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Dear Google: You made a huge mistake in the way you announced your new terms of service. The way you did it made people angry -- completely unnecessarily.
On Oct. 11 Google announced that, beginning Nov. 11, the company would be able to feature users' names and photos in what the company calls "shared endorsements" on Google sites and across the Internet, where more than 1 billion people view content on more than 2 million sites in Google's display advertising network.
The new rules allow Google to include adult users' names, photos, reviews, comments and recommendations in ads shown across the Web, based on ratings, reviews and posts they have made on Google Plus and other Google services like YouTube. However, "You can control whether your image and name appear in ads via the Shared Endorsements setting." That means you can opt out. Simply check a box that says you don't want your endorsements shared.
Unfortunately, according to researchers at the University of Nottingham, the new terms of service use more complex language than "Beowulf" or "War and Peace." Google, you see, isn't exactly great at explaining things.
It didn't position the latest change well, either. The company should have allowed people to apply to participate. That's the highly successful strategy it used to launch Google Glass. It worked like a charm.
When Google introduced the beta version of Google Glass, people had to apply to spend $1,500 for the chance to test the first version of Google Glass. You had to write an essay explaining how you would use the glasses and how you'd share what you thought of them. Tens of thousands applied. Thousands crowed happily when they were selected to pay $1,500 to be among the geekiest geeks on the planet.
I tried Google Glass. They're not ready for prime time. But that didn't stop people from wanting to be the first on their block to have a pair.
Google should have made people apply to have their names, faces and opinions shown in ads to Google's enormous global audience. They could have called the people they picked "Google Tastemakers" or "Google Trendsetters" and people would have lined up in droves for the chance to be promoted by Google. Face it: Many of us want the world to know who we are and what we think. Ask any blogger.
In a recent post, Seth Godin, whose wisdom I always respect and almost always agree with, asked, "Is Google jumping the shark?"
"Great media companies fight back on all of these intrusions," he wrote, "because they know that what actually works is genuine connection built around remarkable products and services."
But Google does have genuine connection built around remarkable products and services. Now it's suggesting to consumers that the bill is due. People who are angry that Google is making them opt out of being featured in advertising need to consider several points:
· Google search – the best search engine in the world – is free
· Gmail – with enormous functionality and huge storage capacity – is free
· GooglePlus is free and offers free Hangouts on Air which have all the functionality of expensive webinar platforms. And it seamlessly integrates with your YouTube channel, which is free, and which has free (rudimentary, but improving) editing software.
· Google Games, Google Wallet, Blogger, Google Analytics, Google Maps, Google Webmaster Tools, Google News, Google Images, Google Calendar, and many other platforms are free. No charge. Gratis.
While many may argue otherwise, information is not really free. Somebody has to pay for it. Google's model is to have advertising pay for the Google platforms.
Personally, the only ad I'm likely to click on is one that features a friend of mine's face and opinion. These new endorsements will only be visible to the people who you originally shared that activity with though; most content will therefore be restricted to a specific circle from Google+, although ratings and reviews posted on Google Play or Google+ Local will be visible to the wider public. So what's the big deal, really?
People need to get over the idea that there's nothing they'll ever have to do to keep Google's platforms free. And if they don't want to be in the endorsements, they can just opt out. Now.
And, dear Google, you need to re-think your marketing strategy for future Terms of Service updates.


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‘I have just been for a run’: Man spotted shopping in a thong and wellies
- Credit: Archant
The cold weather failed to deter one man in Bury St Edmunds who was seen just wearing the briefest of underpants and Wellington boots.
He was spotted walking past shops in the west of the town where there is a Tesco Express and various other shops.
He turned the head of one onlooker who seemed dumbstruck on what she saw walking past her.
Julie Wiseman, who owns a hair salon, said he was seen at 10.45am yesterday.
'He was wearing a little leaf print combat thong with wellie boots and he walked up Horsecroft Road. One of the girls was cutting a gentleman's hair when she said 'There's a man just gone past wearing next to nothing.'
'He apparently went into the Tesco Express for a bottle of orange juice and one of the girls in there apparentley asked him if she could get him some clothes but he said 'No, I am fine I have just been for a run.'
'We think it was the same person who was seen doing this last year.'
- 1 46-cabin holiday park proposed for Norfolk countryside
- 2 Major incident in city after reports of stabbing
- 3 Afternoon tea at Norwich tea room named one of best in UK
- 4 Dereham coach firm closes after more than 50 years in business
- 5 Mysterious 'large black animal' spotted roaming in fields near city
- 6 Three teenagers saved after inflatable gets blown out to sea
- 7 Delays ease on A47 near Dereham after four-vehicle crash
- 8 Richard Osman visits city shop while filming for BBC show
- 9 Range Rover hit by train after straying onto level crossing
- 10 Artist dies just weeks after Covid cancellation of psychiatrist appointment
The incident was posted on Facebook and has gone viral with hundredss of comments and suggestions on who the mystery many may be.

domain: news


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As news corporations find it harder to make big bucks in the digital world, competing against the citizen journalists of the social media world, the debate around the potential success of paid-for content increases.
Of course some have already committed to it. Yet, none with great conviction. So the latest rumors given credence by a report in the New York Post, could set the debate alight with even bigger flames.
The rumors are that with Google keen to push it’s premium content program for YouTube, it may look towards a pay-wall and paid-for viewing to entice some of the biggest players in traditional tv into online. Nobody expects YouTube to suddenly start forcing every user to pay per view – Google’s business heads know the importance of free content to drive audience for other paid-for services. What it may very seriously be considering is premium content available for a fee and it may follow very familiar broadcast models to dip its toe into the water.
Just as now you may pay a ‘box-office’ fee to watch the big fight, or perish the thought have to watch the big game on your traditional cable box, YouTube could soon be offering similar sporting options at a pay-per-view online. Makes sense doesn’t it. And with YouTube’s popularity ever high, you can see it working quickly and effectively too. Traditional broadcasters who see these pay-per-view options as great money-spinners, could soon find their party hi-jacked.
For a viewer looking for a wider range of events – possibly live concerts, live debates too – this could be great news. No need to watch at home, you could watch on your phone or tablet, and with more competition hopefully the end cost to the viewer should be lower too.
We will wait and see.


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It’s another week and the damage from Volkswagen’s Dieselgate is continuing to spread like smoke from a wildfire. Many TDI owners are less-than-enthused about the news that VW is giving them all a $500 prepaid Visa gift card, which some are jokingly calling a bribe from the automaker.
On top of that, the company is also sending out $500 gift cards that can only be used at VW dealerships, because TDI owners will have plenty of time to buy model TDI cars, hats and official Volkswagen coolant while their vehicle is finally getting “fixed” so it stops spewing out too much pollution.
The final offer for all TDI owners is three years of free roadside assistance, which will come in handy if the “fix” for the vehicles creates any unforeseen problems that would otherwise leave people stranded.
Needless to say, this three-prong maneuver to smooth things over with TDI owners isn’t going over too well, because it’s like slapping a band aid over a severed carotid artery. But with about half a million vehicles affected by the recall so far, these gestures are costing the automaker at least $500 million.
Making the whole gesture even richer, Jalopnik reports that the Touareg TDI isn’t part of this offer for some unknown reason. Will this be the kind gesture of goodwill that will keep TDI owners from fleeing the VW brand?
Autolist.com just performed an in-depth statistical analysis on the effects of Dieselgate on dealers and vehicle prices. While some have been saying everything’s fine on that front, Autolist’s numbers say otherwise. The average VW sits on dealer lots 123 days, which is 44% over the industry average. As a result, Autolist found that dealerships are dropping prices by an average of 4.7%.
While that doesn’t sound good, Autolist says that things are about to get even worse. Depreciation of VW vehicles is actually accelerating, affecting all models and not just TDIs. This is bad news for Volkswagen, its dealer network and owners.
Finally, Bob Lutz says that the whole Dieselgate scandal was a result of poor leadership from the former head of the Volkswagen Group, Ferdinand Piech. Under his direction, VW pursued “clean” diesel powertrains as the way to meet tightening government fuel economy standards, a pathway that obviously hurled the company toward doom.
Lutz said that Volkswagen’s headaches are only beginning, saying that Dieselgate is “the disaster that keeps on giving.”


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Contactless cards have finally taken off in Europe with spectacular growth in the number of cards and the volume of payments during 2014.
The rollout of contactless cards and adoption of contactless-enabled terminals are set to accelerate in the coming years as new Visa and MasterCard mandates come into force in 2016. According to the study: Global Payment Cards Data and Forecasts to 2020, Europe is expected to witness a nine-fold rise in contactless payment volume by 2020 compared to 2014.
Contactless card numbers to treble by 2020
At the end of 2014, there were 223 million contactless cards in issue in Europe, up 65% compared to 2013, and representing 15% of all payment cards. Issuers see contactless as a way of persuading consumers to reduce their reliance on cash and to cut transaction times, and often issue replacement cards with contactless functionality. The report forecasts the number of contactless cards in issue to treble between 2014 and 2020 to just short of 700 million cards, representing more than 40% of the total regional card base.
Number of Contactless Cards in Europe (millions)
The share of all cards that have contactless functionality varies widely across the region; at the end of 2014 no contactless cards at all had been issued in Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway or Sweden, whilst more than 60% of all cards in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia were contactless.
The success of contactless in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is linked to the quick and co-ordinated efforts of banks in terms of both issuing and acquiring. In Poland meanwhile, card schemes have made particularly strong efforts to promote contactless cards which, coupled with a consumer base open to testing new technologies, has led to widespread issuance and acceptance of such cards.
Unclear business case and high costs have inhibited issuance in some countries
Sweden started to issue contactless cards only in 2015, with traditional cards already well established and consumers frequently using them for low-value payments. The business case for contactless payments is therefore lessened compared to markets where cards are typically only used for transactions above a certain value. The rollout of contactless cards has also been a relatively slow process in some other countries. In Russia, for example, owing to the high cost of converting cards to contactless, banks focused initially on issuing only premium and high-tier contactless cards.
Accelerated growth in usage as acceptance expands
According to the study, there were 1.4 billion contactless payments worth €15 billion in Europe in 2014, rises of 155% and 190% respectively compared to 2013. These are staggering increases, but contactless transactions still represent just 2% of the overall volume of card payments in the region and 0.5% of their value. The volume of contactless payments is forecast to rise almost nine-fold to 12.2 billion in 2020, by which point they will account for 13% of all card payments. The rapid growth in usage is a result of escalating acceptance and greater consumer familiarity with the technology, as well as industry campaigns.
Volume of Contactless Card Payments in Europe (millions)
Card scheme mandates will boost contactless acceptance
There were 2.5 million contactless-enabled terminals in Europe at the end of 2014, representing 16% of all EFTPOS terminals in the region. MasterCard and Visa have both mandated that new terminals should be capable of accepting contactless transactions by the beginning of 2016 and all existing terminals should be contactless by the beginning of 2020 – the level of contactless acceptance is therefore set to soar for the rest of this decade.
The interchange fee for contactless cards in many countries is lower than that for other payment cards – this will also encourage growth in acceptance generally and in contactless acceptance in particular, as some retailers sign up to accept cards for the first time and others replace older terminals.
Tipping point for contactless is becoming closer
RBR believes that contactless will continue to spread throughout the region aided by the card schemes’ mandates for terminals to be capable of accepting contactless transactions. At some stage there will be a tipping point, after which the movement to contactless will be extremely quick. That point has not quite been reached, but it is becoming closer all the time.


