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Samsung introduced a new design language with its metal Galaxy Alpha. The premium treatment could continue, if these newly surfaced pictures of a midrange phone called the Samsung Galaxy A5 are real. It's rumored as the first of three devices that use nonplastic premium materials, where Samsung usually opts for a plastic build.
SamMobile's sources suggest that the phone casing isn't metal or plastic, but something cold to the touch. Rumored to measure only 6.7mm, the Samsung Galaxy A5 would be among the thinnest Android phones to date.

domain: news


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4A Games has said previously that Metro Exodus will be more open than the previous games in the Metro series, but it won't be a completely open world like that of Stalker. For one thing, individual levels in Exodus will be much larger than anything seen in the previous games. The biggest outdoor level in Last Light was roughly "200 meters to 100 meters," Prokhorov said,. That means everything from weapons, attachments, and other loot, to "frozen stories" that reveal more about the game world and
Clocking in at nearly $33,000 dollars worth of internet spaceship, a rare Gold Magnate has sold for 1,001,001 PLEX in EVE Online. Space and science YouTube star Scott Manley made the winning bid, winning an auction from ship owner Kelon Darklight—that's an in-game name—to benefit Australian wildfire relief via CCP Games' Plex for Good campaign. The Gold Magnate is one of the rarest ships in EVE Online, arguably the game's most powerful Frigate. pic.twitter.com/u3WgkzgKG4January 26, 2020For in-ga
A deceptively innocent tweet from Fortnite 's Twitter account might have revealed that the next crossover event coming to the fan-favourite battle royale will feature the upcoming DC movie, Birds of Prey. We've already seen collaborative events from a range of games, TV shows, and movies, including and co might be making her/their way to Fortnite? We reckon it's possible, especially as Warner Bros. replied with "Can't Wait" and a smoochy kiss...Of course, this isn't Fortnite's first crossover ro
In what it's calling a world first, the BBC has sent one of its reporters into the world of Watch Dogs: Legion for an interview with the game's creative director. Cieslak was joined in a virtual Piccadilly Circus (with traffic sounds and all) by the game's creative director, Clint Hocking, to discuss Watch Dogs: Legion and the developer's thoughts on its setting. Get your head in the gameWatch Dogs: Legion. In a world first @MarcCieslak interviews the games creative director inside the video gam
What about the launch games? What about the features to make the PS5 not just a games console, but a hub for all your entertainment needs? But it makes no sense that I can play PSone games on my PS2 and PS3, but not my PS4. Hopefully we don't have to wait too long and we'll see at least one of these games as a PS5 launch title. But if there's anything that will guarantee that I buy the PS5 on launch day, it would be this.
The director of Watch Dogs Legion has been interviewed from within the game – a world first, according to the BBC. He was joined by Watch Dogs Legion's creative director, Clint Hocking, to talk about how the game is shaping up so far. Watch Dogs: Legion. That's why the developers chose to set the third Watch Dogs game in a post-Brexit London. Ubisoft announced last year that Watch Dogs Legion – along with Gods & Monsters and Rainbow Six Quarantine – has been pushed back into the company's next f
Video game engines are an essential building block to create open-world RPGs, MMOs, FPSs, and more. Every video game runs on some kind of game engine. advertising9 Best: SourceValve's proprietary game engine, Source, has created a load of exceptional video games. advertising6 Worst: Fox EngineFox Engine is the proprietary game engine from Konami Digital Entertainment. advertising2 Worst: FrostbiteElectronic Arts has moved from other game engines to use the Frostbite engine for all its games.
RELATED: Mass Effect: The 5 Best Outfits Across All Games (& The 5 Worst)Lately, the games coming from EA have not been the best. We can only hope Electronic Arts returns to its roots for a great Need for Speed game. 8 Sims (79)The Sims franchise has allowed players to act out their own perfect lives or create nightmarish hellscapes for their sims. 2 Mass Effect (86)The Mass Effect series is one of EA's best games. The developers at Respawn Entertainment know how to innovate and create great gam
There has now been word from inside the developer, CD Projekt Red, and the reasoning behind the delay seems rationale and undramatic. Cyberpunk 2077 is being developed by the studio that brought players The Witcher series. On the back of its successful games, CD Projekt Red has built a reputation for detailed open-world games. advertisingRELATED: Cyberpunk 2077 Goes Retro With PS1 Demake VideoThe reasoning behind the delay was discussed by Cory Barlog who is the creative director at SIE Santa Mo
Rockstar Games fans may have stumbled upon the latest development rumors for Grand Theft Auto 6. Since it's 2013 release, Grand Theft Auto 5 continues to be a timeless hit, even topping multiple sales charts long after its launch. advertisingFrom the chain of events, there's a chance the post could actually be related to Grand Theft Auto 6. With the new consoles and innovations coming soon, there are sure to be many graphic and gameplay improvements in Grand Theft Auto 6 since GTA 5 last release


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Crocs, a famous brand of flip flop, was first seen on 2002. Since then, famous personalities like Steven Tyler, Helen Mirren and Kate Middleton were seen using these comfy rubber shoes. Despite constant appreciation from famous personalities, many people still think that this footwear is something not worth spending for. But when experts were asked upon the effects of crocs to the body, they were definite in their answers, “Unfortunately these kinds of footwear are not suited for daily usage”, said Dr. Megan Leahy.
She explains that shoes like these do not provide adequate protection for the heel. Once the heel becomes unstable, toes would grip tighter resulting to tendinitis, nail problems, calluses, toe deformities and corns. This does not mainly focus with flip-flops but to any kinds of footwear which doesn’t secure the heels.
Dr. Alex Kor, from the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine, also said that these footwear are the main culprit for arch and heel pain.
Despite constant health warnings from health professionals, Crocs are still recommended by orthopaedic doctors for those people with really high arch and those who suffer excessive edema. Some Amazon reviewer even wrote positive comments about how Crocs was able to solve the feet problems and walking with it is like walking barefoot in a super soft cushion. Some others said that though it’s pretty comfortable, its appearance is just very ugly and shouldn’t be worn in public.
Crocs has been sold in 90 countries across the world and over 300 million pairs were currently sold out at the starting price of $11.99. With its huge number of avid fans, this footwear won’t go out of fashion too soon.


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Re: Sergent couplers?
If you are looking for Sergent couplers, you might want to contact Andy Carlson who reported that
one of Frank Peacock's auction lots contained a bag of 1,000 of them! He implied he wanted to sell
them but didn't know how to dispose of such a huge number.
On 8/16/2022 10:06 AM, Tom Madden via groups.io wrote:
This has been discussed on trainorders.com for the last couple of days. Here is a small screen capture image of the closing announcement that someone posted from the Sergent web site on 8/12. It's just an image so the highlighted link in it is not clickable. Someone noted that the Sergent designs are (intentionally) in the public domain. I see the web site is now "parked".


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Moment coughing Amazon driver clears his throat and SPITS on customer’s doorstep as he delivers a package
- Michael Snasdell posted the footage from Forest Hill, Lewisham, on Twitter
- The driver clears his throat, takes his face mask off and spits on the doorstep
- After he has delivered two parcels he coughs, turns around and walks away
Shocking footage shows the moment a coughing Amazon driver clears his throat and spits on a customer’s doorstep as he delivers a package.
Michael Snasdell shared the doorbell footage from Forest Hill, Lewisham, on Twitter and said: ‘Dear AmazonUK your delivery guy is dusting. Openly spitting at our doorstep!
‘In this climate this is completely unacceptable!’
Michael Snasdell shared the footage on Twitter of the Amazon delivery driver scanning the parcels before spitting on his doorstep
The driver, who is wearing a face mask, clears his throat as he takes the face mask away from his face and spits on the customer’s doorstep.
He scans one of the packages and spits again before delivering two packages but does not put the face mask back on.
He leaves the face mask covering his chin as he coughs and walks away.
He spits on the ground before delivering two parcels to Mr Snasdell
Mr Snasdell’s partner Ann Halliday said: ‘Just had to throw a load of disinfectant water down to clean it. Are AmazonUK gonna send me some disinfectant to replace what I have had to use? Disgraceful.’
Other Twitter users have expressed their disgust at the footage.
One said: ‘Unbelieveable. Pandemic or not that’s absolutely vile.’
The driver puts the two parcels down and then coughs as he turns around and walks away
Another said: ‘Spitting is disgusting full stop but to do it on someone else’s property in these times is outrageous.
‘How would he like it if we coughed up a huge wad and flobbed it into his van?’
A third said: ‘What was the point of the mask? Dirty filthy man. TB was passed by spitting and by stopping it the rate of TB fell.’
Mr Snasdell said that Amazon have been great at dealing with the situation since the video was posted.
Amazon have been approached for comment.
Source: Read Full Article


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LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 2018 Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Conference will have something of interest for all fruit and vegetable producers. The event runs from 8 a.m. EST Jan. 8 until 5 p.m. Jan. 9 at Lexington’s Embassy Suites Hotel.
Preconference evening activities Jan. 7 will include vegetable, tree fruit and small fruit roundtable discussions.
“This conference never disappoints, and this year we will once again offer many excellent sessions with dozens of expert speakers,” said John Strang, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment horticulture specialist. “For vegetable and fruit growers, management skills are a big part of a successful operation, especially time management. This conference is for beginners and advanced growers alike. We have something to share with everyone, no matter their experience level.”
Participants may choose from several concurrent sessions with topics including farmers markets, commercial fruit and vegetable production, small fruit production, organic production, wholesale marketing, direct marketing, the Grape and Wine Short Course, agritourism and a produce best practices training.
Participants may enjoy Kentucky Proud products at the exhibitor/grower and conference luncheons, and they will be able to visit with exhibitors at the trade show.
The conference is a joint meeting of the Kentucky State Horticulture Society, the Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association, the Organic Association of Kentucky and the Kentucky Wineries Association.
Participants may attend the optional Commissioner Cup Wine Tasting at 6 p.m. Jan. 8, which will feature Kentucky 2017 Commissioner’s Cup Award winning wines. The $20 cost for the event includes a souvenir glass and refreshments.
Participants will have an opportunity to use a Trading Post bulletin board to sell used equipment.
Conference registration is $40 per person and includes a one-year membership in the Kentucky Vegetable Growers Association, Kentucky State Horticulture Society or the Organic Association of Kentucky and entry to the Grape and Wine Short Course. Strang recommended preregistering by Dec. 15 as registration at the door will be $60 per person.
The UK Cooperative Extension Service, Kentucky State University and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture jointly sponsor the conference.
For more information about the conference, or to request registration materials, contact Mary Ann Kelley at 270-365-7541, ext. 216. The conference program and registration sheet are available online at http://www.uky.edu/hort/node/1762.
— Aimee Nielson, University of Kentucky Ag News
For more news from Kentucky, click here.


