford linked this news release on Roadsport Autocredit’s as a related article. There is no relation to Roadsport Autocredit and City Ford. We apologize for the error. Edmonton— Roadsport Autocredit (aka 403 Car Loan, Credit Amnesty 2012, 1800Approved.ca, 1800Approved), located in Calgary, has stopped business operations and the Alberta MotorRead More
Edmonton— The Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council (AMVIC) has suspended the business licence of SkyCo Auto Credit Inc. due to an excessive risk of financial harm to consumers, effective Feb. 26, 2018. AMVIC is investigating five consumer complaints received in the past month regarding allegations against SkyCo Auto Credit Inc. Four consumer complaints relate toRead More
Edmonton— BFF Auto Inc., operating as Leduc Motor’s (aka Leduc Motors, Leduc RV’s), has stopped business operations and the Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council (AMVIC) has cancelled the business licence effective Jan. 30, 2018. AMVIC is investigating numerous consumer complaints regarding Leduc Motor’s. It is alleged that the business may have sold vehicles with unpaidRead More
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Pets are no longer a niche market
One out of every two Belgian families has at least one pet. The Covid crisis has fueled a business that today weighs $230 billion worldwide.
More than one in two Belgian homes have them: pets live everywhere, a trend before the health crisis. Now we count 80 million cats and 70 million dogs in the European Union. That’s less than the United States, where cats (104 million) and dogs (89 million) literally crawl.
Belgium is no exception. There are 2.3 million cats and 1.6 million dogs. The Covid crisis was there. According to a survey of 2,500 Belgians by retail trade federation Comeos, In 2018, 10% of Belgian households had a pet. Today they are… 53%.
“The Covid crisis has led to a sharp increase in demand for animals. People are also spending more money on them.”
Trade in animal products there is no niche market anymore. A four-legged friend has become a full member of the family and deserves to be well fed, pampered and entertained.
“The Covid crisis has caused a sharp increase in the demand for animals. People are also spending more on them, especially on accessories and food. With the end of the arrests, people started traveling again. Sales of accessories and flavors have declined, but not food sales, and the number of animals continues to grow,” explains Samuel Van Lathem, CEO of Belgium’s Vadigran (see box).
11% annual growth in Belgium
The pet market is roughly equivalent to the baby products market. Globally, its revenue is about $230 billion. In Belgium, they reach 3.5 billion euros and grow by about 11% per year from 2018. The US represents the largest market ahead of Europe. Together they make up 75% of the world market.
The range of activities of companies in this niche is very wide. Added to the lucrative food trade (a dog owner in Belgium spends an average of €549 a year on feeding his pet). other cost items stimulated by a sedentary lifestyle due to arrests. Accessories, food, toys, but also care and medicine: the pet trade is rising more than ever. Even services for pets (grooming, walking, boarding, training) are developing.
A broken market
Since the 1970s, the livestock industry has undergone significant changes the increasing presence of multinational companiessuch as Swiss Nestlé (Purina, Friskies) or American Mars (Whiskas, Pedigree, Royal Canin, Sheba) in the food segment.
According to a Comeos survey, 17% of pet owners buy their food exclusively online.
There are countless hidden behind them small and medium-sized players that share a fairly fragmented animal market. This is split between traditional distributors (40%), specialist stores such as Tom & Co or Poils et Plumes (40%) and online trade (20%).
According to a Comeos survey, 17% of pet owners buy their food exclusively online. A sales channel that most distributors and specialty chains focus on capturing to avoid being swallowed up by their customers.
Vadigran relies on innovation to differentiate itself
After 67 years of existence, the Vadigran company now 3e generation. Since the summer of 2020, Samuel Van Lathem has taken over general management, while his sister Yana is in charge of human resources. With 120 employees, this SME is one of many links in an increasingly large and highly decentralized market for animal products.
Vadigran decided to differentiate itself from the competition by betting on innovation. After launching in the seed mixes niche in the 1950s, Vadigran gradually expanded its offer to pet accessories. “We are focused now special nicheswith some innovative products better meet the needs of consumers,” explains Samuel Van Lathem.
Headquartered in Lennik (production) and Ghislenghien (distribution and management), Vadigra has a turnover of €37 million, mainly manufacturing. in Belgium and France. It is present in about forty countries and intends to expand other markets nearby (Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain). “The idea is to travel 1,000 km around Ghislenghien, home to 300 million people,” says Samuel Van Lathem.
For this, Vadigran now relies on three different brands. Fantail focuses on accessories for dogs and cats, Emma’s garden targets garden animals and Yana active in “consumables” (animal feed, garbage). “During the last three years, our revenues have grown by an average of 15% per year. The goal is to increase this growth to 20% in the following years,” says the director of Vadigra.
- with 80 million cats and 70 million dogs Trade in pet products in the European Union is developing rapidly.
- An animal market that brings some Annual revenue of 230 billion dollars, approximately equal to baby products.
- In Belgium, has reached the turnover of the sector 3.5 billion euros and has grown by an average of about 11% annually since 2018.
- We hide behind giants like Nestlé or Mars small and medium actors who share a fairly fragmented animal market.


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Verso set to buy NewPage
January 7, 2014
ESCANABA — Two competing paper companies will be combining into one when Verso Paper Corp. purchases NewPage Holdings Inc. in a deal announced by officials Monday. Verso is buying NewPage for $1....
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What started out as a simple game peripheral may soon evolve into something far beyond that.
If that old saying about absence making the heart grow fonder is really true, at this rate I’m likely to be head over heels in love with the Oculus by the time if finally drops. Of all the new pieces of gaming-related tech on the horizon in 2015, the possibilities found within the field of VR are what by far pique my interest most. However, there is a very specific reason I now use the term “gaming-related” to describe it.
That reason is simple: those at Oculus are not 100% convinced the Rift’s success will take root in the form of video games at this point. While the team remains focused on their original premise, they are not closed off to other avenues that could result in generated revenue. Naturally the appeal of the mainstream is just as valuable to those in charge, if not more so. It appears the practical applications of such an innovative design could very well reach beyond just gaming, perhaps finding its way into other facets of media. Oculus VR’s vice president Nate Mitchell spoke with the LA Times regarding these now wide-open possibilities, specifically touching on how Oculus could innovate home theater setups moving forward. “We’ve said from the beginning we’re big gamers, and we started Oculus to deliver consumer VR and revolutionize games. But it may well end up being that VR is more about film than games. We don’t know what the killer app is.” he states.
But the latest build previewed at CES also highlighted another major hurdle that must be overcame if the headset is going to find lasting success in video games, film or any other industry for that matter. In this market, wireless is an absolute must (I’d even call it non-negotiable). From controllers to headphones and beyond, we as consumers want to remain untethered. According to what Palmer Luckey said during a recent interview, this may become a huge hurdle for the Oculus in its earliest stages. “…it’s definitely a necessary improvement, but the same thing can be said about cordless phones and wireless phones. Obviously they got a lot more useful after they became wireless…to be honest I think in the very long term rendering on board is going to be the path that it takes. It’s a much more efficient, elegant solution and the technology to stream wireless video with low latency with high frame rate, high resolution. We’re just now getting to the point where you have decent real time 1080p video transmission and they’re not trying to go above 1080p or up to 90 frames per second.” Luckey admits.
So what started out as a grassroots campaign to bring fully immersive 3D environments to the gaming world is slowly but surely evolving into something more expansive than many had ever dreamed. Overall I’d count this as an evolution in the right direction, as long as it doesn’t pull their attention too far away from their original development target. Stretching branches out into other forms of media is obviously a great way to garner mainstream attention, but we can’t lose sight of the original goals.
Let’s hope Oculus doesn’t fall too far down the rabbit hole while trying to serve so many different masters during its initial roll-out.


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Did you know that google raked in $50 billion in 2012 it has come a long way its early days, back when it was known as backrub despite. Google's mountain view complex, often referred to as the googleplex, was one of the chief reasons for my beginning office snapshots it was an absolute. Google llc is an american multinational technology company that specializes in in 2005, the washington post reported on a 700 percent increase in third- quarter profit for google, largely thanks to large companies shifting their advertising.
Before 1995, search engines relied on databases of textual keywords to find relevant results whenever a user entered a search term, search. Google's history in photos, from stanford to alphabet, and from before eric schmidt joined to his resignation as executive chairman. Google, however, owns android, so the data collection boundaries and terms of consent are fuzzier in this blog post, i look at this blurry.
Abstract this article is the second in a trilogy that maps the growing role of online intermediaries within the governance of the internet and. Be up-to-date with how google is changing and how to prepare for and moz confirms that visual search is on the rise, with 27 percent of all. Today john mueller of google webmaster tools announced in a google+ post that google will stop showing authorship results in google.
5 days ago 8 civilizations, 27 heroes, real warfare from the depths of obscurity to the peaks of legend, you will be the author of your civilization's history. Google parent alphabet confounded wall street with news of a big jump in costs in the final quarter of last year, along with fresh evidence of. Google could also bypass one of feature phones' biggest rise of the dumbphones so google is going after feature phones, too. Google wants to unglue people from their phones but like other wellness trends, digital well-being promises more than it can deliver. Google announced a new service yesterday at google i/o 2018 called google duplex and much like their announcement of google home.
Adrian chen writes about the google arts & culture app's facial-recognition algorithm and how it relates to the ideas of john berger and joy. Amine bentahar amine is the chief operating & digital officer and partner at advantix digital, a 4x google all-star and inc 5000 digital agency. The rise of personal searches what is my fac when it comes to getting trusted advice, most people turn to a friend or family member—someone who really. Since its founding in 1998, google's rise has been meteoric but has the company grown too big there are those who argue that its. Google owner alphabet shrugged off mounting concerns over privacy on monday to report an 84% rise in profits for the last quarter the results.
In how google works, eric schmidt shares in the quotes included below: “today we all live and work in a new era, the internet century, where. San francisco/mumbai: google retains only a slight lead over facebook inc in the competition for digital ad dollars in the crucial india market,. In august of 2004, silicon valley and investors worldwide were engaged in what would turn out to be an historical debate: what is google.
We recently attended the google cloud summit in sydney to find out more about what the robots are up to, and whether we're justified in. As the author of the rise of superman and co-founder of the flow genome project, steven kotler is one of the world's leading experts on ultimate human. Update: on 7-25-2018, google changed the name of their ad platform from adwords to google ads we are leaving this article as it was. 4 days ago google chef's rise from ragu to riches charlie ayers couldn't help rolling his eyes “it was the craziest job interview ever,” he recalls.
Last week, it was revealed that google will buy the chelsea market building in manhattan, across the street from its main offices in the old port. Eric schmidt, executive chairman of google's parent company alphabet, google attempted to purchase the plant-protein based startup. Lg g7's google assistant button vs samsung bixby button are we witnessing the rise of the hotkey by jessica dolcourt may 2, 2018 12:00. Google's has today (april 4) announced the global rollout of exchange bidding full rollout of exchange bidding to counter header bidding rise.


