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Bing(o) or B(or)ing? 30 Jul 2009Posted by Tony Law in Consumerization, Impact of IT, ITasITis, Tech Watch, Technorati.
Tags: Bing, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!
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Lots of developments recently for Microsoft-watchers to get their teeth into. I’ve not picked up the individual announcements here, because lots of other people do it; but it’s time for a round up.
So the most recent announcement is Microsoft’s at-long-last deal with Yahoo! which will move Microsoft’s Bing search technology into Yahoo’s space. Subject to regulatory approval it might go live next year.
Well I haven’t seriously tried Bing, so this isn’t a technical evaluation. But for a business analysis of the potential impact of the deal (or lack of it), there’s an interesting discussion on Knowledge@Wharton. In brief, they suggest, the real target of Bing wasn’t Google but precisely to achieve the kind of deal now done with Yahoo. And that the impact on market share will be negligible despite the marketing deals. People like Google. And perhaps that the smaller deal will “invite less anti-trust scrutiny” than last year’s proposal to swallow Yahoo entire.
There’s a joint website called “Choice. Value. Innovation”, set up as if it were a fully fledged independent company with “Investor Relations” and “Press Room”. Draw your own conclusions.
What else? BOPS of course; Microsoft’s Business Online Productivity Suite. The “Standard” package capitalises on existing brands (or tweaks them to work outside the office perimeter): Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Live Meeting, and Office Communications Online.
So BOPS It doesn’t occupy the same space as Google Docs or other offerings like ThinkFree (who I visited with a study tour to Silicon Valley in 2006 and, I must admit, didn’t think they’d still be here by now). It does overlap Google Wave, which I reviewed recently. Gizmodo reports that Office 2010 Web apps will be free; Office Live, Windows Live and Azure exist. Either we can believe that Microsoft is still playing catch-up, when there’s so much technology already out there that’s integrated and works; or we can see the pattern of a lot of pieces about to come together and create something really powerful
Microsoft still owns the business IT mindset. Gartner quote a case study with a headlinecollaboration cost reduction of 20% So what do you think?
• Microsoft-Yahoo a Yawn for Google, Knowledge@Wharton, 29 Jul 2009
• Microsoft, Yahoo! Change Search Landscape, Microsoft Press Pass, 29 Jul 2009, featuring videos from both Ballmer of Microsoft and Bartz of Yahoo!
• Choice, Value. Innovation.
• Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, Microsoft
• Move to Microsoft BPOS Cuts Collaboration Costs by 20%, Gartner, 9 Jul 2009 (client access only to full document)
• Microsoft Office 2010 Web Apps Will Be Free; Testing Starts Today, Gizmodo, 13 Jul 2009
• Microsoft Windows Live
• Microsoft Office Live and Office Live Small Business Edition
• Microsoft Windows Azure
Tags: Forrester, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!
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The news of Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo! broke in the Saturday papers, and there’s a mass of coverage. It’s worth collecting some of the initial comments. Both companies spread wide, and some people – and companies – will find themselves buying services from Microsoft when, perhaps, they deliberately chose not to. In the UK, for example, a lot of broadband internet is supplied by a BT/Yahoo! joint offering so there’s an immediate potential impact there.
Google certainly think it’s worth reacting to. They fielded David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer; and he immediately raises the spectre of Microsoft’s “legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses” to encourage regulators, and consumers, to sit up and take notice. And to position Google as the champion of the open internet.
In business terms, does it make sense? What have Yahoo! got that Microsoft haven’t? The Guardian tagged the bid as and admission of failure by Microsoft and an attempt to “buy its way into the 21st Century”. Microsoft, it says, maintained its dominance of desktop and office software; but Google ate its lunch in search and, along with the open source movement, is making inroads into the applications market. Yahoo! dominated search until Google came along, but is there any way that pooling Yahoo! and Microsoft’s resources would magically create a Google-beater here? There’s analysis of this one from The Observer (that’s The Guardian‘s Sunday sister) and one interesting quote is from a financial analyst who says “We see Google as a search business, but it is a media company that makes all its money from advertising”. Would the combine challenge Google in this space? Adding their two market shares doesn’t win, and mergers don’t create new ideas automatically. But it’s perhaps a better indicator of why Microsoft’s made the move, and where it thinks the IT business is going. And of a shift in the media business too.
Forrester’s Charlene Li blogs about this in Groundswell and about the way both companies need to play catch-up in social computing.. She looks at the jewels in a potential combined portfolio: Flickr and del.icio.us, Microsoft’s investment in Facebook, and so on. She raises the possibility of Yahoo! selling Google its search advertising to defend itself (remember this is a hostile bid), raising the cash to stay otherwise independent. Google did this kind of deal with MySpace.
This isn’t an enterprise IT-oriented merger bid; indeed Computerworld‘s reaction is that it might distract Microsoft from the enterprise’s primary business with Microsoft which is precisely desktop and office software. It’s about the social web, advertising and media. But if (when) social networking finally gets adopted by enterprises – Faceforce, the link between Salesforce.com and Facebook, is a straw in the wind – then there would be an impact there too. As Charlene puts it, “people go where their friends are”. There’s a lot more comment out there, as you’d expect; no substitute for going looking for yourself – no doubt via your favourite search engine …
Yahoo! and the future of the Internet Official Google Blog, 3 Feb 2008
Microsoft tries to buy way into 21st century The Guardian expert comment, 2 Feb 2008; alternatively, go to the homepage at guardian.co.uk and search Yahoo Microsoft
Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo!: What it meansCharlene Li, Groundswell, 1 Feb 2008
Would a Microsoft-Yahoo deal out Google Google? Computerworld, 1 Feb 2008
Links are provided in good faith, but InformationSpan does not take responsibility for the content of linked sites. News sites often archive material after a few days; use the site’s search engine if a link fails.


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Amazon is looking to recruit British employees to join its Prime Air unmanned air vehicle delivery service project, which until now was largely centred out of its Seattle headquarters.
The company’s job site lists vacancies for a flight operations engineer, project manager, software development engineer and senior research scientist, all to work for the Prime Air initiative and to be based at Amazon’s Cambridge, UK facility.
“We’re working on the future,” the job vacancies state. “If you are seeking an environment where you can drive innovation, if you want to apply state-of-the-art technologies to solve extreme-scale real world problems, if you want the satisfaction of providing visible benefit to end-users in an iterative fast-paced environment, this is your opportunity.”
Amazon first detailed its intention to deliver parcels by UAV in December 2013, when chief executive Jeff Bezos announced that the firm would enhance its Prime delivery service with the use of rotary-wing UAVs.
The company showcased a video of a vertical take-off and landing UAV that would deliver parcels to customers’ doorsteps, much to the interest – and concern – of many worldwide.
In light of airspace restriction concerns, Amazon sent a letter to the US Federal Aviation Administration in July 2014 calling for an exemption on current restrictions, so that Amazon Prime Air could become a reality – a service it now appears to be spreading to the UK.
All four vacancies are looking for “technical aptitude” and familiarity with complex systems, while there is also a desire for the flight operations engineer to have experience in the certification of UAVs, as the employee will be required to flight test the future system.
“You can expect to collaborate on test plans, plan the test evolution and execute the flights while working closely with our flight engineering and flight test teams in Seattle,” Amazon says. “We're looking for aerospace, systems or other engineers with extensive UAS flight experience. Success will require attention to detail, a safety-oriented attitude, flexibility and creative problem solving.”
Amazon is not alone in its exploration of UAVs for this application. In August Google introduced its UAV parcel delivery offering in the form of a fixed-wing prototype, under a development programme dubbed Project Wing.
The company tested out a prototype in Australia through its Google X research division, although the firm admitted at the time it was “years from a product”.
In September, German postal service DHL Parcel announced it was to embark on a more tangible UAV delivery endeavour, as it was about to begin a test phase delivering supplies using its Parcelcopter platform.
A restricted flight area for the UAV was established by the German ministry of transport and digital infrastructure, in co-ordination with Deutsche Flugsicherung – the company in charge of air traffic control in the country.
The flightpath covers some 6.5nm (12km) of the North Sea from the city of Norden to the island of Juist, and marks the first operation of a UAV in European airspace beyond line of sight.
The company – owned by Deutsche Post – first flew the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) Parcelcopter in December 2013, when it travelled across the river Rhine at Bonn.