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The drug giant Pfizer said today that it would lay off 10,000 workers and close several manufacturing and research sites in an effort to bolster earnings hurt by the loss of patent protection on certain drugs and setbacks in developing new products.
The company said the employee reductions were equivalent to about 10 percent of its worldwide work force and would take place by the end of next year.
Among the cuts would be a 20 percent reduction in its European sales force. That move would follow a similar reduction announced two months ago in the company’s American sales force and is included in the 10,000 figure.
Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, said it would cut manufacturing sites in Brooklyn and in Omaha and would seek to sell a third site in Germany. It would close three research sites in Michigan and said it hopes to close one in Japan and another France.
The company also said it would reorganize its United States sales operations and its research and development activities.
“Pfizer is a great company with a great future,” Jeffrey B. Kindler, Pfizer’s chief executive, said in a statement. “We are facing significant challenges, however, in a profoundly changing business environment. I believe we must fundamentally change the way we run our company and meet these challenges and to take advantage of the diverse and attractive opportunities we see in the marketplace.”
Pfizer said the moves would save $1.5 billion to $2 billion a year in pretax expenses.
Pharmaceutical industry analysts have generally been welcoming cutbacks by Pfizer but have said that while cost-cutting is beneficial, the company needs to resume growth by bringing new products to market. Still, Pfizer’s shares were trading down about 1 percent this afternoon.
The moves being announced today are an effort by Mr. Kindler, a relative newcomer to the pharmaceutical industry, to revamp growth and bolster earnings of the world’s largest drug company.
A lawyer by training, Mr. Kindler came to Pfizer only five years ago and served as general counsel, having worked at McDonald’s and General Electric. He was appointed chief executive last July to replace Hank McKinnell, who was forced to retire early. Mr. Kindler had immediately pledged to review all aspects of Pfizer’s sprawling operations.
Earlier today, Pfizer reported that its earnings for the fourth quarter of 2006, excluding special items, fell to 43 cents a share from 49 cents a share in the comparable period a year earlier. That drop of 12 percent slightly exceeded some analysts’ forecasts.
Pfizer said today that it expected its revenue for 2007 and 2008 to be roughly comparable to the $48.4 billion it reported for 2006.
Pfizer has been suffering from the loss of patent protection on key drugs like the antidepressant Zoloft and the antibiotic Zithromax. Sales of both drugs plummeted more than 70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006, the company reported today.
At the same time its laboratories have had difficulty coming up with new hits. The company suffered a huge blow in December when safety concerns prompted it to halt development of torcetrapib, a cardiovascular drug that it considered the most promising experimental drug in its pipeline.
The drug had been expected to help replace the sales of Lipitor, the huge-selling cholesterol pill, which could be subject to generic competition as early as 2010.
The new cost cuts appear to beyond those previously announced by Pfizer. The company said in April 2005 that it would cut costs by $4 billion, or 12 percent, by 2008. Several thousand workers have already lost their jobs under that plan.
In November, Mr. Kindler said he would cut a fifth of Pfizer’s American sales force, eliminating about 2,400 jobs. Those cuts are included in the 10,000 figure announced today.
In its earnings report today, the company reported that its net income in the fourth quarter more than tripled to $9.45 billion, or $1.32 per share, from $2.73 billion or 37 cents a share. But that was mainly because of a huge one-time gain from the $16.6 billion sale of its consumer health products business to Johnson & Johnson.
Revenue for the quarter was $12.6 billion, essentially unchanged from $12.5 billion a year earlier. For the year as a whole, Pfizer reported revenue of $48.4 billion, up 2 percent from $47.4 billion in 2005.
Sales of Lipitor, the cholesterol fighter that is the world’s best-selling pharmaceutical, had sales of $3.34 billion in the fourth quarter, a decline of 1 percent. Sales for the year were $12.89 billion, up 6 percent. Lipitor sales were hurt because Merck’s competing statin, Zocor, lost patent protection last year, opening the market to generics.
Celebrex, a Pfizer pain reliever, continued its recovery from a slump in sales prompted by safety concerns that resulted in two similar drugs — Merck’s Vioxx and Pfizer’s Bextra — being withdrawn from the market a few years ago. Celebrex sales for the year reached $2.04 billion, up 18 percent from the year earlier.


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Recognizing the tremendous growth potential of Africa’s technology sector, Prosper Africa, in collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is partnering with major U.S. and African companies to fuel Africa’s technological revolution.
The Prosper Africa Tech for Trade Alliance, announced in the 2022 U.S.-Africa Business Forum Deal Room, is an e-commerce and digital trade alliance supported by the U.S. Government’s Prosper Africa initiative, USAID and 16 leading U.S. Government agencies. The Alliance advances the goals of two signature White House initiatives: Prosper Africa, which increases two-way trade and investment between the United States and African countries, and Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) which strengthens digital access, literacy, and digital enabling environments across the continent.
The tech alliance will accelerate e-commerce and digital trade in Africa and address legal, regulatory, and logistical bottlenecks. By leveraging leading U.S. companies’ technology assets, services, and expertise, the alliance will:
- Grow African trade and e-commerce flows in goods and services
- Promote African firms and economies’ trade and productivity
- Build the African workforce’s technological talent to thrive as digital service providers and create their own technology companies
- Promote a better policy-enabling environment for trade and investment in Africa
The inaugural Alliance includes Cargill, Google, Mastercard, Visa, DHL, UPS, FedEx, Paypal, Youredi, VTEX, eCommerce Institute, Celo, Interswitch, Kasha, King & Spalding, HelloTractor, The Africa Talent Company, and Nextrade Group.


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Experts point out some pitfalls that medtech companies should be aware of when trying to raise capital.
For private equity and venture capital investors alike, there are five key trends presenting both headwinds and tailwinds that may impact investment flows into 2022.
While companies developing solutions that address the current pandemic may be receiving an influx of financial support, recovery for companies in other segments of the industry is slow.
Although transactions were down, they exceeded more than $450 million last month.
For medical device manufacturers, the American Invents Act created several challenges related to patent marking.
Analysts expect 2020 to be a busy year for M&A activity.
The outlook for 2020 and beyond is positive, but medical device companies must continue to evolve their technologies and partnerships to keep the attention of investors.
How will you make your company more attractive to investors?
Peter Micca of Deloitte discusses the changes that are happening within the healthcare ecosystem as a whole.
Medical device companies will be driven to evolve their business models to a more patient/consumer-centric approach.


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Monday, January 1, 2024
Listen to this news
The United Kingdom is considered as the second-largest furniture market in Europe after Germany. The country is the second home furniture consumer in Western Europe (WE), and provides about 17% of the WE demand. Aided by growing financial and environmental concerns among consumers, the UK furniture resale market is forecast to grow by 40.8% between 2022 and 2027 to reach a value of £1,101 million, outpacing the total furniture market, which is set to increase by 7.9% in the same period, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Sophie Mitchell, Retail Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The furniture resale market is ramping up, with an increasing number of players becoming active within the market such as Rehome and Vinterior, alongside furniture market leaders such as IKEA adding resale options to their offer. These players are stimulating the resale market as they are more able to meet changing consumer expectations and demand than traditional antique and charity shops.”
Mitchell continues: “This demographic will drive the growth of the furniture resale market in the future. These younger consumers are not only generally more concerned about the environmental impacts of new products but are also facing a challenging housing market.”
According to the GlobalData’s latest report, ‘UK Sector Series: Furniture Resale Market, 2022-2027’ reveals that 26.5% of consumers would consider purchasing furniture via resale in the future, indicating the potential for growth within the market as it becomes more acceptable and accessible.
Younger demographics are driving growth within the market, with the highest purchase penetration being among 24-34-year-olds, who account for 10.7% of the total purchased resale furniture in the past year.
Mortgage rates remain around the 6% mark on average, far higher than those seen in the past decade. ONS figures also show that the average UK house price has increased by 73% between January 2013 and January 2023. The resale market is therefore crucial for kitting out homes, as consumers will be on tighter budgets if they do manage to buy – and this is especially the case for first-time buyers.
Removing barriers to purchasing resale furniture is also paramount to the growth of the market.
“For retailers to succeed in resale ventures, they must remove the barriers to purchase, making resale as easy as buying new. For instance, detailed product information, clear imagery, transparency around product condition, accurate location tools, and alerts will all encourage consumers to purchase furniture.” concluded Mitchell.
Source: Global Data
Read more news on: Furniture Market


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In 2004, during the height of SB madness, Nike set the sneaker world ablaze when it released a trio of Dunk Lows known as the "Hemp" pack. Fast forward a dozen years and Nike is once again revisiting the popular theme. And although the demand for Nike SB isn't quite what it was back then, some fans will certainly take delight in its latest release.
Instead of issuing another Dunk Low "Hemp," which it did in 2009, Nike has released a Premium edition of its Dunk High. The shoe is part of SB's 2016 collection and carries an official colorway of "Flt Goldstar/Classic Brown." Amongst the shoe's features is the waffle-patterned upper, the Swoosh which has been treated a "drippy" graphic element, and a translucent gum outsole. The pair is currently available for purchase now from German retailer Zupport and should be dropping stateside at select SB retailers in the near future. With 4/20 right around the corner, rocking these Hemps would be most appropriate.