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Microsoft set to scrap popular Xbox Game Pass trial
Microsoft has decided to bring an end to its very popular $1 Xbox Game Pass trial, which has existed for many years.
Xbox launched its now-popular Game Pass service nearly six years ago in June 2017, offering users a rotating catalog of games to play.
The subscription service has since become an integral part of the Xbox business, with all of the publisher’s first-party games releasing day-and-date on the platform.
Game Pass has especially proven a win-win service for newcomers, thanks to the $1 per month introductory tier for Game Pass Ultimate. All good things must come to an end, though.
Microsoft kills of Xbox Game Pass’ $1 tier for new members
Microsoft confirmed in a statement to The Verge that its $1 Game Pass is no longer available. The reason behind the decision remains unclear, but the company plans on “evaluating different marketing promotions for new members” to the service.
As of writing, there’s no word on what the new promotions may entail. Xbox’s Head of Global Communications, Kari Perez, told The Verge, “We have stopped our previous introductory offer for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass and are evaluating different marketing promotions for new members in the future.”
For years, the $1 trial has served as the go-to recommendation for newcomers to the Game Pass service. After the one-month trial period ended, subscribers would then have the option to pay $15 a month for Ultimate or $10 per month for a PC or console-only membership.
Microsoft would do well to ensure its replacement for the cheap trial offer proves as enticing as its predecessor.
There’s no telling what other pricing changes Microsft has in store for Game Pass. But the company recently assured the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that it wouldn’t increase prices in response to the pending Activision Blizzard merger.


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There’s in no way been a larger need with regard to expanded electric battery manufacturing than there’s right right now. From the actual demand developed by our progressively mobile technical lives towards the rise associated with electric automobiles, battery suppliers are scrambling to satisfy the expected sharp rise sought after for electric batteries.
Battery manufacturing headlines are now being stolen through newcomers such as Tesla, whose so-called ‘Gigafactory 1’ because of produce thirty-five gigawatts associated with hours associated with battery packs annually in 2020, enough to provide around 500, 000 Tesla cars annually, or a lot more than the whole world produced within 2013. Nevertheless, battery production is placed to ramp up world wide, from the united kingdom to The far east via holland and much more.
So do you know the technologies which are poised to assist boost electric battery production within the years forward?
1) Sophisticated humidity manage.
Lithium dependent batteries tend to be, somewhat not surprisingly, extremely complicated to construct in mass. It’s a scenario compounded by the truth that imperfections within lithium-ion batteries result in early failure and perhaps, fires. We’ve observed the elevated scrutiny associated with battery technologies just these types of last couple of months thanks towards the notoriously unknown Galaxy Be aware 7 electric battery fiasco, and that is only set to keep.
Naturally after that, condition manage within electric battery production facilities is completely crucial, that is where sophisticated humidity controls enter into play. Extremely exact humidity levels are needed for electric battery production, under 1%RH. The development of dried out rooms and also the development associated with specialist gear by businesses like our bait is assisting battery production firms to keep the demanding conditions necessary for optimum manufacturing speed.
two) Brand new battery systems.
There’s grounds why Lithium-Ion batteries may be the main battery technologies deployed over 2 full decades – the actual technology offers proven itself again and again. Offering fairly high capabilities and strong cycle sturdiness. However, it’s gradually becoming obvious that for future years of digital cars as well as consumer technologies, Li-ion electric batteries aren’t likely to cut this.
As this kind of, huge investment has been put in to alternative electric battery technologies. Solid-state batteries have experienced much curiosity from car manufacturers such as Toyota as well as Wolkswagen because of their prolonged lifespan as well as fire proof nature. We’ve additionally seen large-scale curiosity about aluminium-ion electric batteries, metal-air electric batteries and lithium-sulphur. Over time, with standard production processes for these electric battery types, we will have dramatically decreased production occasions.
3) Elevated automation.
High of the globally battery production has already been is currently automated to some degree, but whether it’s ever likely to keep pace using the predicted increase in globally battery need, it’s likely to have being faster and more affordable to be able to hit focus on markets world wide.
These cost savings, however, cannot come in the expense from the safety as well as quality from the batteries becoming produced, and that’s why the long term of electric battery manufacturing is available in completely automating as well as integrating products. Advances within robotics technologies are arriving thick as well as fast, because of better device learning algorithms and also the arrival associated with so-called ‘soft robots’, able to handle dangerous or even fragile materials inside a safer method.


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Koley Jessen Represented JBT Corporation in $290 Million Acquisition of Bevcorp
Koley Jessen represented JBT Corporation, a global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food and beverage industry, in its $290 million acquisition of Bevcorp. Bevcorp is a leading provider of equipment and aftermarket support for the beverage processing and packaging market in the United States.
The Koley Jessen team was led by Eric Oxley, Chris Estwick, and Cameron O’Connor.
Click here to read the press release.


