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Join in Whittaker's hi-tech egg hunt
For the first ever Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt – a giant urban Easter egg hunt to raise money for the Starship Foundation – Whittaker’s has launched a new mobile app, which is a key tool for hunters and a new way for Whittaker’s to engage with chocolate lovers.
Anyone can join the Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt for 100 giant eggs decorated by top New Zealand artists and designers, hidden across the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch regions between 21 March and 22 April. All hunters will go in the draw for the grand prize of a unique 340g 18ct Gold Whittaker’s Slab.
Whittaker’s created the mobile app – which is available on Apple and Android devices – to make the supersized egg hunt as fun and interactive as possible. The app enables people to enter the competition to be in to win the Whittaker’s Gold Slab, win spot prizes, track their progress hunting the giant eggs and collecting points, as well as supporting interaction with friends and other hunters.
The more points people collect the more times they go in the draw to win the Gold Slab and the better their chances of taking out the regional and mystery prizes. The people who collect the most points in each of the three regions will win a year’s supply of Whittaker’s chocolate, while the person with the most points overall will win a luxury weekend for two in Queenstown.
The mobile app also features an innovative and fun augmented reality experience, which enables users to can scan an ‘Eggie’ code on selected eggs, or on Whittaker’s posters in-store, and an animated ‘Whittaker’s Wabbit’ appears on the screen.
Holly Whittaker said, “As a company with a track record of innovation, Whittaker’s is delighted to be one of New Zealand’s first FMCG producers to develop and launch a mobile app. We think it will be a great addition to The Big Egg Hunt, and it can be customised for use on future campaigns to engage with chocolate lovers.”
As well as developing the mobile app and offering prizes to help make the Whittaker’s Big Egg Hunt as successful here as it has been internationally, Whittaker’s is also committed to donating at least $150,000 to Starship. It is donating 10 cents from every iconic Whittaker’s 50g Peanut Slab, 20 cents from every pack of its top selling Fairtrade Creamy Milk block and 20 cents from its Creamy Milk Easter Mini Slabs sold throughout the hunt.


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Online shopping has been retail’s breakout star in a year marked by viral disruption, store shutdowns and a nagging economic slump, but the shift to clicks comes with a dark side, too.
Global advisory firm FTI expects a 25 percent surge for e-commerce growth this year, en route to $1 trillion in volume by 2023. And now a new forecast from digital payments provider ACI Worldwide sees a 27 percent uptick for the October-through-December holiday shopping period, which will drive a 40 percent rise in consumers picking up online purchases in physical stores (BOPIS). A survey of 1,500 consumers from San Jose, Calif.-based Signifyd, meanwhile, has a similar forecast for omnichannel fulfillment. According to the commerce protection platform, 41.5 percent of consumers will rely on BOPIS throughout the gift-giving season, while another 34 percent are banking on curbside service.
Debbie Guerra, executive vice president, ACI Worldwide, expects “BOPIS to be the primary delivery channel that consumers use to do their holiday shopping this year.”
“Moreover, as we head into the holiday shopping season, we see consumers beginning their shopping in early October as a result of concerns over inventory shortages,” she added, “as well as shipment delays, but also because merchants are providing sales and deals earlier in the year.”
Many companies now rely on their digital channels to eke out revenue, but some consumers won’t think twice about stiffing their e-tailers, Signifyd data shows. More than 40 percent of shoppers lied to their credit card companies to get money back for a charge they falsely alleged was fraudulent, while more than one-third said an order they in fact received never made it to their door, all as a ruse to recoup their purchase price. Still others (30.5 percent) resorted to plugging in single-use promotion codes more than once, violating well established discount codes, Signifyd found.
Signifyd CEO Raj Ramanand said he was disheartened to “see the extent to which some consumers are willing to take advantage of merchants who have shown such resilience in the face of massive disruption caused by Covid-19.”
“Fortunately, we have the solutions and expertise to turn back these forms of digital shoplifting,” he added, “and we continue to innovate to protect retail enterprises every day.”
Guerra echoed the Signifyd chief’s warnings on digital bad actors. “We expect the BOPIS delivery channel to grow for both genuine and fraudulent consumers as merchants both large and small continue to add this as a new option due to the pandemic,” she said. “The accelerated use of digital payment channels due to the pandemic has resulted in both cross-channel journeys such as BOPIS as well as the blurring of the channels themselves—such as the usage of mobile devices and mobile check-out inside physical stores.
“This digital swing has opened a way to expand merchants’ market reach by enhancing the buying journey experience—but it also means more exposure to fraud,” she continued, “which merchants must be prepared for as we get further into the holiday season.”

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During the “Kabuhayan 2012”, this year’s National Livelihood Trade Fair held last November 8-11, 2012 at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall, different regions, provinces, and congressional districts of the country showed the best they have to offer in terms of products, services, and tourist destinations. The fair also served as a venue for the promotion of the local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) that invigirote local and national trade.
The event saw the different facets of Filipino culture and tradition—through arts, crafts, fashion, cuisine, and other specialty products hand-crafted by Filipino artisans, as well as services and local tourist spots— all of which demonstrate Filipino creativity, artistry, and ingenuity at its finest.
The affair which was organized by the Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc. (CSFI) was a “great opportunity for promoting quality local products from the different regions of the country which are usually enjoyed by the locality’s visitors, tourists and locals,” according to QC Vice-Mayor and CSFI chairman and president Ma. Josefina Belmonte.
The Quezon City (QC) government, being one of the participants of the said event, had its own way of promoting its own cultural heritage. Brandishing the theme “Great, Green, Growing”, the QC made use of the 3Gs to best present the three essence of the city.
According to Ms. Marlyn S. Siapno, officer-in-charge of QC’s Sikap Buhay Entrepreneurship and Cooperatives Office, the theme highlights the best of the city—from products, natural endowments, man-made creations, old and new business establishments, etc. – all of which piece together the city as the “Place to be”.
“’Great’”, Siapno said, “refers to the city’s rich history with its shrines, monuments, and national and cultural sites such as the Tandang Sora Shrine, Pugad Lawin Shrine, Sto. Domingo Church, and EDSA Shrine, among others, as testament to this.”
She also added that the city’s area of over 16,000 hectares contributes to the city’s greatness. QC also has the bigget population in the National Capital Region with 2.6 million inhabitants, according to a 2007 census.
“Green” describes the city being the “greenest city in Metro Manila”, according to Siapno. Places such as Quezon Memorial Circle, La Mesa Eco Park, Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife, and the UP Arboretum make up for that green portion of the city. QC has also been very active in green initiatives in support of the government’s, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, environment programs.
From an entrepreneural perspective, Siapno said that “QC is continually ‘Growing’”. “QC supports old business establishments such as Kamuning Bakery, Lechoneros Association, New Polland Bakers Fair (since 1962), etc. which continue to offer quality products and whose existence are intertwined with the city’s history,” she added.
Aside from the old, the city also supports the new and young entrepreneurs that sell fashion accessories, bags, gifts and house wares made from recycled materials as well as indigenous weaves and ethnic and occult-inspired items such as those made by establishments and institutions such as Key Chains, Charms & Other Novelty Products, Rags2riches, Tribu ni Jerry, Kamay Kraft Cooperative, and QC-BJMP Ladies Dormitory, among others.
In its exhibit, QC also has an interactive area where all the city’s tourist destinations which include iconic heritage sites such as churches, monuments, museums, and art galleries. The virtual hub also promotes green destinations which guide prospective visitors through the city’s “green belt” from the Quezon City Memorial Circle all the way up to the La Mesa Eco Park. Even growing lifestyle destinations are also included such as shopping areas, dining and entertainment areas like the ones in Tomas Morato, West Ave., Eastwood City, etc.
All these are just a glimpse of what Quezon City can offer. Through its massive tourism promotions, cultural heritage preservations, green initiatives, and entrepreneur programs, QC promises to live up to its vision of being the great, green, and growing city of the metro.


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Turkey's trade gap narrowed in June as exports increased alongside a sharp dip in imports, the latest figures from the Turkish Statistical Institute showed Tuesday.
The trade deficit fell to $7.176 billion in June from $8.6 billion in May. Economists had forecast a decrease to $7.9 billion.
Exports jumped 16.9 percent annually to $13.3 billion during the month. However, this was weaker than 20.1 percent rise in the preceding month.
Imports decreased 5.4 percent year-on-year to $20.44 billion in June after a 3.1 percent rise in the previous month.
Calendar adjusted exports increased 16.9 percent and imports decreased 1.5 percent compared with June 2011. Seasonally and calendar adjusted exports increased 2.9 percent while imports decreased 0.1 percent compared with previous month.
by RTT Staff Writer
For comments and feedback: email@example.com


