text: Kosta Browne, the wine brand that defined an era of California Pinot Noir style, is embarking on big changes. This spring, for the first time ever, the Sebastopol winery will open a tasting room - a reversal of its long-held stance of exclusivity. And founders Dan Kosta and Michael Browne, who have been gradually transitioning toward personal projects for years, are officially stepping down from the company. Scott Becker, the winery's president and CEO, believes that Kosta Browne must now change or perish. "We were at the risk of becoming victims of our own success," he says. "To be relevant and successful for the next 20 years, we have to recognize that the consumer is changing."


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DULUTH -- Purchase a bowl or a mug and it will come filled with food or drink.
The Hudgens Center for the Arts invites Gwinnett residents to leave its upcoming Soup Bowl Benefit with a full stomach while taking home a handmade piece of pottery created and donated by the center's staff and students.
"Our clay department is a very strong component of our education programming and when we were looking for a creative, engaging fundraiser, we thought the Soup Bowl was ideal," said Teresa Osborn, executive director of The Hudgens Center. "It seemed a perfect way to not only raise much needed money is this difficult economic climate, but to provide an opportunity for people to buy affordable handmade art and enjoy food, beverages and entertainment all at one time."
More than 300 handmade bowls and mugs will be for sale, with proceeds benefiting The Hudgens' education department.
"There is such a huge variety of beautiful bowls and mugs in pretty much every shade of the rainbow with decorations of every type and technique," said Kelly Haggard Olsen, marketing director for The Hudgens. "It's just an incredible, lovely, wonderful selection. I think everybody who comes will be able to find something to their tastes."
For those who want first choice of items, an early bird sale will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. during which time all pieces will be priced at $30. Items can be purchased from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. for $25.
Bowls will be filled with soups and chili served up by several local businesses, including Bokay Catering and Flowers Inc., Carol Parks Catering Inc., Chef David Catering, Classic Caterers, Magnolia Bakery Cafe, Rico's World Kitchen and Taste Sensation.
The event will also feature live musical entertainment by cellists Jake Hood and Kim Vinson, the Harmony Express Quartet, the Gwinnett Young Singers, GreySkiesBlue, pianist Jordan Sommers and a Korean orchestra.
A silent auction of donated artwork will be held in conjunction with the Soup Bowl Benefit. Bidding will open at 12:30 and close at 5:30 p.m.
For more information on the Soup Bowl Benefit, call 770-623-6002 or visit www.thehudgens.org.

domain: news


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PARIS — Expanding its presence in the French capital, Berluti said it would open a boutique at 9 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, ultimately bringing its Paris store count to four.
Spread over three floors and some 5,400 square feet, the unit is slated to open in the second half of 2013 and feature a dedicated area for bespoke shoes, as well as its new lines of ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories.
"You start one way as a baby, but why shouldn't you be able to choose your own path as opposed to culturally people telling you which way to go?" - Thom Browne at his men's spring 2018 show, where he celebrated gender fluidity. #pfw #wwdmens (📷: @delphineachard)
"I think that all anyone really wants in life is to have people understand us for who we actually are, despite everything," says Ruth Negga. The actress talks "Preachers" season 2 and more on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: Dan Doperalski)


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Naughty Dog’s PS2 platformer series is making its way to PS4. Via the PlayStation Blog, Sony announced today that Jak and Daxter, Jak II, Jak 3, and spinoff Jak X: Combat Racing will be available on the PS Store later this year.
The four games will be playable in 1080p and will launch with Trophy support. The 3D platformer trilogy received its first remaster treatment back in 2012 on the PS3 Jak and Daxter Collection, though this will be the first time Jak X will be playable since its release on PS2.
Sony has yet to provide details on whether the four games will be sold separately or as a collection.


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“This Tuesday in Chicago, Apple unveiled its new, most inexpensive iPad model geared primarily towards K-12 students,” D.M. Martins writes for Seeking Alpha. “Contrary to the more pessimistic projections, including my own that predicted Apple’s tablet sales fizzling out over time as the iPods have, the iPad is in the early stages of an unexpected comeback… Apple’s device has separated itself from the crowd and now controls nearly 30% of the market (vs. only 22% in calendar 3Q16).”
“Apple’s fortune began to change in calendar 2Q17,” Martins writes. “Not coincidentally, that [March 24, 2017] was exactly when the company introduced its low-end, $329 iPad that allowed Apple for the first time to compete in the mid-tier space and fight for pocket share of budget-conscious consumers.”
MacDailyNews Take: That $329 iPad was a really great idea!
iPads are too expensive relative to the perceived competition and Apple has obviously done a piss-poor job of marketing the iPad family (read: clearly explaining to the hoi polloi why they want an iPad over an Amazon or other Android tablet).
Sticker price is the biggest reason why iPad sales struggle to return to growth (the next biggest reason is that iPads’ useful lives last so damn long, they’re not rapidly replaced).
We would have purchased iPads for family members this year if they had been updated as they should have been for the holiday season and if the prices were a bit more palatable. Yes, we know what an iPad offers. Yes, we know they’re worth the money Apple’s asking for today; even being last year’s models. But, Apple should really do the math and consider making certain hardware more affordable in exchange for the backend revenue and increased mindshare and market share that will deliver.
For the same reason – mindshare – Apple should make their own Apple displays, even to the point of taking a loss of each and every one, so that other companies’ logos on frankly ugly products that do not match Apple design sensibilities are not in users’ faces all day long. That’s not a difficult concept to grasp; even an inveterate beancounter might be able to get it. — MacDailyNews, January 6, 2017
“I would characterize the spike in iPad sales early in 2017 as an expansion in Apple’s total addressable market. Instead of the high-end tablet that only the more affluent users could afford, the Cupertino company finally had something compelling to offer to a larger chunk of the tech gadget consumer base,” Martins writes. “I doubt that Apple’s launch of its new iPad will do much to increase revenues or earnings substantially in the foreseeable future. But at the same time, I believe that the new product can only be a positive catalyst…”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Outside of schools, we know a lot of kids who’d love to have a new iPad at home, especially one that now works with Apple Pencil!
New iPad’s enemy isn’t just Chromebooks, it’s the U.S. public education system – March 28, 2018
Logitech’s Rugged Combo 2 keyboard and case for Apple’s iPad has its own smart connector – March 28, 2018
Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad offers 2GB of RAM, 2.2 GHz A10 processor – March 28, 2018
How Apple lost its place in the classroom – March 28, 2018
Apple bids for education market with new software, new iPad – March 27, 2018
Apple takes aim at Google Chromebook with $299 iPad with Apple Pencil support for schools – March 27, 2018
Did Apple do enough to grab back education market share? – March 27, 2018
Apple unveils new 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support starting at $329 – March 27, 2018
Apple unveils ‘Everyone Can Create’ curriculum – March 27, 2018
Apple’s iWork update brings drawing, book creation and more to Pages, Numbers and Keynote – March 27, 2018
MacDailyNews presents live coverage of Apple’s March 27th ‘Field Trip’ event – March 27, 2018
Google’s Chromebooks are still spying on grade school students – April 21, 2017


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Prada to make fourth attempt to float
Prada, the Italian fashion group, is reconsidering an initial public offering after delaying the float three times since 2001 due.
The company said turnover last year would likely be up 10% on 2005, and said that since the group is meeting all its targets, a float is now possible.
The original offering was launched in 2001 and shelved twice due to volatile market conditions before the company turned to the equity-linked market to raise €700m in a pre-float bond.
In June 2006 Prada was set to float but cancelled again after valuations of similar companies in the luxury goods sector dropped 25% that month. The float would have been the biggest from Italy so far that year.
BNP Paribas and Deutsche did not return calls.


