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The GM Apple That Doesn't Brown Ever!
How many of you have cut up an apple, left it on the plate, watched it turning brown, and then discarded it? Well, all that wastage could soon be a thing of past because a team of scientists is working on a revolutionary concept, which shall keep your apples white, always. So, no more rubbing lemon juice on sliced apples, you can cut your apple, keep it white, and have it too.
What are These New Apples?
A company called Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) has a team of scientists who are working on genetic engineering of apples so that they can develop a variety which stays white even after it is cut up. The company is hoping that the new variety of apples will be beneficial not only to the farmers and marketers but also to the consumers.
Modifying food crops genetically is an oft-debated topic in the US. While it is nothing new for Americans, there is a lot of criticism about it. The new variety of apple is called The Arctic apple. It is the first GM version of a fruit and the team of scientists has assured that people can directly bite into it and enjoy the apple.
Why the Opposition?
You may think that a fruit, genetically modified to stay white, would receive a whole lot of public applause but, unfortunately, that is not the case. For starters, the US Apple Association (USAA) has opposed the marketing of the Arctic Apple. Although, USAA is not the only organization representing the apple industry, which feels so, its opposition is the most vociferous. The main reason behind the USAA's reaction is that the GM tag may rob the fruit of its image of being healthy and natural. As goes the saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, the apple industry feels that with the GM-interference, the saying may lose some of its sheen. President of the Northwest Horticultural Council, Christian Schlect, has this to say, "We don't think it's in the best interest of the apple industry of the United States to have that product in the marketplace at this time. What Schlect says definitely holds much weight because this organization represents the apple industry of Washington State and around it, which accounts for more than 60% of the country's apple supply. People who oppose GM fruits and vegetables are of the opinion that the benefits of such crops are often overstated.
The Public Opinion
The GM apple is, however, not an arbitrary effort. The US Agriculture Department (USDA) has indicated that it would invite public comments on the Okanagan experiment and the public will have two-months' time to reply on this venture. The OSF has currently applied for regulatory approval for the Arctic Apple, which is pending with the Department. Besides the US, the company is also seeking approval for its revolutionary fruit in Canada but the government approval is still pending.
Why Arctic Apple?
When asked what was the inspiration behind the non-browning apples, Neal Carter, Okanagan founder and president, said that the Arctic Apple would improve the industry sales, just like the baby carrots improved the sales figures for the carrot industry. Carter said, "If you had a bowl of apples at a meeting, people wouldn't take an apple out of the bowl. But if you had a plate of apple slices, everyone would take a slice." If OSF gets the due approval from the concerned authorities, it plans to launch the Arctic Apple in two varieties - Granny Smith and Golden Delicious. Both the varieties will have a synthetic gene, called Polyphenol Oxidase, which is responsible for prevention of browning.
Since US is already pressing Europe on GM foods, there is little doubt that the GM apple will meet the USDA approval. Well, the only reason why nobody serves apples sliced is that it turns brown. While sliced applces are currently being served at restaurants and in-flight too, proper care has to be taken so that they do not turn brown before consumption. If the public approves the OSF venture, and the USDA, too approves it in turn, you will soon be able to serve apples sliced up without bothering about the browning part.


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Is the UK’s 'no-tariff' plan for the Irish border incompatible with WTO rules?
Opinions differ on whether the UK government's proposal not to collect import duties on goods crossing the Irish border violates the WTO's non-discrimination policy
The UK’s intention to simply refrain from collecting import duties on goods entering Northern Ireland across the Irish border, as announced earlier today (March 13), has sparked some lengthy debate among trade lawyers about whether, and if so how, this might violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
This seems to boil down to two questions:
whether doing so would violate the WTO’s non-discrimination principle (known as most-favoured nation treatment) since goods imported into the UK at its ports would face customs clearance and in many cases tariffs
or whether the problem is the inconsistent use of tariffs around the UK’s borders
Legal opinion seems to be that by not collecting import duties on goods crossing the Irish border, and by not requiring those goods to be cleared by customs, the UK might not be violating the letter of WTO law.
For example, apples from the US or Ireland would be treated equally when they cross the Irish border, so there is no discrimination between the two products.
Where opinion differs is whether a supplier like the US could complain that this was discrimination in practice because it’s less convenient for American apples to be imported into Ireland and transported north across the land border than for Irish apples just to head north.
US apples would normally have to go through customs clearance and processing for food safety and plant health when they arrive at UK ports.
Some lawyers, such as Holger Hestermeyer of King’s College London, argue that a case could be made that this is discrimination in practice, opening the door to a legal challenge in the WTO.
Wonderful discussions going on concerning MFN. My argument: Yes, you do formally treat all goods alike, but you target a border with much higher Irish content than all other borders and you explicitly do it to grant benefits to Irish goods. De facto MFN violation. https://t.co/fDyGLM84rf— Holger Hestermeyer (@hhesterm) March 13, 2019
Others reject the argument.
On the inconsistency question, some lawyers have raised the possibility that the UK might be violating Article 10 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT, the main WTO treaty covering trade in goods).
Paragraph 3 of the article says: “Each [WTO member] shall administer in a uniform, impartial and reasonable manner all its laws, regulations, decisions and rulings”, including its tariff rates.
Again, it’s uncertain whether a legal challenge in the WTO would succeed in showing the UK was violating the requirement to be “uniform”. But some lawyers see this as potentially a more serious violation than discrimination, even in practice.
One is Lorand Bartels of Cambridge University.
The estimable @Lorand_Bartels directs us to GATT Art X 3a. If the UK is charging one tariff at it's NI border & a different one at other borders can it be said to be administering its regulations in a 'uniform, impartial and reasonable manner'? https://t.co/7VyrSAWjqC— JPCampbellBiz (@JP_Biz) March 13, 2019
Concern about this has even been raised by the EU since products crossing the Channel from France would not be treated the same as products crossing the Irish land border.
“We take note of the UK’s plans for temporary tariffs in the case of no deal. We will carefully analyse the compliance of the UK plan with WTO law and the EU's rights thereunder,” European Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas said earlier today.
“The differential treatment of trade on the island of Ireland, and other trade between the EU and the UK, raises concerns.”
Meanwhile, a well-known trade lawyer has questioned whether the UK can, under WTO rules, continue to apply the EU’s anti-dumping and other measures against imports considered to be traded unfairly.
“Among the other WTO violations in this plan is the U.K. keeping in place anti-dumping [AD] and countervailing duties [CVD] based on investigations done by the EU. Countries can only impose AD/CVD duties if they have done their own investigation and proven injury to UK businesses,” tweeted Georgetown University professor Jennifer Hillman, a former WTO Appellate Body judge, 2007–2011)
Among the other WTO violations in this plan is the U.K. keeping in place anti dumping and countervailing duties based on investigations done by the EU. Countries can only impose AD/CVD duties if they have done their own investigation and proven injury to UK businesses https://t.co/iIlw7X46gg— Jennifer Hillman (@JAHillmanGULaw) March 13, 2019

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Lululemon lovers duped by counterfeit websites
Investigators with Homeland Security say you should think twice before going online to buy Lululemon athletic wear. You could be giving your information to an overseas scammer. And the clothes you get will not be Lululemon.
Even men know Lululemon is huge with girls and women. But the ultra-popular yoga-inspired athletic wear is also expensive. A simple hoodie will typically cost more than $100, which is why a lot of people shop for sales. A sale is exactly what one local woman was searching for when she found a website with the name lululemonoutlet.us.com. It looked authentic. It had the famous Lululemon logo along with the popular styles and the typical outlet discounts.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, says she ordered a purple hoodie with an outlet price of $69.99. The package was delivered within days, but right away there were big red flags. The merchandise bag looked okay -- a clear plastic bag with the Lululemon name and logo. But instead of the purple hoodie she ordered, she got a black, hoodless jacket, plus a pair of cheap plastic sunglasses she didn't order. The glasses were in a cheap case plastered with the iconic design of Coach. Why would Lululemon send you anything from Coach?
The jacket had a Lululemon logo on the main zipper pull, but none on the other zippers. The signature Lululemon logo-shaped seams were puckered. And on closer inspection there were glaring spelling errors on the product description tags- using the word "chir" instead of chin. And "wirsts" instead of wrists.
"Counterfeiters will counterfeit anything that they can make money on," said Brad Bench, Special Agent in charge at the Homeland Security Investigations office in Seattle.
Bench says designer counterfeiters are duping people with all kinds of fake websites, from designer clothing and shoes, to accessories and necessities and even toothpaste.
Beyond the risk of ending up with sub-standard knock-offs, investigators say people who buy from counterfeit websites are giving their credit card and personal information to organized criminals. They also risk getting products that do not meet American safety standards for things like flame retardants, lead and toxic chemicals. Bench says the chances of getting your money back from any of the sellers after you learn you bought from a fake website are about zero.
"These counterfeiters are in the business to defraud consumers and they want your cash, and they got it in this instance and they'll probably keep it," Bench emphasized, urging consumers to carefully inspect the website before making any purchase.
"Homeland Security Investigations has a program called 'Operation In Our Sites' that targets the websites that sell these types of products. And if we identify that there are counterfeit products, we'll seize that domain name and effectively shut the website down, so no further consumers can be defrauded," he added.
Bench urges anyone who suspects a website may be an unauthorized copy-cat site selling counterfeits to pass the information along.
"Go to ice.gov and enter a tip on the website. That gives us a starting point to start working these types of investigations," Bench explained.
Just remember, the investigations take time. And there are hundreds, if not thousands of bad websites out there. And for every fraudulent site that gets shut down, others pop up in their place. Beyond that- most of the counterfeit scammers are overseas, in China.
To give you an idea of how prolific these scams are, last year Lululemon identifed at least 50 counterfeit websites believed to be run by 9 people in China. The official Lululemon website now warns customers about the fraud and lists the only authorized websites you should go to if you want to buy authentic Lululemon Athletic products.