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|The latest Commitment of Traders report from the New York arabica market has seen the Non-Commercial Speculative sector cut their net long position within the market by 98.98% over the week of trade leading up to Tuesday 26th May; to register a new net long position of 47 Lots which is the equivalent of 13,324 bags. This net long position has most likely been dramatically decreased, following the period of overall softer trade that has since followed.
The latest Commitment of Traders report from the London Robusta coffee market has seen the Speculative Managed Money Sector of this market decrease their net short sold position within the market by 0.53% over the week of trade leading up to Tuesday 26th May; to register a short-sold position of 34,852 Lots. This net short sold position is the equivalent of 5,808,667 bags and has most likely been little changed following the period of mixed but overall soft sideways trade that has since followed.
The harvest of the Brazil July 2020 to June 2021 arabica coffee crop is presently underway, with weather conditions conducive, as so too has the Government of Brazil issued a communication regarding the broad campaign on the guidelines for harvest protocols and citizen safety within the coronavirus pandemic conditions. The document stating that education and the teaching of the right information represent the best solution for all involved in the coffee value chain. This to mitigate the potential impacts of the pandemic, these topics include evaluating and identifying the at-risk groups, the forms of contagion and how good practices in personal hygiene, cleaning and maintenance of equipment and adequate social distancing between employees can attribute to preventing the further spread of the virus as well as decrease the risk of infection in rural areas, warehouses, industry and all invested parties across the entire value chain.
The July to July contracts arbitrage between the London and New York markets narrowed on Friday; to register this at 43.27 usc/Lb. This equates to 44.93% price discount for the London Robusta coffee market.
The commodity markets were slightly firmer in trade on Friday, to see the overall macro commodity index taking a sideways track for the day. The Sugar and Cocoa markets ended the day on a positive note, while the Coffee markets ended the day on a softer note. The Reuters Equal Weight Continuous Commodity Index that is related to 17 markets is 0.7581% higher; to see this index registered at 356.9831. The day starts with the U.S. Dollar steady, trading at 1.239 to Sterling, at 1.114 to the Euro and with the US Dollar buying 5.336 Brazilian Real.
The London and New York markets started the day on Friday trading on modest positive note, both markets continued on a positive track into the early afternoon trade. As the afternoon progressed both markets attracted selling pressure to limit the gains for the day and to move onto a negative track for the afternoon trade, both the London and New York markets continued to trade on this negative track to see the markets close on a very soft note for the day. The New York July Arabica prompt position meanwhile, touched a low that was last recorded, seven months ago.
The London market ended the day on a negative note and with 61.54% of the earlier losses of the day intact, while the New York market ended the day on a likewise negative note 86.15% of the earlier losses of the day intact. This very soft close does little to indicate direction, one might think the markets are possibly due for little better than a hesitant steady start to early trade today, against the prices set on Friday, as follows:


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Today’s the day. It’s finally here! The band is reuniting. Ok, there’s no band but Scott, Molly and I will be training together again after an almost three month hiatus. I cannot wait to see Scott and get bossed around and sweat and curse him under my breath! Woo hoo!
Remember me telling you upon my return from Malibu how California law forces restaurants to list calories on their menus? I love, love, love this! It helps consumers make much better informed decisions and is very eye opening to what you are putting in your body. I’ve been ranting since April that I wish Iowa would do this as well. Guess what? Some Iowa restaurants are beginning to follow the trend. How awesome is that? According to KCCI McDonald’s has started posting their calories on the menu already. My favorite paragraph is the last one about Obama's health care overhaul. I think this is wonderful news. Now no one can claim they didn't know that the double quarter pounder with cheese and bacon and a super-sized fry is some people's daily calorie allowance in one meal.
McDonald's said it has started posting calorie counts on menus in restaurants and on drive-through signs across the country, ahead of a new regulation that will require the information.
The new signs are already up at the drive-through at the Ames location on South Duff Avenue.
The world's largest hamburger chain plans to officially announce the move Wednesday morning. It's making the change as it tests healthier menu items.
For example, McDonald's Corp. said it's testing an Egg McMuffin that's made with egg whites and a whole grain muffin.
It's also testing versions of the McWrap, which are already sold in Europe and clocks in at less than 350 calories. And the chain said it will offer more seasonal fruits and vegetables through its limited-time offers.
President Obama's health care overhaul will require chains with 20 or more locations to post calorie counts as early as next year.
Read more: http://www.kcci.com/news/health/McDonald-s-menu-changes-already-appearing-in-Iowa/-/9356934/16575170/-/15a1yk7z/-/index.html#ixzz26p6loN9F


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Twice a week, Valerie Whitney’s dog Bella is told to “get dressed for school.”
Those are the only words needed to put Bella, a border collie/Labrador mix into hyper drive. She wags her tail as her collar is put on and she makes her way to the car, knowing she’s in for a full day of fun at DogBoy’s Dog Ranch.
Whitney and her partner Liz started taking Bella to DogBoy’s, an expansive dog boarding and daycare facility in Pflugerville, when they first rescued her two years ago. They wanted to teach her some manners with other dogs and also burn off some of her excess energy.
“They were so sweet to Bella and to me and we just learned so much from them, we kept going back,” says Whitney. “I just can’t say enough about them.”
DogBoy’s Dog Ranch has been around since 1995 (roughly 98 years old in dog years). Courtney and Bart Emken launched the business with 10 outdoor runs, hikes for exercise and sleeping crates in their garage. By 1997, DogBoy’s client list had grown to about 200 dogs, and the Emken’s built the first indoor/outdoor kennel with 24 runs. Over the next two years their list grew to more than 2,000 dogs.
“So we took a deep breath and built our second kennel, with 40 additional runs, and our office in 2000,” says Courtney Emken. Through the years, DogBoy’s has cared for some 11,000 dogs.
Emken says it was her husband’s idea to start DogBoy’s to help change the way boarding was done in Central Texas. Instead of caging dogs, DogBoy’s offers all-day playtime and socialization. That approach has become popular across the region and nationwide in recent years.
To stay competitive, DogBoy’s has introduced training classes and plans are in the works to soon include wellness services, such as canine massage and acupuncture, and begin swimming classes and dock diving lessons next year. DogBoy’s is just one of many pet-centric businesses in the Central Texas region. Just a quick look at the number of dog parks and veterinary clinics in the area provides ample evidence that locals are in love with their pets.
“Austin is a very pet-centric community,” says Emken. “Austinites not only own more dogs than people in average cities, but they do more with them. Dog’s don’t just stay home on the porch anymore. They go to dog parks, puppy parties, grooming appointments and training classes.”
Liz Parker, owner of the Austin Pets Directory, agrees. “Austin is an amazing market for pet-related services,” she says. “People here don’t mind spending money on their pets, but they also want value.”
Parker founded the directory, a catalog of services for pets across Central Texas, nearly eight years ago.
“I have seen a tremendous amount of growth in Austin’s pet-related businesses,” says Parker, who estimates the figure has doubled in the last decade. “When I started… there were only two pet boutiques. Presently we have more than 10. Luxury boarding facilities are all over the city, and most locations offer additional services like daycare, grooming and retail sections with premium food, treats and designer products.”
Emken says competition in the industry is growing by leaps and bounds. “We are constantly approached by people who want us to help them start a business just like DogBoy’s. We’ve consulted with a couple kennels that are doing great today. We don’t really worry too much about the competition, because the size of our property, our level of pet care and our fun atmosphere keep us full almost year round.”
Parker says many of the owners of pet-oriented business- es are former corporate types who had an idea, saw a need in the marketplace and decided to trade their 9-to-5 desk for entrepreneurship. She predicts that the current recession and its effect on Corporate America may prompt more people to pursue their passion for pets.
So what’s the next hot area in pet merchandise and care? Parker is noticing significant growth in higher-end pet prod- ucts. “I think it started at the beginning of the decade with bedazzled collars and sundresses for Chihuahuas,” she says. “Luckily, what we see a lot more of now are beautiful, well- crafted, creative products that are still practical and make sense for pets and their owners.”
From dog sitters to grooming parlors. Check out the Austin Pets Directory for a rundown of the best local services. You can find them online at: www.austinpetsdirectory.com
Time to Turn Tail On Breeding
Both Parker and Emken say the one thing that needs to change in the pet industry is overbreeding.
According to figures from the Humane Society of the United States, roughly 70,000 dogs and cats are born in the United States every day, and more than half of them are from unplanned litters. But despite the number of animals in shelters, the ber one source of dogs for most owners continues to be breeders.
In 2000, DogBoy’s took a big step, requiring that all dogs over six months of age admitted to the facility be spayed or neutered. An unheard of mandate nine years ago, today many facilities require it in an attempt to bring awareness to overpopulation.
Parker says even though Austin is such a socially aware city, sales of puppies and kittens from pet mills and backyard breeders still goes on in the area. “There are so many pros to rescuing pets and virtually no cons. I can’t say the same for purchasing them.”


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Local Startup Passes its Early Tests
Cross Check was recently featured in the Bowling Green Daily News. Here’s an excerpt:
Toby McGinnis has wanted to run his own business since age 19.
When the now-42-year-old was laid off in 2009, he decided it was the right time.
“I have 11 children, so it was something that I couldn’t really think about doing before,” said McGinnis, who is CEO of Cross Check Quality Inspection, a quality control inspection company based in Bowling Green. “But then, when the layoff happened, I prayed about it.”
McGinnis, who had been a quality engineer for 10 years, asked God to help guide him through the process, including selecting a name for the company.
“I was brushing my teeth and … saw my wife’s cross on the vanity,” he said. “Then I went to get my keys, and there was my checkbook.”
So the name was born.
“Cross check” means to control quality, he said. The company’s logo has two crosses on it.
You can read the entire article here.


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The track of outsourcing the production of certain Intel processors is confirmed with a job posting listing several families of processors for which TSMC would be responsible.
Usually a processor designer and founder, Intel should entrust part of the production of its processors (but also of its new line of dedicated GPUs) to a third-party founder to put an end to the problem of shortage associated with the delay in commissioning its engravings in 10 nm and 7 nm and which forced them to stretch the cycle of their engraving in 14 nm.
The possibility of going through a founder for certain components has already been mentioned and constitutes a track mentioned by Intel but so far not very detailed.
We know that TSMC is the most likely the founder to take over part of the production of Intel’s chips, but a job offer reveals a little more. It mentions Atom and Xeon processors produced using Intel and TSMC etching techniques, giving for the first time an idea of what’s to come.
Until now, it is especially the Intel Xe-HPG GPUs that will be at the heart of future gaming graphics cards that seemed to be affected by this production outsourcing but the Taiwanese founder would therefore also find himself in charge of specialized processors with Atom used for platforms for 5G base stations (Snow Ridge unveiled in 2019 and a future Grand Ridge) and Xeon for server processors.
The details remain meager and nothing is indicated on the engraving node that TSMC would use but Tom’s Hardware anticipates, in view of the period of this outsourcing, a possible engraving in 5 nm.