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Wholesale costs of goods (63%), business rates (38%), and energy costs (30%) are the three biggest concerns for UK retailers ahead of an uncertain 2020.
According to new research by E.ON, more than half (56%) of UK retailers expect their energy costs to rise next year, but two-fifths (38%) have not yet implemented energy management solutions to improve efficiency, cut their consumption and reduce operating costs.
A third (30%) of retail leaders went as far as saying that energy costs affected their business competitiveness, more so than paying rent (29%) or insurance (20%). To combat this, many retailers are implementing lower cost measures to help reduce their energy usage. In the last year alone, almost half (46%) have installed LED lighting and more than a third (35%) have asked staff to be more energy efficient.
Iain Walker, director of Energy Sales at E.ON, said: “With financial pressures from increased wholesale costs and business rates – not to mention the uncertainty caused by Brexit and the recent election – energy efficiency is not at the top of many retailers’ to-do lists.
“Yet, at a time of unprecedented disruption, energy technologies and efficiency measures offer retailers not only a genuine opportunity to help protect their margins, but also help in meeting carbon reduction targets and in improving the air we breathe.
“Our research shows that small and important steps are being taken, but that retailers need to be much bolder and recognise that improving energy efficiency is an investment in the future of our businesses and our planet – not just another cost.”
Retailers have a number of measures available to improve the sustainability of their operations, including on-site energy generation through rooftop solar or heat pumps, purchasing electricity from 100% renewable sources , or installing a building energy management system (BEMS).
Despite these options, E.ON’s survey of 100 senior retailers reported a continued hesitancy to invest in more impactful measures: only 10% have upgraded their buildings energy management system or implemented building control strategies. Meanwhile, only 3% have invested in on-site energy generation with the help of their energy supplier.
More than a third (38%) of retailers say perceptions of the upfront cost of these technologies had put them off from introducing them, while a fifth (21%) said they do not believe they would make a return on such an investment. This is despite the Carbon Trust estimating that a 20% decrease in energy costs has the same impact as a 5% increase in sales.
The research also highlighted that a majority of retailers plan to alter their stores over the next five years in ways that could put further pressure on their energy bills. Three fifths (59%) of respondents said that they would be making their stores less focused on products and more on delivering an engaging experience for the consumer that helps to build a connection between the customer and the brand. However, more than half (54%) say they believe doing so will actually increase their energy usage – making energy efficiency or on-site generation even more crucial.
E.ON supports companies across the retail sector to provide smart and sustainable energy solutions that deliver life-time cost savings as well as lasting reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This includes tailored solutions in energy efficiency, on-site generation, virtual power plants, flexibility and battery storage.


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TALK ABOUT HAVING TO APPEAL TO A NEW CONSUMER. I've just read the January 14 issue of New York magazine—okay, I'm behind in my reading—and I couldn't help but marvel at the fact that there's a probing article on Alain Ducasse's efforts to open a successful restaurant in Manhattan and another piece on the best sneaker stores in the city. Haute cuisine and where to get impossible-to-find Nikes and Pumas...I have no doubt that many of the magazine's readers found both articles to be relevant to their interests.
Today's consumer is incredibly difficult to please because their concerns, at times, involve trying out the new top chef in town, yet these same customers are incredibly focused on comfort. Both of these needs stem from the desire for the best of everything. No one wants anything anymore that simply isn't top-notch.
So not only do you have sneaker-wearing clients who want to dine in Michelin-star restaurants, you've got clients who are, yes, more demanding than ever before. Is that possible? Apparently. According to a survey recently released by IBM and the National Retail Federation (NRF), satisfying the increasingly demanding customer will be the top priority for U.S. retailers in 2008. (Retailers previously had made expanding their number of stores their No. 1 strategy.)
According to Reuters, executives attending the NRF's annual conference cited a new generation of consumers who receive their information electronically rather than via TV and newspapers, giving them immediate access to more information. The challenge, said the report, was finding ways to satisfy this clientele.
Do you find yourselves relating to any of this data? While these retailers are those who set up shop and physically sell wares in a store environment, I'm sure you've found that clients are micro-managing their trips more than ever before, trying to "help" you find them the quickest route to another country or questioning your choice of hotel, because they've actually gone online themselves and seen, for example, that Hotel X has a $99 nightly rate as opposed to the luxury property you've selected for them at a considerably higher price.
What they don't know—and this is where you come in—is that the $99 rate is for the room facing the garbage bins at a hotel whose pool has been under construction for eight months and that actually doesn't have a general manager at the moment so no one is there to direct the staff.
Forget the challenges and opportunities the Internet brings. If your clients are successful at what they do, they're used to directing people. That means for them to surrender control to you, an individual who happens to hold their desperately needed vacation in the palm of your hand, is an issue that they might need therapy to work through.
As I write this, I realize that I shouldn't be generalizing here. Difficult people are difficult in different ways. Let's give them credit for that. So while you might have a client who may be trying to hold your hand while you're using your expertise to build their ideal trip itinerary, you may have another who has their personal assistant calling you every five minutes with their preferences and tiny changes to the fabulous European adventure you painstakingly created for them over the weekend during the family barbecue.
At the end of the day, however, these are your clients and you must love them as you do your own difficult children. Allow them their particular likes and dislikes and give them space to express themselves. Sometimes people just want to be heard and then guided. As usual, it all comes down to listening.
By the way, another top issue that relates to the travel agent community was a hot topic at the NRF event mentioned above. Apparently, getting and keeping good employees is expected to be retailers' third priority in 2008. We realize that's something that is key to your success, so George Dooley has penned an article about it, "Recruiting Staff for Your Agency".


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Microsoft is hoping to spread a message of "harmony" with its 2016 holiday ad to lift people up from a "rough year" that has seen its fair share of divisive and negative news.
Launched Monday, Microsoft's "Art of Harmony" campaign puts the spotlight on a group of seven real-life people —activists, artists, and entrepreneurs — many of whom have overcome adversity to stand up for what they believe in.
A TV ad (watch it below) shows the group working together using Microsoft Surface Studio to create a peace mural. The film ends with the words: "When the world seems divided, coming together can be a beautiful thing."
Kathleen Hall, corporate VP of brand advertising and research at Microsoft said in a statement: "We knew it's been a rough year and people have been exposed to a lot of challenging issues. We hope this gives people some positivity and hope in the season which is what it should be about."
Ad agency m:united//McCann, which created the campaign, said: "This year has been challenging for many and much of what we hear in the news can be negative. Microsoft wanted to lift people up and remind them that ordinary people can make a difference. The message focuses on the spirit of the holidays, people coming together and celebrating what is good and right with the world — what unites us, instead of what divides us."
The campaign will run on TV, online, outdoor, and social media. It follows last year's "Spread Harmony" holiday message.
These are the seven people who appear in the ad (as per the press release):
- Joel Artista is an artist, educator and advocate for social change through community-based public art.
- Zianna Oliphant is a child activist, who pleaded to the Charlotte City Council for equality and for the fighting to stop.
- Bobby White is a Florida police officer nicknamed the “basketball cop” after a video of him playing ball with local kids, rather than busting them after a complaint, went viral.
- Hawa Diallo is a West African refugee artist who discovered her need to create in her mid-40s to express the beauty and pain of her experiences.
- Jazz Jennings is the youngest person to publicly identify herself as transgender, and is now a national role-model and activist for transgender youth.
- Zea Bowling is a 7-year old first grader who stood firm in the face of hate during a celebration of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.
- Christopher Catrambone is an entrepreneur who founded the Migrant Offshore Aid Station, a global search and rescue charity for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
- Mona Haydar is a Muslim-American activist who invites people to come “ask a Muslim” over free coffee and doughnuts.
Microsoft is not the first tech company to use its holiday advertising to reflect on the last 12 crazy months. Spotify's new campaign carries the tagline: "Thanks, 2016. It's been weird."
Microsoft's 2016 holiday ad — "Art of Harmony":


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Hewlett-Packard have just their fourth quarter earnings this past Tuesday, posting some interesting results to round out their 2014 fiscal year.
Here’s a quick summary of the report:
- Net income of $2 billion, rated at 70 cents per share
- Non-GAAP earnings at $1.06 per share on a revenue of $28.4 billion – dropping 2% year-on-year
- Wall street was reportedly looking for earnings of $1.06 per share on revenue of $28.76 billion
- HP shared have fallen by roughly 2.6% in the after-hours trading due to the above fact
- Fiscal 2014 saw HP bring in earnings of $3.74 per share and a revenue of $111.5 billions, falling 1% compared to 2013’s results
HP’s CEO Meg Whitman commented on these results, stating that her companies “turnaround” is back on track and running as expected:
“In FY14, we stabilized our revenue trajectory, strengthened our operations, showed strong financial discipline, and once again made innovation the cornerstone of our company. Our product roadmaps are the best they’ve been in years and our partners and customers believe in us. There’s still a lot left to do, but our efforts to date, combined with the separation we announced in October, sets the stage for accelerated progress in FY15 and beyond.”
As we said in the beginning, this information provides interesting results. Their non-GAAP earnings are down 2% year-on-year alongside their fiscal 2013 revenue falling 1% year-on-year, but they certainly aren’t generating a loss and seem to be traveling much better than Sony at the moment. who have been reporting major issues amongst the eastern mobile market, alongside their picture studio being taken over by hackers in the past few days.
HP are in the middle of their plan to splinter their PC and printer businesses from their enterprise unit, we’re interested to see what the end result will being after 2015 is through. In the mean time, we’re going to have to see what this whole “five year turnaround” will bring to us, day by day.
Image courtesy of Open IT Strategies


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USDA's Cold Storage Report is getting a negative read, as traders expected total red meat stocks to come in slightly lower than year-ago, but instead came in 13% higher than Feb. 2010. Total frozen pork and beef stocks at the end of February came in higher than traders anticipated.
USDA pegs total frozen pork stocks at 578.064 million lbs. -- well above the average trade guess of 553 million pounds. That's up 7% from last month and 12% higher than year-ago. The increase was led by hams, which recorded a new monthly record. Total ham supplies came in 17% higher than last month and 39% higher than year-ago levels.
Total frozen beef stocks at 467.681 million lbs. came in above the average trade guess of 444 million lbs. -- up 1% from last month and 16% higher than year-ago levels. USDA reports total frozen poultry supplies down 1% from last month, but up 4% from year-ago levels at 1.017 billion pounds.
Traders had stronger exports factored into pre-report expectations. As a result, this report could raise some concerns, although the overall export outlook for 2011 remains bright.
Link to report
For additional news, go to thePro Farmer web site. To become a member, call 1-800-772-0023 for more information.