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Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), led by visionary entrepreneur Elon Musk, has emerged as a transformative force in the automotive industry. The company’s relentless pursuit of sustainable energy solutions and innovative electric vehicles (EVs) has captured the imagination of investors worldwide.
- Financial Performance and Revenue Growth:
Tesla’s financial performance has been impressive, reflecting its growing market share and strong demand for its products. In recent years, the company has consistently reported robust revenue growth. In 2022, Tesla’s revenue reached a staggering $62.5 billion, representing a remarkable 72% increase compared to the previous year. Such growth highlights Tesla’s ability to capture a significant portion of the EV market, aided by its expanding production capabilities and global footprint.
- Profitability and Margin Analysis:
Profitability is a crucial aspect to evaluate when considering an investment. Tesla has demonstrated significant progress in this area. The company achieved a gross margin of 28.4% in 2022, showcasing its ability to generate healthy profits from its vehicle sales. Moreover, Tesla’s operating margin has been steadily improving, standing at 7.9% in 2022. These figures indicate Tesla’s ongoing efforts to streamline operations and reduce production costs, leading to increased profitability over time.
- Vehicle Deliveries and Market Penetration:
Tesla’s success can be attributed, in part, to its ability to deliver a substantial number of vehicles to customers. In 2022, the company delivered approximately 936,000 EVs, representing a remarkable 77% year-over-year increase. The growing demand for Tesla’s vehicles, driven by factors such as increasing environmental awareness and government incentives, has allowed the company to expand its market share globally. Furthermore, Tesla’s dominance in the EV market is reinforced by its Supercharger network, offering convenient charging options for Tesla owners and enhancing the company’s competitive advantage.
- Research and Development (R&D) and Innovation:
Tesla’s commitment to continuous innovation sets it apart from its competitors. The company consistently allocates a significant portion of its revenue to R&D, enabling it to introduce groundbreaking technologies and stay ahead of the curve. Tesla’s recent advancements in autonomous driving, battery technology, and energy storage systems have positioned the company as an industry leader. Such investments in R&D demonstrate Tesla’s commitment to long-term growth and its ability to capitalize on emerging trends in the EV industry.
- Regulatory Environment and Government Support:
Government policies and regulations play a vital role in shaping the future of the EV industry. Tesla has benefited from supportive policies worldwide, including tax incentives, subsidies, and emissions standards that promote the adoption of electric vehicles. As governments continue to prioritize sustainability and environmental initiatives, Tesla is well-positioned to thrive in this favorable regulatory environment.
Tesla’s exceptional growth, strong financial performance, and continued innovation make it an attractive investment opportunity for those looking to capitalize on the expanding electric vehicle market. By considering Tesla’s revenue growth, profitability, market penetration, innovation, and favorable regulatory environment, investors can make informed decisions regarding their investment in the company. However, it is crucial for investors to remain vigilant, monitor market trends, and consult with financial advisors before making any investment decisions.


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More than 2.5 million BMW units were sold worldwide in 2021 (2,521,525 to be precise), an increase of 9.1% over the previous year. If we count only electric vehicles, this peak reaches more than 50%, reaching 103,855 units. Data from the German company also reveals that one in four vehicles produced by BMW and sold in Germany is electrified, while MINI Electric is the namesake brand’s best-selling model. With regard to our country, on the other hand, the Munich company has also maintained its position as group leader in the premium segment in 2021.
For BMW a 2021 to be framed
2021 has been a very bad year for the automotive sector, due to the lack of electronic components which has caused global production to collapse. However, BMW registered the first place in terms of deliveries worldwide, overcoming various competitors, such as Mercedes, topping the aforementioned ranking for 5 years (since 2016). Only models and not brands are included in the data for this ranking, so MINI and Rolls-Royce have been excluded for Bavarians, while Mercedes are not counted as Smart, Maybach and Daimler Trucks.
The first estimates, which will be confirmed by the end of January, show that the BMW brand alone delivers 2.2 million cars. This data is realigned with the results recorded in the ante-Covid era (2,168,516 vehicles sold in 2019), thus bringing the brand back up after the serious -7.2% in 2020. Mercedes, on the other hand, ended 2020 with a 5% deficit compared to the previous twelve months and sales stabilized at 2.05 million cars. As a consequence of this decline, for the Daimler Group, production capacity fell by more than 25% due to the shortage of production materials in the last three months of the year.
BMW and Mercedes go electric
The two car manufacturers analyzed have decided to invest their resources in much more profitable sectors in order to face the critical problems of raw material supply. There is therefore a notable increase in sales of Mercedes electric cars, both in plug-in and battery versions, which measure an increase of 69% and a record 227,458 units at the end of 2021. the electric EQs, 48,396 units are sold, including 16,370 orders for the EQS luxury sedan. BMW announced the 1,000,000th electrified car in December.
Moreover, from the available data, a sharp drop in sales of Mercedes for more than 11% in the European space, while inside the German borders this depression reaches 25%. In Asia, the drop was 1.6% (in China, it reached -2%), while the North American market rose by 0.4%, including the United States. The composition of BMW’s market is not yet known, as the data has not yet been disclosed.
What will be the trend of 2022? We don’t know yet, but based on the data, the new year that has just begun is shaping up to be crackling. Rising inflation (and prices) across the West may slow the buying of so-called “standard” cars, but research into new zero-emission engines like the electric will almost certainly lead to additional information. or an increase in sales, especially in the Premium sector, where BMW and Mercedes achieve a large part of their turnover


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Indian auto market growth, and supply chain
Renault confirms they would bring a sedan to India, the Influence within this year. That would be followed with the SUV Koleos launch by 2012-13….
Renault confirms they would bring a sedan to India, the Influence within this year. That would be followed with the SUV Koleos launch by 2012-13. Manufacturing the sedan will be carried out at the Oragadam plant.
This French giant has tied up with Japanese automaker Nissan. This JV entails a Rs. 4,500 crore investment, and aimed at the setup of a manufacturing unit. The company is also keen at localizing products used at the manufacturing facility. This endeavor also looks forward to localizing content for the Nissan Micra to about 80%, from its current 60%.
The company has also been forthright regarding the need for India to resolve infrastructural issues in order to develop as a global automobile hub in order to increase supply of auto components to overseas destinations. Real growth in the auto industry can be expected from markets in Latin American, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets, in the near future.
It has also been speculated that the spurt for vehicles in the Indian auto market has kept the domestic economy afloat helping it cope with the global financial meltdown.