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Perfume is among the only attractiveness products that does not demand contact — whether or not you might be implementing or appreciating it. Possibly it’s Because of this, amidst stories of soaring at-home hair-color revenue, drugstore eye makeup, and at-home nail-care answers, the earth of scent has mostly flown beneath the radar. But the reality is usually that perfume merchants have shut, harvests of crucial elements are heading unpicked, Alcoholic beverages (an in-desire disinfectant and often a critical perfume ingredient) has started to become more durable to acquire, and consumers are demanding various productsInterestingly, virtually every model we spoke with described that individuals are still acquiring perfume — and loads of it. “We have witnessed our on line profits improve among one hundred fifty and two hundred %, according to the market,” claims Michelle Feeney, founding father of Floral Avenue perfumes.
Numerous brand names say that they’re however offering a lot of classic perfume, but when-ancillary house fragrance choices, like candles and diffusers, at the moment are taking Centre phase. “Although everyone is being property, people are stocking up and purchasing candles on the net. Candles Make your perfume sentosa give a feeling of ease and comfort and quiet all through this challenging time,” states Julien Provost, world-wide Inventive director for Cire TrudonDiptyque U.S. president Julien Gommichon implies that customers are using scent to make selection of their environment when they can’t go away your home. “Every Area results in being all the more vital when you’re expending a lot more time at home, from the lounge towards the bedroom or toilet,” he claims.But it’s actually not all sunny: Perfume founders like Julian Bedel of Fueguia 1833 admit that the online uptick hasn’t made up for the loss in brick-and-mortar product sales, and worse, ingredient scarcity may well threaten upcoming inventory. “Bergamot, neroli, and iris are all March and April crops; Now we have [experienced] numerous communities not able to harvest crops because of to move disruptions or quarantine restrictions,” Bedel says.Belinda Smith, founder of natural perfume line St. Rose, claims she could possibly have to make use of higher percentages of artificial elements in the future (at the moment nothing at all in the road is much more than 5 per cent synthetic), or else present minimal-version batches to cope with, by way of example, her possess bergamot shortage (a thing she typically resources from a fifth-technology spouse and children-owned citrus farm in Calabria, Italy)
Certainly, that is assuming perfume brand names should have just about anything to bottle in the first place. “The base of all fragrance is Alcoholic beverages, and There may be at this time a shortage on account of the increase in sanitizer manufacturing, which is clearly an absolute priority at this time,” Feeney claims. Some manufacturers, like Sol de Janeiro, whose most up-to-date perfume, Sol de Janeiro Sol Cheirosa ’62, introduced the 7 days that keep-at-dwelling orders were being issued across the nation, have responded by leveraging its interactions with alcohol suppliers to launch its own hand sanitizers. Marc Chaya, CEO and co-creator of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, states the brand name may well concentration a lot more on individual-treatment objects to meet shifting demands.The future of perfume searching when non-necessary companies are permitted to open up their doors yet again is up during the air. But with nations like New Zealand and Australia starting to open again up, international brand names and suppliers alike are swiftly looking to think of a strategy. (Editor’s note: Attract attained out to Coty, who owns the licenses for Gucci, Tiffany and Co., Lacoste, Marc Jacobs, and much more, and Coty declined to comment on COVID’s effect on its perfume brand names.)
For his or her section, several brand names are Keeping summer months launches for tumble. Gommichon states Diptyque’s merchants system to include masks, gloves, sanitizers, and frictionless payment into all in their stores, although Discovering avenues like telephone orders, online video consultations, and impressive sampling attempts. Atelier Cologne’s president Gerard Camme states its brand name is at the moment supplying Zoom and FaceTime consultations and envisions creating curbside pickup available to clients when stores are reopened.Until finally that day, perfume boutiques like Aedes de Venustas, a Ny city staple nestled close to Bar Belly on Orchard Avenue and Canal, will lie vacant. Or generally empty. “I nonetheless turn on the chandelier each day, just for myself,” co-owner Robert Gerstner says. “I activate the audio everyday, only for myself. I close the door, and it’s like time stood continue to. It’s such a truly feel-good spot.”And every day, the USPS shipping and delivery man or woman will come by, laden with bins of perfumes to provide to Aedes’ consumers. “He advised me, ‘The 1 joy I have every single day is finding up the packing containers from you as it tends to make the truck smell so very good,” Gerstner says. “It is really about these very little things.”


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On December 25, Xiaomi continued to warm up the upcoming Mi 12 series recently, talking about the "small screen full of blood high-end flagship" and some details of Mi 12 that users are concerned about.
The source evleaks has previously exposed three high-definition renderings of Mi 12, confirming the layout of the rear module for the first time. 50 megapixel main camera on the rear. Today, the blogger brought the official promotional video of the Mi 12 mobile phone series. There are four colors of black, purple, blue and green, of which green is the back cover of plain leather.
According to Xiaomi Mobile, the Xiaomi 12 small-screen flagship model has a screen size of 6.28 inches and a phone width of only 69.9 mm, bringing a comfortable grip for users with smaller hands. The iPhone 13 has a screen size of 6.1 inches, a width of 71.5mm and a weight of 173 grams.
Millet said that in order to meet the various requirements of the small-screen flagship, millet invested a lot of research and development costs, new material attempts, "the high cost is beyond imagination", and finally developed "sandwich motherboard", "high-density fast-charging battery", "innovative large-area ultra-thin VC cooling" and "symmetrical stereo speakers" and so on.
The Mi 12 series will be released on December 28, including Mi 12X, Mi 12, Mi 12 Pro and other models. Among them, Mi 12 and Mi 12 Pro are equipped with a new generation of Miaolong 8.
In addition to dynamic performance scheduling technology, Millet 12 Pro also supports sliding speed change function, which can accurately synchronize finger sliding speed and adjust refresh rate dynamically.
In addition, Millet 12 Pro is equipped with the second generation of low-power 2K screen, using four power-saving technologies, including the new E5 luminous material, the second generation of LTPO material, Mirco-Lens micro-prism technology, intelligent dynamic refresh rate technology.


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ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM)- The 30th Annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is happening Saturday, May 14th. It is sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC).
Stamp Out Hunger is the largest one-day food drive in the United States. It also gives an easy way to get involved. People can participate by leaving non-perishable food items in a sturdy box or bag next to your mail box or where your mail is delivered before your typical postal delivery time on Saturday the 14th.
This food drive is something people are participating in nationwide not just in the Twin Tiers, “With the rising cost of food, more people are struggling to put food on their table, especially families with children who may not have access to school-provided meals over the summer,” Camille Wrinkle, CEO of Harvest Regional Food Bank said.
Some people may have received a bag in the mail earlier this week that can use to fill with food. If not, you can use any study bag or box.


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The Black Keys
Unless you have avoided all media outlets and have not spoken a word about the Super Bowl with anyone, you would know that the halftime performer this year is Katy Perry and she will be featuring Lenny Kravitz.
The Black Keys can be seen on the Austin City Limits series this weekend on PBS and they’ve shared a few songs from that performance via YouTube. Have a peek and look for the band […]
Started from the bottom, now the Governors Ball is here with a Canadian rapper, a blues duo, a Mickey Mouse-esque DJ and the gangster Nancy Sinatra leading its fifth year lineup.
He’s had no problem poking fun at his ailment on Instagram.
The resurgence in vinyl sales has been ongoing for the past few years now and it showed no sign of dying down this year. According to the Wall Street Journal, sales of vinyl records are up 49% compared to this time last year. Over eight million records have been sold this year. Let’s take a look at the top 5 best selling vinyl’s from the Wall Street Journals report.
Instagram allows people to get closer to their favorite rock stars than ever before. Many celebrities run their own account, so it gives the fan a direct look into what they are doing. Patrick Carney […]
Earlier today, CBS This Morning revealed a partial list of 2015 Grammy nominees. The artists up for Best Rock Song of the year will be very familiar to XRT listeners.
Black Friday is a big deal for a lot of people. Customers rush into stores, pushing and shoving their way through aisles to ensure that they get that special product that’s on sale before it leaves the shelf. Parking lots are a zoo and stores operate on special hours to accommodate the early bird Black Friday enthusiasts.
The Black Keys came by the United Center Saturday evening for the first of two Chicago shows. Pat Carney & Dan Auerbach are no strangers to Chicago or the United Center. They played the United Center back in 2012 during their El Camino tour and have cut their chops at many Chicago venues. Ranging from the Empty Bottle, to the Metro, to the Aragon Ballroom, there aren’t many venues in the city the Black Keys haven’t played.
The Black Keys will be in town for two shows at United Center this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and according to Pitchfork, they’ve been mixing in a cover of Edwyn Collins’ “A Girl Like You” […]


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AFP Their marriages had been arranged for money, however some for the Vietnamese females whom have discovered not likely Prince Charmings in remote Chinese villages state these are typically residing gladly ever after.
“Economically, life is better here in Asia,” stated Nguyen Thi Hang, one of around two dozen women from Vietnam who’ve hitched guys in Linqi.
The township is just a patchwork of hamlets spaced among cornfields deeply in the hills of Henan, one of Asia’s poorer provinces.
It’s some 1,700 kilometres (1,060 kilometers) far from Vietnam, it is really a brand new marketplace for a growing — and often abusive — marriage trade with Southeast Asia.
The business enterprise is fuelled by need from rural Chinese guys struggling to locate wives when confronted with their nation’s huge gender instability, driven by its restrictions on household size.
Hang, 30, found its way to Linqi final November, and struggles to keep in touch with clients at the village that is dusty where she offers noodles, cola and cigarettes. Read More


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Final Fantasy 6 launched in New Zealand's App Store today, a phenomenon that usually indicates an imminent North American release.
The coming launch follows up on Final Fantasy 6's Android debut last month. Traditionally, games that hit the New Zealand App Store launch in North America the same day at 11PM ET. Square Enix confirmed that a Japanese iOS version will premiere on February 6.
[Image: Square Enix]