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Wed, Aug. 26, 12:18 PM
- Chinese tech stocks are under pressure again, and Qihoo (QIHU -9.5%) is among the biggest casualties. 1.7M shares have been traded thus far vs. a 3-month daily average of 2.9M.
- Separately, Qihoo and Coolpad's Qiku JV has unveiled three Android phones: The high-end Q Terra, the low-end Q Luna, and an unnamed mid-range China-only model. The first two phones will begin shipping in China in September, before gradually reaching other emerging markets such as India, Brazil, and Russia.
- The high-end and mid-range phones will have 6" displays and dual 13MP rear cameras, and the low-end phone a 5.5" display and single 13MP rear camera. The high-end model sports a 2K resolution, and the others 1080p. Qiku is emphasizing the phones security features, such as a dedicated VPN for payments and a kill switch for lost/stolen phones. Competition will be provided Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, and many others.
- Qihoo's Q2 report arrives on Sep. 1. Shares are now 38% below the $77/share buyout offer price provided by an investor group led by co-founder/CEO Hongyi Zhou. Doubts have been aired about whether the deal will hold.
Mon, Aug. 24, 9:22 AM
- The Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges nosedived again overnight as fears of an economic slowdown triggered panic selling, and U.S. futures are off sharply premarket. As one would expect, many U.S.-traded Chinese names are seeing big losses.
- Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) -9.8% premarket. SINA -9.7%. Weibo (NASDAQ:WB) -10.5%. Ctrip (NASDAQ:CTRP) -9.4%. Qunar (NASDAQ:QUNR) -15%. SouFun (NYSE:SFUN) -15.4%. NQ Mobile -10.1%. Qihoo (NYSE:QIHU) -14.7%. YY -9.3%. Bitauto (NYSE:BITA) -8.8%. JD.com (NASDAQ:JD) -9.6%. Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) -15.9%.
- Alibaba (previous) is down 9.8% to $61.48, making new post-IPO lows along the way. Tencent (OTCPK:TCEHY) fell a relatively modest 5% overnight in Hong Kong.
- ETFs: CQQQ, KWEB, QQQC, EMQQ
Mon, Aug. 24, 9:19 AM
- Gainers: GAS +29%.
- Losers: VTL -79%. ACI -31%. BZUN -25%. WBAI -23%. JMEI -20%. BTU -17%. MDR -17%. CSIQ -17%. VIPS -16%. FIT -16%. SFUN -15%. LC -15%. PLUG -15%. EXXI -15%. QIHU -14%. MACK -14%. ACHN -14%. KNDI -13%. CYBR -13%. OHGI -13%. Z -13%. TCK -13%. JKS -13%. AVEO -12%. OAS -12%. WLL -12%. MCUR -12%.
Thu, Aug. 20, 11:01 AM
- The Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges respectively fell 3.4% and 3% overnight as macro fears persist, and the Nasdaq is down 1.5% amid a general flight to safety. The Guggenheim China Tech ETF (CQQQ -3.2%) is once more near a 52-week low of $30.09 (set on July 8).
- Major Web/mobile decliners include Qunar (QUNR -9.1%), Vipshop (VIPS -4.9%), JD.com (JD -4.6%), Qihoo (QIHU -4.5%), ChinaCache (CCIH -6.6%), SouFun (SFUN -5.9%), Sina (SINA -5.7%), Weibo (WB -4.3%), Baozun (BZUN -9.3%), and Wowo (WOWO -3.2%).
- Jumei (down 22.3%), Youku (down 8%), and 58.com (down 4.9%) are seeing steep losses in spite of delivering Q2 beats after the close yesterday. Baozun reported yesterday morning, and Sina and Weibo Tuesday afternoon.
- ETFs: KWEB, QQQC, EMQQ
Mon, Jul. 27, 9:29 AM
- After bouncing in recent weeks with the help of massive government support, Chinese markets nosedived once again overnight amid a backdrop of weak manufacturing data. Shanghai fell 8.5%, Shenzhen fell 7%, and the ChiNext Index fell 7.4%.
- Not surprisingly, many U.S.-traded Chinese tech names are off sharply in premarket trading. YY -4.2%. Qihoo (NYSE:QIHU) -5.5%. JD.com (NASDAQ:JD) -5.4%. SOHU -6%. iDreamSky (NASDAQ:DSKY) -9.6%. SouFun (NYSE:SFUN) -8%. SINA -5.5%. Weibo (NASDAQ:WB) -7.8%. Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) -4.8%. Youku (NYSE:YOKU) -6.2%. Qunar (NASDAQ:QUNR) -6.2%. Dangdang (NYSE:DANG) -5.4%. 58.com (NYSE:WUBA) -4.7%. 500.com (NYSE:WBAI) -7.2%. Jumei (NYSE:JMEI) -5.7%. NQ Mobile (NYSE:NQ) -6%. Bitauto (NYSE:BITA) -6.3%. Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) -4.8%. Cheetah Mobile (NYSE:CMCM) -10.1%.
- Sohu and Changyou reported this morning. Baidu reports after the close.
- ETFs: CQQQ, QQQC, KWEB, EMQQ
Thu, Jul. 9, 9:18 AM
Wed, Jul. 8, 9:12 AM
Tue, Jul. 7, 10:42 AM
- The selloff in Chinese equities refuses to let up: Shanghai fell 1.3% overnight, Shenzhen fell 5.3%, and Hong Kong fell 2.7%. The declines come amid a backdrop of frantic government efforts to halt the plunge, and requests by hundreds of Chinese companies for trading halts.
- The lion's share of U.S.-traded Chinese Web and mobile firms are down at least 5%, and many are down more than twice that. In alphabetical order by ticker, major decliners include Autohome (ATHM -10.6%), Bitauto (BITA -18.7%), Baozun (BZUN -22.7%), ChinaCache (CCIH -14.6%), Cheetah Mobile (CMCM -15.2%), China Mobile Games (CMGE -13.2%), Ctrip (CTRP -10.1%), Changyou (CYOU -12.6%), Dangdang (DANG -13.8%), iDreamSky (DSKY -15.4%), E-House (EJ -15.9%), Jumei (JMEI -20.2%), Leju (LEJU -12.1%), eLong (LONG -12.6%), Momo (MOMO -9.4%), NQ Mobile (NQ -16.7%), NetEase (NTES -12.2%), Qihoo (QIHU -10.3%), Qunar (QUNR -14.2%), Renren (RENN -17.8%), SouFun (SFUN -16.3%), Sohu (SOHU -10.9%), Taomee (TAOM -15.1%), Vipshop (VIPS -9.7%), Weibo (WB -10.9%), 500.com (WBAI -26.2%), Wowo (WOWO -26.7%), 58.com (WUBA -17.3%), Xunlei (XNET -14%), Youku (YOKU -12.2%), and YY (YY -9.4%).
- The plunge seen over the last two months (aided by panic selling and margin calls?) has led multiples for U.S.-traded Chinese tech names to compress dramatically, with forward P/E and P/S ratios often below those of U.S. peers sporting similar growth profiles. The Guggenheim China Tech ETF (CQQQ -9.3%) is down 29% from a May peak of $45.64.
- ETFs: KWEB, QQQC, EMQQ
- Yesterday: Chinese tech stocks tumble again in spite of fresh government support
- Earlier today: Chinese phone firms decline as country's markets sink
- Update: The group pared its losses a bit in afternoon trading. CQQQ closed down 5.8%.
Wed, Jun. 17, 9:17 AM
Wed, Jun. 17, 8:08 AM
- In partnership with investment firms Golden Brick Capital, China Renaissance, and Sequoia Capital, Qihoo (NYSE:QIHU) co-founder, chairman, and CEO Hongyi Zhou has offered to take the company private for a price equal to $77 per ADS - a 16.6% premium to Tuesday's close.
- As is the norm, Qihoo's board plans to form a committee to review the offer. Zhou's proposal appears to be the largest in a recent wave of going-private offers for U.S.-traded Chinese companies.
- Qihoo has jumped to $73.60 premarket.
Fri, Jun. 5, 12:24 PM
- In what's now a familiar story, U.S.-traded Chinese Internet stocks are posting big gains following an overnight rally in the Middle Kingdom: The Shanghai Composite rose 1.5%, topping 5,000 for the first time since 2008. The Nasdaq is nearly flat.
- Big gainers include Qihoo (QIHU +7.5%), Bitauto (BITA +5.8%), JD.com (JD +4%), YY (YY +4.9%), 58.com (WUBA +3.9%), Sina (SINA +7.8%), Weibo (WB +4.8%), 500.com (WBAI +9.9%), Jumei (JMEI +4.3%), Sky-mobi (MOBI +4.3%), iDreamSky (DSKY +5.3%), E-House (EJ +3.6%), and Leju (LEJU +4%). Qunar is also up strongly after downsizing and pricing a stock offering.
- Sina and Weibo are now respectively up 39% and 22% since Sina CEO Charles Chao announced on Monday he's investing $456M in Sina.
- ETFs: KWEB, CQQQ, QQQC
Wed, May 20, 12:01 PM
- Up moderately in AH trading yesterday after beating Q1 estimates and providing in-line Q2 guidance, Qihoo (NYSE:QIHU) has tumbled towards $55 today.
- No downgrades have yet arrived. The Q1 slowdown seen in Qihoo's Internet value-added service revenue (up 7.1% Y/Y, after rising 112% in Q4) thanks to PC gaming weakness and online lottery suspensions (offsetting mobile gaming growth) could have some investors on edge.
- Shares now trade for less than 12x a pre-earnings 2016 EPS consensus of $4.75.
Tue, May 12, 3:12 PM
- Today's notable tech gainers include insurance software/data exchange provider Ebix (EBIX +5%), Chinese polysilicon maker Daqo (DQ +6.9%), networking SRAM maker MoSys (MOSY +7.7%), enterprise mobility management software firm MobileIron (MOBL +6.3%), U.S. solar installer Solar3D (SLTD +4.3%), and Korean analog/mixed-signal chipmaker MagnaChip (MX +5.3%).
- Notable decliners include Chinese online retailers JD.com (JD -4.4%) and Vipshop (VIPS -5%), Chinese Internet mini-conglomerate Qihoo (QIHU -4.6%), and cloud online learning software provider 2U (TWOU -5.6%). The Nasdaq is down 0.2%.
- Daqo is now up 11% since last Friday's mixed Q1 report. Ebix is up 18% since delivering a Q1 beat last Friday. MobileIron's gains come after the company named well-traveled tech vet Simon Biddiscombe its interim CFO. Solar3D is rallying after issuing a PR that sings the praises a of an upbeat Bernstein report on solar cost declines.
- Qihoo and JD are more than reversing the Monday gains seen amid a Chinese Internet stock rally. 2U has now fully given back the gains seen last week following its Q1 beat.
- Previously covered: Rackspace, Everyday Health, magicJack, WidePoint, LivePerson, YY, STMicroelectronics, ChipMOS, iDreamSky, Leidos, Photronics
Mon, May 11, 2:37 PM
- The Shanghai exchange rose 3% overnight, continuing a torrid 2015 after the PBOC slashed its benchmark rate by 25 bps in a fresh easing move. A slew of Chinese Internet/mobile names are rallying while the Nasdaq barely budges.
- Gainers include Qihoo (QIHU +3.3%), Weibo (WB +3.4%), SouFun (SFUN +7.2%), Renren (RENN +3.1%), Cheetah Mobile (CMCM +10.6%), ChinaCache (CCIH +7.3%), Autohome (ATHM +4.9%), Xunlei (XNET +7.2%), Jumei (JMEI +7.3%), and Changyou (CYOU +6%).
- The massive rallies occurring in the absence of major company-specific news (particularly for thinly-traded names) have triggered comparisons with the Dot.com bubble. However, many U.S.-traded firms remain well below their 2014 highs, and their forward P/E and P/S multiples (though often not cheap) are generally well below those sported by Dot.com-era darlings.
Tue, May 5, 2:51 PM
- The high-flying Shanghai exchange was down 4.1% overnight amid reports local brokerages are tightening margin requirements. Over in NYC, the Nasdaq is down 1.6%, leading a broader market selloff.
- That's proving a bad combo for Chinese Internet stocks, many of which have shot higher in recent weeks. Major decliners include Qihoo (QIHU -8.9%), Sky-mobi (MOBI -10.6%), Leju (LEJU -6%), E-House (EJ -4.7%), Qunar (QUNR -4%), and Renren (RENN -4.6%).
- Baidu is also off sharply, thanks in part to a JPMorgan downgrade. Alibaba, which reports on Thursday, is seeing more modest losses.
- ETFs: KWEB, CQQQ, QQQC
Wed, Apr. 8, 10:58 AM
- Following a big overnight rally in Hong Kong (followed a 3-day holiday during which Shanghai rallied), beaten-down Chinese Internet and mobile stocks have soared in U.S. trading.
- The biggest gainers include many names that are far below their 2014 highs: The group includes Qihoo (QIHU +10.5%), YY (YY +14.9%), Taomee (TAOM +14.3%), Sina (SINA +8.7%), and Weibo (WB +12.1%). Mobile game publishers Sky-mobi (MOBI +12.6%), China Mobile Games (CMGE +8%), and iDreamSky (DSKY +13.4%) are also sharply higher, as are online real estate plays SouFun (SFUN +13.1%), E-House (EJ +6.1%), and Leju (LEJU +9.8%).
- Giants Alibaba (BABA +3.4%) and Baidu (BIDU +4.1%) aren't being left out. Neither are Youku (YOKU +7.5%), 21Vianet (VNET +7.4%), Momo (MOMO +6.8%), Sohu (SOHU +7.7%), Changyou (CYOU +4.5%), Dangdang (DANG +7.3%), Vipshop (VIPS +4.8%), JD.com (JD +3.9%), Jumei (JMEI +6.6%), Sungy Mobile (GOMO +5.8%), China Techfaith (CNTF +7.1%), and KongZhong (KZ +5.5%).
- Alibaba has proposed an asset injection into its money-losing Alibaba Pictures (+36% in Hong Kong) film arm. Sky-mobi has seen Rosenblatt (Buy) hike its target to $11, while noting many Chinese mobile game developers have been bought out; it thinks Sky-mobi's investments in developers could be worth $140M. NetEase has been upgraded by CICC Research.
- Over in Hong Kong, software/cloud services provider Kingsoft (OTCPK:KSFTF) rose 24.2% to HKD$29.50. Messaging/gaming giant Tencent (OTCPK:TCEHY) rose 3.3% to HKD$154.80.
- ETFs: KWEB, CQQQ, QQQC
QIHU vs. ETF Alternatives
Other News & PR


