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A new survey suggests younger business travellers are “driving technological change” as consumer travel habits continue to impact the business travel experience and corporate travel policy.
The study by GBTA Global Business Traveler Sentiment Index with American Express spoke to 405 UK business travellers to examine satisfaction with all aspects of business travel, and pinpoint the use of technological innovation.
The research found that just over half of company travel policies now allow use of ride share services, which the report suggests means many companies have ensured their policy reflects the new providers and technologies available. Over the next three months, just over one-in-ten (11%) UK business travellers think they will increase their use of ride share services, such as Uber and Lyft. It says this is primarily driven by younger travellers – with more than a quarter (28%) of millennials saying they will increase their use of ride share services. None of those over the age of 55 surveyed have plans to increase usage.
Home sharing usage is not yet as widespread as other shared services. Just 28% of company travel policies allow home sharing services, such as Airbnb and HomeAway to be used. However, almost one in ten respondents (9%) think they will imminently increase their use of home share services. The age divide is, again, evident with 22% of Millennials saying they will do so, compared to only 1% of those over 55 years old.


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EA Play on Xbox Game Pass for PC has been delayed to 2021, EA and Microsoft have advised.
Those on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S gained access to the service back in November and was scheduled for PC access sometime this month. Sadly, that's no longer the case.
Xbox Wire detailed...
EA will acquire racing game developer Codemasters for $1.2 billion USD bid that bests a $1 billion offer by Take-Two.
A press release from EA indicates the acquisition will be “completed in the first quarter of calendar 2021.”
EA also said “the combination of EA and Codemasters will enable...
It Takes Two has showcased its gameplay in a new trailer at The Game Awards.
The title, just like No Way Out, will also offer up a Friend’s Pass, which allows one person to buy the two-player game and share it with a friend.
EA and developer Hazelight said:
It Takes Two heads to PS4, PS5...
Dragon Age 4 gets a new trailer at The Game Awards 2020.
BioWare said in the trailer’s description:
You can check out the trailer below. What do you make of it?
We’ll keep you posted on Dragon Age 4 when more becomes available.
Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah have departed from BioWare, EA has confirmed.
EA has also announced that Samantha Ryan will replace Hudson as the head of the studio. Christian Dailey will take control of Dragon Age 4 and Mike Gamble will remain as lead on Mass Effect Legendary Edition and the new...
Apex Legends Holo-Day Bash 2020 event is now live and offers a limited-time game mode in addition to a new Holo-Day Rewards Track.
The limited time mode, Winter Express, involves a team of three.
The mode now includes a new station in the form of Derailment, one with “a variety...
Star Wars Squadrons now supports 120FPS on both Xbox Series X and Series while PS5 does not.
The new patch means players will have two options to choose from, depending on the console they have. The visual priority will run at up to 2160p and 60fps on Xbox Series X or 1440p and 60fps on Xbox...
Star Wars Squadrons will be getting B-Wing and TIE Defender ships over the next two months, EA and EA Motive have declared.
The title will receive its first update on 25 November and will include balancing changes, tuning and some additional fixes. It will also include a new map in the form of...
FIFA 21 Playtime is now available on Windows PC, PS4, and Xbox One and will head to next-gen consoles next month.
You can opt in to use the service by heading to Customise > Online Settings.
FIFA 21 is available on PS4, Xbox One and Windows PC. It heads to PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S on 4...
Update: The new Mass Effect title has officially been confirmed and will be a continuation of the main Mass Effect trilogy rather than Mass Effect Andromeda.
A teaser trailer was dropped at last week’s Game Awards. You can check it out below.
Original story: A new Mass Effect game is in...

domain: news


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Toys R Us recall rattle toy across UK after warning children could choke on beads
Toys R Us have recalled a rattle toy after warning that young children could potentially choke on the small beads.
The Kids II Oball Rattle has been voluntarily recalled by the international retailer over fears the rattle beads could release from the chambers.
According to Toys R Us' American website, the firm has received 42 reports of the plastic disk breaking and releasing the small beads.
On two occasions, the small beads were found in children's mouth as well as three reports of children gagging.
The company said that consumers should take these rattles away from young children immediately and contact them to receive a full refund.
The recall involves Oball Rattles in pink, blue, green and orange with model number 81031 printed on the inner surface of one of the plastic discs and on the packaging.
Only rattles with date codes T0486, T1456, T2316, T2856 and T3065 located on a small triangle on the inner surface of the rattle are included in the recall.
The Toys R Us stores in Sheffield and Doncaster have also been affected by the recall with the Daily Mail reporting that more than 81,000 rattles could be affected in the UK.


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Multiple reports claim Amazon is developing a game streaming service, joining the likes of Microsoft's Project xCloud and Google's Project Stream, with the company already in talks with publishers about adding their libraries to the platform.
This isn't game streaming like say, Twitch.More news: China's moon rover prepares for a rough ride on the dark side
The service will see Amazon compete with Google - which is now testing its Project Stream service in the USA - as well as Microsoft, which is building its own platform, hardware maker Nvidia, and publisher Electronic Arts. This Netflix-like streaming arrangement offered by PS Now has its own benefits, such as the ability to play a game without waiting for huge downloads to finish and access on any supported hardware. Citing "two people briefed on the plans", The Information reports that the service likely won't launch until next year at the earliest. That's because more of the processing power is moving to the cloud, allowing more games to work on phones and tablets.
The Verge was able to track down some Amazon job listings to corroborate the report, where the company is now hiring at least two engineers in Seattle and California specifically to work on "Cloud Games", with a third post saying that Amazon has a new game business planned. Reporters, however, have spotted job listings relevant to this effort, such as this one for a Lead Cross-Platform Game Engineer.More news: Mauro ICARDI's agent: "The two biggest clubs in Spain are interested"
Mashable has reached out to Amazon for further information.More news: Hot! Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ honeymoon pictures from the Caribbean


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"To help limit personal contact and create more space for social distancing, Costco has reduced service in some departments," the company explained to outraged customers on its Facebook account. In a statement to the New York Times, Costco said it has no plans to immediately bring the half-leaf cakes and said the round cakes "resonate with our members."
Costco did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN Business.
The decision also coincides with a recommendation by various states and US health agencies to avoid or ban large gatherings in light of Covid-19. Half-sheet cakes feed about 50 people, while their 10-inch round cakes feed a dozen.
Kroger (KR) and Sam & # 39; s Club stores also appeared to stop selling the half-leaf cake, according to an online search. However, Walmart (WMT), Albertson and H-E-B are still selling cakes of various sizes.
Despite the increasing number of coronavirus cases, a Costco executive previously told CNN Business that "he is trying to get back to normal, as areas across the country are trying to do the same."
The chain began bringing free food samples to a handful of stores and plans to extend them to additional locations in the coming weeks. Costco is also loosening restrictions on the number of people members can bring during their shopping trips.


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Fortune Brands Home & Security Inc. (FBHS) News
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First Solar (FSLR) stock is rising higher on Tuesday as investors prepare for a potential major catalyst coming on Dec.
Analysts Conflicted on These Industrial Goods Names: Entegris (ENTG), Fortune Brands (FBHS) and Masco (MAS)
Analysts have been eager to weigh in on the Industrial Goods sector with new ratings on Entegris (ENTG – Research Report), Fortune Brands (FBHS – Research Report) and Masco (MAS – Research Report). Entegris (ENTG) In a report released today, Toshiya Hari from Goldman Sachs maintained a Buy rating on Entegris, with a price target of $104.00. The company's shares closed last Thursday at $79.91, close to its 52-week low of $70.98. According to TipRanks.


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No rest for the weary: struggling electronics retailer RadioShack is plunging in early Tuesday trading after reporting a wider-than-expected first quarter net loss and lower-than-anticipated revenue. The negative territory is a familiar one for the stock, which has plummeted 57% year-over-year and 42% year-to-date thanks to depressed sales figures from the retailer who might not ever successfully emerge from the 80's.
RadioShack reported $736.7 million in first quarter revenue, down 13% from the $848.4 reported in the prior-year period and missing the Street consensus of $756 million. The retailer widened its year-ago net loss of $28 million to a net loss of $98.3 million, a figure that resulted in a 97-cent per-share loss, a figure that is higher than the 52-cent per-share loss that analysts had forecast.
Consistent with sales softness reported by other electronics retailers -- notably, Best Buy and hhgregg reported some negative numbers in their most recent quarter thanks to “continued volatility in the consumer electronics business” -- RadioShack also reported a 14% same-store sales decline, which it attributed to a drop in traffic as well as its mobility business.
"Overall, our first quarter performance was challenged by an industry-wide decline in consumer electronics and a soft mobility market which impacted traffic trends throughout the quarter," Joseph Magnacca, RadioShack CEO, said in a statement Tuesday morning. "In particular, our mobility business was weak due to lackluster consumer interest in the current handset assortment and increased promotional activities across the industry including the wireless carriers. This resulted in disappointing sales and gross margin performance."
The company, which last month said it is unable to stick to its plan to close 1,100 stores -- a plan it originally announced in its fourth quarter earnings report in March, alongside a 20% revenue drop and a 19% same-store sales decline -- closed 22 stores in fiscal 2015 and said it expects to close up to 200 stores that will be selected based on location, area demographics, lease life and financial performance.
RadioShack also said it ended the first quarter with $614.5 million of debt in its books, which will mature between 2018 and 2019.
"We are also successfully reducing our costs, with a particular focus on removing expenses that do not impact the customer experience," Magnacca added, "and have taken steps to lower our corporate headcount, leverage technology, and reduce discretionary expenses."
Following the release of the earnings results, shares of the retailer plunged more than 10% in pre-market trading and are currently down 8.9%. Though these percentages are certainly substantial, it's worth noting that RadioShack's share price is so low -- $1.54 as of Monday's close -- that the loss translates to about 10 cents.


