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Registrations, Name Changes To Fetch Them Rs 500 Cr
SRINAGAR – The recently announced cap on subsidized LPG cylinders has come as a windfall for oil companies, who have been accused of fleecing millions of consumers in the state, while the National Conference-led coalition government, allegedly preoccupied with the dubious affairs of its functionaries, remains clueless of peoples plight. Mocking at the official claims of hassle-free procedures, registration for subsidized connections in the valley has been stopped by the oil companies for unknown reasons.
According to a report circulated by local news agency, KNS, millions of consumers in the state were facing difficulties in completing registrations for new connections even as the November 15 deadline for the purpose is about to expire. With two premier companies, Hindustan Petroleum and Indian Oil Corporation, having just around 100 counters 58 in Jammu and 43 in Kashmir, the completion of the process is almost impossible.
Against a total of 25 lakh LPG consumers in the state, they have completed registration of only 10 lakh while that of the remaining 15 lakh is to be completed within a mere three days.
Reports said the oil companies were charging at least Rs 7,000 a consumer for every new registration and Rs 2,150 for changing the name of existing consumer. The desperate consumers have to cough up more money to arrange various prescribed documents like residence and identity proof.
The earning from the two categories of consumers, reports said, was estimated at around Rs 500 crore. At least 50 per cent of the existing consumers across the state are known to be having no registration while a large number have such documents on others names. Long queues of consumers outside the distribution outlets of oil companies speak of the hardships they were facing to complete the registration or to obtain a cylinder.
Meanwhile, reports said, distribution of subsidized LPG had been stopped all over the state. Moreover, the consumers who had been getting the subsidized supply for decades past are being put in the common (non-subsidized) category for unknown reasons. It has been alleged that the oil companies would restrict the number of consumers under the subsidized category to boost the sale of non-subsidized LPG cylinders. (KNS)
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Tesla already has 15 supercharger stations in Spain
By: Fedora Atjeh | Oktober 03, 2017
The progress of the Tesla brand in our country is unstoppable, just as it is being outside our borders. If a few days ago we discovered how was the first Tesla Service Center in Spain today the news goes of supercargadores.
The American brand has recently opened two supercarrier stations in Spain, one located in the outskirts of Zaragoza and the other in the vicinity of the city of Granada. So there are already 15 supercharger stations in our country.
The first station inaugurated during the last weeks is located in the Service Station El Cisne, in the environs of Zaragoza, and it has 10 points of fast recharge.
The other station is to the south, specifically in Moraleda de Zafayona (near Granada) and also has 10 fast recharge points.
In this way, there are already 15 supercharger stations that Tesla has installed in our country, and although there are still areas like the northwest to cover with this solution that facilitates the trips to Tesla's customers, it seems that they are going forward in their effort to close the year 2017 with about 24 stations of this type.

domain: news


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After reaching a 32-year high in the fourth quarter of 2021, New York City condos and co-op sales took a drastic drop beginning in late spring, shortly after the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates.
The Fed hopes the increases will ease rising inflation and avert a recession. In the short term, the moves have not only severely impacted home sales here and across the country but led to a drastic decline in the number of new properties put on the market.
Sales and listing comparisons for the metro area
Analysts say condo and co-op sales and new listings have been slumping since March. A year-to-year comparison from July 2021 to July 2022 shows similar results in two boroughs:
- Brooklyn: Condo sales dropped by 45.6%, and new listings fell 18.9%. Co-op sales declined by 25.7%, but new listings increased by 6.8%.
- Manhattan: Condo sales fell by 33.8%, and new listings decreased by 17%. Co-op contracts dropped 43.6%, and new listings decreased by 18.9%.
Manhattan also saw dramatic differences in condo sales depending on the price. The breakdown looks like this for properties priced:
- $2 million – $3.99 million: Declined 41.7%
- $4 million – $4.99 million: Declined 38.1%
- $5 million – $9.99 million: Declined 12.8%
- $10 million – $19.99 million: Declined 71.4%
Other major cities across the U.S. saw similar declines in sales but most experienced increases in new listings.
Both supply and demand trend downward
The decreases are linked to rising interest rates. Business website Crain’s says buyers are reluctant to bid on properties due to rising prices and financing costs. Most sellers, on the other hand, are generally not at a point where they are willing to entertain lower offers.
In an interview with the real estate website Mansion Global, Miller Samuel CEO Jonathan Miller said he believes no one is panicking at this point, which may account for the reduction in new listings. Miller says many condo and co-op sellers are riding out this wave of economic uncertainty, to see whether it’s a short-term setback in the New York real estate market.


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SAN FRANCISCO--The first smartphone with Intel Corp.’s Atom inside has launched in India.
The XOLO X900, born of a partnership between Intel and Indian mobile handset firm Lava International Ltd., will be on Indian shelves from April 23 for a street price of approximately INR 22000 ($445).
The phone, announced in Barcelona back in February, sports a single core 1.6GHz Atom Z2460 processor along with a 4.03 inch display, 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera with flash, 1.3 MP front camera and 16GB of internal memory.
It runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), but there are apparently plans for an over-the -air software upgrade to Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich “soon.”
Intel claims the phone can get up to five hours of 3G browsing, 45 hours of audio and eight hours of talk time on a single battery charge, as well as take up to 10 pictures a second.
Lava is counting on Atom to provide it with a differentiation factor in the large Indian mobile market, and plans to distribute the phone in partnership with Croma, an Indian chain of electronics mega stores.
You can check out a video from Intel’s launch of its reference design smartphones in Barcelona below:


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Landmark survey reveals unprecedented level of consumer frustration; lack of fairness, affordability and choice seen as creating anti-consumer telecommunications environment
TORONTO, Nov. 5, 2019 /CNW/ – The majority of customers of large telecommunications firms in Canada feel frustrated to be paying some of the highest prices in the world for home Internet and almost half feel trapped by their current provider. These and other survey findings confirm an unprecedented level of Canadian consumer dissatisfaction, frustration and cynicism based on their treatment by large telecommunications providers.
Conducted by Leger on behalf of Distributel Communications Ltd., this national survey entitled Broken Connection: Canadian Consumers’ Views on Large Telecommunications Providers, showcases clear insight into Canadians’ perception of the affordability, service, value and respect they are receiving from the large telecommunications providers.
“Achieving a truly competitive telecommunications marketplace is the best way to ensure that Canadians across the country have access to the benefits of consumer choice,” said Matt Stein, CEO of Distributel. “However, the results of this survey paint a picture of Canadians who are frustrated that the large incumbent Internet service providers rely on the lack of competition and choice to maintain the status quo.”
The results are being released at the annual Canadian ISP Summit, a conference designed for communications service providers across the country. The Summit allows attendees to address the issues that matter most to Canadian consumers, the challenges and opportunities of the current business environment and how the industry can thrive amidst change.
“The ISP Summit is the ideal forum for all players in the industry to have productive consumer-focused discussions on where the industry is headed and how we can all come together to better meet the needs of Canadians through increased fairness, affordability, choice and competition,” said Mr. Stein.
The following is an overview of select survey findings:
In August, after an exhaustive three-year review, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) corrected wholesale Internet rates and lowered them to a fair and reasonable level to ensure that Canadian consumers will benefit from a competitive marketplace. In doing so, the CRTC opened the door for the industry to invest, innovate and offer enhanced services at fair prices. However, in mid-September six of Canada’s largest Internet service providers asked the Federal Court of Appeal to overrule the August decision and by the end of the month, the Court issued a temporary stay of the CRTC decision, further delaying the intended benefits to Canadian consumers.“Canadians have clearly voiced their concern about the status quo created by the large telecommunications firms,” said Stein. “The limits they have deliberately placed on consumer choice, fairness, affordability and competition have led to unacceptable levels of dissatisfaction. And when 40 percent of their customers say they want to change companies but feel trapped by their current provider, that’s a clear sign that the status quo is not serving Canadians.”
About the Survey
Broken Connection: Canadian Consumers’ Views on Large Telecommunications Providers, an online survey of 1,535 Canadians was completed between October 18-21, 2019, using Leger’s online panel. The margin of error for this study was +/-2.5%, 19 times out of 20.
Established in 1988, Distributel is a leading national, independent telecommunications provider offering a wide range of business and residential communications services. 100% Canadian-owned, with offices across the country and a national network, Distributel continues to forge new partnerships and bring innovative solutions to market directly and through a thriving wholesale division. ThinkTel, the Business Services Division of Distributel, is a provider of advanced voice and data services for the SMB and Enterprise markets throughout Canada. TV services provided through Zazeen Inc., an IPTV service provider that operates in Ontario and Quebec. As a top Microsoft Solutions Partner and a Cisco PMP, the Business Services division is focused on driving industry innovation. For more information, visit: www.distributel.ca.