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Xiaomi pulled off a shock in December when it propelled just the Redmi K30 telephone in China, in spite of gossipy tidbits about a synchronous Redmi K30 Pro introduction also. While new holes stay with coming, the organization’s most recent move affirms that the Redmi K30 Pro’s dispatch isn’t excessively far. Xiaomi’s Vice President and Redmi Brand’s General Manager, Lu Weibing, has reported that the Redmi K20 Pro is being ceased for the current month. The move is astonishing, since the telephone is yet to complete a full schedule year of the item cycle. In any case, the cessation is likewise a sign that Xiaomi is clearing a path for the Redmi K30 Pro.
Weibing referenced in his Weibo post that the organization has delivered more than 5 million units of the Redmi K20 Pro comprehensively up until this point. Be that as it may, the generally welcomed spending lead will be ceased in February. To review, the Redmi K20 Pro went authority in China late in May a year ago, which implies the telephone is will associate with 3 months short of finishing the standard year pattern of a run of the mill leader once it gets ceased in February.
Nonetheless, Weibing’s post doesn’t explain whether the Redmi K20 Pro’s stopping in the not so distant future is constrained to China just, or in the event that it will be executed all the while in different markets also, including India. We contacted Xiaomi India for an announcement in regards to Weibing’s declaration, and how it will influence the Redmi K20 Pro’s accessibility in the nation.
A Xiaomi representative gave the accompanying proclamation accordingly, “Redmi K20 arrangement will keep on being accessible in India as it’s our main premium cell phone arrangement.”
Be that as it may, on the brilliant side, Redmi K20 Pro’s end likewise implies its successor, the Redmi K30 Pro, isn’t excessively far away. According to a past hole, Xiaomi will dispatch the Redmi K30 Pro sooner or later in March. According to a Geekbench posting, the Redmi K30 Pro will be fueled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC matched with 8GB of RAM. The up and coming Redmi-marked leader is tipped to pack a quad back camera arrangement that incorporates a 64-megapixel primary shooter with the Sony IMX686 sensor.


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We’ve known since last year’s E3 that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be the first game in the series to feature voice acting on a larger scale than the typical grunts and yells. This was apparent in the reveal trailer when a voice says, “Open your eyes […] Wake up, Link,” which also called into question whether players would be able to enter their own name for Link when starting a save file; this has almost always been the case since as early as A Link to the Past. But in a recent interview / gameplay presentation, series producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed that, for the first time since the NES Zelda titles (excluding the multiplayer spin-off Four Swords Adventures), players will not be able to change Link’s name in-game.
YouTuber Zeltik posted a video including the interview clip and analyzing the news, which you can watch above; you can also see the full interview here. While this deviates to some extent from what Aonuma has previously said about Link being a blank slate on which players can project themselves, Zeltik argues that this design choice improves the immersion of the game—especially considering the game’s voice actors will refer to Link by name, and not your favorite curse word. Whether we will still be able to name individual save files remains unclear.
Are you sad to see this feature disappear in favor of voice acting? How do you feel about voice acting in general? Let us know in the comments below!


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Organizers of the annual Alaska Symphony of Seafood, which encourages investment in product development of wild Alaska seafood, have cancelled the rescheduled Symphony events planned for this spring due to ongoing health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials with the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation said that before making the decision they polled industry partners and participants, and the results were clear that COVID-19 has hindered the industry’s ability to produce new value-added products or to participate in large events. Without healthy participation by industry, the benefits of an in-person or virtual event are limited, AFDF said.
Additionally, event producer Diversified Communications recently announced the cancellation of the 2021 Seafood Expo North America (SENA) which had been rescheduled for July 11-13 in Boston. SENA is the major event at which AFDF promotes the winning Symphony products.
Now AFDF plans to resume its call for product in August for the resumption of the Symphony competition next year. AFDF officials said they will continue to feature Symphony winners at the Boston seafood event, including entrance in the Seafood Excellence Awards, when SENA resumes in March 2022.
AFDF plans to continue to monitor the pandemic and provide updates to the seafood industry and partners for the 2021-2022 competition. In addition, AFDF will explore opportunities throughout this year to promote past Symphony winners.
Annual Symphony competition has attracted an array of entries from throughout the United States in categories ranging from food service and smoked product to pet treats. Along with first, second and third place winners in each category and a grand prize winner, ADFG has in past years sponsored galas in Anchorage, Juneau and Seattle where participants vote on a “People’s Choice” award for the product entry they feel is the best. The grand prize winner, other first place winners and companies to win the “People’s Choice” honors all get airfare and booth space at the Boston seafood show to hawk their winning product and take orders.


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“It is hard to find a sector with more promising prospects in the future than dairy”, quoted EDA President Michel Nalet EU Commissioner Phil Hogan.
With this statement he opened the EDA ‘Dairy Policy for the 21st Century’ Conference, held in Brussels last week. This statement was further underlined by MEP Jim Nicholson, who is about to present his Dairy Report on prospects for the EU dairy sector to the European Parliament. Nicholson confirmed that the prospects for dairy are and remain favourable; he also insisted on a further improvement of the Milk Market Observatory (MMO). Mr Tom Tynan, member of the cabinet of EU Commissioner Hogan, confirmed that the MMO will be enhanced to improved relevance.
While focusing on the need for further investments and the exploration of new markets, Tynan added that Europe is ready for major expansion into the global markets based on its huge potential for milk and dairy production. He also said that environmental legislation can have a major impact on the development and growth of the dairy supply chain. All dairy experts gathering at the meeting agreed that the dairy sector will continue to set the pace for creating jobs, assuring growth, nurturing innovation and strengthening competitiveness in rural Europe and beyond.
The dairy experts also focused on how to manage the development of the dairy farming and processing industry in the post-quota era. Professor Holger Thiele from the Universty of Kiel in Germany launched the debate by not only stating the need for more competitiveness, but also by demanding for a moderate increase of the existing safety net. He also pleaded for more risk management with the possibility of introducing a market-based insurance system in the long run. Finally he believes Europe should foresee specific support for the dairy producers in specific (mountainous) areas.
Mr Jens Schaps, Director at DG Agri, said that the US model for milk margin insurance would not be an option for Europe as the margins guaranteed in the US are usually way too high. He also confirmed that the medium and long-term prospects for the EU dairy sector are profoundly favourable. The dairy markets will be driven by an increasing global demand, especially from Asia and Africa. The EU Commission is focusing on support for broader market access in third countries for EU dairy products.
The European Dairy Association represents the interests of dairy processors in the European Union. The membership of EDA consists of the associations of dairy processors in EU Member States.


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Havana, February 23, according to Cuban state media, the Cuban sugar industry is once again having its worst season on record, and the 2022 Cuban sugar harvest will be much lower, according to official data and data from two local sugar experts. At last year's historic low, it is now at least 30% below the government's target of 900,000 tonnes of sugar, which could dent economic growth.
In 2021, Cuba will produce 800,000 tons of sugar, the worst since 1908 and only 10% of the peak of 8 million tons in 1989. The sugar industry was once the pride of Cuba, vital to its rum production and boosting the country's foreign exchange and vast rural employment.
Due to tough new US sanctions and the impact of the pandemic, the Cuban government is unable to provide more funding for the sugar industry’s needs, including inputs, irrigation and spare parts. "The government will have to import and possibly cut sugar quotas for monthly food rations, and bakeries will have to scramble to produce sweets".
The Cuban economy fell by more than 11% in 2020, although after growing by 2% in 2021, the government had expected a small increase in sugar production to meet this year's 4% growth target and revive the once iconic industry, Vice President Salvador Valle said. Salvador Valdes Mesa travelled across the country in February urging sugar mill workers, farmers and cane growers to produce more.
The Cuban sugar season usually starts in November each year and lasts until May of the following year, but due to a lack of necessary supplies and a reduction in sugar cane production, most sugar mills have been delayed until December and early January this year. Cuban sugar industry experts say that the growth of the cane sugar industry cannot recover this year, and the most likely scenario is a further contraction, because the problem is structural and long-standing, currently the main sugar-producing provinces, including Clara, Las Tunas And Cienfuegos, are far behind the target, it is reported that the output of all 35 Cuban sugar mills are currently behind the target.
Cuba plans to use 500,000 tons of sugar for domestic consumption this year, and plans to export 400,000 tons to China, which is a long-term export agreement with China.