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The nation’s agricultural sector grew by an impressive 23 percent in FY 2016-17, the fastest of all 19 Australian industries, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Barnaby Joyce on 7 September 2017.
While the principal drivers of this phenomenal growth are the grains and livestock industries, other agricultural industries have also performed strongly over the period, the Minister noted.
“Australian agriculture contributed 0.5 percentage points of the nation’s total 1.9 percent growth over the course of the year, an outstanding contribution given the size of the sector compared to total national GDP,” he said.
Agriculture contributed more than $50 billion in exports in FY 2016-17, accounting for nearly 14 percent of Australia’s total exports of goods and services, with ag exports up nearly 10 percent from $41 billion five years ago.
Aussie ag export boom
According to ABARES’ latest estimates, the value of Australia’s farm exports will reach a record $48 billion in 2016-17, with fisheries exports estimated to be around $1.4 billion, and forestry product exports at more than $3 billion.
Agriculture’s top export performers in FY 2016-17 were cereal grains and livestock products – beef, lamb, goatmeat, offal and the like – but other industries are making strong inroads in overseas, especially in burgeoning consumer markets across Asia.
“While grains and livestock products each contributed around $10 billion to [Australia’s 2016-17] export performance, other agricultural industries are also billion-dollar performers,” Minister Joyce said.
“For example, in 2016-17 our pulses exports to the world were worth over $3 billion, wine exports $2.4 billion, nuts exports $822 million and citrus over $330 million.
“Australia has seen great growth in produce to markets such as India,” noted Minister Joyce. “India is going nuts for Australia’s nuts with the value of almond exports up over 50 percent for the first half of 2017. Chickpea exports to India increased by almost 90 percent in 2016-17 to a record value of $1.1 billion.”
India is now the largest market for Australian nuts, with exports worth $143 million last FY.
Strong growth in ag exports to China over the past financial year has seen Asia’s consumer powerhouse surpass the United States as our most valuable market for wine for the first time ever.
in FY 2016–17, Australian wine exports to China totalled $596 million, 43 percent up on the previous year’s sales.
Government support paying off, says Joyce
“The [Australian] Government has delivered strong agriculture policies including opening up market access for Australian producers to some of the nation’s most important export markets, including free trade deals with China, Japan and Korea,” Minister Joyce said.
“Through the Coaltion's $4 billion Agricultural Competitiveness White Paper we have been working to create a better business environment for farmers, and to build the infrastructure needed to support continued growth – through a whole raft of policies, which our agriculture sector is responding to with enthusiasm.
“It is great to see how effectively Aussie farmers are capitalising on the opportunities on offer to increase production and exports,” he said.


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Another quarter, another few hundred million dollars down the drain for AMD. The company has posted its financial results for the second quarter of this year, and not so surprisingly, it remained in the red: net losses totaled $330 million on revenue of $1.184 billion. (Without accounting for GlobalFoundries, non-GAAP net losses were a still-hefty $244 million.)
Those total numbers actually represent slight improvements over the first quarter, when AMD posted a $416 million net loss on $1.177 billion revenue. Compared to Q2 last year, AMD saw a 13% drop in revenue and a 72% drop in net losses—bad in the first case, good in the second. Another not-so-great development: the chipmaker's gross margin dropped sequentially from 43% to 37% last quarter.
Slumping revenue shouldn't surprise anyone, of course. According to the latest figures from iSuppli, PC shipments fell by 5.2% between Q2 2008 and Q2 2009, while microprocessor shipments as a whole plunged by 20.8%. The recession certainly didn't spare Intel, whose revenue sank around 15% over the same time period.
Looking at the ongoing quarter, AMD expects revenue for its product business to be "up slightly." For what it's worth, iSuppli forecasts that PC shipments will rise sequentially by 11% this quarter and 8.9% next quarter.
|Qualcomm demonstrates 24-core ARM server SoC||23|
|Archos' GranitePhone is a new spin on the secure Android device||6|
|Report: PC shipments fell 7.7% year-on-year in the past quarter||49|
|Deals of the week: an ultrawide FreeSync monitor and more||17|
|Thursday Night Shortbread||18|
|MSI puts mobile Quadros to work in its WS60 and WT72 notebooks||4|
|HP's Envy 32 display blends FreeSync and living-room DNA||16|
|Prepare for the wasteland with Fallout 4's system requirements||60|
|Green means gaming on HP's updated Pavilion notebooks||19|
|It's almost as if the company held a big event this morning! ;)||+62|


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Ben Callner made it to the Super Bowl.
"Goat 4 Sale" was the seventh most popular commercial shown during the game as measured by USA Today's Ad Meter, Ashley Wilson of PoGo Pictures said Monday morning.
But it finished behind the other Doritos ad, "Fashionista Daddy," meaning Callner didn't win a cash prize or the chance to work with director Michael Bay on the next "Transformers" movie.
Still, Wilson said, it was an honor for "Goat 4 Sale" to be shown Sunday night. Five Doritos ads competed for the chance in an online Facebook poll.
Callner was still in New Orleans on Monday and could not be reached for comment, Wilsons said.
The top three Super Bowl ads were the Budweiser commercial in which a man reunites with a Clydesdale, a Tide ad featuring retired football player Joe Montana and a black-and-white ad about Dodge Ram trucks.
Which Super Bowl commercial was your favorite? Tell us in comments.


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After enduring more than nine hours and eight bowls of bleach to get the punk rock blonde hair she debuted at the American Music Awards, it appears that Selena has decided to ditch the look after just one month. You know what they say: out with the new, in with the old. (Wait, what?)
The change was first noticed via a post on Priscilla DeLeon's Instagram. Priscilla is Selena's cousin, who also happens to be engaged. She tapped none other than Selena to be her maid of honor.
On Dec. 23, the team went wedding dress shopping, and Priscilla documented finding her big day look on Instagram. Turns out, she also documented Selena's brunette hair.
The quick, grainy, sepia-filtered video is the only confirmation we have of this change, as Selena herself hasn't been seen in public since the switcharoo or shown off the look to her 132 million Instagram followers yet. However, for what it's worth, Selena's last two Instagram posts have been throwback images that show off her natural hair color. Perhaps those were an indication of what was to come?
Whatever happened, we all know by now that hair maven Selena can literally wear her strands however she damn well pleases and look f*cking fantastic every time. Do you, Selena!


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Rent waiver is part of a broader stimulus package designed to support DIFC’s partners
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) announced that retailers based at DIFC-owned assets now benefit from a three-month rent-free period on their base rent. The move aims to provide businesses with added flexibility and financial relief.
According to a statement, from April to June 2020, retailers of all types based in DIFC’s owned assets – Gate Avenue, Gate Village and Gate District will not be required to pay basic rent.
“We consider businesses in Dubai as our constant partners in development and are committed to supporting them in both favorable and adverse economic environments. The latest measures announced by DIFC are part of Dubai’s broader strategic framework for assisting businesses in easing the financial strains caused by the pandemic and helping them renew their business momentum when the crisis ends,” said Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and President of DIFC.
DIFC said that it recently introduced initiatives to support businesses in response to the impact caused by COVID-19. Packages include a waiver of annual licensing fees on new registrations during the next three months and a 10% discount of renewal fees for existing license holders in the DIFC that are due to renew their licenses during this period. Additionally, DIFC will allow deferred payments with respect to all properties owned by DIFC Investments for a period of up to six months.
Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC added, “These measures have been introduced as part of our ongoing stimulus package, which aims to alleviate the tremendous burden that COVID-19 has on our clients, industry and economy. This has particularly been an exceptionally challenging time for retailers, with the added impact of stores being temporarily closed as part of limiting the spread of COVID-19. The retail sector makes a vital contribution to our dynamic community and therefore it is essential we support the industry through our retail stimulus package to provide some level of certainty to our valued tenants. Our efforts to support DIFC’s business community is testament to Dubai’s wise leadership to ensure our future economy is protected and positioned for growth.”
DIFC stated it will apply a reduction on property transfer fees from 5% to 4% for any sale of property (or any part thereof) that took place within the three-month period and if the transfer is registered with the DIFC Registrar of Properties, at the latest, within 30 days after the expiry of the said three month period.
He added, “Building on our fiscal easing measures, waiving basic rental fees for retailers will secure livelihoods and enable outlets to once again contribute to one of Dubai’s primary shopping destinations with ease and flexibility as markets start to rebalance. Ultimately, we have made it a priority to extend a helping hand to our retail clients and dynamic business community. We will continue to persevere together and safeguard Dubai’s economic future.”
The financial centre remarked that it will also facilitate the free movement of labour in and out of the DIFC to other free zones, provided the employers concerned have the necessary arrangements and contracts in place with their employees.


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New York Legislation may help prevent sale of Alcohol and Tobacco to minors
A legislation has passed through the New York Senate and Assemly encouraging the use of a high tech age verification scanner called IDentiScan(TM) to verify a customer's age.
The legislation is designed to encourage merchants to prevent the sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors by using IDentiScan(TM). New York would be the first state in the nation to enact such a law. Five other states are also considering legislation.
The bill is an extension of Governor Pataki's "Zero Tolerance Program'' and is designed to reduce underage alcohol and tobacco purchases. By using the advanced tool IDentiScan(TM), operators will protect their customers and their business from fines, penalties and loss of license. IDentiScan(TM) has been a leading advocate of the prevention of underage purchasing of age sensitive products at the point of sale in grocery, drug and convenience stores as well as restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
For more information on IDentiScan(TM) contact Beth Chamberlain at 860-871-7540. For e-mail requests - firstname.lastname@example.org.