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Illinois Public Media News
The electric utility serving most of central and southern Illinois says it churned out a record amount of power this week.
Ameren says consumers used more than 9600 megawatts of electricity at one point Thursday, breaking a record that was just set on Tuesday. The old record was set four summers ago, in August 0f 2007.
Ameren spokesman Leigh Morris said as long as there are heat advisories in place for the area, no one's power will be deliberately shut off, even those who are haven't paid their bills. But they will not be safe once the weather cools, and Morris said they have had plenty of warning.
"They have received many many notices advising them that they are falling behind in their bill," Morris said. "Eventually they will receive what is called a disconnection notice. However again they are encouraged to contact us to set up a payment plan because we don't want to disconnect them."
Morris said Ameren has not had any heat-related outages, and it has been able to handle the high demand without calls to cut back on power use.
Two of the nation's largest pharmacy benefits management companies could become one in the first six months of next year.
The $29.1 billion merger between St. Louis-based Express Scripts and and Medco Health Solutions, based in New Jersey, still needs approval from both shareholders and regulators. The boards of both companies approved the merger on Thursday.
If approved, the company, which would retain the Express Scripts name and headquarters, would be the largest of its kind in the country. Together, Express Scripts and Medco handled 1.7 billion prescriptions in 2010, and generated more than $110 billion in revenue.
The size, said Express Scripts' chief spokesman Larry Zarin, would give the new company an edge on reducing health care costs, which he says is a priority of the nation as well as the corporation.
"Where we are with health care costs, where we are with health care reform, the size of that challenge and the absolute call for new, innovative solutions, both structurally and tactically, and we're going to take on both," he said.
The companies say they have identified $1 billion in potential savings by streamlining areas like the supply chain and research and development.
But Zarin ducked questions about possible layoffs.
"Today is not the day to talk about that," he said. "Today is the day to look forward. "We're going to take a very thoughtful approach to the integration, a very thoughtful approach in terms of structuring the organization in the best way, and we're not really going to take a look at head count today."
Medco has 20,000 employees - Express Scripts has about 13,000.
AMR Corp.'s American Airlines is claiming to have made the largest purchase on Wednesday of airplanes in aviation history, but it is raising some questions over how the purchase will affect American's relationship with the Chicago-based Boeing company.
American has had an almost exclusive relationship buying planes from Boeing, or companies Boeing bought out, for years. But that all changed when American announced today that it's buying 200 new planes from Boeing and 260 planes from Boeing's rival, Airbus.
"I think it's hurtful to Boeing," said Aaron Gellman, who follows the airline industry at Northwestern University.
He said the higher ups at Boeing should be raising questions about how Airbus struck such a lucrative deal with American Airlines.
But Florida-based aviation consultant Stuart Klaskin said the order does not mean there is a broken relationship between American and Boeing.
"There's no way they can say they're disappointed," Klaskin said. "They just sold 200 airplanes to American Airlines. I mean, God. It's a massive - by any other standard it's a massive order."
Klaskin said if anything, American caught up with other airline companies by diversifying its fleet of planes so as to not have all its eggs in the Boeing basket.
Meanwhile, Joe Schwieterman, who follows the aviation industry at Chicago's DePaul University, said, "This is really making a statement that they're going to have an equal mix of Airbus and Boeing and I think it's a bit of a wake up call for Boeing, as well, that they shouldn't count on the majority of orders from the big guys here in the U.S."
Schwieterman said there is no need for Boeing to panic. Buying 200 planes is still a huge order and it should give Boeing confidence to make further improvements to its aircraft.
Borders says it plans to end its operations by the end of September.
The Ann Arbor-based company announced plans Monday to sell off its assets after not receiving any bids to stay in business. At its peak in 2003, Borders ran more than 1,200 stores, but by the time the company filed for bankruptcy protection in February, that number was cut in half.
Technology played a big role in the company's demise, according to Dilip Sarwate, a professor in business administration at the University of Illinois.
"It's certainly difficult to compete with the likes of Amazon," Sarwate said. "I'm not sure this could be completely avoided. Fewer and fewer people are visiting bookstores. They are going to their computers and buying books."
But Lisa Bayer, who is the marketing director for the University of Illinois Press, said while technology did play a role in Border's downfall, it could have been avoided. She said Borders simply was not prepared for the onslaught of digital reading devices.
"They didn't position themselves to take advantage of various changes," Bayer said. "Barnes and Noble has the NOOK. Amazon developed the Kindle. Borders did really nothing."
Borders did come out with an e-reader last year, known as a Kobo. Produced by an electronic company in Canada, the Kobo will still be available to people who use the software to purchase and read books.
Up until Monday, the University of Illinois Press was still doing business with Borders. Bayer said the publishing company has been distancing itself from the retail giant over the last five years for various reasons, including "very questionable" decisions by the company's management.
Bayer said the University of Illinois Press' involvement with Borders was so minimal that she does not think the bookstore's failure will have a huge impact on the publishing company.
"It's very likely they hadn't even ordered any of our books in a while," she said, noting that many of the University of Illinois Press' books are scholarly journals. "We're not as much of an interest to them as some other kinds of publishers."
Of the nearly 400 Borders bookstores slated to close, three are in Champaign, Mattoon and Peoria.
Mary Beth Nebel runs an independent retail bookstore in Peoria called "I Know You Like a Book." She said she does not think Border's demise is a sign that other retailers are destined to fail.
"I hate to see any bookstore close," she said, reflecting on Border's closure. "I think independent bookstore like I have is much different than a chain store. It's more of a community-based place. I think more people will enjoy that sort of atmosphere."
With Peoria's Borders expected to close and a Barnes and Noble still running, Nebel said she has no intention of changing the way she runs her five-year-old business.
(With additional reporting from The Associated Press)
Monday's U.S. Department of Agriculture crop report showing a decline in the condition of Illinois' corn crop has been followed by a rise in corn futures prices Tuesday on the Chicago Board of Trade.
In early trading, December corn rose 20 cents to $7.16 and 1/4 cents a bushel. University of Illinois agricultural economist Darrel Good said that is the market reaction he expected.
"We know there's a large number of factors that influence the value of corn," Good said. "But at this time of year, crop conditions and perspective production is the dominant factor. And I think that's influencing the market behavior this week, as there are some increasing concerns about the size of the crop."
The USDA reported 61 percent of the state's corn crop to be in good or excellent condition, which is down from recent weeks. Some fields have started to turn brown. Good said that shows the impact of hot, dry weather on the nation's number two corn-producing state. And with the heat wave continuing this week, he said Illinois crop conditions could take another hit when the Agriculture Department releases another report next Monday.
Good said while weather forecasters are not making many long-term predictions, some models call for at least limited relief from the hot, dry weather in the coming weeks. That could improve crop conditions.
(AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
A trend toward consolidation is working its way through the industry that provides blood to hospitals. Urbana-based Community Blood Services of Illinois is merging with a larger firm, Quad Cities-based Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Services.
The Urbana center's chief executive, Pat Kovar, said the jobs of the 71 employees under his watch are safe.
"Realistically we would expect over time you always have some normal attrition, and candidly there may be some employees here who just won't want to continue even though they'll have a job and maybe even doing the same thing, so we'll see," Kovar said, "Right now there are no planned reductions or layoffs as a result of the merger."
Kovar said blood agencies around the countries are considering consolidation as hospital systems merge and the health care industry prepares for big changes in the years ahead. He says the Urbana office will still supply blood for the five hospitals currently in its service area, including Urbana, Danville, Mattoon and Effingham.
Officials hope to complete the regulatory process and make the merger official by November.
After a decade of legal battles, Illinois 10th casino has finally opened.
Gamblers flocked to the Rivers Casino's grand opening in Des Plaines Monday. The license had long been dormant since originally being approved for the city of Rosemont in 1999.
In 1997, a gambling boat failed in East Dubuque, freeing up a 10th casino license. That began the saga of communities wrangling to sweep it up, with cities betting on a casino's ability to increase municipal revenues. For a time, Rosemont was going to be the spot, until fears of mob ties required a bidding redo. The Illinois Gaming Board finally awarded the coveted license to Des Plaines in 2008.
Gov. Pat Quinn says he respects that drawn-out process.
"I think that is a model that we need to keep an eye on," Quinn said. "It was a very competitive process and the gaming board, our Illinois Gaming Board, the regulators oversaw that process and ensured maximum competition."
The opening of the Des Plaines casino comes after lawmakers recently passed a measure that would massively expand gambling in the state for Chicago, Danville, Rockford, a south Chicago suburb, and Lake County.
The measure still has not been sent to Gov. Quinn, who has not indicated what action he will take on the bill when he gets it. Though, Quinn has been less enthusiastic about the plan, calling it "top heavy."
Gaming Board Chairman Aaron Jaffe has been highly critical of letting politicians decide casinos' locations.
It is expected Rivers Casino's success could be hampered by adding more casinos in and around Chicago.
There will be no storybook ending for Borders. The 40-year old book seller could start liquidating its 399 remaining stores as early as Friday.
The chain, which helped pioneer the big-box bookseller concept, is seeking court approval to liquidate its stores after it failed to receive any bids that would keep it in business. The move adds Borders to the list of retailers that failed to adapt to changing consumers' shopping habits and survive the recession, including Circuit City Stores Inc., Mervyn's and Linens `N Things.
Borders is expected to ask a judge to approve a sale to liquidators led by Hilco Merchant Resources and Gordon Brothers Group. Liquidation sales could start as soon as Friday if the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York approves the move at a scheduled hearing on Thursday. The company is expected to go out of business by the end of September.
Borders attempt to stay in business unraveled quickly last week, after a $215 million "white knight'' bid by private-equity firm Najafi Cos. dissolved under objections from creditors and lenders. They argued the chain, which has 399 stores and 10,700 employees, would be worth more if it liquidated immediately.
"We were all working hard towards a different outcome, but the headwinds we have been facing for quite some time, including the rapidly changing book industry, eReader revolution, and turbulent economy, have brought us to where we are now,'' said Borders Group President Mike Edwards in a statement.
Simba Information senior trade analyst Michael Norris said a Borders liquidation could have far-reaching effects, putting thousands of people out of work at a time of high unemployment, even possibly cause sales of electronic books to fall.
"Bookstore employees don't just sell books, they sell the activity of reading, and this decision throws thousands of them out of work,'' said Simba Information senior trade analyst Michael Norris. "This industry is going to slowly figure out that a lot of e-book readers still use bookstores all the time to discover what's new before heading home to buy it for their e-reading device.''
Borders entered the electronic book market with Canada's Kobo Inc. last year. Owners of the Kobo e-reader will still be able use Kobo software to buy and read books. A Borders spokesperson declined to comment about what would happened to e-books bought from Borders.com
It has been a long fall for Borders since Tom and Louis Borders opened their first store in 1971, selling used books in Ann Arbor. At the time, the brothers were mostly interested in offering other bookstores a system they developed for managing inventory.
But in 1973, the store moved to a larger location and shifted its focus to selling new books and expanding, helping pioneer the big-box bookstore concept along with Barnes & Noble Inc. At the time, Waldenbooks and B. Dalton mall chains, with small stores and 20,000 to 50,000 titles, were growing rapidly. The new superstores, by contrast, offered between 100,000 and 200,000 titles, as well as enticements to linger like comfortable chairs and attractive lighting.
Kmart Corp. saw the potential and acquired Borders in 1992, forming a book unit with Waldenbooks. It then spun the bookstores off as a separate company in 1995, the same year Amazon started selling books online.
Borders was slow to adapt to the changing industry and lost book, music and video sales to the Internet and other competition. Sales sales began to fall, leading to a revolving door of CEOs. By the time Borders' current CEO, financier Bennett LeBow, came aboard in May 2010 after investing $25 million in the company, bankruptcy was already looking like a strong possibility.
Borders filed for bankruptcy protection in February after being hurt by tough competition from online booksellers and discounters. It hoped to successfully emerge from bankruptcy protection by the fall as a smaller and more profitable company, but pressure from creditors and lenders eventually led the chain to put itself up for sale and finally, seek approval to liquidate.
At its peak, in 2003, Borders operated 1,249 Borders and Waldenbooks, but by the time it filed for bankruptcy protection in February that had fallen to 642 stores and 19,500 employees. Since then, Borders has shuttered more stores and laid off thousands.
Borders says it expects to be able to pay vendors for all expenses incurred during the bankruptcy cases.
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, file)
The summer season is in full swing, and that means many teenagers are trying earn some extra cash. But the job market remains tough, especially for teens. As Illinois Public Radio's Mike Moen reports, Illinois is no exception.
(AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said he had no choice but to cancel pay raises for some 30,000 employees of 14 state agencies.
Union workers were expecting a 2 percent pay raise, but were blindsided earlier this month when the governor scrapped the raises to save the state approximately $75 million.
Members of the labor group AFSCME picketed across the state Tuesday to protest the governor's decision. About a dozen of them showed up along Mattis Avenue in Champaign. Wayne Matthews, a 33-year employee with the Illinois Department of Public Health, was at the rally. He said union members have made plenty of sacrifices over the last few years, and he said they deserve their salary increases.
"Two percent is still better than no percent, which is what we've had for a long time," Matthews said. "We've actually - in this contract - pushed back our raises, and volunteered furlough days and other things to save the state money. This is how we're rewarded."
Tara McCauley, a staff representative for AFSCME local 31, was also in Champaign during the picket. McCauley said the governor's decision to cancel the raises was unprecedented.
"We've negotiated contracts with Illinois governors for decades," McCauley said. "We've never had a governor try to go back on a raise that he's negotiated. You know, we've got a signed contract, so we feel that this isn't Wisconsin, this isn't Ohio. We're not going to allow our governor to take away people's legal rights to collectively bargain. So, it is about a bigger issue for us as well."
Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Governor Quinn defended his actions.
"The General Assembly did not provide any money for pay raises for the AFSCME state workers," Quinn said. "That is the long and the short of it. I cannot give them money that the General Assembly hasn't appropriated in terms of a raise."
AFSCME had supported Quinn, a Democrat, in the November election. Just prior to that endorsement, the union agreed to defer raises while Quinn guaranteed two years without layoffs.
The union filed suit in federal court in Springfield last week to block the pay freeze. The group contends the pay raise rejection was illegal, and it is bringing in an arbitrator to settle the dispute.
The Illinois Federation of Teachers has also joined in AFSCME's lawsuit.
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Mike Tyson’s Bitten Ear Gummies
Get a taste of Evander Holyfield’s ear
Mike Tyson the most iconic boxer of all time and a proud cannabis user, and entrepreneur is launching his latest venture, Mike Bites. The product line includes gummy ears that have a THC level of 10mg in each ear (100mg per package). With Tyson’s permission, the edible gummies are made with delicious fruity gelatin that has been infused with cannabis extract. Mike Bites Cannabis will hopefully be available in all legal states. “Mike Bites is a candy that I have seen many people enjoy,” says Tyson. “I am excited to be able to give these candies a legal way to be enjoyed.
The Mike Bites already have faced some regulations already. The state of Colorado does not allow gummies that represent animals, fruits, and human parts that are attractive to children, so they are not available in Colorado. For now, it’s only available in California.
The ear-related sweets are not the first time someone has used Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield to advertise their product. Barely two months after Tyson bit off part of his fellow boxer’s ear, a Los Angeles candy company created “Earvander-Tyson Bites” – ear-shaped chocolates with a Tyson-sized bite taken out of them. Holyfield took The company to court over the use of his likeness in 1997, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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Chipotle Mexican Grill said in securities filings Wednesday that it received a federal subpoena earlier this month regarding a food safety incident in Powell, Ohio, last year.
The subpoena seeks information regarding the incident, in which nearly 700 people were sickened after eating food left at unsafe temperatures.
The company said in an SEC filing that it has “fully cooperated and intends to continue to fully cooperate with the investigation.”
The revelation sent the company’s stock down 7% on Thursday morning.
It’s the fourth such subpoena that Chipotle has received regarding food safety incidents since 2016.
A federal grand jury first issued a subpoena in January 2016 as part of a criminal investigation conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, following a series of food safety incidents in 2015.
The subpoenas require documents related to companywide food-safety issues dating back to 2013, the company said.
Chipotle has received two additional requests: one in 2017 following an incident at a restaurant in Sterling, Va., and another in 2018 following an incident at a location in Los Angeles.
The subpoena follows a quarter in which Chipotle’s same-store sales rose 9.9%, thanks largely to its digital initiatives, as the company has worked to distance itself from those incidents.
The Ohio incident came as Chipotle has been working to recover lost sales from the aftermath of the initial incidents, which sent the company’s sales and stock price plunging.