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Menswear trade show Stitch is relocating from London’s Earls Court exhibition centre to the Business Design Centre, Islington.
The new venue will be used for the autumn 12 edition on February 12-13. The show has been at Earls Court for the past two seasons, running alongside women’s young fashion show Pure Spirit.
The closure of the Earls Court site after next year’s Olympics and Pure Spirit’s decision to return to womenswear trade show Pure London at Olympia from February 2012 were catalysts for the move.
Pure London and Stitch will still collaborate, cross-promoting each others’ events. Stitch founder and managing director Brian Duffy said: “We have always desired Stitch to be in as central a location as possible in London and the move to the Business Design Centre really gives us that opportunity.”
The proximity of the venue to both Euston and King’s Cross stations was a draw for the show, Duffy added. “[This makes] it easier for visitors from outside London and it is also close to showrooms in central and east London should buyers have appointments with other brands while they are here.”
Stitch will collaborate with design consultant Fats Shariff to oversee its Vision area, launching in February, for up-and-coming contemporary and directional brands.
“The idea of the Vision area is that younger, more niche brands will be able to take a rail in the area and get in front of some top international buyers,” said Duffy.
Pure London managing director Steve Newbold said: “London’s Business Design Centre is an excellent next step for Stitch and we look forward to working together to deliver the best buying opportunities for UK and international buyers.”


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Posted Tue Nov 25, 2014 at 08:00 AM PST by Tom Landy
The R-rated film starring Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, and Maggie Gyllenhaal will be available on Blu-ray in December. Pre-orders are now available.
In an early announcement to retailers, Magnolia will be releasing 'Frank' on Blu-ray on December 9.
Michael Fassbender stars as Frank, a genius rock musician who performs wearing a giant fake head that he never removes. Things get rocky between his protective bandmate Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and newcomer Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), who is convinced they're meant for stardom. The band lands their biggest gig, but are they ready? And is the world?
Specs haven't been revealed yet, but supplements include: AXS TV: A Look at Frank and Theatrical Trailer.
Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $29.98.
You can find the latest specs for 'Frank' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 9.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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The fashion industry has long been criticized for its detrimental impact on the environment, contributing significantly to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. With the fashion industry responsible for about 20% of global wastewater and 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, the European Union (EU) is taking steps to address this issue. However, while the EU aims to transform the fashion industry’s damaging practices, the future of fast fashion brands like Shein remains uncertain.
While a growing number of consumers, particularly influenced by environmentally-conscious Gen Z, express a desire for more sustainable clothing options, the EU’s vision may be met with challenges. Notably, industry leaders like Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing, and ASOS have experienced profit declines, but Zara and H&M have reported significant gains. Shein, despite copyright disputes and controversies, maintains its popularity among customers seeking affordable and trendy clothing.
Shein’s ability to consistently introduce 6,000 new items to its website daily underscores the enduring appeal of fast fashion. This suggests that the concept of quick, disposable fashion still holds sway.
The EU, however, remains optimistic that change is possible. Recently, the EU adopted recommendations for a more sustainable clothing strategy, advocating for clothing that is more durable, repairable, and recyclable. They also endorsed regulations promoting ethical production practices that prioritize human rights, social responsibility, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability throughout the supply chain.
MEP Delara Burkhardt emphasizes that consumer actions alone cannot fully reform the global textile sector. She argues that self-regulation within the market could perpetuate the exploitative practices of fast fashion. Instead, Burkhardt contends that the EU should legally compel manufacturers and large fashion companies to adopt more sustainable practices.
While the proposed changes are transformative in theory, concerns persist about the effectiveness of these regulations on non-European countries. Countries like Chile’s Atacama Desert and African nations such as Ghana and Kenya bear the brunt of the world’s textile waste, highlighting the global implications of fashion’s wasteful practices.
Ultimately, the fate of fast fashion brands like Shein hinges on a complex interplay of consumer preferences, industry trends, and regulatory efforts. While the EU’s vision for a more sustainable fashion future is ambitious, the full impact of these initiatives remains to be seen, and the influence of fast fashion is far from fading.


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SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – A trade group representing California grocery stores has filed lawsuits against San Jose and Daly City after requiring large grocers to offer hazard pay to employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday, the California Grocers Association filed the challenges in federal court. The group claims that the measures are unconstitutional, violate the National Labor Relations Act and would raise the cost of groceries.
"In addition to clearly violating federal and state law, the extra pay mandates will harm customers and workers," Ron Fong, president & CEO of the California Grocers Association said in a statement.
"A $5/hour mandate amounts to a 28 percent average increase in labor costs for grocery stores. That is too big a cost increase for any grocery retailer to absorb without consequence," Fong went on to say.
Earlier this week, Daly City approved its hazard pay ordinance, requiring grocery and drug stores in the city that are at least 10,000 square feet and which employ at least 500 employees nationwide to pay non-managerial workers an extra $5 an hour for at least 120 days. The ordinance also provides employees four hours of paid leave to be vaccinated.
Last month, the San Jose City Council approved a $3/hour hazard pay ordinance to workers at large grocery stores and retail stores that sell food. The ordinance is not slated to take effect until April.
Councilmember Sergio Jimenez, who introduced the legislation, said at the time because grocery store employees are more at risk of contracting COVID-19, they should be compensated for their sacrifices to provide essential services to the community.
"Alongside doctors and nurses, retail food workers have served the residents of San José while taking on tremendous risks," Jimenez said in a statement on his Facebook page. "Hazard pay is necessary to justly compensate retail food workers for the clear and present dangers of doing their jobs during the pandemic, ensure the welfare of workers, and continue stable operation of our much-needed food supply chain."
The Grocers Association has already filed challenges to similar hazard pay ordinances approved in Oakland, San Leandro, along with Long Beach, Montebello and West Hollywood in Southern California.
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Take a tour through the completely revamped Gridania in this Alpha First Look.
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The new C8-series Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has been eagerly awaited. Alas, it looks like it may have to be eagerly awaited for a while longer.
Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) who work for General Motors are in the fourth week of a strike, and the Detroit Free Press reports this will affect production of the much-anticipated, mid-engine C8 Corvette.
2007-08 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra recalled for Takata airbags
Local conversion specialist Victorian American Imports has issued a recall for the 2007-08 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra as part of the ongoing Takata airbag recall.
In affected vehicles, the front passenger side airbags could be faulty. Like previous Takata-related notices, airbags in affected vehicles could have propellant that degrades over time due to exposure to high temperatures and humidity.
2021 Chevrolet Corvette convertible spotted in the wild
The mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette convertible has been filmed in public while undergoing testing in the US.
The video (bottom) was filmed by Brendan Macie and posted to his YouTube channel.
While the coupe features manually removable targa roof panels, the convertible is thought to have an electrically-operated folding hardtop.
At the eighth-generation Corvette's launch, Chevrolet ran a short teaser video of the new drop-top version, suggesting it will go on sale shortly after the coupe.
Alex Misoyannis • Chevrolet has confirmed the eighth-generation C8 Corvette, set for a Friday reveal, will launch in ‘Stingray’ guise.
The moniker was first used on the second-generation Corvette in 1963, before being dropped at the end of 1976. It made a return in 2014 to denote the entry-level variant of the C7 Corvette – the same role it'll fill within the new C8 range.
Reports from the USA claim the next-generation Chevrolet Camaro due in 2023 has been put on hold to prioritise utes, SUVs and the rollout of electric cars.
However, the iconic muscle car is understood to be safe for the remainder of its current model life – including in Australia, where it is converted to right-hand drive and sold locally by Holden Special Vehicles.