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A year after the pandemic brought the hospitality industry to a standstill, restaurant week is in full swing in multiple cities thanks to vaccine rollouts and the sector is on a rebound despite fears over the spread of the Delta variant in the U.S.
While many restaurant businesses ended up in bankruptcy, the ones that survived pivoted or leaned into off-premise sales from drive-throughs and take-out, shut down locations and cut back on staff to make it to the other side. As restaurants return to a measure of normalcy, financial sponsors and strategic buyers are back at the table for what’s shaping up to be a record year in restaurant dealmaking.
FAT Brands Inc. (FAT), for instance, on Aug. 31 agreed to acquire casual dinning chain Twin Peaks from Garnett Station Partners for $300 million, which followed the $442 million acquisition of Global Franchise Group LLC and its five quick-service restaurant brands in June, while private equity firm High Bluff Capital Partners LLC acquired quick-service chicken restaurant chain Cajun Operating Co., or Church’s Chicken, for an undisclosed amount earlier this month.
Industry sources attribute the M&A frenzy to the rebound in restaurant performance — particularly that of quick-service restaurants — and a pent-up demand for transactions in the sector after a drop in dealmaking in 2020.
“It has been a hallmark year,” said Kevin Burke, managing director at Trinity Capital LLC. “I think we are going to see a continued surge in restaurant transactions throughout the balance of the year, heavily skewed towards quick-service restaurants.”
Quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, which fared better than full-service restaurants that depend on customers on-premise dining, have been prime targets for buyers, as evidenced by Inspire Brands Inc.’s $11.3 billion acquisition of Dunkin’ Brands Inc. in November. The quick-service segment, which in addition to Dunkin’, includes familiar names such as Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG), McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) and Yum! Brands Inc.’s (YUM) Taco Bell Corp., won out during the pandemic due to its existing infrastructure, easy-to-carry foods and family meals.
Throughout the pandemic, many investors — particularly those without large restaurant portfolios or a long history of investing in the space — haven’t been willing to engage in transactions involving full-service or on-premise experiential concepts, said Susan Miller, co-founder and partner at Morgan Kingston Advisors. These “tourist investors” as Miller calls them, have instead been chasing quick-service restaurants for deals at record valuations, driven mainly by traditional debt providers narrowing their scope to large franchise systems with national footprints.
Scalability Commands Top Dollar
While some buyers are looking to acquire assets at a discounted price, others are in search of growth concepts or strategic acquisitions to complement their existing portfolio, driving up competition for — and valuations of — a limited inventory of businesses.
“You’ve got to either pay up or miss out on deals,” said Aaron Allen of restaurant consulting firm Aaron Allen & Associates.
The median enterprise-value-to-Ebitda multiple for restaurant targets in the U.S. stood at 10.5 times Ebitda in 2019, according to a report. In comparison, Inspire Brands paid 21 times Dunkin’s Ebitda for the past 12 months before the deal was announced. Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking, meanwhile, which acquired a majority stake in Zaxby’s SPE Franchisor LLC in November, reportedly paid 18 to 20 times the casual fried chicken concept’s Ebitda of $100 million to $125 million, valuing the company at approximately $2 billion, according to a report from Duff & Phelps.
But while valuations remain healthy, they can vary dramatically based on size, segment, region, growth trajectory, business model and other factors, Miller said.
In addition to FAT Brands, other strategic buyers, including franchisees, such as SPB Hospitality LLC, Ampex Brands LLC and Yadav Enterprises Inc. have been acquisitive this year.
SPB, an affiliate of Softbank Group Corp.-backed Fortress Investment Group LLC, bought restaurateur J. Alexander’s Holdings Inc. for $220 million in cash in July. Ampex, a Yum! Brands franchisee, bought Au Bon Pain for an undisclosed amount from Panera Bread Co. in June, while Yadav Enterprises, Jack in the Box Inc.’s (JACK) largest franchisee, agreed to acquire fast-casual Mexican restaurant Taco Cabana for $85 million from Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc. (FRGI) in July.
PE on Both Sides of the Table
Private equity, eager to deploy the large amount of capital it’s been sitting on after record fundraising this past year, has been capturing its share of deals as well, with Thompson Street Capital Partners acquiring fast-casual chain Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers for an undisclosed amount in March and Artemis Lane Partners buying Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken in June, also for an undisclosed amount.
Several restaurant operators, particularly in the lower middle market, that made it through the worst of the pandemic flush with cash on their balance sheets from government relief are also considering a sale as valuations tick up.
“They’re thinking, ‘It’s nice to have all this money and no debt, maybe we should just sell the whole thing,’” Allen said. “The M&A that will end up happening between now and the end of the year will be equal to the last few years combined.”
Many businesses, concerned over the potential doubling of long-term capital gains tax from 20% to 40% in January 2022, are also rushing to sell before the end of the year.
Some larger quick-service restaurants also have filed for an initial public offering or gone public in recent months. TSG Consumer Partners LLC-backed Dutch Bros. Coffee and salad chain Sweetgreen Inc., for instance, are among those planning to go public while doughnut chain Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. (DNUT) returned to public markets in July.
The IPO window for the restaurant industry opens for certain periods of time every few years, according to Rahul Aggarwal, a partner at Brentwood Associates.
There’s a feeling in the industry that it’s at a “precipice for a new opening of an IPO window for great restaurant companies to access the public markets,” Aggarwal said.
Hopes for On-Premise Concepts
As in-person dining makes a comeback and many parts of the country benefit from a relatively normal summer compared with last year, investors are now showing more enthusiasm for on-premise experiences such as full-service concepts as well, though lenders remain very cautious, industry sources said.
“Many folks see the light at the end of the tunnel and recognize that the pandemic is not permanent,” Miller said. “The new normal is not sitting in your home.”
Meanwhile, distress investors have been “chomping at the bits” throughout the pandemic searching for discounted assets, Miller said. Well-capitalized operators had similarly hoped to find second-generation real estate deals like those seen in the Great Recession. But to date, both groups haven’t had much luck, Miller said.
Though the industry saw restaurant businesses changing hands as part of distress deals, it wasn’t on the scale anticipated at the start of the pandemic, mainly due to the government stimulus that helped operators stay afloat, sources said.
However some restaurant companies, such as traditional casual or family dining franchisees, burdened with royalty payments on top of rising operating costs, may find themselves distressed as government relief programs run their course, Miller said.
Similarly, independent chains that failed to adapt operationally, or that have been ill-equipped to navigate the pandemic due in part to antiquated financial systems and technology, may likely end up selling out of distress or exhaustion, particularly as they struggle to staff up amid the labor crunch, she added.
The rise in commodity prices will also add to the pressure on struggling restaurants, Trinity Capital’s Burke said.
“There’s been a real parting of the Red Sea; there’s going to be those who survive and those that don’t,” Burke said.


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Lithia buys Broken Arrow dealership
MEDFORD, Ore. Lithia Motors Inc. acquired three car dealerships in Montana and Oklahoma with combined annual sales of about $100 million, as part of a strategy to diversify its markets. A spokesman wasn't immediately available to comment on the terms of the cash deal.
The car retailer posted revenue of $583.5 million in the first quarter ended March 31. The company said Thursday it acquired Grizzly Dodge, Chrysler, L/M and Suzuki in Missoula, Mont.; Montana Dodge in Billings, Mont.; and Expressway Dodge in Broken Arrow, OK. All three dealerships will be rebranded Lithia.
Archive ID: 1341420


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He sold a selling idea, but now it may be on sale
In sanskrit, Subiksha means prosperity. Today, R Subramanian, who scripted the first of the success stories in organised retail in India 11 years ago, is struggling to save Subiksha, his discount retailing venture, from going bust, report Saurabh Turakhia & Rajendra Palande.Updated: Feb 01, 2009, 21:49 IST
In sanskrit, Subiksha means prosperity. Today, R Subramanian, who scripted the first of the success stories in organised retail in India 11 years ago, is struggling to save Subiksha, his discount retailing venture, from going bust.
At stake is the future of 15,000 employees at 1,600 neighbourhood stores across the country. Subhiksha Trading Services is caught in a liquidity jam, after expanding rapidly on borrowed funds. And its bankers are unwilling to top up the Rs 700 crore of loans already extended to the retailer.
Existing shareholders — ICICI Ventures, the private equity arm of the country's second largest lender ICICI Bank, and Wipro founder and chairman Azim Premji, appear to be chary of bailing out Subhiksha.
“We had expanded rapidly,” Subramanian told Hindustan Times in an email. “Most of the growth was debt-led. We had built on a tiny equity base of just Rs 32 crore and the company had raised only a total of Rs 180 crore as shareholder funds, growing to 1,600 stores and a nearly Rs 4,000 crore annual turnover.”
A sellout could be an option. But where are the buyers? Kishore Biyani, CEO of Future Group, and B.S. Nagesh, customer care associate and managing director of Shoppers’ Stop, ruled out taking over Subhiksha. “No,” they separately answered a specific SMS query on whether they would consider taking over Subhiksha.
Subhiksha was half-way through its Rs 1,000-crore expansion plan in August, 2008 when it was hit by the liquidity crisis. The Indian financial system and equity markets had got entangled in the global financial meltdown.
Subramanian, an alumnus of IIT-Madras and IIM-Ahmedabad, and a first-generation entrepreneur, has put the immediate liquidity requirement at Rs 300 crore to restart operations at Subhiksha. But retail industry officials estimate that it could need twice as much.
The company has a business model of buying supplies in cash to get extra discounts from manufacturers. This helps it beat rivals in the pricing game. For the first time, it began seeking credit from suppliers in July, 2008. Reportedly, it has not been able to pay its employees salaries since October, 2008.
Subhiksha’s Rs 180 crore shareholder funds include paid-up equity capital and share premium. It’s debt is around Rs 700 crore — which translates into a debt-equity ratio of nearly 4:1.
“It will be very difficult under the current circumstances for Subhiksha to find a potential investor or buyer for its business,” said Arvind Singhal, chairman, Technopak, a retail consultancy.
The private equity investments by the two companies may be written off, if things go from bad to worse, he added.
ICICI Ventures had bought a 38 per cent stake in Subiksha in March, 2004. It has sold 15 per cent, at nearly four times the acquisition cost of around Rs 70 crore. Just last September, it sold 10 per cent to Azim Premji, for a reported Rs 230 crore — well after the discount retailer had become mired in crisis.


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Pets.com Shutting Down
from the surprising dept
This one is a bit of a surprise. Pets.com which was the biggest of the online shopping stores is shutting down. They claim they may sell off the rights to the damn sock puppet, though (maybe we could use it as a mascot of dot com stupidity here on Techdirt). Online pet stores have been the joke of dot com excesses for the past year or so, but that doesn’t mean that they should all suddenly go out of business. I am surprised that they are just giving up completely. I do think that they may have become a little complacent once Amazon invested in them, but Amazon’s investment track record seems to be getting worse every day.