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Shoppers in search of witches, ghosts and severed heads to embellish their properties for Halloween are discovering one thing actually scary this 12 months: empty cabinets.
The supply-chain snarls which have formed a lot of life within the pandemic at the moment are liable for shortages of Halloween décor and costumes. Consumers and suppliers alike are getting inventive and planning forward.
a 27-year-old skilled companies advisor in Kalamazoo, Mich., struck out attempting to buy a miniature haunted home in-store so as to add to his Lemax Spooky Town assortment, a line of Halloween-themed animatronic collectible figurines and buildings. He was additionally broadly disenchanted within the quantity of Halloween décor out there at shops close to him.
“I went to
HomeItems and I’m already seeing Christmas stuff substitute the Halloween stuff, which is ridiculous,” Mr. Wieber says. “I’m like, hello? Are we just skipping Halloween this year?”
A Home Depot spokeswoman says that inventory on its Halloween objects went shortly “as consumers are engaged with decorating again this year.” Lowe’s says the corporate’s shops have stocked each Halloween and Christmas merchandise sooner than typical this 12 months. T.J. Maxx and HomeItems declined to remark.
The National Retail Federation predicts that Halloween spending will attain an all-time excessive this 12 months of $10.1 billion, up from a report $9.1 billion in 2017. Two-thirds of Americans plan to rejoice by handing out sweet, adorning their properties, dressing up and extra. That’s nearly again to pre-pandemic ranges, in keeping with NRF knowledge.
For those that haven’t but purchased costumes and decorations, the information could also be grim. Of greater than 8,000 shoppers surveyed within the first week of September, 45% says they deliberate to buy Halloween in September or earlier, and one other 39% deliberate to buy in the course of the first two weeks of October, in keeping with NRF.
“[Our selection was] really good between the middle of September and the end of September. Once October hit it was just gone, gone, gone,” says
an worker at Spirit Halloween in Layton, Utah.
A Spirit Halloween spokesperson confirms that the corporate has “experienced a few scares this Halloween season” with product delays and elevated transport prices.
Home Depot bought out of prerelease Halloween merchandise nearly instantly this 12 months,
the retailer’s president and chief working officer, mentioned in a mid-August earnings name.
On the Instagram web page for arts-and-crafts chain Michaels, an Oct. 1 photograph of pumpkins piled excessive beside somebody holding a coffin-shaped signal garnered feedback from fed-up prospects. “I’ve been to every store in my area and there’s barely anything on your shelves for halloween,” one wrote. In a response to the client, the Michaels account famous that “we had some shipping delays this year” and the corporate was ready on extra stock.
Trick or Treat Studios in Santa Cruz, Calif., designs and provides Halloween masks and costumes for
and Spirit Halloween. It started ordering merchandise in February, a number of months sooner than regular, says
who manages the corporate’s world provide chain. He says retailers have been typically understanding of the delays and have waived late charges.
“Things have been a bit brutal,” Mr. Lippert says. “If you want a store-bought costume, you had better be ordering it now.”
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
How far forward do you propose for holidays like Halloween? Join the dialog under.
co-owner of costume masks firm Zagone Studios in Melrose Park, Ill., says the skyrocketing worth of freight transport and rising costs on objects like foam are stretching the enterprise financially. The firm has met demand by ordering early and dealing seven days every week, he says. It’s already positioned orders for subsequent Halloween.
Some retailers are splurging on airfreight to keep away from the backlog of container ships at U.S. ports, says
NRF’s senior director of business and client insights. Other, smaller retailers are shopping for up classic or used masks, costumes and different paraphernalia from native collectors. They’re additionally shopping for outdated stock for shops that went out of enterprise in the course of the pandemic, in keeping with Ed Avis, government director of the National Costumers Association.
49, an avid Halloween decorator in North Canton, Ohio, obtained inventive when she couldn’t discover any faux spider webs to embellish her yard. She as an alternative purchased 10 kilos of elastic netting used to wrap meat.
She purchased her first Halloween merchandise in July this 12 months: a miniature haunted home that lights up and emits spooky piano chords, thunder and ghoulish howls. She questioned if it was foolish to purchase Halloween décor so early.
“I think because of that pandemic I wanted my spirits lifted a little bit,” Ms. Cobaugh says. “I’m glad I did, because when I went back in August, it was sold out.”
In Michigan, Mr. Wieber continues assembling his “creepy demon” Halloween costume one part at a time.
“I went to one website to find a mask, went to a different website to find big latex hands to go along with the mask,” he says. “I will have to find a large black cloak to tie it all together.”
Write to Alex Janin at Alex.Janin@wsj.com
Copyright ©2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8