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Google Gives Away 2GB Of Storage To Promote Security
Google does its part for Safer Internet Day with its giveaway. Also, Gmail users will start seeing warnings when message senders can't be authenticated and when they don't support transport encryption.
9 Biographies Of Tech Icons You Should Know
(Click image for larger view and slideshow.)
Google celebrated Safer Internet Day on Tuesday by offering people 2GB of extra Google Drive space to those who complete its online Security Checkup.
There is no Safe Internet Day. Security is a journey rather than a destination because online geography is always in flux. But our information highway can be made less perilous. Safer Internet Day, which dates back to 2004, offers an opportunity for organizations and individuals to improve their security posture and perhaps not to stumble.
The White House, for example, introduced its Cybersecurity National Action Plan, which calls for $19 billion to be invested to protect the government, the private sector, and citizens from potential cyberthreats. There will be similarly well-intentioned initiatives in the years to come, as there have been in years past.
Google's storage offer, good through Feb. 11, requires Google users to review security-related account settings, such as account recovery phone numbers and multi-factor authentication configuration. Google vice president of security and privacy Gerhard Eschelbeck advises doing this self-exam regularly.
Google also said that this week it will begin highlighting messages in Gmail that don't support TLS encryption or cannot be authenticated. Messages that lack TLS encryption will be displayed with a broken lock icon that links to a card with an explanation. Messages that cannot be authenticated using a framework like DKIM or SPF will display a question mark in place of the usual photo/logo icon at the top left corner of the message window.
"Not all affected email will necessarily be dangerous," explained product manager John Rae-Grant in a blog post. "But we encourage you to be extra careful about replying to, or clicking on links in messages that you're not sure about."
Google is doing this only for Gmail customers, but that's a sizable group of people. Earlier this month, the company said that Gmail now has over a billion monthly users.
Google's labelling of messages in Gmail may affect whether recipients choose to open flagged email. Reputable email marketers should have already taken steps to ensure deliverability by adopting TLS and DKIM/SPF. Those most likely to be affected are people running their own mail servers who haven't kept up with best practices or businesses in a similar situation.
The recent introduction of free SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt, however, should make it easier and more affordable to operate an email server that meets Google's expectations.
Google also published four Android security tips and provided details about its latest efforts to combat malicious advertising. The company has implemented automated filtering in its advertising network. The feature is designed to block traffic from three top ad fraud botnets, which together consist of over 500,000 affected computers.
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In a surprise move, Sony decided to display the new PSP Slim at the Penny Arcade Expo
this weekend after all, letting excited fans get their grubby little hands on the new hardware right now. They were clearly extremely worried about the security issues though, because each PSP Slim was tethered to the pants of a Sony booth babe -- and the cables weren't very long.
This led to some kind of awkward situations where you all up in their personal space and playing with something right next to the front of their pants. Needless to say, Star Wars: Battlefront
turned out to be incredibly
difficult to play.


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The tweet came after Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, met at the National Governors Association meeting in Providence this week. The two discussed how they could work together to improve the platform and spur growth. This ultimately led to Elon Musk taking over all of Twitter’s responsibilities and firing Parag Agarwal.
Agarwal had been on Twitter’s board of directors since 2015 but was not involved in its day-to-day operations. He also did not have any hand in its decisions or who it hired as CEO.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over as CEO of Tesla Motors in 2004 and then became chairman in 2006 before becoming CEO again in 2008 when he took over from Martin Eberhard who resigned from the position due to his health issues.’
Elon Musk finally got full control over Twitter, firing CEO Parag Agarwal
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Elon Musk has finally taken control of Twitter, and he’s not wasting any time. He fired the company’s CEO yesterday and replaced him with himself.
The move comes just after months of speculation that Musk would take over for Agarwal, who had been running Twitter since 2015. The company had grown stagnant under Agarwal’s leadership and was facing criticism from investors and users alike, who were fed up with the lack of innovation on the platform.
In his first tweet as CEO in 15 years, Musk promised to make changes to Twitter’s policies, including ending its ban on cryptocurrency ads and creating an independent board to oversee its operations. “I’m excited to be back,” he said in a statement released by the company at the same time as his tweets went live. “I’ve missed building cool things.”
But it wasn’t long before some users started pointing out that they weren’t seeing any changes yet—and that they’d
Elon Musk took over Twitter on Monday, firing CEO Parag Agarwal and appointing himself as the company’s new CEO.
In a blog post on Tesla’s website, Agarwal said he was “deeply disappointed” to learn that Musk had taken over his role at Tesla, calling him a “great leader.” The blog post also revealed that Agarwal had been given one week to vacate his office and leave the company.
Agarwal said he would be working with Tesla’s board of directors and senior leadership team to ensure a smooth transition for everyone involved.
Elon Musk took to Twitter today to announce that he will be taking over as CEO of the social media platform. Musk plans to refocus Twitter on the core values of innovation and productivity and will make significant changes to how the site operates.
In a video posted on his personal Twitter account, Musk said that he was “going to be taking control of [Twitter] to improve its performance.” He added that “the product will not change,” but that he would make changes within the company.
Elon Musk fired the CEO of Tesla in March.
It’s not clear why he did it, but it’s clear that the decision has cost Tesla plenty. The company has struggled to turn a profit since then, and the stock price has fallen by more than 50% since then.


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Doctor distributes masks, sanitizers among patients in PHC Sheeri
Baramulla: While the doctors continue to be on the frontline of Covid-19 fight, a doctor at Public Health Center (PHC) apart from discharging his duties distributes masks, sanitizers among the needy and poor patients.
Dr. A. M Bhat (name changed on his request) has so far distributed five thousand masks and hundreds of bottles of hand sanitizers purchased for the needy and poor patients and the staff he works with in the PHC Sheeri.
Bhat says, “Patients visiting this hospital hardly realize the benefits of masks and hand sanitizers. While making them aware about the importance of masks and hand hygiene I provide them free masks and sanitizers as they can’t buy it from open market.”
He added that there is shortage of face masks and hand sanitizers in the market.


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Research in Motion is likely to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a big way — Irish rocker Bono just broke up with the iPod and his new mobile babe is the BlackBerry.
Apparently, RIM said “walk away, walk away, walk away,” and Bono followed, switching his allegiance from Apple’s iPod to RIM’s (NASDAQ: RIMM) BlackBerry, which is now the corporate sponsor of the super-group’s 360 tour kicking off in June in Spain.
The news comes at a time when the competition in the smartphone market is heating up even as sales cool off — and new players such as the T-1 Mobile Android phone are also certain to change the landscape — so any edge, whether having a namesake guitarist or not, may be prudent.
At U2.com, you see an artsy black-and-white photo of Bono and company and an orange icon bearing the group’s current tour title, but what’s surprising is the BlackBerry company name right below it in popping white-on-black contrast.
Wait, what? The band’s indomitable frontman-cum-diplomat virtually became synonymous with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) love back in 2004. Bono and guitarist Edge joined Steve Jobs on the stage of the California Theatre to announce an unprecedented marketing partnership between U2 and Apple that revolved around the iPod U2 Special Edition.
And who can forget the Apple ad with the band performing the hit single “Vertigo?” Or the infamous Bono quote in 2005 that Apple is “more creative than a lot of people in rock bands”? All this makes it hard to believe that Bono has a BlackBerry neatly secured in a belt clip underneath his black leather jacket.
Details are sparse on what the odd alliance will result in for the band aside from corporate backing for its next worldwide concert tour to promote its next album.
“This tour announcement marks the first stage of a relationship and shared vision between RIM and U2 that we expect will lead to new and innovative ways to enhance the mobile music experience on the BlackBerry platform for U2 fans,” the band’s manager Paul McGuinness said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing more details as the relationship unfolds.”
It’s interesting to note that Bono is a leader at Menlo Park, Calif.-based venture capital firm Elevation Partners, which is an investor in Palm, slated to come out with a touch-screen smartphone called Pre aimed at the iPhone and BlackBerry market.
No one can say for certain whether that’s a sign that Bono isn’t banking on the Pre, or if Jobs’ absence in the day-to-day operations of Apple made it easier for the group to sign on RIM.
Meanwhile, scribes are speculating over what the RIM-U2 partnership means even for the maker of the president’s mobile device of choice. Some say the move smacks of desperation, a garish attempt to market the BlackBerry brand beyond the geek group to the digerati as a hip device.
For its part, RIM has reportedly bought over 100 domain names with varying combinations of the band and company name. The company did not respond to inquiries for comment on whether or not we can expect to see new music apps or special edition BlackBerries.


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AOL reported a net loss of $11.8 million, compared with a year-ago loss of a little over $1 billion, which had included a major goodwill impairment charge and higher restructuring costs.
Total revenue came in at $542.2 million, down 8 percent compared to Q2 2010. Subscription revenue took another – albeit expected – hit with a 23 percent decrease.
However, advertising revenue (finally) grew 5 percent to $319 million after an essentially flat Q1 2011, notably despite the impact of AOL’s exit from certain countries and operations in recent times, with display advertising up a decent 14 percent.
Partially offsetting advertising revenue growth was a decline in search and contextual revenue of $17.6 million, the company said.
In a statement, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong says the company’s return to global advertising growth for the first time since 2008 is another ‘meaningful step forward’ in the comeback of the AOL brand.
That may well be the case, but the road to sustainable profitability is still long.
AOL highlights its Huffington Post Media Group, which saw the number of unique visitors surpass 30 million (“and The New York Times”) in May 2011, according to comScore. User comments on The Huffington Post for Q2 surpassed 12 million, and recently topped 100 million since it was started.
AOL is a global advertising-supported Web company, with display advertising network in the U.S., a substantial worldwide audience, and a suite of popular Web brands and products. The company’s strategy focuses on increasing the scale and sophistication of its advertising platform and growing the size and engagement of its global online audience through leading products and programming. History of Aol: AOL was founded in the early 1980’s as Control Video Corp, with an online service, Gameline, for the Atari 2600 console. ...