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The vehicle dubbed Legacy by Petty honors the racing career of “The King” Richard Petty in multiple ways, from the images airbrushed on its sides to the signed Charlie One hat in the backseat, and from the leather upholstery matching his boots to the DVD player in the trunk playing Petty Blue and excerpts from Lifting It Right, a DVD about lift safety hosted by Richard and Kyle Petty for the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI).
Hundreds of NASCAR fans and car enthusiasts made a pilgrimage to Level Cross, N.C., on May 28 to honor Richard Petty, take part in the inaugural Spring Fling Car Show at Petty’s Garage, and witness the official reveal of Legacy by Petty, the one-of-a-kind Dodge Challenger custom built by Petty’s Garage to pay tribute to Richard Petty and promote vehicle lift safety.
The event was sponsored by the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) and its member companies.
“This inaugural event allows fans and car enthusiasts to walk the grounds where it all started for Petty race fans,” says Greg Steadman, general manager of Petty’s Garage, the high-performance speed shop located in the garages that were once home to Petty NASCAR teams. “For Petty’s Garage and our partners, the event allows us to show off innovations and cutting-edge products associated with builds such as Legacy by Petty, the new WIX Filters Dodge Challenger, and the Petty Superbird.”
The car show kicked off around 8:30 a.m. Two hours later, everyone gathered for some heartfelt presentations and the much-anticipated reveal of Legacy by Petty.
The Legacy by Petty has the trademark Petty Blue metallic paint. An artist spent more than 156 hours illustrating Petty’s unparalleled racing career through freehand paintings on both sides of the Challenger. Inside, the leather upholstery matches The King’s crocodile skin boots. And in the backseat, one of Petty’s signed and numbered Charlie One hats hangs on a special display stand.
Once the car was revealed, Petty applied the final touch, autographing the Challenger’s odometer cluster in front of the crowd.
In addition to honoring Petty and representing Petty’s Garage, the car also will be used to promote vehicle lift safety as it travels to events around the country. The vehicle features the ALI Web site URL, www.autolift.org, under each door opening. A DVD player and flat screen TV in the trunk will be used to show both the iconic movie Petty Blue and excerpts from Lifting It Right, a DVD hosted by Richard and Kyle Petty for ALI that is focused on safely using vehicle lifts.
To wrap up the program, Doug Grunnet, ALI chairman, presented the Petty Family Foundation with a check and announced that ALI, in cooperation with its member companies, has committed to sponsoring the Spring Fling Car Show at Petty’s Garage annually through 2014. A date for the 2012 event will be announced later.
Founded in 1945, the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) is a trade association of North American-based lift manufacturers. More information about lift standards and other ALI-sponsored safety activities, such as the lift safety training DVD Lifting It Right hosted by Richard and Kyle Petty, can be found on the Institute’s Web site, www.autolift.org.


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Stunning Colors of the Xiaomi 14
Xiaomi fans have been eagerly anticipating the official release of the Xiaomi 14, and while the company couldn’t reveal the device just yet, they’ve given us a glimpse of what to expect. Today, Xiaomi unveiled all four stunning colors of the Xiaomi 14, offering a taste of the elegance and innovation that awaits.
The Xiaomi 14 will be available in four distinct colors, each catering to different tastes and preferences. First up, we have the “Black” variant, described by Xiaomi as the most classic and deepest black. This color exudes elegance and timelessness, making it a dependable choice for those who appreciate a sophisticated look.
Next, the “Rock Green” color option draws inspiration from Drizzle Bluestone, promising a fresh and shiny appearance. It’s bound to appeal to users who seek a unique and vibrant hue for their devices.
However, it’s “Snow Mountain Pink” that steals the spotlight as the most captivating color choice. Xiaomi has taken inspiration from the ethereal beauty of Lightning Mountain Snow to create this stunning shade. What sets it apart from the rest is that it’s made from a high-tech nano-skin material, ensuring a soft and delicate touch. This particular color might be a nod to Xiaomi’s female customers, who are sure to appreciate the combination of technology and aesthetics.
It’s worth noting that alongside these impressive color options, there is also a “White Glass” version available, sharing its elegance with the black and green variants. Xiaomi is pushing the boundaries of smartphone design, not just in terms of features and performance, but also in the art of color and aesthetics.
Xiaomi enthusiasts will have to wait until 7:00 pm tomorrow to see the Xiaomi 14 in all its glory, but these tantalizing color options have certainly whet our appetites. Xiaomi continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing an exceptional user experience by combining style, substance, and innovation in its latest offering.


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Does WA care about its iconic brands, or does pragmatism rule out west?
Does WA care about its iconic brands, or does pragmatism rule out west?
THE furore over the sale of Little Creatures brewery was to be expected.
Angry unionists marching on parliament, bringing traffic to a standstill with placards reading ‘The State with No Beer’ and ‘Will Kirin Keep WA Workers, Don’t Export Jobs to Japan’.
It would be no surprise to see that the West Aussie Brewers Confederation was along for the ride, not at the epicentre of trouble, but fanning the flames. It has been at odds with the United Brewers, Maltsters and Taste Testers Union for years; but as membership of both has dwindled, they have been drawn into an alliance seeking protectionist policies to stop the leakage of local beverage manufacturers east.
They have been bemoaning the loss of historic Western Australian businesses for years.
“WA grog should be made by WA companies,” a statement by WABC said.
But it was not just brewery workers and dozens of affiliated unionists who downed tools on various unrelated worksites to protest the sale of their favourite beverage company to overseas investors.
Thousands of office workers joined the march, their feet and calls symbolically representing the hard evidence revealed by recent surveys – iconic WA brands should not be sold to overseas companies.
It was a pity to see the angry mob burn the pubs to the ground, with the founders of the brand forced to leave the state in a hurry at risk of being drowned in a vat of their former brew.
The scenario described above is fiction, of course – so how come none of that really happened? Not even the slightest whimper?
When any Aussie icon gets sold overseas it is like some foreign enemy has put their hand inside each and every Australian body and ripped out part of their soul. There is outcry nationwide.
So why the silence over the Little Creatures sale? Is it because WA’s brands don’t matter so much? Is it because Little Creatures is so new?
Is it because this state, shaped by booms and busts, is less emotionally attached to something that is a good idea at the time.
Or is it that this state has never relied on subsidised manufacturing and the protection of special interests to make a buck. We don’t see the sale of a famous brand as the nail in the coffin of a once-flourishing sector.
Instead we’d rather celebrate the entrepreneurial success of a handful business people who backed their idea with a bit of seed capital and ended up creating a business worth $380 million in 12 years.
Little Creatures, which was the main brand owned by the listed entity Little World, is an outstanding story of success, not just because of the wealth created but the fact that the people behind it have done the same thing twice over three decades when other mimics have failed.
We are not bemoaning the failure of Australia to hold on to something; we recognise the achievement. The truth is we all know that the new owners are less than likely to make a long-term success of their purchase, but that is their choice.
Most of the business leaders I chatted to about this sale wondered when the guys behind it, or some of the next generation that have been their senior management, might set up shop and do it all over again.
They’ve used their talents to create something and sold it at a fair price to the highest bidder.
Let’s hope Lion isn’t too successful with its new purchase.
We’d hate to see a federal treasurer play the xenophobic card about foreign owners taking beer profits overseas – using that moment to announce a Brewing Super Profits Tax.
After all, it’s the nation’s beer isn’t it?
Hope for homeless
I SPENT a night last week at the WACA Ground doing the CEO Sleepout, which is run by the St Vincent de Paul Society to raise funds for the homeless.
It was very successful, not just as a fund-raising exercise but also to pull 100-plus CEOs and give them a couple of hours of pre-sleep education about homelessness.
The people Vinnies helps are from all walks of life with all sorts of problems – but the point is made that many of these people can be helped by intervention.
One thing that came up a couple of times was the issue of housing affordability.
There is no doubt that there will always be a level of homelessness because certain individual circumstances will preclude any other form of living, at least for the short term.
There are those whose homelessness is not about having the money for a home.
Nevertheless, housing is terribly expensive in WA and that adds to the homelessness problem, not just by pricing out the marginal but also removing vacant dwellings and other structures from the market that might otherwise provide legitimate temporary shelter.
It is easy to blame the housing affordability issue on the boom, but that is not the only factor.
House prices rose rapidly after 2000, long before the boom was under way in any sense that was noticeable here. Partly that was loose credit, partly that was improving employment conditions but, importantly, there was a restriction on the supply of land.
By 2003, the property sector was screaming about approvals for land rezoning piling up as the state government shifted its policy settings towards infill, shifting costs onto developers, sharing in development profits and stricter environmental standards. Partly this was a result of new land development being sought in more difficult areas, such as lower-lying land, but much of it was ideology.
Sprawl was bad. Of course, the new policies didn’t stop sprawl. It was simply delayed, creating a bottleneck just when more land was needed to cope with rising demand.
In the end it simply made sprawl more expensive, often making it an investors’ paradise; especially for speculators who could more easily get credit and onsell property for a fast profit – competing with new home others and others who needed it but found it harder to get loans, especially as prices went up.
Mandurah is a classic example. Thousands of homeowners, including speculators, were caught when the music stopped.
Society gains nothing from having high house prices. It is not a store of wealth for anyone but those who bought cheaply – usually just one generation. Even those people are having trouble downsizing because of the cost of smaller houses and the trouble in the property market created by the bubble we had.
While I admit there might be an environmental cost to sprawl, the reality is that Perth’s coastal plain is an ideal location for sprawl and comes at a minimal environmental cost. It has its special features but it is hardly the Amazon Basin.
Trying to create London or Paris is laudable but won’t work until Perth has reached its true limits, not those artificially imposed by boundaries that homeowners can’t see.
While the current high prices present a problem for those wanting to come here or new homebuyers, they are also hard to combat by any means other than keeping them stagnant for as long as possible – unless governments are prepared to impoverish their constituents whose loans were taken when prices were peaking.
In a few years, if prices are stable, we might have a market that is more affordable and accessible to all people – taking the pressure off one group of people that might otherwise really be homeless.