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QR Code Payment Integration Between Japan and ASEAN Set for 2025 Launchby Fintech News Singapore March 18, 2024
Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to integrate their QR code payment systems by 2025, according to a Bernama report.
Negotiations between Japan and ASEAN nations are ongoing, with both parties keen on implementing the QR code payment system soon.
Five ASEAN countries, namely Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines had previously signed a memorandum of understanding in 2022 which laid the groundwork for payment integration and set the stage for broader cooperation in various sectors. The central bank of Vietnam joined the initiative later in August 2023.
This latest initiative, as confirmed by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), is aimed at facilitating smoother transactions and reducing the need for currency exchange, particularly benefiting the influx of tourists across these regions.
The integration project is being fast-tracked by the Cashless Promotion Council, which is tasked with creating a unified payment mechanism that bridges both domestic and international QR code services. This system is anticipated to be operational by 2024, a year ahead of the official launch of the integrated payment scheme.
Currently, Japan offers QR code payment options through platforms like Paypay and Rakuten Pay, which are restricted to online payments for registered services. The forthcoming system aims to eliminate these restrictions, enabling consumers to make payments universally across the participating countries.


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South Korea’s exports are slipping just as Japan’s are picking up, as a weak yen has made Japanese goods more competitive globally.
The situation could get still worse for South Korean exporters if Japanese firms start to cut prices more aggressively in dollar terms to capture market share overseas, says Ronald Man, a Hong Kong-based economist at HSBC. Many Japanese companies have avoided that approach so far, preferring instead to book profits.
“Few economies in Asia are as affected by a weaker yen as Korea, given its strong competition with Japan,” he says.
Earlier Thursday, South Korea reported a modest rise in first-quarter growth of 2.4% on-year, compared with 2.7% in the last quarter of 2014. Net exports were the weakest spot in the data, trimming nearly a third of a percentage point from overall growth.
South Korean manufacturers compete closely with Japan on exports like cars and electronics. That rivalry has intensified amid Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s two-year campaign to weaken the yen, which has fallen sharply against the dollar.
The relative strength of South Korea’s won—at a seven-year high against the yen—is a big worry for its central bank, which has been criticized by the International Monetary Fund for actively intervening in currency markets. In its semiannual currency report earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury Department chastised South Korea’s currency policy for hurting its trading partners.
Still, the won’s relative strength has forced South Korea’s manufacturers to scramble for market share. South Korea’s exporters have been cutting prices, which fell 6.8% on year in March compared with a drop of 8.1% in February. Earlier Thursday, South Korean car maker Hyundai Motor Co. recorded its fifth consecutive fall in quarterly profit, citing the cost of higher sales incentives to keep its U.S. market share.
Meanwhile, The Bank of Japan’s drive to weaken the yen has paid off for many of its exporters. Japan’s exports rose 8.5% in March on year, after rising 2.4% in February and 17% in January. A weak yen has led to record profits for Toyota Motor Corp., whose shares are up 50% in the past year.
The likelihood of Japan’s exporters cutting prices increases with additional monetary easing by the Bank of Japan, says HSBC’s Mr. Man. Some economists and policy makers have called for more easing to get consumers and businesses spending. Kozo Yamamoto, a ruling-party lawmaker and ally of Mr. Abe, has long championed this cause.
Weaker exports raise pressure on South Korea’s policy makers to support growth with more stimulus measures, Mr. Man says. He expects the Bank of Korea to cut interest rates by another quarter percentage point in the third quarter to 1.5%. That would follow a rate cut in March and two last year.
The effects of South Korea’s weak exports have rippled through the economy. Wages have stagnated and debt-saddled households—with levels among the highest in the region—have little urge to spend.
South Korea’s economy will have to grow at a much faster pace for the rest of the year to meet the Bank of Korea’s 3.1% growth target, which it cut from 3.4% earlier this month, writes Singapore-based ING economist Prakash Sakpal in a research note. “Without a vigorous export recovery it’s unlikely to happen.”
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By Mary Lau
The 81st Session of the Nevada Legislature will begin in just a few weeks, and yet again our legislators are facing a substantial budget deficit, this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this time, our Nevada legislature has an opportunity to do more than apply a bandage; instead of another rushed tax hike, it’s time for our legislature to ask themselves if Nevada’s system of taxation makes sense in the post-COVID economy.
The COVID pandemic has created a perfect storm for Nevada’s state budget that is built on the unsteady foundation of tourism dollars. Any time there is a hiccup in the economy the cycle repeats. Tourism dollars decline, resulting in layoffs and increasing unemployment, followed by a reduction in sales and business tax revenues. When the Legislature convenes, they do their best to plug the holes in the budget, justifying that the program cuts (or tax hikes) are temporary, just until the economy recovers, only to continue the cycle.
This year we have an opportunity to change the conversation. COVID has presented an opportunity for Nevada to modernize and optimize to ensure our state is competitive in the national and global markets in the future. COVID has brought to light that consumer behaviors are changing, and our tax base is not keeping up. For example, a paperback book purchased in a store is subject to sales tax; however, an e-book is not. A video game purchased in a store is subject to sales tax; a downloaded video game is not.
Nevada is not the only state that is facing budgetary challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nevada also cannot afford to be left behind when the economic recovery begins. Even now, in the middle of the pandemic, not a day goes by that there isn’t a news story about another business fleeing California or New York City. Other states are already doing the research and having conversations to make sure they are competitive when the time comes. Our Nevada legislature would be foolish not to spend this time laying the groundwork for the future, too.
If we continue doing as we have always done, we will continue to get the same results. Nevada should have learned in 2009 that tourism dollars are not guaranteed. The COVID-19 pandemic is not something we could have planned for, but it is certainly something we can learn from. The world economy is changing, and if Nevada does not start taking steps to modernize, we will find ourselves left behind. In the months and years the competition between states for business will only increase, and if we aren’t careful, Nevada won’t be their new destination.


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Articles tagged as: ferrero
Friday, 01 November 2019 11:23
Ferrero is investing £2.7m in media across spring 2020, coupled with the launch of 10 new seasonal lines to complement its strong core range. Levi Boorer, Customer Development Director at Ferrero, comments: “We expect to see shoppers planning in advance and being more considered in their purchasing decisions for Mother’s Day and Easter. We would therefore encourage retailers to stock up early to ...
Wednesday, 24 July 2019 11:40
Turkey – Ferrero investment Ferrero has won the Turkish Exporters Assembly's (TİM) Champions of Exports Awards for 2018 in its category, handed out by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Ferrero currently runs six production facilities in Turkey, three in Trabzon and one each in Düzce, İzmit and Manisa. It also runs eight warehouses, five collection centers and five Ferrero Farming Values offices, wh ...


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Sony have finally made an official blog post about the broken LittleBigPlanet PS Vita downloads, which they say only affected a “small number of people” but as far as we’re aware it was actually everybody that tried. At least that was our impression.
“This was due to a problem with the original game file that had been uploaded to the store,” said SCEE’s Nick Caplin today. “The glitch was fixed as soon as we learnt about it and we’d like to confirm that LBP PS Vita is now available for download.”
Over the last day or two, those downloading the game were left with a broken file that wouldn’t start and a wallet thirty quid lighter, as we reported back on Wednesday.
Sony are trying to get people refunded, at which point they can try the download again. “The plan is that those affected will be refunded and then they’ll be able to re-download it,” said Caplin in the comments. “We’re working on getting the refund to those affected ASAP.”
If you bought the game and it didn’t work, expect an email “later today”.
The download’s perfectly fine now, and of course the game runs just peachy off a cart. We scored the game, which is rather brilliant, a solid 8/10 in our review a little while back.


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National security: UK to probe Rs 3 lakh crore Nvidia-SoftBank deal
The UK government has launched an investigation into Nvidia's acquisition of SoftBank Group's chip designer arm Arm, citing national security. In September 2020, Nvidia bought Arm's semiconductor business of smartphones, tablets and other devices through a deal worth Rs 2.97 lakh crore.
Britain's Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the matter was being referred to the Market Competition Authority. It has also been asked to examine the impact of the deal on national security as well as market competition in six months.
In January, the CMA had objected to the deal. There were fears that Apple, Samsung, Sony, etc. might find it difficult to get Arm's chips under Nvidia. The government made a statement that Arm is doing different work in the field of technology, this deal can have an impact on the whole world.
Protests all over the world, impact on mobile phone production...
The US, China, the European Union have also started investigations into the deal. Google, Microsoft, chip maker Qualcomm also opposed it. It is feared that through Arm, the supply of all the smartphone and major chip makers of the world may be affected. Nvidia is best known for making graphics chips for video games. It made huge gains after the acquisition, with the company's shares growing five-fold in the past one year.