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News•April 25, 2004 1:38 PM ET•4,503 views
Slapshot to release final effort w/ Thorp
Now that Slapshot has decided to call it quits permanently, following their last European tour, the group will release one final studio recording with Thorp Records. The group has already begun writing and pre-production for the release, which they plan to record in July. The release will be an MCD with over twenty minutes of exclusive enhanced video footage to be produced by Killswitch Productions. Look for the effort to hit stores in late-2004.
Petition launched to include Trevor Strnad in Grammys 'In Memoriam' segment
Sign this shit.
The Black Dahlia Murder vocalist Trevor Strnad dies


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Integrated Systems Events and its co-owners AVIXA and CEDIA have jointly announced ISE Live & Online, a series of local events in Barcelona, Munich, Amsterdam and London which will be supported by a comprehensive digital offering powered by CISCO. With the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and global travel restrictions, ISE Live & Online will take the place of the traditional in-person large tradeshow format.
Mike Blackman, Managing Director, Integrated Systems Events, said, “We have reached this decision following extensive discussions with our exhibitors over the last few months. All along there has been a clear demand for a four-day ISE show in Barcelona in June. However, uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and international travel remains, which means we are unable to run ISE 2021 in its traditional format. Our exhibitors have made it clear that there is a desire to get the industry together but on a local level. In response, we are targeting Europe’s key markets across the AV sector and aim to deliver a quality audience who want to meet potential suppliers, existing customers and network with their peers.”
Blackman said, “For 2021, we have a rich and exciting digital offering. We are proud to be working with CISCO on this innovative approach. We will be bringing ISE to four cities in June and continuing with our popular RISE Spotlight programme throughout the year. Working with the industry in this way, we will be providing meaningful opportunities for sales teams to meet their customers, for people to experience product innovations, and of course, for networking.”
David Labuskes, CEO, AVIXA, said, “COVID has taught us all to listen more attentively. Listen to our neighbours, our family, our co-workers, our customers and our market. I believe this approach reflects what we’ve heard, a strong desire for prudent and safe face-to-face gatherings that can reinforce business connections and initiate growth. We are honoured to be in a position to offer these to our community.”
Giles Sutton, joint CEO, CEDIA, added, “Everyone in the industry is missing the human interaction that is such a vital part of our industry – the opportunity not just to see, hear and touch new products and innovations in our sector but also everything that ISE brings in terms of learning, networking and that all important sense of community. The ISE team has worked tirelessly to ensure that guidelines could be in place to protect our exhibitors and visitors on-site. However, there remains uncertainty around current travel restrictions and the ability for our global audience to take part in person. The success of ISE has been built on broad industry support and that is the reason why we have taken these decisions this week. We look forward to a debut show where our community can all be together again in Barcelona in February 2022.”


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WeWork India to raise $200M; aims one lakh co-working seats by 2020
Co-working major WeWork India, owned by realty firm Embassy Group, will raise $200 million (around Rs 1,400 crore) by December, to expand business and expects to be profitable at the entity level in one year, a top company official said.
Asserting that there would be no impact on the Indian operation, due to deferment of public issue of US-based WeWork, India Business Head Karan Virwani said the company has already invested Rs 1,300 crore, including Rs 1,000 crore as equity, in this business and will continue to infuse more for growth.
"There is lot of speculation about WeWork India business. We still believe in WeWork brand. India business is really growing well. Embassy Group is bullish about the co-working sector and we continue to expand," WeWork India CWeO Karan Virwani told PTI in an interview.
WeWork India has 26 operational co-working centres with 46,000 seating capacity. It has nine centres in Bengaluru, 10 in Mumbai, six in Gurugram and one in Pune, where seats are available in range of Rs 5,000-40,000 per desk per month.
"We are targeting to reach one lakh desks/seats by end of the next year. In order to fund this expansion plan, we plan to raise $200 million by end of this year from foreign and domestic investors," he said.
WeWork India will soon enter Noida and Hyderabad markets. It has taken on lease over 3 lakh sq ft office space to open three co-working centres, comprising nearly 3,900 seats in Noida. The company is leasing more office spaces to expand operation.
Virwani said the company has achieved profitability at the centre level and expects to earn profit at the entity level over the next 12 months.
WeWork India is an independent entity with the right to execute its business in India and it pays a management fee to the American firm.
Last week, Embassy Group said there would be no impact on the Indian operation due to deferment of initial public offering (IPO) of US-based WeWork's parent - The We Company. The IPO was postponed a week after the SoftBank-backed startup removed founder Adam Neumann as its Chief Executive Officer.
Virwani said the company is working closely with the new management at the global level.
"WeWork India, which is wholly owned and funded by Embassy Group, is our big bet in this space. WeWork India is a strategic long-term play for Embassy Group and its performance has exceeded our expectations this year," an Embassy Group spokesperson had said earlier.
Bengaluru-based Embassy Group, a major player in Indian commercial real-estate that launched India's first REIT earlier this year, had partnered with US-based WeWork in 2016 to enter into co-working business.
(Edited by Suman Singh)


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Handling fast-growing startups is not a basic work. Whether it’s remaining on the same level with the rivals, defeating significant modern technology or boosting much more cash money to maintain constant development along with growth, these Chief exec police officers are smart, frantic along with driven.
And Also doing it all throughout a going crazy health as well as additionally economic downturn simply made factors harder this year.
The GeekWire Honors Start-up Chief Executive Officer of the Year finalists are Luis Ceze of OctoML; Maria Colacurcio of Syndio; Mike McSherry of Xealth; Ray Meiring of Qorus Software Application; along with Alessya Visnjic of WhyLabs.
Integris Chief Executive Officer Kristina Bergman won the honor in 2020.
Neighborhood tally is presently underway throughout 13 GeekWire Honors categories in our 13 th annual occasion of Pacific Northwest modern technology. That tally, which closes on April 30, will definitely be factored in with feedbacks from more than 20 courts. On May 20 we will definitely present the champs live at the electronic GeekWire Honors, offered by Wave Organization.
Send your tallies listed here, purchase your tickets, along with preserve scrolling for recaps of each Start-up Chief Executive Officer of the Year finalist.
Develop your really own consumer feedbacks research study
Maria Colacurcio, Chief Executive Officer of Syndio
Maria Colacurcio helped Syndio boost more than $24 million over the previous year as the Seattle start-up continued its work to get rid of spaces in pay equity.
” We have actually seen unbelievable need in 2020, and also this financial investment provides us the capacity to introduce much faster, developing brand-new items that deal with a few of one of the most tough as well as ingrained issues companies deal with,” Colacurcio asserted in January.
Luis Ceze, creator & Chief Executive Officer of OctoML
Seattle-based start-up OctoML boosted a $28 million formerly this year. Chief Executive Officer Luis Ceze, a College of Washington instructor, leads the UW spinout which plans to help company launch expert system variations on countless tools setups.
” We intend to allow you to draw out the very best efficiency out of your device finding out designs as well as automate the whole procedure of releasing the design to manufacturing,” he asserted in an existing blog post.
Alessya Visnjic, creator & Chief Executive Officer of WhyLabs
WhyLabs extracted Seattle’s Allen Institute for Expert system last loss as well as additionally boosted $4 million for its AI details examining system.
UW grad along with Amazon.com vet Alessya Visnjic mentioned she left the modern technology titan in 2017 “with a vision to allow every venture to run AI dependably.”
Mike McSherry, Chief Executive Officer of Xealth
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced university hospital systems to handle digital gadgets at file rate, startups such as Seattle-based Xealth are aiding. Led by Chief Executive Officer Mike McSherry, the company landed a necessary cooperation as well as additionally $6 million economic investment from healthcare significant Cerner.
McSherry asserted it was “an understanding and also dedication that electronic health and wellness, telehealth/remote tracking is currently component of treatment distribution moving forward.”
Ray Meiring, Chief Executive Officer of Qorus Software Program
Qorus raised $5 million in 2014 to maintain growth of its sales enablement software application, which helps companies craft sales recommendations. Chief Executive Officer Ray Meiring asserted its secret sauce is its mix with Microsoft applications such as Workplace along with Characteristics.
” We have excellent clients throughout markets such as lawful, technology as well as health care that utilize our item to swiftly access material at the correct time in the sales procedure and also conveniently develop winning pitches, propositions and also RFP feedbacks,” he mentioned.
A substantial several thanks to our long period of time honors supplying friend, Wave Company, for maintaining this satisfying community event. Many many thanks to gold along with team enrollers: Blink UX, WSGR, JLL, EY, Premera, Dreambox Knowing, BECU, WestRiver Team, ALLtech as well as additionally First Technology Federal Debt Union. And additionally to our silver enrollers BCRA as well as additionally Kingston Advertising Team. If interested regarding moneying a team or another component of the GeekWire Honors, please call us at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Thousands of RBS/NatWest customers face higher overdraft fees after being pushed into new current accounts
Thousands of loyal customers with RBS/NatWest face higher overdraft fees after being pushed into new current accounts.
A total of 140,000 customers in seven old accounts will be moved into the bank’s Select Account. This is the standard current account for both banks, but comes with hefty charges for going into the red.
The bank says it is trying to make things fairer for all customers, but around a third will see their overdraft rates rise as a result.
Watch your balance: Many RBS and Natwest customers will see their overdraft fees and interest rates rise
RBS customers who will move are those in accounts called Personal Current, Gold Cheque, Private Bank, Private Banking Current and Child & Co Current. NatWest customers with a Personal Current Account or a Gold Plus deal will also be shifted over.
They will be charged a £6 monthly fee plus interest of 19.89 per cent if they go into the red by more than £10.
Customers with a Gold Plus, Private Bank Account and Child & Co account previously didn’t have to pay the £6 fee.
Others will also see their overdraft interest rates rise.
RBS said it has written to all customers and will start shifting them to new accounts this month.
It says: ‘This is just one step we’re taking to remove complexity for customers and rebuild their trust.’
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- Ad giant WPP has been dropped from Philips' ad agency search, a move that will cost WPP around $30 million in annual revenue.
- The Dutch conglomerate plans to consolidate global advertising, PR, and media with one ad holding company.
- Its decision marks an end to a 10-year relationship with WPP agency Ogilvy.
Consumer goods and healthcare giant Philips dropped WPP from its agency search, a move that will cost the advertising company more than $30 million in annual revenue, according to three people with direct knowledge.
WPP will keep working with Philips after winning digital and performance media duties in a separate review last December, but most of the business is now gone. The news marks another significant hit to the company, which just lost Unilever's North American retail marketing business to rival Publicis.
Philips plans to consolidate its advertising, PR, production, and media-buying business with one holding company. Sources said WPP agencies Ogilvy, PR firm BCW, media agency Wavemaker, and production company Hogarth sought the business, along with other holding companies Dentsu and IPG.
WPP was eliminated early in the process after it failed to meet Philips' expectations, one person said.
Consulting firm Comvergence estimates that Philips spends $300 million on advertising each year. But Philips is known to be a challenging client for an ad agency because it's a multi-faceted business, with healthcare services, consumer appliances, and licensing on products like televisions. CEO Frans Van Houten, who took over in 2011, plans to sell much of the consumer portion, and a spokesman said Philips considers itself a "health technology company."
Ogilvy has been Philips' lead ad agency since 2011 and was one of its largest global clients along with Unilever, Samsung, and IBM.
WPP has also recently won new clients including Victoria's Secret, and it was the top holding company in consulting firm R3's compilation of new business wins for 2020. Ogilvy's recent wins include Zippo and Pernod Ricard.
WPP and Ogilvy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Philips said it would update its agency search at a later date.