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The Boyd Group Income Fund (The Boyd Group) posted positive revenue growth during its first quarter in 2019, according to the company’s financial report and conference call.
Its financial results mentioned in the report ended on March 31, 2019. Sales increased by 23.1% to $557.9 million, when compared to the same time period in 2018. According to the company’s financial report, same-store sales went up by 5.3%.
“The strong demand over the past few months contributed to our same-store sales growth,” said Brock Bulbuck, the Boyd Group CEO.
The Boyd Group not only is a retail auto glass operator, but it also has collision repair centers across the United States and Canada. It operates Boyd Autobody & Glass, Gerber Collision & Glass, Gerber National Claim Services, Glass America and Assured Automotive.
“We are pleased with the results in the first quarter of 2019, which continue to reflect the execution of both our growth and operational excellence strategies,” said Bulbuck.
Within its first quarter, the company successfully added 42 locations, which includes entering into N.Y. and South Carolina, according to the report. Following the end of its first quarter, the Boyd Group added nine locations, including one intake center. The company also amended its credit agreement to expand the facility to $400 million U.S.
“We continue to be well positioned to take advantage of opportunities in the market. Entering into two states helps aid in our company’s growth,” said Bulbuck. “Looking ahead, our pipeline to add new locations in existing markets and to expand into new markets is healthy.”
Its adjusted net earnings increased by 39.7% having a total of $29.2 million when compared to its 2018 result of $20.9 million. Its first-quarter gross margin rose to 45.3%, showing a minor positive growth of 0.4%, compared to its results during the same time period last year.
The Boyd Group Income Fund continued its growth through the end of 2019’s first quarter by completing the call option transaction to acquire the 30% of non-controlling interest in Glass America LLC, according to the financial report.
The company did make a note on how the technician shortage has impacted some of its business.


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The boycott is still very marginal. Israeli stocks, especially the defense contractors, have performed remarkably. The Israeli economy has outpaced europe. The so called "washington" chain only has two stores. In New York, boycott organizers tried to pressure a cosmetics retailer with 29 stores to not sell Ahava products....the CEO rejected the request. In fact, many (like myself) flocked to the stores to buy Ahava products more than making up for the boycotters. The same thing has happened in in England, France, etc...where boycotts have backfired and caused a rise in sale of Israeli goods. The marginal loss of sales in parts of Europe are more than outpaced by a rise of Israeli exports to Asia and other new markets. Like 99.99% of boycotts this one will fail, and justice will prevail.
U.S. says it killed 10 AQAP Islamist militants in four air strikes in Yemen since April 23 (Reuters)
from the article: Anti-Israel economic boycotts are gaining speed


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According to a recent survey, 53% of U.S. businesses experienced a cyberattack in the past year.
That same survey, conducted by Hartford Steam Boiler, found that 55% of those hacked businesses spent more than $50,000 to respond.
Do you know what to do if your company faces a cyberattack? How to respond? Who to notify? How much data has been exposed? Will you face a lawsuit?
BlumShapiro's Jeffrey Ziplow and David Nowacki discuss how to minimize damage if your company suffers a cyberattack.


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OTTAWA-GATINEAU, November 15, 2011 — Today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) introduced a new way for large telephone and cable companies to charge independent Internet service providers (ISPs) for the use of their networks. This wholesale billing model, which is based on capacity, will give independent ISPs added flexibility in offering competitive and innovative services to Canadians.
After receiving more than 2,600 written submissions from the public, and a public hearing held in July , the CRTC has selected two billing models that will give independent ISPs the flexibility to develop innovative business models.
a) Capacity-based model – which contains three separate components:
b) Flat-rate model – which contains two separate components:
“The net effect of it is that there will be no caps, no limitations, no metering of use for retail customers as a result fo this CRTC decision” said CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein.
It appears that the CRTC focused their decision on the wholesale pricing ISP’s pay for network use, and not the monthly retail rates these ISP’s can charge customers.
What does this all mean? We think it means Canadian consumers will soon be paying more for basic internet services as the big phone and cable companies pass along access fees and usage fees. Canada already has some of the most expensive cell phone fees in the world, and soon we will be paying some of the highest fees in the world to access the internet. This will impact consumers who have switched to services such as Netflix to watch movies and TV shows. These services consume large amounts of bandwidth and this decsion today will allow ISP’s to charge consumers higher fees for using more bandwidth than they have purchased. We are hearing that this overage will cost anywhere between $1.90 and $2.35 per gig. To put that into content one Netflix movie will use over a gig of bandwidth.
Read the full CRTC decision here


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CEI Today: Ethanol policy, California's green chemistry law, and carbon taxes
CROP REPORT & ETHANOL POLICY - SAM KAZMAN, MARLO LEWIS, WILLIAM YEATMAN
On Friday, the U.S. Agriculture Department released its much-anticipated crop data report, revealing sharply reduced corn supplies due to continuing drought conditions. Corn yields are now estimated to come in at the lowest level in over 15 years, and the corn crop size will be the lowest in 5 five years. Coupled with the UN's warning yesterday about surging food prices and the risks of a global food crisis, this indicates that the impact of ethanol fuel programs on world food supplies is worse than ever. These food-to-fuel programs use government mandates and subsidies to divert cor
CALIFORNIA'S GREEN CHEMISTRY LAW - ANGELA LOGOMASINI
California bureaucrats recently released their proposed regulations implementing the state’s 2009-passed “green chemistry” law. The law supposedly will make life safer for California residents by ensuring that all products are designed to be “green.”But it is destined to fail — costing consumers without delivering benefits — because policymakers foolishly assume that bureaucrats are better situated than business to decide what makes a product safe.
CARBON TAXES - MARLO LEWIS
Carbon tax advocates say Congress should slap a price penalty on fossil fuels to make consumers bear the “social cost of carbon” (SCC) — the damage carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions allegedly inflict on public health and welfare via their presumed impacts on global climate. Whether the tax on motor fuel is called a carbon tax or a gasoline tax, it has the same effects on consumer behavior and business investment. What the revenues are used for — roads & bridges, green tech R&D, health care, deficit reduction — is a separate issue. So the next time a warmista says we should pay a carbon tax, cheerfully reply, “Been there, done that, each time I fill up at the pump.”


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Tesla outpaces Crypto in terms of gains in 2020! Tesla outpaces Crypto gains – 2020 has been kind to both crypto and Tesla! Bitcoin has had a great start to the new year – but Tesla’s making waves.
Tesla has gained 85% since the beginning of the year. The parabolic gains in Tesla has risen the stock to a 2.5x gain from $225 in October of last year. Tesla rose to a new all time high of $$780.00.
Bitcoin’s year-to-date gains is 30.2%. Traders are still anxiously waiting for their long orders to hit $10k. Bears however continue to roam the charts, swatting attempts of a break out. Bitcoin continues to sway up and down – failing to consolidate above or below the range.
XC Tweeted on the massive volatility yesterday.
— XC (@runtheirstops) February 3, 2020
What do you think? Let us know on our Facebook page!


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Yoshi’s New Island releases soon, and today, Nintendo has promised it will be a “Shell of a Time,” based on the new trailer. Expect it to land on March 14 in both Europe and North America for 3DS.
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.


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Android 4.2.2 update now rolling out for Nexus devices
Around one month ago we heard that new LG Nexus 4 smartphones may start shipping with Android 4.2.2 preinstalled. And here we are today, when Google has started pushing the 4.2.2 update to Nexus devices (specifically the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, and Galaxy Nexus).
As its number designation implies, this is not a big update. As such, don’t expect any feature additions (or not big ones, anyway). This update should be focused on cleaning out the remaining bugs in the 4.2 release, and we have previously heard that it’s going to fix some annoying Bluetooth-related problems too.
It’s funny to note how, while not one Android phone or tablet maker has put out an update to Android 4.2 just yet (and hey, we’re only three months away from its release), Google isn’t stopping with its rapid update pace. In fact, most of the mobile world expects the next ‘big’ update (codenamed Key Lime Pie) to be unveiled in May during the company’s annual developer-focused conference. By that time, we’ll probably see a couple of non-Nexus devices get 4.2, but most will still linger in 4.0 or 4.1 land.
Sad, if you care about such things. Not sad if you care about such things and you own a Nexus (well, one that isn’t the Nexus One or Nexus S).
The update has been pretty elusive for the first hours of its rollout, so it wasn’t certain that you’d get it by manually checking. But things have progressed, so if you haven’t received the notification yet, perhaps it’s time to go to Settings > About and do your thing.
The build number is JDQ39, and the update comes in at around 50 MB on the Nexus 10 (the size may vary depending on device).
Via Android Police


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Lan Lee and Yuefei Ge, both of California, were indicted Wednesday by a grand jury on two counts each of economic espionage, conspiracy and theft of trade secrets. The former employees of chip maker Netlogics Microsystems allegedly downloaded chip tech plans onto their home computers, intending to start their own company backed by Chinese money, PCWorld reports.
According to the indictment their new business, working with a Chinese venture capital firm, planned to develop and sell chips based on the stolen designs. They also hoped to attract additional investment from Chinese government-backed seed funds, created to boost tech development in that country. Lee is an American citizen, Ge a Chinese national.