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7 May 2019 - 16h47
200 volunteers and 3,000 visitors enabled the organization to raise more than 71,000 euros last Saturday during its big sale. An amount that will be spent on the acquisition of an electric passenger vehicle.
Espace Léo-Ferré welcomed nearly 3,000 people who came especially for the occasion. Thanks to them, the total amount of the profits of the event amounted to 71 350 euros this year. Sharing, solidarity and humanity were the watchwords of the day, as when five teenagers made a spontaneous donation of 45 €, without making a purchase, simply out of sheer generosity. A gesture hailed by the MRC.
In total, there were 575 cartons of items sold with more than 10,000 items of clothing, furniture, dishes, linens and other items. Nearly 1,000 shopping bags “World Day of the Red Cross” purchased, more than 2,000 raffle tickets sold and about twenty thematic stands, among others. The money collected will be entirely devoted to the acquisition of an electric passenger transport vehicle, to facilitate “sustainable” travel.
This day on the theme of love, celebrated the World Day of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, set for May 8 around the world (date of the birth of Henri Dunant, founder of this international movement). In addition, this event was also an opportunity for the MRC to strengthen its link with the youth as fun activities and games for 3-12 years were organized and were a great success with 94 children present at the event’s workshops.
©Philippe Fitte – CRM
7 December 2019 - 13h36
The digital transition is now a part of the daily lives of Monegasques and residents alike. On the initiative of the Sovereign, the "Extended Monaco, a Smart Principality" project is…Read more
6 December 2019 - 14h37
The signing of a partnership between the government and the Socri Reim group, which took place on November 22nd, officially launched this mixed operation entrusted to the architect Massimiliano Fuksas,…Read more


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As we’ve written before, Instagram wants its vertical video platform to succeed so bad they’re adding support for landscape video. Since it launched last year, IGTV has been solely dedicated to vertical videos but this new change will be a welcome to creators who are playing around with this platform. Instagram has heard their feedback and answered their prayers and is bringing the ability to watch landscape videos and in fullscreen.
Instagram is hoping this new feature will help them gain traction just as they did when they opened up aspect ratios for photos so users were not limited to posting just square photos. Other features have worked well such as the collections feature while others not so good including ruining how we interact with carousel photos and them killing off Direct, their standalone messaging app.
With this announcement, you’ll still be able to watch the new landscape videos in portrait but with the black bars on top and below. Changing your phone’s orientation to landscape will expand the videos to fully cover the screen.
The giant photo sharing platform adds in a blog post that the new features increased engagement and hopefully the same tactic will work with IGTV, but will it really?
We realize this is an evolution from where IGTV started — we believe it’s the right change for viewers and creators
IGTV platform has had a lot of trouble attracting and keeping creators when compared to other rival platforms like TikTok or SnapChat. Creators have lost interest and those that still try to create IGTV content agree that there isn’t enough incentive to post quality content. IGTV content requires a lot of work to shoot vertical videos and the views are discouraging but the crossposting IGTV video previews to their feed saw the views rise. The content also can’t be monetized as few brands are yet to start approaching creators for them to make vertical videos exclusive to IGTV. All these are factors to consider.
Instagram now supporting landscape videos is them realizing that nobody wants to create content that’s exclusive to IGTV and we should expect YouTube videos to be ported over the platform. In my opinion, if this is the approach Instagram is going with, then IGTV loses its essence and TikTok is going to win at this in terms of vertical video.


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Pilot Tourism Standardization Scheme Launched in Sichuan
According to the National Tourism Administration, southwest China's Sichuan Province has become the first province to launch a pilot tourism standardization scheme in China.
In the next one and half years, the provincial government will focus its efforts on exploring ways of promoting the standardization of tourism, establishing standard systems, and evaluating the results.
By 2012, the province will have established 10 standardized tourism cities and counties and 50 standardized industry-related enterprises.
Reportedly the move is in line with State Council's decision to speed up tourism development.
Recommended China Guide:
Next News: China Southern Launches Nanning-Taipei Direct Flights
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What Our Customers Say
I hope this letter finds you well.
We finally arrived home from our trip last Thursday the 17th.
As promised I am writing to you about our experience in China and we thank you very much for your organizing.
On the whole we had a wonderful time and were very well looked after...
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Have pet passports opened up new horizons for holidaying with your cat or dog? Or do you leave them behind? Given the stress my family’s dog suffered from when we left it at home, I don’t think I could any more.
Posts tagged with "pets"
Have you ever thought about what might happen if you bought a puppy that got sick or died soon after? What rights would you have? Here’s Ari Winfield from the RSPCA on why they think there needs to be a ‘Puppy Contract’.
Shhh, don’t tell my dog! According to new research, one in 10 Brits buy their pets a holiday gift and I’m not one of them. Would you buy a holiday pressie for your pooch?
In a bid to reduce the number of stray dogs roaming England’s streets, the government has introduced a legal requirement for all dogs to be microchipped by 2016. Have you had your dog microchipped yet?
Did you know that a box of chocolates could lead to a hefty vet bill – or worse? There are even stories of dogs nibbling on Christmas cake and becoming poorly. So what foods shouldn’t dogs and other pets eat?


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The VIth Sense - Starbucks Continues to Trip Over Itself
We hate to continue to beat up Starbucks. But, they continue to be a case study in poor strategic marketing. The latest: A branding campaign that tolls the virtues of buying fair-trade coffee beans and providing health care for part-time employees (no mention of the employee benefit cuts from last year). This follows up recent decisions to further discount most of their beverages. So, a branding strategy, as flawed as it is, that would support more premium pricing coupled with further discounts at the store level. Go figure.
We applaud them for actually raising the price on some of what they refer to as 'more complicated' drinks. But, this was needed a year ago when they began having troubles and should have returned to a more exclusive brand in the first place.
Last year's additions of ice cream, chocolates, bottled beverages, and the introduction of value-based Pike Place roast are all extensions of a brand that no longer has focus. A sub-brand or two would protect the Starbucks brand, while allowing for the additional revenue. Premium brands have a revenue ceiling. Squeezing that extra nickel out of them is usually what gets them in trouble. More trouble in this case.
It is very possible that Starbucks new instant coffee brand, Via, will add significant revenues. But this step-child product also weakens the brand. In the end, Starbucks is going to be just another coffee brand, selling a commodity. What a shame. By the way, same-store sales were down 8% in the most recent quarter and 9% in the one before.
Most likely this won't be our last article on this troubled brand...


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Spring is right around the corner, which means it's time for a new home theater system, or at least that's what Panasonic would have you believe. The electronics giant just unveiled pricing of four of its 2013 home theater systems, some of which were announced at CES 2013. They are the SC-HTB770, the SC-HTB370, the SC-HTB70 and the SC-HTB65, and are priced at $399.99, $299.99, $199.99 and $179.99 respectively. Both the SC-HTB70 and SC-HTB65 are standalone bar models while the decidedly more complicated SC-HTB770 and SC-HTB370 systems come complete with luxe stainless mesh speakers.
All are equipped with wireless or built-in subwoofers and Bluetooth, are compatible with televisions 42 to 65 inches wide and can be wall-mounted or used with TV stands. Strangely, while we were able to find listings for the first three systems on Panasonic's US online store, we could only find the SC-HTB65 over on the UK side. They're all available for pre-order now with a promise of shipping in March, which happens to be, well, this month. Feel free to take a peek at the source links for more details or check out the press release below.