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BMW has agreed to pay 5.1 billion yuan ($820 million) to China auto dealers who pressured BMW to share the cost of overstocked showrooms in the world’s largest car market. BMW declined to provide details of the deal or confirm the amount, but sources within China say an agreement has been reached.
“This is the biggest such subsidy we’ve had in China… because last year, dealers had the highest level of stockpile,” said Song Tao, deputy secretary general of the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA), which had represented the dealers in the negotiations.
“I’m glad the negotiations ended with champagne,” Song said in a phone interview for Financial Times.
Just last week, executives at two BMW dealer operators said they are asking BMW to lower its sales target for 2015 and pay dealers five billion yuan ($806 million) in subsidies. If the conditions couldn’t be met, dealers would stop taking orders of BMW cars.
Other foreign automakers, such as Audi have also agreed in the past to pay a package of about two billion yuan in subsidies to its Chinese dealers. Toyota is also negotiating with their dealers in China.
BMW started subsidizing its dealers in 2012 due to falling retail prices, with the payout in 2013 around 3 billion yuan, according to a senior executive at a China-based BMW dealership who declined to be identified.
BMW reiterated it is sticking to its full-year target of selling more than 2 million cars worldwide, saying it still sees China as a growth market which is “normalizing” from a growth spurt in the past few years.


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Businesses are increasingly adopting cloud-first strategies to quickly create and deliver innovative approaches and adapt to constantly changing business needs and customer demands. By 2020, Gartner estimates the public cloud market will be worth $411 billion, therefore we recognize the need to make the Couchbase Data Platform more easily accessible to our customers, regardless of cloud vendor.
As many of our customers operate in the cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently published a new Quick Start for using Couchbase on its cloud computing platform. The solution, developed by Couchbase and ClearScale in partnership with AWS, provides a simplified onramp for AWS users to take advantage of the Couchbase Data Platform. The solution helps continue our mission to providing the most accessible modern database that allows users to abstract data and deliver it whenever and wherever its needed.
In just 10 minutes, the new Quick Start allows users to integrate Couchbase capabilities into new or existing AWS infrastructure through automated and customizable AWS CloudFormation templates. The templates allow AWS users to build Couchbase environments such as a virtual private cloud (VPC), an internet gateway and Elastic Load Balancing integrated with Auto Scaling, for load balancing across the servers. The repo containing the templates can be found on Github.
This partnership with Amazon allows AWS customers to access the capabilities of both Couchbase Server and Couchbase Mobile to build engaging, scalable and responsive mobile, IoT and web applications. Couchbase’s NoSQL technology helps provide simplified manageability, allowing companies to develop applications that best leverage their data to create more personalized customer experiences.
As cloud continues to mature, Couchbase will continue to embrace a multi-cloud approach to offer extended accessibility that helps our customers optimize their workloads, leverage our built-in security features and avoid vendor lock-in.
Check out the AWS Couchbase Quick Start guide to learn more about how to get started!


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Ashton Kutcher is currently shooting the first of two Steve Jobs biographical movies coming out soon, and the reports from the set via RadarOnline are that he's taking the role very seriously indeed. Crew members claim that Kutcher is trying to stay in the role of Jobs around the clock, ...
Macenstein posted a strange little tip earlier this week for getting Apple's official apps off of your iPhone (I personally never use the Stocks app, and really don't need it taking up space around the apps I do use). But his method isn't so much a tip as an exploit -- basically, Apple has a secret ...
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- IFTTT adds a location channel to its iOS App
- Plants vs. Zombies 2 gets upgraded map, more 'cool' stuff
- Remote Desktop update brings OS X Mavericks support and improved multi-display support
- Valve revamps Steam Mobile for iOS
- Google Drive iOS app finally lets you sort items and find and replace in documents
- Viber announces Viber Out calls for iOS, goes head to head with Skype


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New Delhi– India’s merchandise exports in March were valued at $22.72 billion, down 5.47 percent in dollar terms against $24.03 billion in the like month of last year, suggesting a decline for the 16th straight month.
Cumulatively, for the fiscal year 2015-16, exports were down 15.85 percent in dollar terms at $261.14 billion against $310.34 billion, according to official data on foreign trade released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Monday.
The data showed that imports declined by 21.56 percent to $27.78 billion in March this year from $35.42 billion in same month a year ago.
Cumulative imports for 2015-16 were worth more than $379.59 billion, which was 15.28 percent fall from $448.03 billion worth recorded for 2014-15.
The continuing fall in the crude oil prices is seen to have brought down the import bill.
Oil imports during the month under review declined by 35.30 percent to $4.79 billion from $7.41 billion.
Cumulatively, crude oil imports plummet by 40.24 percent in last fiscal at $82.66 billion from $138.32 billion.
Trade deficit, thus, narrowed to a low of $5.07 billion in March from $11.39 billion reported during the corresponding month of 2015.
Trade deficit for 2015-16, too narrowed to $118.45 billion, while the corresponding figure for the previous year was more than $137.69 billion.
Further, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data showed that exports of services dropped by 1.94 percent to $12.32 billion in February 2016. (IANS)


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MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
Feb 14 – Feb 20, 2011 Edition UK Joins US in E-book Pricing Investigation
AUTHORLINK NEWS/February 14, 2010The Office of Fair Trading, which regulates trade in the UK earlier this month launched an investigation into anti-trust complaints over digital-book pricing. The move comes about six months after US authorities launched their own probe.
After receiving a number of complaints of possible collusion on retail book prices, The Office of Fair Trading said it is exploring whether pricing arrangements between book publishers and digital retailers are a breach of antitrust rules.
Spurred by competition from e-book devices such as Apples iPad and Amazons Kindle, Publishers have moved quickly to protect their business, leading to the so-called agency model which lets the publishersnot retailers–set the price for their books. Online retailers then earn a set percentage of each sale under the new arrangement.
The Wall Street Journal last August quoted then Connecticut Attorney general Richard Blumenthal as saying such agreements result in uniform prices for most of the popular e-bookspotentially depriving consumers of competitive prices. Texas and Connecticut launched investigations after five publishers adopted the agency model at the urging of Apple.
In the UK, publishers following the agency pricing model include Penguin, Hachette, News Corps HarperCollins and CBS Corps Simon & Schuster.
The UK regulators said the investigation is in the early stages and that it should not be assumed that the parties involved have breached competition law.


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House members send letter to FTC criticizing Express Scripts-Medco merger
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A number of members of Congress have raised questions about the proposed merger between pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions, prompting a lobbying group that represents independent pharmacies and opposes the merger to highlight the matter.
The National Community Pharmacists Association pointed to a letter sent Monday to the Federal Trade Commission by 14 Democratic and Republican House members expressing misgivings about the $29.1 billion merger and requesting a "full and thorough investigation." Express Scripts and Medco are 2-of-the-3 largest PBMs in the country, and many political and other leaders have expressed concerns about the effect their merger would have on the PBM market. Meanwhile, the two PBMs have defended the deal, saying it would reduce healthcare spending for payers and consumers.
"On its face, the merger demonstrates the potential for a combined entity to demonstrate an already heavily concentrated market," the representatives wrote. "We understand that this combined entity has the potential to control more than 40% of annual prescriptions and more than 80% of private plans. And, if unregulated, would have the ability to raise prices and/or block pass-through pricing for plans and patients — ultimately limiting critical access."
The 14 representatives who signed the letter were Robert Anderholt, R-Ala.; Spencer Bachus, R-Ala.; Joe Bonner, R-Ala.; Mo Brooks, R-Ala.; Judy Chu, D-Calif.; Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y.; Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas; Tom Marino, R-Pa.; Cathy McMorris Rogers, R-Wash.; Mike Rogers, R-Ala.; Martha Roby, R-Ala.; Terri Sewell, D-Ala.; Peter Welch, D-Vt.; and Don Young, R-Alaska.
"The U.S. Congress is clearly taking a much-needed and forceful role in favor of rigorous oversight of the proposed Express Scripts-Medco merger, clouding the once-certain forecasts of the deal’s approval," NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey said. "Legislative time is at a premium, so these two hearings represent a major statement of congressional concern over this merger. These developments also demonstrate NCPA’s tireless and coordinated efforts in opposition to the merger."
Concealer sales have nothing to hide
Product innovation and a desire for flawless-looking skin fueled double-digit sales of concealer at food, drug and mass.
Concealer sales rose about 10% to more than $25 million for the 12 weeks ended Sept. 4 at food, drug and mass (excluding Walmart), according to data from SymphonyIRI Group.
Leading the way, according to SymphonyIRI Group, is Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind concealer. In July, the manufacturer broadened its Instant Age Rewind collection and launched the new Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment concealer, which features an anti-aging formula to erase dark circles, puffiness and fine lines.
Sales show no signs of clumping
Mascara is a beauty essential that very few women will go without. After all, what woman doesn’t want long, lush, sexy lashes? Looking ahead, mascara sales show no signs of clumping.
According to data from SymphonyIRI Group, sales of mascara rose nearly 6% to nearly $600 million at food, drug and mass (excluding Walmart) for the 52 weeks ended Sept. 4.
Meanwhile, manufacturers continue to innovate and develop new mascaras that take lash length and volume to new heights.
For example, Maybelline New York launched in September its new Great Lash Lots of Lashes mascara, which features a little grabber brush. The heart-shaped elastomer brush is designed to simplify the application process and, in just one swipe, easily reach the inner and outer corners of the eye. The suggested retail price is $6.49.
For spring, Coty’s Rimmel London brand has created its new Volume Flash ScandalEyes Mascara. It is made with a supersized blend featuring triple the collagen and keratin of other mascaras on the market. Plus, the new MaxDensity brush is longer, wider, denser and 50% bigger than Rimmel’s biggest brush. The suggested retail price is $6.99.