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Over the weekend, a group of hackers began claiming to have broken into T-Mobile USA servers, but this wireless phone company says it has no evidence that this group actually has the customer data it claims to.
A statement from T-Mobile released this afternoon says:
Following a recent online posting that someone allegedly accessed T-Mobile servers, the company is conducting a thorough investigation and at this time has found no evidence that customer information, or other company information, has been compromised. Reports to the contrary are inaccurate and should be corrected. T-Mobile continues to monitor this situation and as a precaution has taken additional measures to further ensure our customers’ information and our systems are protected. As is our standard practice, customers can be assured if there is any evidence that customer or system information has been compromised, we would inform those affected as quickly as possible.
What the Hackers Say
A few days ago, a collection of hackers sent an message to technology- and security-oriented websites. In it, the group claimed to have breached T-Mobile USA’s servers and made copies of “everything, their databases, confidential documents, scripts and programs from their servers, financial documents up to 2009.”
It supposedly attempted to sell this data to T-Mobile’s competitors, who declined. There has been no confirmation of this from other wireless carriers.


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April, 18 2022
In March, the activity of the Android.Spy.4498 trojan that steals information from other apps’ notifications has slightly decreased. However, this malware remains the most widespread Android threat. According to the Dr.Web anti-virus products for Android detection statistics, its share was 46.98% of the total number of threats detected on protected devices. Adware trojans also remain a relevant threat with Android.HiddenAds family being one of the most notable among them.
In mid-March, Doctor Web reported on the discovery of malicious apps designed to steal cryptocurrencies from Android and iOS-based device users. In addition, new trojans have been uncovered on Google Play throughout the month.
In March, Doctor Web notified users about the discovery of the CoinSteal trojans. These are targeting both Android and iOS-powered device owners and designed to steal their cryptocurrencies. The malicious actors behind the trojans have modified some versions of popular cryptowallet software, including MetaMask, imToken, Bitpie, TokenPocket, and others. They then spread malicious modifications as genuine and harmless versions.
Below are the examples of the original MetaMask application and its malicious variant operation:
Unbeknownst to users, the trojans stole secret seed phrases provided by victims and sent them to a remote server. The seed phrases are used to access cryptocurrencies stored in the cryptowallets. Our specialists discovered dozens of such trojans. Read more about this threat in our news report.
Program modules incorporated into Android applications. These are designed to display obnoxious ads on Android devices. Depending on their family and modifications, they can display full-screen ads and block other apps’ windows, show various notifications, create shortcuts, and load websites.
In March, Doctor Web’s malware analysts discovered yet another fake apps from the Android.FakeApp family on Google Play. They were targeting Russian users and distributed under the guise of software designed to search the information about monetary compensations and allegedly could help receiving government payouts. But the trojans only loaded fraudulent websites to deceive potential victims and help scammers to steal their personal information and money. The malicious apps were added to the Dr.Web virus base as Android.FakeApp.907 (“Компенсация НДС”), Android.FakeApp.908 (“Возврат НДС на карту”), and Android.FakeApp.909 (“Поиск начислений 2022”).
In addition, our specialists revealed the Android.PWS.Facebook.134 trojan targeting Facebook users. This malware was hiding in the Photo PIP and Collager Photo Maker image editing software and stole the data necessary to access users’ Facebook accounts.
To protect your Android device from malware and unwanted programs, we recommend installing Dr.Web anti-virus for Android.
© Doctor Web
2003 — 2022
Doctor Web is a cybersecurity company focused on threat detection, prevention and response technologies
Doctor Web in social networksLink accounts


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The COVID-19 outbreak has forced a permanent recalibration of consumer habits and consumption patterns. With a large percentage of the world now in lockdown, it is important to look beyond the day-to-day maelstrom and adjust for a new normal.
Challenges arising from the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) are likely to accelerate the use of existing and new technologies and tools as consumers go into lockdowns, millions are forced to work from home and digital connectivity takes even more of a hold on everyday habits.
In our latest research, we examine the challenges and accelerators affecting how and when consumers around the world will engage with the myriad forms of emerging technologies primed to make their lives easier and more efficient.
On this special episode of the Database podcast, recorded at CES, Marie Lalleman, Executive Vice President, Global Client Solutions at Nielsen, and Tina Daniels, Agency Sales Director, Google, share how they’ve navigated gender inequality in their own careers and how they’re helping to pave the...
In the next five years, A/VR technology will augment the shopping journey in increasingly meaningful ways—from the way consumers discover, choose, share, buy and engage with brands.
The best sports properties in the world will succeed in the long run by understanding the wants and needs of Generation Z and transforming themselves so they can attract and engage fans for years to come.
Consumers today are increasingly craving immersive, real-life experiences. But they want these experiences without foregoing time or effort. The solution? Augmented and virtual reality technology, coming to a “store” near you.
In the future, will your wearable device recommend what to add to your grocery list? Will you be able to order a new chair from a mobile 3D printer that can deliver it to you in the next hour? When you reach for your favorite brand on the shelf, will it automatically communicate to the manufacturer...
As the manifestation of technology that uses prior observed data to train computers to predict future outcomes, machine learning is often framed as the end-game, putting traditional statistical modeling in the shade. But that’s not where it belongs.
African Americans are powerful consumers, wielding $1.3 trillion in annual buying power. These consumers' path to purchase is non-linear and technologically driven.


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Former 49’ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who is suing NFL owners for colluding to keep him out of the league, is one of the faces of a new Nike campaign meant to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the brand’s iconic “Just Do It” motto.
The new ad, which Kaepernick shared on social media Monday afternoon, features the message: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
“We believe Colin is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has leveraged the power of sport to help move the world forward,” Gino Fisanotti, Nike’s vice president of brand for North America, told ESPN.
Other athletes in the Just Do It campaign include Odell Beckham Jr., Shaquem Griffin, Lacey Baker, Serena Williams and LeBron James.
“We wanted to energize its meaning and introduce ‘Just Do It’ to a new generation of athletes,” Fisanotti said.


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By Ralph R. Ortegas
PET CABBIES OFFER QUICK PICK-’EM-UP
Vicki Ungar gave up yelling, “Hey, taxi!” to go across town with Molly, her lovable cocker spaniel.”Ten taxis will pass you before one will stop. I guess most don’t like people with animals,” said Ungar, a pet hospital manager who travels to work with her pooch daily.
David Lang, owner of Pet Chauffer, picks up another fare. Ungar gets Molly there using Pet Chauffeur, one of the city’s pet-transportation companies that allow humans along for the ride. Animal lovers who travel with sizable dogs, as well as iguanas, ferrets and other exotic critters, have turned to such companies after being banned from most other modes of public transport.
Cabbies take the most heat for passing on pets, objecting because of their size and even for religious and cultural reasons. Many drivers can’t handle fur. “I’m highly allergic to cats, I choke,” said Fernando Mateo, president of the 30,000-member New York Federation of Taxi Drivers, representing livery cabs. But the biggest objection comes from the potential backseat cleanup.
“Cab drivers don’t like to stop for pets because they fear they might do their business in the car,” said David Lang, owner of the Long Island City-based Pet Chauffeur. Potty accidents are no problem for Lang, whose five-minivan fleet comes prepared for cleanups. Lang charges varying rates around town, starting at $25 for 1 to 40 blocks. He also will go out of state. Locally, owners travel free and crates are not usually required.
Ungar calls ahead to schedule her 15-minute ride to work at the Park East Animal Hospital in midtown. Drivers usually arrive early, she said, and often will tune into Molly’s favorite jazz and classical stations for the ride. Dog and owner make at least 10 trips a week, pricey for Ungar since she started taking Molly to work in January. She declined to discuss how much she pays, but explained that 12-year-old Molly has cancer. “She’s very special, and a great companion,” said Ungar, who was recently divorced. “I’ll really do anything for my dog.”
Pet movers make trips to the vet, hospital, groomers, doggie day care, airports and New York’s animal havens.
“I take a customer three times a week from Tribeca to Central Park with her giant, beautiful German shepherd, Harley!” said Larry Reilly, owner of the Manhattan-based Pet Taxi. Reilly also offers tempting excursions to grassy country settings near mountains and lakes, and provides weekend service to the Hamptons. “Reunite yourself and your dog with Mother Nature,” he urges on his Web site, “Meet other pet owners who want to give their pets a better life.”
In 1999, Gail Pierangelino, a former deli owner and groomer from Manhattan, started a one-woman pet-travel business called Petex. Ever since, she has found customers who wouldn’t travel any other way with their animals. “They have no worries,” said Pierangelino, 47. “They call me up, and I’m there. It’s like having a private car for you and your animal.”