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On Nov 5-7, Lefancaps® participated in the CPHI worldwide 2019 at Congress Center Messe Frankfurt, Germany which uniting over 45,000 visiting attendees and 2,500 international exhibitors.
Lefan Capsule International Inc, a global leading empty capsule manufacturer and service provider, attended SupplySide West taking place on October 17-18. This exhibition is the
On September 24-26, Lefancaps® (Jiangsu) attended Health Asia 2019 in Karachi, Pakistan and attracted a large number of global attendees. Health Asia 2019 is is the
Pullulan empty capsules are prepared by using Pullulan as the main material and suitable excipients. Pullulan, fermented by microorganisms, is selected as a raw material
On June 18-20, Lefancaps® attended the CPHI Shanghai 2019 and let the exhibitors and audience know its constant efforts to produce global leading HPMC capsules.
On May 7th-9th ,2019, Lefancaps (Jiangsu) participated in the VITAFOODS EUROPE in Geneva, Switzerland. VITAFOODS EUROPE is is the place where the nutraceutical industry come together
INTERPHEX is the largest specialized exhibition of production technologies, specialized equipment and appliances and laboratory equipment for pharmaceutical industry in the USA. This year is


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No one sues the poor. At least there is some justice in that.
Creative Technology, Ltd. (NASD:CREAF) yesterday filed a complaint against Apple (NASD:AAPL) with the United States International Trade Commission. Apparently, Creative, based in Singapore, says that it has a patent on the "look and feel" of how people use the controls on MP3 players to access music. Since Creative is not a fly-by-night operation (although its shares are at a 52-week low), the legal battle may be played out in U.S. court over a lengthy period.
Apple can now join the Microsoft (NASD:MSFT) club. Once a technology company becomes wildly successful, the "have-nots" want a piece of the action. If they cannot get it in the marketplace, why not try the courts?
For Microsoft, IP lawsuits became more than a nuisance. They have become a daily reality that hog-tied the company in several markets. Apple needs to hope that it is not facing a similar fate.
CREAF 1-yr chart:
Douglas A. McIntyre is the former Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Financial World Magazine. He is also the former president of Switchboard.com, which was the 10th most visited site in the world at the time, according to MediaMetrix. He has been chief executive of FutureSource LLC and On2 Technologies, Inc. and has served on the boards of TheStreet.com and Edgar Online. He does not own securities in companies he writes about. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Mirror substrates for the European Extremely Large Telescope!
An illustrated guide to how fingerprint sensors work
We touch our phones a lot. The average person will tap and swipe on their phone screen more than 2,600 times a day – nearly a million times every year. That’s why smartphone makers rely on glass screens. Read our latest blog post to learn more how SCHOTT’s AS 87 eco was designed to fill the demanding role of a smartphone fingerprint sensor.
ICYMI: SCHOTT’s ultra-thin, flexible glass featured on Innovation Nation
SCHOTT’s ultra-thin, flexible glass continues to amaze, and garner attention from major media outlets. This time, it was featured on The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation on CBS. Host, Mo Rocca said the glass “moved more like a sheet of paper than a piece of glass.” Check it out here at the 15:22 mark:


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Both Samsung and Marvel are capitalizing on the relative closeness of their latest flagship releases; the Galaxy S6 and upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron. Both companies seem to be feeding off the hype of each other’s products as they have been collaborating a lot since the announcement of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Owners of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge can get their hands on an Avengers styled theme from Samsung’s theme store, as well as Avengers themed accessories for their new handset. Their latest collaboration, a free app entitled “Battle for Avengers Tower”, is slated to be released on The Oculus Store in the near future and offers lovers of virtual reality and Avengers a truly unique experience.
The new app gives owners of the Galaxy S6 and Gear VR the opportunity to watch an epic battle seen from the upcoming movie in full, 360-degree virtual reality, which should be an incredibly immersive experience. As many of you know, the Quad HD (2560 x 1440p) display adorning the Galaxy S6 is one of the best displays we have ever seen on the smartphone, which should lend itself well to virtual reality. A sharp high-quality display is absolutely necessary for virtual reality because the display is literally inches from the face; at this viewing distance the difference between full HD (1920 x 1080p) and Quad HD resolutions are definitely noticeable. The Quad HD equipped Galaxy Note 4 paired with the Gear VR headset offered a very solid virtual reality experience. However, the Galaxy S6 should prove to be even better as it has a much higher pixel density than the 5.7 inch Galaxy Note 4. If you would like to taste this new app without a virtual reality headset Samsung has uploaded a 360 degree YouTube video that approximates how the app will look from the Gear VR (see below). Although the 360 degree YouTube video looks great we can’t wait for the new app’s release; even better will be the option to watch the entire film via the Oculus VR Cinema app.
It is certainly interesting to see these two companies working together to create a firestorm of hype surrounding their latest products. Moviegoers viewing the latest Marvel film will see plenty of their favorite Avengers utilizing Samsung devices. Avengers: Age of Ultron is scheduled to be released in North America and most global markets on May 1st; the timing of this announcement is considerably shrewd on Samsung and Marvel’s part. While neither of these companies needs the extra promotion per se, you can’t blame them for creating an app that offers a compelling experience.


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Podcast: Valvoline Pilots New EV Services
March 29, 2022—Earlier this year, Valvoline announced it would pilot an EV services program at select locations across the country. A little over a month into that program, the company is evaluating its progress and is looking to expand the program later this year.
Heidi Matheys, Valvoline's chief marketing officer, and Jonathan Vice, Valvoline's senior manager of future mobility, talk about the future of the quick maintenance industry and why their company is jumping into the realm of electric vehicles now.
Subscribe to The ADAPT Podcast on your platform of choice:


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This upcoming holiday shopping season will see a difference from years past with retailers stocking holiday goods after Halloween and the elections, according to Marshal Cohen, NPD Group's chief industry analyst.
"The retailers have finally learned some lessons and not rushed holiday into their stores," says Cohen. "Consumers have demonstrated their propensity to buy closer to need and in-season, retailers have less inventory commitment and this affords them the ability to hold off. In the past we have seen holiday leveraged even before the Halloween candy was given out. This year, we are likely to see holiday in stores after the elections are over."
In addition, Cohen predicts consumers will wait to hit stores until after the elections are over. Meanwhile, Cohen says retailers and brands will feel restricted "with both their inability to figure out what will excite consumers, as well as with the fact that they have to live with the conservative holiday planning they did earlier this year."


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MediaTek is preparing to unveil two system-on-chip(SoCs) later this month, which acording to the report will include MediaTek Helio P23 and Helio P3 0processors.
MediaTek has started sending invites for the announcement of two new processors – the MediaTek Helio P23 and Helio P30 . Details and specifications are expected to be unveiled at an event in Beijing on August 29.
Going by the report, the Helio P23 is going to be built on the 16 nm process and will feature an octa-core CPU. The SoC is believed to support 2K resolution and dual camera setups. It is also expected to have Cat.7 connectivity and LPDDR4X memory.
The Helio P30 is obviously going to be the most powerful chipset in the P series. It is expected to be manufactured on TSMC’s 12 nm process and to have four Cortex-A72 CPU cores clocked at 1.5 GHz and four more Cortex-A53, again at 1.5 GHz. The connectivity will be Cat.10, which means theoretical download speeds of up to 600 Mbps.
Also the source revealed that MediaTek is considering to drop the price of the Helio P23 SoC in order to match it with the price cut of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC.
However, it quite interesting to know which Chinese manufacturers such as Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Meizu might be the first to use these MediaTek chipsets in their smartphones those are to be released in the fourth quarter of this year.