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ERLANGER, KY-Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America has announced that it will invest an additional $50 million at its San Antonio plant, currently under construction, to increase the facility's overall production capacity to 50,000 vehicles per year.
This additional investment will boost the total cost of the plant to $850 million and enable it to produce 200,000 vehicles annually. The facility is scheduled to begin production of the Tundra full-size pickup truck in late 2006.
According to Toyota, the additional capacity, which is being made through machinery and line-spacing modifications, will allow the company to respond more quickly to increased demand. Making the additional investment now while the plant is still under construction will make the upgrades less costly.
Toyota has not yet decided whether it will expand the plant's workforce beyond the 2,000 it originally planned to employ.
Including the San Antonio plant, Toyota plans to have the capacity to build 1.81 million cars and trucks, 1.44 million engines and 600,000 automatic transmissions per year in North America by 2008.


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Jan 21 (Reuters) - Mondelez International Inc, which makes Cadbury chocolate, Oreo cookies and Trident gum, said it added activist investor Nelson Peltz to its board.
Peltz's Trian Fund Management is Mondelez's fourth-largest shareholder with 2.3 percent of its shares, according to Thomson Reuters data.
The billionaire from Brooklyn had said last year that Mondelez could almost double its earnings per share by managing costs better. He had also said that the company should be acquired by PepsiCo Inc.
His addition increased the size of Mondelez's board to 12 members, 11 of whom are independent.
Peltz's influence was key in the spinoff of Dr Pepper Snapple Group from Cadbury, Kraft's purchase of Cadbury, and the subsequent breakup of Kraft into Mondelez and Kraft Foods Group Inc.
His New York-based hedge fund's top five holdings include Mondelez, PepsiCo, Wendy's Co and Family Dollar Stores Inc.
Shares of Deerfield, Illinois-based Mondelez closed at $35.25 on the Nasdaq on Friday.


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Bills are rising, the temperature is dropping and people are searching high and low for cost effective ways to stay warm without breaking the bank.
We've heard of tinfoil behind radiators, or electric blankets that cost next to nothing to run, but what about a DIY hack that involves some candles and a terracotta pot?
The DIY heater has gone viral on TikTok over the past few weeks. But fire and rescue services are warning against making your own version.
The heater is made using a clay or terracotta plant pot and tealights or candles. These are placed underneath the upside down plant pot, which is balanced on a stand made out of a couple of bricks, or three ovenproof ramekins. Other, similar devices have also been used on videos seen on the social media platform.
According to one TikTok user, the terracotta pot heater cost around £15 to make, and lasts for about three and a half hours. There are numerous TikTok videos explaining how to make a heater using terracotta plant pots and small candles, and testing out the homemade heaters – and they have racked up more than 15 million views.
But whilst this might seem like a cost effective way to keep the cold out, fire services are warning against the cheap alternative.
On one hack video by @wac_app, one user commented that before trying out the heating trick, viewers should make sure that the batteries are working in their carbon monoxide detector due to the smoke that comes from the candles. On a separate video, Cheshire Fire and Rescue service also commented on the dangers surrounding the hack. The service said: “We’d strongly recommend that people don’t try this.”
A spokesperson for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service told LancsLive: "Having items such as plant pots balancing above naked flames isn’t something that we would advise.
"Candles and tea lights should only be lit when they are in a secure holder, away from items that can catch fire and not on shelves or tables where there is risk they could be knocked over.
"We recommend that people heat the human, not the home. This may involve delaying when you start regularly using your central heating. Most people have a set time of year when they feel it's acceptable to start reaching for the thermostat, but why not consider delaying that by a month or so and opting to layer up your clothing/blankets instead to help save money.
"When you need to use your central heating more regularly, check if your system has a timer function. The timer can be used to switch your heating on and off so that you use it less. For example, turning your heating on just for the coldest parts of the day, such as a few hours in the evening and in the morning when you’re waking up means you won’t forget to turn it off and it will help to save you money.
"If you’re able to switch individual radiators off in your home, save money by turning off those in spaces that aren’t often used, only keeping radiators switched on in the rooms you use most. "
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Well, talk about a change of heart. Just days after announcing that the monthly corporate discount would be disappearing for everyone except government and military workers, Mike Sievert – on his Twitter account – posted “Tomorrow we will announce that current (customers) can keep their corp employee discount.” The tweet was posted earlier this morning, and so we should expect a formal announcement tomorrow at some point.
Good news. Tomorrow we will announce that current corp customer employees can keep their discounts. New plan will apply to new customers.
— Mike Sievert (@SievertMike) April 2, 2014
Despite the fact that the changes were made to give fair and low prices to everyone, those who currently benefit from the promotion clearly weren’t happy about the new terms. In fact, here at TmoNews, the post became the biggest discussed change for months. There was even a formal petition created over at Change.org to get the Advantage Discount back.
And, while the plan isn’t coming back – as far as we know – those who currently do get monthly discount will be able to keep it, according to Sievert.
We’ll update as we hear more.
UPDATE: John Legere’s official blog post
As promised, John Legere has officially announced the changes that are going to take place. The company has listened to its disgruntled customers, and has changed its plan to removed the corporate discount from current subscribers’ accounts. Even better, anyone who applied to enroll before April 1st will get it.
I have to say, I’m impressed. T-Mobile is proving to be a carrier that knows how to listen to its customers, and act on what’s best for them. Even when that means back-tracking on its plans.
“Everyone enrolled in the Advantage Program or who applied to enroll before April 1st will be able to keep a rate plan discount as long as they work at a participating employer and remain on a qualifying plan. All of our Simple Choice plans currently qualify. We will be asking that customers participate in a simple annual online employer verification. That’s it.”
As far as ongoing plans go, there will be no new enrollments in to the plan for anyone after April 1st. New customers in the corporate discount program will get a $25 reward card whenever they buy a new device, as stated during the original announcement. T-Mobile believes strongly that the monthly discount scheme is just another part of the industry that’s broken and needs changing to make pricing low and fair for everyone.
To read his full announcement posted today, hit this link.


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Hey Poco F1 (Pocophone F1) users, don't expect new features like VLOG Mode as device is almost 2 years old now
NOTICE: We’ve created an archive of all major developments related to the Pocophone F1 smartphone. We are continuously updating that page with latest Poco F1 news so that you don’t need to search for information related to the device on a daily basis. Head here to access that page.
Xiaomi’s Pocophone F1 (sold in India as the Poco F1) really stirred up the smartphone industry when it was unveiled back in 2018. And for good reason. The device packed the best internals at the time, while undercutting similarly spec’d devices in price threefold.
It was the flagship-killer killer, seeing as OnePlus, a company that prided itself as being the flagship killer had crept up to the big dogs in price.
But that was then. Now, the device’s age is beginning to show. The device is almost two years old at this point and it is quickly coming to its end of official support by Xiaomi.
As such, it is worth taming one’s expectations on what exactly this device is capable of now. As it turns out, the device might not be getting some of the headlining features that more recent Xiaomi devices will be boasting of.
When asked about whether the Pocophone F1 will be getting some camera enhancements like Vlog mode with the upcoming MIUI 12 build, the device team says:
There isn’t any official information regarding vlog mode on POCO F1. Since POCO F1 is almost 2 yrs phone, it is quite tough to expect new feature now.
VLOG Mode is an interesting camera mode for recording short videos. It does this by stitching together multiple photos using artistic effects baked into the camera app. This feature debuted sometime in late 2019 and is available on select Xiaomi devices running MIUI 11.1.
To recall, it recently came to light that the update process for the Pocophone F1 may get slower for the device considering it’s old now.
Moving forward, Pocophone F1 users might want to leverage the developer community and resort to Custom aftermarket firmware to further extend the life of this device.
NOTE: We have these and many more Xiaomi stories in our dedicated Xiaomi section.
PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.


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Shipshewana, Indiana Antique Auction Report 10/19/2016
Oct 20, 2016
The Antique Toy and Miscellaneous Auction on October 19, 2016 in Shipshewana, Indiana was a barn full of unqiue antiques, collectibles, furniture and toys! The market was strong, especially on the better quality items. Here are a few photos of what was sold at the auction. Join us each Wednesday, year-round starting at 9:00 AM.