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Square Enix has said it will continue to support the Xbox 360 in its push to attract Western markets, with a specific interest in the Xbox Live Arcade service and a consideration to dip into social gaming.
John Yamamoto, Chief Executive for Square Enix in North America, spoke with Forbes
to discuss the future of the publisher. In recent years it has made inroads to capture the Western audience, with acquisitions in Eidos being the most notable.
"Everyone is aware that the U.S. and European market is the largest and that the Japanese market is limited right now," Yamamoto said in support of the publisher's moves. New titles under development that highlight Square Enix's direction include the upcoming Deus Ex 3
and Just Cause 2
Alongside the Xbox Live Arcade, Yamamoto said the company was very interested in expanding its development for the Apple iPhone as well, noting its "unique controls." Of social games, he had no plans to reveal but mentioned that Square Enix is considering it.


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Volkswagen launched right-hand-drive versions of the 110kW 1.8T and a 125kW V5-powered Beetle (pictured) in the UK last week.
And when journalists at last week's Australian launch of the new Passat asked about the hot new Beetles they were told to expect at least one of the more potent cars here around September.
All of which points to the possibility of a revamp of the Beetle range here, with one of the performance cars as the flagship and a more affordable, entry-level car alongside the current 2.0-litre Beetle.
Since its Australian launch early last year, the Beetle has been criticised for being too expensive. Only one model of the car has been sold here, at a current price of $36,790. Option it with the four-speed automatic, and the price quickly becomes closer to $40,000.
The Beetle's local pricetag currently is exactly $5,000 more than the more practical 2.0-litre Golf GLE. And the Golf range includes an entry-level model, the 1.6-litre GL, priced at $25,990.
Interestingly enough, April figures from automotive industry statistician VFACT show Volkswagen sold 436 Golfs last month (including nine Cabriolets), with year-to-date sales of 1,737 cars.
April Beetle sales totalled 73, with 300 cars sold year-to-date.
In Europe, the entry-level Beetle comes with a 75kW 1.6-litre engine and a five-speed manual gearbox. The four-speed automatic is optional. Next up the range is the 85kW 2.0-litre engine we get here, again with five-speed manual or optional automatic transmission.
If Volkswagen is going to offer an entry-level Beetle in Australia, the 1.6-litre car obviously is the way to go. Or, perhaps it will launch a more basic version of the 2.0-litre car.
The right-hand-drive 1.8T recently-launched in the UK is said to have a top speed of 203km/h and is recognisable by its rear spoiler, which extends or retracts according to road speed. The transmission is a five-speed manual, with an optional automatic.
The five-cylinder Beetle launched in the UK uses VW's 2.3-litre five-cylinder engine and is said to be capable of reaching more than 200km/h.
Europe also gets a turbo-diesel Beetle TDI, with 55kW, standard five-speed manual or, again, the four-speed automatic as an option.
But don't hang by your thumbs for the Beetle RSi: Volkswagen will build it in a special production run of only 250 cars.


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TigerWit a renowned financial technology and brokerage firm headquartered in the UK releases newly trained retail traders into the largest financial market in the world at his African head office in Lagos Nigeria.
TigerWit running a transparent ledger system powered by blockchain technology educates her clients on how to successfully navigate the financial market by paying attention to risk management and trading edge development.
The head of Africa Business for TigerWit Africa David Onaolapo flanked by Davies Babalola, the Head of Education took the new entrants on a journey of three months rigorous training on a daily basis as a flagship of the online Academy setup by the financial technology company.
David and Davies are both season traders with over 26 years of combined industry experience afford the students the opportunity to glean from his wealth of experience and learn to avoid pitfalls that stressed them in the early days of their careers.
The graduation ended with lots of freebies as top three students were awarded with $1000, $500 and $250 each. Also in a bid to encourage females come into Currency, Stock & Cryptocurrency trading, all graduating females were rewarded with $200 each. To keep the rituals ongoing, the academy initiated a 100% deposit match bonus to encourage all students with lower deposits to trade descent position sizes.
TigerWit Africa, has setup both online and offline academy for all her clients pan Nigeria and other African countries. New training batch will commence second week of January and a pre-registration is required to partake.
Not forgetting to mention, the training was cushioned by TigerWit Africa and offered all account holders free quality education by industry professionals. This training will commence in other cities such as Port Harcourt, Warri, Abuja, Ibadan, Enugu and many other states in Nigeria this year.
To be part of the next training, kindly register here: https://tigerwit.africa/training/ or Call: 09093790608 to reserve a slot. Limited seats available due to covid-19 compliance. Training reservation is on a first come, first served basis.


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Inflation was 1.56% up from July and had reached 21.7% since the start of 2008, the General Statistics Office (GSO) estimated in a preliminary report. But for July the figure was 28.3% year-on-year.
"The inflation figure of the first eight months of the year is still comparatively high, particularly because of the increase in the prices of oil and gas," said Ngo Tri Long, deputy director of the official Institute for Market and Prices Research. "High inflation is now a global problem, and Vietnam is not an exception," he said, adding measures to curb consumer price rises had made some progress.
Vietnam, a nation of 86 million people, had been lauded as Asia's next economic tiger.But it has been battered in 2008 by double-digit inflation, a ballooning trade gap, tumbling share prices and worries about the banking sector and its currency, the dong. The Vietnamese authorities have hiked interest rates and imposed stricter credit control to stem inflation, but do not expect it to fall back to single digits before the end of next year.
Food prices rose at an annual rate of 44.1% in August, while beverage and tobacco costs were up by 12.4%. Prices for housing and construction materials increased by 27.4%.
The country's trade deficit widened to $16 billion with exports at $43.3 billion, up by 39.1%, and imports totalling $59.3 billion, up by 54.1%.
The trade deficit for August alone stood at $900 million.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2008


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Vikingbus grows electric bus fleet in Copenhagen
The Danish bus company Vikingbus has ordered 45 electric buses from MAN. Vikingbus will deploy the e-buses of type Lion City 12 E on routes in the greater Copenhagen area from spring next year. They will join a growing fleet of zero-emission vehicles out for Vikingbus.
VW ID. Buzz: First drive in Volkswagen’s electric Bulli
When still in office, Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess described the ID. Buzz as one of the most exciting vehicles launching this year. Our first drive of VW’s electric van shows that the carmaker has indeed succeeded in creating a great electric car that goes down very well with passers-by. If only it weren’t for the […]
ARC orders electric trucks for Copenhagen
Truck manufacturer Scania, part of the Traton Group, will deliver at least 78 all-electric L-series trucks to Amager Resource Center (ARC) in Copenhagen. The municipal waste company’s order also includes an option for a further 23 electric trucks as well as repair and maintenance contracts for eight to ten years.
Ebusco delivers electric buses in Germany & Denmark
In the last week, the Dutch electric bus company Ebusco delivered a total of 25 electric buses to Transdev in Frankfurt and to Nobina in Copenhagen. Another two electric buses were handed over to Stadtwerke München, while a large order has been confirmed in Berlin.
DRIVR launches 100 hydrogen taxis in Copenhagen
The app-based taxi service DRIVR has deployed more than 100 hydrogen cabs in Copenhagen this month. The fleet of Toyota Mirai runs against the backdrop of the Danish government’s target to ban sales of ICE cabs by 2025 and that all existing taxis must be emission-free by 2030.
Scania builds 15 electric rubbish trucks for Copenhagen
In Denmark, the City of Copenhagen has ordered 15 electric refuse collection trucks from the manufacturer Scania. The order is part of the city’s plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2025 and, as part of this, to procure at least 100 all-electric refuse collection vehicles by 2025.
MAN to supply Lion electric buses to Copenhagen
Public transit operator Anchersen has ordered 25 electric buses from MAN Truck & Bus to service in Copenhagen. Delivery is scheduled for the end of the year. Anchersen says it will use the battery-electric buses on Copenhagen’s central bus route 7A, which carries more than 4.3 million passengers each year.
Yutong delivers 55 e-buses to Denmark
The public transport operator Keolis has received 55 e-buses from the Chinese manufacturer Yutong. The vehicles will be used for two projects in Denmark. Keolis has also secured an order from France.
Nio: New battery for 900km of range & European launch
According to founder William Li Bin, the Chinese electric car manufacturer Nio is currently working on a battery pack with a capacity of 150 kWh, which should enable ranges of over 900 kilometres. Besides, the plans for a European launch in 2021 may become concrete.
Coop Denmark looking into Scania electric trucks
The Danish grocery chain Coop Denmark has purchased an electric truck with a refrigerated body from Scania. If the test with the vehicle is successful in the Copenhagen area, the company plans to purchase another five to seven electric trucks next year.
Keolis awarded electric bus operation in Copenhagen
Public transport operator Keolis has received a new order from Movia for the operation and maintenance of 47 buses in the Copenhagen area, 32 of which will be purely electric. The contract that worth over 100 million euros, is scheduled to start in June 2021.
Fuso eCanter trucks arrive in Copenhagen
The purely electric Fuso eCanter truck from Daimler has now arrived in Scandinavia. Two eCanter were handed over to Citylogistik and Aarstiderne in the Danish capital Copenhagen. The eCanter now travels through nine major European cities.
Denmark aiming for decarbonisation of transport
The Danish government presented a new climate action plan with 38 measures, among them the previously leaked ban on the sales of all ICEs by 2030 and hybrid cars by 2035. In addition, the Danes will electrify their entire taxi and bus fleet by 2030 and are ready to spend millions.
Electric bendy-buses coming to Copenhagen
Arriva Danmark has turned to VDL to order 21 electric buses. Model Citea SLFA-180 Electric is the first articulated e-bus ever to arrive in Denmark and will serve in Copenhagen starting in December 2019. Moreover, the order presents a milestone for VDL.
Siemens HPC chargers for electric buses in Denmark
Siemens has signed an agreement with Denmark’s largest public transportation operator, Movia, for the delivery of fast-charging stations with pantograph for electric buses. 45 communities stand to benefit from the contract and is one of Siemens biggest eBus orders ever.
Montreal, UPS, Copenhagen, GreenPower, Pinellas County.
Electric taxi fleet: 50 electric cabs will start taking passengers in Montreal in mid-November. The pilot is run by start-up Taxelco, that bought the city’s second-biggest cab operator and plans to electrify the entire 500-strong fleet. Taxis, including Teslas, Kia Soul EV and Nissan Leaf, can be hailed via app.
Electric delivery fleet: UPS has received 18 electric trucks built by Workhorse specifically for stop-and-go operations postal service entails. The E-100 delivery vehicles that were purchased with the support of the DoE, local governments and non-profits, will serve in the Houston-Galveston area.
Copenhagen is to test lightweight electric buses from summer 2016 as two buses built by Finnish Linkker will serve on route 3A over two years. Rapid charging technology by Dutch Schunk/Heliox can partially recharge the buses in less than three minutes with electricity sponsored by E.ON.
Electric school buses: Canadian GreenPower signed a letter of intent to deliver a total of 20 electric school buses to Adomani. Delivery is due within a year’s time.
Hybrid bus fleet: As another seven hybrid buses join the fleet of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) in Florida, it grows to 68 in total. Comes next year, the transport provider will consider to add a number of purely electric vehicles as well in its overall fleet of 200.
Latvia, Israel, Copenhagen, USA.
Latvia latches on TEN-T: 235 EV charging stations will be erected in the Baltic state by 2022, if the Ministry of Transport gets its will. 60 of those are to be provided through the EU’s TEN-T programme and will line Latvia’s main roads by 2020. Another 175 charging stations, located within 50 km from each other, will follow by mid-2022, connecting smaller roads to the EV network.
Israel to clear the air: The city of Haifa plans to introduce a Low Emission Zone (LEZ), the first of its kind in the country. In a first step, heavy vehicle traffic within the LEZ would be restricted. The Environment Ministry plans to spend 330 million NIS (about 87m dollars) on the project that now has to be approved by the cabinet.
Danish DriveNow update: BMW’s car sharing service together with Arriva will reportedly let 400 i3 loose in Copenhagen this September. Also on board is Danish travel card provider Rejsekort and energy utility E.on. The former will supply the keycard for the electric BMW.
Joint efforts: California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia are teaming up with provinces in the West Coast Electric Fleets initiative, a project by Pacific Coast Collaborative. The programme aims at the electrification of public and business fleets in the whole region.