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Before Disney’s Q1 2022 Mailbag: Disney+, ‘Encanto’ in Disney Parks, and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’
What countries are getting Disney+ this year?
The countries and territories that are getting Disney+ are Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Oman, Palestine, Poland, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City, and Yemen.
Along with the Faroe Islands, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, St. Pierre and Miquelon Overseas Collective, Åland Islands, Sint Maarten, Svalbard & Jan Mayen, British Indian Ocean Territory, Gibraltar, Pitcairn Islands and St. Helena.
Could Moon Knight hit Disney+ on March 30th with a two-part premiere? And could Obi-Wan Kenobi premiere on April 6th with the finales both on May the 4th and on May 11th before and after Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness hits theaters to not interfere with the movie’s opening weekend numbers?
Well at the time of this question, Moon Knight didn’t have a release date but it is now coming out on March 30. I have a feeling that it could be a two-episode premiere so May 4 is reserved for Star Wars. But it obviously isn’t a guarantee. Also, seems like all is quiet on the Obi-Wan Kenobi front. Hopefully, Disney’s Shareholders Meeting reveals a clearer Disney+ schedule.
I think they are conscious of what they release and when but with the original series dropping on Wednesdays I don’t see a lot of fear in it affecting the box office for Doctor Strange.
Will Disney give any info on the Toontown update as well Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway when Toontown closes or will they wait for D23 Expo?
I could see a small update when it closes. I could see an update at the shareholders meeting also. But it is safe to say D23 Expo should be the main source of Parks news, and if for some reason it isn’t…
We will be in some trouble…
How worried is Disney about Amazon and Apple getting into live sports and what that could do to ESPN?
ESPN lives and dies by live sports.
If Amazon and Apple get serious about live sports rights. It could be a major problem for Disney. Disney already spends a ton on sports as it is but I can’t imagine them outbidding Amazon and Apple. The two companies have deeper pockets than the Mouse.
I think Disney’s hope is that they can lock down sports rights for the streaming services and by the time they are up again that Apple and Amazon have moved on to chasing other revenue paths.
Any thoughts on the rumors that Bobby Kotick of Activision could be next CEO of Disney? (I say no freaking way)
I think whatever rumor you heard of is just more of a crazy prediction. But there is not a chance. Just Google “Bobby Kotick” and there will be plenty of reasons why he wouldn’t work at Disney.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek is at the helm until at least early 2023. There is also a better shot at Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs returning and becoming Co-CEOs of Disney before Disney ever thought of hiring Kotick as CEO.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is now the 6th biggest of all time. But done in a pandemic and with no China. Simply amazing isn’t it?
No Way Home proved itself to be pandemic-proof plus I think it was the perfect storm of things. A monumental film, multiple generations, massive appeal, great opening date, the desire to get out, and No Way Home’s lack of streaming option propelled it to great heights box office-wise. I hope more studios take note.
No Way Home set the new standard for theatrical. I’m curious to see how The Batman and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness do in theaters.
Is there interest/demand for a third water park at Walt Disney World?
I think if Disney ever turns focus to its water parks it would build out what it already has. Also, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon seem like some of the last places in Walt Disney World without IP takeovers. It is shocking that Blizzard Beach doesn’t have an Olaf attraction. Maybe if Disney decided to build a third water park they would lean into their IP that has ties to nautical and adventure themes? (cough cough S.E.A. — Society of Explorers and Adventurers and others).
I know when most families go to Walt Disney World you either do one water park or the other. Adding a third could be fun for regulars and vacationers who come every year. But I just can’t see it happening when you could just build up the two water parks you have.
I think there is always an interest in more things at Walt Disney World but it seems unlikely they will build a third water park. At least right now. But once again you can never say never. Maybe Disney decides to build a third water park down the line? Maybe there is more of a demand for a third water park in a couple of years? Maybe Disney’s reaction to Universal’s Epic Universe is simply building a third water park?
Disney would just have to figure out the hook. Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach serve their purposes. What would a third water park do? What theme would make it a draw?
Given the drop in share price and the amount of debt, is there a possibility that another company could offer to buy Disney?
Maybe a company launches a takeover bid? Similar to what SeaWorld is trying to do with Cedar Fair? But I feel like that’s highly unlikely. I think Disney will want to remain the last of the entertainment companies not owned by a tech company or a higher power. It should stay that way as it is one of the few companies that can constantly compete in all fronts of entertainment from theme parks to streaming to theatrical.
But with that being said Apple, Amazon, and Google. It would have to be a major player buying Disney. But Disney would be a massive buy and I just can’t see that happening currently. I think the DOJ would definitely get involved because a potential Apple-Disney combination would quite literally take over the world.
Any possibility of Disney buying a theater chain?
This is a fascinating topic and in an upcoming newsletter, we may dive into it more but from an Imagineering standpoint.
With the Paramount Decree coming to an end. Disney along with players like Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and others could reshape the theatrical landscape if they wanted to.
Disney’s brand is strong. They also are playing a huge part in keeping the theatrical experience alive with event films that people will actually go out and see on the big screen.
There are so many extra costs that come with running a theater chain that Disney may not be interested in. Heck, they got out of the brick-and-mortar store business, so I can’t see them buying a theater chain where you have to worry about paying more employees, renting properties, dealing with other film studios when it comes to playing their films at Disney’s theaters, and other major operating costs that go with it.
But… It is an intriguing prospect of Disney running its own theater chain. What would the experience look like? Disney would have vertical integration and even more data at their disposal. What if this chain specifically plays Disney+ exclusive films? What about for finales of popular Marvel and Star Wars Disney+ series you have exclusive screenings before they drop on Disney+? There are a lot of possibilities and we may have to dive deeper into this later.
My answer for now is… never say never.
From all accounts, Encanto was a hit. Yet there’s little to no Encanto presence in the parks. Why do you think?
They were caught flat-footed.
Also, mix in that Disney isn’t spending on the parks as much and you get this. Encanto was represented at a food booth at the Festival of the Arts at EPCOT but that is super minor in the grand scheme.
Encanto in the Disney Parks even if it was a temporary experience or just meet and greets would do well. Maybe Encanto sequences will be added to Disney’s nighttime spectaculars? If Disney decides to announce new attractions and experiences at D23 in September, I would say an Encanto attraction/show somewhere should be at the top of the list.
Maybe we get some Encanto Summer Fun similar to Frozen Summer Fun from 2014 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.


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President-elect Donald Trump issued a threat to General Motors Tuesday morning: Make the Chevy Cruze in the U.S. or face a large tax for shipping a Mexican made model to the United States.
“General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers-tax free across border. Make in U.S.A. or pay big border tax!” Trump said in a post on Twitter.
General Motors is sending Mexican made model of Chevy Cruze to U.S. car dealers-tax free across border. Make in U.S.A.or pay big border tax!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2017
GM responded to Trump’s tweet Tuesday morning, saying the company makes a large majority of its Chevy Cruze models in the U.S., and sells only a “small number” of the Mexican made Cruze hatchback model to the U.S.
“General Motors manufactures the Chevrolet Cruze sedan in Lordstown, Ohio. All Chevrolet Cruze sedans sold in the U.S. are built in GM’s assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio. GM builds the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for global markets in Mexico, with a small number sold in the U.S,” General Motors said in a statement.
GM said that of the 190,000 Cruzes sold in the U.S. in 2016, only about 4,500 of those were made in Mexico.
Following Trump’s tweet, shares of GM fell approximately 1 percent prior to the market opening.
Trump has repeatedly told car manufacturers that he intends to impose a 35% tax on cars they build in Mexico to sell in the U.S. market.


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Credit Card Fees, Interest Rates Are Out of Control
Common Dreams | October 12, 2006
Today Tamara Draut, director of the Economic Opportunity Program at Demos, a non- partisan public policy and research organization, issued the following statement regarding the release of a U.S. Government Accountability Office report analyzing credit card fees, interest rates and related disclosure provided to consumers. The report, requested by and released by Sen. Carl Levin, is the first federal study to compile in a single place a description of the recent fees, interest rates and disclosure practices of 28 popular credit cards from the six largest credit card issuers.
"This report confirms what our years of research have shown us, and what American families are feeling across the country as they try to make ends meet: Credit card issuers are out of control and using the fragile economic conditions of America's households to send profits through the roof.
"Since the industry has been almost totally deregulated following two Supreme Court cases -- one in 1979 and the other in 1996, issuers have steadily increased fees and interest rates for most cardholders, and penalties have skyrocketed for almost all - - well beyond the limits of traditional lending institutions. During the same time, greater economic vulnerability and risk have been introduced into the family budget as our nation's promise of a stable, accessible middle class has become endangered. For instance:
-- Credit card debt has more than tripled since 1990 to over $800 billion in 2005.
-- Between 2001 and 2005, Americans cashed out nearly $500 billion in home equity to free up needed cash, often to pay-off high-cost credit, but depleting a families most essential asset
-- A recent survey of low- and moderate-income Americans with credit card debt by Demos and the Center for Responsible Lending found that basic necessities like car repairs, home repairs, and medical expenses contributed to credit card debt.
-- Nearly half (46 percent) of all households had credit card debt in 2004.
"Moreover, credit card companies reaped the benefits of steep declines in the Federal reserve rate in the 90's, but deliberately didn't pass the savings on to their customers -- and instead raised penalty rates and fees dramatically. It's time to reverse this trend.
"One thing we could do is ask Congress to take serious action to protect consumers from deceptive credit card terms and exorbitant interest rates and fees by passing a Borrower's Security Act that would restore the balance of power in the lending relationship. A Borrower's Security Act should:
-- Prohibit credit card companies from raising a cardholder's interest rate based solely on payments to other creditors.
-- Provide a late-payment grace period of at least five days before fees or interest rate hikes can be assessed.
-- Limit rate increases to 10 percent above the cardholder's original rate and to new transactions only.
-- Require disclosure of the full costs of only making minimum payments and raise the minimum payment requirement to 5 percent of the total balance for new cardholders.
-- Require credit cards issued to individuals under age 21 to have a co-signer, unless they can prove they have independent means of support.
"It's time to give America's families, rather than credit card issuers, a break for a change.
Infowars.com is Copyright 2006 Alex Jones | Fair Use Notice


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Our understanding of CBD cannabis oil has expanded and we’re more aware today than ever of the cannabinoid’s potential. Studies on CBD’s natural health benefits are extensive and groundbreaking research is being done regularly. We suggest you review the wide body of scientific research on CBD to get a better understanding of the cannabinoid’s health value. We answer the “Will CBD get you high?” question here.
Even though, thanks to the Farm Bill, hemp lost its status as a Schedule I drug – one that has no proven medical purpose and potential for abuse – marijuana did not. That means even though many states have legalized its use, the federal government still considers marijuana and CBD products derived from marijuana in almost any form to be illegal. But so far, federal law enforcement officials have not used their power to swoop in and shut down marijuana operations in states that have legalized it.
A 2012 research review assessed a number of international studies and concluded that CBD has been shown to reduce anxiety, and in particular social anxiety, in multiple studies and called for more clinical trials. Two years later, researchers in an animal study related to stress and the endocannabinoid system wrote that augmentation of the endocannabinoid system might be an effective strategy to mitigate behavioral and physical consequences of stress.
That lines up with one of the rare instances of FDA testing. In 2016, the FDA tested several “CBD oils,” ultimately issuing warnings to eight companies. Some of those oils were found to contain no or barely any CBD, and many contained illegal quantities of THC. For example, Healthy Hemp Oil’s “Herbal Renewals 25% CBD Hemp Oil Gold Label” contained 8.4 mg/g of THC. Sana Te Premium Oils, which sold 25 mg “CBD oil” capsules on Etsy, contained between 13 and 19 mg/g of THC and less than 0.1 mg/g of CBD.
The mosaic of laws that govern CBD legality across the globe varies just as much as the legislation across the US. Generally, CBD extract is legal in most countries, but what makes it illegal is where and what it’s extracted from. Most Group of 20 (G20) countries allow CBD extracted from industrial hemp, but not CBD extracted from whole-plant marijuana. Note, however, the differences between the two. Legislation regarding international travel with CBD also varies among countries. For the foreseeable future, the best practice would be to search online, or contact the respective embassies or consulates, before traveling to determine whether your CBD is safe and legal.