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Press release by: Audi SA
The Audi e-tron prototype offers a preview of the first all-electric model from the Audi brand. The camouflaged exterior conceals a sporty premium SUV with space for five people along with plenty of luggage room – the space and comfort are similar to that of a typical Audi luxury class model.
With a range suitable for longer journeys and the comprehensive charging options planned to be available, customers can drive purely electrically without making any compromises. The production version of the Audi e-tron prototype can fill up electricity at fast-charging stations with up to 150 kW of charging capacity in just under 30 minutes.
The production version of the Audi e-tron is planned to be launched to the European market at the end of 2018, when more details about the vehicle will be revealed. The car is produced at a carbon-neutral plant in Brussels.
The launch of the Audi e-tron, sets an important milestone for Audi’s future. In 2020, the brand plans to have three all-electric vehicles in the product range, with a four-door Gran Turismo – the production version of the Audi e-tron Sportback concept – and a model in the compact segment joining the sporty SUV. Audi plans to launch more than 20 electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 2025 – spread across all segments and concepts.
Showcasing high-voltage technology: behind the prototype’s design camouflage
The Audi e-tron prototype does not wear the traditional prototype camouflage, but instead illustrates its electrification genes with a specially developed design film in the colours of black, white and orange.
The distorted e-tron lettering stretches across the entire flank, as if it was charged with electricity. The “e” winds its way around the tailgate at the height of the front fender and is literally electrifying. Mimicking the high-voltage grid, orange elements illustrate the fact that the Audi e-tron prototype is fully electric – the lower part of the car, for example, is encircled with alternating orange and black segments. The expressive sills, with their colourful inserts, indicate where the battery and energy center of the car is located.
Four continents, more than five million kilometres: testing under extreme conditions
Up until the Audi e-tron is officially launched at the end of the year, the sporty SUV will complete test drives on four continents as part of its testing. Whether it’s in the cold temperatures of Scandinavia or in the heat of Africa; in the mountainous altitudes of Asia or on the north loop of the Nürburgring; in the stop-and-go traffic of major Chinese cities or on American highways – the purely electrically powered SUV has to prove its all-round qualities in uncompromising practical tests under extreme conditions.
Audi is testing the pre-series vehicles for customer-focused operation in all climate zones ranging from below -20 to above +50 degrees Celsius. In addition, intensive tests of the charging technology are being conducted worldwide – an important safeguarding criterion for battery-electric models. The individual charging standards are tested on proving grounds and in public areas to validate the full range of different charging options.
In total, just fewer than 250 Audi e-tron prototypes are to be used in the tests. They will cover more than five million kilometres – roughly equivalent to 125 times around the earth and 85,000 hours on the road.
Hunting down the prototype in Geneva: a pre-launch campaign
Prior to the world premiere, part of the Audi e-tron test fleet will be out on public roads wearing the electrifying camouflage design. The distinctive prototypes made their first stop in Geneva, driving past prominent sites in the Swiss metropolis as part of the 2018 Geneva Motor Show activities. The public have been encouraged to photograph the prototypes in its designer livery and post their scoop photos on social media using #etron. Audi will publish the best pictures on the website at www.e-tron.audi, without any hide-and-seek.


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Also Presents EXIM Exporter of the Year Award to Fort Lauderdale Small Business; Participates in Florida Chamber of Commerce Roundtable Discussion on How EXIM Can Support Florida Workers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 8, 2020
Office of Communications (202) 565-3207
WASHINGTON – Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) President and Chairman Kimberly A. Reed yesterday gave keynote remarks to The Economic Club of Florida as part of the organization’s Distinguished Speaker series, as well as participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
In her remarks to The Economic Club of Florida, Chairman Reed underscored EXIM’s commitment to industries key to Florida success such as manufacturing, agriculture, biotechnology, telecommunications, and space. In celebration of Made in America Week, she also highlighted several Florida companies, like Motortronics and Ben Kaufman Sales that have used EXIM products to grow their business and support their workers.
Chairman Reed speaking to The Economic Club of Florida
During her remarks, Chairman Reed and Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson, who also serves as Chair of the National Association of State Chambers of Commerce, announced that EXIM and the National Association of State Chambers of Commerce will partner together in phase two of EXIM’s All America initiative.
“The U.S. Congress wants EXIM to do even more when it comes to reaching and empowering businesses in Florida and across our great nation—including rural and women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses. We want to empower U.S. businesses to compete in the global marketplace and take actions to grow their revenues and sustain American jobs through exports,” said Chairman Reed. “The National Association of State Chambers will help EXIM ‘go local’ as we work to reach and deliver critical products and services to businesses through digital tools like webinars and video conferences.”
“Making America more competitive is what State Chambers of Commerce and EXIM do and by partnering together to grow American jobs and exports, the National Association of State Chambers and EXIM are helping America compete,” said Wilson.
“The Economic Club of Florida strives to place world class speakers in front of our distinguished members. Today we hit a home run!” said Economic Club of Florida President Bill Moor.
“Creating an opportunity to remind Floridians of the importance of capturing our share of the global market was a key takeaway by our speaker EXIM Chair Kimberly Reed,” said Economic Club of Florida Chair Cindy O’Connell.
Chairman Reed also presented EXIM’s Exporter of the Year award to Greenfield World Trade, a small business in Ft. Lauderdale, FL that provides foodservice equipment and supplies worldwide. Greenfield World Trade Corporate Vice President, International, Jonathan Vadnos accepted the award on behalf of the company, which employees 450 U.S. workers.
While in Tallahassee, Chairman Reed also participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by the Florida Chamber of Commerce to discuss how EXIM can support small businesses in exporting their Florida-made products around the world.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce is a member of EXIM’s Regional Export Promotion Program (REPP), which brings cities, counties, states, and local nonprofit economic development entities together with EXIM in a partnership designed to expand export opportunities. REPP members have local market knowledge and the ability to personally reach companies, serving as vital resources to connect EXIM with businesses that want to reach international markets.
Chairman Kimberly Reed at a roundtable hosted by the Florida Chamber of Commerce
Chairman Reed previously was in Florida in January to speak to the American Association of Port Authorities and meet with over 150 Florida businesses and bankers to discuss EXIM’s tools for continued growth of Florida’s small business exports and jobs.
EXIM is an independent federal agency that promotes and supports American jobs by providing competitive and necessary export credit to support sales of U.S. goods and services to international buyers. A robust EXIM can level the global playing field for U.S. exporters when they compete against foreign companies that receive support from their governments. EXIM also contributes to U.S. economic growth by helping to create and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. In recent years, approximately 90 percent of the total number of the agency’s authorizations has directly supported small businesses. Since 1992, EXIM has generated more than $9 billion for the U.S. Treasury for repayment of U.S. debt.
For more information about EXIM, please visit www.exim.gov.


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Get access to all the tools and information necessary for the customer's life cycle at Odigo by heading to our client portal
The new model of customer experience (CX) in banking favors digital channels over traditional in-person interactions. So are bank advisors a thing of the past? Quite the opposite. Thanks to new customer experience management tools, advisors in banking services are providing more support than ever, and embodying the trust that customers expect.
Lines at the local bank are growing shorter. Today, to make a transfer or obtain a statement, a typical customer uses either the bank’s website or its mobile application. The increasing use of digital technology has facilitated self-care in banking, i.e. the possibility for customers to obtain information and carry out operations autonomously. Odigo investigates the role of bank advisors in emerging customer experience (CX) models, with a focus on French banks. Read on to learn the key takeaways.
Self-care is revolutionizing CX in banking, and mobile apps are in the forefront. In the last year 86.5% of Americans used a mobile device to check their bank balance, and in the last month 73% of smartphone users used an app to manage their finances.
The digitalization of customer experience in banking has reduced the number of physical interactions between banks and their customers, who now only visit their branch on rare occasions. According to research by McKinsey, “preference for handling everyday transactions digitally is as high as about 60 to 85 percent across Western European markets, even for customers 65 years of age or older.”
Banks have responded with varying levels of success. Research by Forrester finds “large divides separating a handful of top-scoring mutuals and direct banks from the rest of the pack across Europe.” In the US, large banks appear to just now be closing the customer satisfaction (CSAT) gap with smaller rivals. And differences in service levels between countries can be striking, as anyone who has opened a bank account in a foreign country has likely noticed. Banks across Europe and the US are trying out different approaches to achieve the rewarding digital customer experience customers want in their banking. The institutions that learn how to best leverage the strengths of their advisors in the new digital terrain will hold a firm competitive advantage.
While customers are using digital channels for their day-to-day banking operations, for detailed or complex requests (loan simulations, security concerns, billing questions) they resoundingly choose a human advisor. This preference is confirmed by Jean-Denis Paraire, Director of Remote Banking at Crédit Coopératif: “We predicted that the Internet would sweep everything away, but the personal relationship with the advisor remains crucial at key moments in the client’s journey.” Some banks are learning how to create more space for person-to-person customer experience in their banking models by leveraging automation. The digitalization of part of the customer relationship frees bank advisors from lower-value tasks and gives them more time to focus on their primary jobs: advising and assisting customers.
The growing number of CX channels in banking has also created the need for new customer interaction management (CIM) solutions that help advisors conduct seamless conversations. According to Markess, a French independent market research company, specialized in digital market analysis and corporate digital transformation strategies, CIM solutions in banking grew at a rate of 17% per year between 2016 and 2020. These tools, usually SaaS-based, will also help accommodate advisors’ potential teleworking needs in the future.
For customers, banking is anything but a trivial matter. It is a key service in which they must have confidence. By embodying the relationship between a customer and their bank, the bank advisor is the guardian of this trust. Some banks have taken steps in the right direction, for example by providing customers with direct access to their advisor: “We have set up five remote branches for customers who leave the region but wish to stay with us,” explains Natacha Schreiber, Commercial Director at Banque Populaire Alsace Lorraine Champagne, “but the advisor is at the heart of the offering. Customers have access to his or her phone number and can talk to him or her by teleconference.”
In this new banking model, the roles of the customer experience advisor and the in-branch advisor are merging, with the former handling ever more specific requests, and the latter learning to master remote contact with their customers. “Today, our customers have the choice between a physical branch or a regional e-agency, and both channels provide exactly the same service level,” says Jean-Denis Paraire.
Neobanks and Big Tech are eyeing the traditional banking market, and new models are always interesting. But it would be a dangerous mistake to compete only on a technological level. “The human relationship remains at the core of the banking business,” according to Natacha Schreiber. “The model is not radically transformed, it is evolving.”
Would you like to know how Odigo can help you provide leading customer experiences in the age of digital banking?
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Digital asset manager Grayscale made a giant acquisition. According to the announcement from its official Twitter account, the company purchased $ 1 billion worth of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC).
According to the data shared on the Twitter account, the company, whose total amount of AUM was 45.1 billion dollars yesterday, increased this amount to 46.1 billion dollars within 24 hours.
The company has recently invested heavily in cryptocurrencies such as Basic Attention Token (BAT), Chainlink (LINK), Livepeer (LPT). Grayscale also has separate Trust funds backed by these cryptocurrencies.
The company also recently purchased Stellar (XLM), Litecoin (LTC) and Ethereum Classic (ETC).
This week, there was an important development regarding Grayscale. The company plans to convert its Bitcoin Trust product into a Bitcoin-based ETF.