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Dish Network has finally broken out figures for Sling TV, bucking the trend of bundling all video subscribers into one ostensibly healthy figure. The US operator has effectively lifted the veil on its imploding satellite TV business and, in so doing, has given us a glimpse into the company’s future strategy.
Dish Network’s TV ARPU dropped from $88.66 in 2016 to $86.43 during 2017. However, if we take out the 2.2 million Sling TV subscribers from the equation, who pay around $25 a month on average, ARPU among the DTH subscribers shoots up to $99, yet Dish’s most expensive satellite TV package costs $75 a month. Of course, there are set top rental fees and other costs to consider, but somehow Dish has been growing ARPU steadily among its DTH customers from 2013 to 2016.
From this, we can conclude Dish is effectively trying to squeeze as much money as possible from all remaining satellite TV subscribers. In regions where Dish overlaps with cable TV service providers this is a harder task, but in regions where it doesn’t, Dish only competes with DirecTV.
We think that Dish is trying to build momentum behind its OTT offering before broadening its appeal and raising the price, once it has sufficient Sling TV sub scribers in order to offset satellite losses. The long-term plan is not just to convert all 11 million remaining satellite users over to Sling TV. It would need to more than double its subscriber base to compensate for charging so much less for a lower-priced OTT plan, aiming for perhaps 25 million subscribers paying $30 to $40 a month. Dish is a long way off. It would have to acquire customers at a much faster rate to achieve that.
The reason for the fundamental change in the way Dish Network reports its books is because Sling TV gains for the first time outweighed pay TV losses in the last quarter, adding 160,000 subscribers to the streaming service in Q4, compared to 121,000 lost satellite subscribers. Although for the full year, Sling TV gained 711,000 subscribers, while Dish TV lost 995,000.
This is only the second instance of the TV scales tipping, whereas normally Dish TV losses heavily outweigh Sling TV subscriber gains. This prompted Dish to publish them for the first time, giving the illusion that there is a natural migration of Dish TV subscribers over to Sling TV, but at the sacrifice of revealing how far the operator must go to fix the seemingly irreparable damage.
Sling TV ended 2017 with 2.2 million subscribers, rising from 1.5 million at the end of 2016 and up from 0.6 million in 2015 – an average uptake of 705,000 Sling TV subscribers a year since the service launched. Meanwhile, the Dish TV satellite subscriber base closed 2017 with 11 million, down from 12.2 million in the previous year, losing an average of 957,000 subscribers every year in the same time frame, totaling 3 million losses since 2013. Faultline has issued “guestimates” of where Dish is at various stages in the journey and is the only publication to have pitched it as being as bad as reality. Even Moffat Nathanson, the US financial analysts who have been watching this closely, have in the past given the benefit of the doubt to Dish.
Dish reported total 2017 revenue of $14.4 billion, down from $15.2 billion in 2016, with subscriber-related revenue of $14.26 billion, compared to $15 billion in the previous year. Net income for the fourth quarter totaled $1.4 billion, jumping from $355 million from the year-ago quarter, bringing total 2017 net income to $2.1 billion, rising from $1.5 billion in 2016. As highlighted in our previous coverage of US operators’ Q4 results, net income has been grossly inflated due to a generous tax reform.
What wasn’t obvious to the untrained eye previously, is now an undeniable fact – that Dish Network will be a pure OTT business in a decade or so. Dish should prepare for this future by selling off spectrum and pouring more money into Sling TV. Charlie Ergen is known to be gambler after all, but for now his money is on wireless. He says he plans to build an NB-IoT network across the US over the coming three or four years.
“Sling TV subscribers on average purchase lower priced programming services than Dish TV subscribers, and therefore, as Sling TV subscribers increase, it has had a negative impact on pay TV ARPU. We expect this trend to continue,” said a statement in Dish’s annual report.


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Callisto Protocol is all set for its 2022 release; all you need to know
Striking Distance CEO announces that the game has reached its finish and polish stage. To know more, read this article.
There’s finally another update on The Callisto Protocol. Creator Glen A. Schofield says that the game has entered its “finish and polish” stage as the designs are starting to come together. The game is scheduled for a 2022 release, and as per this update, it is probably on track with the schedule. The game which created quite the buzz as a survival horror game was much anticipated. Here’s everything you need to know about The Callisto Protocol.
Callisto Protocol game release details
The Callisto Protocol is being developed by Striking Distance Studios and published by Krafton. Glen A. Schofield, who is known for his work as the creator of the Dead Space series, founded Striking Distance, and is now its CEO. In an interview with IGN, he revealed that Striking Distance was created in 2019 under the umbrella of PUBG Studios, with the storyline of The Callisto Protocol in the background. As a result, it had to be fitted into the PUBG storyline, but more on that later.
The trailer was launched back in December 2020, during The Game Awards, and it was successful in giving the creeps. The audience even compared it to Dead Space, given the spiritual similarity and disfigured aliens. You can watch the trailer right here.
What do we know about The Callisto Protocol till now?
The official website solely dedicated to the game informs that it is a single-player, third-person survival horror (and not a battle royale). It is set 300 years in the future, that is 2030, inside the PUBG universe. “The game challenges players to escape the maximum-security Black Iron Prison and uncover its terrifying secrets. A blend of horror, action and immersive storytelling, the game aims to set a new bar for horror in interactive entertainment.” The game is set for release in 2022, only for next-gen consoles, which is PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
What is the latest update?
It came from the official Twitter handle of Schofield, on 11th April. He suggests that the game is in the final stage of its development procedure. He also informs us that more updates will be shared in the future.
This is my favorite time when making a game - the design starts coming together. Love seeing all the hard work the team is doing in the mocap studio to bring our characters to life. Thanks to everyone waiting as we finish and polish the game. We’ll have more to share soon! pic.twitter.com/0nmcR55OFf— Glen A. Schofield (@GlenSchofield) April 11, 2022


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Skinny may not have the biggest advertising budgets, a legacy of innovation, or the heft of its beloved competitors in the telco market. But what it does have is an army of customers who love them. So much so, that Skinny has won Consumer NZ’s People’s Choice Award in the mobile category 5 years in a row. These are lovely, happy customers who would gladly recommend Skinny to their friends and/or family.
Which is where Friend-vertising comes in. Considering that word of mouth is 83% more effective than advertising, and that it seems like everyone in New Zealand knows someone who knows someone, Skinny’s new Friend-vertising campaign via Colenso BBDO aims to reach everyone in New Zealand with an ad for Skinny fronted by a person they know.
A highly targeted direct campaign that operates at a national broadcast level.
Friend get nation, if you will.
To do this, the campaign stars literally heaps of happy Skinny customers, each fronting their own highly produced audio-visual commercial, imploring their friends and family to join them on Skinny.
In each, a happy customer stands alone in a two-person, friendship scenario – like riding a see saw, water skiing, or playing chess – and talks about how Skinny’s mobile network covers 98% of places Kiwis work and live. How Skinny are a Kiwi brand, run by Kiwis for Kiwis. That they have hundreds of thousands of the nation’s happiest mobile customers. And how they’ll do anything to save their customers money.
Hindi, Cantonese, Samoan, and Sign Language versions of the ad are running in prime-time TV slots without subtitles.
Out of home placements feature recognisable faces from the community and are geo-located to reach those who are most likely to recognise them.
In social media, those who missed out on starring in the TV and out of home executions can generate their own online ads, targeted to their friends and family.
The campaign launches this week with the broadcast of 46 unique TV ads, each one featuring completely different talent.
15 unique TV executions ran on the first night alone.
A first for NZ.
Says Natasha Gill, TV producer at Colenso BBDO: “This was the most complex campaign to ever blow through our building. Our tiny brains would melt every time we did the math on fitting so many people into a normal production timeline. But it was definitely worth it. Probably?”
Says Rachel Leyland of PhD Media: “This has been the most ridiculously hectic, but amazing campaign to work on. It’s personalization on mass, effectively turning out talent into our channels, with our job being to get maximum reach and LOLs with the people they know.”
Says Ally Young, brand lead for Skinny: “In a new world of social isolation and working from home, connection to our friends and family are more important than ever. This new campaign feeds directly into that insight – and is a playful take on the importance of social connection.”
The campaign went live on March 22nd. Keep an eye out for someone you know.


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What A Woman Producing Your Clothes Wants You To Know
By: Kaelyn Forde
Nazma Akter was 11 years old when she first started working in the garment industry alongside her mother.
“I worked 14 or 15 hours per day, six — sometimes seven — days a week,” Akter says. “I was the helper, like an assistant, for the machine operator: moving goods and bringing fabric…After that, I became a sewing machine operator.”
For seven years, Akter says she worked in unsafe conditions in Bangladesh’s garment industry, the second largest in the world. But when she was just a teenager, she began organizing her fellow workers to demand better conditions.
“By the time I was 13 or 14, I was already starting to find that this was not fair, and that we needed to fight,” Akter remembers.
Now 43, Akter is the president of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, which is affiliated with the global union IndustriALL. IndustriALL was one of the unions that signed onto and oversaw the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh following the deadlyRana Plaza building collapse that killed 1,100 people in 2013.
Although the accord, signed by some 200 clothing companies (including Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and the parent company of Zara), has been lauded as progress, it currently covers just 2 million of the country’s garment workers. That means about half of the country’s workers don’t have those types of protections, according to the Clean Clothes Campaign.
Additionally, a 2015 report by the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights found that there are about 3,000 more factories operating in the country than previously estimated, which means many aren’t being monitored at all.
So, what can be done to make sure the women who make the clothes you buy are respected and protected? Akter shared her story and her advice with Refinery29 in Brazil, where she was attending the Association for Women’s Rights In Development forum.
As a child, what was it like to go to work with your mother every day? How were you treated by the people who owned the factory?
“When I was a child and I worked in the factory, it didn’t make me feel good. I needed to go to school. I needed to learn. I wanted to be a scientist, but my family was very poor and I needed to work [with them].
“I was treated just like the older workers, and as long as the older workers were working, I needed to also work. I was working for the same production targets [as the adults]. So I didn’t get any emotional support or any kindness. The factory owners, they know that if they use children, we are scared, we are afraid, and we will listen to everything they say.
“The factory conditions were not good. They were not giving us payment on time; they were not following the country’s laws about clean drinking water, maternity leave, job security. Those were huge problems when I was working, and we faced a lot of difficulties when we tried to raise our voices.”
How did your mother explain to you when you were a child that you were going to work? How did you feel at the time?
“My mother did not get an education, yet she was trying to provide me with an education. But she couldn’t. So when I started work, I was still trying to convince my mother [to let me go to school]. We were both working and were both trying to raise our voices. But the problems I faced came from my father and my male relatives and family members. They were not happy that I raised my voice to try to establish my rights. It’s a male-dominated society. When I worked in the factory — and even today — most of the bosses and people at the managerial level are men. We women are only the labor force, and that’s a problem.”
How are you trying to lift other women up in your current role?
“Mainly, I work as a union organizer. I am trying to educate workers, especially the female workers, to raise their voices. I’m teaching them collective bargaining, trying to promote more female union leaders, and showing them that this kind of organizing is a way to solve their problems.”
Talk a little bit about what the conditions are like in factories now, and what needs to change.
“After the Rana Plaza collapse, the safety issues have been improving, and some factories have unions and freedom of association. But the number is very small. It is not sufficient, so we need more and more factories to be unionized and more and more workers respected. We also need more women in union leadership. We need a living wage and decent lives.”
How can young women who are buying these clothes help?
“The young female consumer should know where these goods come from, who the company responsible is, and how the workers are treated, how they are respected. Consumers can change the workers’ lives, because they have the power. If consumers don’t buy, then where do the companies have to go? So the consumer is a main, key player. They need to learn what the conditions are like all over the world, and they need to follow up and also put pressure to the companies.”
Are boycotts effective in your opinion? What other ways can consumers put pressure on companies in order to help workers?
“The boycott is not effective because if consumers only boycott the goods Bangladesh is producing, then companies will go to another country. If you boycott the exploitation in Bangladesh, then it just goes to Myanmar, then to Cambodia, and so on. But we don’t want to move the exploitation. We want to solve the problem when and where it happens.
“Consumers need to pressure countries to establish laws and follow international standards. Boycotts would be very difficult for our country. We Bangladeshis who are producing garments don’t have alternate jobs. That is why we are very scared of the boycott. That is why we say that consumers should instead put pressure on governments, or stage demonstrations or mobilizations in front of these stores or company offices.”
What do you want young female consumers to know about you?
“We all are women. We are producing goods for you, and we are also being exploited. Maybe you are also facing exploitation. That is why we need to unite and raise our common voice against the multinational corporations, capitalism, and globalization.”
What does it mean to you to be a feminist?
“As a feminist, as [a] female, I have to raise my voice: about my body, in my life, everywhere. Especially in my workplace. I have to get my rights, my respect, and dignity. That is what it means to be a feminist.”
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.