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Italian coffee machine and appliance manufacturer has appointed Hollywood actor Brad Pitt as its new brand ambassador
DeLonghi appoints Brad Pitt as brand ambassador | Photo credit: DeLonghi
DeLonghi has appointed celebrity actor Brad Pitt as its brand ambassador to drive growth in its premium at-home coffee market.
Pitt commenced his role starring in the company’s latest global communication campaign, 'Perfetto from bean to cup’, which launched last week.
“Our Group has experienced extraordinary growth in recent years and the segment of espresso coffee machines for the households has taken on a central role in this expansion, accounting for more than half of our turnover today,” said CEO Massimo Garavaglia.
“We believe that Brad Pitt is the perfect ambassador to tell the world about the spirit of the DeLonghi brand: bold and international but at the same time sophisticated and elegant, sensitive to issues of sustainability and a lover of art and design,” added Garavaglia.
DeLonghi Group continues to benefit from strong global demand for at-home coffee equipment. The Italian appliance manufacturer reported net profit of €180.8m in the first six months of 2021, up a staggering 319.5% on the same period in 2020.
DeLonghi highlighted its coffee appliance products as key performers, with demand for super-automatic coffee machines above the group’s average in both quarters.


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To the victors go the spoils, the saying goes. That certainly holds true with internet companies, where several definite winners have emerged, namely the FANG stocks.X
Facebook (FB) dominates in online social networking and social media. Amazon.com (AMZN) rules the markets for e-commerce and cloud-computing infrastructure. Netflix (NFLX) has taken a huge lead in subscription video on demand. And Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google is the king of internet search.
The four household names are plays on some of the hottest technology trends, including cloud computing, streaming media, smart homes and artificial intelligence.
CNBC's "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer coined the acronym FANG in 2013 to collectively refer to the four high-growth internet stocks.
The term caught on in part because headline writers love playing with the word. Some examples: "The FANG Stocks Bite Back" and "FANGs Retracted: Netflix, Other Top Nets Lose Bite."
What Does FANG Stand For In Stocks?
Take the first letter of each stock and you get FANG.
In October 2015, Google restructured and placed its legacy business under an umbrella corporation called Alphabet Inc. Alphabet is now the parent company of Google and subsidiaries like Chronicle, Verily and Waymo.
But investors stuck with the acronym FANG rather than switch to FANA. Headline writers couldn't do much with the latter.
Who Are The FAANG Stocks?
Some Wall Street pundits couldn't leave well enough alone and decided to add Apple (AAPL) to the FANG stocks. This group has the ungainly name FAANG. Some have taken to calling FAANG stocks the FANG+ or FANG Plus stock group.
While Apple is a U.S. technology giant like the other stocks, it gets most of its revenue from hardware such as iPhone, iPad and Mac computers. Still, its growth driver of late has been internet cloud-based services including the App Store, iCloud, Apple Music, Apple Pay and Apple News+. New services on the way include Apple Arcade and Apple TV+.
Other FANG Variants Suggested
Beyond FAANG stocks, other variations on FANG have been proposed.
In July 2018, the Financial Times proposed a stock group called MAGA as a nod to President Donald Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again." The group includes Microsoft, Apple, Google and Amazon.
Is There A FANG ETF?
There is no exchange traded fund dedicated solely to the four FANG stocks, though some are heavily weighted to the group.
First Trust Dow Jones Internet (FDN) is one such FANG-themed ETF. It seeks to track with the performance of the Dow Jones Internet Index. That index selects stocks with a three-month average market capitalization of at least $100 million and other liquidity measures. The Dow Jones Internet Index is weighted by market cap, so FANG stocks top the index.
In 2017, First Trust Dow Jones Internet rocketed 37.6%. But in 2018, it climbed 6.2% after tech stocks fell late in the year. So far this year, through the May 23 close, it is up 21%. It has pulled back during the current market correction.
Should You Invest In FANG Stocks?
After a phenomenal showing in 2017, the FANG stocks lagged last year.
The companies in the FANG group are facing a host of pressures they didn't have in 2017.
Amazon.com and Google have come under regulatory scrutiny for possible anti-competitive business practices. Facebook and Google have been criticized for lack of data privacy and security. And Netflix is confronting a flurry of new competitors in streaming video as well as a mounting debt load associated with content production.
Follow Patrick Seitz on Twitter at @IBD_PSeitz for more stories on consumer technology, software and semiconductor companies.
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StumbleUpon Shuts Down After 16 Years
StumbleUpon announced that it will shutter its content discovery platform at the end of June, 2018, ending a 16-year run that saw over 40 million users link to some 60 billion Web locations, with user accounts now moving to Mix.com, co-founder Garrett Camp’s new discovery service. Search Engine Journal
Google Dropping Anonymous Local Reviews?
Google may be moving to end anonymous reviews for its Maps and Local Business offerings, or to remove their star rating impact, according to a Search Engine Roundtable report. Search Engine Roundtable
Twitter looking to expand its programmatic offerings with Timeline Ad network pilot program
Twitter has begun seeking publishers for an expanded programmatic ad network that would allow timelines embedded on network partner sites to feature ads, the company noted on its revamped Twitter Timeline Ads Pilot site. Marketing Land


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Passenger-side air bags, the inflatable cushions designed to protect front-seat occupants by popping out of the dash in the event of a collision, will be delayed in Ford Motor Co. cars once again.
The reason: The plant producing the propellent to inflate the bags has experienced four explosions of its own, explained Ross Roberts, Lincoln-Mercury general manager.
Ford started offering passenger-side air bags in the 1989 model Continental and did so without a hitch. In 1990 it offered the system in both the Continental and Town Car. Halfway through the year, the supplier plant in Quebec that produces the propellant had its first explosion.
The safety cushion was to be standard equipment in the 1991 Continental and Town Car, too, but not one system has been shipped from Quebec.
The 1992 Grand Marquis was to offer a passenger-side bag as a $492 option, but none is available.
``I don`t expect we`ll be able to fill demand for the bags until the end of this year,`` Roberts told a meeting of Midwest Lincoln-Mercury dealers in Itasca Friday. The dealers had assembled for an unveiling of the 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis, which goes on sale later this month.
``When the bags do become available, we`ll retrofit the `90 and `91 models already sold first, install them in cars in dealer showrooms next, and then start adding them to cars on the assembly line,`` Roberts told the dealers in response to questions over how much longer the safety system will be delayed.
Roberts said those consumers who purchase a Grand Marquis still can buy a bag for $492, and it will be installed when they become available.
Dealers were told that the propellant that ignites the passenger-side bag differs from the one that serves the driver-side air bag, so the driver-side bag propellant can`t be used in the interim until the plant cleans up the debris from its four explosions and is back to operating speed, probably within two to three months.
In addition to the passenger air bag delay, Roberts said shipments of the new Grand Marquis had to be held up for two weeks until a design flaw was corrected. The car sports a plastic wraparound taillight in back, and after several hundred cars had been built it was discovered the light would break if someone slammed the deck lid shut.
``We found that one early,`` Roberts said.
Despite the setbacks, the Grand Marquis will pioneer a new wrinkle to an existing safety system that officials hope will please consumers who complain that shoulder belt harnesses scrape their necks.
The harness holding the shoulder belt along the side roof pillar is designed to slide up or down at the push of a button, to adjust the position of the belt and prevent it from riding on the user`s neck.
Roberts did give dealers some good news, saying that since the Persian Gulf war ended consumers have swarmed back into showrooms in pursuit of luxury cars.
``I don`t know if it`s europhia over the end of the war or the fact the weather has been good, but we`ve seen a major shift in business the last few days,`` Roberts said.
``December was terrible, January was a disaster, but the last 20 days of February were fabulous. In fact, if we keep selling at this rate, we`re going to be short of cars,`` he said.
Roberts said he`s optimistic for the remainder of 1991 despite the recession.
``People have been hesitant to buy because of the war, but there`s 30 million cars out there that are 5 to 6 years old, and those people are going to have to buy new cars eventually,`` he said.
Looking to the future, Roberts said the joint-venture Mercury Villager mini-van being built in cooperation with Nissan will go into production next April and go on sale next June or July.
Roberts also said that in response to dealer and consumer demands, Lincoln-Mercury will add a version of the 4.6-liter Ford V-8 engine in the Continental, but not until the next generation appears shortly after the new 1993 1/2 Mark VIII goes on the market.