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As the battle for a third ecosystem in the smartphone market continues to take shape, attention has shifted away from the top end of the market to turnaround player Nokia . Both the Finnish handset maker and its competitor, Blackberry , are wedged in an unforgiving fashion of competition - a race for third place.
Personally, I opine that Blackberry is a formidable competitor. In addition to its BB10 gaining momentum in mature markets like Europe and Canada, there is huge potential upside considering that the company reversed its troubled fortunes and turned surprise profits of $98 million, or $0.18 per share, in Q4 2012. Nokia’s turnaround story, though not as impacting as Blackberry’s, also has its rosy side. However, in the long run, the race will not entirely be won by innovation or any other parameters that analysts may want to hash out, but by something that Apple and Google realized a long time ago - numbers.
Yes, smartphone wars have boiled down to a game of numbers. As consumers get absorbed into carefully thought out mantras like ‘creating revolutionary products,’ Apple and Google continue to do what they do best - rope in new customers, whatever the cost. Through the years, the two have established a solid market share lead over their peers and, in the process, carved out the lion’s share of the market.
What is Nokia doing to reclaim its market share? Better yet, will Nokia get more numbers than Blackberry to secure a third place position?
Notable inroads into key markets
Blackberry isn't alone in making inroads into Europe. In a research study released by Kantar World Panel at the onset of April, Nokia’s Windows 8 platform, which is designed by Microsoft , was noted to have gained significantly in Europe and other key markets.
The research, which relates to 2012, shows that in the past year, Nokia’s Windows 8 platform gained more than 3 points year-over-year in Britain to secure a 6.7% market share. A similar trend was witnessed in Italy, where Windows 8 Phone gained 7.7 points year-over-year to come in at 13.1% market share. Likewise, the Windows 8 platform gained 1.7 points in Australia to secure a 3.4% market share.
In addition to gaining in these defining markets, Nokia managed to do what was earlier thought impossible. The IDC’s latest report shows that the Finnish handset maker, through its Microsoft Windows 8 powered Lumia handsets, managed to out-ship Apple in not one, but seven markets. This feat speaks volumes of the potential inherent in Nokia. The same report also shows that Nokia’s Lumia has shipped more than Blackberry in over 26 markets. I personally believe that this early lead could set the tone moving forward.
Brand recognition more important than ever before
Moving forward, brand recognition will be more important than ever before. Going by the undisguised saturation in mature markets, I'm inclined to believe that emerging markets will be the melting pot of smartphone wars in the next five years. In emerging markets, companies with already-established brand names will get a head start over their peers.
In India particularly, Nokia will gain immensely. Data released by CyberMedia Research shows that smartphone penetration in the entire Indian handset market is a mere 7%. Although the smartphone market is dismally small, there's huge growth potential. The research shows that the high end category of the smartphone market grew at a racy 35.7% to 15.2 million units in 2012, up from 11.2 million units the previous year.
Feature phones, on the other hand, grew 19.9% to 206.4 million units in 2012, up from 172.2 million units in 2011. In addition, Nokia dominates feature phones, while Samsung dominates smartphones. Bringing these figures into perspective, it becomes evidently clear that there is a feature phone glut in the Indian market. This, essentially, means that Nokia is the dominant handset maker in the entire market. The research actually pegs its market share at 21.8%, compared with Samsung’s 13.7%.
What does this mean for Nokia?
Nokia has the upper hand in India. Because of its solid footing and brand recognition, it will have an edge while guiding its feature phone customers through a smartphone transition. What’s more is that its Nokia Asha phones, which are sold at the price of feature phones but extend the functionality of smartphones, will provide a platform to woo consumers into considering mid-range smartphones like the Lumia 520 and the Lumia 620.
Nokia’s case in India is, in many ways, reminiscent of the situation in other emerging markets. As such, there's a real possibility of Nokia transforming its huge presence in the feature phone market into a sizeable smartphone market share. This could give the company a huge edge over Blackberry in the race for third place.
This article was originally published as Focus On Nokia As Battle For Third Ecosystem Heats Upon Fool.com
Copyright © 2009 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved.


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Despite being nearly 20 years old, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory continues to be an active game on Steam, with multiple servers hosting the open, free-source multiplayer shooter from Activision and Splash Damage. Servers are still regularly available for players to hop on and enjoy, whether they are living in the U.S., France, Poland, and several other countries. However, it appears this will no longer be the case in Germany going forward, as the game seems to have been quietly hit with a ban.
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, as mentioned above, is an open-source multiplayer title originally released in 2003 by previous series publisher Activision and developer Splash Damage. The game was originally planned to act as an expansion for 2001’s Return to Castle Wolfenstein before getting a standalone release as a multiplayer-only game. A single-player option for it was planned as well, but problems with it in development led Splash Damage to focus development time and resources on the multiplayer.
The ban on Germany’s Steam market was caught by Reddit user LongJonSiIver, who posted screenshots taken from SteamDB on the leaks and rumors subreddit. LongJonSiIver’s screenshots show Germany listed as being restricted, meaning players can’t purchase Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory from the country’s Steam store. This is a change that hit the game in April 2022. However, as of the time of this writing, there has been no update about the game being outright banned on Germany’s Steam, as it is reportedly still available on Splash Damage’s Steam page.
While some players may be caught off-guard by the ban, it isn’t entirely surprising either given Wolfenstein‘s history with Germany’s censorship laws around Nazi imagery. Nazi censorship laws were adopted in the years following World War 2 as Germany, like the rest of Europe, recovered from Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party’s reign of terror. The country’s laws prohibit the disseminating and sharing of Nazi imagery, such as the swastika or wearing Nazi uniforms, and it treats any attempt to do so as hate speech.
These laws have been something Wolfenstein‘s various developers have had to work around given Nazis serve as the primary antagonists and, as a result, Nazi imagery is prevalent. Machinegames 2014 reboot, Wolfenstein: The New Order, had to remove Hitler’s mustache and swastikas from the game before it could be approved for sale in Germany. However, 2019’s Wolfenstein: Youngblood did not have to undergo any changes thanks to changes made to Germany’s laws in 2018, allowing for Nazi imagery to be used for educational or artistic reasons.
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is currently available on Steam for players outside Germany.