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Chingari, the on-chain short video app has announced a new content monetisation plan for its creators and users, the company informed in an official release.
“This is another step towards the democratization of the creator economy where micro and nano-influencers from tier 2 and tier 3 cities of India can also monetise their content at a minimal cost. Moreover, the users who all the major platforms have completely ignored are also getting rewarded in real cash for using the Chingari app. We are proud that Chingari is the only app in the world to empower its creators and users at this massive scale,” Sumit Ghosh, CEO, and co-founder, Chingari, said.
The company further informed that the subscription plan will enable Chingari’s community to double their earnings collected through the Gari mining program and allow complete withdrawal during the active subscription period.
As per the company, Chingari’s platform has 160M+ users across and has more than 5 million daily active users (DAU) and 40 million monthly active users (MAU), the company claimed.


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Cradle to Cradle’s latest Certified Product Standard aims to cover the entire lifecycle. Some experts argue it’s still not enough.
A new version of Cradle to Cradle’s highly regarded product certification scheme attempts to be the first end-to-end sustainability standard covering the full lifecycle of a product, from raw materials to end of life, with a level of detail to ensure efforts at each stage are beyond skin-deep.
While most other certifications focus only on a specific aspect of production, like the use of organic materials or reduction of toxic impacts on water supplies, Cradle to Cradle says its Certified Product Standard is “the single most comprehensive” for companies working towards sustainability. Brands from Tentree to Ralph Lauren use it. The group says it has the potential to drive large-scale transformation in supply chains.
A single catch-all sustainability certification that has the trust of scientists and the public alike could be a gain for an industry that has lacked reliable guidelines in reforming production. Third-party certifications often cherry-pick issues, which experts say undermines the goal for brands to become fully sustainable. A lifecycle solution would keep brands on the hook for every step of their supply chains, creating a new level of transparency around sustainability commitments. But some experts argue Cradle to Cradle still falls short, saying it doesn’t go far enough on synthetic materials, or that it doesn’t address the underlying issues like overproduction that perpetuate fashion’s impact.
Cradle to Cradle's new product certification strives to be the most comprehensive for lifecycle sustainability.
© Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute
“All these certifications promote incremental changes on products and are therefore pernicious, as they give the illusion that progress is being made,” says Lynda Grose, chair of fashion design at California College of the Arts and co-founder of the Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion. “The business system is utterly dependent upon exponential growth and incremental product improvements cannot keep pace with this growth.”
Cradle to Cradle’s biggest changes in the newest version of its certification focus on product circularity and social fairness, says Christina Raab, VP of strategy and development. There are also updates throughout the framework that address issues often overlooked by other certification systems and by fashion generally. It takes soil health into account, for example — not only in raw material sourcing, an area that is just starting to gain traction in fashion, but near industrial operations as well, taking into account things like how wastewater disposal impacts local soils.
It is also requiring a shift towards more circular business models (Cradle to Cradle works with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation on this goal as well), encouraging brands to launch take-back schemes or look at other ways to reduce both new resource use and generation of waste.
Calida is among the growing number of fashion brands with Cradle to Cradle certification.
Strengthening the criteria that brands have to meet before they can earn sustainability credentials is something that all advocates, and even many brands, want to see. Cradle to Cradle has created tiers, from bronze to platinum, to reflect different levels of brand progress. Platinum reflects the most stringent criteria and “what the future of the sector should look like”, says Raab, and along with gold is only issued to brands that have plans in place. Silver and bronze, meanwhile, account for brands that are working towards their plans for improvement.
Allowing for subjectiveness in what counts as sustainable, though, raises questions across the board about standards. There’s tension over how and where synthetic fibres fit into a sustainable industry, if they do at all, for example. Cradle to Cradle’s certification encourages, to varying degrees depending on the level of certification, much greater use of recycled fibres, and the new rollout also strengthened criteria for addressing microfibre pollution. “Manufacturers of products [at high risk for microfibre and microplastic pollution] will have to commit to develop policy on the issue, develop a strategy for addressing it, and report on progress made,” says Raab.
For advocates focused on the natural environment, even that is too low a bar. “In my view, we need more explicit plans to take all non-biodegradable plastics out of circulation on some relatively short timescale, like perhaps 10-15 years,” says Timo Rissanen, associate fashion design professor at the University of Technology Sydney and a founding member of the Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion.
Perhaps the biggest questions, though, arise out of the role of certifications more broadly. Affordability is a frequent issue, as schemes award those who can afford to apply for a certification, says Rissanen, while other detractors say certifications focus on the wrong aspects of sustainability.
“Measuring supply chain improvements keeps us doing the wrong thing,” says Grose. “I think the main question is, does product certification move the needle on global impact reduction and achieve actual ecological gains? And I think we can say with certainty now that the answer is no.”
Raab acknowledges that’s an issue — and is something they are trying to evaluate while working for improvement where they can.
“We want to be sure that what’s put forward is ready for a circular economy. I think that’s our biggest contribution,” she says. “Frankly, it’s something we are also asking ourselves and the role we can play there.”
More from this author:
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Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at email@example.com.


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Brittany Reed realized that she inadvertently left her wallet at home after making an order at a McDonald’s drive-thru to purchase a meal for her children after soccer practice.
However, teen and server Wyatt Jones said it was on him!
Reed then wrote in a Facebook post after the experience, “I just want his parents to know how KIND & COMPASSIONATE your son was tonight! He made this stressed out momma pause for a moment and realize this is exactly what we parents are trying to do, raise great humans,” she wrote. “Wyatt, do not let this world change your kind heart young man for its people like YOU that will change this world for the better!”
She found out Jones was saving for a car and she started a GoFundMe campaign, raising $32,000 for him.
Wow, that is quite a tip!
Watch for More!


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HIBERNIAN yesterday announced they are honouring the Famous Five after launching their home kit for the new season. But the controversial design has not gone down well with some fans, many venting displeasure on an online supporters’ forum.
Dispensing with the traditional white sleeves, the club have opted for a “solid” bottle green shirt, white shorts and black socks. The legend “Their memory marches on” is spread across the left shoulder.
The look is meant to replicate the kit worn between 1923 and 1929 when the Famous Five – Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond – were born. The celebrated five, regarded as some of the club’s greatest players, helped Hibs win three league titles from 1948 to 1952, an era when the jersey had white sleeves.
Just 24 hours after chief executive Leeann Dempster said in an open letter to fans that she was concerned about season-ticket sales, supporters took to Hibs.net to express their views on the new strip. One, under the name of Hibee_Dave said: “Slap in the face after slap in the face after slap in the face. Nice idea but it’s cheap looking c***.”
BroxburnHibee added: “If they wanted to honour them then why not the strip they wore????” Portyhibernian said: “That’s not a fitting tribute to the famous 5, all that is is a training top with a Hibs badge chucked on it.”
The kit, on sale from this morning, is to be worn against Vale of Leithen tomorrow in Hibs’ opening pre-season friendly and new manager Alan Stubbs’ first game in the dugout.


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Global drinks company Diageo has today announced a new international programme to support pubs and bars to welcome customers back and recover following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Raising the Bar” will be a two-year programme available from July 2020. Through the programme, Diageo will provide $100 million to support the recovery of major hospitality centres, with £4 million allocated to support pubs and bars across Scotland.
Diageo says it has designed the “Raising the Bar” programme following a global survey of bar owners to identify what they need to reopen after lockdown. The fund’s top priorities include hygiene measures, digital support and practical equipment to transform how their outlets will work.
Iain Gray MSP said:
“Diageo is already an important local employer and supporter of tourism through its Glenkinchie Distillery. Now it is offering this welcome support to local pubs and bars to help get back on their feet after the pandemic and lockdown.”
The “Raising the Bar” programme will provide targeted support to help pay for the physical equipment needed for outlets to re-open. In the UK, Diageo will provide initial funding for: ‘hygiene kits’ with high-quality permanent sanitiser dispense units, medical grade hand sanitiser and a range of personal protection equipment (such as masks and gloves); help to pubs and bars to establish partnerships with online reservations and cashless systems; mobile bars and outdoor equipment.
From today (24 June 2020), bar owners can register their interest in the “Raising the Bar” programme via www.mydiageo.com. Owners will receive regular updates on best practice training and resources and be able to participate in global surveys to share insights, as they build back their businesses.


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Music, Spies And Exact Change: The Strange History Of Electronic Tolls
September 15, 2016
Cardullo wanted to demonstrate an electronic toll collection device on the George Washington Bridge. The prototype was the size of two packs of cigarettes.
“The first thing they [said] to me was, ‘Well, nobody will ever put that on the window of their car, it’s too big,’ ” Cardullo remembers.
He reassured them he could make it smaller. But the Port Authority passed.
Cardullo’s patent expired in 1990 — and that’s when electronic toll collecting exploded.