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Following a blockbuster offseason, Russell Westbrook heads back to Oklahoma City for the first time as a member of the Houston Rockets on Thursday in a game that will have some extra emotion attached to it.
The game is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on TNT. If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of the game on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV Stick or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
TNT is one of the 95-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch a live stream of the Rockets vs Thunder on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which will allow you to watch the game on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
AT&T TV Now (formerly DirecTV Now) offers six different channel bundles. They range from 45 to 125 live TV channels, and they all include TNT. The “Plus” and “Max” bundles come with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for AT&T TV Now, you can watch a live stream of the Rockets vs Thunder on your computer via the AT&T TV Now website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other compatible streaming device via the AT&T TV app.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV Now — no matter what channel package you choose — comes with included cloud DVR.
Both of Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” (32 channels) and “Sling Blue” (47 channels) packages come with TNT. They both cost $20 for the first month ($30 per month after that), which makes Sling the cheapest streaming service with TNT if you plan on keeping it long term:
Or, as part of a special deal that Sling is currently offering, you can get a free Amazon Fire TV Stick if you prepay for two months:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Rockets vs Thunder live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage for an additional $5 per month.
TNT is included in Hulu With Live TV, which comes with 60-plus live TV channels and Hulu’s extensive on-demand library of TV shows and movies:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch a live stream of the Rockets vs Thunder on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
Rockets vs Thunder Preview
When the Oklahoma City Thunder dealt both Paul George and Russell Westbrook in the offseason in two separate blockbuster deals, the thought was that the team would be rebuilding.
That has not been the case.
The Thunder are in the mix in the Western Conference at 21-16 and have done a good job of retooling to stay competitive. The Thunder 8-2 over their last 10 games and are averaging 110.3 points.
“We dug ourselves a little bit of a hole, and we’ve had that happen before where we’ve gotten down, but these guys always fight back,” Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said. “I thought we fought and played pretty hard and pretty well in the second half. I thought the things that hurt us in the second half was, one, I thought we gave up some timely offensive rebounds, and we just didn’t shoot the ball great from the free-throw line.”
Westbrook, who won the MVP with the Thunder in the 2016-17 season, expects an emotional team to his former home arena.
“Obviously that place is always going to be special to me, because I grew up there. I spent a big part of my career there, met a lot of people there, good organization, great people, nothing but great things come from me being there.”
The Thunder have waved goodbye to a handful of stars in recent years, most notably Westbrook, George and Kevin Durant, who left to join the Golden State Warriors. When Durant — the No. 1 overall pick in 2007 — returned, he was booed relentlessly by the fans, getting called a cupcake.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti weighed in on the team’s one time superstar returning to Chesapeake Energy Arena and it sounds like there is much less animosity with Westbrook’s departure.
“Russell was a catalyst for a lot of incredible moments and memories for our fans, but it is his relentlessness, longevity and commitment that defines his legacy in Oklahoma City,” Presti said in a statement. “It’s going to be a unique moment when he steps back on the Chesapeake floor, a chance for people to recognize someone that will always figure prominently into the history of our city.”
Other than Westbrook, Clint Capela will be a player to watch on the Houston sider. He’s coming off a 22-point, 22-rebound explosion in the Rockets’ 122-115 win against the Hawks on Wednesday.
Houston is a four-point road favorite.
The teams are meeting for the second time this season. The Rockets won the first time around 116-112 on Oct. 28. Harden led Houston with 40 points.
Thunder: Nerlens Noel: out (ankle), Andre Roberson: out (knee), Danilo Gallinari: out (calf).
Rockets: Gerald Green: out (left foot), Nene: out (abductor).


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We are delighted to announce our brand new Third Kit and two new Goalkeeper's Kits for the 2017/18 Season.
All three kits, and the Home and Away Kits, will go on sale for the first time at Saturday's launch event in the club shop.
Supporters can get £10 off the new Home Shirt with a voucher from the Grimsby Telegraph. Vouchers are printed in the paper all this week.
The club shop and ticket office will be open from 9am until 3pm on Saturday and from 10am until 3pm on Sunday.
All kit pictures by Grimsby Town photographer, Michael White. Also thanks to Liam Emmerson.


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The Indian smartphone market is one of the most competitive markets in the world. Brands like Xiaomi tops the list of popular smartphone brands in India, followed by the Korean tech giant Samsung. In the current scenario, Xiaomi stands as the most popular brand in India for producing budget smartphones (under 15k range). But Oppo’s subsidiary Realme, which manufactures budget smartphone devices is giving tough competition to Xiaomi with more features and better quality in its new smartphone range.
Recently, Realme announced a total of 4 new smartphones in a matter of two months. And all of them come with great specs-list and an excellent camera. Last month, the OEM launched Realme 5 series devices, which comes with the quad-rear camera setup. Realme 5, comes with a quad-camera system and a massive 5000mAh powerhouse, whereas, the big brother comes with a 48MP in the quad-camera module.
Realme 5 series was launched in 2 different price categories, under Rs. 10,000, and Rs. 15,000, which is currently, ruled by Xiaomi budget devices.
And today, the Chinese smartphone maker has launched the successor of the budget flagship killer Realme X, which was launched around two months back. The new device is named, Realme XT and it comes with a quad-rear camera system topped up with a gigantic 64MP primary sensor. And other features like AMOLED display, in-display fingerprint sensor, etc are offered with a starting price tag of Rs. 15,999. Realme will be putting the new Realme XT against Xiaomi’s upcoming quad-camera smartphone Redmi Note 8 Pro, which is scheduled to launch in India soon.
In the Realme XT’s launch event in India, the company has launched some other accessories too. Like Realme power bank, Bluetooth earphones, etc.
Well, there is another exciting announcement that was made in the event. Realme has announced Android 10 update for 8 of its devices.
The OEM will be rolling out the Android 10 update for eight of the Realme series devices next year, that is, 2020. The first batch will be getting the update in the Q1 of 2020. The list of devices includes Realme XT, Realme X, Realme 5 Pro, and finally Realme 3 Pro.
As promised, here’s our roadmap for launching the #Android10 update for #realme smartphones! Are you excited for the new flavor of Android?
The second batch includes Realme 3, Realme 3i and Realme 5, and these devices will be getting the Android 10 update in Q2 of 2020. And at last, Realme 2 Pro will get the update in Q3 of 2020.
Nothing much to say, too much to write! Love to write about Tech & Games.


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Oil Show offers PBPA access to new segments of energy industry
Since its founding in 1962, the Permian Basin Petroleum Association has had a relationship with the Permian Basin International Oil Show.
Attending the Oil Show is a great way for the PBPA to promote the work it does on behalf of West Texas oil producers and learn about the industry it advocates for, said PBPA President Ben Shepperd.
“This is a one-of-a-kind show that showcases all the latest technology in the industry and is a great business networking event,” Shepperd said.
Q. Did PBPA founders like the opportunities offered by the Oil Show?
A. So many of the exhibitors are equipment manufacturers and service companies who may not be as aware of the PBPA as our exploration and production members. This is an opportunity for us to visit with a different segment, a critical segment of the industry.
I like the variety of people that you meet - everyone from field hands to chief executive officers of major corporations. It’s a great mix of the industry, the top to bottom of the industry.
Q. How has participating in the Oil Show benefited the PBPA?
A. We’ve had success meeting new members, who join the PBPA and become active members. It’s not just the obvious benefit of the dues they pay but it’s folks participating and bringing new expertise to the PBPA that’s critical.
Q. Do you see exhibiting at the Oil Show as a way of promoting awareness of issues impacting the industry?
A. What happens in the political and regulatory arena affects manufacturers and service companies as well as producers. If producers aren’t operating, they aren’t buying pipe or compressors.
Q. What do you gain by visiting the exhibits and talking with exhibitors about their technology?
A. People forget this is a high-tech industry, a very high-tech industry with the brightest minds working to address problems and advance technology.


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Counting the Cost of Crime in Retail
115 employees are attacked in their place of work every single day here in UK and according to the British Retail Consortium. these retail crime incidents are becoming more severe, with weapons, particularly knives, posing a more significant threat to retail staff than ever before.
These are, by no means, victimless crimes. They impact on the individuals who make the retail industry such a vibrant place to work; their families and loved ones; the communities to which they contribute so much; and those who rely on the public services that the retail sector indirectly supports.
The total cost of crime has again increased – to around £900 million. Together with the £1billion spent on retail crime prevention such as store detectives and retail security officers, crime now accounts for around £1.9 billion in losses to the retail industry. At a time when it is undergoing a dramatic reinvention, with technology changing the way we shop, businesses can ill-afford to be burdened by these huge crime-related costs!
This year’s key findings from the BRC are:
- the combined cost of spending on retail crime prevention and losses from crime to the retail industry is £1.9 billion;
- every day, including weekends, 115 colleagues are attacked, with many more threatened, across the retail sector;
- knives are seen as the most significant type of weapon;
- more than £700 million was lost to customer theft alone;
- although retailers are spending 17% more on cybersecurity than last year, nearly 80% of the retailers surveyed have seen an increase in the number of attacks and/or breaches; and
- around 80% of respondents describe the police response to retail crime as poor or very poor, with opinions generally better for violence than customer theft or fraud.
CUSTOMER THEFT & ORGANISED RETAIL CRIME.
A report in the Telegraph shows that shoplifting offences are on the rise following the introduction a £200 threshold before criminals are pursued. Figures obtained from 25 police forces across England and Wales suggest there’s been at least a 7% increase in the number of offences reported by supermarkets over the past four years.
The £200 threshold was introduced as part of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and means anyone accused of “low value shoplifting” no longer has to attend court and can plead guilty by post in the same way as a speeding motorist.
Organised gangs of shoplifters are thought to be exploiting the system by travelling around the country and hitting multiple stores, while always remaining careful to stay under the £200 threshold. But the cost to the businesses is often passed onto shoppers in the form of rising prices.
The rise in the number of stores offering self-scanning is adding to this growing trend. Given we’re in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, and human contact is being restricted, many stores are focussing on the use of self-scanners to protect shoppers and workers from coming into direct contact. However, the growing use of self-scanning has been associated with some increase in theft by customers, because there is no one to look over them. Retailers that have installed self-scanning are examining ways they can minimise losses by theft or customer error when using this equipment.
In the year ending March 2019, police recorded 374,395 shoplifting cases (Home Office, 2019), but the actual number of shoplifting cases is likely to be 15-21 times higher because many cases go unreported, especially by smaller stores who simply can’t afford the additional cost of retail security officers or store detectives.
Organised Retail Crime (ORC) consists of gangs or groups of criminals stealing merchandise, data or cash from retailers and isn’t just one single type of theft. This might involve theft from consignments, delivery vehicles or warehouses. It can involve large-scale organised shoplifting and refund fraud using a network of small-time thieves, some of whom may well have been trafficked by the same gang. Gangs may also use violence to ensure compliance by shop staff.
The Centre for Retail Research estimates that 28.2% of losses from external crime was caused by ORC, a total of £562mn.
It’s difficult to estimate the true level of staff theft as it can be hard to detect. Some of it often involves collusion between a member of staff and customers, such as a relative or a friend, although there is evidence that some apparent collusion is the result of intimidation. Staff can mis-scan items, give too much change, or place merchandise in the wrong part of the store which they then steal. Goods in perfect condition can be left outside near the waste bins for later collection, or fake refunds can be given on goods that are never returned.
It’s thought that retail staff theft results in around £1,305mn a year.
Jo Whitfield, Retail Chief Executive of The Co-Op says:
“I’ve worked in retail businesses for more than 20 years and I’ve never seen such high levels of violence and abuse, often involving a weapon, directed towards shop workers. In just the first 90 days of 2019, at the Co-op we saw more than 2,500 incidents of which 650 involved violence. One in every four of those incidents involved a weapon. I know that other shop workers in other retail businesses face the same level of violence and abuse. This is an issue for us all and reflects the issues in society. We are a Community retailer at the heart of High Streets.”
A report by City, University of London, shows that shop workers are experiencing “severe mental health consequences” as a result of violent store crime, including long-lasting anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
More than 42,000 assaults or threats were recorded in the retail industry in 2018 and the four main scenarios that lead to violent interactions are:
- encountering shoplifters,
- enforcing age-restrictions on the sale of goods,
- hate-crime related incidents,
- armed and unarmed robberies
The report collated data from the Home Office, British Retail Consortium, Association of Convenience Stores and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
We understand that theft is a growing concern for retailers, which is why our Retail Security solutions are tailored to meet your business needs and to achieve the objective of reducing retail theft and shrinkage, whether that be employee theft or shoplifting.
We have a wealth of knowledge within the retail sector, providing uniformed Security Officers and plain clothed Store Detectives.
Both our Security Officers and Store Detectives are equipped to deal with not just theft but any security issue which may arise during the course of their duties. We work very closely with local police and authorities in order to establish the identities of known offenders on the retail crime scene.
If you would like to know more about how we can work with you to protect your retail staff and premises, you can contact us here: https://www.strongguardsecurity.co.uk/contact-us/