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Consumer confidence down
CONSUMERS' confidence in the state of the economy and their own personal finances has dipped dramatically, it was reported today.
The Nationwide said there was growing uncertainty across a range of indicators in March, including the economy, employment and spending. There was a marked shift from people feeling positive to people being uncertain in six of the seven indicators - the highest level since the building society began tracking consumer confidence in June last year.
The fall in confidence has been reflected in a number of other industry measures: the CBI recently reported retail sales fell in March, companies including Boots, House of Fraser, Jessops and Next have reported disappointing sales, and the level of equity withdrawal and consumer credit borrowing have both shown recent falls. But although confidence has dipped, the fall must be viewed in context, the building society stressed.
The fall in March was from a relatively high level as in February expectations of future household income, future job availability, the future direction of the economy and confidence regarding spending on major purchases were all at the highest level recorded. In addition, confidence in the outlook for house prices remains stable. Having fallen to a low in November, house price expectations have improved, primarily driven by a reduction in those expecting house price falls.
The survey shows consumers expect price rises of 2.7% in the next six months confirming Nationwide's view of a soft landing for the housing market. Confidence fell in six of seven indicators:
• The current UK economic situation - down 3 percentage points
• The current employment situation - down 12 percentage points
• Future employment prospects: down 14 percentage points
• Future household income: down 1 percentage point
• Spending confidence for household purchases - down 9 percentage points
• Spending Confidence for major purchases - down 8 percentage points
Confidence rose in just one indicator:
• Future UK economic situation: up by 3 percentage points
Stuart Bernau, Nationwide's executive director, said: "There has been a notable downward shift in consumers' confidence levels in March. With an election looming, more people are unsure whether they will be better or worse off in a few months time. 'This is a key moment for all political parties to capture the hearts and minds of voters in the crucial area of their economic well-being. The election has come at an interesting time with consumers becoming more uncertain about the state of economy and employment prospects.'
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Dow stocks at 52 week highs include Procter & Gamble (PG) and Walmart (WMT). There are no Dow stock 52 week lows.
Premarket today, the Dow was indicated to open up +67 points.
Monday the Dow was up +14.92 (+0.06%) at 26,949.99.
Year-to-date the Dow is up +15.53%.
There were 18 Dow stocks up Monday.
The Dow stock winners Monday were led by American Express (AXP) +1.23%, Nike (NKE) +1.17% and McDonald’s (MCD) +1.03%. NOTE: Nike (NKE) reports earnings Tuesday after the close.
The Dow stock losers Monday were led by United Health (UNH) -1.77%, Walgreens (WBA) -1.24% and Pfizer (PFE) -1.23%.
The Dow was 1.5% away from its all-time closing high at Monday’s close.
Walt Disney (DIS), Apple (AAPL) and Nike (NKE) led early trade on the Dow Jones today.
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index rose 3.2% annually in July, the same gain reported in June.
European stocks are mostly lower and Asian markets ended higher.
The national average price of gasoline is down seven-tenths of a cent at $2.660 per gallon.
Nike (NKE) reports earnings on 9/24/2019 after the market close.
Today’s Featured Dow Stock
IBM (IBM) is up +24.98% year-to-date.
8:55 AM ET Redbook
9:00 AM ET S&P Corelogic Case-Shiller HPI
9:00 AM ET FHFA House Price Index
10:00 AM ET Consumer Confidence
10:00 AM ET Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index


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[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #DC943C;”] S [/dropcap]uch was the popularity of the inaugural Fabrication fundraiser for The Artery in Warrnambool last year that the challenge is on again.
When the Fletcher Jones factory closed in Warrnambool nine years ago, a group of local artists salvaged bags and bags of off-cut material that had been left on the factory floor or tossed in a skip-bin ready for the tip.
Those bags of material filled an entire garage, but what to do with it?
The Artery president Emma Charlton said a group of founding members of the arts group, the F Project – named in honour of Sir Fletcher Jones and which now runs The Artery – wanted to “harness the creative vision of Fletcher Jones, particularly in the face of the demise of an industry that had long-defined Warrnambool”.
They decided to invite creative people to buy some of the original Fletcher Jones fabric and create something new that could then be auctioned.
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #DC943C;”] T[/dropcap]he first Fabrication: Flaunting Fletcher raised $5000 and helped fund new lighting in the gallery space.
The remaining material had been stored in the garage of an F Project member until a month ago, when volunteers again moved it.
“Ten people, five cars, two trailers, five hours, and one emergency doctor’s visit later, and the job was done. There was a lot of dust, and such a lot of material,” Emma said.
(The emergency doctor’s visit was a result of textile artist Ruby Richardson treading on an errant pin, which saw her shipped off to get a tetanus shot during the massive move!)
Fabrication II is shaping up to be even bigger than last year, with rumours circulating that an edgy fashion designer who has local connections is considering making an outfit for the new owner of the Fletcher Jones site, Dean Montgomery.
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #DC943C;”] T[/dropcap]he challenge is now on for artists to buy a random box of mixed material and make it into something new.
“This time it’s bigger, and people might like to take on the challenge with a few others, or as a family,” Emma said.
The material is unwashed, and is predominantly in muted tones, although all the boxes have surprises in them, she said.
The idea is to create anything including fashion, homewares, wearable art, 2D and 3D art works, textiles, furniture or anything else that takes hold in the creative imagination.
[box]A random box of material costs $20; entry to the auction is $5. Boxes can be collected on Saturday and Sunday May 23 and 24, 10am-2pm, from 27 Barkly St, Warrnambool, or email firstname.lastname@example.org to arrange another time. Entries need to be dropped at The Artery on Sunday Sept 13. They will be exhibited and auctioned at the Artery on Saturday Sept 19 from 6pm. For an entry form, email email@example.com[/box]
[button link=”http://the-terrier.com.au/subscribe-2/” type=”icon” icon=”heart” newwindow=”yes”]Bluestone needs at least 500 subscribers in 2015. If you wish to support independent media, please click here to become one.[/button]
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As is the case in most evolving markets, the understanding of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) in India has been hazy. Auto companies have benefited, with a flurry of wannabe UVs that have limited off roading capabilities but are still regarded as SUVs — and are sold as such.
Typically only those vehicles that have four-wheel drive (4X4) technology and have ground clearance good enough to answer the call of the wild are classified as SUVs. In India however, vehicles like the Mahindra Xylo, Toyota Innova, Force One, Chevrolet Tavera, Tata Sumo and even the popular Mahindra Bolero (in which 4X4 is optional) come with 4X2 drivetrain but are still seen as SUVs. In a four-wheel drive, power is distributed each wheel, unlike in a two-wheel drive where it goes to only two wheels — front or rear.
“In India, any vehicle that has a raised stance and a high ground clearance is looked at as a SUV,” said Prasan Firodia, managing director, Force Motors. “Very rarely do people actually take their vehicles out for serious offroading.”


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New Delhi Mother Dairy has also entered the sweets segment due to the difficulties faced by people in getting pure sweets during the festivals falling between the Corona period. The National Dairy Development Board, a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board, has currently started making and selling traditional sweets made from milk in Delhi NCR. At present, only six sweets have been introduced in this range.
Mother Dairy will make and sell these sweets
The sweets that Mother Dairy is introducing in the market include milk cake, orange mawa barfi, frozen rasmalai, gulab jamun and rasgulla. Their delivery will be at the company’s outlets and e-commerce platforms.
Emphasis on contactless preparation and packing
Mother Dairy has said that in the Corona era, she is putting all her emphasis on contactless preparation and packing, so that customers get pure pure sweets. Mother Dairy says that their sweets are being prepared with utmost safety and are being packed and transported to customers in a contactless manner.
All sweets will be available here
Mother Dairy’s general outlets spread across Delhi NCR will be available on Amazon, Milk Basket, Big Basket etc. Sangram Chaudhary, Managing Director of Mother Dairy, says that sweets and festivals have an unbreakable relationship, but security is a major issue in this environment. Therefore, there is a doubt in the minds of people about pre-food and its packing. This is also bound to happen. Mother Dairy has prepared these sweets keeping all these in mind.


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Hearst Newspapers is entering the pay-per-article world by launching a system that allows advertisers to tie their messages to “hand-selected” stories, rather than just placing them on a specific landing page.
Hearst says the service will focus on breaking news.
Under the service, advertisers could pick key words, as well as set the type of breaking news stories with which they want their ads to appear. When an article meeting their criteria goes up in the specified section of the online publication, their ad will appear with that article.
A story from Hearst's chron.com, with a promoted headline above the regular one.
Developed by “engagement company” SolidOpinion, the system is currently testing at websites affiliated with several Hearst papers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Connecticut Post.
The ads take the form of what SolidOpinion calls promoted headlines, a line of copy that runs immediately above a story’s headline. That promoted headline, which could also be linked to the advertiser’s website, would be a running part of the site’s editorial content, rather than existing in separate advertising space.
Stories that are not currently sponsored by an advertiser will have a line of type running above them promoting the option of running an ad.
The system would eliminate one major hurdle that faces banner ads on web pages: ad-blocking software. “We’re not banner code, we’re part of the page, so we can’t get blocked,” a promotional video from SolidOpinion says.