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Andy's Round-Up: Earn money on IGTV and LinkedIn CEO to step down
11th February 2020
Snapchat still isn’t profitable nearly two years after its IPO. In Q4 2019, Snap lost $241 million on 560.8 million in revenue that’s up 44% year-over-year and an EPS of $0.03.
SnapChat or Snap Inc, missed Q4 earnings estimates and as such, their share price has taken a hammering. Now, the press love to give Snapchat a hard time. But if you read below the headlines, there are some interesting things happening. They hit 218 million daily active users, so that's an increase of eight million. They've also claimed to reach 75% of 13 to 34-year-olds. Now, It doesn't say where the data is; I think it's probably US orientated, but that being said it shows a shift from Snapchat from a younger demographic into an older one, which is very interesting. They've made a couple of big bets on two products that we've covered before (Cameos and Bitmoji TV) and as such, their Q4 actual revenues showed that they hit profitability. They're still growing. Yes, user growth isn't as rapid as it once was, which is fairly typical but I would say they're actually looking good from a financial position. I think, personally, that they innovate more than any other social media platform and I think it's gonna be a really interesting one to watch.
After eleven years as LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner has this week announced that he's stepping down, and will be replaced by the company's Senior Vice President of Product Ryan Roslansky.
Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn has just stepped down. He's moving to the executive chairman role. Whilst that's not newsworthy in its own right, what he is doing is very newsworthy. As he departed, he gave a quote in which he said "If you come from a high-income neighborhood, go to a top school, or work at a top company, you're 12 times more likely to have a strong network" which is, you know, fairly self-explanatory but also kind of interesting when you shine a spotlight over it. So, what he's created is the 'One Plus Pledge' and what he's trying to do is level the playing field for peer mentorship and mentorship programs to really facilitate the growth of networks for people who don't come from such privileged backgrounds. I absolutely love this as an initiative and I think you're going to see a lot more to come on this.
Instagram has started testing new ways for creators to earn money from the content they share on IGTV, the platform’s long-form content branch.
Instagram TV, or IGTV, have released some monetization options for creators. Now IGTV hasn't grown as quickly as Instagram would have liked, but that being said, they're really leaning in on helping those creators and driving them towards the platform by making it easier for them to earn money on the platform. So expect to see a lot more of that and if you're a creator yourself, it's certainly one to explore.
Quora has announced two new features to help you measure and attribute your conversions: Advanced Match and Conversion Windows.
The final bit of news is around Quora. Now we don't really talk about Quora as a social media platform, but at the awareness and consideration stages of the marketing funnel, it's actually a really powerful platform where people are trying to do as much research as possible. Quora is a really popular place to go to, in order to research and find information and it also has fantastic SEO value. Now Quora have announced some new targeting and campaign optimization parts of their advertising module, which is really very useful if you choose to use Quora as an advertising platform for you to be able to track conversions more accurately. So I think that's a really interesting one to explore, especially if you work in quite a competitive industry as we do at ContentCal. It's actually a really interesting one to capture people at the research-orientated faze.
Andy does a round-up of social media news every week. Connect with Andy on LinkedIn to get it first.


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Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill and more than 80 other food and agribusiness groups sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Monday emphasizing the importance of U.S. trade with Asia.
The letter’s signees — which also included the American Farm Bureau Federation and international meat giant JBS — urged the president to reduce restrictive agricultural policies tied to the Asia-Pacific region in order to help American farmers better compete on an international level.
“The Asia-Pacific region is the world’s largest market for food and agriculture and is expected to grow rapidly in the years ahead,” wrote the signees. “We hope your administration will create such opportunities for our sector by deepening U.S. economic engagement in this critical region while responding to the Asia-only regional trade agreements being negotiated by our foreign competitors.”
After outspokenly campaigning against it, Trump pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal through an executive order in January.
The trade deal — negotiated by the Obama administration with 11 Pacific-Rim countries including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam — would have cut thousands of taxes on U.S. exports. Trans-Pacific Partnership supporters also claimed the deal would have helped the United States influence the trade agenda in a region largely dominated by China.
In their letter, the food and agribusiness groups wrote that many of them strongly supported the trade deal.
Other notable companies to sign the letter include Campbell Soup, ConAgra Brands, Smithfield Foods and Tyson Foods.
Read the full letter to President Donald Trump on agricultural trade with Asia
Type of work:


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Awards and Recognition
Enterprise 50 Awards 2016 – First Runner-Up
Enterprise 50 recognises top 50 local privately-held companies which have contributed to the economic development in Singapore and abroad. Jointly organised by KPMG and The Business Times, and supported by IE Singapore, Singapore Business Federation, Singapore Exchange and SPRING Singapore, the event was graced by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Chairman of the Committee on the Future Economy.
EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 (Internet and Mobile) – Mr Forrest Li, Founder, Chairman and Group CEO of Garena
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards honors the exceptional achievements of the best entrepreneurs globally. It is an unique platform that facilitates the exchange of ideas and opportunities.
Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association's VC Deal of the Year award 2015
SVCA presents a set of awards to participants in the Venture Capital and Private Equity industry. The VC Deal of the Year award is given to sponsors based on their investments in a portfolio company.
Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific 2015
The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific is the pre-eminent technology awards program in Asia Pacific and includes nine APAC locations, namely Australia, China (including Hong Kong), India, Japan; South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan. The award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth during a 3-year period.
Red Herring 100 Asia 2012
Every year, the Red Herring editorial team will select a group of companies for the Red Herring 100 Asia Award. The list represents the most innovative and promising companies from a pool of hundreds from across Asia. The Finalists are evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, IP creation, CAGR, execution of strategy, and disruption in their respective industries. These companies will face off for the prized Top 100 Asia Award.
World Startup Report 2014
Garena was valued at USD 1 billion and ranked as the largest Internet Company in Singapore
Interbrand Breakthrough Brands Report 2017
Sea was selected as one of 40 startups in Interbrand's 2017 Breakthrough Brands report. The report focuses on discovering and celebrating the next generation of brands that embody growth across multiple dimensions. Sea's mission to better the lives of consumers and small businesses through technology, was identified as the driving force behind the company’s breakthrough growth in a rising market.
Speeches and Interviews
Featured Speeches and Interviews
World Economic Forum on ASEAN, Phnom Penh
10 - 12 May 2017
The World Economic Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Speaking on the topic of digital financial inclusion in Southeast Asia, Sea's Group President Nick Nash spoke on the challenges that ASEAN consumers face in gaining access to the digital economy and how Sea is solving this issue for the unbanked population to bring about greater financial inclusion in the region.


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HONG KONG - Denway Motors Ltd., the China partner of Honda Motor Co., on Tuesday posted a 51 percent rise in 2002 earnings as increasingly wealthy Chinese snapped up its Accord sedans and Odyssey minivans.
Investors are, however, bracing for intensifying competition in a China market which on Monday saw Volkswagen's Shanghai joint venture cut the price of its Passat, an Accord competitor, by an average of 10 percent.
Others have been investing billions of dollars into China, which rivals South Korea as Asia's second-largest sedan market after growing 56 percent in 2002 to pass the million-car mark.
Denway, which owns 47.5 percent of the Guangzhou Honda joint venture with Japan's No. 2 car maker, posted net income for 2002 of HK$1.09 billion (US$139.7 million).
The result slightly beat market expectations for profit of HK$1.06 billion, according to the average forecast of 20 analysts surveyed by Multex Global Estimates.
JPMorgan analyst Frank Li maintained his "overweight" rating on Denway after the result, noting that sedan sales in China rose 127 percent in the first two months of the year to 241,554 units.
"The China sedan sector is very strong," he said. "I think Denway is a very good proxy to play this game."
Further financial details were not immediately available.
Guangzhou Honda plans to roll out a cheaper car later this year to compete with models such as General Motors' Buick Sail, which sells for roughly 100,000 yuan (US$12,000). The Accord costs about 260,000 yuan.
Guangzhou Honda has said it expects to sell 110,000 vehicles this year, almost double the 59,000 it sold in 2002.
Investor euphoria towards China's car sector has cooled somewhat as prices come down and competition heats up with more foreign giants investing in new plants and tie-ups.
UBS Warburg said Shanghai VW's Passat price cut this week was a response to Denway's Honda Accord price cut earlier this year.
Henry Wu, an analyst at UBS Warburg, said he did not expect further price cuts by Denway or its rivals anytime soon.
"The current demand is so strong," he said on Tuesday.
An easing of import tariffs following China's accession to the World Trade Organization in late 2001also is pushing prices lower across the market.
Deutsche Bank expects car sales in China to grow by 20 percent to 30 percent a year over the next 10 years.