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Unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to receive an invite to the Google South Africa event that happened in Johannesburg yesterday. Stafford Masie, country manager for Google South Africa, gave some insight into Google SA’s plans once it has launched in February next year.
I think it’s great to see Stafford wanting to leverage the power of the Google brand to drive broadband and educate the local market. However, I have my own ideas about Google SA’s plans. So far we know, they are based in Bryanston and will be making use of Internet Solutions’s data centre. We also know that Vodacom has partnered with the company to provide Google applications on cellphones. Google is well known for acquiring new start-ups and pulling in as many partners as it can, which will provide a beneficial relationship for them.
With its launch of next February, there are a few things I think we could expect to see. I could be right or I could just be slightly delusional, you decide. South Africa is approaching an internet boom in the next few years. As we see broadband penetration increase and internet education levels rise, online commerce will increase as well as the amount of local internet start-ups.
My predictions are that Google will acquire Vinny Lingham’s web-based publishing start-up, SynthaSite. It just received $5-million in funding, which will enable it to increase it’s offering and rival Google Pages. Vinny attended the event yesterday and sparked this thought.
Google will then begin optimising Google Checkout for the South African e-commerce environment, partnering with local banks to provide secure integrated solutions. Before it does that, Google will create a localised version of Google Product Search or it will just acquire Jump Shopping. Once again, the attendance of Albert Bredenhann, managing director of Jump Shopping, sparked this prediction.
Google SA will no doubt be working on systems to improve mobile commerce to take advantage of the large amount of cellphone users in South Africa. That said, they will also be pushing mobile advertising as much as they can. Google will already have set in motion its plans for a localised version of YouTube, as it has done in other countries. It will improve the mobile YouTube portal for South Africans so that it can increase the user base and video views, which in turn will allow it to serve more ads on the site.
On the education front, Google will probably do something I have been wanting it to do for a while. They will give universities and high schools the option of migrating to Google Apps as it has done in Kenya. This will allow each student to have an email address and access to Google Docs, which has a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation applications.
Overall, I think the presence of Google in South Africa will do wonders for the online industry, which will helps us reach the boom much quicker. I look forward to seeing what Google does throughout next year. I just hope they play fair and don’t become a monopoly.


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The Coyote Ugly bar in East Village: closed. Fedora, the original speakeasy from 1917 turned modern-day supper club: closed. Iconic landmarks that acted as focal points, drawing in locals as well as visitors from around the world, have shut their doors forever.
New York City has seen over 1,000 restaurants and bars close their doors, permanently, since COVID-19 decimated the industry. The number, some suggest, is much greater, but difficult to determine due to the incredible speed with which the current pandemic is laying to waste those in the hospitality industry. A recent survey conducted by the New York State Restaurant Association concluded that, without further financial assistance, nearly 64 percent of New York restaurant owners believe they will be closed by year’s end.
RESTAURANTS Act of 2020
While some operators remained hopeful that regulators would see the destruction and act to save an industry that has led the pack in terms of providing much-needed services as well as jobs—more than 15 million in the U.S.—it appears that the chance of the RESTAURANT Act getting through Congress is slim, at best.
The bill, that would have provided $120 billion in grants to support independent restaurants, has, according to Skopos Labs, about a 3 percent chance of being enacted.
One step the New York City councilmembers did take to help restaurants was extending the third-party delivery cap. Set to expire on September 18, the regulation caps third-party delivery commissions to 20 percent, with delivery fees set at 15 percent and marketing services the other 5 percent. The other step was a bill allowing restaurants to add a COVID-19 surcharge to guest’s checks, capped at 10 percent of the total bill. The “COVID-19 Recovery Charge” is awaiting the signature of Mayor Bill de Blasio. Both laws will remain in effect until 90 days after restaurants are able to open at 100 percent indoor dining capacity.
Will New York City Restaurants Open Their Indoor Dining?
Currently, restaurants in New York City are limited to outdoor dining. As of September 30, restaurants will have the option of opening for in-house dining at 25 percent capacity. Additional rules include mandatory temperature checks, no bar service, obtaining contact information on all customers for tracing purposes, and filtration upgrades. Many operators are wondering if opening will be worth it, at least until restrictions lift to 50 percent capacity, which, if all goes well, should be on November 1.
Third-party Delivery Fee Debate
While restaurant operators sort through the mess that is left in the wake of the current pandemic and the many regulations, some third-party delivery partners are voicing their discontent regarding the cap on delivery commission fees.
Grubhub has asked diners to protest the cap, suggesting that they will have to bear the increased cost. The company told NRN, “…it’s clear that fees go up for diners since Grubhub needs to make $4 to $5 per order to cover marketing services for restaurants, fixed driver costs, and other hard costs to operate our marketplace.”
Councilman Mark Gjonaj thinks otherwise. “Make no mistake about it. This is a corporate attempt to gaslight New Yorkers and blur the truth…It would be far more helpful if the company committed to focusing its energy on helping its restaurant partners get back on their feet and save their employees’ jobs. Now is not the time for runaway corporate greed.”
Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Clark County, home to Las Vegas, have all temporarily capped commission fees.


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New craft brewery from Spiš
Investor is the cattle breeder and owner of Agroštít Farm Spišská Vlachy, which manages more than 300 livestock and more than 800 hectares of fields and pastures. New brewery will be built at free space on the farm with the intention of using its own malting barley, which has been growing here for a long time. Beer will be filled not only in barrels, but also in bottles. Thanks to that, this beer will not be supplied just for the restaurants but it can be offered also in shops. Besides the brewery, a shop and also a restaurant will be built.


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The bad news from Intel was worse than anyone expected and the changes the company announced in the wake of dismal earnings speak to seismic changes ahead in the PC industry. Not only did Intel miss on earnings but they’re laying off 12,000, eleven percent of the company’s employees, and two of the company’s top execs announced they were leaving. This won’t be the last layoff for Intel as the company seeks to transition to cloud storage and smart devices.
If the first quarter of 2016 was not great for the general economy it was a disaster for the computer industry. PC sales cratered, down nearly ten percent from last year and dropped to 2007 levels. And the bad news for the venerable old PC is just going to get worse.
This is a trend we could have seen coming years ago had we just looked to Japan. The PC has been dying over there for at least a decade longer than it has in the U.S. and the trend toward smart, small and connected devices has only accelerated.
Who Needs a PC?
The simple question that highlights the dismal road ahead for PCs is who really needs one anymore? As portable devices like tablets and smartphones continue to become more capable, the incentive to carry a full size laptop or the need for a desktop PC continues to decline. These days you need a reason to have a PC, like an application that requires the memory and processing power of a bigger machine. Applications like professional video editing, batch photography processing, engineering design and a handful of other applications are part of a diminishing number of applications that need a powerful desktop. Just a few years ago word processing would be on that list but the rise of powerful web-based word processing apps, like Google Docs, that can function on just about any mobile device, has cut into what has traditionally been one of the go-to functions for PC computing.
In the early days of mobile technology a device like a cellphone just didn’t have the processing power to run web-based word processing and spreadsheet apps and the screens were impossibly tiny. Modern cellular devices, with retail prices anywhere from $500 to $700, bring increased screen size and capabilities to mobile devices. It’s much easier to add a keyboard to a tablet or smartphone than it is to haul a full size laptop. As WiFi becomes more ubiquitous in the world, web-based productivity apps become more integral to business processes.
Also called “cloud services” it’s really just server-based big data applications that use a set of protocols to connect over the internet, called an API. Those massive cloud platforms are offered by companies like Amazon, Oracle and Adobe. Anyone with a bit of programming skill can create an app for any connected device that leverage the power of those massive online data farms. Most cloud storage is priced by how much space you use on the server, which is incredibly cheap compared to running your own servers. That means anyone with a bit of programming skill and a dream can stand up an enterprise scale application that runs on inexpensive connected devices. All the security, licensing and backups are handled by the service providers, some of which specialize in specific industries and in business to business applications.
Death Of The PC Is Imminent
The PC will likely limp along a while longer but the hand is definitely writing a dismal future for PC sales on the wall. As inexpensive connected devices become more capable there’s simply less incentive for internal networks of connected PCs.
If it’s any consolation, it’s not just PCs getting dinged. When you can watch streaming high definition television shows on your phone or tablet, there’s less need for a second or third TV in the house. Many young people don’t even own a TV these days and there’s little incentive to get one. It’s just more junk to haul around for a generation that wants to live light and be mobile.