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INDEPENDENT RETAILER magazine is now the official news outlet for Wholesale Central visitors.
Each monthly issue is packed with new product ideas, supplier profiles, retailing news, and
business strategies to help you succeed.
See new articles daily online at IndependentRetailer.com.
Oct 1, 2007
The court enjoined Starglam from any further infringement of the Tiffany name and trademark. Under the judgment, the defendants paid Tiffany $950,000.
Starglam, which is based in New York, also was accused of distributing counterfeit silver Tiffany merchandise, some of which was purchased in Asia and some in New York. The government brought proceedings against the seller, who was prosecuted and convicted.
The principal owner of Starglam had previously pled guilty to charges of trademark counterfeiting and has served his sentence, Tiffany said. "We are pleased to announce this judgment," said Michael J. Kowalski, Tiffany's chairman and CEO.
"Trademark counterfeiting severely damages brand owners and consumers alike. The way to stop it is to take aggressive action against the counterfeiters and make them pay, criminally as well as civilly. That's what happened in this case, which should send a message to anyone trying to sell counterfeit Tiffany merchandise," he added.
Starglam was charged with selling the counterfeits on the internet, including on eBay. Tiffany has a civil suit awaiting trial in a federal court in New York against eBay, because of the large amount of counterfeit Tiffany silver merchandise that has been sold on eBay auction sites, the luxury jewelry retailer has charged.
Topic: Wholesale News
Related Articles: Tiffany
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10 notable Toronto businesses that closed in April
Toronto businesses that closed in April included some surprising places that will be difficult to live without, like a popular bar that made great mojitos, a Singaporean street food joint, a Nordic brunch spot and yet another music venue.
Here are the most notable Toronto businesses that closed in April.
After almost five years as the Gardiner Museum's restaurant, à la Carte will remain part of the museum's catering family while The Food Dudes will be taking over the restaurant space to launch a new concept.
Parkdale's famous watering hole and live music venue is now closed after an 18 year run. But fear not, a new owner is already in place and the space will be re-opening soon under a new name.
Known for hosting some of the best live jazz and blues performances in the city, this bar and music venue in Roncesvalles Vilage shut its doors forever in April after 19 years as a gathering place for the community.
A go-to spot for Singaporean and Southeast Asian eats on Ossington for half a dozen years, its owners decided all good things must come to an end. The laksa and the pandan banana fritters will be missed.
Fans of Nordic brunch were dismayed to learn that this Scandinavian-style cafe in Bloordale closed abruptly after over five years in the neighbourhood.
Eleven years in the Annex is a good run. This comic book store closed its Toronto location in April (its Oakville shop remains open), but local nerds have nothing to fear, because it has already been replaced with Thunderstruck Bookstore, which also sells comics.
Many will mourn the closing of this distinctive bar (and its mojitos) at the intersection of College and Bathurst streets that first opened eight years ago. Although, the bar's owners have told its Instagram followers that there will be a new location. Fingers crossed.
Known for its cocktails, this bar near King and Portland closed on April 28 in order to focus on its new cocktail company called Founder's Original, which sells premium pre-made cocktails now available at the LCBO.
Fans of this subterranean restaurant serving Caribbean and comfort food in Cabbagetown are upset over its closure. Its lease was up last month and negotiations with the landlord clearly did not go well.
Join the conversation Load comments


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The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI)--together with the Truck Manufacturers Association--has released the official sales figures of its members for March 2012. According to CAMPI, the aggregate sales of its members in March totaled 13,631 units, slightly down (by 0.9 percent) from the 13,750 units sold in the same month last year. The total includes 9,290 commercial vehicles and 4,341 passenger cars. It should be noted that these figures do not include the sales of non-CAMPI and non-TMA members, like Hyundai, Chevrolet, Subaru, Volvo and Mini.
Year-to-date sales (January to March) are now at 32,608 units, down 9.9 percent compared to the first three months of 2011, when CAMPI members sold a total of 36,184 units.
Some carmakers sold more in March this year compared to last year, including Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Honda, Kia and Suzuki. But the others suffered a significant dip, particularly Ford and Nissan.
The sales figure for CATS Motors is split between Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep. According to CATS, it sold 35 Mercedes-Benz units in March and 23 Chrysler vehicles.
|CAMPI and TMA car sales - March 2012|
|YTD Ranking||Car company||January to March 2012||January to March 2011||March 2012||March 2011|
|1||Toyota Motor Philippines (+ Lexus)||12,645||13,845||5,390||5,407|
|2||Mitsubishi Motors Philippines||8,230||8,143||3,168||3,155|
|3||Isuzu Philippines Corp.||2,728||2,422||982||977|
|4||Honda Cars Philippines Inc.||2,324||3,695||1,631||1,335|
|5||Ford Group Philippines (+ Mazda)
|6||Columbian Autocar Corp. (Kia)||1,674||1,002||618||304|
|7||Suzuki Philippines Inc.
|8||Universal Motors Corp. (Nissan CVs)||932||1,431||305||553|
|9||Nissan Motor Philippines Inc.
|10||CATS Motors (Mercedes-Benz + Chrysler)
|11||Asian Carmakers Corp. (BMW)
|12||Pilipinas Hino Inc.||101||202||40||25|
|15||Columbian Motors Corp.||36||22||25||8|
|Data from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers in the Philippines Inc., and Truck Manufacturers Association. Non-CAMPI members--like Hyundai, Chevrolet, Subaru, Volvo and Mini--are not included.


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Posted Jul 24, 2012By
At Fashion Week Swim 2013 in Miami Beach, more than two dozen designers showed their collections of bathing suits and cover-ups for next year. Many looked to the past for inspiration, showing pin-up girl looks as well as styles inspired by the 1960s and ’70s.
The men's Spring-Summer 2015 fashion collection, presented in Paris, Friday, June 27, 2014.
Italian designers are encouraging men to dress with more flair for summer 2015, judging from the looks presented at
Photos from the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York City on Monday, June 2, 2014, recognizing outstanding contribu
Photos from the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5,
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia 2014, in Sydney, Australia, April 6-10.
Collections from Tokyo Fashion week, 2014-2015 Autumn/Winter, in Tokyo, Japan, March 16-22, 2014.


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Apple's AirPods are now available to buy
Apple's AirPods went on sale today. If you didn't order them already, there's now a 4 week wait. Now that they're gonna be out and about soon, we'll hopefully see some opinions about them from regular people instead of reviewers from media outlets hand picked by Apple. Will this be the start of audio augmented technology in a Her/Black Mirror style world? Or just another trinket for the nerds with money to burn? Bose just released a pair of headphones marketed as hearing companion rather than something to specifically listen to music on.
Google splits self driving car stuff into a new company called Waymo
Google has split its self driving car stuff out into a new company called Waymo, making it part of the Alphabet family of companies. There's no new tech announcements and they're still using that koala looking bubble thing in their promo material. Right now it seems like they're still doing trials and that's it. Whether their plans are to make cars, or partner with a car maker to integrate their tech, we don't know.
The ATO's SAN shit itself, blames HP
The lovely, hard working, honest and trustworthy people at the ATO have suffered an unfortunate hardware issue that's 100% totally Hewlett Packard's fault which is currently impacting the ATO's online services. A big fancy SAN, holding 1PB (yeah, 1000TB), shat the bed and now all the data is corrupted. The ATO currently is restoring from a backup to try and get services back online. The ATO also insists that no data was lost. I would not like to be the guy restoring 1PB of data from backups, farkkkkkk.
If you want to buy a new monitor, read this thing about PPI
If you're after a new monitor this holiday season, read Marc Edward's short article about PPI. Buying a monitor is more than just picking one with good colour accuracy and the right panel tech - the resolution of that screen in respect to its size is important. Basically you want a monitor that's got a PPI of either 200-220 or 105-115. PPIs in the middle are weird and don't look good. It's why I want a 40" 8K monitor.
Here endeth the sizzle (until tomorrow!)
The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "@decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon. Today's subject line is from Rock The Shack, by New Order. Like The Sizzle? Like it on Facebook!


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A Newcastle academic is among a handful of experts advising the Bank of England on the potential creation of a new form of digital currency.
Prof Darren Duxbury, an expert in behavioural finance at Newcastle University Business School, has been appointed to the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Academic Advisory Group - a team of 19 top finance researchers from across Europe. In February last year the Bank of England opened a consultation into the creation of a new digital currency that could be used by households and businesses to make payments.
The central bank and the Treasury have backed the proposal, suggesting it could boost security and boost efficiency in the country's financial system. As part of the advisory group, Prof Duxbury - whose has researched areas such as cash usage, cultural differences in financial decision making and perceptions of risk - will provide perspectives to support the design phase.
The chair in finance at the Business School is widely published in academic journals and his work has influenced research at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the White House. He said: “To be able to advise on the development of a new form of money represents a fantastic opportunity to use my behavioural expertise to inform public policy. I am delighted to be asked to join the Academic Advisory Group to the Bank of England and HM Treasury.”
Prof Duxbury is currently leading an academic-industry research project with NatWest Bank investigating the drivers of consumer payment behaviour, including attitudes and intentions towards cash. It is hoped the work will underpin understanding of people's attitudes and intentions towards cash in the face of alternatives.
Proposals for a Central Bank Digital Currency or digital pound have provoked calls for caution among some MPs who say it could make the UK economy more susceptible to bank runs if people can more readily move large amounts of money in times of turmoil.
In December the Commons Treasury Committee said it was also concerned that a steady switching of some bank deposits into retail digital pounds could boost interest rates on bank loans by 0.8 percentage points or more. Its members have suggested a lower limited on the value of retail digital pounds people can hold, below the £10,000-£20,000 limit floated by the Bank of England and the Treasury in their 2023 consultation.


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Önskefoto celebrates its 40th anniversary! Önskefoto, the leading photo brand in Sweden and part of the Albumprinter family of brands, provides customers with great quality photo books, calendars, canvas prints and much more. To celebrate their 40 years milestone, Önskefoto kicked off a special photo contest campaign. Consumers submit their favorite photos from the past which are then recreated in a modern setting. The submission [...]
It's been three months since I joined Cimpress and have been delighted to meet with numerous team members across our business -- not only those from our many brands but also with those building our mass customization platform (MCP).
What do you get when you start a web-to-print company based on the promise of extreme customer service, of doing everything and anything possible to make online printing easy, fast, reliable and “hyper-trustworthy”? When every new team member is required to read the book “Delivering Happiness”, written by the founder of Zappos, a bible in terms of making the customer the center of everything a [...]