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Buyers came out this Spring to take advantage of low rates and relative low prices in the neighborhoods they wanted to buy in. Now it is late Summer and a lot of home buyers still have not been able to buy a home. Home buyers have become demoralized by the lack of inventory and intense competition for a limited selection of homes for sale. If this sounds like you, you are not alone.
Since the beginning of the year home prices have risen and continue to rise because of the run up of prices due to bidding wars between home buyers. Home sellers are sitting back and waiting for the home buyer that will offer the most for their house. Many buyers have lost confidence they will not be able to purchase a home. Home buyers have seen opportunity in the current real estate market. With record low interest rates, lower home prices and increased confidence in the economy, many have thought the same thing, “this is the time to buy”. But without homes to purchase, many will be left out in the cold this summer.
A survey by Redfin found these results when surveying home buyers.
- Believe that the market may be shifting against them: 46% of respondents believe now is a good time to buy, down two quarters in a row; in the first quarter it was 56%. Thirty-two percent believe now is a good time to sell, up two quarters in a row; in the first quarter it was 13%.
- Are more confident that home prices are on the rise: 61% believe prices will increase, up two quarters in a row; in the first quarter it was 32%.
- Increasingly prefer a conventional sale over a foreclosure or short sale: 62% of respondents were “very interested” in conventional sales, up from 57% in the second quarter and 48% in the first quarter, marking a return to normalcy after years of bargain-hunting;
- Are more likely to back off when faced with multiple offers: 31% said they would step back from a bidding war, compared to 28% in the second quarter, the first time we asked this question. Just 8% would do whatever it takes, compared to 10% a quarter earlier.
- Have growing concerns about the economy, despite rising home prices: 27% of respondents cited general economic weakness as a concern about buying this year, up from 24% in the second quarter and 20% in the first quarter.
Our suggestion to you is to not stop looking for homes. Many buyers will be demoralized and stop looking which will lower the pool of buyers and increase the chance that your offer will be accepted. Persistence is key.
Current Homes For Sale in the City of Yorba Linda
[idx-listings city=”Yorba Linda” minprice=”250000″ maxprice=”9000000″ propertytypes=”516″ orderby=”Price” orderdir=”ASC” count=”12″ showlargerphotos=”true”]


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This text is translated into Russian by google automatic human level neural machine.
EastRussia is not responsible for any mistakes in the translated text. Sorry for the inconvinience.
Please refer to the text in Russian as a source.
The Asian-Pacific Bank will attract financing of more than 2 million yuan
For the first time, Asia-Pacific Bank (OJSC) issued letters of credit with financing in the amount of more than two million yuan on behalf of the ProBuro Group of Companies, one of the largest distributors of stationery and office goods, as well as the largest licensee of the world's leading brands of the children's segment in Russia and countries CIS. The letters of credit have been confirmed by one of the largest banks in China, which will also provide financing to ATB, according to a press release from the bank.
In modern conditions, when interest rates on loans in the domestic market are growing, and the access of Russian banks to Western markets is severely limited, raising funds from the Asian market is becoming a profitable alternative for our clients - importers of goods and equipment from China.


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Why you should trust CardRatings.com
At CardRatings.com we discuss the most up-to-date news and trends within the credit card space. Since we first pioneered the concept of online credit card reviews in 1998, our team of financial experts has provided comprehensive and unbiased credit card reviews for more than 175 cards, plus hundreds of additional resource articles to help educate everyday cardholders so they can feel more confident about their card choices. All our content is written and reviewed by industry experts. Though our content may occasionally contain references to products from our partners, we maintain strict editorial integrity and advertiser relationships and compensation never influences ratings, reviews or featured products. The difference between editorial content and advertising must always be clearly stated. Learn more.
The headlines are ominous. Rising credit card rates are at levels we haven’t seen in 30 years according to ABC. Card debt has jumped from $736 billion in April 2021 to $993 billion this July according to Fox Business.
Simultaneously, card volume or how much we are spending on our cards (not necessarily debt) is jumping. Americans are spending “big on their cards” according to The Wall Street Journal. Wells Fargo, for example, is reporting card volume shot up 13% during the second quarter of 2023 (compared to the same time frame last year).
Such headlines would historically signal a potential financial disaster… a perfect storm if you will. I believe, however, that you shouldn’t press the panic button quite yet!
My reasoning is not just because I’m an eternal optimist. The current economic scenario is unique and there are shockingly some positive credit card trends that are worth highlighting, especially given all the negative financial news.
- To challenge you to not always assume that what appears to be bad financial news is actually 100% bad. Financial knowledge is empowering!
- To help you “think outside of the box” when it comes to your personal credit and learn to use your card(s) more effectively as powerful financial tools in the current economic environment.
Increased card debt is ‘just’ a post-pandemic return to normalcy
A major reason the current economic environment is so unique is thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, consumer card loans dipped dramatically as the U.S. government injected stimulus into the economy to insulate consumers’ finances from the pandemic’s economic fallout,” according to Fox Business.
In plain English, the decreased card debt that consumers enjoyed during the pandemic was simply due to the government checks many people enjoyed.
Therefore, you can argue that the recent rise in card debt represents, at least partially, a “return to normalcy” following the pandemic. We can’t assume the spike in card debt is entirely due to consumers using their cards irresponsibly.
Another encouraging sign involves credit card delinquencies, which have remained mostly flat according to recent data.
Increased card spending suggests increased consumer confidence
The same Fox Business article referenced above notes that rising levels of card debt show “that American consumers feel confident enough about the economy to spend their hard-earned money and carry credit card balances.”
The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, which tracks national consumer confidence, agrees. The index is up an impressive 40% over last year.
The logic here is simple. As consumer confidence grows, people are more likely to pull out their cards to make purchases. Furthermore, according to the Britannica, the increase in consumer spending in turn helps the economy sustain its expansion.
Always scrutinize statistics. Case in point, Laura Levine, the president and CEO of the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, notes that one recent study claims 45% of consumers carry a revolving card balance.
She says this isn’t ideal, of course, but points out that the study “speaks to the number of users with a balance, not the amount of the balance or how manageable the amount is for the consumer.” She also wisely suggests to “probably look a little deeper into that before you draw any conclusions.”
Don’t over-worry about card usage being up among young adults
There are other possible explanations for increased spending that aren’t necessarily bad. Levine for example makes a great point regarding the migration towards a cashless society:
“I think we’re all pretty aware of the lingering financial effects of the pandemic, but I wonder if the increased use of credit is also fueled by our evolution into a cashless (or less cash) society,” she posits. “We used to encourage consumers to use cash on small purchases as a way to manage spending. But today, that’s harder to do when we’re shopping online and more vendors have moved to non-cash transactions.”
Levine’s organization partially focuses on financial literacy among young adults, whom a recent study shows are shifting 43% more of their spending to credit cards, a trend to which she adds some perspective.
“Even with debit cards, they’re linked to your checking account, which is linked to your savings account – technology makes it easier to get to your money, which is convenient, but easier access to spending might be contributing to this trend.
“And, I’m generalizing here, but younger consumers probably utilize technology more than older consumers, so then trend isn’t surprising from that perspective,” she continues. “This emphasizes the need for financial education.
“Jump$tart was formed in the mid-90s when card debt and bankruptcies, especially among young adults, was rising at an alarming level, but I don’t think we’ve returned to the same scenario,” Levine concludes.
Young adults are also utilizing reward cards in a savvy manner, particularly travel reward cards. Rather than racking up card debt, they are using hacks to lower their travel costs, including using cards with travel benefits and paying with card points to book a trip
How to leverage card reward programs during tough economic times
Another possible explanation for increased card usage is the growing popularity of card reward programs. Some experts, myself included, maintain the growth of these programs has been at least partially fueled by economic hardship.
Some consumers, for example, are using card cash bonuses to help supplement their income during times of financial stress. A 2022 study by Wells Fargo Bank yielded some interesting related findings:
With Americans concerned about rising inflation, nearly half of rewards cardholders (49%) say they are leaning on their credit card rewards to help offset some of the costs of everyday purchases.
While inflation may have slowed, gas prices are soaring. According to the NY Post, gas prices recently hit an eight-month high and there’s no relief in sight. The good news is that gas rebate cards can help you slash gas prices by as much as 5%.
Sharon Freedman (name changed for privacy) recently applied for the Sam’s Club Mastercard. The card allows her to earn 5% back in Sam’s Cash on gas anywhere Mastercard is accepted (up to $6,000 spent annually). This could represent significant savings over time as it takes about $60 to fill up her tank and she doesn’t have to get gas from Sam’s in order to earn the rebate.
I hope this article has inspired you to dig deeper when you see a distressing financial headline. Negative financial news tends to create a negative financial outlook, which can also affect your personal finances.
While this article is intended to encourage and perhaps challenge your thinking about credit, I will be the first to admit that credit cards aren’t for everyone and they can certainly cause financial havoc if not used with discipline.
The key is to use cards shrewdly. Gerri Detweiler, credit and small business expert and coauthor of Finance Your Own Business: Get on the Financing Fast Track, expounds:
“Over half of consumers don’t carry a balance at all,” Detweiler explains. “If that describes you, increased spending may be manageable, but it’s still important to take a careful look at where your money is going to make sure you’re spending on things that really matter. Try to make sure you’re also sticking to your savings goals!”
I sincerely hope these insider tips are helpful to you and would love your thoughts on this topic, as well as any tips on how you’ve been able to leverage cards to your advantage. Who knows, I may include a tip from you in a future article!


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SAP is launching the SAP.iO Fund, seeded with an initial investment of $35 million, to encourage early-stage investments in software startups that will expand the SAP ecosystem.
The fund is just one component of the SAP.iO open innovation model, which enables innovators both inside and outside SAP to use the power of SAP data, application programming interfaces (APIs), and platform technologies to unlock new value for customers.
As part of the announcement, SAP.iO launched the global SAP.iO Foundry program to incubate early-stage startups that build software applications, including those using frontier technologies such as machine learning and blockchain.
“Our open innovation model continues to deliver value to our customers,” said Deepak Krishnamurthy, chief strategy officer, SAP. “In addition to empowering our employee innovators, SAP.iO will use its fund and foundries to invest in entrepreneurs that develop industry-changing software.”
The first startup to receive funding from SAP.iO is Parable Sciences, Inc. (known as Paradata), a Big Data analytics company based in San Jose, Calif.
Paradata’s use of machine learning to offer greater supply chain transparency complements SAP Ariba solution capabilities in direct material sourcing and supply chain visibility. In addition to funding, SAP.iO and SAP will provide the startup with mentorship, customer introductions, and access to platform integrations and APIs that will help Paradata deliver new and unique opportunities for customers.
“SAP.iO will create a new ecosystem to help accelerate digital transformation for our 350,000 customers,” said Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP. “We have a message for entrepreneurs: if you have a bold dream to solve one of the world’s most significant challenges, join us and let’s chase your dream together.”
For more information about this news, visit www.sap.com.