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Does the see-me-out update for the Colorado leave Holden's biggest rig setting the pace or simply catching up?
DAY one, we towed and hauled contracting gear around the city – day two, we drove that sucker along a risky road to a remote rural valley and then, gasp, attacked a rutted and muddy farm track that ended at the top of a 914-metre high hill.
After all that? Another huge challenge: Crossing a river that was, I kid you not, potentially knee-deep in places.
All up, surely a huge abuse to deal to any fashion funky vehicle, not least a type increasingly favoured as an all-in-one family fun-mobile.
Get real. It’s the Holden Colorado. A truck born to muck, regardless that it is increasingly being used for anything but dirty work.
Holden’s decision to put their MY2017 range to real work for the media evaluation event was a good un, providing a timely reminder that this increasinngly glammed model is still, even in an age of enforced attunement to the whims of an important soft-handed audience, still a workhorse.
That includes the doublecab turbodiesel auto variant that comfortably accounts for more than half the Colorado volume. It says much abut the era we're in that, even within the motoring media, we need reminding that utes are still ... well, utes. And that the LTZ and flagship Z71 are still toilers, regardless that these have become preferred by weekend warriors. Though not as preferred as two rival rigs that have been giving it the bash, big time, in sales this year.
We’ve previously outlined detail of what appears – by my reckoning – to be this generation's fourth (coming after an initial facelift in 2014 then a couple of minor remedial actions in 2013 and 2015) rework, one that this time completely ignores enhancing its already considerable muscle and instead focuses more on improving its manners.
While there are significant mechanical changes that, operationally-speaking, will suit the rough equally as well as the smooth, it’s the updates to issues that never once mattered in utedom – refinement, ride quality, street-driving smarts and even safety – that take higher priority.
It’s pretty obvious that the changes within the cabin – notably the inclusion of more car-like trims in the high-end rigs and the implementation of a swank infotainment setup affording the in-vogue Apple CarPlay and Android Auto abilities (which, admittedly, is a Holden-wide initiative) were more to keep sweet with jetski/moto-cross running owner set than with the contractors’ federation.
Still, this 'car-cification' is core tothe traydeck trend so it’s easy to understand why the doublecabs, which dominate and almost certainly generate the most profit, now dress more aflluently.
Holden New Zealand’s managing director, Kristian Aquilina, is certainly a believer in taking every opportunity in this direction.
He cites that it would be mad not to do everything possible to ensure increased volume when we’re in a time when consumer desire to use these as car and sports utility substitutes – his words, not mine - is driving interest to unprecedented level.
Improving the refinement, active and passive safety systems and comfort level; making the truck more car-like, to suit changing consumer tastes, but without losing its inherent toughness or impinging on engine outputs that were already class-leading for a four-cylinder turbodiesel. That’s the impetus, he says.
So, is it good enough now to chase down and beat those two rivals that, year to date, that have left Holden’s offer holding a generally lonely third?
Some media colleagues came back from the initial taster drive in Australia reckoning this Colorado has the right stuff to run down Ford’s Ranger and the second-placed Toyota Hilux. After all, it always had the power: It just needed more polish.
However, if Colorado is to set the sales standard, first it has to seriously pick up the sales pace. That’s why Aquilina is not overly swayed by such journalistic jingoism, as you will see in the video interview above.
The gap is too great to make it so this year. With 2339 registrations as at the end of August, Colorado is two percent down on its volume for the same period of 2015 whereas the Ford, with 5646 registrations, and Toyota (on 4235) have increased their year-on-year gains.
Colorado is hardly a loser. It remains comfortably ahead of the Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Mazda BT-50, is still selling well enough to be Holden’s top performing model and will likely beat its 2015 total of 3586 units.
But even with that best case scenario, it might yet end the year 3000 units behind Ford, whose offer has already reset monthly records at least three times over the past two years and is now also undergoing a refresh.
Aquilina is not dis-satisfied with his volume, reminding that the ute market has trebled in size since 2006, and expresses confidence that a process that Holden says gives Colorado “Swiss army knife-like” functionality and improved all-round value will raise its stature.
“Out of the top 10 new vehicles this year, five of them come from this segment.
“Yes, we’re No.3, so currently the bronze medalist. We have greater aspirations, of course, that we hold privately but from our perspective (the update) was all about investing heavily in the product at this point in its life cycle to make sure we were truly meeting the expectations of our customers.”
Holden is saying little about how long the current rig has to go, but potentially it’s four years at most given that Isuzu – which has co-developed the current model – has already signaled that it will, in 2020, quit marriage with General Motors to begin a new partnership with Mazda. This change of relationship is expected to see the next Colorado become a fully in-house GM job, probably a global offer out of America.
Anyway, back to the present and last week’s media days, which showed the MY17 range in good light, though the heroics were really all in an ordinary day’s work and were, in fact, merely repeating feats from past media events for this rig.
The challenge of hauling a variety of weighty contractor-style items were lugged by the models, either off the tow hook or in the tray, to showcase their load-carrying ability on a mainly city-based drive around Christchurch and Lyttelton was a good one. It reminded that Colorado is a sector leader with its 500Nm torque and 3.5-tonne towing capability.
Mind you, we did the same thing – with even, from memory, heavier loads – when the Holden was introduced back in 2012. Ford also ran the same kind of demo drive when it launched Ranger.
Next day’s 200km expedition through the remote and picturesque Lees Valley was also enjoyable. As mentioned, this involved traversing the tightly twisting single lane gravel access road interspersed with fords and a decent river crossing, and also threw in a farm trek to one of the highest points of the valley; a real mud-slug with lots of ruts and bumps to challenge the powertrain, suspension and body structure.
Déjà vu or something new? Past launches for previous updates have also included off-roading, but a genuine NZ farm is a new twist. The previous Colorado expedition I undertook was a run in forests and on beaches north of Brisbane.
I’m not suggesting this stuff shouldn’t be done: It’s great fun off-roading a Colorado because it especially feels born to smash this sort of stuff. That includes the most street-savvy of them all, that Z71 flagship, which I and Aquilina rode in to the top of that massive hill. Conjecture that its lowish-profile 18-inch rubber is more Gucci than gumboot was undone: It simply cruised up as easily as the more sensibly shod LTZ alternates in our 10-rig convoy.
So, if these exercises were expected to reveal a complete change of character, then tough luck. It continues – thankfully – to trade on great strength and durability. It’s still one of the best choices for those who want to knuckle down and get on with the job.
But, yeah, maybe there’s a bit less Swanndri and a bit more Rodd and Gunn about the high-end models now. Electric power steering with a faster steering rack, digressive front and rear dampers, revised spring rates, a thicker front stabiliser bar and different tyres are among the major chassis changes.
While the 2.8-litre diesel retains the same level of performance as previously, powertrain engineers not only found a 0.4 litres per 100km economy improvement and Euro Five compliance but also improved noise, vibration and harshness. Measures include shifting the balance shaft, a new automatic transmission torque converter, revised engine and transmission mounts and anti-noise shielding on the diesel injectors, timing cover and oil pan.
The torque converter is now what Holden calls a central pendulum absorber (CPA) type that is usually seen on premium diesel passenger cars. This, Holden’s lead development engineer Amelinda Watt told us, reduces engine noise and vibration by cancelling out torsional vibrations normally felt in the cabin.
How does this translate to road and rutted track? Holden’s engine has never been the quietest in class yet, while it still roars heartily when the rig is rushing through ankle-deep mud in low range, it is not so vocal in highway running and the idle chatter, while still obvious, is no longer so loud as to dominate.
Making more improvement to refinement is the addition of a lot of extra noise insulation. The drive to quieten it down even stretches to the implementation of extra-fat door seals, so effective that the side glass has been engineered to auto retract whenever the doors open or close. This is to allow air to escape. Otherwise the doors don’t close properly.
Adoption of the same power steer system that went into the latest Commodore is a good score. It makes it easier to drive around town – and also when you’re trying to reverse a big trailer – and doesn’t affect the feel that comes in handy when you’re driving off-road.
As expected, the facelift delivers the same styling revisions that came to its same-named Chevrolet-badged equivalent that went public in April. A look that will also transfer to the Trailblazer seven seater wagon communicates strength and delivers coherent association with the Acadia and Equinox sports utilities coming in 2018.
The inclusion of the MyLink system with colour touch screen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, auto headlights and LED daytime running lights are all pluses for a working truck. All versions save the cab chassis types take a reversing camera – and reversing sensors.
Providing the top of the range LTZ and Z71 with 18-inch rims, Front Park Assist, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, tyre pressure monitor, power folding exterior mirrors and rain-sensing windscreen wipers are all sops to the recreational buyer, but nothing wrong with that.
Personalisation is big business that Holden intends to tap more extensively, with 77 accessories – 28 of them new - including a safari bar, fender flares, LED driving lights and all-terrain tyres. Many of the add-ons were previewed on the Colorado Xtreme concept vehicle brought in for the Fieldays. A pity the concept’s impressive wheels don’t make the showroom.
First impression? On the strength of my time at the wheel, I’d suggest it still lacks the dynamic dexterity that has been engineered into the Ford and Toyota. On the other hand, it’s also potentially the rig that might pull those city slick rivals out of the muck when your off-roading day turns bad.
I’m not unhappy about that.