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June 24, 2022
Brother Industries has set a target in its new mid-term strategy for next three years to increase sales of its industrial equipment business, mainly machine tools, to 100 billion yen in FY2024, the final year of the strategy. The company intends to expand sales to the automobile and general machinery industries, as well as to take the growing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) and carbon neutrality as business opportunities to expand its market share. The company is also accelerating product development, having launched new products in April and May of this year.
In May 2022, Brother Industries announced its new medium-term strategy “CS B2024” for the three-year period from FY2022 to FY2024. One of the key elements of the strategy is “substantial growth of the industrial equipment business,” and the company has publicly expressed its stance to reinforce sales expansion of its small machining center “SPEEDIO” in the market.
In FY2021, sales of the industrial equipment business recovered significantly to 56,553 million yen, up 46.1% from the previous year, mainly driven by the Chinese market. In FY2022, the company expects sales to grow by 16.2% year-on-year (YoY) to 65.7 billion yen. Mr. Makoto Hoshi, Managing Executive Officer of Brother Industries, analyzes, “In 2022, our sales will increase in all regions, and especially in Japan, it will be the highest in history”.
The company aims to further grow sales in the industrial equipment business during the three years of CS B2024, raising them to 100 billion yen by the final year of the plan, FY2024. “We hope to achieve this goal by continuing to improve SPEEDIO’s high productivity and energy-saving performance, and by contributing to the competitiveness and carbon neutrality of our customers’ production sites,” explains Mr. Hoshi.
The company will also focus on expanding its customer base to reach the 100 billion yen sales target. In order to achieve steady growth without depending on special demand from the electronics industry, the company is working to expand sales to the automobile and general machinery industries, and is also newly tapping into the need for machining EV parts. Furthermore, the company sees social issues such as carbon neutrality as a business opportunity, and intends to expand its market share by appealing to customers and trading companies about SPEEDIO’s high environmental performance, such as low-power consumption.
By market, the company has designated China, India, and Japan as “priority areas” and is working to expand its sales and service bases. Mr. Hoshi said, “We would like to build a system that covers the market in all aspects by establishing bases in each region”.
In order to distinguish itself from competitors, the company will also accelerate product development. In April of this year, the company renewed its mainstay products, “S Series” and “R Series” models, for the first time in about three years.
Mr. Hoshi said, “The S and R series are the core of our flagship products. They are the “ace and cleanup,” as in baseball. Depending on how well these mainstay products are selling will decide whether or not we achieve our goals,” emphasizing the purpose of the model change.
In May, the new “U Series,” capable of 5-axis indexing, was also added to the lineup.
At the end of May, they held an open house at “Brother Technology Center”, a showroom in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, and introduced the details of the new products to about 800 visitors.


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DNR’s Lake Finder Updated With Data Encouraging More Fish Consumption
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Lake Finder, the Web site that provides information about specific lakes, now includes newly revised fish consumption data that encourages people to eat more fish.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) revised its fish consumption advisory to include a large new body of data on contaminants in fish from Minnesota lakes and rivers. The advisory also is in a new format designed to make it easier to understand.
Previous guides indicated that consumers should eat fish that had a once-per-week recommendation or a meal of fish from the once-per-month category but not both. Now, MDH is advising consumers that they may eat fish from the once-per-week category and the once-per-month category.
“Additional data and a thorough analysis show that this slight change will still be safe for people eating fish,” said Pat McCann, an MDH environmental health researcher and coordinator of the fish consumption advisory.
“The health benefits of eating more fish are clear,” said Ron Payer, DNR fisheries section chief. “Those health aspects combined with the many opportunities Minnesota offers to get outdoors, have fun and discover the joys of fishing create ideal opportunities to catch quality time with family and friends.”
Health experts, including MDH, recommend eating one to two meals of fish per week. Fish are a good low-fat source of protein and eating fish may help protect adults against cardiovascular disease. Pregnant women and women who may become pregnant should also eat fish because it promotes eye and brain development in fetuses.
For more than 20 years, the fish consumption advisory has helped Minnesotans choose which species of fish to eat and how often in order to minimize their risks from contaminants in fish while gaining the many health benefits from eating fish.
This year’s edition of the advisory includes a substantial amount of new data collected from numerous species of fish from more than 250 lakes and rivers. The advice for specific lakes and rivers in the advisory has been redesigned to include information on three contaminants instead of the previous two. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) joins mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as one of the contaminants that can affect how much fish people should eat. The tables also include changes in how meal advice is displayed.
“The changes to this year’s guide represent the biggest change in the advisory format since it was first published in 1985, and reflect a great amount of cooperative work between MDH, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the DNR and the Department of Agriculture (MDA),” said Commissioner of Health Sanne Magnan.
For this advisory, MDH staff analyzed and interpreted laboratory results from approximately 4,500 samples of fish tissue, more than twice the usual amount. The data came from field collections in 2006 and 2007 by the DNR and the subsequent analysis of PCBs and mercury in fish tissue by the MDA. The increased collections and analysis were made possible in part by funding from the Clean Water Legacy Act of 2006.
The fish advisory is available online from the DNR Web site at mndnr.gov/lakefind and from MDH at www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/eating/sitespecific.html.
Additional information about the MDH fish consumption advisory is available at www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/fish060308.html.


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With the holiday shopping season upon us, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt offers critical safety tips to those buying gifts for children.
In 2015, there were 25 toy recalls, a decline from previous years. But even with the drop in recalls, a 2014 report released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows an estimated 183,800 toy-related injuries and 11 deaths last year.
Purnima Unni, MPH, CHES, Pediatric Trauma Injury Prevention Program manager at Children's Hospital,wants to remind gift-givers of the importance of keeping the child's age in mind while shopping for toys this holiday season.
"When shopping for children, it's important to do your research on the safest toy options," Unni said. "All toys should have an age recommendation on the packaging, and it's important to read labels carefully, especially for children under age 3."
Are you buying new toys? Make sure they are age appropriate.Check to make sure there aren't any small parts or other potential choking hazards. Products are given age recommendations for safety reasons, so stick to the suggested ages and keep in mind each child develops at his or her own pace. Also:
* Look for quality construction. Check toys regularly for broken parts, chipped paint or sharp edges.
* Make sure all crayons, markers or other art supplies are labeled non-toxic.
* Avoid marbles and balls with a diameter of less than 1.75 inches.
* Avoid toys with cords or strings longer than 7 inches.
* Purchase Mylar balloons instead of latex, and never allow children to inflate or deflate balloons.
Are you buying a new bike? Don't forget the helmet. Ride-on toys often result in the highest number of toy-related injuries. Bikes, scooters, skateboards and other riding toys should always be accompanied by helmets and adult supervision.
Are you buying new electronics? Keep an eye on button batteries. Each year in the U.S., more than 2,800 children are treated in emergency rooms after swallowing button batteries - that's one child every three hours. Keep lithium battery-controlled devices - remote controls, calculators, watches, key fobs, flameless candles, musical greeting cards, flashing holiday jewelry or decorations - out of sight and reach of children.
Are you buying a new TV? Don't forget the wall mount. If you purchase a new TV for the holidays or if you have one at home, it is crucial to properly secure it to prevent tipping. Mounting your TV is also a safe solution. A CPSC report cites that from 2011 - 2013, an average of 11,000 children under age 18 were treated in emergency rooms for injuries involving TVs, and 279 people were killed by falling TVs over a 13-year span.
Additional items to avoid this shopping season:
Avoid building sets with small magnets for children under 6. If swallowed, serious injuries or death could occur.
* Projectile Toys such as air rockets, darts and slingshots aren't recommended for any age, but if they are purchased, they should be for older children.
* Chargers and Adapters
Charging batteries should always be supervised by adults. Battery chargers and adapters can pose thermal burn hazards to children.
* BB guns should not be considered toys. Children require proper training and supervision while using a BB gun.
More safety tips are available on Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt's Pediatric Trauma Injury Prevention Program website.


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The first half of this fiscal year has been very confusing and difficult to cope up with. However, the clouds of confusion have begun to clear for some companies and one of them being the Muthoottu Mini Financiers. This NBFC company has done well along with its digitization in all of its branches.
Muthoottu Mini Financiers growing tall despite the pandemic hits a steady growth of 14%.
Now, the borrowers have to visit the branches just once to pledge the gold. Otherwise, they can easily make online payments at the comfort of their couch. Even when one wants to apply for a loan, the applicant can do it from their houses, ensuring complete safety.
The Managing Director of Muthoottu Mini Financiers, Mr Matthew Muthottu, states that the company has seen a 14% growth since the digitization. Due to their agility in adopting the technology, their company has been benefitted, and thus the overall rank of the company has increased.
They thought that the pandemic would render them high and dry; however, the demand for gold loans have been increasing because it is easy and instant. This smart move has let the company become one of the fastest-growing companies amidst pandemic considering its 14% growth since then.
According to the business reports that were released, the company has also seen 25% in its Assets Under Management (AUM). Other than that, there has been a hike of 44% of the company’s profits from the last financial year.
Muthoottu Mini Financiers have a growing a corporate family of 3000 employees, 792 branches scattered over ten states and one Union Territory. Muthoottu Mini Financiers are one of those rare NBFCs who are coping up with time. Looking at the fast-paced growth of the company, the Indian Research and Ratings Pvt, Ltd. has upgraded them to a higher rank, which has strengthened the company’s reliance on the minds of the people.


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Amazon Won't Refund You If Items Drop in Price Anymore -- Start Up Your Day Roundup
Looking for the latest headlines in small business, innovation and tech? Our Start Up Your Day recaps are posted every morning to keep you current.
Not so fast. Amazon has stopped giving customers a refund if a price drops right after purchase.
Getting real. Google has created emojis that more accurately represent women in life. While we wait, The Guardian has a few suggestions.
Get to the point. Facebook is now letting users skip to the best parts of live videos.
Sending a message. A new hashtag is taking Twitter by storm as people tweet out #MyDepressionLooksLike and sharing their emotional stories.
A new face. Snapchat users got the chance to look like their favorite X-men characters for the day.
On the run. New studies suggest more millennials are looking for jobs abroad rather than staying in the U.S.Hangry. McDonald’s Singapore has come out with a bright red Angry Birds burger.