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|By PR Newswire||
|January 22, 2013 11:42 AM EST||
CHESTER, England, January 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
- Paying off debt in a sensible way can save hundreds of pounds
- Average interest free credit card debt transfer offers is now 23.2 months
With over 32 million* post-Christmas credit card bills expected to hit doormats in January and February, many hard-pressed households will be looking at how they can reduce their debts in 2013. Analysis by MoneySupermarket found that people with an existing credit card debt at an average annual percentage rate (APR) of 17.32, would save £830** in interest alone by switching the debt to a cheaper interest-free credit card deal.
A recent webpoll*** by MoneySupermarket found 44 per cent will be looking to clear leftover 2012 debt, and of this, 14 per cent plan to pay off the built up debt by dipping into savings, and a further nine per cent will only repay the minimum amount off their credit card. A third (33 per cent) will transfer to a zero per cent balance transfer card and an additional 38 per cent will use their income in the next few months to pay off debts.
Credit card users only making the minimum repayments, or sticking with a credit card with a high interest rate will take much longer to pay off the debt and will pay significantly more in interest compared to someone who has moved their outstanding credit card balance to a zero per cent balance transfer card. For example, by moving an existing £3,000 debt to the market-leading 24 month balance transfer card from Barclaycard, and repaying £100 per month over the interest free period, you could save a huge £830 in interest compared to sticking with an existing card with an average market rate of 17.32 per cent APR, paying off the same amount each month.
Kevin Mountford, Head of Banking at MoneySupermarket, said: "For people who are struggling to pay off their credit card debt quickly, the New Year is a good time to take action. Moving leftover credit card debt onto a cheaper deal could save hundreds of pounds in interest. There's a lot of competition at the moment in the balance transfer cards market which will benefit people looking for a better deal. Banks and other card providers have reduced the amount they charge in balance transfer fees, and increased the average length of interest-free period by almost a month than the same time last year.** Using a zero per cent balance transfer card is a no-brainer - it allows you to pay off your existing balance over time without accruing additional interest. I would advise anyone looking to pay off debts to make a plan and budget accordingly; otherwise the debt could remain when the promotional offer comes to an end. Ensure you set up a direct debit for at least the minimum payment as missing a payment would result in you losing the promotional deal.
"If your debts are unmanageable, then speak to your provider or seek immediate help from one of the free debt advice services such as Citizen's Advice or The StepChange Debt Charity who will be able to offer help and advice. If a Debt Management Plan is right for you then ensure you choose a DEMSA accredited provider.
"Unfortunately, the best deals are still reserved for those people with excellent credit histories, so if you are unable to switch to a better deal, assess your outgoings and find ways to pay off the debt as quickly as you can, depending on your circumstances. Reviewing all of your outgoings and seeing where you can make savings can make a difference and help free up cash, which can be used to pay off your debts. Families can save more than £1,000 on all of their household bills by using our site - including energy bills, home and car insurance. Using these savings to pay off the most expensive debt first will help reduce the debt more quickly, although you need to maintain the minimum repayments on all your debts if you have multiple products."
* According to BBA credit card statistics, November 2012, there were 32.4m active credit card accounts in the UK
** Average length of term of top five zero per cent balance transfer credit cards
Date Length Jan-12 22.4 months Jan-13 23.2 months Balance Transfer Cards - 10th January 2013 Provider Introductory Rate Duration BT Fee Rep APR (variable) Barclaycard Platinum with Extended Balance Transfer 0% 24 Months 3.20% 17.90% MBNA Platinum Credit Card 0% 23 Months 2.85% 18.90% NatWest Platinum Credit Card 0% 23 Months 2.90% 17.95% Halifax Credit Card 0% 23 Months 3.00% 18.90% HSBC Credit Card for Existing Customers 0% 23 Months 3.30% 17.90% Average 3.05% Balance Transfer Cards - 10th January 2012 Provider Introductory Rate Duration BT Fee Rep APR (variable) Barclaycard Platinum with Extended Balance Transfer 0% 24 Months 3.20% 17.90% HSBC Credit Card 0% 23 Months 3.30% 17.90% Virgin Credit Card 0% 20 Months 2.99% 16.80% Creation Creation Card 0% 20 Months 3.20% 16.90% NatWest Platinum Credit Card 0% 20 Months 3.20% 17.90% Average 3.18%
Sourced by http://www.MoneySupermarket.com
*** MoneySupermarket webpoll
How will you clear your leftover 2012 debt?
- I'll use my savings to repay the debts - 6.3%
- I will pay it off using my income within the next few months - 16.7%
- I'll transfer my credit card debt with a 0% balance transfer - 14.6%
- I'll pay off my credit card debt making the minimum repayments - 4%
- I haven't thought about it yet - 2.6%
- I don't have any debt from 2012 - 55.8%
Total votes: 1224
Voting ran from Friday 18th January- Tuesday 22nd January 2013
MoneySupermarket.com compares (at 27th Dec 2012)
- 134 car insurance brands and 97 home insurance brands
- 9 broadband providers and 20 energy providers
- 31 unsecured loan and 5 secured loan providers
- 62 mortgage lenders and 26 credit card providers
- 63 savings providers and 38 current account providers.
- Over 650,000 mobile phone deals
We help our customers to save money on all of their household bills by providing a free, easy to use online service so they can compare a wide range of products in one place and find the product most suited to their needs. Our size means we are able to offer our customers exclusive, market-leading deals, including some they can't even get direct from providers.
By having considerable volumes of informed customers actively looking for products and ready to purchase, we offer our providers an efficient and cost effective customer acquisition solution across all of our channels. This enables our providers to target their marketing spend in an effective and completely measurable way.
Our revenue comes predominantly from fees paid to us by product providers when a customer clicks through to their website and actually applies for or purchases a product. It is a success based marketing fee.
Our customer commitment
- We make it easy to find the brands you expect to see
- We strive to ensure a product cannot be found cheaper by going direct
- We let you remain in control of your personal data
- We are independent and impartial
- We make it easy to switch and save
- We strive to always show the most competitive product available
With an estimated 50 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020, several industries will begin to expand their capabilities for retaining end point data at the edge to better utilize the range of data types and sheer volume of M2M data generated by the Internet of Things. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Don DeLoach, CEO and President of Infobright, will discuss the infrastructures businesses will need to implement to handle this explosion of data by providing specific use cases for filte...
Feb. 9, 2016 05:00 PM EST Reads: 149
SYS-CON Events announced today that VAI, a leading ERP software provider, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.) is a leading independent mid-market ERP software developer renowned for its flexible solutions and ability to automate critical business functions for the distribution, manufacturing, specialty retail and service sectors. An IBM Premier Business Part...
Feb. 9, 2016 04:00 PM EST Reads: 589
Cognitive Computing is becoming the foundation for a new generation of solutions that have the potential to transform business. Unlike traditional approaches to building solutions, a cognitive computing approach allows the data to help determine the way applications are designed. This contrasts with conventional software development that begins with defining logic based on the current way a business operates. In her session at 18th Cloud Expo, Judith S. Hurwitz, President and CEO of Hurwitz & ...
Feb. 9, 2016 04:00 PM EST Reads: 222
Fortunately, meaningful and tangible business cases for IoT are plentiful in a broad array of industries and vertical markets. These range from simple warranty cost reduction for capital intensive assets, to minimizing downtime for vital business tools, to creating feedback loops improving product design, to improving and enhancing enterprise customer experiences. All of these business cases, which will be briefly explored in this session, hinge on cost effectively extracting relevant data from ...
Feb. 9, 2016 03:15 PM EST
SYS-CON Events announced today that Men & Mice, the leading global provider of DNS, DHCP and IP address management overlay solutions, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. The Men & Mice Suite overlay solution is already known for its powerful application in heterogeneous operating environments, enabling enterprises to scale without fuss. Building on a solid range of diverse platform support,...
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As enterprises work to take advantage of Big Data technologies, they frequently become distracted by product-level decisions. In most new Big Data builds this approach is completely counter-productive: it presupposes tools that may not be a fit for development teams, forces IT to take on the burden of evaluating and maintaining unfamiliar technology, and represents a major up-front expense. In his session at @BigDataExpo at @ThingsExpo, Andrew Warfield, CTO and Co-Founder of Coho Data, will dis...
Feb. 9, 2016 03:00 PM EST Reads: 164
SYS-CON Events announced today that iDevices®, the preeminent brand in the connected home industry, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. iDevices, the preeminent brand in the connected home industry, has a growing line of HomeKit-enabled products available at the largest retailers worldwide. Through the “Designed with iDevices” co-development program and its custom-built IoT Cloud Infrastruc...
Feb. 9, 2016 02:45 PM EST
SYS-CON Events announced today that Pythian, a global IT services company specializing in helping companies adopt disruptive technologies to optimize revenue-generating systems, has been named “Bronze Sponsor” of SYS-CON's 18th Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 7-9, 2015 at the Javits Center in New York, New York. Founded in 1997, Pythian is a global IT services company that helps companies compete by adopting disruptive technologies such as cloud, Big Data, advanced analytics, and DevO...
Feb. 9, 2016 02:45 PM EST Reads: 189
SYS-CON Events announced today that Alert Logic, Inc., the leading provider of Security-as-a-Service solutions for the cloud, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Alert Logic, Inc., provides Security-as-a-Service for on-premises, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures, delivering deep security insight and continuous protection for customers at a lower cost than traditional security solutions. Ful...
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Eighty percent of a data scientist’s time is spent gathering and cleaning up data, and 80% of all data is unstructured and almost never analyzed. Cognitive computing, in combination with Big Data, is changing the equation by creating data reservoirs and using natural language processing to enable analysis of unstructured data sources. This is impacting every aspect of the analytics profession from how data is mined (and by whom) to how it is delivered. This is not some futuristic vision: it's ha...
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With the Apple Watch making its way onto wrists all over the world, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a staple in the workplace. In fact, Forrester reported that 68 percent of technology and business decision-makers characterize wearables as a top priority for 2015. Recognizing their business value early on, FinancialForce.com was the first to bring ERP to wearables, helping streamline communication across front and back office functions. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Kevin Roberts...
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One of the bewildering things about DevOps is integrating the massive toolchain including the dozens of new tools that seem to crop up every year. Part of DevOps is Continuous Delivery and having a complex toolchain can add additional integration and setup to your developer environment. In his session at @DevOpsSummit at 18th Cloud Expo, Miko Matsumura, Chief Marketing Officer of Gradle Inc., will discuss which tools to use in a developer stack, how to provision the toolchain to minimize onboa...
Feb. 9, 2016 07:45 AM EST
The cloud promises new levels of agility and cost-savings for Big Data, data warehousing and analytics. But it’s challenging to understand all the options – from IaaS and PaaS to newer services like HaaS (Hadoop as a Service) and BDaaS (Big Data as a Service). In her session at @BigDataExpo at @ThingsExpo, Hannah Smalltree, a director at Cazena, will provide an educational overview of emerging “as-a-service” options for Big Data in the cloud. This is critical background for IT and data profes...
Feb. 9, 2016 06:45 AM EST Reads: 177
Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (NYSE: SSNI) extended its Internet of Things technology platform with performance enhancements to Gen5 – its fifth generation critical infrastructure networking platform. Already delivering nearly 23 million devices on five continents as one of the leading networking providers in the market, Silver Spring announced it is doubling the maximum speed of its Gen5 network to up to 2.4 Mbps, increasing computational performance by 10x, supporting simultaneous mesh communic...
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SYS-CON Events announced today that Fusion, a leading provider of cloud services, will exhibit at SYS-CON's 18th International Cloud Expo®, which will take place on June 7-9, 2016, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY. Fusion, a leading provider of integrated cloud solutions to small, medium and large businesses, is the industry's single source for the cloud. Fusion's advanced, proprietary cloud service platform enables the integration of leading edge solutions in the cloud, including clou...
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Most people haven’t heard the word, “gamification,” even though they probably, and perhaps unwittingly, participate in it every day. Gamification is “the process of adding games or game-like elements to something (as a task) so as to encourage participation.” Further, gamification is about bringing game mechanics – rules, constructs, processes, and methods – into the real world in an effort to engage people. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Robert Endo, owner and engagement manager of Intrepid D...
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WebRTC has had a real tough three or four years, and so have those working with it. Only a few short years ago, the development world were excited about WebRTC and proclaiming how awesome it was. You might have played with the technology a couple of years ago, only to find the extra infrastructure requirements were painful to implement and poorly documented. This probably left a bitter taste in your mouth, especially when things went wrong.
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Feb. 1, 2016 05:00 AM EST Reads: 959