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As the world grows increasingly reliant on wireless internet networks and devices to communicate and perform online tasks during the ongoing pandemic, the adoption of fifth-generation (5G) mobile services has become a paramount task globally. There has been an influx of interest in many countries for pushing for 5G technology, including emerging economies within the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. A recent EY study shows that businesses in the area are at the forefront of 5G rollouts, with several 5G players popping up over the past couple of years.
The Reimagining industry futures study 2021 of more than 1,000 global enterprises revealed that almost 80% of APAC businesses are rolling out a 5G program or plan to do so in the next three years, compared to about 70% of businesses in the Americas and Europe.
According to the survey, more than 70% of the executives said the pandemic sped up their digital transformation plans, and 65% considered emerging technologies crucial to their company’s recovery from the health crisis.
At the backdrop of these digital transformation initiatives is the 5G technology. More than 50% of the survey respondents saw increased investments in 5G and Internet of things (IoT) technologies.
As per the study, pandemic-induced disruption has led to a widespread focus on digital plans to support such fundamental shifts as the 5G tech market is still growing.
EY Asean Tech, Media and Telecom lead Joongshik Wang explained that while 4G has essentially disrupted consumer technology, 5G will be ‘the game-changing technology for industrial transformation across all sectors.”
Wang also mentioned that overall, almost 60% of those who have not made 5G investments yet are now planning to adopt the technology in the next three years. Currently, digital expenses across the business are predominantly allotted to artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, automation, and other emerging tech.
Asia Pacific leading the pack in 5G
With increasing government support, the APAC region is progressing well with the rollout of the 5G network. According to research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), nine of 16 overall APAC markets have either concluded 5G spectrum auctions or carried out commercial 5G launches. As per the study, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and China are the most advanced in 5G. Thailand has been progressing well, while India, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan lag behind.
As per the EY study, nearly 30% of APAC businesses are increasing their 5G and IoT investments from the previous year, while only 15% are doing it in Europe and 13% in the Americas. Overall 78% of APAC executives expect 5G to comprise the core of their business in the future, while only 75% of executives in the Americas and 70% in Europe expect the same scenario.
A 2020 GlobalData study predicted that APAC would become the leading region in 5G adoption by 2024. The data and analytics company stated that by 2024, APAC would have 1.14 billion 5G subscribers or 65% of the total global 5G subscriptions.
Uneven 5G growth in Southeast Asia
Moody’s senior analyst Nidhi Dhruv mentioned that operators in pioneer 5G markets, such as China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore will be able to boost their revenues with the launch of services over the next one or two years.
However, near-term revenue from 5G services will be insignificant for the late adopter markets of Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia. The report also said that late adopters may require government assistance in the rollout of 5G services due to the impact of the pandemic.
EY’s Wang said that Southeast Asian countries are already ramping up their 5G efforts to catch up with the rest of the world. He argued that the lagging behind might be due to telecoms still recovering from recent investments in their 4G networks. Compared with 4G, capital expenditure for 5G is far greater while demand for 5G services is still in its growth stage, Wang explained.
According to Wang, the government’s support alone would not be sufficient in tackling the challenges to 5G adoption in the Southeast Asian region. The lack of clear cost benefits of 5G to businesses in Southeast Asia would also delay its implementation.
“The collective buy-in, as well as collaborative investment and effort of enterprises, telco operators and all stakeholders in the entire ecosystem, will be needed for the successful rollout of 5G,” Wang said.


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Gotta have a new Ford Mustang? Gotta have the Boss 302 package? Gotta have it green? If that's the case, we've got good news. Ford's latest performance pony gets two new colors for the 2013 model year, and while we saw the rather self-explanatory School Bus Yellow at the 2011 LA Auto Show, Gotta Have It Green has yet to make an official appearance.
- Volvo shoots for self-drivers by 2021
- Jeep spends $1 billion on factories
- Find Parts & Accessories for your vehicle!
- Obama rolls out new EV plan
- Infiniti dealers ranked best, Tesla worst
- Compare Volvo XC90 and Lincoln MKX


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What the analysts say: Danone FY results, 2013 outlook
Danone today (19 February) reported mixed 2012 results after a challenging year, particularly in Europe. However, the company saw fresh dairy volumes increase for the first time for over 18 months in the fourth quarter of the year, which cheered investors. For 2013, Danone forecast another fall in underlying margins but the market seemed to accept this year will be one of transition for the business.
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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Shares of the following companies are among those making notable moves on the U.S. stock market Monday.
E-Trade Financial Corp. ETFC, +1.76% on Monday said it reduced debt by about $95.8 million in the second quarter, for a total year-to-date reduction of $155.8 million. The company in statement said it "continued to experience strong performance in its retail franchise during the second quarter, generating positive trends in net new customer accounts and asset flows." Although the overall credit environment is still "highly challenging, the strength and stability of the company's retail business continues to generate earnings in the bank to absorb credit losses in excess of management's current three-year forecast." E-Trade affirmed it continues to expect excess risk-based capital at the bank to approach $1 billion by year-end.
General Electric Co. GE, -1.80% said Monday it has appointed David Joyce president and chief executive of its $16.8 billion aviation business. Joyce, 51, is a 28-year veteran with GE Aviation and was most recently its vice president of commercial engines. GE's aviation unit represented about 10% of its annual revenue in 2007, but has managed to grow its sales by more than 27% thanks to demand for new aircraft, parts and services.
GlaxoSmithKline PLC GSK, +0.03% said Monday it doesn't expect the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require additional studies for its vaccine to prevent cervical cancer before it can gain approval. Responding to questions raised by the FDA, the drug company said studies to be completed later this year for its Cervarix vaccine are likely to be enough to strengthen its case. "We continue to have positive and productive discussions with the FDA and remain confident in the vaccine's safety and efficacy profile," said Barbara Howe, head of the company's vaccine development programs. The final data will be submitted to the FDA in the first half of 2009. Shares of GlaxoSmithKline added a fraction premarket to $44.07.
H&R Block, Inc. HRB, -0.25% swung to fourth-quarter consolidated net earnings of $543.6 million, or $1.66 a share, compared to a net loss of $85.6 million, or 26 cents a share, reported in the year-earlier period. Revenue rose 11% to $2.6 billion. The company said it expects fiscal 2009 earnings from continuing operations in the range of $1.60 to $1.70 a share. It forecast an increase in marketing expenditure and said it is planning other investments to continue driving market share growth in core retail tax services and to enhance it market share online. It sees pre-tax margins rising 12%. See full story.
Shares of Huntsman Corp. HUN, +0.18% are starting to reflect an improved risk-award balance after last week's sell off, said investment research firm Jefferies in a Monday note. Since June 20th, shares of the Salt Lake City-based chemical company have fallen 17% to a Friday closing price of $10.69. "As highlighted in our June 25 note, our valuation models suggest fair value for Huntsman shares of $11 to $13, with a bias towards conservatism given the uncertainty over fundamental trends at the company," Jefferies analyst Laurence Alexander wrote. However, shares could fall further, finding a floor at around $8 to $9 each, he said. Huntsman shares added 2.5% in premarket trading Monday to $10.96.
Kellogg Co. K, +0.10% Monday said a subsidiary has acquired the assets of Zhenghang Food Co., a manufacturer of cookies and crackers in the north and northeast China. Zhenghang, also called Navigable Foods, had net sales of about $50 million in 2007, and currently employs around 1,800 people. Kellogg didn't disclose the terms of the deal.
MBIA Inc.: MBI, +0.99% said Monday that it sold roughly $4 billion in assets during the second quarter to help the bond insurer meet obligations that were triggered by a recent downgrade of its credit ratings. See full story.
Mesa Air Group Inc. MESA, +2.44% swung to a second-quarter profit of $9.4 million, or 29 cents a share, from a loss of $24 million, or 75 cents a share in the year-ago period. Net operating revenue rose 8% to $320 million from $296 million. On a pro forma basis, Mesa reported a loss of 15 cents a share, compared with analysts' mean estimate of a 4 cent-profit, as provided by FactSet Research. Impacting Phoenix-based airline was a $21 million benefit from its negotiated settlement with Hawaiian Airlines, HA, -1.24% a $4.5 million gain in repurchases of convertible notes, and a $3.3 million loss on the cost of returned lease aircraft. Capacity in the quarter dropped 10.4% from a year ago.
Occidental Petroleum Corporation OXY, +2.31% said Monday it plans to invest $1.1 billion as part of an agreement with SandRidge Energy SD, +1.49% to develop a West Texas hydrocarbon gas processing plant and related pipeline infrastructure to provide carbon dioxide for use in Oxy's enhanced oil recovery projects. The new CO2 resources are expected to expand Oxy's Permian production by a minimum of 50,000 barrels of oil per day within the next five years, the company said. Oxy said it will own and operate the new facilities.
Smithfield Foods Inc.: SFD, -3.28% Standard & Poor's cut the corporate-credit rating to BB- from BB+ and kept the ratings on review for possible further downgrade. "The downgrade reflects weak credit metrics for the rating and our expectation that credit measures will not rebound to more appropriate levels in the near term," S&P said in a statement.
Standard Pacific Corp. SPF, +1.29% on Monday said it has closed the first part of the previously announced $530 million equity commitment from MatlinPatterson Global Advisers LLC. MatlinPatterson purchased about $381 million of a new series of Standard Pacific senior convertible preferred stock, the company said. This closing was contingent upon Standard Pacific amending its bank credit facilities, which has been successfully completed, the home builder said. Shares of Standard Pacific rose more than 2% on Monday morning following the announcement.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. TEVA, -0.22% and Antisense Therapeutics Ltd. ATHJY, +0.00% (ANP) said that a Phase IIa study of ATL/TV1102 "significantly reduced disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis." The double-blind placebo-controlled study met its primary endpoint by reducing the total number of new active lesions in patients taking the drug for eight weeks compared with those taking a placebo. Teva said it would continue to research the drug and will pay Antisense $4 million for meeting a milestone. The drug was discovered by Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. ISIS of Carlsbad, Calif., which licensed it to Antisense. In turn, Teva and Antisense have a license accord related to the drug.
Tyson Foods Inc. TSN, +0.46% said Monday that it has acquired a 51% stake in Mumbai-based Godrej Foods Ltd., which is a poultry-processing business. The company expects the joint venture between Godrej Agrovet and Tyson to produce annual sales of about $50 million initially.
Washington Mutual Inc. WM, +1.07% in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday said it has replaced its retail-banking president, James Corcoran. Stephen Rotella will assume his responsibilities on an interim basis until WaMu selects a permanent replacement, according to the filing.
Anheuser-Busch's BUD, +0.82% detailed a plan to cut costs by trimming personnel by 10% to 15% and lowering capital spending goals. It also forecast that it will earn $3.13 a share in 2008, which is slightly above what Wall Street is projecting. See full story.
ArcelorMittal, MT, +1.51% (005786) the world's largest steelmaker, said it would buy 60% of a new Dubai company, which in turn plans to acquire the main business of a steel distributor in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai Steel Trading Co. Terms weren't disclosed. Acquiring the stake in the new company, Dstc Fzco, is the first step toward a Gulf-Cooperation-Council-area network that will distribute long and flat steel products, like beams, plates and hollow sections, ArcelorMittal said in a statement on Monday.
Autos: Ford Motor Co. F, -2.41% shares fell almost 9% to $4.54 in early trades Monday ahead of the following day's spate of June vehicle sales reports. General Motors Corp. GM, +0.91% continued to break through lows not seen in half a century with another 7% decline to $10.73. Analysts are looking for double-digit percentage declines from both manufacturers on Tuesday with gas prices slamming sales of the big trucks and SUVs and lack of inventory keeping smaller car sales in check.
Cytec Industries Inc. CYT, +2.31% named Shane Fleming president and chief operating officer. Frank Aranzana will succeed Fleming as president of the specialty-chemicals division.
Del Monte Foods Co., DLM the San Francisco foods and pet-foods producer, said that a subsidiary agreed to sell its seafood business, including StarKist, to Dongwon Enterprise Co. of South Korea and affiliated companies for $363 million. Del Monte had said in mid-June that it and Dongwon were in talks on the sale, and it earlier said it was reviewing alternatives for the business. After a 3-cent-a-share dilution to account for the sale, Del Monte now expects fiscal 2009 earnings from continuing operations toward the lower end of its estimate of 58 cents to 62 cents a share.
EBay Inc. EBAY, +1.00% said Monday that it plans to appeal a ruling from a French court that fined the company about $63 million for the sale of counterfeit luxury goods over its Web site. See full story.
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. JPM, +2.55% on Monday said after the expected completion of its acquisition of Bear Stearns Cos. on July 15, Bear plans to transfer its broker-dealer subsidiary to J.P. Morgan, resulting in a transfer of substantially all of Bear's assets. J.P. Morgan said as a result, it will assume all of Bear Stearns' outstanding registered U.S. debt securities, obligations relating to trust preferred securities, outstanding foreign debt securities, and guarantees of outstanding foreign debt securities issued by Bear units, according to a statement.
L-3 Communications LLL, +1.06% said Monday that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated a jury verdict of $126 million obtained by OSI in 2006. The court found that "no reasonable jury could have found that L-3 owed a fiduciary duty to OSI," and concluded that "L-3 was entitled to judgment as a matter of law." The court also remanded OSI's fraud claim to the trial court for a new trial, finding that the trial court incorrectly applied a lesser standard of proof than was warranted by law.
Mentor Graphics Corp. MENT said Monday that its board has retained Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch as advisers as it contemplates an unsolicited bid from Cadence Design Systems Inc. . On June 17, Cadence offered $16 a share in cash to buy Mentor. Shares of Mentor closed Friday at $15.89.
Morgan Stanley: MS, +1.03% Moody's placed the investment bank under review and indicated that its Aa3 ratings may be downgraded to A1 due to its inconsistent financial performance and risk management. See full story
Myriad Genetics Inc. MYGN, +4.91% reported disappointing Phase III trial results for its Alzheimer's drug candidate, the development of which will be discontinued. The Salt Lake City-based company said the 18-month study of Flurizan in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease "did not achieve statistical significance on either of its primary endpoints -- cognition and activities of daily living."
News Corp. NWS, -1.49% moved to cede its majority control in NDS Group Plc , a U.K.-based pay-TV technology provider, to two companies formed by Permira Advisers. News Corp. and the Permira companies said they're offering $60 a share for the shares of NDS NNDS they don't already own. After the transaction, the Permira companies would own 51% and News Corp. 49% of NDS. The offer represents a 21% premium over NDS's Friday closing price of $49.70 a share. News Corp. is the parent of MarketWatch.
Sirius Satellite Radio SIRI, +1.12% said Monday that the company could achieve positive adjusted earnings and generate free cash flow for the very first time in 2009 if its acquisition of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. is approved. Sirius predicted that synergies, or savings, of a combined company could total about $400 million in 2009.
Kmart, owned by Sears Holdings Corp. SHLD, +0.25% said Monday it expanded its pharmacies' generic prescription drug program to include more than 500 medications and lowered three-month supply prices to those offered at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. pharmacies. Kmart said it lowered the cost of a three-month supply of many common maintenance medications to just $10. In May, Wal-Mart pharmacies started filling 90-day supply prescriptions for as many as 350 generic drugs for $10.
TeliaSonera: TLSNF, +7.36% (TLSN) Europe's third-largest telecommunications company FTE, -0.81% on Monday said it's decided not to submit a firm offer for the Swedish telecom major because the two sides couldn't agree on financial terms. Read the article.
Wachovia Corp.: WB, +5.06% Fitch placed the AA-/F1+ ratings on review for possible downgrade due to continued difficulties facing U.S. consumer-asset quality and the expectation that home prices will drop further. The ratings company said the pressure on earnings from the residential-mortgage portfolio will be significant in the near term while the bank's profitability is likely to remain challenged as increased provisions offset fatter operating margins.
Yahoo YHOO on Monday filed a stockholder presentation supporting its current slate of board members. The Internet firm provided details of its Microsoft merger discussions, the benefits of its recent pact with Google and said it's made progress on its strategic plan. The company said a dissident plan by shareholder Carl Icahn's, "is not the right answer." Also Monday, Yahoo portrayed Microsoft Corp. as an "inconsistent" negotiator that did not appear to be fully committed to a marriage. See full story.