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U.S. construction spending falls, Q4 GDP seen revised lower
The report from the Commerce Department was further evidence the economy lost momentum at the tail end of 2018.
The construction spending report extended the run of weak December economic data, that has included retail sales, housing starts, trade and home sales.
Construction spending declined 0.6 percent after an unrevised 0.8 percent increase in November.
It rose 4.1 percent in 2018, the weakest reading since 2011. The release of the December report was delayed by a five-week partial shutdown of the government that ended on Jan. 25. ■


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Wednesday, February 17, 1999 Published at 16:50 GMT
Spears set to top the charts
Britney Spears has already had a number one single and album in the US
Teenage sensation Britney Spears is heading for the number one spot this week - after selling more copies of her single in one day than the current number one has sold in a week.
The US singer's UK debut song Baby One More Time sold 124,000 copies on Monday alone - 1,000 more than Lenny Kravitz, the present number one, sold in six days.
A spokesman for her record company, Jive Records, said: "We shipped 270,000 copies which is the biggest we've ever had... But what was surprising to us was when shops phoned up at noon on Monday saying `we've run out' - especially when we've sent out so many."
But it is not only the single that is doing well - her video of the song is selling just as fast.
Gennaro Castaldo of the HMV chain said: "It's absolutely flying out of the shops. The video is being played heavily on MTV and The Box and that seems to be driving a lot of it.
"She seems to be appealing equally to both sexes. A lot of girls seem to find it aspirational for girls of her age group because they can relate to it.
"And of course a lot of the guys are into Britney because she's a good looking girl."
Spears has already had a number one single and album in the US. She calls herself a "devoted fan" of pop music and cites her influences as including Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston.
Baby One More Time is set to be the 12th different single to top the UK charts in as many weeks.
TV and Radio


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This futuristic personal transport could soon be part of your daily commute
While the initial trial in Israel will only involve a 1,500-feet closed campus loop, the plan is to build something much larger in the near
Each skyTran car can carry two-people at over 40 miles per hour and can be ordered by smartphone apps. The cost is anticipated to be less than a taxi-ride.
The skyTran trial is expected to be up and running by the end of 2015. If it is a success, a commercial roll-out in Tel-Aviv and other major global cities may follow.


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From Toys to Furniture
Gardner-White opens in Arborland.
From the October, 2019 issue
Michigan furniture chain Gardner-White opened its eleventh southeast Michigan location in Arborland in August. The 47,000-square-foot Arborland space housed Toys 'R' Us before the toy retailer's widely publicized bankruptcy.
Already familiar to many Ann Arbor residents for its pervasive local commercials, Gardner-White offers mid-range furniture and frequent sale events, similar to its main Michigan-based competitor, Art Van. (Both chains are currently offering a "we'll pay your sales tax" deal).
Gardner-White, 3725 Washtenaw Ave. (734) 412-6500. Daily 10 a.m.-9 p.m. gardner-white.com
[Originally published in October, 2019.]
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Absolute Gadget: The number of UK households with digital television on their main set has risen to 22.2 million homes, according to research published by Ofcom yesterday. The increase has come as Freeview and cable show strong growth, the communications watchdog said. The Digital Television Progress Report for October to December 2007 also shows that multi-channel television take-up has reached 87.6 percent of households, up 1.5 per cent from the previous quarter.
The growth in digital television was driven by sales of digital terrestrial television (Freeview), which saw its best quarter to date with over four million units sold.
That’s up by almost 70 per cent, year on year, helped by the inclusion of Freeview into modern televisions.
Cable television also had a strong quarter adding over 61,000 more customers to reach almost 3.5 million subscribers, the highest level of take-up since 2002.
Cable, with 13.6 percent share of the television market, has now overtaken analogue terrestrial viewing to become the third largest platform for the first time.
Ofcom said that over 15 million homes now have a Freeview device connected to at least one television, an increase of 1.3 million on the previous quarter.
Figures show that more second television sets in people’s homes are also being converted to digital.


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Rebecca Schot-Guppy joins Dexter to kick-off season two of the FinTech Australia Podcast.
Welcome back! And after a short break, who better to help us kick off season two than our wonderful partners, FinTech Australia.
CEO Rebecca Schot-Guppy joins Dexter Cousins to talk about the Senate Enquiry into Fintech and Senator Braggs recommendations.
COVID has had a devastating impact on the economy, despite such challenges FinTech Australia is stronger than ever, gaining more members over the last six months.
Rebecca shares her secrets to making FinTech Australia the peak industry body.
For those who don't know Rebecca all we can say is she's a force!
You can find out more about membership https://fintechaustralia.org.au/join-now/
You can follow Rebecca on Twitter @SchotGuppy and Linkedin


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Vietnam frozen goods suffer as China tightens Covid-19 inspection regime
Frozen seafood and fruits shipped from Vietnam once again have difficulty in entering China as that country adopts new import policies to mitigate Covid-19 risks.
Containers seen at the Kim Thanh Border Gate No.2 with China in the northern province of Lao Cai in February 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.
Despite China’s rising demand for frozen seafood, the tightened policies for pandemic control might delay delivery since the time needed for inspection could triple, Truong Dinh Hoe, general secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), told local media.
Vietnam exported $991 million worth of seafood to China in the first 10 months, up 1.16 percent year-on-year, according to Vietnam Customs.
Worried the pandemic could reenter through imported foods, authorities in Shanghai recently stipulated that all high-risk imported frozen foods must be taken to transit warehouses for Covid-19 testing except those sterilized at ports.
Exporters of goods to China have to provide full information about vehicle owners, vehicles, customs declaration, and goods channel.
Ngo Tuong Vy, deputy director of Chanh Thu Import-Export Limited Company, which exports fruit, said China’s measures would add to the difficulties that businesses are facing.
"Costs of frozen seafood will rise, but these goods will not be spoiled as they can be preserved at ports. Fruits meanwhile can only be preserved cold for a maximum of 20 days."
Vietnamese businesses that export dragon fruit to China are also worried since Shanghai is the main importer.
In March, China had applied similar Covid-19 inspection measures for frozen goods imported from Vietnam. In September it announced a one-week suspension of all frozen food imports from suppliers whose products test positive for the coronavirus and permanent suspension if their products test positive three times in a month.
Hoe said the Chinese government could reduce seafood import since local businesses have large inventories of whitefish and tilapia, whose exports were hit by the pandemic.
VASEP has proposed that the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade and Foreign Affairs should work with Chinese authorities to remove this barrier for Vietnamese businesses.
"Businesses should remain calm and not lower their prices, which will affect the overall industry. Businesses from the two nations can still negotiate, discuss and reach agreements that bring mutual benefit."
China was Vietnam’s biggest import market, accounting for 29.8 percent of its shipments, in 2019. Vietnam had exported $41.3 billion worth of agriculture and aquaculture products to China last year, a 3.2 percent increase from the previous year.