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Unfortunately, fraudulent emails are something that we are all likely to come across at some point.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is warning taxpayers to stay alert to tax scams after a surge in fraudulent activity.
Scammers posing as HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) were rife in March 2021, with a staggering 79,477 calls reported.
Nearly 800,000 tax-related scams were reported to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in the past 12 months, a major study… Read more
According to recent research, the total amount of money it costs a fraudster’s victim to get help with their wellbeing… Read more
Tax-related scams have almost doubled in the past 12 months, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has revealed.


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Among the high-end loud-thump motorcycles staged at India Bike Week 2015, Vespa too has had something to offer, the Vespa GTS 300.
Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd has launched its new customer care program, Vespa Care to achieve exceptional customer care so privileged Vespa customers can avail of 24×7, 365 days Road Side Assistance across 51 Indian cities.
Vespa Elegante announced earlier last week, and offered on sale since 20th Sept. Today, Vespa India announced Elegante’s price at Rs 78,999 (es Delhi). The latest offering is a stylish tweak for an already stylish scooter.
Vespa showcased its newest offering for India last week. The new inspired Vespa Elegante upholds the brands values of style and premium, and is offered as a premium limited edition Vespa for a price of Rs. 78,999 (es Delhi).
Piaggio India has confirmed the launch of new Vespa Elegante on the 16th September. Once launched, Vespa Elegante will become the most expensive Vespa in the country.
Based on the Vespa VX 125, a new special edition variant has been launched called – ESCLUSIVO. Priced at Rs 81,786, production is limited to just 1,000 units. Piaggio India has introduced this limited edition Vespa to add a boost in sales with approaching festival season.
England fan, Chris Hallett turned to a novel initiative, Scooters for Goalposts, an adventure ride that involved a Vespa scooter and sidecar travelling from London to Rio for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Honda recently launched its much awaited 125cc segment competitor Activa 125. Bookings have commenced and we thought its time to lay out a comparison chart between Activa 125 and its rivals in the segment to help readers choose their ride for daily commute. Honda Activa 125 has rivals in the form of Vespa LX125, Mahindra Rodeo RZ, Mahindra Duro DZ, Suzuki Access and Suzuki Swish.


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Economically, is it smarter to pay up or hold off?
Ransoms - demanding money for the return of something valuable after illegally taking it - are nothing new. However, as our world has digitalised, it has created a new opportunity for hostage-takers: cyber ransoms. Hackers are taking control of company data and demanding large sums of cash to return access. This is becoming increasingly common. One survey found two-thirds of companies in Western countries suffered a ransomware attack in 2020.
So, should firms pay up? Most of us know from movies to never negotiate with kidnappers, and this is indeed the stance that most national governments and state security services take. There are two reasons why. The first is that paying hackers creates an economic incentive for them to keep on hacking (or for newbies to get into the game). That’s not good for society as a whole, especially because the negative impacts of hacking go beyond causing some financial losses to big businesses. For example, individuals could have their private information leaked and key services could go offline.
The second reason for not paying hackers is that criminals are not bound by any of the usual regulations that protect people engaging in economic transactions. If a shop refused to give you a product after you’d paid for it, you could engage the law and get compensation. If a cybercriminal refuses to release your data after paying their ransom… well, there’s not much you can do about it.
Despite this, in practice a slim majority of firms do fork out the requested cash when cyber-attacked. Unless Liam Neeson is their Head of IT, there’s usually no other way to get their data back, and rebuilding the lost databases from scratch often costs significantly more than the ransom. Not paying up could even mean going bust. There’s wider ramifications to that too, including job losses and disappointed customers.
There's also a problem with the argument that giving in to cybercrime means more of it: it suffers from being what economists call a ‘free rider problem’. Companies know that just because they make the sacrifices that come with not paying the ransom it doesn’t mean other companies will too - in which case they will have lost their data without any of the wider benefits being gained. The usual way to fix the free rider problem is for the state to make participation compulsory. Some people would therefore like governments to make paying ransoms illegal. Others argue that would be an unfair constraint to put on businesses.
Of course, companies that do pay still risk being cheated by nefarious crooks. But that risk isn’t always as big as it may first appear: one study found that 92 percent of businesses that paid their cyber ransom got their info back. That’s because ransomers themselves have an economic incentive to make ransom-paying an appealing option. Future victims are more likely to also pay up if they’ve heard that their peers successfully got their data back that way. Some hackers even provided customer-support-like chat bots to help firms re-access their data.
…So where next? Not only do economic ideas shape the institutions and communities we live in, they also influence our own ideas of personal success – be it earning well, achieving a ‘Dr.’ or ‘CEO’ at the front of our label, or living a sustainable life. But what with the speed at which technology is transforming our economies, we can barely predict what ‘s in store for our economies and where we’ll fit in…


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Australian mobile phone retailer Allphones has installed NFC-enabled promotional pillars at Sydney’s Allphones Arena, one of the largest stadiums in the country. “People can simply tap their phone to access exclusive offers from Allphones,” Andrew Davis (pictured), agency director of NFC platform provider Tapit, told NFC World.
- India to move to contactless driving licences that traffic officers can read with NFC devices
- French bank pilots fingerprint card that removes the contactless transaction limit
- Google includes custom security chip in Pixel 3 smartphones
- ST unveils turnkey payment solution for smartwatches and wearables
- Mastercard to phase out signature panels on bank cards


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By SeafoodSource staff
Published on 06 November, 2012
Seafood suppliers and wholesalers are teaming up with restaurants to feed those still without power and food in New York City and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy swept through the Northeast United States.
Wholesaler Pierless Fish in Brooklyn, N.Y., for example, is distributing its seafood and fish donated by its vendors to certain New York restaurants and to City Harvest, an organization that delivers donated perishables to communities that need food.
While Pierless donated more than 1,000 pounds of its own stock of fish to City Harvest this week, it is also donating swordfish to New York City restaurants Marlow & Sons and Diner. Those restaurants plan to grill swordfish and other food for the hungry in the Rockaway Beach area of Queens and other locations this week.
“One of the biggest needs right now is warm, nutritious foods. People are sick of peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches,” said Laura Sadai, an accounts manager for Pierless Fish. Seafood vendors that have donated fish include Viking Village and Kashiko Exports, both based in New Jersey.
Chefs want to get involved and help their communities, according to Sadai and others. In fact, top New York seafood restaurants Le Bernardin and Oceana have already distributed hundreds of meals via City Harvest.
In addition, Skuna Bay, Vancouver Island Craft Raised Salmon, partnered with Chef David Burke to donate nearly 1,000 pounds of its salmon to New Jersey charities. Starting 13 November, Burke will donate a percentage of the profits for all Skuna Bay salmon dishes sold at his four New York restaurants to Table to Table and Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
StarKist Co. also donated more than USD 89,000 worth of StarKist Flavor Fresh Pouch products and cans of tuna to Feeding America, which will distribute the tuna to community centers in cities impacted by the hurricane.


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April 7, 2014 BY John Kim
On April 7th, 2014, adidas hosted a Global Brand Conference in the brand’s home country of Germany. The event, apparently open exclusively to adidas employees, featured a live performance by hip-hop star and fashion trendmaker Kanye West. Since his arrival at adidas was first made known earlier this year, its been nothing but headline news, and today’s event could potentially reveal a first look at the footwear and apparel that is currently promised to release in September. We’ll have more for you later, so stay tuned to Sneaker News for continual updates on this important event and let us know what you think adidas and Kanye have in store.