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McLaren has released details of its latest open-air supercar. The new McLaren 720S Spider is lighter, stiffer and more track-worthy.
McLaren Automobiles, which launched in 2010, sold its first car, an MP4 12-C, in North America in December 2011. Less than seven years later McLaren are now celebrating the sale of the 5,000th car in North America.
2019 McLaren Senna is McLaren’s Ultimate Street-legal Track CarView Post
Pure McLaren is Pure FunView Post
By sea, air and especially on land, McLaren owners take on British Columbia – putting their supercars to the test on the stunning Canadian roads and on Jacques Villeneuve’s amazing race circuit.
Unique ‘Fux Fuchsia’ McLaren 720S at Pebble Beach Concours d’EleganceView Post
Influencer Pick – Mr JWW – New McLaren 720SView Post
McLaren Automotive is celebrating the beginning of full production of the new 720S, with the completion of the ‘Job#1’ car. The move to full production marks the beginning of a new chapter in the McLaren Automotive story, as the second generation of the Super Series – codenamed ‘P14’ – replaces the first generation, ‘P11’ model family that encompassed the original McLaren 12C and subsequent derivatives, as well as the McLaren 650S and 675LT. Read more!
The new McLaren 720S made its global debut today at the 87th Geneva International Motor Show, introducing the second-generation of McLaren’s Super Series and simultaneously raising previously accepted limits of performance in the supercar sector.


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Much awaited Nokia 3310 is arriving in Pakistan on 15th June.
One of the most anticipated phone of this year, Nokia 3310 will be launched in Pakistan on 15th June by HMD Global partnering with Jazz which will offer special promotions for end consumers.
Announced this year at Mobile World Congress Barcelona by HMD Global, the new 3310 isn’t a replica of the original design – far from it but it offers enough echo of the original model to ignite the nostalgia.
Nokia 3310 Key Specifications:
Revamped with a unique retro design element, the new Nokia 3310 is slimmer to the original predecessor and comes with 2.4-inch QVGA LCD at 167 PPI. The new 3310 also features Nokia series 30+ OS, 2MP rear camera, 2G Connectivity, 16 MB internal storage expandable via microSD card, Micro USB, 3.5mm headphone jack and a very reasonable 1200mAh battery.
Price & Availability:
Across Europe Nokia 3310 is being retail at EUR 49 that is equivalent to around PKR 5,700 so we can expect similar launch price for the new Nokia 3310. As for the availability, 3310 will be available across Pakistan by the end of this week by Advance Telecom.


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2021 Will Be the ‘Year of Jewelry,’ Analyst Says
Edahn Golan forecasts a blockbuster holiday season will cap off a stellar year for U.S. jewelry sales.
In a forecast posted Monday, Israel-based Edahn Golan said jewelry sales in the months of November and December will increase 40-42 percent year-over-year, a significant increase in a year that’s already exceeded many people’s expectations.
Golan bases his forecast on the trajectory of sales so far this year.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. jewelry sales totaled $7.3 billion in October, a record high for the month.
Year-to-date, U.S. jewelry sales stand at $67.8 billion, an astounding number that’s 9 percent ahead of the total for all of 2020 ($62.3 billion)—and November and December haven’t even hit yet.
Golan thinks U.S. jewelry sales will top $90 billion this year, an increase of more than 50 percent year-over-year.
Golan’s bullish forecast should come as no surprise to anyone who has been even casually keeping up with fine jewelry news and retail trends over the past year.
Retail sales are up across the board, with the National Retail Federation predicting a record-setting holiday season that, it said Tuesday, is already off to a good start.
Golan writes the decline in travel and the dip in related consumer expenditures—dining out, entertainment, excursions, etc.—“did wonders for” jewelry demand.
He noted particular strength in sales of gold as well as diamond jewelry—something retailers have talked about all year—and said he expects the demand for jewelry to continue into the early part of 2022, at least.
Read Golan’s full holiday forecast, as well as additional industry analysis, on his website.
He first took a job at then Philadelphia-based Jewelers’ Circular-Keystone in 1963 and retired in 1996.
It cited two recent cases in California, plus incidents in Florida, Kansas, and Illinois.
Rare & Forever is helping to create an enjoyable diamond buying experience for the millions of newly-engaged couples.
The 10,000-square-foot location allows for expanded collections from design partners while continuing custom design and other services.
Svetlana Lazar’s “Wishing Well” collection utilizes an innovative component to mimic the movement of water beneath them.
Sponsored by AGTA
Experience all the Italian Jewelry market has to offer in Las Vegas.
All proceeds up to $25,000 will benefit the It Gets Better Project, a nonprofit that supports LGBTQ+ youth.
It’s a reminder that life is best lived with discretion.
The end-to-end software allows for real-time control over all sales, inventory, repairs, customer communications, and marketing.
Associate Editor Lenore Fedow shares her impressions of the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show and a few of her favorite finds.
The Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences aims to set a color standard for the trade name.
Kate Della Monica, a senior specialist in the Jewelry and Watches department, will relocate to the Sunshine State.
LVMH’s investment arm has taken a stake in Lusix, a lab-grown diamond company based in Israel.
Sotheby’s New York put a colorless diamond and a fancy deep orange-brown diamond up for sale last week, with mixed results.
Profits will help them recoup financial losses.
The organization also extended the terms of Vice President Feriel Zerouki and Treasurer Ronnie VanderLinden.
After suffering a professional setback, columnist Peter Smith reflects on our ability to bounce back even when the hits keep on coming.
Glatz owned and operated Glatz Jewelers in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania for more than 40 years.
The organization will present three awards at its annual dinner, dance, and gala in October.
The New York jeweler also made the pop star’s wedding bands.
It’s predicted to sell for up to $484,000 during the Bonhams Hong Kong Jewels and Jadeite auction on June 22.


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UBS Group upgraded shares of Clorox (NYSE:CLX – Free Report) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. UBS Group currently has $132.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $124.00.
Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Clorox from $140.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Clorox from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the company from $135.00 to $150.00 in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Clorox from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $152.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 2nd. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $160.00 to $120.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $127.00 to $116.00 in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Clorox has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $139.33.
Clorox Stock Up 2.7 %
Clorox (NYSE:CLX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 1st. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by $0.69. Clorox had a net margin of 1.22% and a return on equity of 165.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Clorox will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Clorox Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 25th will be given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 24th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.72%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is presently 705.89%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CFO Kevin B. Jacobsen sold 3,346 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.82, for a total value of $538,103.72. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,734,883.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox
Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its position in Clorox by 105.6% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Clorox during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Clorox by 429.7% during the first quarter. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in Clorox during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 77.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Clorox Company Profile
The Clorox Company manufactures and markets consumer and professional products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Health and Wellness, Household, Lifestyle, and International. The Health and Wellness segment offers cleaning products, such as laundry additives and home care products primarily under the Clorox, Clorox2, Scentiva, Pine-Sol, Liquid-Plumr, Tilex, and Formula 409 brands; professional cleaning and disinfecting products under the CloroxPro and Clorox Healthcare brands; professional food service products under the Hidden Valley brand; and vitamins, minerals and supplement products under the RenewLife, Natural Vitality, NeoCell, and Rainbow Light brands in the United States.
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Japan is trying to develop its tourism industry by attracting more Muslim visitors and Malaysia is one of the countries with the greatest potential, according to Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Shigeru Nakamura.
More and more visitors came from Malaysia to Japan lately, especially after the multiple entry visa for Malaysian tourists has been implemented in Japan last year, in September.
“From January to November last year, Malaysian arrivals in Japan totaled about 113,100, an increase of 16.5 percent from the corresponding period in the previous year. Promotion of tourism between Japan and Malaysia will contribute and enhance people-to-people relations,” said Nakamura.
The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) will visit Japan for technical purposes from January 29 to February 3, Nakamura added.
During this visit, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Matta in Yokohama on January 30.
The memorandum will empower the tourism between the two countries by promoting cooperation and exchange of ideas, according to the international press.
“I hope this MoU will provide additional momentum to the Malaysia and Japan tourism collaboration to further promote the Japanese tourism industry,” said Nakamura.


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Among the many new features announced for the Dawntrail expansion Final Fantasy 14 On the occasion of Tokyo Fan Festival, Square Enix also announced the arrival of a new feature. Crossover with Final Fantasy 16It will be available at: early April 2024.
According to the first details shared, players will be able to undertake a special mission titled. “Highway to Hell” this will see them team up with none other than Final Fantasy 16 hero Clive Rosfield.
The Japanese company did not want to give too much information about the nature of this adventure, but it seems that players will have to face it. demonAs a reward, he gets the mount of Clive’s faithful dog, Torgal, and a minion-like puppy. It will also be possible to use some of the Final Fantasy 16 hero’s iconic abilities, such as Rising Phoenix, and unlock his outfit during the mission.
Final Fantasy 16 will get a new expansion in 2024
For now, the transition between the two games seems to be one-way, so it looks like it will only receive Final Fantasy 14-themed content. On the other hand, Final Fantasy 16 players are also waiting rising tideThe second of two planned expansions.
going during springThis new additional content will expand the game with new challenges, abilities, a new environment, and a new story that will focus on the mystery of Leviathan, the mysterious Eikon of water. According to the first information shared by Square Enix, the expansion will offer at least 10 hours of gameplay.