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The US March inflation rate of 8.5% beat the previous high of 7.9% set last February. As far as inflation goes in the United States, it’s up, up, and away.
In particular, everyday items surged to their highest prices since December 1981. This is according to data reported by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
8.5% March Inflation Rate Highest Since Reagan Administration
Prices of commodities rose 8.5% compared to their levels in March of last year. This means that the March inflation rate is the highest since the early days of the Reagan administration.
The 8.5% inflation rate is also 0.1% higher than the Dow Jones estimate for March.
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Excluding food and energy, the core Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 6.5% compared to numbers exactly 12 months ago. Despite the jump, the Labor Department thinks that inflation might be cooling down a bit.
Core inflation rose by only 0.3% compared to the previous. This number bested estimates of a 0.5% rise. As a result, officials hoped that overall inflation is now slowing down. If this is the case, then the March inflation rate might be at its peak.
Stocks Rise As Government Bonds Declined
Markets reacted positively to the report as stocks rose and government bond yields declined.
Andrew Hunter, the senior US economist at Capital Economics, welcomed the development. “The big news in the March report was that core price pressures finally appear to be moderating,” he said.
Hunter agrees that the March inflation rate might represent the peak. As energy prices subside at the same time, the inflation numbers might start falling.
Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard agreed as well. He said that the lower-than-expected increase in core CPI is a “welcome” development. ″“I’ll be looking to see whether we continue to see a moderation in the months ahead,” Brainard said.
Record Price Increases for Everyday Goods
Going back to the present, the March inflation rate showed price increases not seen since forty and fifty years ago. The March headline rate of 8.5% is the highest since December 1981. Meanwhile, the core inflation rate is the highest since August 1982.
Ultimately, this means that worker wages are struggling to keep up with the price increases. Despite rising by 5.6% last year, wages are way behind the inflation rate.
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In fact, real average hourly earnings registered a 0.8% decline for the month. As a result, inflation continues to go on the rise as wages continue to remain behind.
Fed Raises Interest Rates
To fight the rise of inflation, the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates last month. The agency will continue to gradually hike the interest rate six more times this year and more next year.
According to history, the last time the Fed raised interest rates to almost 20%, the economy went into recession.
This time, economists don’t expect a recession to happen. However, many onlookers on Wall Street are expecting a likely downturn.
Ian Shepherdson, the chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, says to expect the unexpected. “Overall, this report is encouraging,” he said.
However, it’s too early “to be sure that the next few core prints will be as low,’ Shepherdson added. While everybody expects inflation to drop, “the speed of the decline is what matters.”
Watch the CNBC Television news video reporting that Inflation climbs 8.5% in March, the highest level since December 1981:
What do you think of March inflation rates hitting 8.5%? Given that the core inflation rate registered a slower increase, is this a sign of recovery? Let us know what you think. Share your thoughts below.


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Heinz is to close three plants in North America resulting in the loss of 1,350 jobs in an attempt to boost its efficiency.
The food giant, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital, made the move after a review of its supply chain footprint, capabilities, and capacity utilisation.
The decision will result in 610 job losses in the US and 740 staff will be slashed in Canada.
Heinz said production in these locations will shift to other existing factories in the US and Canada over the next six to eight months.
"Our decision to consolidate manufacturing across North America is a critical step in our plan to ensure we are operating as efficiently and effectively as possible to become more competitive in a challenging environment, and to accelerate the company's future growth," said Michael Mullen, senior vice president of corporate and government affairs for Heinz."
He added: "We reached this decision after thoroughly exploring extensive alternatives and options. Heinz fully appreciates and regrets the impact our decision will have on employees and the communities in which these factories are located."
Heinz plans to offer severance benefits, outplacement services and other support to help affected employees pursue new job opportunities, at the appropriate time.


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Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma has made his first public appearance of 2021, resulting in a 5% jump in Alibaba shares, after more than two months of laying low.
A brief appearance: During an online conference on Jan. 20, the billionaire appeared in a 50-second video to address 100 rural teachers from across China, Markets Insider reports.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma is reportedly “laying low” after suspicions that he has been missing came to light as Chinese regulators continue to crack down on his ever-growing business empire.
The 56-year-old billionaire, who recently slipped to China’s third-richest, was last seen in public in October when he criticized the country’s financial regulatory system at a conference in Shanghai.
The 55-year-old entrepreneur donated through the Jack Ma Foundation, designating 40 million yuan ($5.8 million) to two government research organizations with the remaining funds to support “prevention and treatment” measures, according to CNN.
Social media users are praising e-commerce giant Alibaba for featuring a gay couple in its latest Chinese New Year advertisement for Tmall.
The 20-second ad features a man visiting his partner’s home for Chinese New Year. He introduces his partner to his mother as Kelvin and refers to him as a friend, according to Pink News.
Alibaba surpassed its previous Singles’ Day sales with 268.4 billion yuan ($38.4 billion) on Monday, setting a new record high for the annual 24-hour shopping frenzy.
Now on its 11th run, the shopping festival, held every Nov. 11, marked the first time Alibaba has thrived under a new chief executive officer following Jack Ma’s resignation in September.
In a world that can’t stop talking, a quiet man has emerged to lead one of the planet’s largest multinational companies this week — proving that there is strength in silence.
Daniel Zhang, 47, is the new executive chairman of Alibaba Group, the $460 billion business Jack Ma built from his apartment in 1999.
Jack Ma, China’s richest man, stepped down as chairman of the Alibaba Group on Tuesday, the small e-commerce site he built with 17 other people in 1999 which has since become the diverse $460 billion tech empire it is today.
The grand farewell party, which coincided with the tech entrepreneur’s 55th birthday and Alibaba’s 20th anniversary, hosted more than 60,000 employees at the Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, the company’s home city in eastern China’s Zhejiang province.
Joseph Tsai, the Taiwanese-Canadian co-founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, is set to become the sole owner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets after acquiring the franchise for a total signing deal of $2.35 billion.
The 55-year-old businessman already owns 49% of the team after he bought the share last year for $1 billion. However, unnamed sources told the New York Post that Tsai is now close to signing the deal to buy the remaining 51% from Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov for $1.35 billion.
Jet Li appeared to be in much better health at a recent awards ceremony in southern China.
Diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, the martial arts legend worried fans when he looked frail in a photo that went viral last year.
A grocery store owner in Zhejiang province, China saw a massive boom in his business after he went viral for his uncanny resemblance to Alibaba’s co-founder Jack Ma.
Wu Xuelin, who now has over 1.35 million followers on his Chinese social media accounts, goes by the online nickname “Little Jack Ma.”
Before Judy Tong Wenhong became Alibaba’s “most inspiring partner,” she served as the company’s receptionist, then customer service representative, and finally, an inexperienced vice president who did not back down in facing tough challenges.
Tong was 30 years old when she joined the Chinese e-commerce hub in 2000.
In a bid to have more money to splurge on the biggest shopping event of the year, a young woman ate nothing but instant noodles for three straight weeks.
Singles Day or Guanggun Jie is an annual shopping holiday in China where retailers offer huge discounts on November 11, a concept similar to the Black Friday sale in the United States.


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Iranian ministry: provision of basic materials to production sector is key priority
TEHRAN, Iran, May 29
The priority for Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade is to provide basic materials for the needs of production industry, said the acting industry minister.
"The ministry main tasks include production leap, improving domestic production, export development, controlling import and market management," Hossein Modares Khyabani said, Trend reports citing ILNA.
"Providing basic material to factories is the first factor in production leap, and they can be supplied from upstream industries," he said. "Some producers can directly purchase their basic material from domestic factories. Furthermore, they can help the foreign currency revenue return via production and supplies to the market."
"The problem of import and release of products from the customs will be addressed during discussions with Iran Customs Administration" he said adding that the ministry is ready to ban import of those home appliances' spare parts that have similar domestically produced version.
"However, this should be approved manufacturers association and other authorities," the official added.