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What do you do when your credit card information falls into the hands of a thief?
That's the concern former customers of Builders Square in Amarillo are facing in the wake of news that several thousand credit card slips were found near a Dumpster behind the vacant building at Soncy Road and Interstate 40.
While police gathered up the slips and picked up all they could find scattered by the wind, there is still a concern that cardholder information may have fallen into the hands of individuals who would use the numbers to make bogus charges.
"If you are concerned that your credit card information has been compromised in any way, the best thing to do is contact your card company or bank, close the account and get a new number and card," said Joel Forrest, credit card officer at Amarillo National Bank.
Forrest said the only other way to protect oneself from unauthorized charges is to carefully check your credit card statement each month and confirm that all charges are legitimate.
"If you get an unauthorized charge on your bill, contact your credit card company as soon as possible and let them know. Unless there is a record of the charge with an authorized signature on it, the transaction will be removed," Forrest said.
Merchants are not supposed to accept credit transactions without the physical card and encoded information on the magnetic strip on the backside of the card. Additionally, merchants are required to get proper identification from the cardholder, according to Forrest.
If a merchant fails to properly identify a cardholder or takes only a card number for the transaction without swiping the physical card, he will be liable for the loss, not the cardholder, Forrest said.
"The biggest concern cardholders have is with catalog and Internet purchases, because these only require the card number of the person placing the order. However, these purchases are also traceable because they have to be shipped to the recipient.
"If the recipient is not the cardholder and the purchase was not authorized, the credit card company will reverse the charge, but it is still up to the cardholder to check the monthly statement and initiate the inquiry into any questionable charges," Forrest said.
Most local businesses are very careful about ensuring their customers' credit card security.
The Amarillo Target store, for example, ships hard copies of customer credit card receipts to the company's headquarters three time each week, said Tiffany French, the store's guest service team leader.
"They're locked up in the cash office until they're sent. They're always secure," she said.
French said the slips are kept on file at the Target headquarters in Minneapolis in case customers have questions about the validity of the charges.
At the People's Federal Credit Union, both credit-card holders and bank-card holders are liable for the first $50 of charges they did not make.
Darla Stavenhagen, MasterCard officer for the credit union, said if an invalid charge appears on a bill, the cardholder should call the credit card company immediately.
The company, in this case MasterCard, will investigate and if the charge is invalid, the company will write it off, Stavenhagen said.
Stavenhagen said if invalid charges are found, the account is shut down and a new number is issued.
Jill VanZee, operations supervisor for the credit union, said it is unlikely someone could access the bank account from a receipt. The bank card number and the bank account number are different, and the charge slips don't distinguish between bank cards and credit cards or state which bank issued the card.
The personal identification number is added account protection, she said.
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The CFTC is Accepting Claims for Whistleblower Awards in a $16 Million Case Involving Kraft Foods
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a Notice of Covered Action (NCA) on May 18 for action taken against Kraft Foods Group, Inc. and Mondelez Global LLC. The companies are charged with manipulating the market, specifically with regard to prices of cash wheat and wheat futures.
With the NCA issued, whistleblowers are able to submit award claims for that enforcement action. The two companies will pay $16 million in penalties.
According to the CFTC, Kraft and Mondelez developed and executed a strategy to buy $90 million of wheat futures in December 2011 in response to particularly high cash wheat prices that summer. This purchase amounted to a six-month wheat supply. However, the companies allegedly never intended to actually receive delivery of this wheat, and instead developed this strategy as a means of artificially adjusting the market by encouraging lower cash wheat prices.
Due to this scheme, Kraft and Mondelez were reported to have earned more than $5.4 million in profits.
With an NCA in place, the CFTC has not determined any whistleblower contributed to the success of the case. Once an NCA is posted, individuals have 90 days to apply for an award by submitting a form to the agency.
To date the CFTC has awarded more than $330 million to whistleblowers.
For more information about filing a CFTC claim, including after the agency posts an NCA, contact an experienced whistleblower lawyer at Kardell Law Group.


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This has surfaced once again this year, but I’m having a bit of trouble with the math here:
Yahoo … represents the third-most visited Internet sites in the U.S. … investors are valuing Yahoo’s core business at less than zero
I do think Yahoo is a dinosaur, but hey – I think the same about Walmart but it doesn’t stop the latter from remaining the world’s largest company by revenue.
[Yahoo’s] 15% stake in Alibaba is now worth about $32 billion
So – even with the exuberance over China – how is website #5 in the world worth less than zero, but their own stake in website #56 in the world is $32 billion?
(Yes, Alexa is a shot in the dark, yes, some valuations are based mostly on perceived potential, and yes, I hate Yahoo services as much as the next guy, and think that Marissa Mayer could have would have should have, but still…)


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VCN – HCM City Customs Department has effectively launched programmes on customs modernisation and reform, building strong foundation toward a smart customs model.
|HCM City Customs makes suggestion to remove obstacles for imported medical equipment|
|Dramatic effects of quick response team under HCM City Customs Department|
|HCM City Customs: Set up plan to support firms during and after the pandemic|
|Customs officers of Tan San Nhat International Airport inspect goods via scanner. Photo: Thu Hoa.|
Modernising from management to operational process
Amid the complex developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, HCM City continues to work online; manages documents and perform via the HCAS and use digital signatures to create the most favourable conditions and ensure the smooth flow of imports and exports.
The city’s department has coordinated with the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDVC) to develop a digital customs and smart customs model. The programme aims to modernise customs operation.
The department has developed strategies for customs modernisation and reform.
In 2021, the local department has continued to implement two key projects that have been launched since 2020 related to trade facilitation, prevention of congestion at Cat Lai port and the improvement of internal management towards promoting customs operation through the development and implementation of customs administration system.
All customs operation will be applied technology in the direction of digitalisation to meet management requirements in the Industrial Revolution 4.0.
According to the Director of HCM City Customs Department Dinh Ngoc Thang, the Customs authority must apply the new and advanced management model with the goal of creating maximum trade facilitation for businesses to meet requirements on deep economic integration, strong development of Industrial Revolution 4.0, sharp increase in flow of goods.
The department has implemented administrative reform and customs modernisation for integration and development such as operating the VNACCS/VCIS and satellite programmes supporting operational activities under the modern and centralised management model; effectively implementing National Single Window and ASEAN Single Window; enhancing efficiency of specialised inspection; improving inspection method for goods and luggage via scanners to reduce the inspection rate in customs process, and implementing inspection before carry out customs procedures; providing online public service at the highest level, creating favourable conditions for businesses in the area.
It has instructed customs processes, software and received equipment to implement the e-seal monitoring system for goods transported by container and officially launched the automated system for customs management for imports and exports at Tan Son Nhat Airport Customs Branch.
Preparing for pilot implementation
Customs reform and modernisation have achieved positive results, contributing to improving efficiency of performance and management. The use of information technology and modern management methods has helped the department to effectively reach the dual goals of Covid-19 prevention and control while maintaining the customs management, boosting and facilitating trade and socio-economic development, Director Dinh Ngoc Thang said.
However, to create a strong foundation towards the implementation of a smart customs model, HCM City Customs Department proposes to perfect the customs legal documents. The department suggests revising legal documents, especially the Customs Law, to provide legal framework for the implementation of the model as well as reforming procedures related to imports, exports in line with standard of the revised Kyoto Convention, commitments under the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement and FTAs signed by Vietnam.
In addition, the department has proposed expediting the implementation of the Scheme on reforming the model of quality inspection and food safety inspection for imports.
The key task of the Customs in the new period will be the prevention of illegal transportation and trade of drugs, weapons, wild animals and plants, and banned goods; prevention of origin fraud, trademark counterfeiting, intellectual property infringement and illicit transshipment. Customs offices should be fully equipped with modern equipment and machinery to perform their duties.
According to the department’s leader, the Ministry of Finance and the GDVC are developing the Project on Smart Customs Management Model; the department has chaired many key operational processes. It has registered to be the first department to pilot the model when the project is approved.
By Le Thu/ Ngoc Loan


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The long-anticipated sequel to the cult hit 2007 JRPG The World Ends With You has finally gotten its release date confirmed. The sequel, called NEO: The World Ends With You, is once again set in the Japanese district of Shibuya, where a group of teens are forced to play a deadly game against the Reapers to prove their worth. Square Enix has announced the special date alongside a new trailer:
The trailer shows a bit more of what we can expect to see from this sequel: there will seemingly be some time-jumping, whereby the protagonist can redo a challenge to change the outcome. We also saw some dialogue between several characters showing off that classic TWEWY-style punkish ‘tude. There’s even a hint that Neku, the main character of the original game, might be making a return.
NEO: The World Ends With You will release worldwide on July 27th for Nintendo Switch and PS4, which is 14 years from the day of the original game’s release in 2007. There was no specific mention of the PC version of the game, which may mean it’s coming a little later this year.
The World Ends With You is also getting its own anime adaptation by studio Funimation, which is airing for the first time this week.


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The Chief Executive Officer of the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) has disclosed that the Northern Regional Capital, Tamale, will soon get its first ever major shopping mall.
The initiative is one of the numerous projects being put in place by the Authority to spur economic and social growth and to make the Northern Savanna Ecological Zone an investment destination, Mr Abugre said.
He told Public Agenda in a recent interview that, “we have been working to get the first major shopping mall in tamale and I think that is getting closer, and will be coming on stream shortly.”
The CEO mentioned further that “there is solar energy project coming on stream, ”to add to the energy needs and to improve the lives of the people within the SADA zone.”
He said a lot of work has gone into stabilizing the authority from its internal challenges and it is now bent on ensuring the implementation of its core mandate, which is the long term development of the zone.
He said the Authority has been pushing government to construct the Pwalugu Multi -Purpose Dam, “and this new government is committed to the construction of the Dam.”
Mr Abugre added , “We have almost finished with a comprehensive planning on how we will industrialise the north in 25 years that is what we call our master plan, this is currently the economic management team to review before we can finalise it.
In January last year, Mr Abugre indicated to Citinews that plans were being made to transform Tamale into the ‘Dubai’ of Ghana.
“We can turn that place into more or less your future Dubai, but a much more pleasant Dubai. You can green the place, you can do industry in the place, you can build major shopping centres for the West African region in that place, and you can build warehouses, you can design a proper city that is clean, green, vibrant” Mr. Abugre explained.