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AN independent Porsche specialist garage has had a ‘sexist’ advert banned for objectifying women.
Leeds-based Strasse, pictured, ran the advert in a February 2019 edition of 911 & Porsche World that featured an image of the lower half of a woman’s body wearing a black fitted mini-dress and brightly coloured high heels under a car, surrounded by car tools and a handbag. Text across the image stated ‘ATTRACTIVE SERVICING’.
One person complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), saying the advert ‘was degrading and sexist towards women’ and claiming it could be seen as ‘offensive and irresponsible’.
Strasse (UK) Ltd refuted the complaint, though, saying the model was fully clothed and empowered by having the tools there. It added that the words ‘attractive servicing’ referred to its prices against those of competitors. Publisher CH Publications Ltd said the model wasn’t nude and it wasn’t clear that it was a female either. It also said the model’s pose was the typical position of anyone working beneath a car.
However, the ASA rejected Strasse and CH Publications’ comments and pointed out that the text ran across the model’s crotch and legs. It added that the model’s waist and lower half appeared from beneath the car, with her legs apart. Because of the positioning of her bent leg, her skirt was pulled up to reveal her upper thigh and crotch, even though they were in opaque black tights. Since the model’s face wasn’t shown, it said, that meant the lower half of her body became the main focus of the ad.
The watchdog commented that the phrase ‘attractive servicing’ would be understood to be a double entendre, implying the woman was the ‘attractive’ part of the servicing. It said it ‘considered this . . . likely to be viewed as demeaning towards women’, adding: ‘Although the image was only mildly sexual in nature, when combined with the phrase “attractive servicing” it had the effect of objectifying women by using a woman’s physical features to draw attention to the ad.’
Banning the advert, the ASA said it wasn’t sexually explicit. However, ‘by using a suggestive image that didn’t bear any relevance to the advertised product, the ad objectified women and was likely to cause serious offence to some people.’ It told Strasse (UK) Ltd to ensure that its advertising was socially responsible and didn’t cause serious offence by objectifying women.
Image: Google Street View


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- Related Games:
- Titanfall 2
Titanfall 2‘s latest addition of free DLC will drop on May 30, and Respawn has given us a taste of what’s to come with the trailer above.
The DLC, titled “Monarch’s Reign,” includes one new Titan, two premium Titan skins, a new map, a new execution, and new content for the in-game store.
Monarch’s Reign is the fifth free DLC pack for Titanfall 2, in just six months since the game’s release. Past updates have included new maps, new game modes. Many of these have included optional, for-pay elements, such as the “Prime Titants” included in Monarch’s Reign.
The new map in Monarch’s Reign is actually a return of a classic map, Relic. This map appeared in the original Titanfall, but the map has been remastered, and additional wall-running routes have been added.
Respawn has not announced an end to their support for Titanfall 2 in the near future, so at least for now, we can look forward to more content on the horizon. Last reports indicate the Respawn is prepared to continue support for the game, indicating that they aren’t done after Monarch’s Reign.
The DLC will drop on all platforms starting on May 30


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Chinese nets and bolts ensnare Lifetime Products' basketball hoops in litigation over whether they qualify for "Made in USA" labeling.
Suddenlink Communications, a cable operator with more than a million customers, says it will stop carrying Viacom's TV networks at midnight, and it has struck deals with replacement channels .
Drug and medical-device companies paid at least $3.5 billion to U.S. physicians and teaching hospitals during the final five months of last year.
Coming competition in paying for everyday purchases with smartphones, including an aggressive entry from Apple, pushed online retailer eBay to reverse course and set free its PayPal unit.
Federal regulators have ordered replacement of pilot displays on more than 1,300 Boeing jets to prevent possible interference from Wi-Fi devices used in cockpits.
Japan Airlines Co. said it has become the latest target of hackers, with the information of up to 750,000 customers possibly stolen.
Johnson Controls is seeking to sell its building-management service amid an effort to focus more tightly on making high-value equipment, the company said Tuesday.
Netflix said that its first original movie, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend," will premiere next year, a signal that the streaming service is seeking to disrupt the Hollywood model of film rollouts.
Enbridge said it doesn't expect U.S. approval for an expansion of a cross-border pipeline until mid-2015, a year later than it previously planned.
The Federal Communications Commission voted to scrap the agency's 40-year-old ban on cable and satellite providers airing football games blacked out on local stations due to low attendance.


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All posts tagged "Mall Shopping Centre"
Armagh/ 1 year ago
Yobs targeting Mall security staff and shoppers with ‘foul and threatening language’
A former Armagh mayor has spoken of his shock and anger after watching members of the public and security staff being...
Armagh/ 6 years ago
Armagh pizza outlet plans expansion – with 10 new jobs expected
An Armagh pizza outlet is hoping to take a bigger slice of the hot food market in the city. Domino’s Pizza...
Armagh/ 7 years ago
Former Burger King site in Armagh to be given new lease of life
Speculation is mounting that the former Burger King outlet in Armagh could shortly be given a new lease of life as a leading...
News/ 9 years ago
Expansion plans for Mall shopping centre to get approval next month
Plans for a major retail development at the Mall in Armagh will be approved by Planning Service when officials meet with...


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A campaign to cap the annual business rates increase at 2%, in line with Government targets for inflation, is being launched by the ACS today.
Annual rates increases are currently based on Retail Price Index inflation figures from the previous September, and with RPI recorded at unusually high levels in 2011, retailers will be faced with a significantly increased rates bill despite forecasts suggesting inflation will have fallen by the time rates are affected.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “By deferring part of the business rate increase for two years in November’s Autumn Statement, the Chancellor took a positive step toward encouraging growth for retailers. However, deferral schemes have been implemented twice in three years by consecutive Governments after increases topped 5%, illustrating the need for a fairer system of setting business rates.”
“We are encouraging retailers to write to their MP and call on them to lobby the Chancellor to set rates in accordance with the Government’s own targets for inflation. This would save the retail sector over £200million this year and allow local shops and high street stores to focus on sustaining and growing their business.”
Retailers can download a pro forma letter to send to their MP at www.acs.org.uk/rates