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September is near, and like every year Apple is expected to launch a new iPhone. However, the leaks and rumors for the next iPhone have started way before. So here we have gathered all the information we have till now on the iPhone 7.
The Apple iPhone 7 is said to be launched in three variants this year namely, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 Pro. The iPhone 7 Pro is said to be top end variant which may feature the [...]
Just a few days after we saw the first leaked images of iPhone 7, we have spotted another leaked images of Apple’s next flagship, that could be the ‘iPhone 7 Pro’.
According to the new image leaked by MacRumors, iPhone 7 Pro may sport a dual rear camera in a pill-shaped enclosure with dual LED flash and secondary mic. The 3.5 mm jack seems missing in the leaked prototype of the iPhone 7 Pro, which is [...]
Apple is already gearing up for its 4 inch iPhone SE launch on March 21. Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 has been leaked in new images, revealing its design.
The French website, NowhereElse.fr leaked the images of iPhone 7 rear case. And from the images, it can be seen that the antenna lines which are usually present at the top and bottom of the phone are missing. It has long been rumored that Apple has created a breakthrough [...]


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As Hurricane Irene approached Delaware, those of us who weren’t ordered to evacuate searched for ice, gas and batteries, and secured lawn furniture and trash cans. But at Highland Orchards in North Wilmington, there wasn’t time for anything but harvesting.
“It was all hands on deck – the goal was to pick apples, peaches and everything else that was ripe or near ripe before the storm blew through,” recalls orchard co-owner Ruth Linton. Her 10-year-old daughter, Katya, picked apples while her 82-year-old mother, Elaine Linton, cut flowers that are sold in the orchard’s retail shop.
For several days straight, the Lintons and their employees labored to save the early apple harvest and, for the most part, were successful. But they couldn’t do a thing but about the mid-season varieties, which weren’t ready to pick.
Those apples – galas, ginger golds and Paula reds – blew right off the trees. A few tree limbs came down, too, but not many, thanks to Linton’s pruning work last spring. “Pruning out smaller limbs protects from wind damage because it gives the larger limbs more room to sway,” she says.
Like many Delawareans, Linton lost power during the storm; in her case for three days. That meant no cold storage for all those just picked apples. Fortunately, she was able to rent a refrigerated truck but it took hours to move the apples from cold storage to the truck and eventually back to cold storage.
Today you’ll find an ample supply of apples at Highland’s shop, just not as many varieties as usual.
“Normally, we have about 10 varieties of apples in early September but we only had three varieties earlier this month,” says Linton. “Currently, we’re offering 10 to 12 varieties; usually we have 15 to 20 varieties in mid-September.”
Linton says that late-season varieties weren’t impacted by the hurricane because, at that point, those apples were small so they weren’t blown off the trees. As long as rainy conditions don’t persist she says the late-season crop should be good.
“It’s been a crazy weather year,” says Linton. “First it was wet, then very dry and then very wet.”
But the family has seen worse. “From ’33 to ’34 during the Great Depression we had total crop failure. There was a drought the first two years and then a hurricane knocked down all the trees,” she says.
“So, 2011 is not the worst weather we’ve ever seen, it’s just the worst in the last 75 years.”
Fifer Orchards, outside the town of Wyoming, fared a bit better than Highland. “We were very fortunate that we were able to harvest what was ready before the hurricane and that most of the apples remaining on the trees were fine,” says Mary Fifer Fennemore, a co-owner of Fifer’s. “We did have some fruit on trees get knocked around and bruised, and some apples ended up on the orchard floor. A few peach trees were blown over but all the apple trees remain standing. We really got lucky; the forecast had predicted a lot more wind.”
Despite hurricane hassles, Fifer Fennemore says that the 2011 apple season is going strong. But, if you have a favorite variety, don’t delay your trip to Fifer’s or to your favorite farm stand or farmers’ market. “The crop is running about 10 days early because of the summer heat,” she says.
The dwarf trees in Fifer’s U-Pick orchard are in particularly good shape and abundant with fruit now. U-Pick is only open on Fridays and Saturdays; when it re-opens this Friday, Fuji and Mutsu varieties should be available for picking and possibly Stayman. U-Pick began operations several years ago to expand on the orchard’s successful Fall Fest and other agri-tourism activities. Fall Fest, which starts tomorrow and runs through Oct. 29, features corn mazes, pumpkin painting and other seasonal fun.
But don’t let the tricycle and rubber ducky races fool you. Fifer Orchards is a working apple orchard, one of only two large commercial apple growers in Delaware. The other, T&S Smith, is located in Bridgeville. (In addition, there are a few smaller orchards that sell wholesale. Highland only sells direct to the consumer via its farm store.)
Even with just a handful of orchards, apples are Delaware’s most important fruit crop. More than 10.4 million pounds are grown here annually, according to Gordon Johnson, a fruit and vegetable specialist with University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. Peaches, the No. 2 crop, trail behind at around 1.2 million pounds. A large part of the state’s apple crop is sent to processors to be turned into everything from cider to applesauce.
Fortunately, there are plenty of Delaware apples set aside for the fresh market. Look for local apples in area grocery stores and at farm stands and farmers’ markets. Go to the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s website, and click on farmers’ markets or on-the-farm-markets to find one near you.
Article by Margo McDonough
Photo by Danielle Quigley
Also available online on UDaily