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Public.com, a commission-free stock-trading and ETF buying and selling app, has stated it would enable its customers to purchase and promote cryptocurrencies on its platform within the subsequent few weeks, enabling the corporate to hitch the competitors with different counterparts likes Sq., RobinHood, and a rising variety of different monetary apps by providing the identical providers to the market.
On Thursday, October 7, Public introduced that it’ll begin providing ten cryptocurrencies equivalent to Bitcoin, Bitcoin Money, Ether, Ethereum Basic, Litecoin, Sprint, Stellar, Cardano, Zcash and Dogecoin.
Stephen Sikes, Chief Working Officer at Public.com, talked concerning the improvement and mentioned, “We’re centered on the investing use case and potential for crypto and its potential to be a part of a wholesome, diversified, long-term portfolio.”
The agency, nonetheless, said that its prospects in New York wouldn’t instantly be capable of commerce cryptocurrencies as a result of the corporate doesn’t have a state BitLicense. The Public mentioned it’s working to amass the license and is optimistic that cryptocurrency will quickly be obtainable to its New York prospects.
The Public will depend on a agency referred to as Apex Crypto to handle the back-end operations of the corporate’s new cryptocurrency choices.
The Public additionally talked about that its customers would solely be capable of buy, promote, or maintain cryptocurrencies at the moment. The agency plans to supply extra options by way of a crypto pockets it’s engaged on launching sooner or later.
The Public was established in 2019 to compete with rivals like RobinHood in attracting first-time and younger traders. Like Robinhood, Public provides a mobile-first design, no-commissions buying and selling, and a well-liked social media aspect that encourages customers to share what shares they buy and promote.
The corporate’s tactic of encouraging customers to share their trades with others may make it a well-known marketplace for varied crypto communities. This method labored and was first popularized by eToro.
“For years, the inventory market was a posh and intimidating surroundings — and for a lot of traders, crypto is an much more advanced and intimidating idea to navigate,” said Public’s director, MaryAlexa Divver, who additional talked about that the app’s schooling instruments and cell design would make cryptocurrency extra approachable.
Nonetheless, the Public’s buyer base (consisting of 1 million prospects as of February) may make it tough for it to problem extra established companies providing crypto providers like Robinhood, which has a complete variety of 22.5 million customers as of September this yr.
Picture supply: Shutterstock


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For those of you living in the UK and eager to get your hands on the Microsoft Band, the device officially goes on sale April 15th. Head over to the VIA link below to pre-order the device right now before supplies run out.
The band was originally sold exclusively in the United States. Even though it was available online at Microsoft’s website, bands couldn’t be delivered to anywhere outside of the US.
Now the band is expanding to the UK and is available for pre-order from Microsoft’s stores and major retail companies like Amazon, Curry’s PC World, Dixons Travel, Harrods, and O2. They will official go on sale on April 15th and is estimated to cost £169.99.


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Here are five ways to make money on the internet in 2021. Coverage includes computer hardware, software, mobile apps and devices, personal technology.
Frequency 13 posts / day website lowyat.net facebook fans 220.6k ⋅ twitter followers 45.3k ⋅ domain authority 84 ⋅ alexa rank 2.9k view latest posts ⋅ get email.
Tech news sites malaysia. Insurance comparison sites will soon be regulated by bank negara malaysia by fintech news malaysia june 21, 2019 insurance and takaful aggregation business will be regulated by bank negara malaysia as a new category of registered business under the financial services act 2013 (fsa). Malaysia says tech firms, hit by pandemic and trade war, keen to move to country malaysia said on friday it had a pipeline of investment projects worth about $13 billion and that many local and foreign electrical and electronics (e&e) firms were looking to relocate their businesses to the country to diversify production. Breaking news and analysis on computing, the web, blogs, games, gadgets, social media, broadband and more.
Top sites in malaysia the sites in the top sites lists are ordered by their 1 month alexa traffic rank. The smartest, wittiest gadget reviews and buying guides, the latest tech news and analysis, and the best longread features on the web. Since its founding in 2004, we've grown from an exhaustive source for consumer tech news to a global multimedia organization covering.
Comes with gifts worth over rm1000. Today, the economy of malaysia is still reeling from the global crisis. I came to know some valuable tech sites.
Today, we have over 7,200 4g sites, enabling us to surpass. Malaysia says tech firms, hit by pandemic and trade war, keen to move to country. Kuala lumpur, malaysia about website malaysia's leading online publication delivering breaking tech news, gadgets and mobile phone reviews, internet technologies and much more.
2 hours ago perak pkr urges state govt to focus on health, economy, women and youth in its budget 2021. 02 april 2020 / 12:31myt. Online news service malaysiakini reported.
Fortunately, consumers can find alternative ways to make a living while employment opportunities are shrinking. The 1 month rank is calculated using a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews over the past month. If you want to know tech news in tamil then visit ibc tamil news.
Get latest tech news and articles on techbullion Engadget is the original home for technology news and reviews. Get the latest malaysia news stories and opinions with focus on national, regional, sarawak and world news, as well as reports from parliament and court.
The progress we have made on the network front, especially over the last two to three years, is a record for the industry in malaysia. Tech giants ask malaysia pm to reinstate foreign ship cable waiver: Frequently i am following mashable and gizmodo.
November 15, 2017 at 11:15 pm nice addition to this blog. Covering tech news and reviews from abroad and local views like famous tech sites engadget, mashable, techcrunch, theverge and gsmarena, the technave.com app features easy to use specs & price comparison tools for phones, mobile devices and phone plans. Ipoh, dec 3 — perak pkr today urged the perak government to focus on four segments — health, economy, women and youth — when tabling the perak budget 2021 at the next state.
The most important technology news, developments and trends with insightful analysis and commentary. Covering tech news and reviews from abroad and local views like famous tech sites engadget, mashable, techcrunch, theverge and gsmarena, the technave.com app features easy to use specs & price comparison tools for phones, mobile devices and phone plans. From top companies like google and apple to tiny startups vying for your attention, verge tech has.
The latest tech news about the world's best (and sometimes worst) hardware, apps, and much more. Thanks for sharing a list of 10 tech sharing sites. Tech research company comparitech has ranked malaysia as one of the worst countries in the world for internet freedoms, due to restrictions on social media, political reporting, pornography and.
The latest it news on technology topics, including operating systems, software, security, mobile, storage and internet, emerging tech, and technology companies such as microsoft, google and apple [it is] a great pleasure for us to be able to win this in two consecutive years in a row. Techbullion is a financial technology news website, focusing on global fintech news and market.
1) make money online by […] As an assembler of its switch console, according to people directly involved in the matter, as it works to stabilize production and hedge against. Get the latest bbc technology news:
Celcom to upgrade 4,700 sites to latest 4g tech by feb 2021, almost 1,000 are in east malaysia 1 day ago amazon’s cloud unit taps own chips for new supercomputing offering Msn malaysia news brings you the best berita and news in local, national, global news covering politicis, crime, policy, events, unrest and more from the world's top and malaysia's best media outlets. The coronavirus pandemic has spurred interest in online sources of income.