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After scouting potential locations for his promotional products business, Kevin Scharnek settled on rustic Wales in Waukesha County.
The location, 543 A.J. Allen Circle, is just a couple of miles from his town of Genesee home, which has allowed Scharnek to slip away from his firm, 14 West, to take in family activities, such as his daughter's school play or his son's baseball games.
That wasn't always the case for Scharnek, who claims to have regularly logged 60- to 80-hour workweeks at another promotional products company. The workload left him little time to spend with his family.
"I was never home," he said.
Scharnek began contemplating a job change after his father, John Scharnek, died in 2001 at the age of 55.
"After he passed away, I decided I wasn't doing things the right way," Scharnek said. "Since my father's passing, I have learned to enjoy time away from the office."
Scharnek eventually left Wild Impact Marketing, Wauwatosa, a firm he helped found and where he served as an equity partner, and in 2004 took a job with New Berlin-based GMR Marketing L.L.C. He served as vice president of business development at GMR, but left the firm after about 18 months on the job.
"I missed being self-employed," he said. "I wanted to be an entrepreneur again."
Named after highway
He decided to launch 14 West, which takes its name from U.S. Highway 14, the route Scharnek and his family tend to travel on their family vacations.
"I started with a totally different attitude," said Scharnek, whose foray into promotional products started when he sold T-shirts while a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Scharnek, 38, is sole owner of 14 West, which he classified as a provider of branded merchandise such as high-end executive gifts, including golf apparel, as well as sales incentive premiums such as plasma televisions, appliances and golf equipment. He used a combination of bank debt and personal funds to launch the business, which leases a tiny space in an office strip development in Wales.
"What attracted us to him was his ability to sell his excellent marketing skills," said Harry Johnson, executive vice president of Sunset Bank, Waukesha, which provided Scharnek with a loan to fund the start up of 14 West.
"We're often reluctant to do startups in this business, but he came from a very strong marketing background so it wasn't a huge leap of faith to think that he could start a new company in the same format as before."
Products match image
Scharnek said his firm takes a "consultive" approach to providing clients with a variety of branded merchandise.
"This industry is very commodity driven," he said. "We put together very targeted programs for every project. We're selling a service, not just promotional products."
The goal is to align promotional products with a customer's brand image, Scharnek said.
"We really try to dig into the essence of a brand," he said.
Scharnek declined to provide specific sales figures for the company, which was founded in January 2006, except to say that it's less than $5 million annually.
He said annual revenue for 2007 will be double last year's figure.
"It's growing like crazy," he said. "We've actually had to pull back on sales because we need more people. We don't want to sacrifice service at this point."
Barb Ecklond, a principal at Suby, Von Haden & Associates, a Milwaukee certified public accounting firm, described Scharnek as the "ultimate entrepreneur."
"He has a passion for what he does," said Ecklond, who has served as Scharnek's accountant for more than a decade. "His enthusiasm is contagious."
Koozies for Miller
Scharnek's office is crammed with a variety of promotional products. Among the latest promotional items provided by 14 West are beer can koozies wrapped in artificial turf that 14 West is supplying for one of its major customers, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee.
The koozies are being produced in China after Scharnek said he requested that the vendor develop a product for Miller that's "not ordinary."
The artificial turf-covered koozies have been designed for Miller's Lite brand, which has a strong connection to football through its sponsorships and advertising, Scharnek said.
"It ties in to what Miller is doing as a brand," he said, noting that Miller has purchased 200,000 of the products.
The efforts by Scharnek and his employees at 14 West to come up with distinctive promotional products for a brand set the firm apart in a cutthroat industry where there are few barriers to entry, said Pete Marino, a spokesman for Miller Brewing who also owns Dig Communications, a Chicago strategic communications firm that also does business with 14 West.
"Kevin tries to understand your business rather than trying to do a hard sell on you," Marino said. "There are too many people out there who will try to sell you something that may or may not work for you. Kevin acts more like a partner than a vendor. He works to provide you a custom-fit solution."
In addition to Miller, 14 West customers include Kohl's Corp., Menomonee Falls, and Scharnek's former employer, GMR Marketing. The firm also does business with various advertising agencies in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, Scharnek said.
In addition, 14 West recently entered into an agreement to be the official promotional products licensee for Roush Fenway Racing, according to Scharnek.
"There are a ton of promotional opportunities in NASCAR," he said.
The firm doesn't produce any of the promotional products it provides to clients. It sources products from a network of promotional products suppliers and vendors throughout the world, including several in China.
The firm currently has six employees and is seeking to hire additional outside and inside sales personnel.
"One of our biggest challenges is finding people that fit our culture," he said. "I want someone that has a high sense of urgency for our clients, enjoys being creative and respects all within our circle, including clients, co-workers and supplier partners."
14 WEST L.L.C.
Owner: Kevin Scharnek
Address: 543 A.J. Allen Circle, Wales
Year founded: 2006
Web site: Under development
Annual revenue: Declined to disclose
Business plan: Provides promotional products and targeted promotional programs to customers throughout the country
Growth plan: Hire additional outside salespeople to attract new customers and increase revenue
What has been your toughest business decision? "Pulling back and not capitalizing on all the business relationships we have. I don't want to burn out the people we have. In the old days, I would have chased everything."
What has been your best business decision? "Deciding to become an entrepreneur again. I really enjoy coaching my team and seeing people grow."
What has been the biggest risk you've taken so far? "Finding my first employee. The wrong person could have been disastrous."
What is the best way to keep a competitive edge? "In our industry, it's putting yourself in front of the client at all times."
What is your business philosophy? "Bring in the best people you possibly can."
What is your five-year vision? "I don't believe in five-year plans. They're just for bankers."
what would be your first move with a capital windfall? "If the amount was large enough, I wouldn't work anymore. I couldn't shut the lights out fast enough. I'd also share it with everyone here. I'd quit and so would they."
What would be an inducement to sell? "If the right offer comes in, I'd share it with everyone who helped me become successful. It'd have to be a pretty big amount, though."
Who are your most respected competitors? Wild Impact Marketing, Wauwatosa, and Caliendo Savio Enterprises Inc., New Berlin
Answers by Kevin Scharnek


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The Coco-Cola Co., the nation’s biggest drink maker, reported a 14 percent profit increase for the third quarter, as business in emerging markets offset U.S. weakness.
The company posted earnings of $1.89 billion, or 81 cents per share, in the quarter ended Sept. 26. That compares with $1.65 billion, or 71 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Excluding certain charges, earnings per share were 83 cents.
Revenue was $8.39 billion, up 9 percent.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected 77 cents per share on revenue of $8.53 billion.
The company saw a 5 percent increase in case volume in the quarter, including 3 percent growth in carbonated drinks and 10 percent growth in uncarbonated drinks, including juices and bottled water.
“Our system’s ability to adapt to changing economic and consumer environments was key to our success during the quarter, and we believe that this adaptability will continue to be crucial to the business going forward,” said Muhtar Ken, president and CEO of The Coca-Cola Co. in a statement. Ken noted that the company’s international business, in particular emerging markets, continue to fuel growth and acknowledged that the operating environment, especially in North America, will continue to be challenging as it finishes 2008 and heads into 2009.
Coca-Cola’s results came a day after rival PepsiCo Inc. announced that it was cutting 3,300 jobs and closing factories to give it some “breathing room” to navigate the volatility that has reached all corners of the global economy. The news came as PepsiCo reported a 9.5 percent drop in third-quarter profit, missing Wall Street expectations. PepsiCo also issued a downbeat profit outlook, saying that the dollar’s recent surge against other major currencies will hurt profits from its rapidly growing international business.


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What you need to know
- Google will soon begin rolling out a joint January and December security update for the Pixel 3 and 3 XL.
- While most Pixel phones started receiving the December security update three weeks back, several Pixel 3 and 3 XL owners did not receive it.
- The joint December and January security update is expected to be released next Monday.
Google began rolling out the December security update for the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL phones a week after other Pixel phones last month. In addition to the December security update, it also brought a few other improvements to the latest Pixel phones.
Many Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL units, however, are yet to receive the December update. Responding to the concerns of several Pixel 3 and 3 XL owners on Twitter, Google has now revealed that it plans to roll out a "joint January and December security update" for the two phones in the coming days.
We understand your concern, Mike. If you did not receive the December update, in the coming days you'll be receiving a joint January and December security update. We apologize for the inconvenience.— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) December 31, 2019
Since Google usually rolls out the latest security updates for Pixel phones on the first Monday of the month, the joint update is likely to hit the Pixel 3 and 3 XL on January 6. The other Pixel phones, including the Pixel 4 and 4 XL, are also expected to get the latest January security update starting next Monday.
Unfortunately, Google hasn't revealed the exact reason why the December security update was delayed for the Pixel 3 series phones. Google usually releases new security updates for Pixel phones in the first week every month. For the last three months, however, Samsung has actually managed to beat Google to the punch with security updates. While Google hasn't started pushing the January security patch to Pixels yet, a few Samsung Galaxy smartphones have received it already.
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Home Tags Providence
A massive database breach was reported by Marriott Hotels and Resorts at their Starwood brand on November 30. In the meantime, Marriott Security procedures had been in the global spotlight resulting in various legal and criminal actions taken by authorities around the world against the largest hotel chain in the world. A PR nightmare has been unfolding for Marriott resulting in making the brand speechless in avoiding responses to the media.
Seychelles President James Michel has opened the Providence Fishing Port at the Providence Industrial Estate in the presence of the Ambassador of Japan to Seychelles, Mr.


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Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe has defended Argos’ festive performance despite suffering a slowdown in sales during the crucial golden quarter.
The grocer’s group like-for-like sales increased 1.1% in the 15 weeks to January 6, but total general merchandise sales – the bulk of which come through the Argos business – fell 1.4% during the period.
However, Coupe insisted its performance in non-food was “good” and said Argos “continued to outperform the market” in general merchandise.
“This is not a short-term game, this is a long-term game,” Coupe said of the £1.4bn Argos acquisition, which it completed in September 2016.
“The market is challenging and there’s certainly a little bit of a squeeze on consumer disposable income. Where people are able to defer purchases, they do. That’s reflected in the market performance in general merchandise,” Coupe added.
“The Argos numbers represent an improvement in market share and there was a little bit of mitigation from the fact we closed a lot of Argos stores in Homebase, which does have a significant negative effect on the headline sales number.
“So the numbers are better than the headlines would suggest and we are pleased with performance overall.”
Coupe said Argos sales were broadly flat once the impact of closing its concessions within Homebase stores had been stripped out.
Argos operated more than 100 fewer Homebase concessions during the golden quarter than it did during the same period a year ago.
Sainsbury’s has also shuttered around 60 standalone Argos stores over the past 12 months, but now has 164 Argos shop-in-shops within its larger supermarkets.
In addition to those property factors, Coupe admitted Argos experienced a “particular challenge” in toy sales during the golden quarter, although he said this was partially offset by strong sales in other categories.
“Tech, audio, games consoles – those types of products were all good,” Coupe said. “But toys were a little bit more challenging.”


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The Bangladesh Army has been heard from the delivery of anti-tank weapons purchased from Russia in November of last year.
At the end of 2016, the army ordered an unknown number of Kornet-EM ATGM and Tigr Vehicle from Russia. In the year 2017 more Metis-M1 gave ATGM and ordering RPG-29 order.
They are supposed to get them in November this year.
In addition, the delivery of Russian tank for Armed Regiment will be available this year (within 6-10 months). But no model and how much it was known.
And the Hi-Speed Target Drone will be purchased for the army’s air conditioning unit. However, it is not yet known from any country.