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Apple has released watchOS 4.2 for the Watch. The software update will be available as a free update and is required to send and receive money, and use Apple Pay Cash on any Apple Watch model, according to Apple's website.
Apple Pay can also be used to make payments on the iPhone and iPad. With the watch, you use the debit and credit cards already added to Apple Pay, without having to install an app or create another account.
Shares of Apple are higher in afternoon trading.
More of What's Trending on TheStreet:


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4M cards stolen from restaurant breaches available on dark web
A new report from KrebsOnSecurity reveals that four million credit and debit cards are available for sale on one of the largest cybercrime websites. The stolen card data comes from four different restaurants that have been compromised this year.
According to the article, three of the four compromised restaurants – Moe's, McAlister's Deli, and Schlotzsky's – are owned by the same company, Focus Brands. The company disclosed in August that it had been breached between April and July. The other restaurant, Krystal, was breached between July and September and notified the public late last month.
Most of the restaurants affected were in the central and eastern parts of the U.S., with the highest exposure in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Alabama. The article includes more insights into the stolen card data and references a number of recent reports on payment security.
NAFCU is a leader in calling for a national data security standard and was the first group after the massive 2013 Target data breach to call for a legislative solution to reform the nation's data security system. Among the association's principles for a data security standard are holding negligent companies accountable and ensuring consumers are made aware of breaches in a timely manner.
Get daily updates.
Subscribe to NAFCU today.


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CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - The National Hispanic Entrepreneurs' Organization (NHEO) has appointed ambassadors from across the country to help Latino business owners get their businesses off the ground.
The ambassadors were chosen by the NHEO selection committee based on their leadership potential, ethics, communication and interpersonal skills, and track record of results.
Three of the ten ambassadors appointed are from Charlotte.
When Abel Bonilla relocated from New York City three years ago, he knew opening his small flower shop would be an uphill battle.
"We started from zero," he said.
His challenge was finding a group that could connect him with the right people to build his business.
"I didn't have any idea which organization or place could help us," said Bonilla.
Not knowing who to turn to can be a major setback for small business owners. The issue inspired David Vargas and Agustin Velasquez to become ambassadors of a non-profit group called the National Hispanic Entrepreneurs organization. Their mission is simple-- help Hispanic business owners get ahead.
"[We're] basically trying to provide the resources," said Velasquez.
"That's where I come in as a marketing major to help these people promote their business," said Vargas.
Vargas says he's working with Bonilla to strengthen the company's website and network. For example, "we could connect him with a wedding planner that needs flowers."
The organization is relying on a grassroots approach to connect with each business owner and meet face to face.
Bonilla says business is steady, but slow because of the economy. He could use the marketing advice. His website, sayitwithflowersnc.com, is growing, orders are trickling in and he's grateful for the free help.
"That's what we need in small business, somebody to give us a hand or help," said Bonilla. "This is the best way to improve your business or get more customers."


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Celebrities and Influencers Seem To Have Forgotten About Alexander Wang's Sexual Assault Allegations
“[He's] back like nothing happened, I hate this industry,” a social media user tweeted.
The designer invited celebrities and influencers to his show that took place in Los Angeles’ Chinatown on Wednesday night. Local eateries and shops set up stalls in the area, with guests drinking boba and eating dim sum and shaved ice. Visitors were invited to purchase merchandise on-site, with proceeds going towards “the Los Angeles Chinatown corporation’s maintenance and preservation of the historic Chinatown central plaza,” as explained on the brand’s website.
The all-red runway featured a star-studded cast, including Adriana Lima showing off her baby bump in a cut-out ensemble, as well as Soo Joo Park, Candice Swanepoel and Alessandra Ambrosio. Celebrities sitting front row included Chloe Cherry, Peggy Gou, CL, Coi Leray and Kimora Lee Simmons, in addition to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna, who was there to support her daughter Amelia Gray Hamlin on stage.
Viewers of the show were quick to remind the internet that Wang has been accused of sexual assault by multiple men. Individuals shared that he “pulled down [their] pants and underwear” in a nightclub, and drugged male and transgender models. He later responded by stating that those claims were “false, fabricated and mostly anonymous,” and promised to “do better” just months after.
Instagrammers like Diet Prada have shared memes reacting to the show, referencing how stars like Kim Kardashian also shared screenshots from the presentation. “Alexander Wang back like nothing happened, I hate this industry,” one user wrote, while another added: “It’s disappointing to see Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Anna Ewers and Alessandra Ambrosio walking for Alexander Wang. They definitely didn’t need the money. I don’t blame the other models because it’s hard to make much as a model.”


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CARNIVAL Cruise Line is offering a birthday bash at sea for Leap Day babies who sadly missed their birthday for yet another year in 2019.
As an early present to "Leapsters", Carnival will offer those born on February 29 half-price fares on a cruise that sails over their birthday next year.
Departing Melbourne on February 27, 2020, Carnival Spiritwill set sail on a four-night cruise to Adelaide, allowing cruisers to sample the best that the Great Wine Capital of Australia has to offer in regions such as the Barossa Valley.
The deal is exclusively for Leapsters and their loved ones who would like to help celebrate their “once-every-four-years” birthday.
The birthday package includes:
- 50 per cent off cabin fare advertised on Carnival’s website (applies to everyone in one cabin) for the Melbourne-Adelaide cruise on February 27, 2020;
- ‘Drinks on Us’ on your birthday, February 29, 2020;
- An exclusive Leap Day deck party;
- Leap Day birthday cake;
- Special birthday credit of $150 to spend on board at the spa, retail and on professional photos
You can’t book online for this special deal. Phone 133-194 to reserve your booking. Have the promo code ZLP at the ready, as well as your proof of date of birth.
Find out more HERE


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Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) slammed America’s top three social networks for willingly providing law enforcement officials with special access to user data.
This category is about corporate social responsibility (CSR), a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. The goal of CSR is to embrace responsibility for the company’s actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere.
In her new book, “Green Giants,” Freya Williams makes the business case for sustainability and profiles nine companies with green products that achieve $1 billion or more in annual sales.
The United States remains the only industrialized nation that does not mandate paid family leave for all workers. Thankfully, some companies are beginning to take matters into their own hands — not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it makes good business sense.
SPECIAL SERIES: Sustainable Innovation: The Patience to Get it Right
Given the rapid pace of technology innovation, the flip side of which is obsolescence, we have created mountains of electronic waste containing a variety of dangerous materials. But circular economy solutions can help.
The food and agriculture industry could create $2.3 trillion a year by 2030 for companies with stakes in sustainable business models, according to a new report.
On Wednesday, the GRI announced the launch of the world’s first Global Reporting Standards for sustainability reporting. These new standards give businesses large and small a common language for reporting non-financial information. They dovetail with recent global initiatives, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, in advancing integrated, un-siloed cooperation and transparency to … Continued
SPECIAL SERIES: How Sustainability at Home Goes Beyond
TriplePundit spoke with Ron Voglewede, global sustainability director for Whirlpool Corporation, to learn more about how the company is embracing sustainability and actionable ways consumers can do the same.
Residents of a small Alabama town are still complaining of foul odors eight years after a mercaptan spill at a Mobile Gas facility. Some stakeholders say mercaptan, a chemical added to natural gas to give it an odor, is nontoxic. But residents are complaining of health problems, and the company’s sluggish response highlights a trend of lax oversight.
On the heels of World Food Day, we discussed the critical issue of food waste, and the ways the public sector can drive innovation to create the change we need.
Despite considerable progress in the last few years, forced labor remains a problem in many industries. And the garment and apparel sector is no exception. TriplePundit sat down with Kilian Moote of KnowTheChain.org to find out more about why forced labor persists in the industry and what can be done.
McDonald’s caught heat for its decision to once again source beef from some Amazon-based ranches in Brazil. The reversal, coming 27 years after the fast food giant said no to Amazon beef, deserves a closer look.
The $1.5 billion Massachusetts-based travel company, which was one of the first adopters of user-generated content, plans to pull tickets for hundreds of animal attractions from its site.
Over the last 20 years, sustainability standards have been used successfully across many industries. But now comes the hard part. All sustainability tools, including certification, need to engage late adopters, says Lara Koritzke of ISEAL Alliance.


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To make it easy, plants that can be covered should be.
KRMG’s Alan Storjohann says to use a cardboard box or a large plastic container to cover plants that are just blooming. Storjohann says larger shrubs and small trees should be covered with a large tarp or blanket. Then weight the blanket down with bricks or rocks.
FOX23 Chief Meteorologist says the temperatures tonight could get down to 27 degrees. That will be a big problem for commercial fruit growers.
“Those folks are going to be running sprinklers through the night to try to minimize the freeze damage on the developing fruit in their orchards.” Storjohann said.
He continued, “The water will coat those buds and the developing fruit. As it freezes it gives off enough heat to protect the fruit from damage.”
Anything colder than what we’ll see tonight could easily kill off 90 percent of the crop.


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Nissan is preparing another breathtaking sport car. Not only performance, but also styling, especially exterior design are magnificent. Its break through of $100,000 cost is now more reasonable for planned 2018 Nissan GT-R. Redesigned car will also offer hybrid mix of the powertrains, for unreal 700 hp. These are all plans, and Japanese company plans big bites. If new GT-R comes true, it could wipe competition, or make it even better for exotic cars lovers, since all other companies must do something if they don’t want to go to history books.
2018 Nissan GT-R hybrid
Exotic vehicle has been announced as a hybrid model. Petrol unit used by 2018 Nissan GT-R is a 3.0-l V6, and electric battery is mated to it, but its power is still unknown. A five-speed sequential transmission is boosted with carbon clutch and pneumatic paddle shifters. And according to sources, it can transfer around 700 horses to wheels. That makes this twin-turbo engine one of the most powerful units in the segment, but it is still away from Veyron. With front- and all-wheel drive systems offered, new GT-R will sprint to 60 mh in just 2.7 seconds, or even faster. Top speed should be a step closer to 200 mph from current 193.
2018 Nissan GT-R price and competition
With Veyron still out of its class, 2018 Nissan GT-R will fight for users with Chevy Corvette, Audi R18 e-tron Quattro and new Porsche Hybrid among others. Price for entry-level models is around $100,000. And even more for editions, such as Gold and Black. Release date wasn’t announced yet. We assume car is coming not before 2018.
2018 Nissan GT-R styling
From what we saw from sketches, Nissan is planning revolutionary design for this car. It is unknown how far they reached with development. Even if it is going to be close to projected, it is unbelievable.