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Johnson & Johnson India improves working provisions
In a progressive move for an Indian office in the health and beauty industry, Johnson & Johnson is now working to improve diversity and inclusion in its India offices, the brand said in a statement on May 30.
The fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) brand is taking steps to include more provisions for its Indian employees to “reinstate the importance of employees being able to champion work-life integration," according to the statement.
The new human resources policies include arrangements for sabbaticals and a “Nurturing Family Bonds Program” for expecting mothers that is designed to support mothers during pregnancy and after the birth. Fathers will also be supported as part of the programme. As the human resources developments centre on parenthood which also pertains to the brand’s beauty and wellness product portfolio, it appears that Johnson & Johnson has implemented business practices that also aid in marketing.
“Under the flexible working provisions, Johnson & Johnson employees can take up the option to work remotely once a week and/or choose flexible hours to meet their daily work and personal responsibilities,” said the company’s statement. Other aspects of the new human resources policy include support for employees looking to further their studies, to take part in community programmes, or for their health.
Copyright © 2022 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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Tata Group hospitality firm Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) sees the target of building 300 hotels and 500 homestays as achievable while it expects to open 12 more hotels this year, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Puneet Chhatwal said on Monday.
“In the past five years, we have added almost 120 hotels to the pipeline, many of which have opened. Currently, our pipeline is north of 65 hotels with 180 in operation. And that's why the target of 300 hotels or 500 homestays is very much realistic over the next four years,” he told CNBC-TV18.
Of these hotels, 50 were signed in the last 24 months, and Indian Hotels' opened six hotels this year. It, however, expects to open to sell more in the last six months because that's the right time to open hotels, and also because of certain delays from the COVID.
“Therefore, we would have opened 18 hotels, which means 1.5 hotels a month, and that is something which we were really looking forward to in accelerating our growth,” he said.
Indian Hotels group covers 100 plus destinations in India, if it adds homestays, it will total to 125 destinations across the country, he said, adding, "This journey of our focus on creating new destinations like the group has done in the past three, four decades is going to be a very good story for the sector in India."
Chhatwal, however, expects rates to continue to rise amid limited supply while average room rates are holding up as well.
“Across the globe, there's an increase in rates, and they may correct a bit towards plus 10 percent or minus 10 percent. But nothing else is going to change because the supply is going to remain constrained. Not many hotels have got built in the last two years, and when the demand begins to come back, it will continue to outpace supply in the market,” he told CNBC-TV18.
Chhatwal also noted that Indian Hotels wants to benchmark its hotel rates to global levels. "We have to benchmark rates of trophy assets in comparison to those in the West," he said.
He further explained that to get that kind of quality, location, and of views, India must have the ability to charge higher rates, and the industry needs to think about it collectively as a fraternity.
Chhatwal has a positive outlook for the second half of the fiscal as international travel is expected to resume from October to March. He also noted that the meeting, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) segment continues to see high demand.
The July to September quarter, meanwhile, saw occupancies close to the first three months of the fiscal, despite the second quarter being a seasonally weak one. According to him, the industry is currently 20 percent higher compared to the pre-pandemic times.
Last month, the Indian Hotels MD said, "IHCL is well-poised to meet the goal of a 300-hotel portfolio by 2025, driven by an asset-light model to achieve profitable growth." As part of the expansion, the company's flagship Taj will have 100 hotels by 2025, up from the current 89, he had said.
Chhatwal also said that his company is well positioned to undertake any merger and acquisition (M&A) opportunity as there’s always scope for consolidation in the hotel sector.
He highlighted Ginger as the hospitality firm’s fastest-growing brand. "It has a great future for the Indian market. Because of how the district capitals, state capitals and commercial capitals work, the market size is very large and underrepresented by brands. Therefore, Ginger becomes a great opportunity over the next 5-10 years in that positioning," he said.
Watch more in the accompanying video


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The days of sharing a Netflix account between multiple users may be coming to an end. Indeed, the streaming platform would have started to send warnings to some users who use an account that is not recognized as their own,
If you were planning to use a Netflix account that does not belong to you to watch the second part of behind her eyes, it is possible that this is no longer possible. Netflix began taking steps to warn users that they should not share an account if they were not in the same household.
Indeed, according to Netflix’s terms of service, a customer’s account on the VOD platform “cannot be shared with people outside your household,” even though Netflix has tolerated this practice for several years.
Some customers begin to receive a message when they log in to Netflix, telling them that they must live in the same household as the account holder. The message includes a verification process using a code sent via email or text message for whoever happens to be the account holder, if they are logging in from another location.
At this point, it’s unclear what exactly is driving users to receive this alert or if all markets are affected. However, Netflix said this is a “limited” test, without specifying whether it will be widespread in the future.
Therefore, if everyone used their own account, it might encourage the plateform to lower its rates, or offer more original content.


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After recently announching on Instagram that she will be launching her own makeup brand, Filipino beauty YouTuber Michelle Dy has officially shown us a peek at what to expect from her line, Michelle Dy Basics by MD. The vlogger just released a teaser video online, revealing that she's coming out with makeup tools!
The collection includes two brush sets: one for the eyes and another for the face. There are also makeup sponges in teal and pink. And according to the post's caption, everything will be available starting Friday, October 25, via Beauty Avenue, Shopee, Lazada, and Watsons.
Since her announcement, Michelle Dy Basics' official Instagram account has garnered almost 10,000 followers.
Will you be checking out her products?
Hey, Preview readers! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things trendy and creative. We’ll curate the most stylish feed for you!


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While the Nasdaq exchange and S&P 500 grabbed the headlines because of the massive run-up by the so-called Magnificent 7 stocks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plodded on with its Dow stocks to buy. It recorded its own double-digit gains for the year, and ended 2023 at an all-time high. This was not too shabby for 30 stalwart stocks.
For more 125 years, investors have turned to the Dow to measure the health of the stock market and the direction of the United States economy. Although it’s still called the “industrial average,” the old line index is a closer cross-section of American business today than it’s ever been. With tech stocks, consumer products, restaurants, insurance companies and more, the Dow is an even better barometer of how things are going.
This year is off to a fine start and despite last year’s gains, there are still great Dow stocks to buy in February. What follows are three index components you should be buying today.
Telecom giant Verizon (NYSE:VZ) was the industry leader for a long time but took its eye off the ball and struck out. Both AT&T (NYSE:T) and T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) stole customers and market share that left Verizon scrambling. Now the tables are turning once more.
The telecom posted stronger than expected postpaid subscriber growth as it refocuses on wireless and broadband quality and 5G networks. The national 5G rollout is the first major upgrade to the infrastructure in a decade and gives rise to new use cases such as fixed wireless access and mobile edge computing. Data consumption is one of the most profitable areas of telecom and could push earnings even higher.
Verizon purchased large swaths of C-band spectrum back in 2021. This is critical bandwidth for its 5G network service and fixed wireless access business. It will become even more essential as it attempts to catch up to T-Mobile, which is now the industry leader. Verizon’s improvement shows up in its ability to raise prices with few customer defections. That allowed for average revenue per user () to grow this quarter.
The telecom should be able to marginally grow its base, keep ARPU moving higher, pay down debt, and maintain its dividend. Verizon’s dividend of $2.69 per share yields a tasty 6.3% annually. This high-yield dividend stock has bounced sharply off last October’s lows and should maintain this momentum throughout the year and beyond. If you are looking for Dow stocks to buy, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) is not quite the high-growth stock investors expect from biotechs. Yet its $172 billion market valuation means it makes long, sweeping curves, not sharp cuts back and forth. It also navigates support for a dividend that yields 2.7% and is well-supported by its business and cash flows. It plans to return approximately 60% of its adjusted profits to shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks.
The biotech offers a solid portfolio of billion-dollar drugs. Its lead therapy is Prolia, a treatment for osteoporosis and bone cancer, that’s generated $2.9 billion in sales so far for 2023. Enbrel follows closes behind with $2.7 billion in sales. The autoimmune disease treatment, however, saw a 6% decline in Q3. In all, it has eight drugs that exceed $1 billion in annual sales. While its early generation of drugs like Enbrel are coming under pressure, its newer treatments keep sales moving forward.
What makes Amgen a biotech juggernaut though is the treatments in its pipeline. It invests its strong cash flows in research and development, typically spending more than $4 billion a year. AMGN stock is relatively cheap. It trades at just 16 times next year’s earnings estimates and 18 times free cash flow. The stock is up 30% over the past year but has plenty of room to run higher. This is easily one of the top Dow stocks to buy.
At more than $3 trillion, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is once again the most valuable company. Artificial intelligence ( ) was the primary driver behind the tech giant’s Q2 earnings pushing the Azure cloud services business to a 600 basis point gain. It makes it a more potent challenger to Amazon‘s (NASDAQ:AMZN) AWS as it was able to sign bigger, longer-term deals.
Having integrated AI throughout all of its products and services it offers customers a complete platform of usability, efficiency, and growth. It has a suite of leading global franchises, including Windows, Office, SQL-Server, Xbox and LinkedIn. Although the PC business continues to shrink, Microsoft’s operations are substantially diversified making it a nearly bullet-proof company. Its tools are essential to business, its customers are loyal to its products, and its finances are in tip-top condition. It ended the quarter with over $81 billion in cash while producing more than $67 billion in free cash flow.
Microsoft also offers a dividend, but the $2.95 per share payment yields just a modest 0.7% annually. Yet the payout is well-covered by its cash flows with a lot of room for future growth. This is a great company to buy in February and hold for decades to come. If you are looking for Dow stocks to buy, start here.
On the date of publication, Rich Duprey held a LONG position in T stock. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.