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low temperature milk Jianghu scuffle.
In the face of the strong fortress built by Yili and mengniu dairy giants, do the regional dairy enterprises that survive in the cracks still have the opportunity to break through?
In the past two years, the performance of Yili and Mengniu has continued to grow on the basis of high base, and the “Matthew effect” of the industry has become prominent. On the other hand, regional dairy industries such as Junyao health, Yiming food, Liziyuan and Sunshine Dairy have also been listed for further development.
The domestic dairy market is still evolving gradually. The rapid growth of low-temperature fresh milk and low-temperature yogurt, and the rise of convenience stores, community group buying and other channels constitute a hotbed for the growth of regional dairy enterprises.
The new dairy industry controlled by Liu Yonghao’s family is one of the most promising potential stocks in the domestic regional dairy enterprises by the capital market. In August 2020, its market value once exceeded 20 billion yuan, surpassing Guangming dairy and becoming the third largest market value of China’s dairy industry.
On the one hand, the overall scale of the new dairy industry ranks in the forefront among regional dairy enterprises; On the other hand, relying on such a big backer as new hope group also determines that it will not settle in one corner. Over the past years, it has been accelerating its growth through mergers and acquisitions, so the capital market has more expectations for it.
However, it is not so simple to become the third national dairy enterprise other than Yili and Mengniu. Although we have chosen a subdivision track with good prospects and supported by strong parent company capital, under the condition of relatively limited industry increment, how to seize food in the mouth of giants and how to deal with the integration and management after M & A are the problems that the new dairy industry has to face and solve.
According to Euromonitor data, by the end of 2020, Yili’s normal temperature milk market accounted for 38.6% and Mengniu’s market accounted for 28%, accounting for nearly 67% of the normal temperature milk market. The market of normal temperature milk has developed for many years and is dominant in the field of dairy products.
The domestic low-temperature milk, pasteurized milk, is much smaller, which is contrary to the situation in the overseas consumer market – so low-temperature milk is generally regarded as a new growth engine in the industry.
Low temperature milk is a kind of “low temperature sterilized milk”. From leaving the production line to transportation, sales, storage and other links, it is required to be refrigerated in an environment of about 4 ℃. Its shelf life is generally only one week, so it can better retain the taste and nutritional value of milk.
With the improvement of China’s national consumption level, the pursuit of fresher, healthier and better taste of food and beverages, and the continuous improvement of cold chain transportation conditions, short-term low-temperature milk is more and more popular with consumers. Euromonitor’s data show that from 2015 to 2019, the compound annual growth rate of the scale of low-temperature milk market reached 9%, and the consumption trend has basically taken shape.
Due to the short shelf life of low-temperature milk, it can only be built according to the milk source, and the coverage radius often does not exceed 300 kilometers around. Therefore, in this subdivision track, it is difficult for giants to expand rapidly in a large area like normal temperature milk, and regional dairy industry can form regional barriers and occupy advantages.
According to Euromonitor data, in 2020, the market share of the top three bright dairy, Sanyuan shares and new dairy in the domestic low-temperature fresh milk industry was 16.0%, 13.9% and 9.7%, reaching a total of 39.6%, and the head pattern loomed.
Compared with the two male situation in the field of normal temperature milk, low-temperature milk is a subdivision track that is not monopolized by giants and has high growth. Therefore, the competition between dairy enterprises for low-temperature milk is also compared to “the last milk war”.
New dairy is one of the most powerful competitors in this “war”. As a regional dairy enterprise, its main market is located in the southwest and has layout in East China, North China and other regions. The data show that its low-temperature products account for about 60% and its normal temperature products are less than 40%.
But waiting for the outbreak of the low-temperature fresh milk track, the new dairy industry has been invested for too long.
It is reported that in 2010, the new dairy industry has put forward the “fresh strategy” to promote the low-temperature business. Since then, it has accelerated the expansion of SKU in the category of low-temperature fresh milk and yogurt. But at that time, low-temperature milk had not yet entered the fast lane, and the growth of the new dairy industry was not tepid. Its revenue increased from 1.49 billion yuan in 2009 to 6.749 billion yuan in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate of only 14.72%.
However, at the valuation level, the new dairy industry has enjoyed a lot of dividends. Compared with normal temperature milk, low temperature milk itself has advantages in growth, and there are more possibilities for the uncertain market pattern. Therefore, the capital market will also give higher expectations.
Low temperature milk is generally regarded as the new growth engine of the industry.
Mergers and acquisitions raise the banner
Although the share of new dairy in the low-temperature milk market is quite different from that of Guangming and Sanyuan, its market value once exceeded 20 billion yuan in August 2020, which is about the sum of Guangming and Sanyuan market values at that time.
On the one hand, as mentioned above, the subdivision track of new dairy industry is more growth; On the other hand, it is due to the M & a strategy adopted by new dairy, which is equivalent to putting wings on its growth and making investors have more reverie space for its growth.
Looking back on history, the development and growth process of the new dairy industry is different from those regional dairy enterprises in a corner from the beginning. By acquiring local dairy enterprises, it can enter the dairy industry. Public information shows that new hope acquired nearly 10 local dairy enterprises from 2001 to 2003; Since then, in 2015-2017 and 2019-2021, new dairy has successively acquired a number of regional dairy enterprises and pastures.
It will be a time-consuming and labor-consuming marathon for enterprises and capital to build new pastures, factories and brands everywhere. Therefore, M & A is a faster and effective strategy. Equally important, dairy enterprises located in the suburbs usually have a large land area. It is equivalent to the acquisition of a security asset.
M & A tests the ability to use capital. In terms of capital operation, the new hope group and Liu Yonghao behind the new dairy industry are undoubtedly old and familiar. At present, new hope group has five A-share listed companies, including new hope, new dairy, Xingyuan environment, Pegasus international and Huarong chemical, and also controls new hope services listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
Compared with the bright and ternary background of state-owned assets, the new dairy industry will be more flexible in capital operation; Compared with Tianrun dairy, Yantang dairy, maixier and other dairy enterprises, with the scale and volume of the new dairy, it can leverage a larger amount of capital.
Adding the development goal of “doubling in three years and striving to enter the leading ranks of the global dairy industry in five years” proposed by the new dairy industry is undoubtedly an imaginative story for the capital market. The capital market was once willing to pay for it, but as the M & a landing became a specific performance figure, the confidence of investors was gradually eroded.
According to the public financial report, although Huanmei dairy (Xiajin milk) was consolidated in July 2020 and Chongqing Hanhong was consolidated in March 21, the revenue and net profit of new dairy were flat in 2020 and 2021. After excluding the impact of consolidation, Shenwan Hongyuan pointed out that the stock business of new dairy achieved a revenue of about 7 billion yuan in 2021, with a year-on-year increase of only about 19%.
Perhaps affected by this, the market value of the new dairy industry has fallen from the peak of more than 20 billion yuan to less than 10 billion yuan at present, and the glory of the third largest market value of China’s dairy industry has given way to Guangming dairy again.
The reason is that “eating too fast” can easily lead to “indigestion”. It has always been an iron rule in the business world, and management coordination can not keep up with it, which is also prone to problems. According to the 2019 annual report of the new dairy industry, it now has a product matrix of 9 categories of products, 80 major brands and about 300 product specifications. This complexity is not only unmatched by Yili and Mengniu, but also far inferior to Guangming and Sanyuan, both leaders of low-temperature dairy industry.
“Eating too fast” can easily lead to “indigestion”, which has always been an iron rule in the business world.
Low temperature milk scuffle
China’s golden milk source belt is located in the north, mainly covering the northeast, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and other provinces, concentrating nearly 70% of the country’s dairy cows and 60% of raw milk, while the milk consumption market is more biased towards the south.
Mengniu and Yili dairy giants both started in Inner Mongolia, and most of their pastures are nearby. Therefore, in the past, they have always taken normal temperature milk as the main product. Even if they make great efforts to develop low-temperature milk, it is difficult to achieve strong competitiveness covering the whole country in a short time.
But this does not mean that the competition of low-temperature milk track is not fierce. This subdivision track, which is not monopolized by giants and has high growth, has been crowded with players from all walks of life.
In September last year, keniu dairy products Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Mengniu Dairy and Coca Cola in China, launched the first batch of ultrafiltration milk product xianfeile and officially laid out the low-temperature milk market. In July, CASS and Jane Eyre, brands focusing on high-end low-temperature yogurt, announced their entry into the low-temperature fresh milk market and launched new products one after another.
With the addition of regional dairy enterprises such as Yantang dairy, Huang’s group and Yiming food, the low-temperature milk track has become more and more crowded. Even if the annual growth rate of its market scale exceeds 10%, players still need to do their best to achieve a growth rate higher than the industry average.
In addition, with the changes of residents’ consumption level and consumption habits, new changes are taking place in the low-temperature milk track, and the challenges faced by the new dairy industry are becoming more and more severe.
The high cold chain transportation cost of low-temperature milk was once one of the key barriers for regional dairy enterprises. Due to the short shelf life of low-temperature milk and high cargo damage (it is difficult to accurately predict the initial sales volume), the cold chain transportation cost is difficult to be fully amortized, resulting in high initial development cost of the channel.
However, with the vigorous development of cold chain logistics, the transportation radius of low-temperature milk is extended, the transportation cost is reduced, and the regional attribute of low-temperature milk is weakened accordingly. The gradual application of the new pasteurization technology (the shelf life can be extended to 15 days) makes it easier for new players to enter the regional market, and the competition may become more intense.
Generally speaking, the advantages of head enterprises lie in high popularity and strong brand appeal, and centralized procurement brings scale advantages; The advantage of regional brands lies in the emotional connection established with users for many years, which can better occupy the mind.
To some extent, the new dairy industry has the advantages of both giant enterprises and regional dairy enterprises. For example, its 14 main brands have a certain emotional connection with consumers in different regions, so it can ensure the stability of the revenue end without putting too much advertising; If we can make full use of capital to accelerate development, including mergers and acquisitions of small brands, investment in pastures, reducing costs and so on.
However, in general, whether focusing on high growth segments or M & a development model, new dairy is not unique – it is not difficult for competitors to imitate. To win the “last milk war”, the new dairy industry still lacks a real trump card.
Original title: the “last milk war” of new hope ｜ tide
This subdivision track, which is not monopolized by giants and has high growth, has been crowded with players from all walks of life.