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Caravans can be a chic investment
No one can accuse caravans of being stuck in the past. These much-derided British mobile homes are busy re-inventing themselves and in danger of becoming trendy.
Home in tow: The Thirties-inspired Airstream caravan has been redesigned for UK roads
While the standard net curtain model remains ever popular, a new genre of caravan is revitalising the industry at a time when more people are holidaying at home.
The Caravan Club, which counts Helen Mirren and Billie Piper among its members, and Take That's Mark Owen and model Nell McAndrew as fans, reports that holiday bookings are up by 40% compared with last summer.
And the rival Camping and Caravanning Club, which has the outward-bound Bear Grylls as an ardent supporter, has seen a similar surge in interest this year.
Celebrities might regard caravanning as a way to return to the simple pleasures in life. For the rest of us - particularly 35 to 44-year-olds, who, according to VisitBritain, are the most likely to do - it's a leisure pursuit which needs to fulfil our dictates on comfort and eco-friendly credentials.
Dick Shone, the Sussex-based founder of Boutique Caravans, is leading the revolution. 'There are people of my generation, approaching 50, whose main asset is their house who are thinking about downsizing to park homes for retirement. But when I looked at what was on offer, the aesthetic was rather old-fashioned,' says Shone, an art publisher.
He decided to fill the gap and designed the Indy home, which retails from £75,000. Its simple but super-insulated wood cladding and glass exteriors blend in with the surroundings, while inside, it looks more smart city apartment than mobile home, with full-size beds, power showers and top-brand kitchens.
The Indy, designed mainly as a holiday home, can also be used in the garden as an annexe or office.
'The benefits are it can be delivered on a truck and installed in a day, so there's less impact on the environment than building an extension. And it's far cheaper than an extension or home office,' says Shone.
It's energy-efficient, with underfloor heating and ventilators that expel air and transfer fresh air to reduce the need for heating.
Shone's other designs include The Edge, a modernist mobile home inspired by Mies Van der Rohe, with floor-to-ceiling insulated glass walls, 'intended to be a permanent residence,' says Shone, and The Break, a holiday home space, with sound systems throughout, even in the shower, and rear projector TV screens so you can watch films from your deck.
Prices start at around £40,000. All three designs have flexible internal layouts and all sit on a mobile chassis, which means they can be sited anywhere on your own land without the need for planning permission.
'I'm hoping to find a site to turn into an Indy home park, ideally on the South Coast,' says Shone.
For those more likely to be on the move, try the teardrop-shaped T@B, available from Blackmore Vale Leisure from £7,990. The lightweight, twoberth version weighs just 800kg when fully-loaded, 'which opens up a far wider market beyond people with big cars, as you can tow this with a Mini,' says Blackmore Vale's Paul Hopkins.
'We meet lots of people who say "I don't even like caravans, but I love this",' he says.
The T@B 400 four-berth version, which starts at £14,900, includes a stargazing electric window.
For the ultimate in mobile chic, there's the bullet-like Airstream, a Thirties American icon, as owned by Brad Pitt and Denzil Washington. Now it has been streamlined to suit UK and European roads and costs from £29,950.
It is stylish, with interiors in polished aluminium and black leather, but hard-wearing and economical too, using 20% less fuel than the typical caravan.
'I fell in love with the curves and design of the Airstream as a child,' says 33-year-old Jack Horner, manager of Frukt music marketing agency in London, who is looking at buying an Indy home.
'I'd like my son to experience that same sense of freedom,' he says.
'Even the memory of it heaving down with rain, huddled around a table playing a board game, makes me feel nostalgic.'
• BOUTIQUE CARAVANS: 07507 835373, boutiquecaravans.co.uk Blackmore Vale Leisure: 01747 851497, bmvcaravans.co.uk Airstream: 015396 24141, airstreameurope.co.uk.
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I just received an email about a bill before the California assembly. AB 493 may go to a vote today. The bill, sponsored by Ira Ruskin (D-Redwood City) would impose a fee or a rebate on new vehicles sold in California. A fee would apply to a vehicle that produces a lot of polluting emissions, and you would receive a rebate (based on a sliding scale) for cars that produce less. For instance, a Prius would get you a maximum rebate, while a Hummer would be slapped with a big fee.
The idea is right—having the market play a factor in cleaning the environment. However, in principle, I don't think that taxation (and yes, it's a tax when you impose a mandatory fee) is a good means to change behavior. Though, there should be some kind of penalty for excessive pollution. It's a tough issue.
This bill does not take into account that many who use trucks or large vehicles for work (e.g. yard crews, builders, etc.) would have to pay the penalty, nor does it address the fact that car companies are dragging their feet on lower emission vehicles (and probably, as a result, artificially inflating the cost of cars like the Prius). If a Prius cost as much as a two door coupe, then we'd see thousands of them on the road.


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iPhone XS Connectivity Issues, Huawei Mate 20 Pro Color Variants & more – Pocketnow Daily
On Pocketnow Daily, many users are complaining of connectivity issues on the new iPhones, they also were outperformed by the iPhone X in battery tests. The iPhone XS Max just took the crown for the best smartphone display from the Galaxy Note 9 according to DisplayMate. Samsung is working on a mid-range phone with an on-display fingerprint scanner dubbed the P30 for the Chinese market. New renders of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro have just emerged showing of the color options as well as the display. We end today’s show with some rumors for the OnePlus 6T’s launch date.
All this and more after the break.
– iPhone Xs users are having poor Wi-Fi and LTE connection problems
– The iPhone X outlasts both the iPhone Xs and Xs Max in battery life
– iPhone Xs Max tops Galaxy Note9, becomes ‘Best Smartphone Display’
– The Galaxy S10 will not be the first Samsung with in-display fingerprint scanner
– This is the Huawei Mate 20 Pro
– Possible launch date for the OnePlus 6T according to leaked invitation
#PocketnowDaily #iPhoneXS #Mate20Pro
Tweets by Pocketnow
Graphics provided by: Motionvfx.com
Pocketnow has been a key source of mobile technology news and reviews since its establishment in 2000. With offices on three continents, Pocketnow offers round-the-clock coverage of the mobile technology landscape, from smartphones to tablets to wearables. We aim to be your number-one source for mobile tech news, reviews, comparisons, and commentary. If you love mobile as much as we do, be sure to subscribe!


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LG has launched its G3 smartphone this week, providing a successor to last year’s LG G2. The ‘G’ prefix is used for LG’s premium devices.
Running Android on a Qualcomm quad-core processor, the LG G3 has a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 pixel display.
LG and Motorola have announced the first two smart watches designed to use Google’s new Android Wear operating system.
Both products are expected to go on sale in the summer, although no UK plans have been confirmed.
Bye-bye Barcelona, hello Hanover
Mark Bridge writes:
As one show closes, so another show opens.
It’s now more than a week since we bid a sad farewell to Mobile World Congress 2014 – I imagine hotel rooms for 2nd to 5th March 2015 are already being booked – but there’s now CeBIT in Germany to look forward to. Prime Minister David Cameron kicked things off last night with a speech that talked about UK-German partnerships, more funding for research around the ‘Internet of Things’ and the development of 5G technology.
HTC has revealed a new entry-level smartphone - the Desire 310 - that includes some of the features first introduced on the flagship HTC One.
Meanwhile LG Electronics announced the L90, which is the first smartphone in its L SeriesIII family.
This year’s Global Mobile Awards have been revealed at Mobile World Congress today.
These are the 19th annual Global Mobile Awards and were presented by actor and comedian James Corden.


text: The Port of Halifax in Nova Scotia and the ports of Montreal and Quebec in the province of Quebec were hit by a cyber attack on Wednesday, but cargo continues to move at all three facilities. The ports’ websites have been taken out of commission. According to a report from CBC News, the external websites of the Port of Halifax were shut down by a denial-of-service attack. The port’s spokesperson Lane Farguson said, “What’s important is that our internal systems continue to operate normally and port operations have not been affected by this. Traffic continues to move through the Port of Halifax.” Internal data has not been compromised, according to Farguson. The websites of the Port of Montreal and Port of Quebec are also offline. Both ports report that operations are not affected and there has been no data breach.


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When Thomas Lloyd of DeLand, Florida, posted a negative online review of a local animal hospital last year, he believed he was forewarning pet parents. What he wound up receiving was a heavy financial insult to his searing emotional injury.
“I never though I’d be sued over anything I write,” Lloyd told CBS News. “There’s no reason to say anything but the truth.” That “truth,” however, cost him a year-long court battle and more than $26,000.
Lloyd’s troubles began last year when he rushed his sickly, 10-year-old poodle, Rembrandt, to DeLand Animal Hospital. Lloyd was told Rembrandt needed emergency surgery to remove a ruptured spleen — and, he was assured the surgery would be performed immediately. Six hours later, Lloyd was informed that no surgeons were available to perform the procedure. A distraught Lloyd rushed Rembrandt to another clinic. By then, Rembrandt’s time had run out; he had to be euthanized.
On April 14, 2018, Lloyd posted on Yelp: “The staff [at DeLand] wasted six hours of Rembrandt’s life and destroyed whatever chance he may have had to live. Our Rembrandt deserved a better last day.” Weeks later DeLand Animal Hospital and veterinarian Thomas MacPhail slapped Lloyd with a defamation suit claiming his statements were “false” and “published maliciously and recklessly.” Lloyd’s legal fees exceeded his yearly Social Security income.
“It isn’t always cheap to give an honest review,” Lloyd said. “Because if the other person has money, they can drive you into the ground.”
Recent years have seen a rise in lawsuits intended to dissuade consumers from leaving negative reviews, according to Evan Mascagni, policy director for the Public Participation Project. A Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (S.L.A.P.P.) filer “doesn’t go to court to seek justice,” Mascagni said. “They’re just trying to silence or harass or intimidate a critic of theirs.”
Currently, 29 U.S. states have anti-S.L.A.P.P. legislation on the books, but there is no federal anti-S.L.A.P.P. statute. Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission ramped up enforcement of the Consumer Review Fairness Act which prohibits businesses from inserting gag clauses into consumer contracts. Online mediums afford consumers the chance to survey the performance of any business offering products and/or services. A Pew Research Center study estimates that fully 82% of consumers consult online reviews “at least sometimes” before making decisions.
While there are no foolproof guidelines to insulate one from a defamation suit, one’s online conduct may minimize the chances. Avoid sweeping judgements. Confine the scope of the review to your own experience. Be specific. The tone and content of an individual review reveals the difference between someone with a story to tell and an ax to grind.
Thomas Lloyd ultimately counter-sued DeLand Veterinary Hospital. Two former veterinarians gave sworn affidavits that they lacked the experience to perform Rembrandt’s surgery. That left Dr. MacPhail who reportedly declined to do the surgery and promptly left for vacation. Attorneys for DeLand Animal Hospital dropped their suit upon learning of CBS News’ interview with Lloyd.
When writing of our experience with pet service providers, let us post honest and specific content. We want to guide our fellow pet parents along the path of wise choices. And, by all means, avoid a “MacPhail.”


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A mother from Australia’s Sydney shared a video about her daughter’s “vile” discovery in a BBQ pizza purchased from a store located in Neutral Bay, Sydney.
A woman was shocked to discover dozen of maggots in a pizza roll she purchased from the store.
She told foreign news outlet that her daughter had already eaten half of the pizza when she noticed her “food was moving”.
The footage recorded by the customer shows at least 10 maggots under pieces of ham.
Warning: Graphic content
“My daughter had asked me to buy her a BBQ Pizza. When she came home from school, she immediately started eating it…She was talking away to me and looked down and just screamed.”
The woman said she had chosen to raise awareness about the find because she was concerned about other families also finding “worms” in their food.
A spokesperson of the store told an international news outlet that the retail chain has launched an urgent investigation.
The post ‘My food is moving’: Woman discovers ‘vile’ in pizza roll appeared first on ARY NEWS.