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Nokia C7 might hit T-Mobile USA as Nokia Tiger
Until Nokia launches its first Windows Phone 7 devices, the company still has to push its Symbian smartphones to carriers around the world. And it looks like it wants to bring the C7 (launched last year in Europe) to T-Mobile USA – which, by the way, has recently released the cheap Nokia X2-01.
TmoNews has it that the C7 will be available at T-Mobile USA later this month, under the name of Nokia Tiger. The handset’s price is not known, but the carrier could offer it for $99 on contract (the HTC HD7, for example, costs that much).
The C7 runs Nokia’s latest version of Symbian and features a 3.5 inch display with 360 x 640 pixels, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, Ovi Maps with free navigation, Bluetooth 3.0, TV-out, 8MP camera, and 720p video recording.


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Parlement Technologies, the parent company of Parler, announced the agreement to sell the platform to West.
In a statement, the company announced “it has entered into an agreement in principle to sell Parler” to West, who has been “taking a bold stance against his recent censorship from Big Tech."
"The terms of the proposed transaction would include ongoing technical support from Parlement and the use of private cloud services via Parlement’s private cloud and data center infrastructure," the statement continued.
George Farmer, the CEO of Parlement Technologies said, “This deal will change the world, and change the way the world thinks about free speech."
West also released a statement about the purchase and his vision for the platform.
"In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial, we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves," he said.
Parler, which launched in 2018, has gained a reputation as a space where right-wing conspiracies thrive. After the site played a role in the Jan. 6, riots at the Capitol building last year, Google and Amazon denounced the service, rendering its app and website inaccessible.
The unexpected transaction comes after several controversies from West including both Twitter and Instagram locking West’s accounts over a series of antisemitic posts.
It was not disclosed how much West has agreed to purchase the social media site.


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With the introduction of the ‘Digital India’ program in July 2015, the Government of India started its noble cause of transforming the entire gamut of public services and has come a long way since then.
The vision of the Digital India initiative is to make India a digitally empowered nation. It has given India the much-needed thrust to embark on the digital transformation journey. India’s internet user base continues to grow and has surpassed the 500 million mark, according to a newly released Kantar IMRB ICUBE report. The scale of digital adoption in the country is getting bigger and bigger, and so are the challenges associated with data privacy and security of individuals online. In the early days on the internet, a siloed approach towards identity may have been useful, but with more people getting online, identity risks and frauds are on the rise.
Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, has revealed that 945 data breaches led to 4.5 billion data records being compromised worldwide in the first half of 2018. Experian Identity and Fraud Report(APAC,2019) states, “Eighty-nine per cent of consumers are aware that businesses are collecting and using their personal information and 63 per cent of consumers understand the risks involved with doing businesses digitally – resolved to think “this is the price I pay to do things digitally.” Identifying customers often relies on the personal information they have previously provided such as name, email, and phone number.” More than 80 per cent of consumers, the report highlights, have voiced concerns about transparency about how businesses are using their data.
The identity silo puzzle can be solved by a digital identity owned and controlled by individuals. A completely scalable self-sovereign identity needs an open-source distributed network. With the emergence of platforms like Hashgraph, this is achievable. Using the existing Aadhar and India Stack platform, India can genuinely spur a self-sovereign identity revolution. IndiaStack ” is a set of APIs that allows governments, businesses, startups and developers to utilise a unique digital Infrastructure to solve India’s hard problems towards presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery. The Open API team at iSPIRT has been a pro-bono partner in the development, evolution, and evangelisation of these APIs and systems.” DLT(Distributed Ledger Technology) can help in bolstering the “Consent Layer” of India Stack and democratize the data market. The Aadhar infrastructure, when married to a blockchain platform, can empower Indians digitally, in the most real sense.
The Absolute Markets Insights report suggests that the Global Blockchain Identity Management Market is poised to grow at a CAGR of around 55% by 2027, thanks to an ever-increasing demand for decentralized identity management infrastructure. India can play a pivotal role in shaping the global blockchain identity landscape.


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John Madden, the Super Bowl winning coach of the Oakland Raiders (now playing in Las Vegas), the color commentator of NFL on game day television broadcasts, and the namesake of the award-winning NFL-based videogame series Madden NFL from EA Sports passed away in late December at the age of 85.
Madden’s affiliation with the videogame began in 1984 when EA founder Trip Hawkins asked him to help develop and endorse a new NFL-based video game. Hawkins knew that the game needed someone with Madden’s expertise to make the game a success and the coach always insisted that the gameplay be made as realistic as possible.
For decades, John Madden has been one of the most iconic football coaches of all time, a man who brought to the game a breadth of knowledge, a larger-than-life personality and a heartfelt love of for football that has been unmatched by both his contemporaries and those who followed in his footsteps.
Coach Madden started coaching the Oakland Raiders, now known as the Las Vegas Raiders, in 1969, held the position for 10 seasons until 1978, and won the Super Bowl with the team in 1977. By 1984, when the video game was being produced, he was also a popular TV commentator whose personality was adored by millions. He continued to do the voice-overs for the game for many years and continued to be involved in its development right up until his death.
Shortly after news of his death was released, EA Sports Madden NFL paid tribute to Coach Madden on its official Instagram account.
EA Sports commented, “Today, we lost a hero. John Madden was synonymous with the sport of football for more than 50 years. His knowledge of the game was second only to his love for it, and his appreciation for everyone that ever stepped on the gridiron.”
“A humble champion, a willing teacher, and a forever coach. Our hearts and sympathies go out to John’s family, friends, and millions of fans. He will be greatly missed, always remembered, and never forgotten.”
Why It Matters. Madden NFL was the first and remains the only videogame authorized, licensed and endorsed by the National Football League and is available on numerous gaming platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo and Windows. Much like FIFA in the football world and NBA 2K for basketball lovers, a new version of the game is released every year. The game was first released in 1988 under the name John Madden Football and since then there have been 38 different versions released.


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The container freight stations (CFSs) at JNPT port have begun to stink, with over 250 refrigerated containers with about 7,000 tonnes of imported onions rotting and lying idle for about a month now. Importers are in no hurry to clear their consignments as the landed cost of onions is way above the local market costs.
Trade sources told; the landed cost of imported onions is working out to ₹45/kg while in the wholesale market the price has plummeted sharply (the modal price is now ₹23/kg), leading to importers going slow on clearing their consignments from the CFSs. The importers now want shipping companies to waive certain charges so that their landed costs come down, sources said.
A CFS is a warehouse where goods are stored before being shipped to multiple customers. There are 33 CFSs at JNPT.
The country has enough onions acreage and production to meet its domestic demand. However, last year, with excess monsoon in Maharashtra’s Nashik region, the crop was partially destroyed, leading to a massive spike in prices across the country. Nashik has the largest area under onion cultivation in the country, as its unique agro-climatic conditions are most conducive for the crop.
Sources said that anticipating shortage in the market, traders placed their orders in the Egyptian market by early October 2019, and these arrived at JNPT after November 1 at a landed cost of ₹26-28/kg, while in the retail markets the prices had reached ₹130/kg. The Centre also jumped in, with MMTC Ltd, a PSU, placing import orders.
But, after some initial success, the process boomeranged, as the local supply improved and there were fewer takers for imported but non-spicy onions from markets such as Egypt and Turkey. As a result, onion cargo continues to wait at JNPT port, sources added.