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The UKAS-accredited certification body URS continues to certify GNH India, a company cited by the US Food and Drug Administration, and other national health services, for selling fake COVID-19 cures.
In 2022, Oxebridge filed a series of complaints against GNH India after the US FDA issued a public warning letter, accusing the company of fraudulently marketing Biocence eucalyptus products as being “99.99% effective” against COVID-19. The claims were deemed fraudulent by the FDA.
The management of GNH India fought Oxebridge, threatening legal action, and denying the accusations outright, despite their public website hosting a trove of marketing materials proving the FDA claim was accurate. The company was then cited by the Indian Food and Drug Administration, and forced to remove the products from its website.
Throughout the scandal, however, GNH India maintained its certification to ISO 9001 by URS’ Indian office. URS claimed to be investigating the matter, but a check of IAF Certsearch data as of May 6th, 2023 shows that GNH India is still fully-certified. (See image at right.)
GNH India repeatedly cited its certification by URS as a defense.
The ISO 9001 certificate issued by URS claims that GNH India is in full compliance with the quality management system standard, which would be technically impossible given their dogged insistence on selling potentially lethal, fake COVID-19 cures.
At no time during the discussions with Oxebidge did either URS or UKAS display any concern for public health, according to Oxebridge founder Christopher Paris. “They refused, repeatedly, to address the incredible risks that GNH was imposing on the public,” Paris said. “URS and UKAS had zero concern if people died because they bought these fake products instead of getting professional medical help.”
The scandal again provides more evidence to support the theory that ISO certifications have become a “protection racket,” and that the certification bodies and accreditation bodies will provide legal cover to companies that pay for certification, even when those companies break the law.


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Tag Archives: mindshare
It’s been a busy few months here at Mindshare, since I joined back in the summer. We’re rapidly starting to [...]
We’re doing some fascinating research here at Mindshare at the moment about how people and brands are using Twitter.
What’s coming [...]
Music & tech blogger, Gerd Leonhard, has made the bold statement on his MediaFuturist blog, following the news that 1 [...]
wearehunted.com is a website hosting an aggregated chart of the most blogged new music. Music Week report the service [...]
brandrepublic are today reporting on the potential of talking posters, via a Taiwanese company that have been trialling the technology. [...]


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PGA dumps Trump, and Ad Age reveals Best Places to Work: Monday Wake-Up Call
Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters. PGA dumps...
Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters.
Good morning, and welcome to another week of political upheaval, in which brands and organizations will continue to question whether to distance themselves from President Trump in the wake of last week’s violence at the Capitol.
Many already have. Last night, the PGA of America said its board voted to terminate an agreement to host next year’s PGA Championship at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, reports Bloomberg News. The club was the location of Trump’s 2020 election fundraiser last year (and, given Trump’s love of golf, the move is also arguably hugely symbolic.)
“It’s become clear that conducting the PGA championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand and would put at risk the PGA’s ability to deliver our many programs and sustain the longevity of our mission,” Jim Richerson, PGA of America’s president, said in a video message.
Meanwhile, hotel chain Marriott stated over the weekend that it will suspend donations to Republican senators who voted against certifying President-elect Joe Biden, after considering the “destructive events” at the Capitol. Other major brands, including Bank of America, Ford and AT&T, also said they would take the events into consideration before making future donations.
Ad Age today reveals our Best Places to Work for 2021, and, after a year of upheaval when most agency employees have been working for their companies virtually and issues of racial injustice have come to the fore, a few priorities have naturally changed.
Some employees have lauded measures their companies have taken amid COVID-19, such as help with remote working and support for working families, as well as efforts on diversity and inclusion. But what distinguishes top performers essentially remains; winning companies embrace a culture of caring for their employees. “For me, company culture is very important, especially now that I am working at home,” one employee explained. “I don’t see my colleagues personally (because of COVID-19), but I feel that I am strongly connected with them.”
Digital agency PMG tops the list of top-rated firms with over 201 employees, while marketing agency Grow Enrollments is number one for companies with less than 200 staff. Subscribers can access the full list of winners, compiled by Ad Age Datacenter in partnership with market research firm Latitude Research, here.
After Trump's Twitter ban, where can he go to vent online in future? Not Parler, at least for the moment, as big tech closes ranks on the social network, which has become a haven for far-right supporters. As the New York Times reports, following moves by Apple and Google to remove Parler from their app stores, on Saturday Amazon said it would kick the platform off its web-hosting service at midnight Pacific Time on Sunday (which it duly did.)
Amazon told Parler in a letter that it had sent the company 98 examples of posts on its site that encouraged violence and that many remained active. John Matze, Parler’s chief executive, told the Times that Parler was looking for a new hosting provider. However, in an update posted this morning, he said that it would probably be down for “longer than expected.”
The Week Ahead: CES kicks off today in virtual form, and ESPN televises the College Football National Championship, pitting Ohio State versus Alabama. Also this week: Delta has results out, and General Motors global Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl is appearing on Ad Age Remotely to discuss its logo change. Check our calendar roundup here.
Zoom with Nelly: Hard on the heels of her interview with Rick Astley, Ad Age’s Jessica Wohl has been catching up with another pop legend, speaking to Nelly on Zoom about his role in Frito-Lay’s campaign for the Flamin’ Hot variety of Lay’s, which puts a new spin on his 2002 hit “Hot in Herre.” Catch it here.
Catch up with Carrie: HBO Max announced last night that “Sex and the City” is coming back in a 2021 revival show named “And Just Like That.” Featuring the original stars, except Kim Cattrall, it will begin production in the spring.
Being the GOAT: Ford is using a herd of goats to emphasize the Ford Bronco Sport’s ruggedness in a new campaign by Wieden+Kennedy, writes Ad Age’s Ethan Jakob Craft. And, in other auto news, VW has a new ad out for its ID4 battery-electric model that uses zoetropes to illustrate advances in transportation.
King of rebrands: Burger King is getting rave reviews for its rebrand through Jones Knowles Ritchie, writes Ad Age’s E.J. Schultz in this week’s “Trending” roundup, with design review site Brand New praising its “vintage appeal.” You can also watch Ad Age’s Creativity team discussing the retro new look, and other top ideas of the week, in our first Top 5 review of 2021, here.
That does it for today’s Wake-Up Call. Thanks for reading and we hope you are all staying safe and well.
Subscribers make the difference. Individual, group and corporate subscriptions are available—including access to our Ad Age Datacenter. Find options at AdAge.com/membership.


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Karhoo has found a buyer while techUK has laid out a framework to guide startups creating connected devices
The government has joined forces with Wayra UK to beef up the UK’s digital defences
Bringing his trademark enthusiasm to the table, Timo Boldt is revolutionising the way consumers cook with Gousto
Thanks to its audacious entrepreneurs, highly trained military and massive M&A activity, Israel has become a true startup nation
How a pair of friends turned a passion for sustainability into a profitable snack company that does things its own way
With Britain on the fast track to becoming Europe’s fattest nation, can fitness tech startups help whip the nation back into shape?
The government has launched an awareness campaign to ensure employees are getting paid the regulatory minimum wage
The social media platform will make London its new international home, saying “we believe in the UK creative industries”


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Expo 2020 Dubai announced Terminus Technologies, a leader in smart technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics, as its latest Premier Partner on Thursday, 2 July.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 10, 2020 / The next World Expo has great expectations of Terminus Technologies and its technological advancements and counts on the company’s commitment across the board when it opens its doors to visitors from around the world on 1 October next year.
As the event’s Official Robotics Partner, Terminus Technologies will empower Expo 2020 with its newest cutting-edge robotic technologies. It will also contribute the vision of a fully digital and interconnected city at District 2020, the human-centric smart city that will evolve as the future of Expo to support industry and technology growth in the UAE’s advance towards an innovation-driven economy.
The expectations are high for both parties involved, as Victor AI, Founder and CEO of Terminus Technologies, commented: “I am excited to announce the collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai. It is really an honor for us to be a part of Expo 2020, being placed along some of the most forward-thinking companies in the world.
“Terminus Technologies and Expo 2020 share the same ambitions of exploring the boundaries of next-generation technologies, including artificial intelligence to make the world a more interconnected place.”
Aiming at shaping the next generation technology of artificial intelligence – enabled internet of things (AIoT), Terminus Technologies has been relentlessly working on further improvements in its innovative technologies, which mainly focus on AI smart cities, sustainable development, and robotics.
“It’s our main objective to use our AIoT engine to integrate stand-alone products into smart solutions, eventually paving the way to a world of interconnected AI cities,” Victor AI added.
Based on its practical, yet ever-evolving vision, Terminus Technologies has deployed numerous smart service solutions in many places across the globe.
For instance, Terminus Technologies’ AIoT Smart Office Building Solution is designed to create a pleasant and interconnected office environment by using AIoT technologies, cloud computing and computer vision technologies to solve various problems that conventional office buildings face these days, such as access control, office services, security, and parking solutions.
With its comfortable, efficient, energy-saving, and smart end-to-end services offered, the company helps the building and office managers reach new standards in terms of effectiveness and operational efficiency.
In addition, smart parking, smart tourism, smart retail, and smart community solutions, all enabled by the city’s IoT infrastructure, also significantly contribute to improving the management of the city, and the delivery of community and other related services.
Proposed solutions rely upon receiving, analyzing, and managing data in real-time, to improve the level of social administration services and decision-making processes. The result is new management models of unmatched efficiency and convenience, and a smart management decision platform for cities.
In particular, Terminus Technologies’ robot product line also has played a crucial role in contributing to the company’s vision of AI-enabled cities. Recently, Terminus Technologies has launched a new generation of Titan Robots. A milestone in terms of hardware products offered, Terminus Technologies believes that the new line of products will be complementary to its existing AIoT-powered solutions.
The new generation of Titan Robots includes three product lines, offering six distinct models. The robots are designed to be fully operational in different work environments, including outdoor areas such as parks, tourist attractions, and other frequently visited outdoor public facilities. This enables Titan Robots to fulfil diverse requirements in different operation areas.
The combination of robots with more complex smart solutions enables the delivery of multi-functional smart services in various scenarios. It is Terminus Technologies’ ultimate goal to provide all its customers, including corporate and private entities, healthcare facilities, and others with the highest quality AIoT products available in the market.
Terminus’ value proposition aligns with the digital strategy envisioned for the future of Expo at District 2020.
Several cities worldwide are preparing to deploy and utilize digital technologies to become what we know as ‘smart cities. Dubai is also paying significant attention and allocating resources to the development of smart city solutions.
Following the Expo, Terminus will also set up a Research and Development Centre and its first headquarters outside of China at District 2020, the innovation ecosystem that will repurpose more than 80% of the Expo site’s built environment.
As the opening of a new chapter in the company’s history and its upcoming collaborations, Victor AI pointed out: “Expo 2020 Dubai will serve as an incredible hub of innovation for the entire world, and District 2020, the mixed-use innovation ecosystem that will repurpose more than 80 percent of the site’s built environment, will serve as an example for global smart city development.
“Terminus Technologies is working with both Expo 2020 and District 2020 to redefine the concept of ‘future cities’ by contributing its robotic solutions and AIoT technology.
“Together with other technology-focused partners, we have the opportunity to further explore the potential of smart solutions. This is exactly the reason why we are so excited about it.”
SOURCE: Terminus Group
View source version on accesswire.com:


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We take our love of words into new waters with our latest social insight report, launching at SWAN 2020 in July.
Choppy watersSo many of the key challenges facing us as a species involve water.
The heat on water companies is unique compared to other utility organisations. Suppliers are solely responsible for the continuous supply of water, at an adequate pressure - all the while customers are unable to switch suppliers.
Can’t switch? Screw the customers then, just put your feet up and do the bare minimum, right? Think again. The water industry is heavily regulated by Government, regulators and consumer watchdogs, who set the rules and make sure customers are looked after.
Very well looked after in fact.
Water companies constantly face challenges associated with delivering exceptional, seamless customer experience in order to try and nullify the view that the water industry is seen as an invisible service.
They're constantly striving to elevate their CX offering to be held in such high esteem as household brands such as John Lewis and Amazon.
Not to mention the rising environmental emphasis vis-à-vis how water companies manage water use and educate customers - other, unforeseen circumstances can also add strain to their day-to-day operations.
COVID-19 caused anxieties for many, for very obvious reasons, but it also amplified the importance of water for domestic customers. Supply and quality of water to homes across the country has been under a microscope for a good chunk of 2020. With the whole country at home due to lockdown, supply and quality issues were much more noticeable.
Throw the sunniest May on record into the mix, and you’ve got a massive surge in demand with furloughed induced car washing, patio power-washing and a spike in “essential” hot tub, paddling pools, sprinkler and hosepipe purchases.
Water companies are certainly up against it.
Impacts on customer sentiment?
Using our text analysis platform, we’re closely monitoring the key issues driving complaints, measuring where in the country the biggest issues are and which water companies are being praised for their efforts.
Set to launch at SWAN 2020, our report takes a representative of tweets from every water company in the UK to provide an overview of the industry as a whole as well as a deep dive into each water company, examining how customers really feel, and what matters to them most.
Sign up for exclusive access to the report, which will be available in July.
No Swanning off to Glasgow
In March, Wordnerds joined the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN), a leading global hub for the smart water and wastewater sectors and looked forward to a jolly to Glasgow for a few days, at SWAN’s 10th annual conference.
The event is now virtual, taking place 22 - 24 July, focusing on “Moving Beyond Data to Value Creation”.
Wordnerds Co-founder and CEO, Pete Daykin, is joining Andrew Donnelly, Advisor to the Board & Head of Leakage Management for EPAL, Mei Shikma’s CEO, Arik Mula, and Waseem Khan, PUB Senior Engineer on day two of the conference for a panel session.
Chaired by Kamstrups’ Lena Warming, Head of Commercial Services, the panel will be discussing delivering water loss results.
The report will be launched during the event.


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While Google’s search homepage is the most popular website on the internet, Facebook’s app is what Americans are using most often on mobile. The social network’s main app now has nearly 900 million daily mobile users around the world.
But Google still accounts for a huge portion of mobile traffic—it made half the apps on the list of America’s 10 most-used apps of the year, according to Nielsen. In fact, between Facebook, Google, and Apple, just three companies sew up the entire top 10.
The only real surprises in the list are Apple Maps and Music. The rankings for the company’s somewhat maligned streaming music app and its formerly maligned maps service suggest there’s at least some inertia on the part of Apple customers when it comes to the apps that come pre-installed on all new iPhones, which Apple sold 48 million of just last quarter.
Most of the apps in the top 10 feature some form of search, communication, or streaming. There are no games, no shopping apps, and no real productivity apps—and none of the burgeoning social media apps, like Snapchat or Tumblr, have managed to upend the incumbents. Also, other than Apple Music, most of the top-used apps have been around for years.
Nielsen’s data show the average number of individuals over the age of 13 in the US using these apps at any given time. The ratings and measurement company based its data on surveys of about 30,000 people which it says is “weighted to be demographically representative of mobile subscribers in the US.”
It also found from the surveys that Android commands nearly 53% of the operating system market share in the US, with Apple’s iOS coming in second at roughly 43%. Microsoft is in a distant third, with under 3% of the market, and BlackBerry is continuing its prolonged downfall with just 0.7% of the US market.


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COVID-19, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) coming into force, and the invalidation of the EU-US Privacy Shield already made 2020 an especially active year for privacy and data security risks and obligations. Rounding out the year, December then brought discovery of the unprecedented Solarwinds cyberattack affecting government agencies, critical infrastructure entities and others. Thus, looking ahead, … Continue Reading
Qualifying businesses have another year to complying with certain, major provisions of the CCPA. The CCPA, or the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, is a California law that gives California consumers, defined broadly to encompass all California residents, certain rights with respect to their personal information. Namely, it gives consumers the right to know … Continue Reading
On June 1, 2020, the California Attorney General’s office released the third and final set of CCPA proposed regulations (available here). Below, we provide information about the final proposed regulations and enforcement actions.… Continue Reading
The New York Department of Financial Services cybersecurity regulation 23 NYCRR 500 (the “Regulation”) came into effect in March 2017 and established four staggered compliance deadlines for its various requirements. By the third deadline of September 3, 2018, Covered Entities are required to be in compliance with sections 500.06 (audit trails), 500.08 (application security), 500.13 … Continue Reading
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Camera manufacturer Fujifilm has developed the "Swing Cam," a prototype camera that can track a user and effectively take "selfie" type photographs. Instead of a stationary picture, this camera can help create photos from non-fixed locations. Fujifilm said the camera is still in its development prototype phase, and will enter production only if testers are impressed by its ability.
"We aimed to make a personal photographer," a Fujifilm camera developer noted. "I wanted to make a camera that takes videos and pictures of me actively moving as if they were taken by a person."
The power of the selfie has led new smartphones to have front-facing cameras, giving owners the ability to more effectively take photos of themselves.
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Feb. 12, 2010
ATLANTA – Single-game tickets for all Georgia Tech baseball home games are on sale now.
Reserved chair back seats are available for $10 (all ages), while bench seats are $5 for adults and $3 for youth (ages 18-under). Groups of 10 or more can get a discounted rate of $3 per ticket for bench seats only, excluding the game against Georgia on March 10.
Also available at home games during the 2010 season will be the $2 Tuesday deal – All bench seats, as well as hot dogs, drinks and popcorn will be $2 each Tuesday home game during the season, with the exception of the Georgia game.
Single game tickets can be ordered online at the ramblinwreck.com ticket office or by calling 1-888-Tech-Tix.
The Jackets open the season at home against Missouri State on Feb. 19. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Season tickets for the 2010 season still remain, and can be purchase for $250 per chair back and $100 for bench seating. They are available by calling the GT ticket office (1-888-Tech-Tix) and online.
Those looking to purchase 10-game mini packs can also do so by calling the ticket office. For $30, fans can choose for 10 games (bench seats only) out of a preselected list of 15. This option is not available online.
Don’t forget group tents, birthday packages, bat kids, PA/video announcements and family packs are also available. For more information call the GT Marketing office at 404-385-0031.


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The Royal Caribbean’s third quarter results have beaten Wall Street expectations for income with an increase of 34% compared to the same time last year. This is largely due to strong performances in Europe and China as well as reduced fuel prices.
On a per-share basis, they had a net income of $2.19. Earnings that were adjusted for non-recurring and restructuring costs came to $2.20 per share. Revenues came in at just under the $2.4 billion expected.
The company has forecast fourth-quarter earnings of 35-40 cents per share, which is below analyst expectations. Executives of the company claim they are still forced to offer sales in the Caribbean, as this is where competition is strong.
Royal Caribbean expects significant earnings growth into 2015, despite competition in the Caribbean market being strong, due to booking trends in Europe. Anthem of the Seas is set to launch in spring 2015 followed by Allure of the Seas in the summer. Royal Caribbean is also set to increase its presence in China in 2015 by 68% once the brand new Quantum of the Seas ship starts sailing from Shanghai in the summer
The plan moving forward is to not give last-minute discounts in the Caribbean like the ones that were featured heavily this year. There will be fewer cabins to fill in lower-priced markets so they believe they are in their best position yet.
Images sourced via Flickr Creative Commons. Credits: Woody Hibbard