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Tech+Games Electronic Arts may want to take a page out of their previous "The Sims" offerings and consider a spinoff with objectives.
Tech+Games Michael Jordan will return as one of the cover athletes for NBA 2K23 with new challenges and content coming.
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P&G’s Future Friendly tackles imminent opportunities
CINCINNATI Since launching a full media platform for its multibrand Future Friendly program in the spring, Procter & Gamble has made a significant impact among both retailers and mainstream consumers looking to save energy and reduce waste. Now the manufacturer is looking to expand the initiative even further in 2011.
Phase one of Future Friendly focused on how washing in cold water with a detergent formulated for that application — like Tide Coldwater — can conserve energy and help consumers reduce their utility bills. Now, phase two of the platform is taking aim at powder detergent carton sizes, targeting a reduction in packaging materials, as well as truck and fuel usage.
"Future Friendly has already proven itself to be a great platform for not only P&G but for our customers to offer an opportunity for them to do their part with regard to the environment without having to sacrifice price or quality," said Eric Forsyth, of P&G customer business development, during an online media briefing Thursday morning. "As excited as we are about what we’ve done in the past, we are equally as excited about where we are going in the future with Future Friendly."
Future Friendly is an educational platform designed to help educate consumers on how to use leading P&G products, such as Tide, Pampers, PUR and Duracell, to achieve savings in water, waste and energy.
Serving as the underpinnings, and helping to shape the initiative, is P&G research that found many consumers are interested in buying products with an environmental benefit but they are not likely to trade up in price or to sacrifice product performance or value.
Earlier this year, P&G deployed a full media platform, and consumers started seeing Future Friendly-labeled products — which, in total, represent about $6 billion in sales — on store shelves in April. Since the launch, the efforts of this major initiative have been significant, with incremental displays in more than 16,000 retail locations, 2.7 billion media impressions and a 5% boost in corporate favorability and trustworthiness. In addition, participating retailers have experienced a more than 3% growth in the average basket size, according to P&G.
Now, the manufacturer is looking to go even bigger and take Future Friendly to the next level. For the next phase of Future Friendly, P&G is tackling its powder cartons and will be compacting the cartons by 33%, effective February 2011. "All of which, combined, will help us deliver some significant environmental savings, not only from a packaging perspective but also from a logistics perspective," Forsyth said.
By compacting the cartons, and enhancing the formulas of both Tide and Gain, P&G estimated the results will mean up to a 28% reduction in corrugate (or 68 million sq. ft. of cardboard); about 6% (or 5,900) fewer trucks on the road; and a 5% to 8% reduction in fuel use (or 890,000 fewer gallons of diesel fuel). As it stands, the powder business is $1.7 billion strong and represents about 20% of the entire $8 billion laundry category. With this next phase of Future Friendly, P&G expected to drive powder growth between 2.5% and 4%, which will translate into an increase in top-line sales of between $43 million and $68 million.
This initiative will take place in one wave across the United States and Canada. Beginning in April, consumers will see Future Friendly stickers across some of the powder cartons, and retailers will be able to leverage in-store tools, such as shelf-talkers with the Future Friendly messaging.
P&G will continue to drive consumer awareness through, for example, its P&G brandSAVER coupon book and a partnership with National Geographic’s in-school conservation education program called Find Your Footprint. P&G noted that it has beefed up its marketing spend compared with a year ago, and will continue to engage consumers through such social media as Facebook and Twitter to further promote the initiative and educate consumers on Future Friendly.
Medora Snacks launches PopCorners
FREEPORT, N.Y. Traditional popcorn is getting a new look.
Medora Snacks has launched PopCorners, a popcorn snack that has a chip-like experience. PopCorners currently are available in 1.1-oz. and 5-oz. serving-size bags in four delicious flavors — white cheddar, butter, sea salt and kettle — that range from 3.5 g to 6 g of fat.
Coke Zero kicks off Playbook of Possibilities contest
ATLANTA Coke Zero is looking to give football fans a chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences with its new contest.
Coke Zero’s Playbook of Possibilities will launch an online game to challenge fans to use their knowledge of and passion for football to create their own plays for chances to win exciting prizes, including a grand-prize trip to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 31. The Playbook Challenge game runs from Aug. 31 to Oct. 25, and players can participate every day for a chance to earn more points and more chances to win.
“With its Playbook of Possibilities, Coke Zero is giving fans a way to enjoy the college football game day in a whole new way,” said Bill Kelly, SVP Coca-Cola trademark brands at Coca-Cola North America. “Just as Coke Zero defies convention by offering real Coke taste and zero calories, we’re giving football fans a chance to win great prizes and experiences when they explore new possibilities.”


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With working from home becoming the new normal, CALA Homes has shifted its focus to offer flexible spaces.
Traditionally, our cosy abodes have been separated from the 9-5, providing a space to relax and unwind. However, with the current restrictions in place and an increasing number of people working from home, a suitable work space is now an important factor for house-hunters.
Residential developers have started to react to the rising demand for home working by creating flexible and sufficiently spacious work spaces.
Fraser Carr, sales and marketing director for CALA Homes (North), said: “Our homes and how we use them have never been more important.
“We’ve all had to adapt them to become multipurpose spaces for home working, home schooling, exercising, relaxing and much more.
“Since our sales offices reopened, we have seen a continuing trend towards homebuyers looking for properties that can suit a multitude of needs.
“They are looking at homes in a new light – a garage could be converted into a gym, a dining room could be used as an office or playroom.
“Spaces need to be flexible for this ‘new normal’ we are facing for the foreseeable future and this has definitely been at the forefront of homebuyers’ minds.
“As a result, particular house-types have grown in popularity post-lockdown including The Lewis.”
The housebuilder’s The Lewis showhome is located in Craibstone Estate, near Aberdeen International Airport.
The main reason Fraser thinks this particular housetype has been so well-liked is its “fantastic layout”, which can be tailored to create spaces the entire family can enjoy. He added: “We dress the rooms of our showhomes to inspire customers to think about how they would use them, but there are lots of possibilities and options.”
When it comes to the interior trends proving popular during lockdown, Eileen Kesson, of Envision Showhomes, also noted that homeworking played an important part.
She said: “With many people spending more time than ever before at home this year, there has been a huge focus on interiors, with homeowners undertaking projects to refresh their homes and adapt them to better suit their lifestyle.”
She identified a few trends which have started to emerge in the last couple of months and which she believes will continue into next year.
Eileen, who has designed several of the housebuilder’s showhomes across the region, said: “The first is a soft organic theme of natural materials like grass, cloth-type wall coverings, rattan detailing on furniture, pale blonde woods and chalky paints in the full spectrum of greens, all teamed with living planting adding ‘life’ and greenery.
“There is also a much more luxe and opulent palette of rich emerald and deep blues, brass or gold detailing, warm walnut wood finishes and bold ‘statement’ panoramic feature walls with super-scale foliage or botanical motifs to add drama.
“Other trends to look out for include a contemporary take on the classic dado panelling to create a vintage feel in entrance hallways and dining rooms.
“The current blush pink colour trend will be moving into deeper bold pinks.
“Pantone has announced its 2021 colour of the year as cement grey and a vibrant yellow, so I anticipate this will be a big colour combination we’ll see too.”
CALA Homes currently has a Lewis house-type available to purchase at Craibstone Estate, priced at £525,000.
Visit cala.co.uk/homes-for-sale/scotland/aberdeen/craibstone-estate for more information


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Small, midsize firms liking contract workers more, survey says
from Staffing Industry Analysts
Hiring of contract workers is becoming more attractive for small and medium-sized businesses, according to the new third quarter "SMB Job Generation Outlook" survey released by Lucas Group, an Atlanta-based executive search firm.
7701 Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063