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Forum Moderators: not2easy
Microsoft has long been one of the most ardent proponents of expanding U.S. copyright law. But that enthusiasm doesn't extend to the new Stop Online Piracy Act, which its lobbyists are quietly working to alter, CNET has learned.
It's little surprise that Web-based companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter oppose SOPA, which is designed to make allegedly piratical Web sites virtually disappear from the Internet. They, and many civil liberties and human rights groups, worry that SOPA could jeopardize legitimate Web sites too.
But Redmond's skepticism is notable because unlike the Web companies, Microsoft earns nearly all of its revenue by licensing software--which can, of course, be pirated--and loses money on Bing and its online services division. What's even more telling is that Microsoft had enthusiastically endorsed a narrower version of the copyright bill, called Protect IP, earlier this year.
But Redmond's skepticism is notable


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The launch of two unexpected products in Melbourne is set to “rewrite the rules” for publisher News Corp Australia and brewer CUB.
The two companies have collaborated to create a special cameo series of mX newspapers, which will be published to coincide with the launch of Carlton Zero, the brewer’s new non-alcoholic beer.
The improbable mX reboot kicks off in AFL Grand Final Week in Melbourne and continues for four consecutive Wednesdays from 26 September.
Just like the launch of Carlton Zero, the stunt is designed to surprise and delight commuters and beer drinkers alike.
News Corp Australia’s head of content, Victoria, Ondrej Foltin, said: “Throughout mX’s 14-year history, readers came to expect the unexpected.
“mX certainly rewrote the newspaper rules with its irreverent news delivery, and now it’s comeback. CUB is rewriting the beer rules with the first non-alcoholic beer in its 180-year history. The partnership is a natural fit,” he said.
“Everyone loves a comeback. Sporting revivals are hugely popular, and fairly frequent. Think Tiger Woods. But newspaper comebacks are much less likely, and that’s exactly why we expect this improbable comeback will be so popular.
“mX was a much-loved newspaper with its own unique style that commuters really enjoyed reading on their way home. It’s a comeback story that we’re excited to be a part of.
”CUB Classic Brand Director Tim Ovadia said the Carlton Zero release marked a long-term shift in Australia’s drinking habits.
“We listened when Australians told us they want more opportunities to drink responsibly but still want a great tasting beer,” he said.
“Now Carlton Zero is flying off the shelf. We have rewritten the rules to give people a non-alcoholic beer that actually tastes like beer.”
The 2018 special editions of mX will be available from Southern Cross, Flinders Street, Melbourne Central, Parliament, Flagstaff, and Richmond train stations on Wednesday afternoons, starting on 26 September.
mX will return jam packed with readers’ favourite sections including mX Talk, Goss and Glam and For What it’s Worth , as well as the original quirky, playful tone to news of the day.
Carlton Zero is available at bottle shops and major supermarkets now.


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As the international community tightens its
grip on Pyongyang, challenging its coal and mineral exports as well as
intensifying restrictions on port entry of its trade vessels, people are
starting to see goods previously not found at markets surface. North Koreans
who had remained on edge about the prospect of hardships triggered by stronger
international sanctions have been pleasantly surprised by this unexpected change.
“These days items that were previously hard to find because they were earmarked for export are suddenly emerging at the markets,” a
source from North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Thursday. “The prices haven’t gone down enough yet, so you don’t see too many people actually buying [these products]. But you do see flocks of curious people coming out to the markets to see all the delicacies for sale.”
She added, “High-end marine goods like roe, sea urchin
eggs, hairy crab, and jumbo shrimp, and produce like pine nuts, bracken, and
salted pine mushrooms were once considered to be strictly for export, but now
they’re easy to find. The number of such products, referred to as ‘sent back goods,’ at Sunam Market and other markets around
Chongjin is growing by the day.”
Additional sources in both North and South
Hwanghae Provinces reported the same developments in those regions.
Despite the sanctions that have already
kicked in, products from China are still flowing into North Korea; however, the
goods sold in bulk to China–minerals like coal, marine products, etc.– have
nowhere to go and are therefore making their way back into the country.
“In the past, you would only see carts with
low-heat coal around the markets and village, but these days, you see lines of
carts with high-heat coal and firewood as well,” said the source. “Firewood and
coal prices fluctuate by the season, but despite it being cold now, things are
selling for cheap, around summer prices.”
Trade companies and state foreign-currency earning firms
have long dominated fish and farm produce domains. More recently, however, wholesale merchants who travel nationwide to provide goods are also
gaining a foothold in these sectors thanks to the sanctions-related shifts. Operators of fisheries and individual boat
owners, too, are finding it easier to sell their goods. Unlike in the past, when
they had to pick out the high-end seafood and hand over to state
foreign-currency earning enterprises, now they can sell the entire load to wholesale
“People are getting their hopes up, saying
they might be able to eat some of the highest quality fish for a cheap price if the UN sanctions continue to carry weight until the summer,” she explained. “They’re actually welcoming the sanctions
now saying that for average people they’re bringing good fortune since the
number of goods they can get their hands on are continually on the rise.”
However, there is some cause for concern. The authorities are placing more restrictions on market operations, and in some
places, sellers are hoarding food in the hopes
of bumping up prices during the projected dip in supply and spike in demand. Many consumers, caught on
the wrong side of that equation, are stockpiling what they can now in order to mitigate the financial blow they would absorb on the back of these vendors’ financial gain.
If North Korea’s mining industry suffers under the sanctions, as evidence thus far indicates is already the case, the potential lack of cash from China and–of arguably more immediate consequence–cessation of the sizable provisions of rice it provides for the scores of North Korean workers toiling to extract these valuable resources, more than provide a clear rationale for the fear and panic behaviors enveloping some corners of the jangmadang currently.
“This is why,” she explained, “most are
worried that rice and other ingredients for side dishes may see a hike in


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Skype's founders have asked a U.S. federal court to prevent Index Ventures and one of its partners from further participating in the proposed $1.9 billion acquisition of the Web phone service, according to a court filing on Wednesday.
The suit, brought by Joltid and Joost, the companies of Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, said Index and one of its partners, Michelangelo Volpi, were using confidential information in their bid to acquire a majority stake in Skype from eBay Inc
Zennstrom and Friis have tried to buy back Skype and had contacted several private equity firms, according to sources.
Ebay has instead agreed to sell a 65 percent stake in Skype to a consortium that includes Index, private equity firm Silver Lake, Netscape founder Marc Andreessen's Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Index's Volpi was a key architect of the deal. The latest complaint, in seeking the injunction, said Volpi used what he learned about Joost and Joltid's software, which is also used by Skype, to broker the deal.
The entire transaction is, thus, infected with Volpi's misconduct, said the filing.
It also said Volpi violated his fiduciary duties while he was CEO at Joost.
Volpi stepped down as CEO in late June. He initially stayed on as chairman, but was later removed as Joost began investigating actions taken during his tenure.
The plaintiffs said Volpi failed in his fiduciary duties by beginning negotiations for the Skype deal on behalf of Index while he was still CEO of Joost, which has struggled with a lack of popular video content.
In early 2009, at a time when Joost was in desperate need of leadership from its chief executive, Volpi had his sights and attention focused on his next business aspiration -- to acquire Skype from eBay and become its new Chairman, it said.
The documents also included an affidavit from Joost's chief architect, Justin Erenkrantz, saying Volpi, while still at Joost, had told him he was orchestrating a bid to purchase Skype and that he had a unique advantage over a competing bid by Friis and Zennstrom. Volpi had also offered him a job at Skype, Erenkrantz said.
Index and Volpi were not immediately available for comment.
Skype's founders had known Volpi, a former high-flyer at Cisco Systems Inc
The case is Joost U.S. Inc, Joost N.V. and Joltid Ltd v Michelangelo Volpi and Index Ventures Management, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware, No. 09-CV-00708.
(Reporting by Thomas Hals and Ritsuko Ando)


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In Canada, the death toll from <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/listeria">listeriosis has risen to 12 and there are also another 26 confirmed cases of food poisoning linked to deli meats produced at a plant owned by Maple Leaf Foods Inc.Â Officials are saying that there are also another 29 suspected cases of listeriosis and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said the government expected more cases in the near future. Five other people who died and were tested had the E. coli bacteria in their system, but the causes of their deaths are still under investigation, said Canadian Food Inspection Agency spokesman Mark Raizenne.
Maple Leaf Foods is one of Canada’s largest meat processors and has reported that it hopes to reopen its Toronto plant today.Â That plant is linked to the E. coli outbreak and has been closed for testing and massive sanitization since it recalled about 220 products made at that plant.Â That recall is one of the largest food recalls to occur in Canada.Â Health officials said they will test and hold all meat produced at the Toronto plan until they are satisfied it is not contaminated.Â “The timeframe really isn’t theirs. It belongs more to the (Canadian Food Inspection Agency),” Ritz said.Â Direct costs to Maple Leaf, as a result of the outbreak and recall, currently total about C$20 million ($19 million US dollars). Chief Financial Officer Michael Vels said that reimbursing customers for returned products, cleaning the plant, and other direct expenses will cost the company C$20 million before taxes.
A listeria bacterium with the same genetic fingerprint as that which was found in those who were sickened was found in two beef products made at Maple Leafâ€™s Toronto plant.Â Maple Leaf said it’s unlikely it will be able to determine how its meat was contaminated.Â “It’s very, very, very difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint a cause,” Vels told analysts on Monday before the latest health announcement.Â “I don’t know how important that is to consumers.Â I think our perspective is what’s more important is we let them know what’s going on and we take swift and conservative action to safeguard their health,” Vels said.
Meanwhile, three more ready-made sandwich brands were added yesterday.Â The products were sold in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia and contain some of the meat products from the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Toronto already recalled, the CFIA said.Â This is in addition to the recent recall of 23 products that was upgraded to all 220 packaged meats from the plant.
Listeriosis is a type of food poisoning generated by the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria and is dangerous to the elderly, pregnant women, newborns, those with chronic medical conditions, people with HIV, or those who are undergoing chemotherapy.Â Most people experience mild flu-like symptomsâ€”fever, muscle aches, nausea, or diarrhea.Â In serious cases, the disease spreads to the nervous system, causing headaches, stiff neck, and convulsions.Â In very severe cases, death can occur.Â In pregnant women, Listeriosis can result in miscarriage or stillbirth.Â Listeria lives in soil, stream water, sewage, plants, and food and can easily contaminate dairy and meat products; Listeria thrives in cold environments.