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One of the most challenging issues facing generic drug manufacturers is that of authorized generics. An authorized generic is a pharmaceutical originally produced by a branded manufacturer but, upon patent expiration, is marketed under a generic name.
Because many authorized generics are launched by subsidiaries of the branded companies, bringing them to market is easy. Authorized generics can bypass the rigorous FDA approval process and do not have to adhere to the 180-day market exclusivity provision granted by the Hatch-Waxman Act to the first generic on the market.
According to Kathleen Jaeger, president and chief executive officer of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, the practice of authorized generics “is a brand tactic aimed at discouraging generic competition.”The pipeline for authorized generics
|Brand company||Brand product||AG company||Approx AG launch date||Partnership vs. settlement||Timing of AG launch vs. first ANDA launch|
Since 2003, 103 authorized generics have been launched onto the U.S. market. Generic companies launched 69 percent of these drugs while brand subsidiaries launched the remainder.
Those statistics beg the question, Why would generic companies who are only hurt by competition from authorized generics, get into that business themselves?
“The one-word answer is revenue,” according to Eric Bolesh, research team leader with Cutting Edge Information. “If you can guarantee investment, it’s hard to turn it down. This is money going in the door and it’s money Wall Street is going to see.”
It also gives smaller generic companies an opportunity to get drugs out there, if they work for the branded companies, he added. “A small company is never going to invest in R&D and in having a law firm to bring the branded companies to court. So authorized generics make sense.”
While GPhA may be firmly against authorized generics, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America last year issued a report stating that authorized generics save consumers money by increasing price competition among drug makers. The report says that the generics are sold to pharmacies and health care facilities at greater discounts than regular generics.
These savings are hard to ignore, said Mark Merritt, president of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which supports payers and consumers “I think it’s unclear whether, long-term, the generics companies will be hurt,” he said. “It’s very hard for us to turn down short-term savings until we know more about the long-term [impact]. It’s a trickier issue than it seems.”
Bolesh questioned the savings, citing studies that have shown prices actually drop more significantly in the long-term if there are many generic products on the market. But, the number of generic products that are launched is typically less if an authorized generic is present during the 180-day exclusivity period.
While the debate over authorized generics continues, bills have been introduced to both the House of Representatives and the Senate, asking for authorized generics to be blocked during a generic drug’s 180-day period of exclusivity. The Federal Trade Commission also is conducting a study of the use, and likely short- and long-term competitive effects, of authorized generics in the prescription drug marketplace, but as yet has drawn no conclusions.Branded pharmaceutical companies and their authorized generic subsidiaries
|Brand company||Authorized generic subsidiary|
|Johnson & Johnson||Patriot|
Authorized generics are not the only thing that’s being thrown at generic companies by the branded pharmaceutical giants.
The number of citizen’s petitions, in which the FDA is asked to review a NDA based on legal or scientific reasons, that are filed is on the upswing and there is no sign that the pace is slowing down.
“These petitions have always been around,” said Bill Rakoczy, a partner at law firm Rakoczy Molino Mazzochi Siwik, who represents generic companies. “But they’re increasing because of the sheer number of generics [on the market now]. The brand companies have nothing to lose and it costs them nothing.
“It’s out of control and has almost become a knee-jerk reaction by the branded companies,” he said. For almost every generic that’s launched these days, he noted, there’s an accompanying citizen’s petition.
Citizen’s petitions are typically launched just before a generic drug is approved, which holds up the approval process and gives the branded equivalent more market exclusivity.
The FDA is not doing anything to protect generic companies against these petitions, although Sen. Kennedy has launched S.1082 legislation, the Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act, which has a provision to remedy the delays wrought by them. It would also force the FDA to make decisions on them, so as not to delay the launch of generic drugs.
“So there could be some movement in Congress in the next year,” Rakoczy said. “It’s become such a problem that Congress has had to step in, because the agency, for some reason, hasn’t.”
Don Mizerk, an attorney with law firm Winston & Strawn also is confident that there are changes ahead. “I’m optimistic…that the FDA will be prohibited from delaying approvals while they are considering a citizen’s petition. And they’d have to act on them within 180 days, which would encourage brand companies to file them sooner.”
The FDA is in a difficult situation, he said, because if a citizen’s petition shows safety concerns, “[the FDA] is reticent to issue an approval until that concern is addressed,” since safety concerns are paramount.


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US man wins $7.5mn verdict against Walmart over watermelon injury
An Alabama man recently won a $7.5 million verdict against Walmart over a hip injury he suffered while buying watermelons at the global retail giant in 2015. According to 61-year-old Henry Walker, his foot got trapped in a pallet under a box of watermelons while he was grocery shopping at Walmart four years ago. As a result, he fell and injured his hip.
Walmart disappointed with verdict, will appeal
Walmart, however, is disappointed with the court ruling and feels the damages awarded were excessive. It intends to appeal. Though Walker's attorney argued that Walmart should have had the pallet covered and made sure the display was safe for customers, the retailer maintained the injury was Walker's fault. Walmart added that the display wasn't dangerous and was being used in stores across the US.
Walmart continues to display watermelons in the same manner
During the court filing, the multinational company reportedly said, "Walmart continues to display watermelons in the same manner as it did on June 25, 2015. These displays come to the store from the producer already packaged and ready to be dropped and displayed."


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Anheuser-Busch will introduce its new all-malt formula Michelob and Michelob Light on Monday, thereby reversing its brewing history.
It was 1961 when the brewing giant began using rice in place of some malt to lighten the taste, changing a formula it had used since 1896.
The return to malt is, in the words of a statement from Doug Muhleman, vice president of brewing operations and technology, for a taste that “… will reflect the basic style that Michelob is known for, but with an added dimension of taste intensity. The beer will have a rich toasted maltiness, a balanced hop profile … a rich color and a smooth velvety finish.”
Obviously, the formula change isn’t just on a whim. As Brandweek magazine reported: “With the exception of Michelob Ultra Amber … the Michelob family has been sliding. Michelob Light dropped 9.8 percent from 2005 to 2006, Michelob Lager is down 16.3 percent.”
Sometimes it’s about the bottle.
The new formula will be sold in the amber teardrop bottles A-B is bringing back, no doubt to the consternation of flea market vendors who have turned the old ones into vases, lamps and other bric-a-brac.
And, sometimes it’s about the glass.
The Boston Beer Co. last week unveiled a special glass for its Samuel Adams brand beer.
The idea isn’t unheard of. Beer mugs and steins have been around in different shapes and sizes for centuries, and aficionados of wines and spirits prefer certain thicknesses and shapes of glassware to best enjoy their drinks.
Jim Koch, company chairman and founder of the Samuel Adams beer brand, said: “It’s a personal passion of mine to develop a beer glass that elevates the craft-beer drinking experience. We wanted to create a glass that offers beer lovers a full sensory experience by fully showcasing Samuel Adams Boston Lager’s complex balance of malt and hop flavors.”
The double-curved glasses will be available to the public beginning in March, priced at $30 for a package of four from the company Web site.
(This entry is excerpted from the print version of “Dowd On Drinks” published in the Times Union on Thursday, Feb. 22.)


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Royal Enfield has introduced a new Squadron Blue colour for its Classic 500 motorcycle. It is priced at Rs 1.93 lakh, on-road Mumbai which is a Rs 5,000 premium over the Classic 500 with standard colours. The company says that the new paint shade is inspired by the Indian Air Force and has introduced the colour to pay homage to the Air Force.
Royal Enfield has supplied motorcycles to the Indian Armed Forces since 1952 when it received an order for 800 motorcycles. The Indian Air Force has been using the motorcycles as part of its Air...
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Updated Date: Feb 26, 2016 12:11:58 IST


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Leisure Activity Vehicle. That’s what Citroën calls this type of compact passenger van, and it lays claim to having created the segment with the Berlingo Multispace back in 1996. 22 years later, it’s rolling out the third iteration you see here.
Set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the new Multispace is the first in an array of small vans being produced by the PSA Group. They’ll reach showrooms as the Citroën Berlingo, Peugeot Partner, and Opel/Vauxhall Combo.
The Multispace is the Chevron marque’s passenger version, bringing with it some of Citroën’s signature quirkiness. Just look at the “airbumps” that debuted on the C4 Cactus and are quickly finding their way across the automaker’s lineup.
It also boasts 28 storage compartments, including a multifunction Modutop roof setup and a Top Box in the dashboard (enabled by moving the airbag into the headliner). Variable seating configurations aim to optimize the interior space, and loads of appearance customization options will help buyers make the van their own.
Citroën will offer the Berlingo Multispace in standard and extended wheelbases to accommodate five or seven passengers. An array of gasoline and diesel engines are on offer, ranging in output from 75 metric horsepower to 130. There’s a new eight-speed automatic transmission, and an array of 19 driver-assistance systems on offer.
The new Berlingo and its sister-models will vie for customers against the likes of the Ford Transit Connect, Chevy City Express, Ram ProMaster City/Fiat Doblo, Renault Kangoo, Volkswagen Caddy, and Nissan NV200. It’s a highly competitive segment, as you can see, and the expanding European auto group is serious about defending its slice of the pie – and maybe taking a bigger one.
The Citroën brand alone has sold over 3.3 million Berlingos in the past two-plus decades, over half of which (at 1.7 million units) were Multispace passenger versions. It sold over 165,000 Berlingo vans last year alone, making it the brand’s top-selling model in 17 countries, and its second-best seller worldwide behind only the C3.
Article updated with live images from Geneva