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By George Eze Emeghara
The habit of Security agents in Nigeria, especially police men, have of profiling people they see carrying laptop computers, smart phones and tablets, branding them fraudsters and harassing them was what triggered the recent End SARS protests across Nigeria.
Unfortunately even after all the problems the END SARS protests brought about for both the citizens and the police, it appears the Policemen have not learnt any lessons from what happened. They have continued with their practice of harassing people carrying Lap tops and smart phones, collecting their phones and going through them. Obviously the amount of money they are making from doing so is too much for them to pass up.
This undue harassment is driven in part by greed but mostly by ignorance.The Policemen check laptops and phones with a view to extorting money from people who have something incriminating on their phones and those who have healthy bank balances.
Most of our policemen are genuinely ignorant about technological advances in the world and the uses of technology. If they were not so ignorant, they would not see every one who is carrying a tablet, phone or laptop as a criminal.
In most parts of the world these digital gadgets are as common as books. In some schools, even in Nigeria most of the teaching and work are done on laptops and computers. People download hundreds of books on laptops and phones, do their assignments on them and submit them to the lecturer through the internet.
Most professionals work online and rely heavily on their computers and the internet. These include Bankers, Finance consultants, Architects, Lawyers Doctors Soft ware and conventional engineers, auto mechanics, lawyers, journalists, bloggers, traders of all sorts, graphics and web designers, video producers, film and book editors, gamblers, business people, importers and exporters to mention a few. People also hook on to the internet through their gadgets to play games and watch movies and not just for work alone.
In fact almost every member of the digital generation is online these days or is using computer or digital hardware, software and apps in one way or the other to make their jobs and leisure easier, faster and more efficient.
The world of e- commerce which the internet has opened up and which can only be accessed through phones, tablets and computers is very lucrative.
The whole world is now one big market place. People buy and sell online, making money through all kinds of activities. Fraud is just a negligible aspect of what can be done online or through computers.
It is safe to say that only a tiny percentage of computer and internet users are involved in fraud or crime.
Most young people these days need only a computer or a smart phone to make legitimate money.
And some of them really hit it big.
An example being the two young men who, it was disclosed during the EndSARS protests, sold their internet start up for 200million Dollars. Can anyone imagine what their fate would have been if they had run into some ignorant Policemen. After searching them the police men would have seen some details of the transactions on their phones. How would the policemen believe that all that money was legitimate
They would have branded them “Yahoo” kingpins, detained them, devised a means of extorting as much of that money as they could and even murdered them to cover their tracks.
There is a huge need to keep training and retraining policemen and security agents if this ongoing profiling and branding of anyone who is seen with a computer or digital gadget as a fraudster must stop.
The level of ignorance in the police force even among those who should know boggles the mind.
Recently, someone told a story about a Chief Superintendent of Police who had just been transferred from heading a mobile police unit to a Detective squad, who had never heard that DNA was now being used to solve crimes. He was amazed as he listened to the possible uses of DNA and confessed that he had never heard about it.
A Chief Superintendent of Police. A graduate for that matter.
If he could be so out of touch, what of his juniors who a not as educated and exposed as he is ?
How do you tell such people that digital gadgets like computers and others can be used for other things apart from fraud?
Unfortunately it is not only the Police who fail to understand that all many people need to earn a living these days is a digital gadget and internet access.
Most of the raids on the residences of the so called Yahoo boys have been at the instigation of nosey neighbours who reported to the police that one young man or the other in their neighbourhood “hardly ever leaves his house, yet he lives well, dresses well and drives nice cars.” Some will go to the Police to say that a certain young man’s generator never goes off, so he must be a “Yahoo” boy.
Some of the boys have even been outed by their landlords who wonder how they are able to pay their rent promptly when they don’t seem to have any job.
The police pounce on such young people without conducting any sort of investigation
They arrest them humiliate them, parade them on TV as Yahoo boys, impound their property and lock them up indefinitely in cells with hardened criminals and miscreants.
Even when they eventually discover that the alleged “Yahoo” boys are innocent, they still extort money from them. At the end of the day no compensation or restitution is made to the poor boys who have been so horribly victimised and are just grateful to be alive.
What is required to check this worrisome trend is better training and retraining for police men in particular, and security men in general , to keep them abreast of developments around them.
An enlightenment campaign is also necessary to educate the general public, including police men, about the many and varied uses of the Internet and digital gadgets such as laptops tablets and smart phones as well as the abundant opportunities available online and how people are exploiting them.
This will no doubt go a long way in changing their perception about any computer totting young man they see and bring an end to the on going undue harassment such people experience.
George Eze Emeghara is a Nigerian journalist, writer and public affairs commentator based in the southeastern city of Owerri. Money Palaver is his weekly column for Nairaweb.ng.


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In a surprising turn of events, Elon Musk, the renowned entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has seemingly confirmed a highly anticipated cage fight with Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and CEO of Facebook. Musk’s announcement came in the form of a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, causing a frenzy among their followers and the media alike. The suggestion of a physical altercation between these two tech giants has captured the attention of the public, with many eagerly awaiting further details.
The prospect of a cage fight between Musk and Zuckerberg raises several questions. What could have led to such a confrontation? Is it a genuine clash of personalities or a strategic move to generate publicity? Whatever the motivation, the idea of two influential figures in the tech industry physically squaring off is undoubtedly an intriguing spectacle.
Musk’s mention of live-streaming the event on X adds an extra layer of excitement to the situation. This decision reflects the growing trend of live-streaming events, allowing people from all around the world to witness the action in real-time. The potential viewership of this showdown is immense, as fans and critics alike will be curious to witness how these titans of industry fare in a physical battle.
As the news of this proposed cage fight continues to spread, the speculation and anticipation surrounding the event will undoubtedly intensify. This unexpected clash between Musk and Zuckerberg has captured the imagination of the public, leaving many wondering about the outcome and the implications it may have for the tech industry as a whole. Only time will tell if this face-off will actually take place, but until then, the excitement and debate will undoubtedly continue to grow.


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2 Sisters Food Group has announced that it has completed the sale of Green Isle Brands and Donegal Catch to a consortium of investors led by Maurice Hickey, the former chief executive of Largo Foods.
The consortium also includes the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), the country's sovereign wealth fund.
Commenting on the sale, president of Boparan Holdings Limited, Ranjit Singh, said, “There have been a number of potential buyers for these companies, but as we always make clear, any sale has to be at the right time, with the right buyer, and it had to be a deal that fitted with our long-term strategy."
The transaction will help the food group to strengthen its balance sheet and focus on its core strategy, the company said.
“With customers and consumers at the heart of everything we do, we will continue to focus on delivering great quality, great value products every day,” Singh added.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.


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GUANGZHOU, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Lin Changzhen, director of the agricultural innovation park in Baiqiao Village in the city of Maoming, south China's Guangdong Province, introduced several processed lychee products to visitors at a longan and lychee cooperative.
"At present, the output value of agricultural products processing in our village totals 100 million yuan (about 14.58 million U.S. dollars) a year. This has created more than 3,000 jobs, and the annual per capita income of the villagers has exceeded 50,000 yuan," Lin said.
Maoming is China's largest lychee production base, with a planting area of approximately 1.39 million mu (about 92,667 hectares) and an annual output that accounts for roughly one quarter of the country's total.
Baiqiao Village which has about 6,800 mu of lychee plantation is a professional lychee production village.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Tuesday inspected the Baiqiao Village in Genzi Township in Maoming.
Xi walked into a lychee plantation, learned about local efforts to develop distinctive planting industry and cultural tourism, and had a cordial exchange with technicians. Then, he visited the Baiqiao longan and lychee cooperative and learned about the operation of the cooperative and its function in promoting rural revitalization.
Xi called for enhancing technologies used in lychee cultivation, preservation, and processing to boost the sector and culture-themed tourism.
He cordially said that he was very pleased to see the villagers living a wealthy life by developing lychee and other distinctive planting industries.
"With the lychee industry growing bigger and bigger, many young people have chosen to return to their hometowns to start businesses. Now, many local lychee brands are designed by young villagers," Lin said.
Lin said that during the season when lychees are about to hit the market, orders usually pour into Maoming from across the country. Lin's two sons are engaged in e-commerce trade in the village.
The roads in the village have been widened from four meters to eight meters, and the dirt roads have been upgraded to asphalt roads. A growing number of large trucks are driving into the village to purchase products, Lin added.
In the past, due to poor sales channels and limited infrastructure, it was difficult to sell lychees for a good price, said He Xia, the first Party secretary of Baiqiao Village.
Then, the village actively expanded sales channels such as e-commerce and live streaming, which help lychee farmers increase their income.
The perishable fruit also made it difficult to sell to buyers further away. To solve the problem, Baiqiao Village has cooperated with logistics enterprises and innovated cold chain logistics technology. "At present, we can ensure that our lychees sold in China are fresh," He said.
In recent years, lychees from Baiqiao Village have been very popular in the domestic market. In December 2021, a lychee and longan international purchasing and trading center was inaugurated in Genzi Township. The lychees from Baiqiao Village have been exported to Singapore, Australia and other countries.
"If lychees can be better preserved, the market will continue to expand in the future. Our goal is to sell our lychees to all over the world," He said.
Lyu Huaqiang, a senior agronomist at the agricultural science and technology affairs center in Gaozhou, carefully examined the growth of lychee and said, "We will make more efforts to further improve planting, preservation and processing technologies."
Today, Baiqiao Village has built a batch of warehousing and cold chain logistics and an agricultural innovation park. The whole village has developed fresh fruit processing, e-commerce, tourism and other forms of business. The lychee industry has become a big industry which increases the income and brings wealth to local villagers.
Villager He Jinming said nowadays, lychee sales channels are diverse and lychee quality has also improved. The annual income of villagers is increasing year by year. "Rural revitalization will drive faster and better rural development," he said. ■