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30 March 2015 | Comments
Can I trade as a business on Good Friday or Easter Monday this year?
The opening of businesses on Good Friday and Easter Monday is currently governed by the Public Holidays Ordinance, which states that on both of these days, offices, shops, workshops and factories are prohibited from opening.
However the Attorney General’s Chambers has confirmed that temporary market stalls, taxis and bus tours etc, do not fall within the definition of ‘offices, shops, workshops and factories’. Such businesses can operate as normal on Good Friday and Easter Monday.
30 March 2015


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Fortnite Maker Epic Games Buys SuperAwesome
Epic Games’ groundbreaking antitrust court brawl with Apple Inc. hasn’t stalled the North Carolina-based game maker’s growth.
Epic Games, maker of the popular game Fortnite that boasts 2.5 billion fans, announced Friday (Sept. 25) it has purchased SuperAwesome and its Kids Web Services. The London-based company provides a parental consent management platform for publishers of children’s websites and apps.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“The internet was never designed for kids so we started SuperAwesome to make it as easy as possible to enable safe, privacy-driven digital experiences for children everywhere,” said SuperAwesome Co-Founder and CEO Dylan Collins in statement. “Partnering with Epic Games gives us the opportunity to deliver that promise on a scale which simply wouldn’t have been possible on our own. We’re proud and excited to be working together to make the internet safer for kids.”
SuperAwesome said its clients include more than 300 brands, including Hasbro, LEGO and NBC Universal to make digital access safe for more than 500 million families monthly across thousands of apps, games and services.
The deal comes three days after Epic invested $15 million in a funding round for Manticore Games, the San Mateo, California developer of Core, a digital community designed to create what it calls new play experiences.
Manticore said Core is an “endless universe of games to play and worlds to explore designed by a global community of creators.”
Details of the transaction were not provided.
“We admire Epic’s leadership in empowering our industry through technology and feel very aligned in a vision of the future for a user-generated multiverse,” said Frederic Descamps, co-founder and CEO of Manticore Games in a statement. “We are leading a complete democratization of the landscape in how games are made and played, and even who makes and plays games.”
In response, Apple said it would end Epic’s access to the App Store and argued in court that Epic violated Apple’s rules. Epic filed suit alleging that the tech giant’s practices are anticompetitive. A judge is expected to hear what could be a landmark case later this month.


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British food writer and activist Jack Monroe has had her bank account drained by hijackers, despite using two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect accounts.
On Friday, Monroe tweeted that her phone number had been SIM-jacked: hit with SIM swap fraud that enabled a hijacker to take over her phone number, intercept the codes sent for the 2FA she says she uses on all her accounts, and drained her accounts of what appeared, at least initially, to be about £5,000 ($6,350) – a figure that could rise.
The self-employed freelancer, who says she has to hustle “for every pound I earn,” said that her card details and PayPal information were apparently intercepted during an online transaction. Meanwhile, her phone number was ported to a new SIM card, Monroe said.
How the crooks swing a SIM swap
As we’ve explained, SIM swaps work because phone numbers are actually tied to the phone’s SIM card – in fact, SIM is short for subscriber identity module, a special system-on-a-chip card that securely stores the cryptographic secret that identifies your phone number to the network.
Most mobile phone shops out there can issue and activate replacement SIM cards quickly, causing your old SIM to go dead and the new SIM card to take over your phone number…and your telephonic identity.
That comes in handy when you get a new phone or lose your phone: your phone carrier will be happy to sell you a new phone, with a new SIM, that has your old number.
But if a SIM-swap scammer can get enough information about you, they can just pretend they’re you and then social-engineer that swap of your phone number to a new SIM card that’s under their control.
By stealing your phone number, the crooks start receiving your text messages along with your phone calls, and if you’ve set up SMS-based 2FA, the crooks now have access to your 2FA codes – at least, until you notice that your phone has gone dead, and manage to convince your account providers that somebody else has hijacked your account…
…which, hopefully, Monroe can do.
On Tuesday, she said that so far, she’s “played nicely” because she wants her phone number and money back, but that as soon as she gets them, she’s “going to town on both my phone provider and bank for allowing this to happen.”
Valuable PII posted publicly
Monroe said that at least one type of identity verification information – her birthdate – is publicly available, in her Wikipedia entry, so there’s no obfuscating that. (Though those of us who aren’t public celebrities with Wikipedia pages should at least try to keep that personally identifiable information [PII] out of the public eye.)
She pre-empted potential cybersecurity finger-wagging by pointing out that she doesn’t use publicly available email addresses on her financial accounts and that her passwords are “gobbledegook letters and numbers and special characters” – in other words, she’s using proper, tougher-than-nails, and, one assumes, unique passwords.https://twitter.com/BootstrapCook/status/1182616757607026688
What to do?
When it comes to avoiding SIM swap fraud, Paul Ducklin has useful tips, and they’re certainly worth repeating now:
Watch out for phishing emails or fake websites that crooks use to acquire your usernames and passwords in the first place. Generally speaking, SIM swap crooks need access to your text messages as a last step, meaning that they’ve already figured out your account number, username, password and so on.
Avoid obvious answers to account security questions. Consider using a password manager to generate absurd and unguessable answers to the sort of questions that crooks might otherwise work out from your social media accounts. The crooks might guess that your first car was a Toyota, but they’re much less likely to figure out that it was a
Use an on-access (real time) anti-virus and keep it up-to-date. One common way for crooks to figure out usernames and passwords is by means of keylogger malware, which lies low until you visit specific web pages such as your bank’s logon page, then springs into action to record what you type while you’re logging on. A good real time anti-virus will help you to block dangerous web links, infected email attachments and malicious downloads.
Be suspicious if your phone drops back to “emergency calls only” unexpectedly. Check with friends or colleagues on the same network to see if they are having problems. If you need to, borrow a friend’s phone to contact your mobile provider to ask for help. Be prepared to attend a shop or service centre in person if you can, and take ID and other evidence with you to back yourself up.
Consider switching from SMS-based 2FA codes to codes generated by an authenticator app. This means the crooks have to steal your phone and figure out your lock code in order to access the app that generates your unique sequence of logon codes.
Having said that, switching from SMS to app-based authentication isn’t a panacea.
Malware on your phone may be able to coerce the authenticator app into generating the next token without you realizing it – and canny scammers may even phone you up and try to trick you into reading out your next logon code, often pretending they’re doing some sort of “fraud check”.
If in doubt, don’t give it out!


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Jaguar Land Rover has reaffirmed its commitment to the UK by starting work on a £200 million expansion of its design and engineering centre at Gaydon in Warwickshire.
Already the UK’s largest car maker, Jaguar Land Rover has global ambitions and says the new facility will be one of the world’s foremost automotive product, engineering, and design sites. In recent years the company has also invested heavily in its Castle Bromwich, Halewood, and Solihull factories, and now employs over 40,000 workers.
Chris Elliott, Property Programmes Director for Jaguar Land Rover, said: “The new design and engineering centre is a testament both to Jaguar Land Rover's British heritage of innovation and its compelling vision for future vehicle technology. The new space will centralise our design, product engineering and purchasing functions in an original and modern environment, as well as creating additional capacity for the future.”
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PHOTOS: Is Mischa Flashing Too Much Side Boob?Reported by Huffington Post on Friday, 4 May 2012 (on May 4, 2012)
Mischa Barton has undergone a bit of reputation rehab lately, making several red carpet appearances and launching a new fashion line with a spot on June Ambrose's new show, "Styled By June."
So how has new, improved Mischa been doing style-wise? It's up for debate. We were undecided on her sheer, polka dotted number at a March store opening; likewise this white cutout frock from Thursday's Women For Women International Gala in London, an event co-hosted by swanky Harper's Bazaar.
On the one hand, the pleats are delicately flattering and the white makes Mischa glow. On the other hand: holy side boob!
We've asked it before and we'll ask it again: is this much side boob ever acceptable?
*Check out more of the side boob trend:*
Links: Full news story
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Saturday, June 16, 2012
Doo.net launches open-beta. Secures $10 Million Series A
doo.net today announces the open-beta launch of the first cloud-based service that collects documents from multiple sources and intelligently organizes and stores them in a single, secure place. The native app for OS X is now available for download and the Windows 8 Metro app has been submitted to the Windows 8 store. Apps for iOS, Android and other platforms, as well as integration for Google Docs, will be launched in the coming weeks. With doo.net's native apps, documents are self-organized and accessible on all relevant platforms in a readily available alternative to the disparate search, file sharing and other collaboration services currently available. Now, documents are easier than ever to find, work with, and share with family, friends and colleagues. doo.net has also announced that it has raised a new round of Series A funding, which boosts the company's total investments to $10 million. The round is led by Target Partners, who join DuMont Venture, e42 Ventures and prominent angel investors, including Lars Hinrichs, founder of Xing and HackFwd, and Professor Dr. Dres. h.c. Hermann Simon, the Simon-Kucher & Partners founder and chairman who's been dubbed "The Peter Drucker of Europe."
at 8:40:00 PM