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Tuesday, December 7, 2021
CVS enters digital health partnership with Microsoft
CVS Health is embarking on a new partnership with Microsoft to create innovative solutions to help consumers improve their health. . . .
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Just what does $7.5 million and a braintrust of hotshots from new and old media buy you?
So far, the answer is a no-frills Internet portal that indexes and cross-indexes the world of business into a directory that can be sliced and diced into 25,000 different combinations, plus a search engine that the site's designers say scans only Web sites devoted to commerce, e- and otherwise.
Business.com, which set the sneakered pioneers of the new economy a-chatter in November when its parent company paid a record $7.5 million for its domain name, launched the first phase of its much-anticipated Web site this week. Its creators promise that as subsequent phases of the rollout continue over the next few weeks, we'll find breaking news and house-written profiles on individual industries and companies.
To the casual observer, though, it's hard to see how Business.com, which was attractive enough to lure the Wall Street Journal's former Los Angeles bureau chief to join an Internet start-up, is any different from mainstream Internet portals like Yahoo, which also offers specialized business services categories.
Behind the site are such names as EarthLink founder Sky Dayton; Jake Winebaum, former head of Walt Disney's online operations; longtime Journal veteran Gumbel; and Jim McGovern, former technology chief for Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch.
Last year, Dayton and Winebaum co-founded eCompanies, an Internet business incubator and venture capital group in Santa Monica, Calif., and Business.com's parent. In November, the company announced that Winebaum's idea for a business-to-business Internet service was in development on the same day it reported the purchase of the Business.com domain name from a Houston media entrepreneur. Gumbel came on board in February as editor in chief with McGovern joining the team as president and general manager in March.
Such a lineup of heavy-hitters and a name worth more than the Bionic Man left Internet observers wondering what the offspring of such a union would be like.
Visitors to the site in the weeks before the launch were teased with the tagline "Business.com. The business revolution starts here soon." But judging from the site as it is now, is this really the revolution or, to borrow a line from the Who, is the new boss the same as the old boss?
Granted, I'm a journalist and not necessarily a member of the Business.com target audience of small-business owners or corporate buyers. Maybe what's truly innovative about the site was completely lost on me, but I was a bit disappointed by the splendorous new Web presence.
An unscientific comparison of Business.com and Yahoo's business offerings gave me pretty much the same result: A search of "Web developer" on both sites produced two similarly long and confusing lists of companies that provide such services, with no other data to help me discern why one firm might work better for me. I tried "cinema advertising" and had the same experience. I felt like I had two versions of the Yellow Pages; the two directories linked to a different set of sites, or at least ordered them differently, but neither provided me with valuable decision-making data. Who's to say which is better?
I wasn't the only one who was a bit baffled by the debut of Business.com. "It's too early to tell, but my sense is it's not going to be something people are going to flock to," confided Joe Butt, an analyst with Forrester Research. He isn't convinced the site will be able to generate sustained traffic, something crucial for Business.com since its revenue will come almost entirely from advertising.
"Does business need this kind of definitive directory?" Butt asked. "I don't know. I look at it and say no." Major companies, Butt said, probably won't need the directory and search engine functions because they should know most if not all of the suppliers in their industry already. Small businesses might find the site helpful, he said, but once they locate what they need there's little incentive for frequent return visits.
Business.com creators, however, counter that the information revolution has so altered the world of business that traditional perceptions of how it works may no longer be valid. Said Gumbel, "The Internet is changing everything -- every job, every company, every business."
Certainly, Business.com has some big shoes to break in if it's to live up to its creators' vision that the site will one day be as synonymous in the world of commerce as Lycos, Yahoo and AltaVista are in the world of consumers.
But Gumbel is enthusiastic about its chances. The directory and the search engine, he said, are designed to link businesses quickly to whatever they need, from corrugated shipping boxes to the how-tos of assessing whether to buy or lease computer equipment. The directory's listing of business Web sites will include 1 million entries by year's end and the search engine can cull information from roughly 200 million Web pages. Gumbel says that perks such as up-to-the-minute business news from 30 different sources and profiles of 10,000 publicly traded companies will add to the site's allure.
And Anya Sacharow, an analyst at Jupiter Communications, says it's too early to call this play. "Any site that makes people's lives easier has a shot at being successful," she says. "I don't think I'd be so down on it since it's in its initial stages."
True, it'll take time for the site to prove itself. But you have to wonder how a company that has blanketed the Net with press releases bemoaning the Web's merciless torrent of "information chaos" and its "literally millions of Web sites ... fighting for your attention," can justify adding one more high-priced URL to the madness.
As Butt says: "It's a great URL. It's advertising money well spent. Now it depends on what you do with it."
Isn't this what we should have been saying before the launch?


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Its acquisition of a tiny Swedish company is typical for Apple.
The $45.8 billion in cash and marketable securities that Apple (AAPL) reported in June is not burning a hole in its corporate pocket. On Monday, our colleague Seth Weintraub spotted a Norwegian media report that Apple had gobbled up a small Swedish company called Polar Rose.
Polar Rose has some nifty face recognition algorithms — demonstrated below the fold on a Google (GOOG) Android phone — that look like they might complement either Apple’s iPhoto software or its Facetime video calling service.
Apple is reported to have paid $29 million for the 15-person company — typical of the kind of small, targeted acquisitions the company likes to make. It’s a drop in the bucket compared with the $2.35 billion Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) just spent to acquire 3Par, an enterprise storage company. HP’s outlay — driven up by a bidding war with Dell (DELL) — represented nearly 10% of its $24.29 billion cash reserve.
Below: The Polar Rose demo.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
[Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]


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BONN, Germany — The German post office is looking to Asia for the next area of its global expansion program following the majority acquisition of DHL International last month.
DHL International, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, is the world's largest express service outside the US and claims a 40 percent non-US market share. It could be the battering ram for Deutsche Post's future expansion into Asia.
CEO Klaus Zumwinkel said as much at a press conference in Paris in mid-September.
“We are now in a position to offer our international clientele peak performance in the global express business,” he said. He did not, however, mention any takeover target in the Asia Pacific region.
The Germans have few regional cornerstones, although they bought two small Australian companies earlier this year. But given their strong position in logistics and now express services, the way to Asian markets seems open.
DHL added an important component to the global delivery network that Deutsche Post began to build in the late 1990s through massive acquisitions in Europe and the US.
Danzas, a Swiss freight forwarder that the Germans bought in 1998, provided the logistics anchor. It is integrating an acquisition made last year — Air Express International — into the logistics division. Purchase of the postal bank adds a financial services dimension.
Zumwinkel's strategy is clear, the newspaper Die Welt noted last month: With 90 percent of the company's profits still dependent on letter mail and its monopoly position already eroding even before it is formally abolished, globalization was the only way to go.
Deutsche Post has been after DHL for most of the last decade, but it did not get an initial stake until 1998, when it bought 25 percent of the company. Since Lufthansa owned another 25 percent, this was close to German control.
But with the IPO due in November, Zumwinkel clearly thought he needed full ownership. He got a binding commitment from the family of DHL's founder and other institutional owners to sell him 26 percent of their 44 percent stake, giving him control.
Japan Airlines owns 6 percent, and DP is negotiating with JAL to acquire its share packet. DP already had made a deal with Lufthansa that put it in a managing position for Lufthansa's stake of 25 percent.
Through DHL International, Deutsche Post also will own a minority stake in the affiliated DHL Airways Inc., Redwood City, CA, which handles only US domestic traffic. But the Germans will not control the affiliate.
DHL's global network connects 80,000 sites in 228 countries, making it the world's largest. However, it does not come close to carrying the amount of traffic that UPS and Federal Express handle.
DHL sales last year totaled 4 billion euros ($3.46 billion), up 17 percent over 1998 totals, and they reportedly are rising at about the same rate this year.
No sales price was announced, but media speculation ranged from 2 billion euros ($1.8 billion), according to Die Welt, down to $600 million to $800 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Zumwinkel plans to keep DHL as a separate brand under its current management, comparing its global brand impact to that of Coke. He said a planned IPO for the privately held DHL would proceed as planned in 2002.
The new cash will allow DHL to continue plans for buying expensive new Boeing jets. Indeed, the Germans saw a chance to move on DHL once they learned about the planned purchases, pointing out that they could finance the new planes whereas other DHL shareholders could not.
As a result of the acquisition, Deutsche Post postponed its IPO from Nov. 6 to Nov. 20. DP had initially planned to float from 33 percent to 49 percent of its stock, but the government opted for a more modest 25 percent to 33 percent.


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Huawei produces a steady stream of new devices and a new one is about to surface according to reports. The Huawei G9 price and a May 4 unveiling have been tipped, and it’s said to be a further variant of the Huawei P9. It’s thought that the Huawei G9 is the same device that was […]
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 6 phablet is not expected to release until later in the year, but we have already seen the rumor mill start churning. Previously we’ve reported on some leaked specs for the device, and now there’s a new Samsung Galaxy Note 6 camera rumor that suggests the device will include IR autofocus. Last […]
We know that readers are often trying to find out when Android updates will arrive for their smartphones and tablets. Today’s news is for those who have the Lenovo Vibe P1 that released in the later part of last year running Android 5.1 Lollipop. It’s good news, as the Lenovo Vibe P1 Android Marshmallow update […]
Each Thursday Google Play’s new game section is updated, and you just never know what you’re going to get. There were several new games this week, but an update to a golf game is what grabbed our attention. We spent quite a bit of time with this one, so prepare for yourself for our Lonely […]
There have been rumors and leaks about the Meizu MX6 for some months, and many of us had expected it to be officially launched before now. News today is not too promising if you were eagerly waiting though, as it appears the Meizu MX6 release may not be until H2, 2016. Way back in February […]
Even though we saw it coming from a mile away, the Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus was a pleasant surprise. It was also a handset bound for the states, and we’re pleased to announced the Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus U.S. release date has finally arrived.
HTC’s newest flagship smartphone has received a warm reception so far, and US readers may be wondering when they will be able to purchase it on Sprint. We have information about the HTC 10 Sprint availability date and it’s set to launch on the carrier on May 13. However, that’s a little later than if […]
Many people have set their sights on the Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge. Those who haven’t yet purchased the smartphone may still be considering their options. If you’re in the UK we have some news about this, with details of the Galaxy S7 Carphone Warehouse silver exclusive and a mega deal. Shortly after […]
Reach Mobiles isn’t a brand most folks have heard of unless you reside in India and a few other locales. The latest handset bound for India from the company is the Reach Allure+, which has just been announced for Rs. 5,444.
We are still early in 2016, but thus far the LG G5 has been the biggest surprise in the smartphone world. If you reside in India, you will soon be able to grab one for yourself as the LG G5 India release date is rumored to arrive late next month.


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Sears Again Taps CEO for Loan
Sears has borrowed $60 million from affiliates of its CEO, Edward Lampert. This marks the third time in a month the retailer has asked for financial help. The Chicago Tribune reports Sears Holdings Corp. borrowed $100 million from affiliates of Lampert's hedge fund, ESL Investments, earlier last month. The first draft of $40 million took place October 18. It then drew the remaining $60 million a week later.
“We continue to focus on actions to provide the company with additional financial flexibility to generate liquidity and demonstrate our ability to manage our business while meeting all of our financial obligations,” Sears spokesman Howard Riefs wrote in an email to the Chicago Tribune.
Total Retail's Take: One has to wonder if this holiday season is make-or-break time for Sears. The retailer has been dealing with falling sales and profits for years now, and its primary method for combatting this reality has been to continue to borrow more money. At this point, a turnaround seems unlikely. Even with new digital efforts and the return of customer favorites, such as the Big Wish Book, the opportunity for Sears to make a comeback is narrowing.