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While General Motors sales have held steady over the past two months, and even grown a bit, the automaker still isn’t free of the recall bug that hit the company hard during the first quarter, costing it an estimated $1.3 billion and impacting about 7 million vehicles overall.
Already slammed in Congressional hearings for not notifying the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of earlier problems, GM has informed NHTSA of two separate potential safety issues.
GM is recalling 51,640 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia SUVs from the 2014 model year because faulty software may cause the fuel gauge to read inaccurately, U.S. regulators disclosed over the weekend.
“An inaccurate fuel gauge may result in the vehicle unexpectedly running out of fuel and stalling, increasing the risk of a crash,” NHTSA said on its website, after GM notified the agency that fuel gauge readings could be off by as much as one-quarter of a tank.
To fix the problem, GM dealers will reprogram the vehicles’ engine control modules. As with other safety-related recalls, the work will be done at no charge to consumers.
(GM sales surge despite recall woes. Click Herefor the full story.)
Last week, GM confirmed it was recalling about 56,400 model year 2013 Cadillac SRX crossover vehicles because of possible delays in acceleration linked to a computer program that controls the transmission, NHTSA said.
“In certain driving situations, there may be a three to four second lag in acceleration due to the transmission control module programming,” according to NHTSA. The report also said the condition can increase the chances of a crash. But it noted GM said it was not aware of any collisions related to this issue.
The affected vehicles are all equipped with 3.6-liter V-6 engines.
(Hammered by recalls, GM barely stays in the black for the first quarter of 2014. Click Here for more.)
Overall, GM has recalled about 7 million vehicles this year, including 2.6 million Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Ion sedans, along with a number of other models equipped with faulty ignition switches that are linked to at least 13 deaths.
The ignition switch issue has turned into the biggest crisis GM has faced since emerging from bankruptcy five years ago as the maker has acknowledged it received warnings of the problem as much as a decade ago.
Mary Barra, GM’s new chief executive officer, has ordered a sweeping review of problems with other GM vehicles. She also has appointed a new internal safety czar to ensure that the company responds quickly to safety-related issues.
(Even as it launches repairs for ignition switch problem, pressure mounts for GM to order owners to park recalled vehicles. Click Here for the latest.)
GM, however, has asked a federal bankruptcy judge in New York to reaffirm that the company is no longer responsible for legal claims arising prior to its 2009 bankruptcy filing. Instead the company has entered into negotiations with a broad group of plaintiffs in hopes of resolving lawsuits before they reach court.
Instead, the maker has expressed interest in setting up a special fund to recompense victims and their families for crashes connected to the ignition switch recall. The plaintiffs’ first meeting with GM’s lawyers and a claims administrator who would oversee any such fund was held in New York at the end of last week.


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Amazon Raises its Minimum Wage to $15 An Hour
In response to recent allegations of unfair employee treatment, Amazon said it will boost its minimum wage for all U.S. workers to $15 an hour starting in November. The decision affects more than 350,000 employees, as Amazon is one of the largest employers in the United States. Workers in customer service or operations, some of whom already make $15 an hour, will also get pay raises. A company spokesman predicted the wage increase will “have a profound impact on the lives of tens of millions of people and families across this country.” The minimum wage increase also applies to Whole Foods and all other subsidiary employees of Amazon.
Amazon’s Critics and Response
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has previously attacked Amazon, accusing the company of paying workers so little that they have to rely on government assistance to survive. In a recent news conference, Sanders said that he wanted to “offer credit where credit is due. I want to congratulate Mr. Bezos for doing exactly the right thing.” Amazon said it will also start advocating for an increase to the federal minimum wage, something Senator Sanders has done for years. Others have also criticized the company for its earnings gap. For 2017, the median Amazon employee earned just under $28,500, according to company filings. CEO Jeff Bezos earned $1.7 million. Regarding the minimum wage increase, Bezos said “We listened to our critics, thought hard about what we wanted to do, and decided we want to lead. We’re excited about this change and encourage our competitors and other large employers to join us.” Amazon subsequently announced that its public policy team will begin lobbying for an increase in the federal minimum wage, which has been $7.25 an hour since 2009.
Upcoming Minimum Wage Increases
Other companies have followed Amazon’s example. Retail rival Target announced in its holiday hiring release that it would raise the minimum hourly wage to $15 by 2020. Walmart announced plans in January to raise its minimum wage to $11. Disney agreed to pay a minimum of $15 an hour at Disneyland in California in 2019 and at Disney World in Florida by 2021. Paul Sonn, state policy program director for the National Employment Law Project, said Amazon’s announcement would put pressure on even more companies to raise their minimum wages. Congress will likely also feel pressure to lift the national minimum wage as a result of Amazon’s decision. Twenty-nine states, including New York, have their own minimum wages higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25.
Seek a New York Wage Attorney to Combat Minimum Wage Violations
Although Amazon has decided to increase its minimum wage, many employers regularly violate federal and state minimum wage laws. If you have not been paid the federal or New York state minimum wage, the Working Solutions Law Firm, located in New York City, can assist you. Contact us today at (646) 430-7930 to schedule a free case evaluation and receive experienced legal counsel.


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Boy, have times changed!
The NAR (National Association of Realtors) Expo in San Diego this year was a far cry from the boom years in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Both the number of attendees and the number of exhibitors are down from previous years and the harsh market conditions have shocked most Realtors into a far more realistic view of our industry.
There was lots of hope for those still standing this year:
* Sales of lower end homes are inching upward
* The extension of the tax credit is fueling some growth
* Home Staging is having a really positive impact on sales
We surveyed over 500 Realtors and brokers at the show this year to get some insight into Realtor attitudes towards home staging. We’ll be releasing our survey results in the upcoming weeks and here are some early insights:
* Over 95% of Realtors prefer to show homes that are staged
* The majority of Realtors say whole-house home staging (when every room is staged) knocks the time to sell in HALF
* The Majority of Realtors say that homes staged sell for 15-20% higher price than when vacant
The NAR Expo is an international show and there were lots of Canadian Realtors present. Canadian Realtors told us they use home staging at a much higher frequency than American Realtors. The feedback from Canadian visitors is that homes either don’t sell without staging or if they do they sell for far less and take much longer. Interestingly enough, they see it as their professional duty to make sure they push owners to use Home Staging because if they don’t the owner will have to steeply reduce the price and selling homes for higher prices is better business.


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The U.S. economy has seen tough times over the past few years, and speculation as to its health and recovery is in the news every day because Americans want to know how secure their jobs are, what they will be able to afford for themselves and their families, and what to expect for the future of their dollars. In recent weeks and months, optimism for the health of our economy has seemed to wane.
For the past two years, our economic growth rate has remained at a measly 2 percent. Economists were confident at the beginning of this year that we would finally boost that growth to 3 percent, but in mid-June, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reduced its estimate of 2.7 percent growth for 2014 to 2 percent (Bloomberg.com, 6/16/14). Although employers have added many jobs over the past few months, the long winter placed a strain on several industries, and experts are worried that climate change could present even more challenges to economic projections in the coming years.
Some experts say that the economy is doomed to never fully recover from the Great Recession in 2008. While it would seem as though the economy has rebounded greatly, the truth is that salaries and household incomes have not risen in years and many are still unemployed despite growing numbers of jobs added each month. Other economists maintain that full recovery is on its way, but will take more time than originally estimated due to the slow rate of growth (The New York Times, 6/11/14).
While this speculation, estimation, and evaluation continues among experts and politicians, the Economic Employment Situation for June 2014 had some unexpected positive news – with the economy creating a higher-than-expected 288,000 jobs and the unemployment rate falling to 6.1%, a six-year low. In addition, the May payroll number was revised upward.
Other news from the June Jobs Report included:
- The number of long-term unemployed persons declined by nearly 300,000 and nearly 2% of the total unemployed.
- Major industries with gains included professional and business services (+67,000), retail trade (+40,000), food services and drinking places (+33,000), health care (+21,000), financial activities (+17,000), transportation and warehousing (+17,000), and manufacturing (+16,000).
- Temporary help services continued its upswing by gaining 10,000 jobs in June, which makes for a total gain of 216,000 over the past year.
Upon the news, the Dow Jones Industrial Average broke the 17,000-point barrier for the first time. Similarly, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were in the green. Some news outlets, like CNNMoney, claimed that this report was an indication "the American jobs recovery seems to have finally hit its stride" and also noted that rising pay rates, partially spurred on by some minimum wage increases in several states, have encouraged consumer and economic optimism (CNNMoney, 7/3/14).
Traditionally, the run-up to elections causes some economic uncertainty in the nation. We'll have to see if the optimism stemming from today's Jobs Report will stay high in the coming weeks and months.
Readers: Do you think the economy has recovered as much as it can already?


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Live case «Digital Business Expansion» for expo media AG successfully completed
05.08.2021 How does the exhibition industry live on after the Covid-19 pandemic? Students of our master’s program Digital Business Administration provided innovative ideas and possible solutions for a future digital business model for expo media ag.
expo media agis a 3rd generation, family-owned company providing their customers with a full-fledged support for exhibition appearance. Due to the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the industry the market players are under a lot of pressure. The entire industry is undergoing a vast structural change fueled by a shift towards digital communication channels. Expo media agis therefore aiming to build and establish a sustainable business model in a digital context.
During the spring semester students of our master’s program Digital Business Administration worked hard on developing strategic options for new digital business models for expo media ag. They also proposed a digital transformation path for the company so that the new digital business models can ideally be supported.
The students’ teams presented their innovative ideas including fully virtual and hybrid expositions. We have seen great ideas, for example the use of virtual and augmented reality, a fair as a service or a gamification approach. Some teams already presented the first prototypes and built virtual exhibition environments in which, for example, the process of accompanying customers and visitors was simulated.
Adrian Sperl, CEO of expo media ag, was happy with the outcomes as well: “I really enjoyed working with the different teams. The variety of ideas and strategic options was excellent and with the first working prototypes the teams already paved the way for potential implementations in the future. At expo media ag we are convinced that physical events will remain an important part of every company’s marketing strategy. However, virtual interactions will increasingly augment those physical events, creating hybrid experiences. The BFH live case has provided us with multiple innovative ideas how to develop and transform our business model in order to continue to serve our clients’ needs best. I want to thank all the teams for their great work and dedication!”